Commissioner Diaz pushes for federal funding for veterans treatment courts

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY – Miami-Dade County Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz is sponsoring a resolution urging Congress to pass pending legislation to provide funding to develop and maintain veteran treatment courts across the country, including Miami-Dade’s existing veterans court program, which became the first veterans treatment court in Miami-Dade County in January 2017.

The resolution is scheduled for consideration at the Tuesday, January 23 County Commission meeting in the County Commission Chamber at the Stephen P. Clark Center, 111 NW 1st St. The meeting will begin at 9:30 a.m.

Commissioner Diaz, who also serves as the Chairman of the Miami-Dade Military Affairs Board, is a strong advocate for veterans and worked together with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the Miami Veterans Health Administration, the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, and the South Florida Behavioral Health Network to create the Miami-Dade Veterans Treatment Court, which diverts veterans from the traditional criminal justice system and provide them with the tools needed to successfully reintegrate back into civilian life – including substance abuse treatment, vocational training and housing from the Veterans Administration.

U.S. Reps. Charlie Crist and Jeff Denham are the main sponsors behind the Veteran Treatment Court Coordination Act, which would establish a national veterans treatment court program. The bill has been co-sponsored by 40 congressmen, including Representative Mario Diaz-Balart.