Special to the Opelika Observer

Alice Martin, candidate for Alabama Attorney General today announced her
plans to form a Military and Veterans Action Council when she is elected, with the aim of increasing education and legal assistance to the Alabama military and veterans’ community through the Consumer Protection Division of the Office of Attorney General.

“As the proud daughter of a WWII veteran, I was pleased to see the legislature recognize our servicemen and women on Veterans Day in Montgomery. As our nation’s warriors, these individuals sacrifice so much so that we can enjoy the freedoms that we all too often take for granted,” said Martin. “They deserve to have the best treatment possible after returning home, and as Attorney General, I pledge to fight for them until they receive the treatment they have earned. The creation of a Military and Veterans Action Council (MVAC) is the first step of many to accomplishing this.”

The Martin campaign has held a series of meetings with military and veteran stakeholders to discuss the unique needs of those who have served and are returning from service to better understand what assistance is needed in the areas of veterans’ courts, medical care, housing, employment, education, and consumer-related issues. The Office of the Attorney General’s formation of the MVAC would foster direct communication and education between the legal community and Alabama service providers.

“As Attorney General, I will fight tooth and nail to shut down the fraudsters that target our veterans, just like I have combated corruption and crime over my entire career,” said Martin. “The MVAC is going to better equip us to fight against those perpetrating discrimination and fraud on what should be viewed as the pride of Alabama—our veterans and active servicemembers.”

Alabama has more than 29,000 active duty and reserve military members, and over 10 percent of the entire state population is made up of veterans who have fought for the U.S. Currently, the Attorney General’s website has no legal resources available to veterans or active servicemembers and their families in the areas of housing, employment, consumer-protections, and many other aspects of the law. There is also no single point of contact with the purpose of filing consumer-related complaints. With the creation of the MVAC, these issues and many others will be corrected, providing streamlined and more
effective services to Alabama’s veterans.