Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on H.R. 2372, the VETERAN Act. However, before I speak about this bill, I would like to take a moment to thank my colleagues, General Bergman and Dr. Wenstrup, both colleagues of ours on the very bipartisan Veterans' Affairs Committee, for their bravery on the ball field yesterday.

Yesterday was a harrowing day for my colleagues, and their courage under fire made this Congress and America proud. While Majority Whip Scalise is still in critical condition, our colleagues, who both served our country in uniform, gave Mr. Scalise a fighting chance. Please keep Mr. Scalise, Matt Mika, Zack Barth, and U.S. Capitol Police Officers Crystal Griner and David Bailey in your thoughts and prayers.

I rise before you today on the VETERAN Act to voice my concerns on the underlying bill it seeks to fix: the American Health Care Act.

My colleagues and I criticized the AHCA a few weeks ago because it did not give veterans access to, and choice for, affordable healthcare. I am very glad to be here today now that my Republican colleagues have realized this error and are seeking to help veterans gain access to tax credits.

I renew my commitment to work in a bipartisan way to improve the healthcare system in America. Our goal should be a system that provides access to affordable healthcare to all Americans, including those who have served in uniform.

But no one should be under the illusion that the AHCA, with or without the VETERAN Act, will achieve these goals. The AHCA includes significant negative changes to Medicaid. This Congress and the American people should know that more than 2 million veterans rely upon Medicaid for their healthcare, and millions more spouses and children of veterans also rely on Medicaid. The AHCA would slash $834 billion in Medicaid coverage.

When 40 percent of working-age veterans have no other coverage, passing the AHCA will mean that these veterans and their families have no access to lifesaving healthcare.

As co-chair of the bipartisan task force combating the opioid epidemic, I urge my colleagues to consider that Medicaid provides vital mental health and substance abuse treatment for many of these veterans and their families that they will not receive otherwise. For our veterans seeking treatment for combat wounds, PTSD, MST, and other conditions, under the AHCA, military service to our country could be considered a preexisting condition resulting in a denial of care.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my opposition to President Trump's proposed budget. This budget proposal confirms our worst fears about the priorities of his administration.

The budget is cruel, it is shortsighted, and would be a disaster for efforts to strengthen the middle class in my district and across this country.

It will hurt hardworking families and communities throughout New Hampshire. It guts public education, afterschool programs, and student loan support. It jeopardizes clean air, clean water, and our response to the opioid epidemic that is reaching crisis proportions.

It eliminates critical programs for the most vulnerable, like the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program which keeps low-income seniors and families warm in the cold winter months and SNAP which helps families feed their children, and decimates successful economic development programs like the Northern Border Regional Commission and community development block grants.

The last thing we should be doing is eliminating effective programs that create jobs and boost our economic competitiveness.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose these misguided cuts.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Walz) and the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Roe) for their support of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to speak on my bill, H.R. 1545, the VA Prescription Accountability Act. This bill demonstrates the power of bipartisanship in this Congress, especially on the House VA Committee.

I thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Wenstrup) for his willingness to co-lead this bill with me, and also the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bergman) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Brownley) for cosponsoring this commonsense legislation.

This bill is common sense because it improves upon the Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs, also known as PDMPs across this country. PDMPs are proven resources in combating our Nation's opioid epidemic. PDMPs improve the public health and our general well-being.

In 2012, the VA was finally authorized to connect its patient population to State PDMPs. But, unfortunately, an issue with the VA's antiquated computer systems meant that literally hundreds of thousands of nonveteran patients at the VA were left excluded from the data reported to PDMPs by the VA.

As the ranking member of the House Veterans' Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, I am all too familiar with the continued issues with computer systems across the entirety of the VA. This issue underscores the need for the VA and this Congress to ensure effective and rapid reform to the VA's computer systems. When those systemic shortcomings potentially exacerbate the Nation's opioid epidemic, I saw the importance to take action.

Through my Bipartisan Heroin Task Force, we in Congress have learned the importance of ensuring prescription opioids are not misused. The consequences are truly dire. Over 30,000 Americans die in opioid- related overdoses every year. That number just continues to rise.

This bill represents a small but practical step forward in addressing this crisis.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to vote in favor of this low-cost bill. It will help ensure these important programs work as intended by closing the gap in prescription information. I urge my Senate colleagues to quickly take up the bill and pass it in the Senate as well.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative McSally and Representative Jackie Speier for bringing us to the floor today.

I speak on behalf of H.R. 2052, the PRIVATE Act. I was deeply disturbed by the Marine United photo-sharing scandal, as were many of my colleagues, both men and women, Republican and Democrat.

Our Armed Forces are the greatest fighting forces the world has ever seen. It is unacceptable that members of the Marines sought out intimate photographs of their fellow soldiers and distributed them purposely online. Not only were the actions by the participants in the Marines United scandal morally repugnant, but they jeopardized our national security and endangered the security of both male and female marines. Women in the Armed Forces put their lives on the line every single day to defend our country, and they should not have their safety risked by their fellow marines.

I am proud to support H.R. 2052, the PRIVATE Act, which will update the Uniform Code of Military Justice to ensure that the type of explicit image sharing we saw in the Marines United scandal is expressly prohibited.

As the cofounder, with my colleague, Jackie Speier, of the Bipartisan Task Force to End Sexual Violence, I understand the persistent challenges that the culture of sexual violence poses on our society.

The conversation around sexual violence is beginning to change, thanks in no small part to Members of this Congress on both sides of the aisle. This legislation will support broader cultural reform and improve the lives of our brave servicemembers.

This is an issue that transcends politics, and I am encouraged by the bipartisan support for the PRIVATE Act. I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. Speaker, today I stand in recognition of Gilles P. Laramee, a Marine Corps veteran and a committed advocate for New Hampshire's veterans community, who sadly passed away unexpectedly on February 18th at the age of 85.

First and foremost, Mr. Laramee of Berlin, NH, was proud to have served his country as a United States Marine during the Korean War. In his later years, he was a selfless volunteer and a mentor to many Granite State veterans over his years of service on the North Country Veterans Committee.

Mr. Laramee was a member of the Good Shepard Parish, the Marine Corp League, and the White Mountain Post 2520 VFW. His volunteerism included working with veterans at Androscoggin Valley Hospital, the New Hampshire Department of Corrections in Berlin, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons Corrections facility in Berlin. He was truly dedicated to serving brothers and sisters in the veterans community through some of their darkest times.

More than anything, Mr. Laramee loved his work as regional director for Toys-for-Tots. He took such pride in gathering and distributing toys to children and families in need. His dedication to this charity was so profound that he became know as ``Father Christmas'' to many North Country families.

Mr. Laramee is survived by his wife Lillian, his daughters Diane and Rachel, their husbands and children. He will also be missed by the many veterans whose lives he touched.

While Taps has played for this hero, we are left to say ``Semper Fi'' dear and loyal friend.

Mr. Speaker, tonight I rise to speak in opposition to the Republican healthcare bill that is once again under consideration in this House.

Mr. Speaker, it feels like Groundhog Day all over again. The bill is back, and rather than coming to the table to discuss ways we can all work together to improve health care for every American, Republicans are again trying to jam through a misguided bill that would threaten the health care of thousands of Granite Staters and literally millions of Americans.

Just a few weeks ago, I joined with my colleagues to highlight a particularly egregious provision of this bill that would jeopardize access to health care for 7 million veterans. Weeks later, these provisions remain in the bill, and this is unacceptable. We had the time, and the Republicans failed to fix this.

It is wrong for America, and it is wrong for millions of veterans. I urge Members to oppose the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be here tonight for this Special Order on the Marines photo sharing scandal.

I am pleased to be with you but disturbed about the underlying incident. I don't think there is anyone in this country who is watching this evening who doesn't share our sentiment. This is shocking. It is disturbing. And most importantly, it is degrading to the women in the Marines.

I have to just imagine what it would take to become a marine and to be a woman in the Marine Corps. The training, the dedication, the commitment that these people have set their lives toward serving our country.

I am very pleased to join my colleagues today to express my disappointment and, indeed, outrage at the conduct of literally thousands of marines who violated the standards of the Marine Corps and displayed dishonorable conduct and terrible judgment by distributing sexually explicit photos of Active-Duty and veteran women marines online.

The behavior on the Facebook page Marines United is wholly unacceptable and is not only morally repugnant but undermines the safety, the security of female marines and, indeed, our national security.

Women marines were, in some cases, identified by name, rank, and location. These women who are bravely serving our Nation in uniform were put at risk of blackmail, of violence to themselves, or worse. This cannot and will not be tolerated by the United States Congress, by the leadership of the Marines, and by Americans across this country.

The Marines represent the greatest fighting force in the history of the world, and actions like this cannot be allowed to undermine their effectiveness and unit cohesion. As the founder of the bipartisan Task Force to End Sexual Violence, I join my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to understand the persistent challenges that the culture of sexual violence poses on school campuses, in the workplace, online, in the military, and throughout our society.

We are beginning to change the conversation around sexual violence and intimidation, but there is much more work to be done. I strongly support the bipartisan legislative action to back up the cultural change that we know is starting to take place.

The PRIVATE Act, led by Representative Martha McSally, would amend the Uniform Code of Military Justice to ensure that the type of explicit sharing that was seen in the Marines United scandal is expressly prohibited.

Mr. Speaker, I want to particularly thank Representative McSally and our Democratic colleague Representative Jackie Speier for their leadership on the Armed Services Committee in protecting the interests of women in our military.

I know that leadership within the Marines and the Armed Forces is taking the issue of sexual harassment and sexual violence very seriously, and I appreciate their commitment to improving safety for all our servicemembers, regardless of gender. This is an issue that transcends politics. I have been encouraged by the bipartisan support that this issue has received.

I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues to end sexual violence and intimidation in the military and, indeed, throughout our society.

Mr. Speaker, I want to just take a moment to share with you the testimony of Lance Corporal Marisa Woytek, as indicated by our leader today, Representative Lois Frankel. She quoted some of the testimony, and I wanted to share a few other parts with you.

These are two marines who came and spoke to our bipartisan Women's Caucus, and they described what had happened to them; that these personal explicit pictures had been shared on the internet, that their names, their rank, their duty station, had all been shared without their consent.

I want to talk to you about the backlash since they had the courage to speak out, because as we investigate further in the Bipartisan Task Force to End Sexual Violence--whether it is in high schools, whether it is on college campuses, whether it is in the military--when someone has the courage to identify the harassment, sexual assault, intimidation, there is an incredible backlash on social media.

She writes:

``Within the past 24 hours alone, I have had former Marines harass me online, and say and state that they actively look for sexually explicit pictures of me. One of the former Marines who has been harassing me has also been a predator to many women online denigrating women in Marines United, and has even gone as far as saying he would throw an Active Duty female Marine `into a barrel of acid.' ''

These are our best and brightest. These are the people that we rely upon to keep our country safe, to uphold the dignity of our values overseas.

She continues:

``Another Marine stated to me directly that he was `passing my info around to Marines, so far the rough estimate is 3,000. Good luck ever being able to show your face again.' ''

This is a woman who has trained, who has dedicated her life, and whose family is proud to call her a marine. And I, as a Member of Congress, am proud to call her a marine. She does not deserve this in the workplace.

One last quote:

``Another former Marine asked `Who has this bitch's pictures, I want to blast them all over.' ''

I have to ask my colleagues for a bit of personal privilege to even use that word on the floor of the House of Representatives. That is not a word that should ever be used for a marine in the United States Marine Corps.

So I think you can tell this is deeply troubling to us as Members of Congress, deeply troubling--it should be--to the leadership of the Marine Corps, all the way up to and including our Commander in Chief. This is simply unacceptable.

As members of the Bipartisan Task Force to End Sexual Violence, as members of the bipartisan Women's Caucus, as Members of the United States House of Representatives, we will not let it stand.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record testimony of a female marine.

Testimony of Lance Corporal Marisa Woytek

My name is Marisa Woytek. I am a Lance Corporal in the

United States Marine Corps. I enlisted, like many of my

brothers and sisters because I wanted to be part of something

bigger than myself. I joined to follow in my fathers' foot

steps who served honorably in the Marine Corps.

Over the past few years of being active duty, I've

experienced the amazing things the Marine Corps has to offer.

I experienced, brotherhood and sisterhood, I experienced

comradery, and I have many fond memories that I will carry

with me until the day I die. But with the good, comes the

bad. Since my first few weeks in the Marine Corps outside of

boot camp, I have seen on numerous occasions the denigration

of Marines, especially female Marines by fellow Marines. Some

active duty and some former Marines have been posting picture

women for the so called game of ``Smash or Pass'', and some

have included personal and explicit pictures including these

women's names, ranks, and duty station without their consent.

Since speaking out, I've received backlash on social media.

Within the past 24 hours alone, I have had former Marines

harass me online, and say and state that they actively look

for sexually explicit pictures of me. One of the former

Marines who has been harassing me has also been a predator to

many women online denigrating women in Marines United, and

has even gone as far as saying he would throw an active duty

female Marine ``into a barrel of acid''. Another Marine

stated to me directly that he was ``passing my info around to

Marines, so far the rough estimate is 3,000. Good luck ever

being able to show your face again''. Another former Marine

asked ``Who has this bitch's pictures, I want to blast them

all over''.

My brothers and sisters are why I am here today. The

majority of Marines are intelligent, well rounded, and

respectful people. Those Marines are who the world should be

praising. The disgusting actions of a few do not define an

entire branch. We must remember that the Marine Corps is an

institution that prides itself in honor, courage, and

commitment. Most Marines practice these values everyday, and

those who do not bring dishonor to themselves and to the

United States Marine Corps.

Mr. Speaker, I, too, want to commend our chairman, Mr. Roe, and ranking member, Mr. Walz, for their bipartisan efforts.

I rise to speak on S. 544, the bill that will eliminate the sunset on the Veterans Choice Program.

The Veterans Choice Program was a bipartisan effort to quickly help our veterans in need by ensuring they had access to quality health care after the crisis in Phoenix. However, it was a temporary program. It was not intended to last longer than a few years until Congress could have developed the future of VA community care. As many of my colleagues note, the Choice Program needs an update. This bill represents the first step of that process.

It is expected that the Veterans Choice fund will still have funding by August 2017, as noted, when the Choice Program is scheduled to sunset. This bill will ensure that our veterans will be able to use those resources, and it will ensure those who have long-term care through the Choice Program will not suddenly find themselves without care.

But, as we design a new program to replace the Choice Program, we must ensure that it is an effective and efficient system of care that follows the very best practices of American health care. Part of that is ensuring that these healthcare practitioners do not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, gender, or sexual orientation.

The current Choice Program eliminated those protections to facilitate faster implementation, and while I am concerned of the regulatory burden these antidiscrimination measures could provide, I am committed to working with my colleagues across the aisle on a commonsense and reasonable compromise. We can make a program that not only provides effective and accessible care for our veterans, but also prevents discrimination in the workplace and upholds the finest ideals of the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, all due respect to my colleague from Wyoming, it is not liberty for a woman to be forced to go to work within weeks of having a child. That is what this bill would do.

Mr. Speaker, it is not liberty for people over 50 years old to be required to pay increased fees and increased expenses simply to go to the hospital, and it is not liberty to have their essential health benefits stripped away. They might not even be able to go to a hospital. It is not liberty for 7 million veterans to have a vets tax, to have their benefits stripped away from an amendment that was introduced in the middle of the night. That is not liberty. Vote ``no'' on this bill.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, today I speak on behalf of my amendment, Kuster amendment No. 4. I firmly believe that my amendment will improve accountability at the Veterans Administration.

One of my concerns with the bill before us is that it will inadvertently hurt whistleblowers through retaliation and other discriminatory practices. Whistleblowers are vital for our mission to ensure accountability at the VA.

As the ranking member of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, I know that whistleblowers provide the VA and our committee with information of misconduct before it goes too far or before those responsible can deflect blame or otherwise hide incriminating details. We must ensure that these folks are protected in any bill that seeks to streamline the VA's ability to release employees.

I appreciate the inclusion of whistleblower protections within section 3 of the bill. We understand the importance of protecting whistleblowers, and my amendment would improve upon this language.

Last year's MILCON-VA appropriations bill included what is now section 733 of title 38. This title clarifies and further specifies prohibited personnel actions as they relate to VA whistleblowers. For example, section 733 explicitly prohibits the denial of an otherwise meritorious promotion because that employee filed a whistleblower complaint. The bill currently only references more generic protections found within title 5.

Section 733 was added because of concerns that title 5 was not specific enough to the issues that face the VA. This amendment will ensure that an employee is protected if they help the GAO or the VA Office of Inspector General in any investigations.

This language is bipartisan in nature, and my amendment is supported by the Project on Government Oversight, an independent nonprofit that seeks to improve accountability.

My amendment aligns with the spirit of this bill. It protects those who virtuously serve our Nation's veterans, and punishes those who do wrong by them. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on my amendment, Kuster No. 4, because it is common sense and the right thing to do.

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

Mr. Chairman, I have learned one thing in 4 years: quit while I am ahead.

Mr. Chairman, I have nothing further to add, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise to speak on my second amendment to H.R. 1259, Kuster amendment No. 8. I am concerned that an unintended consequence of the bill before us would be retaliation against whistleblowers at the VA.

After my 4 years on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee and my time as ranking member of its Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, I know that whistleblower protections are a bipartisan issue for our committee, and I know that this Congress recognizes the incredible importance of whistleblowers at the VA.

Whistleblowers provided many details that made Congress and the public aware of the Phoenix scandal. They provided valuable information in uncovering the Aurora construction debacle. Whistleblowers save lives and save taxpayer money. Unfortunately, whistleblowers are sometimes targeted for retaliation by their supervisors. My amendment seeks to address this.

My amendment requires supervisors to detail their efforts to correct poor performance and misconduct, efforts that come before the procedures outlined by this bill. It requires supervisors to detail the efforts they have made to improve their work environment and ensure that employees of their team uphold the primary mission of the VA: to serve and to honor our Nation's veterans.

The amendment will also improve training of supervisors to ensure they are equipped to be leaders that improve employee performance and the quality of care at the VA. More importantly, this enhanced training will include instruction on the rights of whistleblowers and how to address concerns or complaints raised by them.

These provisions could help to protect those whistleblowers who are actually experiencing retaliation because it would provide evidence of the past actions a supervisor has taken to address alleged misconduct, and it will highlight leadership shortfalls that could implicate attempted actions taken against an employee.

Together, these provisions will proactively improve the culture of management at the VA so it reflects the virtue and quality that Congress has strived to achieve for so many years. I urge all of my colleagues to vote in favor of my amendment, Kuster No. 8.

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

Mr. Chairman, I have no further comment other than to thank Dr. Roe for his support.

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

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``Yea'' on rollcall No. 153, ``Yea'' on rollcall No. 154, ``Yea'' on rollcall No. 155, ``Yea'' on rollcall No. 156, and ``Yea'' on rollcall No. 157.

Mr. Speaker, on Friday, March 10, 2017, I missed the following rollcall votes to H.R. 720: number 153 the Soto Amendment, number 154 the Jackson-Lee amendment, number 155 the Conyers amendment, number 156 the Jeffries amendment, number 157 on the Democratic motion to recommit and number 158 on final passage. Had I voted, I would have voted ``Aye'' on rollcall vote 153, ``Aye on rollcall vote 154, ``Aye'' on rollcall vote 155, ``Aye'' on rollcall vote 156, ``Aye'' on rollcall vote 157 the Democratic motion to recommit, and ``Nay'' on rollcall vote 158 on final passage of H.R. 720.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my deep concern with the proposal put forward by my Republican colleagues to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Most Americans want to increase access to health care, lower costs, and cover more Americans; but this bill, TrumpCare, will increase costs, limit access, and cover fewer Americans.

This plan will cut Medicaid, which has helped literally tens of thousands of people in my State--in the Granite State--access health insurance for the first time.

It has increased treatment and recovery services for those struggling with substance use disorder.

We, like many States across this country, are grappling with a heroin epidemic. People are dying in my district from heroin overdoses and the fatal synthetic fentanyl. For the first time, they have access to health care. They have access to drug treatment. They have access to recovery services. And yet this bill will pull the rug out from underneath these Granite Staters and their families.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

I am opposed in its current form.

Mr. Speaker, this is the final amendment to the bill, which will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. If adopted, the bill will immediately proceed to final passage, as amended.

Today, our country is in an era where appropriate ethics and conduct by elected officials is of the utmost importance.

I think we can agree that many representatives and others in government have failed to live up to the expectations of the American people.

We all have immense responsibility to advocate for our constituents, and it is so important that our work and the work of those in this administration reflect our genuine desire to do well on the part of those we represent.

I have heard from literally thousands of my constituents in New Hampshire who are concerned about the President's reluctance to fully give up control of his businesses, his refusal to publicly disclose his tax returns, and the connections between Russia and those in his campaign and the administration. This pattern of nondisclosure and hidden interests in the administration could put our public welfare and, indeed, our national security at stake.

Citizens must have all the legal tools at their disposal to push back against improper ethics and crony capitalism at all levels of government, including the highest levels of the Federal Government.

This also includes instances in which a business could face unfair competition because conflicts of interest in government provide unfair support to their competitors.

Unfortunately, the bill before us today makes it harder for those who may have been wronged by established and well-funded interests to get a fair shot in court.

My amendment simply states that nothing in this legislation shall be construed to apply to any civil action related to ethics in government. Private citizens trying to hold government officials to high ethical standards should not have barriers like this legislation thrown in their way.

Going forward, I hope that as Republicans and Democrats we can work together to promote legislation and efforts that increase transparency in government, rather than making it more difficult for citizens to hold the government accountable.

I ask that my colleagues support this important motion to recommit.

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

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record an op-ed by Dr. Oglesby Young as published in the Concord Monitor.

my turn: paid family leave is the investment of a lifetime

A pediatric colleague once said, ``We can invest in early

childhood or we can build more prisons 20 years later at a

much greater cost to society.''

A bill, presently before the state Legislature (HB 628), is

a plan for an Employer Based Insurance Program to provide

``paid family leave.'' I believe this is an opportunity to

invest in early childhood in order to create a healthier,

more productive and caring society.

Barry Brazelton, now a 95-year-old Boston pediatrician and

researcher, established a half-century ago how critical

newborn bonding is for the baby and the parents. The

development of ``attachment'' from the start of life,

profoundly affects the relationship between the child and his

or her new parents.

It follows that the first few years, even the first few

months, of life lasts forever. We have a compelling biologic

model of why kids who have experienced the toxic stress of

neglect--the absence of love, as simple as cuddling--have

trouble learning. A Harvard pediatrician, Jack Shonkoff,

states simply, ``We can modify behavior late, but we can't

rewire disrupted brain circuits.''

Years ago, I remember seeing the MRI scans of the brains of

children who were completely neglected in an Eastern European

orphanage. There were large areas of atrophy (no brain

tissue), which had resulted from a lack of love and

stimulation of these children early in their lives.

As obstetricians, we see new moms routinely for their

postpartum visits six weeks after the delivery of their

babies. Most are just learning how to be a parent. Their

bodies are still healing, while they are torn between the

challenges of being a new mom and returning to the demands of

an old job.

I realized early in my career that we could devote

ourselves to delivering healthy babies, but it would mean

nothing if we did not care for the mom and newborn when we

sent them home from the hospital. Those of us who have

children know that no matter how well-educated or how well-

motivated, the experience of having a first child at times

can be overwhelming.

Babies are not born with instructions. We all want to be

good parents, but not all of us have had good modeling, and

not all of us have the resources to be the parents we want to

be.

Many new moms are single today with no support.

Grandparents work and they often live elsewhere. In my

lifetime neighborhoods have changed. There is no longer a

woman down the street who has had six kids and welcomes the

opportunity to help a new mom as she was once helped. For

these reasons, 20 years ago, we established the Healthy

Beginnings Endowment at Concord Hospital, raising $1.3

million to award grants annually to Concord area programs

that support and educate new parents.

Physicians have been the most generous donors to this

endowment because they understand the wisdom of investing in

early childhood to prevent adult problems. The upshot is that

children who are undermined

early are much more likely in later years to suffer mental

illness, heart disease, obesity, diabetes and other physical

ailments.

The bill before us, HB 628, would give time and financial

support at very little cost, to permit new parents to

establish an attachment to their baby that would pay

dividends over the lifetime of their child. We are one of the

few developed countries in the world that does not provide

this benefit to new parents.

In England, my daughter-in-law was given nine months of

paid maternity leave when she had our granddaughter. In

France, our former exchange student was awarded six months of

paid leave, as was her husband, following the birth of each

of their three children. In Germany, a close friend's

daughter had one year of paid maternity leave and her husband

three months after their first baby. It should not surprise

us that the people of those countries are healthier and live

longer than us (even though Europeans drink and smoke more

than us). And, remarkably their health care costs amount to

half of what we spend per person in this country.

The implication is that the most cost-effective window to

bring about change in the health and welfare of a country

isn't high school or even kindergarten. It is the early

childhood years, and it can be done at a relatively low cost,

when compared to the later financial burden of adult health

care.

Presently, we have a ravaging substance abuse crisis into

which we are pouring millions of dollars to treat and

rehabilitate those afflicted. It seems, almost every week, we

read in the Concord Monitor about another young person whose

life has been lost to overdose. Is there a better example

today that an ``ounce of prevention would save pounds of

cure''?

If we are to have healthy, responsible, kind adults--young

people who choose not to abuse themselves or others--we must

first create kids with a deep sense of self worth, a strong

respect for themselves and others. Adults who love well have

been children who were well-loved. Adults who care deeply

about others and our world were children who were deeply

cared for.

The crucial value of ``paid family leave'' is that it would

it would provide parents to start their child on the path to

a successful adulthood.

I recently read the book Find Me Unafraid: Love, Loss and

Hope in an African Slum. The author, Kennedy Odede, overcame

a late childhood fraught with constant hunger, complete

poverty and physical abuse. He writes, ``As a young child, I

knew how much my mother loved me. When I was on the streets,

I thought of what my mom had told me, that no matter where I

was in the world, if I could see the stars, I should know

that she could see them, too, and I felt her love always.''

Kennedy Odede is an adult now, who has returned to his

impoverished Nairobi slum and created a school for girls and

a community organization called Shining Hope for Communities.

In spite of a cruel childhood, except for his first three

years of life, he has become a successful, productive, happy

adult who is devoted to improving his old neighborhood, his

world. Paid family leave is fundamental to a healthy society

because it provides the framework for a precious, priceless

early childhood--the foundation on which responsible, loving

adults grow. For those of you who believe we cannot afford

paid family leave, I would argue that we can't afford not to

provide paid family leave. The future of our society surely

rests on this wise investment.

(Dr. Oglesby H. Young lives in Concord.)

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record an op-ed by John Bresler as published in the New Hampshire Union Leader.

Another View--Jon Bresler: Reaching out can save a life

[Editor's Note: Throughout the year, in partnership with

Change Direction NH, the Union Leader is publishing a monthly

series of mental health stories written by Granite Staters.]

The phone was ringing off the hook. It stopped before I

could get it, then started again. It was 4:15 a.m., and I

stumbled in the dark to pick it up. It was the local police

dispatcher saying ``an officer was outside.'' She would not

tell me why. With my heart beating fast, I grabbed a coat and

went out in the icy driveway. The young officers had to tell

us that our 20-year-old Nat had laid down in front of an

Amtrak and been killed. Shock set in that reverberates still.

It hit to the core of being. I could not breathe right and

started panting.

Nathaniel was a super kid, the last you'd suspect was in

trouble. He got good grades, had many friends. He was

handsome and competitive. He loved music, and had 11,000

songs on his Mac. A senior walk-on, he won a game ball in the

state semis, and the state lacrosse title in 2009. He worked

in the admissions department at George Mason University and

had recently attended the ``Academic Impact'' conference at

the U.N., meeting the Secretary General in New York. At GMIJ,

he was co-founder of Habitat for Humanity. He transferred to

the University of New Hampshire as a second-semester

sophomore, with more than enough credits to be a junior.

What happened? His life was racing through my mind, but

nothing made sense.

I had to tell my wife, call his brother, my siblings and

his grandmothers. Numbly then my wife and I drove to Durham.

We met the chief, who gave us Nat's driver's license and

keys. That was it. No body. No goodbyes, no nothing.

Emptiness. How could this be happening?

They kept his phone. It took a few days to identify him. He

was definitely listening to music at the end. He left notes

for us and some friends. He paid a friend back a loan of $10

from the night before. He indicated what was deeply troubling

him. He lost faith in the world, and his ability to function

in it.

He was clinically depressed, but undiagnosed. He expressed

what most suicides have in common, a feeling of hopelessness.

We believe if he could have confided in a friend, girlfriend,

a counselor or therapist, and unburdened himself, he might

have controlled the impulse in the moment. Maybe that he

could have kept going. Was there no warning--nothing in his

life--that anyone noticed? You may well wonder. I hoped

someone would come forward, but no one ever did. It was a

mystery to us all.

Death is traumatic. The death of a child is very traumatic.

The unexpected suicide of one's child, off the charts. It

felt like he had been murdered violently, but he was also the

perpetrator.

Survivors of child suicide have marked increases in drug

and alcohol abuse, depression and divorce, and significantly,

increased risks of suicide. We have learned the value of

professional help. At first you want to die, rather than

accept the reality. Hearing that our son had committed

suicide was the hardest thing I ever experienced and living

every day since has been a struggle.

Whether is it opioid addiction, PTSD, undiagnosed

depression, all can lead to overdoses, suicide, and

unnecessary death. Increasing access to care, and removing

stigma from the culture surrounding mental illness should be

the goal.

A common theme in suicide is ``to not want to become a

burden.'' Let's learn to reach out, and not walk away when we

know. Talk about it, offer hope. It can save a life. Commit

to the goals of Change Direction NH.

Learn the signs, learn to reach out, and know better how to

help when someone is in trouble. Let them know that you know

what it's like to be suffering from depression.

I cannot underscore for survivors like us, the importance

of a good counselor. A professional who treats numerous

people can offer new methods and ways of thinking about

problems.

The analogy to me is mountain climbing. That mountain will

be there every day, and I have to climb it. Therapy offers

better tools.

In my experience, we place too much emphasis on our

student's scores and grades, but nowhere near enough on them

as people, with human needs. We can help them relate to their

problems better by creating a space where it is encouraged

for them to talk openly about things that bother them.

Let us do a better job recognizing how hard it is to be

young today.

Thank you for reading and letting me tell our story. I hope

someone reads this, and gets help.

Let's change direction on mental health. That would be a

great thing!

--Jon Bresler is a small business owner who lives in Concord.