VA COST SAVINGS Enhancements Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 753) to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to use on-site regulated medical waste treatment systems at certain Department of Veterans Affairs facilities, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 753, as amended.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 753, as amended, the VA COST SAVINGS Enhancements Act. I am proud to reintroduce this bill this Congress.

This bill will require the VA to conduct a medical waste cost analysis at VA medical centers nationwide. This would identify VA facilities where it would be more cost-effective to install waste incinerators on-site rather than contracting a third party to ship medical waste to be destroyed off-site.

Only around 20 percent of our VA facilities have a medical waste system installed. My bill would change that. In return, it will save VA tens of millions of dollars annually.

By supporting my bill, we would create a safer and cleaner environment at our VA hospitals. We would also be better stewards of taxpayers' dollars without diminishing services to our veterans.

Our Nation's veterans deserve the safest medical practices, and nothing, including waste management, should fall short of that. This bill is a win-win.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join me today in support of H.R. 753, as amended, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage all Members to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 753, as amended, the VA COST SAVINGS Enhancements Act. This bill will require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to develop an analytical model to compare the costs of off-site versus on-site regulated medical waste treatment.

The VA will further be required to install on-site regulated medical waste treatment systems at VA facilities that would realize cost savings within a 5-year period.

Regulated medical waste is any type of waste generated by healthcare facilities that may be contaminated by blood, bodily fluids, or other potentially infectious materials. There are Federal and State requirements governing how it must be handled and how it may be transported given the infection transmission risks it poses.

On-site regulated medical waste sterilization systems would enable VA medical facilities to treat and compact this waste before it is transported off-site for disposal. There are potential cost savings associated with being able to sterilize and compact medical waste before it is taken off-site.

Trucking costs are higher for untreated medical waste because of all the precautions that must be taken to comply with applicable State and Federal regulations when transporting it, and because it takes more trucks to move the waste if it is not compacted first.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 753, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.