Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 1315) to amend title 38, United States Code, to enhance life insurance benefits for disabled veterans, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

I forgot to say on the last bill that my colleagues from California, Mr. Rohrabacher and Mr. Issa, are strongly supportive of it, and will participate, I'm sure, in helping us get the required votes to pass this bill.

S. 1315, I first want to point out, is amended. It was and is still a comprehensive bill that will help millions of our veterans, including recently wounded and transitioning OIF/OEF veterans.

What we have done to amend it is to move this from a mandatory spending bill to a discretionary spending bill by removing all of the mandatory provisions and also the PAYGO provisions that have caused so much controversy. So now we have a bill that will continue this Congress' unprecedented record of putting our veterans first and making them a top priority.

This bill would potentially provide extensive benefits to all of our Nation's veterans in the areas of insurance, disability compensation, education, pension, housing, and other critical VA benefits. The bill would only invoke discretionary spending and would not require an offset under the PAYGO rules adopted by this Congress.

This bill would ensure that permanently disabled servicemembers who are hospitalized and receiving medical care and treatment can receive structural alterations to their homes before they come home. I think this is a provision that Mr. Stearns mentioned as one of the high priority items in his previous list.

It also would ensure that so-called State approving agencies, and the Departments of Labor and Education and other Federal agencies collaborate to improve the efficiency of education benefits for our servicemembers and veterans, as well as establish outcome-oriented performance standards for the administration of our new GI bill benefits.

It would better enable Congress to provide adequate oversight of the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, while allowing this highly specialized court to maintain its discretion to administer fair justice for our veterans filing appeals of VA decisions.

I want to state again, for the Record, that this bill does not require any mandatory spending, and veterans may stand to benefit if it is passed and ultimately enacted. I hope people will take a look at the new bill and see it as a comprehensive veterans bill that will help veterans in all of our districts. I urge my colleagues to give this bill support.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam 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 S. 1315, as amended.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Speaker, Chairman Conyers, and Chairwoman Lofgren for passing H.R. 2760 on the private calendar today. Shigeru Yamada is an extraordinary young man who has faced much personal adversity in his life but has been a model student, athlete and member of the Chula Vista community. He has worked hard to overcome his personal tragedy while attending school and being active in civic organizations. Yamada came to the United States legally in 1992 at the age of 10 with his mother and two younger sisters and due to tragedy and changes in the immigration laws, he was to be deported despite the fact that he has assimilated into American society. The passage of this bill in the House brings justice one step closer to Yamada. We want and need more people like him in our country and he deserves the opportunity to become a citizen.

The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, was read the third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1335) celebrating the 120-year partnership between the Government and State veterans homes.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Congressman Paul Hodes of New Hampshire for crafting this resolution which calls for the celebration of the 120th anniversary of our Federal Government's first grant of aid to State veterans homes.

I would also like to recognize the National Association of State Veterans Homes, representing 135 State veterans homes throughout the country. They were founded to increase the State veterans home representation and help facilitate communication with one another. They have worked to improve the quality of care, the services and treatment of our Nation's veterans who reside in State veterans homes.

As you know, Mr. Speaker, the Department of Veterans Affairs is authorized to contribute up to two-thirds of the construction of State nursing homes or renovations of existing State homes. This funding helps provide quality care for our Nation's veterans. When veterans are no longer able to care for themselves, they must be given the care necessary to continue their life with dignity.

Recently, we appropriated $165 million for 2008 to provide aid to State veterans homes to continue to provide care for our veterans. This will help alleviate some of the financial burden as the cost of veterans' care continues to rise without compromising the quality of that care.

Mr. Speaker, we must honor a servicemember's sacrifice that has been made by providing the quality of care our brave men and women deserve. It is important that we all support this resolution. With the current war on terror, there are thousands of brave servicemembers that are in the line of fire as we speak. They, too, might need this care. It is our duty, our responsibility, and our moral obligation to continue to provide them with this care.

Mr. Speaker, I stand here today in support of this resolution. I praise the great work and service that State veterans homes have provided for the past 120 years. I look forward to their continued success and for this strong partnership to continue for many years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I have a State veterans home in my district in Chula Vista, California. I visit there regularly. The morale there is very high. And I think probably one sign of their high morale is that the percentage of voting that comes out of that home is very, very high. So it shows that, not only are they cared for, but they take an interest in the government that they have to elect. So I ask that my colleagues join me in support of this resolution.

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

I ask unanimous consent, Mr. Speaker, that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 1335.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 2339) to designate the Department of Veterans Affairs clinic in Alpena, Michigan, as the ``Lieutenant Colonel Clement C. Van Wagoner Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic''.

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

I rise today, Mr. Speaker, in recognition of the brave service of LTC Clement C. Van Wagoner.

LTC Van Wagoner was Michigan's most highly decorated veteran in World War II, earning, amongst other honors, the Combat Infantry Badge, seven Bronze Stars, four Silver Stars, and five Purple Hearts.

The awarding of the Combat Infantry Badge reflects the valor of those brave men and women who serve on the front lines in defense of our Nation. The Bronze Star is the fourth highest combat decoration that can be awarded by the U.S. Armed Forces and is given for acts of heroism or meritorious achievement. The Silver Star is awarded for acts of gallantry that have been performed with marked distinction in line of duty. And the Purple Heart, of course, is awarded to members of the Armed Forces who have been injured or killed while serving our Nation. LTC Van Wagoner's attainment of these decorations, some of the highest our country has to bestow, is indicative of the highly courageous manner in which he served.

On D-day, June 6, 1944, LTC Van Wagoner landed on Omaha Beach, along with 1,800 of his fellow members of the 1st Infantry Division, and came away as only one of 32 survivors.

The courage to fight on in the face of such peril speaks volumes about the strength of character LTC Van Wagoner possessed.

In the fall of 1944, while then a lieutenant, Van Wagoner served in Germany and participated in the battle for the city of Aachen as part of Company A of the 1st Battalion of the 1st Infantry Division. The battle required a fight for the heavily defended ``Crucifix Hill'' which was riddled with German pillboxes. As the executive officer of Company A, LTC Van Wagoner by all accounts kept his company well organized and was instrumental in the 1st Infantry taking ``Crucifix Hill'' despite suffering many casualties. All told, LTC Van Wagoner was in combat for 600 days and was wounded on five separate occasions.

Following the end of the Second World War, he continued to give of himself for his country by commanding a battalion of the Michigan National Guard until his retirement in 1967.

His record of accomplishments should be a reminder to us all of the heroic personal sacrifices that have been made by great Americans in the service of our Nation. That is why it is with great pleasure I bring S. 2339 to the floor today to name the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs new Community Based Outpatient Clinic in Alpena, Michigan, in honor of LTC Van Wagoner.

The Lieutenant Colonel Clement C. Van Wagoner Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic, as it will be designated, will help to improve the lives of North Michigan veterans by allowing them to receive health services locally in their community.

Having passed away last spring at the age of 93, it is a fitting tribute for Michigan's most decorated soldier to have the new VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic designated in recognition of his valiant service.

I thank my colleagues and especially Congressman Stupak of Michigan and Senators Stabenow and Levin of Michigan for introducing this important legislation.

I urge my colleagues to support its passage.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to yield back.

Mr. Speaker, I would ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on S. 2339.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5736) to designate the Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic in Gadsden, Alabama, as the Colonel Ola Lee Mize Veterans Clinic.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise to offer my support for H.R. 5736, a bill to name the veterans clinic in Gadsden, Alabama, after Col. Ola Lee Mize.

It is a great honor for me to stand here before you to talk about Col. Ola Lee Mize. He received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the Korean War, and he deserves our further recognition.

The Medal of Honor is awarded in the name of Congress to a person who distinguished himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States.

As a member of Company K, then Sergeant Mize courageously defended ``Outpost Harry'' near Surang-ni, Korea, on June 11 and June 12 in 1953. His deed was one of personal bravery. He clearly distinguished himself by exhibiting tremendous courage. He served our Nation by going beyond the call of duty while facing the enemy and was willing to risk his own life to protect the lives of others.

Colonel Mize and his company faithfully defended a strategically valuable position when the enemy launched a heavy attack. Upon learning that a comrade on a friendly listening post had been wounded, he moved through the intense barrage accompanied by a medical aid man and rescued the wounded soldier.

On returning to his main position, he established an effective defense system and inflicted heavy casualties against attacks from determined enemy assault forces which had penetrated into trenches within the outpost area. During his fearless actions, he was blown down by artillery and grenade blasts three times, but each time he dauntlessly returned to his position, tenaciously fighting and successfully repelling hostile attacks.

When the enemy onslaughts ceased, he took his few men and moved from bunker to bunker, firing through apertures and throwing grenades at the foe, neutralizing their positions.

When an enemy soldier stepped out behind a comrade, prepared to fire, Col. Mize killed him, saving the life of his fellow soldier. After rejoining the platoon, moving from man to man, distributing ammunition and shouting words of encouragement, he observed a friendly machine gun position overrun. He immediately fought his way to the position, killing ten enemies and dispersing the remainder. Fighting back to the command post and finding several friendly wounded there, he took a position to protect them.

Later, securing a radio, he directed friendly artillery fire upon the attacking enemy's routes of approach. At dawn he helped regroup for a counterattack which successfully drove the enemy from that outpost. Col. Mize's valorous conduct and unflinching courage reflect lasting glory upon himself and upon the noble traditions of the military service.

Besides having been awarded the Medal of Honor, Col. Mize has been awarded the Bronze Star, Good Conduct with Two Loops, National Defense Service, Korean Service with two Bronze Stars, and the United Nations Service.

Today, by passing H.R. 5736, which would designate the outpatient clinic in Gadsden, Alabama as the Colonel Ola Lee Mize Veterans Clinic, we honor his bravery and courage and of course that of all soldiers.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Alabama, Robert Aderholt, for introducing this bill. And I urge the support of my colleagues.

I would reserve the balance of my time.

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. 5736.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1594) to designate the Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic in Hermitage, Pennsylvania, as the Michael A. Marzano Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic.

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

Mr. Speaker, this bill is to name the VA Outpatient Clinic in Hermitage, Pennsylvania, after U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Michael A. Marzano. It was brought to us by Congressman English and Congressman Altmire from Pennsylvania.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1594, a bill to name the VA Outpatient Clinic in Hermitage, Pennsylvania, after U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Michael A. Marzano.

A native of Greenville, Pennsylvania, Sgt. Marzano courageously overcame a wrestling injury to his knee during his senior year of high school to realize his long held aspirations of becoming a United States Marine, four years after initially being denied entry for this reason. What tenacity!

In fact when called up in 1999, having won several amateur titles, he was training as a boxer in preparation for competing in the 2000 Olympics. But he sacrificed it all for his country to serve as Marine.

I think we can all agree that it takes a special kind of courage to volunteer one's self to serve in harm's way for the good of our Nation. Well, Sgt. Marzano volunteered twice to serve as a member of our military armed forces. For his last tour, Sgt. Marzano enlisted with a Marine Reserve unit with the specific intention of serving in Iraq.

Duing his tour of duty in Iraq, Sgt. Marzano served in Iraq with Ohio's 3rd Battalion, 25th Regiment of the 4th Marine Division, and was a leader among his fellow Marines.

According to one of the many veterans' organizations supporting the dedication of this VA clinic in his honor, ``he performed his duty with honor and heroism and was a shining example to his men, to the U.S. Marine Corps and to everyone who served and continues to serve our great country.''

On May 8th of 2005, Sgt. Marzano was part of a Quick Reaction Force serving in the city of Haditha in Al-Anbar province, Iraq. Sgt. Marzano and the members of his team were tasked with protecting the rest of the force as they battled several insurgents who had overrun a local hospital. The local hospital contained many workers and patients who were held captive as insurgents used them as human shields.

Sgt. Marzano and his small group heroically kept the insurgents at bay providing the platoon the time they needed to engage the enemy and turn them back. Tragically, a suicide bomber driving in a vehicle borne with an improvised explosive device detonated in the area where Sgt. Marzano's quick reaction force was operating, killing Michael and three of his fellow service members.

Because of the valiant actions and sacrifice of Sgt. Marzano, Lance Corporal Lance Graham, Sergeant Aaron Cepeda, and Petty Officer 3rd Class Jeffrey Wiener, the Marines were able to secure the area under siege and free the Iraqis trapped inside the hospital which had been set on fire by the explosion of the IED.

No doubt, Sgt. Marzano is a true hero. His good nature, leadership- by-example and love-

of-country demeanor, as well as many other fine attributes, are missed by many who knew him both inside and outside of the Marine Corps he so dearly loved.

Sgt. Marzano's family has carried on his spirit of service by becoming actively involved in programs to benefit the men and women of our Nation's Armed Services, including the Packages From Home organization which sends care and comfort packages to American troops deployed around the globe. His mother, Margy Marzano, is known as one of its best volunteers. There is also a scholarship fund established in the name of Sgt. Marzano to assist high school athletes in the Mercer County area go to college.

Dedication of this VA outpatient clinic as the `Michael A. Marzano Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic' would be a fitting tribute to the brave service of Sgt. Marzano. In making the ultimate sacrifice for our country, Sgt. Marzano's remarkable heroism was displayed on behalf of our country, and we must never forget his legacy.

I thank my colleagues, Congressman English and Congressman Altmire for introducing this important legislation.

I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Altmire).

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman English and Congressman Altmire for bringing this bill and letting us know about the heroism of Sergeant Marzano.

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. 1594.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a long-time leader in the labor movement, Ed Smith. I am very proud and happy to join with the San Diego Labor Community in honoring Ed as the ``2008 Johns Retiree of the Year!''

Ed began working in small ``Mom and Pop'' grocery stores at the age of 13. By the age of 18, he was a full time journeyman grocery store clerk and a member of Local 1222, Retail Clerks, which is now known as U.F.C.W. 135. In December of 1966, he went to work for Coca-Cola Bottling Company of San Diego as a route sales driver and joined Teamster Local Union 683. While at Coke, he held various leadership positions.

In May of 1977, he went to work for I.T.T. Continental Baking Company-Wonder Bread as a route sales driver. While at Wonder Bread, he assumed the role of shop steward and quickly became interested in worker's rights. In October 1991, he was appointed trustee to the Executive Board of Teamsters Local 683. In January of 1994, he was hired as a business agent and served in that capacity for 5\1/2\ years.

Upon Rich Truffa's retirement in November of 1999, Ed was appointed secretary-treasury, a position he held until his retirement on January 1, 2005. Ed currently resides in San Diego with his wife, Linda. They have been married for 43 years, and have one daughter and two grandchildren, a 12-year old grandson, and an 8-year granddaughter.

In his retirement, our Retiree of the Year, Ed Smith, continues to support and champion worker's rights and remains active in the labor community!

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1527) to amend title 38, United States Code, to allow highly rural veterans enrolled in the health system of the Department of Veterans Affairs to receive covered health services through providers other than those of the Department, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am glad my colleagues and I were able to work together to craft this important piece of legislation regarding our rural veterans. I want to thank the Subcommittee on Health chairman, Mr. Michaud of Maine, and Ranking Member Mr. Miller of Florida for the bipartisan leadership they demonstrated in working on this important bill. And, of course, the leadership on this bill has been for many years Mr. Moran of Kansas.

As we all know, many rural veterans face significant challenges accessing veterans' health care services due to their geographical distance from VA facilities and limited transportation services. Some of these veterans must face commutes of several hours just to utilize some simple health care services.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has acted to better provide health care service to rural veterans, and I appreciate the action they have taken in the past. However, more can and should be done to ensure that our rural veterans have adequate access to care for the services to which they are entitled.

This bill, H.R. 1527, would supplement existing VA efforts by requiring the VA to conduct a 3-year demonstration project to allow rural veterans in four Veterans Integrated Service Networks to elect to receive covered services through non-VA providers. It would allow some rural veterans to receive health care locally, eliminating

the frustration and hassle of a lengthy commute to the nearest VA medical center.

So I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1527.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Salazar).

Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield such time as he may consume to our hardworking Chair of our Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Hall).

Mr. Speaker, I would yield such time as he may consume to our great new Member, who worked on these issues for many years, not only as a Congressman, but as a staff member for Mr. Lane Evans, our former ranking member, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hare).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Rodriguez).

I would yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Al Green).

Will the gentleman yield?

I just want to thank you not only for speaking out for rural veterans who, as you said, are not in your district, but in your State and in our Nation. But your bill that expanded opportunities for affordable housing for our veterans was also a great step forward, and we greatly admire your work here, although you've only been here a short time. Thank you so much.

I yield back.

Yes.

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

Again, I want to thank Mr. Moran for his leadership over so many years on these issues and I just want to make a couple of points in closing.

Next year when we come back, Mr. Moran, I hope that we could even refine what you have done here a little further. You have made a very important leap forward in dealing with our rural veterans, and you have used the mileage as the distinguishing characteristic.

In part of my district, for example, in Imperial County, California, our veterans are within probably this 120 miles, and yet it is not just the distance, it is the isolation. There is a mountain between two counties in my district. It is not easy to cross over that. So the mileage is not just the only factor. We have got to get some measure of isolation, I would think.

In addition, that county is a very poor county. Many of our veterans do not even have cars. They have to rely on what you so appropriately mentioned, and that is the volunteer efforts of some van drivers. But they are not always there, and they are not always on the day that is needed. So, without cars and being particularly isolated, I think we have to refine that definition of the highly rural veteran.

Let me make just one more point. What you have done here, Mr. Moran, is very specifically designate criteria for which people are eligible to go outside the VA system. I think you have done that very appropriately, and we have been fighting for that for many years.

The Presidential candidate on the Republican side, Mr. McCain, takes that too many steps further. He has advocated a credit card for every veteran to use in any facility. I think that is the wrong approach.

I had the honor over the last month, Mr. Speaker, of going to the national conventions of the Disabled American Veterans, of the American Legion, of the Jewish War Veterans, of the Military Order of the Purple Heart; and I would say unanimously they objected to this so-called credit card for veterans. It supposedly is to increase access, but I think its effect would be to undermine the whole VA health care system.

So while we can I think make sure that access is guaranteed for people in some very specific situations, like the bill that Mr. Moran has before us, I think we have to keep the integrity of the VA system by not allowing that credit card proposal of Mr. McCain to go forward.

Having said that, Mr. Speaker, I would 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. 1527, as amended.

I urge my colleagues to unanimously support Mr. Moran's bill, H.R. 1527, as amended, as a great step forward for our country's heroes.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 2617) to increase, effective as of December 1, 2008, the rates of compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for the survivors of certain disabled veterans.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this Veterans Compensation Cost-of- Living Adjustment Act of 2008, and I want to especially thank Congressman Ciro Rodriguez of Texas for his sponsorship of the House bill, which was H.R. 5826.

I am pleased that we are here today working with the Senate to get the bill passed. After passage here today, the bill goes directly to the White House for the President's signature, and this will ensure that our veterans will not be delayed in getting their cost-of-living adjustment.

Since 1976, Congress has passed a measure to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to increase the rates of basic compensation for disabled veterans and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation, referred to as DIC, to their survivors and dependents, along with other benefits, in order to keep pace with the rising cost of living.

This disability COLA would become effective on December 1 of this year and will be equal to that provided on an annual basis to Social Security recipients. It will benefit over 3 million disabled veterans from the World War I era through the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan that VA estimates will be receiving this compensation in FY 09. It will also help over 300,000 of their survivors during the same period.

Many of the 3.5 million recipients of these benefits depend upon these tax-free payments not only to provide for their own basic needs, but those of their spouses and their children and often parents as well. Without an annual COLA, these veterans and their families would see the value of their hard-earned benefits slowly erode. We would be derelict in our duty as a Congress if we failed to guarantee that those who sacrificed so much for this country received benefits and services that keep pace with their necessities. The veterans compensation COLA is included in the CBO baseline, which means in English that we have already paid for this COLA.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the sponsor of the House version of the bill, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Rodriguez).

Mr. Speaker, I would ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on S. 2617.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to unanimously support it and yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6832) to authorize major medical facility projects and major medical facility leases for the Department of Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2009, to extend certain authorities of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

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

Mr. Speaker, this is a very important bill that we simply must pass this year because it extends authorities for a whole number of veterans programs. And I want to thank my ranking member, Mr. Buyer of Indiana, for his cooperation and support to get this bill on the floor today because, as I said, we have got to get this done before the end of this congressional session.

H.R. 6832 includes the text of several other pieces of legislation; for example, the text of H.R. 5856, the Department of Veterans Medical Facility Authorization and Lease Act of 2008, that we passed on this floor by a vote of 416-0 back in May. As the new fiscal year begins on October 1, it is essential that the VA have the legal authorities it needs to move forward in providing world-class facilities and better access for our veterans.

In addition to providing these authorizations, we extend a number of expiring authorities, including the authority to collect from insurance companies and third parties for the cost of certain health care. These provisions were slated to expire at the end of this month. It also extends the VA authority to receive data from the IRS and the Social Security Administration to verify income levels for veterans in certain programs.

We extend here also the authority of the VA to conduct recovery audits of fee basis and other medical service contracts when a veteran receives care at a non-VA facility, such as the bill we just passed with Mr. Moran.

We make permanent here the VA authority to treat veterans who participated in tests conducted by the Department of Defense at the Deseret Test Center from 1962 to 1973, which included the program known as Project Shipboard Hazard and Defense, or Project SHAD. This authority expired last year. We have to do more for those who have been subject to those tests, and we will look at legislation, especially by Mr. Thompson of California, in the near future.

We extend the reporting requirements for the Special Committee on PTSD, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and the Committee on Care of Severely Chronically Mentally Ill Veterans. These committees are vitally important as we seek to provide the best care for our veterans in dealing with these mental health issues.

We repeal the sunset on inclusion of noninstitutional extended care services as part of the health care provided to our veterans, and extend the authority of the VA to provide nursing home care for certain veterans, which was also slated to expire at the end of this year.

We increase the number of veterans among our most severely disabled veterans who would be able to participate in the VA's Independent Living Program. Long-term care services are a vital component of our health care for veterans, and will only increase in importance in the years ahead.

H.R. 6832 also makes permanent the authority of the Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans and reporting requirements for the Women's Advisory Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I have often stressed the importance of the housing provisions in the original GI bill that was enacted in 1944. This act, of which over 8 million veterans took advantage of, probably created the prosperous and stable middle-class in our Nation. We recently passed an update of the GI bill that we called the 21st Century GI Bill, which brought education benefits up to the standards that this century requires, but we did not reform and improve the VA home loan program in that GI bill that would have in fact remained true to the spirit of the original GI bill. The housing crisis that is affecting all of our society in all areas of our country would be helped by broadening authority of the VA in this area.

Both my ranking member, Mr. Buyer, and I have introduced legislation to reform the home loan program, and H.R. 6832 brings both of our pieces of legislation together. We were able to provide temporary authority for the VA to make loans at levels that matched other Federal housing programs in an earlier bill this year, but that authority expires at the end of the year and VA will be forced once again to essentially limit its guarantee to a maximum loan amount of $417,000. What we do here is to extend that authority until 2011 to guarantee loan amounts up to $729,750 in certain parts of the country. We also extend the authority of the VA to make so-called hybrid adjustable rate and adjustable rate mortgages in their program, which also expires this year.

Finally, H.R. 6832 will make it easier for veterans to refinance their home loans with the VA. We authorize the VA to provide the same maximum loan guarantee for veterans, refinancing non-VA loans, as it currently provides for loans guaranteed by the VA. It will enable veterans to refinance the loan at up to 100 percent of the value of the underlying property. Currently, the VA is only able to finance up to 90 percent.

I know that I speak for Mr. Buyer in that we wish we could do more right at this moment to help our veterans weather this housing crisis, but this bill provides real help, and will make a real difference in the lives of thousands of veterans facing the housing crisis and our economic slowdown. It is extremely important that we pass H.R. 6832, and meet our responsibilities to our Nation's veterans.

I thank the minority side for its great cooperation on this.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to one of the most passionate advocates for veterans in our country, Ms. Brown of Florida.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to Mr. Rodriguez of Texas.

Mr. Speaker, I would add to what the gentleman from Texas said. You know better than anybody the problems with the facilities in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This does a seismic correction for one of the major buildings on the order of $225 million, and establishes an outpatient clinic in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. So we are taking some steps, we have a long way to go, for our citizens there in Puerto Rico.

I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislation days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 6832.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would also thank you for forging this legislation in a bipartisan way which you will hopefully have unanimous support with this Congress. This program we're trying to roll back I think is one of the most dangerous programs this administration has ever tried to put into effect.

I represent the entire California-Mexico border. It is my district. I know what happens with these trucks at the border. We haven't dealt with issues of licensing of drivers, we haven't dealt with insurance or safety of the trucks, not even mentioning the jobs that are lost to American truckers.

Let me just tell you two things very quickly about what goes on at the border.

The Federal Motor Carrier Transportation Administration issues what it calls a tamperproof sticker, a green sticker to say that this truck is safe. I have been in Tijuana and I have seen these windshields which have the tamperproof sticker put on different trucks. So they haven't tampered with the sticker, but they put it on a different truck.

I have seen papers that supposedly guarantee insurance of a truck. A company that owns 10 trucks will buy an insurance policy for one truck and pass that paper around to all of the other ones. They're very difficult to distinguish. They pass the muster at the border and they're free, under this program that we're trying to stop, to move around in our Nation without really having any choice.

We could go on for hours on this. We have looked at all of these different aspects that the administration just refuses to look at.

So, Mr. DeFazio, thank you for bringing this to us. We have got to stop this program. We've got to stop it now and save both jobs and lives of American truckers.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a longtime leader in the labor movement, Joe Powell. Joe is the business manager/financial secretary of the Sheet Metal Workers' Local 206 representing approximately 1,300 members. As business manager, Joe serves as the chairman of the committee which negotiates wages, hours, and conditions of employment.

As financial secretary, Joe assumes full responsibility and liability to the local union and the Sheet Metal Workers' International Association for all monies received and recorded. AdditionaIly, Joe serves in numerous capacities with other Local 206 affiliates such as the trustee for the Sheet Metal Workers' Trust Fund, chairman of the San Diego Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee, JATC, executive board member for the AFL-CIO Labor Council, co-chairman for the Local 206 401(a) plan and executive board member of the San Diego Building and Construction Trades Council.

Joe showed his desire to participate in the advancement of his union's labor movement in 1994 when he was elected conductor for Sheet Metal Workers' Local 206. He served in this position until 1997 when he ran for and was elected as a trustee of the Sheet Metal Workers' Local 206. Joe served as a trustee until 2000 and in July 2000, he was elected as business representative of his local. From 2000 to 2004, Joe was responsible for the dispatching and drug testing of members and handling any grievances that may arise. From 2004 to the present, Joe Powell has served as business manager and financial secretary-treasurer of Local 206.

Advancement in education has also been a priority to Joe as he has completed numerous courses and training that has greatly aided his career development. In addition to completing his 4-year apprenticeship training and becoming a certified instructor in CPR and first-aid training, he attended the National Labor CoIlege at the George Meaney Center where he received the bachelor's degree in labor studies.

Joe has been a resident of Alpine, California, his entire life along with his wife and daughter. His wife and family have been very supportive of his career choices.

I am very proud to join with the San Diego labor community in honoring Joe Powell as the 2008 Labor Leader of the Year.

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to consider my amendments 18 and 19 en bloc for the purpose of debate.

Mr. Chairman, as the chairman of the Authorizing Committee, the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, I want to thank Chairman Edwards, Chairman Obey, and his ranking members, for giving us this bill and a whole series of bills that preceded this since our party has taken over the majority of this body.

Not only have we for the first time with fiscal years 2008 and 2009 exceeded

the budget requests in the so-called independent budget, which is put together by veterans' groups for veterans, and for the first time we exceeded them 2 years in a row. Not only that, but with the fiscal year 2007, which we had to pick up, and several supplemental bills which we had to pass, we have added, in my calculation, over $17 million worth of new money for the health care of our veterans, which is an unprecedented 40 percent increase since Chairman Edwards and Chairman Obey have been chairmen of those committees. That is incredible.

We have put resources in place to do the job for our veterans, but the Veterans Administration doesn't always do what we intend, or do it with the efficiency that we would like. Many of you have heard the horror stories of young people going to medical centers, asking for PTSD help, post-traumatic stress disorder, being told that they can't get an appointment for 5 or 6 weeks, going home and committing suicide.

We have had the Secretary of the VA tell me, when I said, Aren't a thousand suicide attempts per month by our veterans a concern? He said, No. It's consistent with the literature. We have had a Secretary, Under Secretary of Defense say that 300,000 PTSD victims of our forces in Iraq and 320,000 victims of brain injury were not a problem because those were just symptoms of those injuries. They didn't really exhibit full-blown PTSD or full-blown traumatic brain injury and therefore they weren't concerned about it. So their concern, Mr. Chairman, has not always equaled our commitment here.

My two amendments would try to have dealt with that in a way that I hope and I know the chairman will work with me in the future.

Do you know that tens of thousands of our young people leave Iraq and Afghanistan, whether they are in the active duty or the Reserves or the National Guard, without any evaluation by medical personnel for either PTSD or brain injury?

We have to do something about that, Mr. Chairman. I have proposed, and we will work with you as we authorize what I am calling a Hero's Homecoming camp, to say that every soldier with his or her company, with his or her family, will be evaluated by medical personnel for brain injury and PTSD, and before they are discharged from the service. I had asked for $10 million to cooperate with the DOD to do that.

In addition, one of the chief weaknesses of the Veterans Administration is they don't like outside help. They don't ask for community support. All over this country, people want to help our troops. So I have asked at some point for $250 million for community grants to help our soldiers in their own communities who have mental health and other injuries for their treatment and rehabilitation.

This is something I think we have to do, Mr. Chairman. I know you agree with me in principle. I know this is not the time and place to debate that or put that in the bill. Your commitment to our soldiers, sailors airmen, and marines is well known. Just putting that out there, that we have to do this community support, mandatory evaluations, that I know that we can work together.

I will withdraw the amendment.

I will yield to you first.

Mr. Chairman, I would ask unanimous consent to withdraw the amendments en bloc.

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

Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman for allowing me to take a few minutes on this amendment. As we are very much concerned with our Iraqi and Afghanistan young men and women who are returning with grave injuries, we cannot forget our older veterans and the justices that we have to make up for.

We can go back to World War II where we have atomic veterans who have not yet received compensation for being in testing areas without being told. We have merchant mariners who never got benefits of our GI Bill, who are in their eighties and we need to say thank you to.

We have a group of veterans who were drafted into the Army in 1941, all the Filipinos who were in the Filipino army and various units and various irregular areas defending that territory. That was a territory of ours. And we drafted all the soldiers into our Army with the promise that they would have benefits later.

Those Filipino soldiers, over a quarter million of them, held up the Japanese advance for weeks and weeks and weeks beyond their scheduled advance. It allowed us back home to prepare better and for MacArthur to return. And though the Japanese overran the Philippines in the terrible battles of Corregidor and the famous death march of Bataan, the surviving soldiers were able to harass the Japanese through guerilla work, and they were not strong enough to resist MacArthur when he returned. In fact, it was the Filipinos, bravely alongside their American counterparts, who helped to win the war in the Pacific.

After the war was over, after we had won in both the Atlantic and Pacific, the Philippines were granted their independence, and the Congress of 1946 said, You got your independence. You take care of your veterans. Yes, you saved America, but that is your problem, not ours anymore.

Although President Truman signed the legislation which embodied that in law, he said, We must repair this important travesty. We promised those veterans full benefits. We have taken them away. We have to go and give them back. That was 62 years ago, Mr. Chairman, and that travesty still burns in the hearts of the Filipinos who are alive, and their family members.

The amendment I have in front of the body says that, basically, We are sorry, but thank you.

It provides a pension for those brave Filipino veterans. This is a moral necessity for America to close the chapter on World War II. This is a moral necessity for this Congress to make up for a mistake that was made 62 years ago.

I know many Members of this body agree with remedying this moral disaster, and yet we have had problems of how we pay for that and how we somehow use the budget to make sure that we are helping these deserving veterans, while not taking away from our brave young men and women from either World War II, Vietnam, Korea, the Persian Gulf war 1 or the present conflicts.

So, Mr. Chairman, I am trying to figure out a way to do that. I know the vast majority of this body agrees with me, and I look forward to working with you to find a way to do that.

I know there are other speakers on this amendment. I would hope that we have a colloquy with the chairman on his time in a few minutes.

I yield back the balance of my time.

I see our Speaker on the floor. The only one I think who knows more about this issue than me is Speaker Pelosi, who has dealt with this in the 20 years that she has been in the Congress. I would ask the chairman to yield to her.

I, too, want to thank the Speaker for her commitment over a long period of time to not only the Filipino veterans, but all veterans.

Your comments tonight, Mr. Edwards, were very moving. They show complete understanding of the issue. I have confidence that, working together and with the support of the Speaker, we will be able to deal with this issue.

Mr. Chairman, I would ask unanimous consent to withdraw the amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6445) to amend title 38, United States Code, to prohibit the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from collecting certain copayments from veterans who are catastrophically disabled, as amended.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

We have a number of bills on the floor today, all of which will go to improving both the health and the benefits of our veterans, to whom we owe so

much. The bill on the floor now comes to us from Mr. Cazayoux of Louisiana, one of our newest Members, but who has already taken an active role on the Veterans' Committee. In addition, the bill includes elements of bills from Mr. Doyle of Pennsylvania, Mr. Walz from Minnesota, Mr. Buyer from Indiana, and Mr. Hare from Illinois, and addresses a number of policies in the VA which directly affect our Nation's veterans.

Within the care the VA gives, there is a small population of veterans who suffer from nonservice-connected but catastrophically disabling injuries. These veterans are stuck in an extreme paradox. They have injuries so severe that it prevents them from maintaining employment and causes them to utilize many more health services than other veterans. Yet, because of the nonservice-connected nature of their injuries, they are forced to bare the burden of copayments, which many of them are ill-equipped to pay. This bill will eliminate the injustice by prohibiting the VA from collecting copayments from this particularly vulnerable population of veterans.

The bill also addresses VA's ability to provide counseling, training, or mental health services to family members of veterans who are seeking treatment for nonservice-connected disabilities. Currently, VA is unable to provide these essential family support services unless the veteran is an inpatient and these services are needed for his or her discharge.

The policy is out of date and is a remnant from the days when the VA was primarily an inpatient system. This bill removes those restrictive requirements and will allow the VA to provide those services to families in need. This is particularly important for our newest generation of veterans, many of whom are struggling with PTSD and depression.

Section 4 of this bill addresses an issue that many veterans face on a daily basis. It is a battle against chronic and acute pain. The pain lingers long after the physical wounds of war have healed and affects the quality of life of many veterans. Although the VA has worked on a national pain management strategy, its implementation remains uneven across our system. This bill will require the VA to develop and implement a systemwide policy on pain management. We thank Mr. Walz from Minnesota for bringing this to us.

The VA is also currently authorized to collect third-party payments from veterans' insurance companies, but due to ineffective procedures, over a billion dollars go uncollected annually. This is money the VA can reuse for providing medical services to veterans. To address this issue, the VA began a demonstration project of a Consolidated Patient Accounting Center in 2005, and has some success in improving revenue collections. In Section 5 of this bill, we require the VA to establish no more than seven other CPACs, (Consolidated Pain Accounting Centers) to enable it to improve its billing performance.

This service, Mr. Speaker, has been outsourced for the last 5 or 6 years on a sole-source contract. I would urge the VA right now, on the floor, I am urging them in letters and, if necessary, legislation, to open that bidding process to a wider variety of contractors, many of whom have systems to save almost a billion and a half dollars per year, that is not collected for the VA. That money would go directly back to the services of our veterans.

The VA is also the largest provider of HIV/AIDS care in the United States, but its policies regarding HIV testing are based on best practices that date back to the 1980s. The CDC revised their HIV testing guidance in 2006. It now recommends that HIV testing be a part of routine clinical care and that separate written consent for HIV screening should no longer be required.

Section 6 of the bill brings the VA care in this area up to current standards of practice and provides VA the flexibility to update their screening standards in the future without congressional intervention.

Every provision of this bill, we believe, will improve the quality of health care of our veterans. It comes to us on a unanimous basis from the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. I urge my colleagues to support it.

I would reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would yield 3 minutes to a new Member from Illinois, but has been very aggressive, coming from the district which give us Lane Evans, former ranking member of the Veterans' Committee, and has been a leader in the search for better mental health care for our veterans.

I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Walz), the highest ranking enlisted Member ever elected to the United States Congress, Command Sergeant Major Walz, who I am tempted to say gave us part of this legislation on pain. You've been a great pain, Mr. Walz, but we love you on our committee.

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. 6445, as amended.

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

Mr. Speaker, the next bill on our agenda was supposed to be a bill by Mr. Moran, who is managing the bills today. Due to some bureaucratic delays, we have not been able to put that bill on the floor, but I assure the gentleman from Kansas that we will. He has been a leader in rural health care to veterans. It is a problem that faces many of us all over the country, and we will address these issues that you have raised.

I will yield to the gentleman from Kansas.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill before us, H.R. 6445, as amended, and yield back the balance of my time.

I thank Mr. Boozman for participating in this debate and for his leadership on the committee.

General Leave

I would 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. 4255, as amended.

In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, all of us have been to hospitals, we have been to homes where we have seen disabled veterans, whether from the current war or previous wars. We all know that a major factor in their recovery, especially mentally, is a sense of self- worth, a sense that they have a future, a sense that although they have problems physically, they can overcome that and be productive members of our society.

For many of those veterans who were athletes or who were participating in athletics, the opportunity to participate again competitively is one of the most meaningful things they can have in their recovery. And what this program will do, the Paralympic Program, is give both disabled active duty and veterans, the opportunity to compete, to train, and to have that comradeship with fellow athletes, and to show that they are indeed human beings who can participate in this society. That is a major, major part of the healing process.

I urge my colleagues to support this.

I yield to the gentleman from Arkansas.

I thank the gentleman.

I yield back the balance of my time.