On Oct. 15 Rep. Pete Aguilar introduced the Jerry Lewis VA Clinic Act, legislation to rename the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Loma Linda VA clinic in Redlands after former Congressman and San Bernardino County native Jerry Lewis, who passed away earlier this year. Lewis served as Chairman of the Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee before serving as the Chairman of the full House Committee on Appropriations, where he helped secure billions of dollars in federal investments for the VA.

“Jerry Lewis was a giant in our community and dedicated his life and career to serving San Bernardino County. As a member and eventual Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Jerry was a vocal advocate for federal investment into our region and never stopped fighting for veterans’ access to the highest quality health care and services. I’m proud to introduce this legislation to memorialize and honor Congressman Lewis for his lifetime of dedicated service,” said Aguilar.

Rep. Ken Calvert, who served in Congress with Jerry Lewis, is an original cosponsor of the bill. Both Aguilar and Calvert serve on the House Appropriations Committee, the committee responsible for providing funding for federal agencies and programs.