A Tribute Fit for a Kling

Washington, DC, September 19, 2012
Reps. Wasserman Schultz and Deutch introduce bill to rename VA clinic after veterans' advocate Bill Kling

SUNRISE, Fla. – William ‘Bill’ Kling was a tireless advocate for veterans. He noticed that too often veterans in Broward County had to travel too far to go to a VA facility to get the care they needed. With that in mind, he helped open the Oakland Park VA outpatient Clinic more than two decades ago. When that building began deteriorating, Bill worked to open a brand new facility. In 2008, the new 98,000-square-foot Broward County VA Outpatient Clinic opened.

To honor his memory, Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-20) and Ted Deutch (FL-19) are introducing a bill to re-name the Broward County VA Outpatient Clinic after Mr. Kling. On Wednesday, September 19 in Sunrise, Reps. Wasserman Schultz and Deutch joined Broward County Sheriff Al Lamberti, who worked with Bill for more than 20 years in the Broward Sherriff’s Office, and Bill’s son Steven, at the Broward VA clinic to discuss their bill. Broward County Clerk of Court Howard Forman was also on hand to talk about why he thinks this is important to the veterans’ community.

“We are here to remember the life of a dedicated member of our South Florida veterans community, William “Bill” Kling, who passed away on August 6th at the age of 84,” said Rep. Wasserman Schultz. “He worked tirelessly to make sure our veterans were getting the benefits they deserved - from education under the GI bill to quality health care through our VA system.

“One of Bill’s greatest accomplishments and lasting legacies was ensuring that veterans would have easy access to quality medical care. I know we are all grateful for the remarkable legacy he leaves behind and he will be sorely missed. With that in mind, I am honored to announce that when Congressman Deutch and I return to DC later today, we will file legislation to rename the Broward outpatient clinic as the “William ‘Bill’ Kling VA Clinic.” It will ensure that Bill’s legacy lives on, as future generations of veterans come to this VA clinic. Even those who never knew Bill personally will be able to appreciate his contributions as a tireless advocate for all the veterans in our community.”