House Passes Bill To Rename VA Clinic After Veterans’ Advocate Bill Kling

WASHINGTON – Earlier today the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to rename the Department of Veterans Affairs health clinic located at 9800 West Commercial Boulevard, in the city of Sunrise, Florida, as the “William ‘Bill’ Kling” VA Clinic.”

The entire Florida House Delegation joined Wasserman Schultz on H.R. 6443 to honor a beloved member of the South Florida veterans’ community, Bill Kling, who passed away on August 6 at the age of 84.

Wasserman Schultz spoke on the House floor about the bill, watch it here – http://bit.ly/WxN8C2

William ‘Bill’ Kling was a tireless advocate for veterans. He noticed that too often veterans in Broward County had to travel too far to go to a VA facility to get the care they needed. With that in mind, he helped open the Oakland Park VA outpatient Clinic more than two decades ago. When that building began deteriorating, Bill worked to open a brand new facility. In 2008, the new 98,000-square-foot Broward County VA Outpatient Clinic opened.

To honor his memory, Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-20) and Ted Deutch (FL-19) introduced a bill to re-name the Broward County VA Outpatient Clinic after Mr. Kling. In September, Wasserman Schultz and Deutch joined Broward County Sheriff Al Lamberti, who worked with Bill for more than 20 years in the Broward Sherriff’s Office, and Bill’s son Steven, at the Broward VA clinic to discuss their bill.

“Bill Kling worked tirelessly to make sure our veterans were getting the benefits they deserved – from education under the GI bill to quality health care through our VA system,” said Rep. Wasserman Schultz.

“One of Bill’s greatest accomplishments and lasting legacies was ensuring that veterans would have easy access to quality medical care. I know we are all grateful for the remarkable legacy he leaves behind and he will be sorely missed. Renaming the Broward outpatient clinic as the “William ‘Bill’ Kling VA Clinic will ensure that Bill’s legacy lives on, as future generations of veterans come to this VA clinic. Even those who never knew Bill personally will be able to appreciate his contributions as a tireless advocate for all the veterans in our community.”

This is the seventh piece of legislation Rep. Wasserman Schultz has passed through the House this Congress.