Veteran Emergency Medical Technician Support Act of 2013

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 235) to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide grants to States to streamline State requirements and procedures for veterans with military emergency medical training to become civilian emergency medical technicians.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in strong support and urge my colleagues to vote for H.R. 235, the Veteran Emergency Medical Technician Support Act of 2013.

At this time I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Kinzinger), a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, who wrote this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I want to thank once again Mr. Kinzinger of Illinois and Mrs. Capps of California for this commonsense legislation. When you think about young men and women serving in the military and Iraq and Afghanistan and responding to a wide array of emergencies that they respond to and having visited the training programs that they have, we know that they are well trained. And yet some State licensing laws for EMTs vary. Many States do not recognize combat medics and other veterans' qualifications as applicable to the licensing requirement of the civilian health care system. Some States make exceptions for former military medics and allow them reciprocity and a chance to sit for the licensing exam without going through the usual training. But, as I said, many States do not.

This legislation simply helps streamline State requirements and make allowances for returning veterans to enter the EMT workforce without unnecessary duplication of their training. And we all know the great demand for emergency technicians in our society today.

This bill also provides for an annual report to Congress. It complies with CutGo because funding of the $1 million for the program is offset with funds from area health education centers of the Public Health Service Act.

So, I am pleased to support this legislation and urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 235. Once again, I thank the gentleman from Illinois and all of those on the committee who brought this legislation to the floor.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for your hard work in bringing this forward. I just want to thank all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for supporting this bill.

Unemployment rates continue to be far too high among our veterans who are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. These returning men and women deserve a smooth transition from the military into the civilian workforce. As a Nation, we must recognize the experience and education that our military-trained EMTs receive. It's inefficient to force these well-trained veterans to start over with basic training in the civilian workforce after aiding wounded men and women who were severely injured in combat. We must recognize military-trained EMT skills and education and streamline the process so these honorable men and women can quickly return to work here at home.

I'm a pilot in the Air National Guard. One of the things that really brought this to my mind is, as a pilot, I went through my pilot training and was able to take an equivalency test in which I was granted, basically, the civilian equivalent of what I learned in the military. And you realize those are very obviously transferable skills. And to be able to bring that into the civilian workforce has done great for airlines and commercial piloting and everything, frankly, related to aviation in the civilian world.

This bill is a commonsense way to help our veterans as they transition back to civilian life. By supporting States to make the process more efficient, veterans with military EMT training will more quickly become certified civilian EMTs. In doing so, returning veterans will not have to start over at square one in their training and can enter the civilian workforce much sooner.

One other point to make in this is that in rural areas--and I represent a lot of rural areas in Illinois--there is a shortage of emergency medical technicians in small towns. But there's not a shortage of folks coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan--veterans in these small communities. To be able to do this small step in ensuring that the rural areas, the rural municipalities and our veterans are matched with jobs where there is need is, I think, a very positive step in the right direction.

I would urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this great piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 235, the Veteran Emergency Medical Technician Support Act of 2013. Congresswoman Capps and Congressman Kinzinger have introduced this commonsense legislation to advance our shared goals of getting our veterans back to work and addressing areas of shortage in health professions.

H.R. 235 is essentially the same as legislation the House passed on a voice vote in the 112th Congress. I know we are all hopeful that this time around the Senate will act quickly to consider and pass this bill.

Each of us is deeply indebted to the members of our military for their patriotism and for all they do to protect our country and its national interests.

We know that our returning vets have unique skills and experiences that make them highly qualified for jobs in the health care and other sectors. However, the unfortunate reality is that our veterans experience unemployment rates well above the national average.

H.R. 235 authorizes a demonstration grant program for states to support planning efforts to streamline their certification and licensure requirements for returning vets with emergency medical training. While states would take the lead in carrying out this program, I believe there would be an important role for partnerships between public and private organizations within the states--such as area health education centers--in its implementation.

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 235, and I commend the sponsors of this bill for their work on this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 235, the Veteran Emergency Medical

Technician Support Act of 2013. This bill authorizes a demonstration grant program for States that are experiencing emergency medical technician shortages so that States, in turn, can better assist returning veterans and their transition to civilian employment. States receiving grant funding under this program would develop and implement plans to streamline training and educational requirements for returning vets. Specifically, States would determine the extent to which civilian education and training requirements are equivalent to those for previous military EMT work. And States would identify ways for qualified military EMTs to forego duplicative requirements.

H.R. 235 was reported by the Energy and Commerce Committee with broad bipartisan support. And, Mr. Speaker, I think it's also worth noting that H.R. 235 is essentially the same as legislation that passed the House on a voice vote in the last Congress. I commend the sponsors of the bill, Congressman Kinzinger and Congresswoman Capps, for their leadership on this important issue. H.R. 235 is a commonsense bipartisan measure. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman and the majority for working with us on this bill, would urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.