Caring for Military Kids with Autism Act

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Jeremy Hilton, of Burke, a U.S. Air Force finalist for the 2012 Military Spouse of the Year. Mr. Hilton is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and a Navy veteran. In 2002, Mr. Hilton was stationed in Navy Yard Washington, D.C. when his daughter, Kate, was born with significant medical issues. Given the longer deployments required of naval officers, Mr. Hilton chose to separate in order to care for Kate, his two-year-old son, Jack, and support his wife, Renae, who is stationed at Andrews AFB.

Mr. Hilton has made it his mission to advocate for military families impacted by a disability, and he has taken on several leadership roles to help military and non-military families on issues including medical care, long-term care, Medicaid, and special education. He spends much of his free time speaking and advocating for legislation. Mr. Hilton has become a respected authority on issues involving military families with special needs and disabilities. He has briefed the White House, the Congressional Military Family Caucus, and the staff for several Congressional committees.

Mr. Hilton was instrumental in bringing attention to major inadequacies in the U.S. Air Force Exceptional Family Member Program. He and fifteen other Air Force families organized support for a Department of Defense Inspector General report that played a major role in reforming the program. Mr. Hilton also worked with Congressional staff on provisions in the 2011 National Defense Authorization Act to institute feedback from disability-impacted military families to the Department of Defense, establishing the Military Exceptional Family Member Panel. Currently, Mr. Hilton is working to gather support on H.R. 2288, the ``Caring for Military Kids with Autism Act.''

When not caring for his family or working to improve the lives of other families, Mr. Hilton spends the remaining hours of the day working toward a graduate degree at the George Washington University and producing a video series titled Creating Access for All, which encourages churches to start disability ministries.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Jeremy Hilton and his sacrifice, service and passionate advocacy for both military and non-military families impacted by disabilities. I believe there to be few others more deserving of the 2012 Military Spouse of the Year.