Elizabeth Guzman: Honoring Veterans starts with Helping Military Families Build Wealth

 Government   Wed, November 11, 2020 08:29 PM
DALE CITY, VA – Virginia Lieutenant Governor candidate Delegate Elizabeth Guzman , a social worker and public administrator who would be the first woman and first Latinx person to hold the post, today issued the following statement in honor of Veterans Day:
 
“On this Veterans Day and every Veterans Day, thank you to all who have served. 
 
“Our veterans and military families deserve access to affordable health care, housing, higher education and good-paying jobs. But military spouses earn on average 27 percent less than their civilian counterparts , amounting to a loss of more than $10,000 each year for military families.
 
“The discrepancy makes it harder for military families to build savings for when they leave the service. The unemployment rate for military spouses is about five times the national average . More than half of military families with plans to leave the service in two years have less than $5,000 in savings for an emergency .
 
“That’s why I i ntroduced a resolution through my work with the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators that outlines comprehensive economic reforms for military families. The resolution was unanimously ratified by and serves as a national model for the group.
 
“I’m proud to have introduced and passed a bill that requires the Board of Nursing to expedite licensure and certification applications from military spouses who are licensed or certified in another state. In the next legislative session, I'll introduce a bill to ensure military families who have resided in Virginia for more than two years can access in-state tuition. Caring about our veterans starts with helping military families build wealth before they transition out of the service and join the civilian world.”
 
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Delegate Elizabeth Guzman is a social worker, public administrator, and progressive who would be the first woman and first Latinx person to serve as lieutenant governor of Virginia. She came to this country more than two decades ago as a single mother with $300 in her pocket and worked three minimum wage jobs to afford a one-bedroom apartment for herself and her daughter. 
 
Delegate Guzman put herself through college and earned two master’s degrees, building a career as a social worker who protected children from abuse. As a division chief for the City of Alexandria’s Dept. of Adult Services, she now oversees a $20 million budget for a 200-person operations staff serving some of our most marginalized populations, including our seniors and people struggling with substance use disorders. 
 
The Richmond Times-Dispatch has note d that Guzman is “ one of the most progressive voices in the House of Delegates, carving out a role as an advocate for working-class Virginians and organized labor ”. A University of Toledo Law Professor told the Washington Post Guzman’s bill to lift Virginia’s public sector collective bargaining ban “ would lift the spirits of labor in the United States .” The Daily Press called her bill to raise the age at which children are automatically tried as adults a “ sweeping rethinking of how to deal with kids accused of felonies .”
 
Guzman and her husband Carlos reside in Dale City with their four children and her mother, Gregoria.
CONTACT:
Katie Baker Cell: 740-485-1125 katie@muckrakerbaker.com
 
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