Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1644) expressing support for designation of a ``National Veterans History Project Week''.

Mr. 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 House Resolution 1644.

I yield myself such time as I might consume.

Mr. Speaker, this bill, H. Res. 1644, the National Veterans History Project Week, comes to us from our colleague from Wisconsin (Mr. Kind) to honor the lives of our Nation's veterans, and I thank him for introducing the resolution before us today.

I would like to yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin for as much time as he may consume.

I thank the gentleman. Thank you for your leadership, Mr. Kind. You have done an incredible job. I happen to be an historian myself. I have done a lot of work in oral history, and you described it so eloquently. I wish my father, who was in World War II, we could have taped before he died.

Just a couple of weeks ago when I was back home, I met with a group of black soldiers who in 1946, 2 years before the Executive order that integrated our armed forces, the black soldiers had been approached by General Eisenhower to say hey, the Battle of the Bulge has taken so many of our infantrymen, who will volunteer to join the infantry, the white infantry? About 5,000 volunteered. To hear their stories, and I referred them. I said get right over to our project; we need to hear that because most of us don't know about that little history, and that is very inspiring to hear what they were able to do.

Thank you for your leadership. I think, as you said, it is not only to maintain our own history, but to bridge the gap between generations. So I thank the gentleman once again.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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

I have had the honor, privilege of chairing the Veterans' Affairs Committee for the last 4 years. The voters of this Nation have changed the party in charge, and so I think this will probably be my last day on the floor as the chairman. I just want to thank the veterans of this Nation from around the country and around the world. I have met with them. They have changed me as a person. I have learned incredible amounts from them. I have learned how much we have to do to fulfill our commitment to our Nation's veterans.

I think we have done a lot in this committee for the last 4 years. Some of our staff is here, and I want to thank them because they have made it all possible. In fact, Mr. Speaker, we have a fellow from the Military Fellows Program who worked with us for a year that the Speaker set up for us to bring in the military folks from different services and from different occupations to both help us and to help them with a year on Capitol Hill. One of those is completing his year just about now, Ricco Player. We want to thank you, Ricco, for all of your work. As a marine, he is going to be deployed to Afghanistan after Christmas, so we wish him the best but we want to thank him for the work. He has taught us a lot, and hope that you will bring back some of our knowledge to your fellow marines.

In the last 4 years, Mr. Speaker, we have added almost $25 billion to the health care needs of our veterans. That is over a 65 percent increase. That is unprecedented in the history of VA to have such an increase, and we needed to do that. We have literally hundreds of thousands of new veterans, many with brain injury, many with PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder. We have veterans from Vietnam War who are aging, and even earlier wars, obviously. So we have tremendous need, and we put in billions of dollars into especially mental health care of our Nation's veterans.

We wrote a GI bill for the 21st century which matched the GI bill really from 1944, the original GI bill.

I don't know about you, Mr. Speaker, but I'm here because of the GI Bill. My dad came back from the war. He got some education, and we were able to buy a house. We were middle class for the first time in our lives because of the GI Bill, like 8 million other families who took advantage of that.

So we have brought those benefits in line to what it really costs to go to college. As you have seen today, we have worked on homeless veterans, and we have worked on women veterans. We have tried to improve access for rural veterans. We have done quite a bit.

I am looking forward to working with our counterparts in the new Congress to continue the progress that we have made for veterans. We intend to cooperate fully. Mr. Roe has been very good to work with.

I am not sure who the chairman will be from your side, but we have established, I think, good working relationships with nearly every member of your committee.

So, as we conclude this bill, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank again the staff of our committee. I want to thank the staffs on both sides of the aisle for their work and for doing so much for veterans during the last 4 years.

I would urge passage of the Kind bill, H. Res. 1644.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I acknowledge this month as Filipino American History Month. With passage of House Resolution 780 last year, the House of Representatives officially recognizes

October as Filipino American History Month and I am proud to note its observance again this year.

Filipino Americans have a longstanding history in the United States. In 1988, the Filipino American National Historical Society established this celebration to mark October 18, 1587, as the date when Filipinos first immigrated to the continental United States in Morro Bay, California.

Filipino Americans are the second largest Asian American ethnic group in the United States and continue to play a prominent role in our country in all facets of public life. One of the largest Filipino American communities in the U.S. resides in my district and I am committed to such a vibrant community. Filipino Americans have long served in the U.S. Armed Forces, and as chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee I continue to honor the military service of Filipino American World War II veterans.

The United States is a nation of immigrants and we celebrate the accomplishments of Americans of all backgrounds. From the military to health care, education, arts, business, sports, government, the sciences and countless other areas of endeavor, Filipino Americans have made and continue to make invaluable contributions to the United States.

I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing this important celebration of Filipino American History Month.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendments to the bill (H.R. 3219) to amend title 38, United States Code, to make certain improvements in the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs relating to insurance and health care, and for other purposes.

Mr. 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. 3219.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, as chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I rise in strong support of what is now entitled the Veterans' Benefits Act of 2010, H.R. 3219, the title being amended in the Senate.

This is an omnibus benefits bill jointly assembled by both the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs. It is comprehensive. It is bipartisan. It is bicameral. In fact, and we can rarely say this, Mr. Speaker, it has already been approved by the Senate by unanimous consent.

The critical bill would greatly enhance, expand, and modernize many of the benefits afforded to our veterans, particularly disabled veterans, their families, and survivors.

The provisions in this bill are the culminating result of numerous productive hearings and markups, meaningful oversight and bipartisan compromise, all to ensure that those who are willing to lay down their lives for our country and their families and survivors receive meaningful, world-class, 21st century benefits from their Nation.

I want to thank the chairman of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, John Hall of New York; Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, the chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity; and their respective ranking members, Mr. Lamborn and Mr. Boozman, for shepherding many of these provisions through their committees. It will do a great deal of good for our veterans, their families, and survivors.

For example, section 101 includes language originally sponsored by Congresswoman Herseth Sandlin of South Dakota that would reauthorize the recently expired VA work-study program and expand the type of work available for veterans participating in the program. In the last fiscal year of 2009, a little over 17,000 veterans participated in this important program.

Section 102 incorporates legislation championed by Mrs. Kirkpatrick of Arizona, which would reauthorize the VA Veterans' Advisory Committee on Education. The committee would provide the VA Secretary with a knowledgeable group of experts to give feedback on existing education benefits and information on ways to improve current programs.

Section 106 includes language championed by a new but very active member of our committee, Congressman Harry Teague of New Mexico. Congressman Teague's bipartisan work in advancing this pilot program, which seeks to employ our Nation's veterans while addressing the growing need for an energy-related workforce, is to be strongly commended.

Mr. Teague also championed section 204, which would provide injured servicemembers returning to active duty a waiver for the VA's home loan funding fees, keeping it in line with the intent of the waiver, which is to assist our injured servicemembers and veterans. I applaud Congressman Teague for his leadership.

Sections 201 and 202 include provisions championed by Congressman Boozman, which seek to reauthorize the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program and create a similar program to focus on homeless women veterans and homeless veterans with children.

Sections 301 through 303 incorporate provisions that I and Congressman Connolly of Virginia have worked on during this Congress. These sections seek to strengthen the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act by permitting the cancellation of motor vehicle leases, prohibiting early termination penalties, and allowing servicemembers the option to cancel certain phone and service contracts.

Sections 401, 402, 404, 405, and 407 represent the great work of Mr. Donnelly of Indiana; Mrs. Halvorson of Illinois; Mr. Buyer, who is retiring; Mrs. Kirkpatrick of Arizona; and Mr. Perriello. These provisions increase many of the outdated insurance policy amounts and terms for our veterans, many of whom are severely disabled or who have suffered traumatic injury.

Sections 501, 502, and 503 represent burial and cemetery matters put forth by Ms. Berkley of Nevada, Mr. Frank of Massachusetts, and Mr. Salazar of Colorado.

Ms. Berkley and Mr. Salazar are both former members of our Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Ms. Berkley has been a longtime champion of increasing funeral benefits and plot allowances to reflect modern costs. Mr. Salazar has worked tirelessly to ensure that the veterans in the southern Colorado region would be served by a national cemetery. Now, both of these goals are set for enactment.

Mr. Frank's provision is known as the Corey Shea Act and would allow parents of our fallen servicemembers to be laid to rest with their son or daughter if there are no other eligible survivors.

The bill contains a host of upgraded benefits, including:

Section 604, championed by Mr. Higgins of New York, which would allow our low-income pensioners to receive payments of up to $5,000 from States or municipalities without offset;

Section 803 would provide greater automobile and adaptive equipment to veterans with severe burn injuries;

Section 804 would increase the automobile allowance for disabled veterans from $11,000 to almost $19,000; and

Sections 805 and 806 would allow the Institute of Medicine to take a closer look at those veterans who suffer from illnesses associated with service in the Persian Gulf wars.

This bill enjoys resounding support from the veterans service organizations, including Gold Star Wives, Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Veterans of Foreign Wars, AMVETS, Blinded Veterans Association, the American Legion, and the Military Order of the Purple Heart.

I thank all the Members of the House who have contributed to and worked on this comprehensive bill. On behalf of our 24 million veterans and their families and survivors and as chairman of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I thank all of you for your input.

Of course, none of this would have come to fruition without the hard work of our committee staff. I thank those on both sides of the aisle and their counterparts in the Senate. I want to especially thank the staff from the House Legislative Counsel and the Congressional Budget Office.

Finally, I want to thank our staff director, Malcom Shorter; our staff director for disability, Kimberly Ross; and her colleague, Juan Lara, for their tireless work to see this great effort through to finality.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Berkley), who is a former member of our committee and whom we miss very, very, very much.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I just wanted to thank the gentlelady, frankly, for not only her persistence in this particular benefit that is so important but, as I understand it, the Las Vegas veterans hospital is under construction.

You fought for that for more than a decade and it is finally going to be built. When does it open?

I yield to the gentlewoman.

We applaud again your persistence for that. We know the veterans in Las Vegas and surroundings are going to be well served.

I thank the gentlewoman.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I don't know that we'll be in session again before Veterans Day on November 11. This is a bill that will really raise the level of standards for all of our Nation's veterans; and we can look at it as, I think, a perfect gift that can be delivered on Veterans Day. So I ask my colleagues to unanimously support H.R. 3219.

I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5360) to amend title 38, United States Code, to modify the standard of visual acuity required for eligibility for specially adapted housing assistance provided by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, as amended.

I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 5360.

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

I want to commend, Mr. Speaker, Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin for introducing H.R. 5360, also known as the HELP Veterans Act of 2010. For the last 4 years, as the chair of the Economic Opportunities Subcommittee, the Congresswoman has held hearings to investigate the needs raised by veterans, worked directly with veterans service groups to craft solutions and advance important policy to respond.

This is a comprehensive bill that addresses the critical issues facing veterans: housing, education, employment. It is a collaboration amongst a number of Members working together to make an impact and strengthen the economic opportunities for veterans.

Mr. Speaker, we know that in today's terrible 10 percent unemployment rate for the Nation, veterans as a whole are almost double that, and recently returned veterans are almost triple that. We, as a body and as a Nation, need to far more directly confront this issue. This is not a way to say ``thank you'' to our veterans who have served us, and this is one bill that will help make an improvement in all this.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6132) to amend title 38, United States Code, to establish a transition program for new veterans, to improve the disability claim system, and for other purposes, as amended.

I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 6132, as amended.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the bill, H.R. 6132.

Once again, this attacks a part of the employment problem that I mentioned earlier, and many members of our committee worked on this. Not only Chairwoman Herseth Sandlin of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity but its ranking member, Mr. Boozman, plus our colleagues Mr. Welch from Vermont and Mr. Teague from New Mexico. It again helps our veterans find jobs. And Congressman Donnelly from Indiana, Congressman Adler from New Jersey, and Congressman Hastings of Florida all contributed to this, along with Chairman Hall of the Disability Assistance Subcommittee and his Ranking Member Lamborn of Colorado.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3685) to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to include on the main page of the Internet website of the Department of Veterans Affairs a hyperlink to the VetSuccess Internet website and to publicize such Internet website.

Mr. 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 the bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Congressman Cliff Stearns of Florida for introducing this bill, which seeks to include an important link to the VetSuccess program on the home page of the Department of Veterans Affairs' Web site. Like the other two bills before us today, it helps those veterans seeking employment.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I urge my colleagues to unanimously support H.R. 3685, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3787) to amend title 38, United States Code, to deem certain service in the reserve components as active service for purposes of laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, as amended.

Mr. 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. 3787, as amended.

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

Mr. Speaker, today there are over a million men and women serving in our country in the National Guard and Reserves performing a wide variety of duties from combat operations around the world to responding to natural disasters at home. Members in the National Guard serve two commanders--the President, if called upon to join active duty components of the armed services, and the Governor of their State. Because of this, they were some of the first on the scene to bring calm following Hurricane Katrina. And during the recent British Petroleum oil spill in the gulf, over 1,600 members of National Guard units from four States were mobilized to protect our treasured coastline.

At age 60, members of the Guard with 20 years of service qualify for benefits similar to military retirees but cannot be designated as veterans of the armed services. As such, these so-called gray-area retirees cannot call themselves veterans even for honorary purposes. As such, they are not saluted during veterans' tributes and don't enjoy other ceremonial veterans' honors.

This bill would allow the members of the Reserve component the honor of calling themselves veterans. Specifically, this bill would establish members of the National Guard who are eligible for a non-regular retirement, but who were never called to active duty during their careers, to be called veterans for honorary purposes.

The chief sponsor of this bill is Representative Walz from Minnesota. He served 24 years in the National Guard, rising to the rank of Command Sergeant Major; and in fact is the highest ranking enlisted man ever elected to this Congress. When he was called to active duty for the period required to earn him full veteran status, he realized that many of his brothers and sisters at arms were denied that honor.

This legislation is supported by members of the Military Coalition and the National Military Veterans Alliance, which together represent several million active duty servicemembers, veterans, and their families. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 3787.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5630) to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for qualifications for vocational rehabilitation

counselors and vocational rehabilitation employment coordinators employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 5630.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend the gentleman from Arkansas, Representative John Boozman, for introducing this bill, which seeks to set minimum educational and training standards for certain employees of the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment program operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs. This would, of course, help veterans while they set their employment goals.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5993) to amend title 38, United States Code, to ensure that beneficiaries of Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance receive financial counseling and disclosure information regarding life insurance payments, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 5993, as amended.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5993, the Securing America's Veterans Insurance Needs and Goals, or SAVINGS, Act.

This bill was sponsored by one of our esteemed colleagues, Representative Debbie Halvorson of Illinois, to ensure that beneficiaries of the Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance, SGLI, receive financial counseling, greater disclosure information and other needed support concerning the proceeds of their SGLI life insurance benefits. Mrs. Halvorson acted very quickly in response to some of the publicity on this and to some of the pain felt by the survivors.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Halvorson).

Mr. Speaker, at this time, I guess I thank the gentlelady. Within a day of the publicity that surrounded Prudential apparently not giving sufficient information, you had this bill. You moved very quickly and very decisively, and it is going to help all of the survivors and their families. Thank you so much for your quick action.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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

By the way, I didn't see a copy of the agreement. What is the date of that agreement, Mr. Buyer?

I yield to the gentleman.

I thank the gentleman from Indiana.

The ranking member and I have no disagreement that this law before us is not about substance. There is an investigation ongoing. Our committee is investigating. We will have hearings on this. But it's not politics over substance. It's accountability transparency over substance. And all of the leading organizations which have to deal with the beneficiaries, with the survivors of those killed in action support this bill. The National Military Family Association, the Gold Star Wives, amongst others.

So this legislation is about transparency. It's about accountability. It's about disclosure. It's about people understanding the process. This bill doesn't condone anything. It just says that those grief- stricken survivors know what's happening to them under the procedure that we have. Whether it's a proper procedure, whether it's based on an illegal account is something that the courts are working out and we're investigating.

Right now everybody just wants to know what is going on and to have the insurance company, Prudential, disclose everything in advance so a decision can be made by the grief-stricken survivors. That is all we are doing in this bill, and it is needed. It is, in fact, demanded by those who represent the survivors that we act quickly to give some measure of accountability and disclosure to those beneficiaries. We need this bill, and we need it now.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, how much time does each side have?

The gentleman stands behind Mrs. Halvorson's bill, and we will not withdraw it.

Mr. Speaker, we had a little lecture on the suspension calendar, which is supposed to be items of consensus. This item was discussed and voted on by our committee. If I recall, there was one ``no,'' the ranking member. There were no other ``no'' votes. The ranking member confuses his singular and personal opposition to the fact that, oh, I guess everybody disagrees with it. No, this came out of our committee with one ``no'' vote. So the gentleman just doesn't understand what consensus means. He thinks if he alone is against it-- as I recall, he was the only one in this whole body that voted against a truly interesting new way to approach financing, and that was advanced appropriations.

Mr. Speaker, the gentleman gave us a lecture on suspension calendar and consensus. He was the only ``no'' vote. He was the only ``no'' vote when we had advance appropriations. Everybody else is wrong but the gentleman.

This bill, as I said before, and as Mrs. Halvorson said very distinctly and very eloquently, is about disclosure, accountability, transparency. The survivors need to know what is going on.

We will, as the gentleman requested, have and are pursuing the investigation. We are pursuing whether the so-called retained asset account is the legal structure that should happen. The VA is pursuing that. And we will get to that.

But right now, right now, as men and women are dying in action, their survivors need to know what is going on. We can't wait for this process to go on and on and on and on, especially when they face a huge insurance company.

The gentleman asked what organizations support us. The American Legion has a letter supporting us. I didn't hear any letter that the gentleman had. As Mrs. Halvorson read, the National Military Families Association supports this bill. And the Gold Star Wives of America, the preeminent group that works for the benefit of survivors of those who are killed in action, has sent us the following letter:

``In light of the recent news that insurance companies could potentially use group life insurance policies to profit from accounts it maintains for families of fallen soldiers, Gold Star Wives of America supports H.R. 5993. It would ensure that insurance companies authorized by VA to administer the SGLI accounts are fully open and honest about its practices for those policies on which so many servicemembers rely to ensure financial security for their families.

``The bill, the SAVINGS Act introduced by Representative Debbie Halvorson of Illinois, would mandate that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs require insurance companies that provide coverage through this program to offer financial counseling and improved disclosure of information to family members and survivors.

``It is critical that the options and information available for survivors offered under the SGLI program involve more disclosure and greater transparency. H.R. 5993 would do that by guaranteeing that survivors of our fallen heroes have access to oral and written financial counseling. These greater disclosure requirements and counseling would better help survivors to understand their options so that they make sound decisions during a stressful and sorrowful time.

``Gold Star Wives of America supports H.R. 5993 so that we can do everything in our power to protect the families and survivors of our fallen soldiers. Their loved ones have answered the call and their survivors deserve these protections.''

Gold Star Wives of

America, Inc.,

Bellevue, NE, September 26, 2010.

Chairman Bob Filner,

Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Cannon House Office Building,

Washington, DC.

In light of recent news that insurance companies could

potentially use group life insurance policies to profit from

accounts it maintains for the families of fallen soldiers,

Gold Star Wives of America, Inc supports H.R. 5993. H.R. 5993

would ensure that insurance companies authorized by VA to

administer SGLI accounts are fully open and honest about its

practices for these policies on which so many servicemembers

rely to ensure financial security for their families.

H.R. 5993, the Securing America's Veterans Insurance Needs

and Goals (SAVINGS) Act of 2010, introduced by Representative

Debbie Halvorson, would mandate that the Secretary of

Veterans Affairs require insurance companies that provide

coverage through the Sevicemembers' Group Life Insurance

(SGLI) program, to offer financial counseling and improved

disclosure information to family members and survivors of

fallen soldiers. It would also require an annual report to

Congress by VA to ensure that insurance companies are being

responsive to military families and survivors and that the

Office of Survivors Assistance will be a greater resource in

this effort.

It is critical that the options and information available

for survivors offered under the SGLI program involve more

disclosure and greater transparency. H.R. 5993 would do that

by guaranteeing that survivors of our fallen heroes have

access to oral and written financial counseling. This greater

disclosure requirements and counseling would better help

survivors to understand their options so that they can make

sound decisions during a stressful and sorrowful time.

Gold Star Wives of America, Inc supports H.R. 5993 so that

we can do everything in our power to protect the families and

survivors of our fallen soldiers. Their loved ones have

answered the call and their survivors deserve these

protections.

Respectfully,

Martha M. Didamo,

Board Chair,

Mr. Speaker, in support of H.R. 5993, as amended, I am submitting letters of support from The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, Gold Star Wives of America, Inc., and the National Military Family Association.

The American Legion,

Office of the National Commander,

Washington, DC, September 27, 2010.

Hon. Debbie Halvorson,

House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Dear Representative Halvorson: In light of recent news that

insurance companies contracted by the Department of Veterans

Affairs (VA) to administer the Servicemembers' Group Life

Insurance program (SGLI) could potentially use group life

insurance policies to obtain profits from the families of

fallen soldiers, The American Legion supports proposed

legislation which seeks to ensure that insurance companies

are open and honest about the policies on which so many

military families rely.

The legislation you recently introduced, H.R. 5993,

Securing America's Veterans Insurance Needs and Goals

(SAVINGS) Act, would mandate the VA Secretary to require

those insurance companies offering coverage through the SGLI

program to provide the beneficiaries of fallen soldiers with

financial counseling and disclosure information. In addition,

this Act would obligate the VA to provide a report to

Congress annually to ensure that those insurance companies

are being responsive to military families.

It is critical to insure complete transparency, full

disclosure, and increased information be afforded to military

families on insurance matters. This legislation would

guarantee the families of our fallen heroes have access to

oral and written financial counseling. This counseling would

better help family members understand their options so that

they can make sound fiscal decisions during a stressful and

harrowing period.

The American Legion supports H.R. 5993 as introduced so

that we can protect the military families of our fallen

soldiers. However, The American Legion has additional

concerns not addressed in the original bill which are equally

as important.

This legislation does not address Retained Asset Accounts

(RAA) for disbursement of benefits. This is a common practice

used by many insurers for distribution of benefits. However,

The American Legion is concerned this method of disbursement

may be a violation of Title 38 USC Sec. 1970(d) which

requires payments be in 36 monthly installments or one lump

sum. The practice should be either stopped or the law needs

to be changed. Of further concern to The American Legion is

that this legislation does not address the practice of the

insurance company executing the program making a profit on

the account after the death of a service member and actually

misrepresenting or over representing the ``interest bearing

account,'' benefit of the program to a payee.

It is standard policy of the insurance industry to reinvest

the money not withdrawn by the payee and to collect interest

on that money. The insurer then passes on to the payee a

small amount of the interest. While legal and a common

industry practice, it should be forbidden by law in the case

of military members who have given their lives for the

Nation. Precedence has been made in setting aside veterans

and military in the case of health care insurance and other

entitlements due to military service. The American Legion

feels that ALL interest received on investments after

servicemember's death should be passed on to the payees of

the policy.

Sincerely,

Jimmie L. Foster,

National Commander.L

Madam Speaker, pursuant to the budget enforcement resolution for fiscal year 2011 passed by the House of Representatives on July 1, 2010, as Chairman of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs I am submitting ``findings that identify changes in law that help achieve deficit reduction by reducing waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement, promoting efficiency and reform of government, and controlling spending within Government programs'' the Committee may authorize.

Under Democratic leadership, the Committee has undertaken an active and far-reaching oversight agenda that has, among other accomplishments, identified ways to save millions of taxpayer dollars within the Department of Veterans Affairs through improvements in the operation and management of veterans' benefits and health care programs. Working closely with the VA's Office of Inspector General, we have pushed the VA to more effectively utilize the generous and robust budgets provided by this Congress under your leadership.

Since the beginning of the 110th Congress, the Committee on Veterans' Affairs has been striving to revolutionize the manner in which the VA provides benefits to veterans. By mandating greater efficiency and a veteran-first attitude, we have sought to change the perception of the VA as being the veterans' adversary to standing as the veterans' advocate.

To further this effort, we are continuing to work toward major reforms in the VA's claims processing system and the VA's acquisition and procurement system. I am confident that when these reforms take place, taxpayers will realize major cost-savings by providing greater efficiency, fairness, and accountability. The Committee is also working toward integrating the VA's Post 9/11 G.I. Bill benefits and improving and streamlining the application process.

These efforts will, in the months ahead, result in assisting the House in working toward its goal of making government more responsive and effective while saving taxpayer dollars and reducing our deficit.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall 519, I was away from the Capitol due to a constituent commitment. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall 520, I was away from the Capitol due to a constituent commitment. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5859, which will award a Congressional Gold Medal to the World War II members of the Civil Air Patrol.

During World War II, the volunteer members of the Civil Air Patrol-- civilian men and women ranging in age from 19 to 81--provided extraordinary public and combat services at a critical time of need for the nation.

Civil Air Patrol members used their own aircraft to perform a myriad of essential tasks for the military and the entire country, including attacks on enemy submarines off the Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico.

The Civil Air Patrol was established on December 1, 1940, one week before the attack on Pearl Harbor. After performing exemplary service in WWII, the Civil Air Patrol was chartered by Congress as a nonprofit, public service organization and in 1948 as the Auxiliary of the United States Air Force.

The Civil Air Patrol was initially mobilized in response to a massive German Navy submarine offensive off the east coast of the United States that targeted oil tankers and other critical shipping.

As 52 tankers were sunk by enemy submarines between January and March 1942 alone, neither the Navy nor Army had sufficient resources to patrol and protect the coastline--threatening the entire war effort.

The Civil Air Patrol Coastal Patrol undertook the challenge of protecting our sea lanes and supporting the military's efforts at this critical time. From March 1942 until August 1943, more than 40,000 volunteers at 21 Civil Air Patrol bases stretching from Maine to Texas coordinated thousands of patrols, investigations, and convoy missions.

Heroic Civil Air Patrol Coastal Patrol aircrews were responsible for attacking 57 submarines--destroying or damaging two--as well as reporting nearly 200 submarine positions, 17 floating mines, and 91 vessels and 363 survivors in distress.

In addition to the work of its Coastal Patrol, the Civil Air Patrol also established itself as a vital wartime service to the military, states, and communities across the nation.

These brave volunteers engaged in an impressive array of missions including border patrol, forest fire patrol, courier flights for mail and urgent deliveries, emergency transportation of personnel, search and rescue, and various military support duties. Overall, during the war the Civil Air Patrol undertook tens of thousands of missions and logged hundreds of thousands of flight hours in defense of our country.

The Civil Air Patrol's WWII service came at the high cost of 64 fatalities and 150 aircraft lost. Indeed, the courage and sacrifice of the estimated 200,000 civilians in the Civil Air Patrol exemplifies the spirit and dedication of an entire generation who were willing to risk their lives for America and the cause of freedom.

In recognition of this remarkable volunteer service and commendable record, H.R. 5859 will award a single gold medal collectively in honor of the WWII members of the Civil Air Patrol.

I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring the valuable wartime service rendered by the civilian volunteers of the Civil Air Patrol by supporting this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize a very hard worker and devout labor leader in southern California.

Lorena Gonzalez will be honored as the 2010 Labor Leader of the Year at the 28th Annual John S. Lyons Memorial Banquet in San Diego on September 11, 2010.

In January of 2008, Lorena Gonzalez became the secretary-treasurer and CEO for the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, AFL-CIO. The Labor Council is a coalition of 129 local unions that represent more than 192,000 working families in the region. Upon her election, Lorena became the first woman and first person of color to serve as head of the Labor Council since the organization's inception in 1902.

The daughter of an immigrant farm worker and a nurse, Lorena learned the value of hard work and determination at an early age. After graduating from Vista High School in North San Diego County, she earned a bachelor's degree from Stanford University, a Master's degree from Georgetown University and a law degree from UCLA.

Prior to coming to the Labor Council, Lorena worked as the Senior Advisor to the office of the Lieutenant Governor of California. She served as a consultant to the Commission on Economic Development, and was the Lt. Governor's principal advisor on policy issues dealing with labor, the environment, energy, and infrastructure.

A member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 36, Lorena worked as the Labor Council's Political Director before being elected Secretary-Treasurer. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the California League of Conservation Voters San Diego, the Center for Policy Initiatives, the Environmental Health Coalition, and the United Way of San Diego. Lorena also serves on the Executive Council of the state California Labor Federation as a Vice President and on the AFL-CIO Central Labor Council/California Federation's Advisory Board.

Nonetheless, Lorena's most cherished title is that of mother. She lives in Pacific Beach with her two children--Tierra and Antonio.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a very dedicated public servant on the San Diego City Council. City Council President Ben Hueso considers quality of life issues such as job creation, neighborhood livability and protecting the environment his top priorities this year. Since his 2006 election to the San Diego City Council, Hueso has advocated for District Eight constituents and the city as whole as a Councilmember, developing an open, consensus- building management style. As Council President, he schedules items for consideration by the Council, chairs Council meetings, and selects committee chairs and committee vice-chairs for approval by a Council majority.

In addition to serving as Council President, Hueso chairs the Rules, Open Government and Intergovernmental Relations Committee, serves on SANDAG's Borders Committee, and as First Alternate for SANDAG's Executive Committee. He is San Diego County's representative for the League of California Cities and sits on the Otay Valley Regional Park Policy Committee. Hueso recently completed his service as a Commissioner on the California Coastal Commission, where he helped protect California's coastal resources.

Prior to becoming a Councilmember, Hueso successfully owned and operated a small business in Logan Heights. His strong community

advocacy includes service as a member of the Policy Chief's Advisory Committee, founding the central Commercial District Revitalization Corporation, belonging to the Inner City Business Associations and serving as a board member for the Sherman Heights Community Center.

Hueso holds a bachelor's of arts degree from the University of California, Los Angeles; he also completed postgraduate work in Community and Economic Development at San Diego State University. He and his wife, Laura, live in Logan Heights with their four young sons.

I am happy to join in honoring San Diego City Councilman Ben Hueso with the Community Service Award presented to him at the 28th Annual John S. Lyons Memorial Banquet in San Diego on September 11, 2010.