H.R. 54House116th Congress (2019-2021)In Committee

To designate the outstation of the Department of Veterans Affairs in North Ogden, Utah, as the Major Brent Taylor Vet Center Outstation.

AI-Generated Summary

Updated April 13, 2026 at 11:37 PM UTC

The bill renames the Department of Veterans Affairs outstation in North Ogden, Utah, to honor Major Brent Taylor, a Utah National Guard officer who was killed in Afghanistan. After the law takes effect, the facility will be officially called the “Major Brent Taylor Vet Center Outstation,” and all federal references to the site will use that name. The change primarily affects the VA outstation and the veterans who receive services there.

Key Provisions

Designates the VA outstation at 2357 North 400 East Washington Boulevard, North Ogden, Utah, as the “Major Brent Taylor Vet Center Outstation.”
Requires that any federal law, regulation, map, or document referring to the facility use the new name.

Legislative Activity

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1 earlier action

HouseIntro Referral Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Veterans' Affairs Committee

January 3, 2019

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HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

January 3, 2019

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Veterans' Affairs Committee

January 3, 2019

Floor Debate

3 members

What members said about H.R. 54 on the floor

2 Republicans1 Democrat

Rep. Mark TakanoD-CA-41 · Mar 5, 2019

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on S. 49. Mr. Speaker, I move to…

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on S. 49.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 49) to designate the outstation of the Department of Veterans Affairs in North Ogden, Utah, as the Major Brent Taylor Vet Center Outstation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise to remember the life of Major Brent Russell Taylor, who was killed in Afghanistan on November 3, 2018.

I thank my colleague, Mr. Bishop of Utah, for bringing this bill before us so that we all may be able to pay tribute to a selfless public servant.

Brent was born on July 6, 1979, in Ogden, Utah, the second of eight children of Stephen and Tamara Jones Taylor. Five of his brothers joined him in his military service in the Army National Guard.

At an early age, Brent showed his passion for business and politics. During his senior year at Chandler High School, he earned his Eagle Scout award and was elected student body president. He graduated in 1997.

Brent was a man of faith. He was a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and he spent 2 years serving as a missionary for the church in the Brazil Maceio Mission from 1998 to the year 2000. This time of full-time service largely impacted the course of the rest of his life.

After his mission, Brent attended Brigham Young University, where he met Jennie Kristin Ashworth on a blind date less than a month after she returned from her own full-time service as a church missionary in the Chile Santiago North Mission.

They enjoyed a sweet courtship and were engaged on a Saturday in June of 2003. Brent enlisted as a soldier in the Utah National Guard the following Tuesday, with Jennie proudly by his side. They married on September 18, 2003.

In 2006, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant from Brigham Young University. He went on to work for the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Ground Intelligence Center, and the Department of Homeland Security. Over the course of 15 years, he served in the Utah Army National Guard, deploying four times in support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In 2009, he was elected to further serve his community by sitting on the North Ogden City Council, and in 2013, he was elected mayor of North Ogden, Utah.

In 2018, Major Taylor, a Purple Heart recipient, left on his fourth deployment, acting as an adviser to the Afghan Border Police. He was the first known sitting mayor in Utah history to deploy for wartime service.

Tragically, on November 3, 39-year-old Major Taylor was killed in an insider attack by an Afghan trainee he was trying to help.

In addition to his wife, Jennie, Major Taylor is survived by seven children: Megan, Lincoln, Alex, Jacob, Ellie, Jonathan, and Caroline. He is also survived by his parents and several siblings.

In letters to his wife, Jennie, and his children, his comrade, Afghan Air Force Major Abdul Rahman, said of Major Taylor: ``He died on our soil, but he died for the success of freedom and democracy in both of our countries.

``Your father was a loving, caring, and compassionate man whose life just wasn't meaningful; it was inspirational.''

In his last message to his community on October 28, 2018, Major Taylor wrote: ``It was beautiful to see over 4 million Afghan men and women brave threats and deadly attacks to vote in Afghanistan's first parliamentary elections in 8 years. . . . Many American, NATO allies, and Afghan troops have died to make moments like this possible.

``As the USA gets ready to vote in our own election next week, I hope everyone back home exercises their precious right to vote,'' he wrote, ``and that whether the Republicans or the Democrats win, that we all remember that we have far more as Americans that unites us than divides us.''

As lawmakers, the least we can do to honor Major Taylor is to come together to pass S. 49 into law. His legacy of fighting to protect democracy and freedom and working to unite his community and all Americans must never be forgotten.

We can all learn from Major Taylor's example to serve, as he would say, ``whenever and however I can.''

Mr. Speaker, my colleagues and I owe a debt of gratitude to Major Brent Russell Taylor and the entire Taylor family for their service and sacrifice to our Nation.

I fully support this bill naming the Department of Veterans Affairs Vet Center in North Ogden, Utah, as the Major Brent Taylor Vet Center Outstation and urge my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I just want to say to my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Utah, that our hearts go out to the families.

When I read the names of the seven children, it was a very difficult moment for me, and we certainly are paying tribute today to his family, his children, and his community of North Ogden, where he served as mayor. It is our tribute to him.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record three letters--a letter from Frank Maughan, Commander of the Disabled American Veterans, Department of Utah; a letter from G. Hayes Stromness, Commander of the American Legion, Department of Utah; and a letter from Nick Flake, Commander of the VFW, Department of Utah--all in support of S. 49.

November 9, 2018.

Chairman Phil Roe, M.D.,

House Committee on Veterans' Affairs,

Washington, DC.

Hon. Tim Walz,

House Committee on Veterans' Affairs,

Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Roe and Ranking Member Walz: Please accept

this letter as demonstrating the total support of the Utah

Department of the Disabled American Veterans, in recognition

of the ongoing initiative to change the name of the Veterans'

Center in Ogden, Utah to the Major Brent Taylor Veterans'

Center, in memory of Army National Guard major and North

Ogden mayor, Brent Taylor.

Major Taylor's model of selflessness in the areas of

military service and civic responsibility should be a shining

example for all Americans to follow.

Major Taylor began his military service in 2003, and later

received a commission as a second lieutenant from Brigham

Young University in 2006. He served in the Utah Army National

Guard for 15 years, during which he deployed four times in

support of US operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. His life of

service, however, was not limited to the armed forces, and in

2013 he was elected mayor of North Ogden, Utah. His devotion

to duty as a citizen soldier, in the tradition of George

Washington, Ulysses Grant and Dwight Eisenhower. In 2018,

Major Taylor left on his fourth deployment, acting as an

advisor to the Afghan Border Police. Tragically, on Saturday,

November 3rd, Major Taylor was killed in an apparent insider

attack. He leaves behind his wife and seven children.

Today, the state of Utah, and the nation, grieve for Major

Taylor. We would like to honor his amazing legacy. To that

end we offer our full support, and encourage the committee to

support legislation renaming the Ogden facility as the Major

Brent Taylor Veterans' Center.

Sincerely,

Frank Maughan,

Commander, Disabled American Veterans,

Department of Utah.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers and am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

I echo the comments of my colleague from Tennessee. We are a grateful Nation. I am privileged to take part in this tribute to Major Brent Russell Taylor, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Rep. Chris StewartR-UT-2 · Mar 5, 2019

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to, as these other gentlemen have before me, honor a man who gave everything he had to his God, his family, and his country. These three great loyalties guided the life of…

As has been indicated, I come from generations of military service. Some of my family had the great honor of serving with Major Taylor. We know from personal experience the great leader and the great man that he was.

Mr. Speaker, 15 years ago, Brent Taylor, hand in hand with his new fiancee, Jennie, walked into a recruiting office to enlist in the Army. Since then, this man and his family--and it is so important that we remember his family and the many other families of military members who sacrifice and serve as well--have lived a life of patriotic exemplary service.

He deployed twice to Iraq--in 2006 and again in 2007--and served in Afghanistan in 2012.

For his outstanding dedication to duty during combat operations in Iraq, Major Taylor was awarded the Bronze Star. This citation credited the ability of Major Taylor to think calmly and decisively to keep his subordinates safe while traversing more than 600,000

miles throughout Iraq, areas riddled with improvised explosive devices and ripe for ambush.

This award recognized Major Taylor's tendency to do more than just carry out the assigned task. He was a man who went above and beyond to make a positive difference in the world, believing his actions to be a small sacrifice compared to what so many in our Nation's history have given up to keep this the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Such exemplary service is equally evident in his life outside of the military. After serving as a city councilman, his community and neighbors so entrusted him to lead that they elected him to be the mayor of North Ogden City.

In this role, Major Taylor's initiatives included improvements to public works and infrastructure, attracting businesses to the area, and developing a local community center.

The citizens of the community loved his snowplow updates--in Utah, we get a lot of snow--and his ability to see potential and possibility in everything around him.

Serving as mayor was one of the greatest honors of Major Taylor's life and the highlight of his civilian professional career. He believed that service is really what leadership is about.

On January 8, 2018, Major Taylor announced that he would temporarily step down as mayor to continue his service as a member of the Army National Guard on what would be his fourth and final deployment.

He didn't deploy just once, not twice, not three times, but four times he answered the call to serve. And once again, remembering his family, they answered the call to allow their husband and their father to serve.

This man recognized that there was an immediate need for his experience and skills and gracefully rose to accept the call to serve in our Nation's longest war in Afghanistan.

In his final months of deployment, Major Taylor was killed by an apparent inside attack on November 3, 2018, while training Afghan security forces.

A loving husband and devoted father, Major Taylor is survived by his wife, Jennie, and, as you see here, his seven beautiful children: Megan, Lincoln, Alex, Jacob, Ellie, Jonathan, and Caroline.

One thing I am certain Major Taylor would say: His family was far and away the most important thing in his life. Nothing made him more proud or meant more to him than his wife and his children.

The impression that Major Taylor left was profound. He called on each of us to find some way to brighten someone else's day, to lift another's burden, to make our city, our State, our country, our Nation a better place.

This man and his family paid the ultimate sacrifice to fulfill this call, so it is only well and fitting that, as a tribute to this amazing life, Congress name a facility in honor of his shining example of service and sacrifice.

As has been mentioned, the Department of Veterans Affairs Outstation in North Ogden City will provide a range of services to help guide veterans and their families as they transition from the military to civilian life.

Major Taylor recognized that military service involves the entire family. As such, I am proud to support the designation of this facility, located in a city he loved and where he served and called home, as the Major Brent Taylor Vet Center Outstation.

The naming of the building will never repay the debt the Nation owes to Major Taylor and his family, but it can stand as a humble reminder of the faithful man who lived and died in the service of his God, his family, and his country.

Rep. David P. RoeR-TN-1 · Mar 5, 2019

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 49, a bill to designate the outstation of the Department of Veterans Affairs Vet Center in North…

Bill Text

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Introduced in HouseIssued January 3, 2019

116th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 54

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 3, 2019

Mr. Bishop of Utah (for himself, Mr. Stewart, and Mr. Curtis) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

A BILL

To designate the outstation of the Department of Veterans Affairs in North Ogden, Utah, as the Major Brent Taylor Vet Center Outstation.

Findings

Congress finds the following:

(1)

Major Brent Taylor began his military service following the attacks of September 11, 2001. He joined the Army National Guard in 2003, three days after his engagement to his wife, Jennie. Five of his brothers would eventually serve in the Armed Forces following the deadly attacks.

(2)

During his time in the Army National Guard, Major Taylor distinguished himself in service to the United States and the State of Utah. He received a commission as a second lieutenant from the Brigham Young University Reserve Officer Training Corps in 2006, while graduating as a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.

(3)

During his impressive career with the Utah National Guard, Major Taylor distinguished himself in multiple specialties, including Intelligence and Military Police. One of his earliest assignments included analyzing foreign language documents in support of the Defense Intelligence Agency. He also led document exploitation efforts in multiple European and South American languages for a variety of intelligence community customers. Major Taylor also managed a team that assessed security vulnerabilities at high-profile facilities across the United States, all while maintaining a successful private sector career in Utah.

(4)

Major Taylor was continuously ready to take up his Nation’s call to arms and deployed four times in support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. His deployed duties varied from Platoon Leader and Combat Advisor to Chief of Staff to the Special Operations Advisory Group, responsible for leading a joint task force advising and assisting an elite Afghan special operations unit.

(5)

Throughout his deployments, Major Taylor distinguished himself on several occasions, earning a multitude of awards including the Bronze Star. The citation credits Major Taylor’s ability to think calmly and decisively with keeping his subordinates safe while traversing 600,000 miles of roads in Iraq, laden with improvised explosive devices (hereinafter, IED) and ripe for ambush.

(6)

During one particularly harrowing mission, Major Taylor’s vehicle was struck by an IED. While he survived the attack, the wounds he received earned him the Purple Heart.

(7)

Major Taylor’s amazing record of service was not limited to the battlefield. In 2010, he served as a member of the North Ogden City Council and, in 2013, Major Taylor was elected mayor. His steadfast leadership led to the city being recognized as Business Friendly by the Governor of Utah, and as one of the safest, freest cities in the United States by several organizations. His initiatives included improvements to public works and infrastructure, attracting businesses to the area, developing a local community center, and increasing transparency. His action led his constituents to reelect Major Taylor in 2017.

(8)

In 2018, Major Taylor placed himself on a leave of absence from his mayoral duties in order to deploy to Afghanistan, explaining to his constituents, Service is what leadership is all about.

(9)

While serving in Afghanistan, a dear colleague, Afghani Lieutenant Kefayatullah, was killed shortly before the Afghan elections. Major Taylor wrote, The strong turnout at that election, despite the attacks and challenges, was a success for the long-suffering people of Afghanistan, and for the cause of human freedom. I am proud of the brave Afghan and U.S. soldiers I serve with. Many American, NATO and Afghan troops have died to make moments like this election possible.. He also extolled the American public to embrace its civic duty, stating, I hope everyone back home exercises their precious right to vote. And that whether the Republicans or Democrats win, that we all remember that we have far more as Americans that unites us than divides us..

(10)

Tragically, on Saturday, November 3rd, 2018, Major Taylor was killed in an attack in Afghanistan. He was survived by his wife, Jennie, and his seven children, Megan, Lincoln, Alex, Jacob, Ellie, Jonathan, and Caroline.

(11)

The impression that Major Taylor left was indelible. An Afghan officer who had served with Major Taylor, penned a letter to his wife, stating, Your husband taught me to love my wife Hamida as an equal and treat my children as treasured gifts, to be a better father, to be a better husband, and to be a better man.. That officer further commented that, He died on our soil but he died for the success of freedom and democracy in both of our countries..

(12)

It is only well and fitting that, as a tribute to this man’s amazing life, Congress name a facility in honor of Major Taylor’s shining example of service and sacrifice.

Designation of Major Brent Taylor Vet Center Outstation in North Ogden, Utah

(a)

Designation

The outstation of the Department of Veterans Affairs located at 2357 North 400 East Washington Boulevard, North Ogden, Utah, shall, after the date of the enactment of this Act, be known and designated as the Major Brent Taylor Vet Center Outstation.

(b)

Reference

Any reference in any law, regulation, map, document, paper, or other record of the United States to the facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be considered to be a reference to the Major Brent Taylor Vet Center Outstation.