To amend title 38, United States Code, to increase to $2,000 the amount of the Medal of Honor special pension under that title and to provide for payment of that pension to the surviving spouse of a deceased Medal of Honor recipient.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6980) to amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to increase the amount of the Medal of Honor special pension provided under that title by up to $1,000.

Madam Speaker, since this bill was brought to us by the distinguished gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Brown), I would like to have him explain the bill and make sure everybody knows how important it is. We thank him for bringing us this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to offer my support of H.R. 6980, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to increase the amount of the Medal of Honor special pension provided under that title by up to $1,000.

It is with great satisfaction that I stand before you today, to further honor our military heroes who have already received our Nation's highest recognition and praise--those who have been awarded the Medal of Honor. With this bill, we honor those heroes with our financial support, because they were willing to defend our country with their lives.

The Medal of Honor is the nation's highest award for bravery and military valor that can be bestowed upon any servicemember in the military. It is presented by the President of the United States in the name of Congress.

The Medal of Honor was established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1862 and was first presented during the Civil War. It is bestowed on a member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself ``. . . conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States . . .'' Because of its nature, awards of the medal are frequently made posthumously.

The Medal of Honor confers special privileges on those who receive it, both by tradition and by law. By tradition, all other soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen--even higher-ranking officers up to the President of the United States--who are not also recipients of the Medal of Honor, must salute the recipient.

By law each recipient of the Medal may have their name placed on the Medal of Honor Roll. Each person whose name appears on the Medal of Honor Roll is certified by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs as being entitled to receive a special pension.

The current rate of that pension is just over $1,100 monthly . . . less than $14,000 annually. I believe, and I think every other American will back me in this, that we have to do better in honoring our heroes.

H.R. 6980 will increase the rate of the special pension for recipients of the Medal of Honor by up to $1,000. I believe that we should do more . . . but I recognize that this is the best we can do now!

Madam Speaker, yesterday we passed a bill for a one time payment to Filipino Veterans of World War II that I don't believe went far enough. Today, we'll pass this bill in support of our Nation's highest decorated heroes . . . and sadly . . . it too won't go far enough.

As we, as a Congress and as a Nation, focus on our veterans, particularly our newest veterans from OEF and OIF, we must also remember and never forget our heroes of previous wars. We owe to them all a debt of gratitude, and certainly to those who earned our Nation's highest honor every financial benefit we can bestow.

Today, by passing H.R. 6980, we once again recognize our military heroes, this time with financial support, and we tell them that we will never forget their bravery.

Madam Speaker, I urge the support of all my colleagues.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 6980.

I urge my colleagues to unanimously support this very important legislation, H.R. 6980.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6980, a bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to increase the amount of the Medal of Honor special pension provided under that title by up to $1,000.

The Medal of Honor is the Nation's highest award for military valor. It is presented by the President in the name of Congress, and is often called the Congressional Medal of Honor. Since its first presentation in 1863, over 3,467 Medals of Honor have been awarded to a total of 3,448 individuals (there have been 19 double recipients).

Under current law, a veteran who has been awarded a Medal of Honor is eligible for a monthly pension ($1,129 as of December 1, 2007). Eligibility for the pension is based solely on receipt of the Medal of Honor, and the recipient of the Medal of Honor must elect to receive the special pension. Receipt of this pension does not reduce any other benefits under U.S. law, and a veteran who has received more than one Medal of Honor is limited to receiving only one Medal of Honor pension benefit.

The legislation before us would increase the rate of this special pension by not more than $1,000, subject to appropriations. In an informal estimate provided to my office, the total cost of this bill would be $6 million over 5 years. The authority provided to the Secretary to expend the funds provided for this purposes would expire on September 30, 2013. After expending any funds appropriated for this purpose, the Secretary would not be authorized to further increase the rate of the special monthly pension.

Madam Speaker, over the years, it has been the honor of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs to name facilities after a number of Medal of Honor recipients, many of whom have passed on, but 100 still remain with us and walk as humble heroes among a grateful people. We can never thank these heroes enough for all they have given to protect our freedom and security. The special pension increase seems like a small amount compared to the price these warriors have paid.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6980, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to increase the amount of the Medal of Honor special pension provided under that title by up to $1,000.

I especially want to thank Chairman Filner and Ranking Member Buyer for working with me on this legislation, and to thank Chairman Michaud for joining me in introducing the original version of this legislation,