Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, in accordance with clause 2(a)(2) of Rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives, I respectfully submit the rules of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs for printing in the Congressional Record. The Committee on Veterans' Affairs adopted these Rules by voice vote, with a quorum being present, at our organizational meeting on January 30, 2007.

Rules of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, U.S. House of

Representatives, for the 110th Congress (Adopted January 30, 2007)

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 521, a measure to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2633 11th Street in Rock Island, Illinois, as the ``Lane Evans Post Office Building.'' Indeed, I wholeheartedly support Congressman Phil Hare in his efforts to bring this measure to the floor today and I appreciate his quick actions on this matter. As many know, Mr. Hare was the District Director of Congressman Evans for many years and now represents the 17th district of Illinois himself, the district that Lane Evans represented for 24 years.

Mr. Speaker, Lane Evans served with distinction in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1982; he was elected 12 times in a row by the good people of the 17th district of Illinois. Indeed, they proudly sent their best from the heartland America to serve America.

Lane has always been a champion for working families, students, servicemembers, veterans and military families. He went to college and law school on the GI Bill and returned to Illinois to be a legal aid lawyer, representing the less fortunate among us.

A Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam era and a senior member of both the House Armed Services and Veterans' Affairs Committees, Lane Evans's advocacy and record in the Congress on behalf of the military and veterans is admirable and unquestioned.

There is no federal program for veterans which does not bear his mark of oversight and improvement. Simply put, veterans enjoy increased education benefits, improved health care access and services, a strengthened home loan program, judicial review of their benefits claims, additional opportunities for veteran-owned small businesses and a host of other improved and expanded benefits. No doubt such improvements are in no small measure due to Lane Evans's insistence that veterans be given the fair shake they earned in service to their country.

Lane Evans made his mark on Congress and in the House Veterans' Affairs Committee

right from the start by elevating concern for and promoting action on the issues affecting Vietnam veterans; specifically working to highlight post-traumatic stress disorder, the effects of Agent Orange and other herbicide exposure. He was also an outspoken advocate to address the problem of homelessness and substance abuse among veterans from the Vietnam era.

Congressman Evans led the effort in Congress to increase education benefits in order to keep pace with the rising costs of higher education and restore purchasing power to the Montgomery GI Bill. He also worked to revise, update and improve veterans' employment counseling and job-search assistance systems, and has helped ensure adequate resources to provide dignified final resting places for the Nation's veterans.

Perhaps what best sums up Lane Evans's character, drive and his service here in Congress, are his own words: Speaking on the Floor of the House of Representatives, he said: ``Our veterans--those returning from Iraq, those who scaled the cliffs above the beaches of Normandy, those who walked point in the jungles of Vietnam, those who survived the brutality of Korea and other battlefields, all who honorably served or who are now serving, have earned the assurance that VA--their system--will be there when they need it . . . just as we practice on the battlefield that we leave no one behind, we should not slam the door on any veteran who needs the VA system.''

Mr. Speaker, I could not agree more. The House of Representatives, the VA Committee and the veterans community will surely miss Lane Evans. We should honor Lane Evans by continuing his work here in Congress to ensure that servicemembers, veterans and military families are treated with respect and receive the benefits they have earned.

I urge all members to support H.R. 521.

Mr. Speaker, today I recognize Imperial High School, in my congressional district, the only high school in the Nation to receive a 2006 Dispelling the Myth Award, an award of the Education Trust. Five schools were presented this award by Department of Education Secretary Margaret Spellings on November 3, 2006, as part of the Education Trust's 17th National Conference on ``Closing the Achievement Gap.''

Imperial High is described in the award program as a school ``just a few miles from the Mexican border. Seventy percent of Imperial's students are Latino, many of whom are English language learners. Seven years ago, the school was considered chaotic and low-performing. After . . . identifying students who need help and support, matching instruction to standards, and encouraging students to think beyond high school graduation, Imperial is now considered a California Distinguished School.''

There are 773 students in grades 9-12 at Imperial High. Principal Lisa Tabares and her teachers deserve great praise for the caring environment and high standards they have developed in which remarkable accomplishments are achieved by their students.

The Education Trust, funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York and eight other Foundations, has worked since 1990 for the high achievement of all students, focusing especially on schools serving concentrations of low-income or Latino, African-American or Native American students who, because of their environment, may need assistance to achieve at high levels. Their Dispelling the Myth Program honors high-performing and gap-closing schools that serve large populations of low-income or minority students.

The four other schools so honored in 2006 are Capitol View Elementary in Atlanta, GA; East Millsboro Elementary in Millsboro, DE; M. Hall Stanton Elementary in Philadelphia, PA; and Port Chester Middle School in Port Chester, NY.

``These schools provide compelling evidence . . . that when we teach students to high levels and focus on closing the achievement gaps, students succeed,'' said Kati Haycock, director of the Education Trust. ``These schools are a testament to the power of committed educators to transform the lives of children who too often get less than their fair share of what public education has to offer. We owe these educators a great deal of gratitude.''

As an educator, one of my top priorities is to provide a quality education for each and every child. I am proud of the principal and teachers and especially the students of Imperial High School for their achievements. I sincerely thank them for their contribution to the community of Imperial.

Mr. Speaker, earlier this year, the city of San Diego had the honor of recognizing one of its greatest civic and progressive leaders, the Honorable Leon L. Williams who finally retired, after more than three decades of public life.

Early in his career, Leon was an executive with the San Diego Urban League, a director of the Neighborhood Youth Corps and an administrative assistant to three county sheriffs. Leon used these early positions to become a voice for police reform--advocating a community-based police approach long before it became popular or trendy.

Many present and former elected officials have greatly benefited from the knowledge and wisdom of Leon over these past 30 years. Whether as a member of the San Diego City Council, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors or as Chairman of the Metropolitan Transit Development Board, Leon's statesman-like qualities and demeanor were appreciated, admired and copied by many of his colleagues, associates and staff members.

As a strong advocate for developing older neighborhoods, not discarding them, Leon led the charge to create the Centre City Development Corp. and the Southeast Economic Development Corporation (SEDC). An unquestioned authority on urban transportation issues, Leon's ideas and vision helped San Diego develop a top-notch transportation system. That is why, in 2004, Leon was selected Board Member of the Year by the American Public Transportation Association. Also, Leon strongly believed, correctly I might add, that the San Diego Trolley System would bring the many neighborhoods of San Diego closer together.

Several of Leon's towering contributions to San Diego remain in place today and have blossomed; for example, both the Trolley and SEDC have grown and continue to provIde well paying jobs and numerous business opportunities to residents living in southeastern San Diego.

Even in retirement, Leon remains gracious with his time, civic expertise and wisdom by helping to improve the quality of life for all San Diegans.

The Honorable Leon L. Williams truly has been an inspiration to all of San Diego.

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

I am also pleased to rise in support of H.R. 6342, which would, as we have heard from Chairman Brown, extend expired and expiring authorizations for Department of Veterans Affairs programs, expand eligibility for survivor and dependent educational assistance, and authorize leases for VA medical facilities. This bill will permanently establish Parkinson's Disease research, education, and clinical care centers, as well as multiple sclerosis centers of excellence.

Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record letters of support for this bill from the Parkinson's Action Network, American Academy of Neurology, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and the Paralyzed Veterans of America.

December 5, 2006.

Hon. Steve Buyer,

Chairman, Veterans' Affairs Committee, Washington, DC.

Hon. Lane Evans,

Ranking Member, Veterans' Affairs Committee, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Buyer and Ranking Member Evans: On behalf of

American veterans and all those who struggle with the effects

of multiple sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson's disease (PD), we

appreciate your strong leadership in protecting the Veterans

Affairs Multiple Sclerosis Centers of Excel1ence (MSCoE) and

Parkinson's Disease Research, Education and Clinical Centers

(PADRECCs). We commend you for working to enact legislation

that will formally establish the MSCoEs and PADRECCs for the

first time in statute. We believe that this bill must be

enacted to ensure that the PADRECCs and MSCoEs will continue

providing valuable services to veteran patients, family

members, and the entire Parkinson's disease and MS

communities.

Significant contributions have been made by the Centers in

research, education, and clinical care that benefit all

Americans impacted by PD and MS. The MSCoEs and PADRECCs

support a range of programs including state-of-the-art

clinical care, basic research into the causes of disease,

clinical research into better treatments, behavioral research

about effective education strategies for MS and Parkinson's

patients and providers, and population level research into

the needs of patients and the effectiveness of the care

delivery system.

Our organizations have recognized the record of leadership

that has been provided by the PADRECCs and MSCoE in the fight

against Parkinson's and MS. Approximately 25,000 veterans

have MS and require specialized care that is best provided by

having leaders in the field directing that care at a national

level. In addition, through the six PADRECCs and the National

VA Parkinson's Disease Consortium, the VA is able to treat

more than 79,000 veterans with Parkinson's disease. The

efforts of these Centers are the model of innovation in the

delivery of health care and research for progressive disease

in the veteran population.

We appreciate your efforts to ensure that the Veterans

Programs Extension Act of 2006 (H.R. 6342) will be voted on

by both the House of Representatives and Senate before

Congress adjourns in December. We look forward to enactment

of this bill that is so important to all those who struggle

with the devastating effects of MS and Parkinson's disease,

many of whom are American veterans.

Thank you for recognizing the benefits provided to veterans

fighting Parkinson's disease and MS through the VA PADRECCs

and MSCoEs. We appreciate your efforts to ensure the highest

level of care and hopeful research for our returning

veterans.

Amy C. Comstock,

Chief Executive Officer, Parkinson's Action Network.

Joyce Nelson,

President and CEO, National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Thomas R. Swift, MD, FAAN,

President, American Academy of Neurology.

Carl Blake,

Acting National Legislative Director, Paralyzed Veterans of

America.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Buyer), the chairman of our committee, and our colleagues in the Senate, Chairman Craig and Ranking Member Akaka, for coming together to craft this bill that will pass both Chambers before we recess.

As this may be our last bill of this term in Congress in the Veterans Committee, I want to say a special thank-you to Ranking Member Lane Evans for his work on behalf of veterans. As we all know, he is retiring at the end of this session, but for more than two decades here in Congress he has been a tenacious and indispensable voice for our Nation's veterans. He has championed the needs of veterans exposed to Agent Orange, homeless veterans, veterans who return from war with post-traumatic stress disorder, and he has helped untold number of veterans. He will be missed by all of us as we move into the next session of Congress.

As we have heard, this bill before us today permanently establishes VA's Parkinson's Disease Centers and VA's Multiple Sclerosis Centers of Excellence. The work of these centers has benefited more than 80,000 veterans across our Nation. I am proud that the VA medical facility in San Diego, which I represent, is affiliated with the VA's Southwestern Parkinson's Research Center in Los Angeles. Not only do these centers conduct groundbreaking research, they also advance the State's clinical and rehabilitative care. The innovations and rehabilitation designed for veterans who are battling chronic disorders may also yield gains and care for veterans with traumatic brain injury. The good work of these centers must continue. Through this legislation we are sending a clear signal that the VA must continue to fund and support the clinical and the research work done at all the existing centers.

In addition, this bill authorizes VA programs for homeless veterans and veterans who need mental health care. I am proud and I am also grateful that this legislation will help the families of these very severely wounded servicemembers by providing education benefits to eligible spouses and dependent children before these servicemembers are actually released from military service. The bill also gives urgently needed authorization for VA outpatient clinics across the Nation.

The number of women veterans will increase in the coming years. Thirteen percent of the veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan who have turned to VA for health care are women, and 11 percent of the troops deployed there are women. This bill makes sure that Congress receives the report and recommendations of the VA Advisory Committee on Women's Veterans which can help guide our actions and oversight of VA's capacity to address the unique needs of these veterans.

I would be remiss if I failed to acknowledge that we are ending this Congress, apparently, without passing a funding bill for the VA, as for much of the government. Yes, we will pass a continuing resolution to keep all the hospitals, regional offices, and other services operating, but we are shortchanging veterans, Mr. Speaker, by not passing the appropriations bill for the Veterans Administration. The delay in an increase in VA's funding for fiscal year 2007 means that the VA medical directors are forced to put on hold a whole variety of necessary expenditures, from the hiring of needed staff to care for our veterans, to the maintenance and repair of their buildings. As a result, veterans access to needed services suffers, and VA staff is stretched even more thin in providing quality care.

This failure to pass a budget is a clear illustration of the need for mandatory or assured funding of VA health care, and for the past 14 years I have been a firm supporter of this method of funding the VA. I agree with those veteran service organizations who have proposed that funding for veterans health care be mandatory. If we are unable to pass adequate and timely funding, timely funding, Mr. Speaker, to meet the health care of veterans, then we need to look seriously at alternate ways to ensure adequate funding for the health care of our veterans.

Unfortunately, we have also not completed our work in authorizing needed veterans programs. We must honor our veterans and make sure that our recent veterans who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan receive the benefits and services that they need to transition back to civilian life.

For example, I think we owe it to our newest veterans to modernize the GI bill, especially including meaningful benefits for the Guard and Reserve units who have taken such a heavy load of the fighting in Iraq. We must increase VA's capacity to meet the rehabilitation and lifelong care needs of veterans with traumatic brain injury.

While VA has a strong mental health care program, many of our returning veterans are falling through the

cracks, and we have gaps in those services. We must strengthen VA's capacity to help veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health concerns. The recent GAO report, which found that the VA did not spend funds on promised mental health initiatives, raises serious questions about VA's lack of accountability, a lack of accountability that was not really looked into by the previous Congress. We must ensure that VA does not ignore gaps in its capacity to help veterans recover from psychological wounds.

As we work to address the emerging issues for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, we must also continue to press VA to meet the health care needs of veterans exposed to Agent Orange, atomic testing and veterans still struggling with a range of Gulf War illnesses.

In addition, we must maintain keen oversight to ensure that the laws we have passed are yielding the outcomes Congress intended. We also must be vigilant to ensure that the vulnerabilities in VA information technology are addressed, and we will certainly continue this oversight in the next Congress.

Today's bill keeps VA's homeless grant and per diem program authorized through the end of next year. This is a good program, but it only helps a fraction of the homeless veterans on the streets. We have already seen returning from Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who have become homeless, almost 600 of them. We must act to prevent and end homelessness for all veterans.

In addition, many veterans are from small towns and rural areas. We must work to improve their access to VA care. In my district, most of the entire Imperial County can be classified as rural. There are no real services provided to them as they seek care. So we need to acknowledge some of these gaps, we need to acknowledge these problems, and try to address them in the next Congress.

Finally, I would like to thank all of the staff of the VA Committee on both the Democratic and Republican sides for their diligence and dedication in serving our Nation's veterans. We appreciate their work. While we have a lot of work to do in the coming years, this is a good bill. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 6342.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to Ms. Berkley, the fighting congresswoman for Nevada's veterans.

Mr. Speaker, before we adjourn, I hope we do authorize construction of that hospital in Las Vegas. If for some reason it doesn't happen, we will try to do it very quickly next year.

Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Michaud).

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mr. Michaud, if I may, for his emphasis on homeless veterans. Almost a quarter million homeless on the streets tonight are veterans. That is a national disgrace. I look forward to working with all of you to solve that.

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

Mr. Speaker, we also support S. 4073, and I know the gentlewoman from Missouri will speak about Mr. Silvey and make sure we know why his service is so honored.

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

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

I thank the gentlewoman, through the Chair, for her testimony to this decorated hero.

I would also point out we have another hero named Bob in the audience today. I would just like to recognize Bob Cover from the Legislative Counsel's Office, who has been 30 years writing this legislation and dealing with title 38. And we couldn't do anything without your expertise, Bob. We thank you for all your work. We wish you well in the future, and we appreciate your work to help veterans in this Nation.

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

Madam Speaker, millions of American seniors are trying to make the best of the Medicare prescription drug plan that congressional Republicans and President Bush signed into law 3 years ago.

Today, seniors are demanding changes in this program. They want a plan that does not create a giant gap in coverage, where they can lose coverage for months on end and where they still must pay their monthly payments.

The giant doughnut hole, as we call it, leaves many seniors in the predicament of paying for groceries, paying their rent or the drugs they need to live healthier and longer lives. They may cut their pills into two or take them every second or third day. That is a recipe for disaster, and this is not a decision that seniors should have to make in America today.

Democrats have long opposed this doughnut hole, and one of our top priorities next year is to eliminate it by making prescription drugs cheaper. How are we going to do this? It is simple. We are going to do the same thing the Veterans Administration does today, and that is, give the Secretary of Health and Human Services the ability to negotiate on behalf of all seniors for lower drug prices.

Today, American veterans pay 42 percent less for their drugs because of this negotiating authority. If we make prescription drugs cheaper, we can fill in the doughnut hole so seniors no longer fall into it. This is one of our top priorities as we become the majority party in Congress next year.

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

I am also pleased to rise in support of H.R. 6314, which would, as we have heard, extend expired and expiring authorization for the Department of Veterans' Affairs and expand eligibility for survivor and dependent educational assistance.

I want to thank the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Buyer), the chairman of our committee, and my other colleagues for working together on this very important legislation. I also would like to remind us all of the work of Ranking Member Lane Evans. His integrity, leadership, and advocacy for veterans will be missed as we move into the next session of Congress.

This bill extends important authorities for the Department of Veterans Affairs to take care of our veterans. From 1962 through 1973, the Department of Defense conducted biological and chemical warfare tests on active duty servicemembers. These tests were known as Project 112 and Project SHAD. The Department of Defense has acknowledged that it did not keep patient care records to archive health effects of the tests nor did they get, I am sure, informed consent on these tests.

Just recently, in 2003, in response to concerns from veterans that their illnesses may be a result of these exposures, Congress did act. We authorized the VA to provide priority care to veterans who participated in these tests and did not require them to provide medical evidence that any of the illnesses are attributable to the testing.

This legislation before us today does the right thing for these veterans. It would extend the VA's authority to provide priority care for them through the end of next year.

I am disappointed that we have not extended VA's authority to give priority care to veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange. Just like those veterans who were subject to Project 112 and Project SHAD tests, veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange and probably got cancers and other maladies as a result deserve priority care, which may be a result of this exposure. They have provided service to the Nation. They were not given full information. They deserve our help and care today.

The administration has requested that we extend VA's authority with respect to veterans exposed to Agent Orange, and I will work certainly in the next Congress to pass that extension.

The bill today also helps the over 200,000 male and female veterans who each night are sleeping in a doorway, under a bridge, in an alley, a box, a barn, a car, or a homeless shelter. Through a network of local nonprofit or public agencies, VA's grant and per diem program for homeless veterans offers homeless veterans a safe haven that is free of drugs and alcohol.

Last year roughly 300 programs across the Nation were able to give 14,000 homeless vets the help they needed to recover, rehabilitate, and obtain the skills necessary to reintegrate back into society. This legislation means that the VA can continue to support these hundreds of community shelters. But let me remind us all, as I will continue to do next year, that this covers barely 5 percent of the homeless veterans. We owe as a Nation help and care to the almost 200,000 others that remain on the streets tonight.

This bill extends the authority to treat seriously mentally ill and homeless veterans. More than one out of three veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who have turned to the VA for health care has received an initial diagnosis for a mental health disorder. Many more have such a disorder but did not come to the VA. Many did not check the boxes that would indicate this because they just want to get home to their families. We have a lot of work to do in this country to help those with mental health disorders.

This bill, though, will ensure that the VA has the authority it needs to provide our recent veterans, as well as veterans from previous conflicts, with this mental health care that they need.

As the chairman said, this legislation also extends certain work study opportunities for veterans who are students through June of 2007. Helping veterans who are attending college or vocational training to earn while they learn makes good sense. This bill will allow veterans who are students to receive work study allowances for working at VA hospitals and domiciliaries, at State veterans homes, and at national and State veterans cemeteries. While I am disappointed that we could not extend authority for this program beyond next June, I am glad that this legislation will allow veterans who are participating in this program to continue through the end of their academic year.

A small number of permanently and totally disabled servicemembers are kept on active duty status to help them recover and rehabilitate from their injuries. When these servicemembers are discharged, their spouses and dependent children are then eligible for VA's educational assistance program. This bill, though, accelerates eligibility in cases where a disability rating of permanent and total disability is delayed because the servicemember has not officially yet been discharged from

military service. I am proud and I am grateful that this legislation will help families of these very severely wounded veterans by providing early education benefits.

I appreciate the chairman's enumerating other bills that need to pass through the Senate. As he said, a lot of good things are waiting. And this is one of them. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 6314

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Madam Speaker, I don't know if this is the last statement that Mr. Bilirakis will make on the floor, but I just want to say how much we all appreciate your work. We are looking forward to another Bilirakis joining us. But your advocacy on areas such as no offsets between pension and disability that we call concurrent receipt, you kept that issue alive and made sure that we would do justice. So we want to thank you for that. And we want to thank you for the civility that you have exhibited through your whole career and especially on this committee, which sometimes especially this gentleman needed.

So we hope that you have a good retirement, Mr. Bilirakis. We will be missing you, but we really appreciate your service to this committee and to this Nation.

Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Michaud).

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Berkley), who is a staunch advocate for the veterans throughout her State, and who is the ranking Democratic member of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I thank the chairman for bringing us this legislation of must-pass authorizations and extensions, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, today I urge my colleagues' support of legislation that has been introduced to enhance, improve and modernize veterans' education and training programs. Specifically, I am proud to be an original co-sponsor of H.R. 6250, a bill introduced by Dr. Vic Snyder of Arkansas, a member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Nearly 62 years have passed since congressional enactment of the ``Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944'', commonly known as the ``GI Bill of Rights'', by all accounts a landmark legislative accomplishment. Last year marked the 20th anniversary of the implementation of the ``Montgomery GI Bill'' (MGIB), another critically important legislative measure which has been credited for the creation of the middle class in America.

Now, the time has come to develop a ``Total Force GI Bill for the 21st Century.'' For education and training benefits to remain a relevant recruitment, retention and readjustment tool, we must ensure that VA's education and training programs reflect the current manner in which individuals earn and learn in today's competitive marketplace.

A ``Total Force GI Bill'' must also reflect today's military force structure. Clearly, we all recognize the total force policy of our military includes increased activation of the National Guard and Reserve forces. Like no other time in our history have citizen-soldiers sacrificed so much and served with such distinction as they currently do in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since September 11, 2001, nearly 500,000 National Guard and Reservists have been activated, and approximately 40 percent of the troops currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan are citizen-soldiers. These patriots have earned and deserve high quality education and training benefits, to be used even after they separate from military service. The ``Total Force GI Bill'' proposal would organize all MGIB programs within a single area of Federal law and under the jurisdiction of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). It would allow members of the National Guard and Reserves to use their education benefits after they separate from military service, for up to a period of 10 years.

I want to work in a bipartisan fashion to improve and modernize the MGIB so that it better reflects current trends in education and vocational training programs. The VA's Advisory Committee on Education and the Partnership for Veterans Education--a group made up of traditional veterans and military service organizations, as well as higher education advocates, all have endorsed the provisions of H.R. 6250. I believe this legislative proposal deserves careful consideration, and I pledge to work to pass the funding needed to support these improvements.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support H. Con. Res. 481, legislation that I have just introduced, which urges the President to authorize the return of two church bells, currently on display at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming, to the people of the Philippines.

The New York City Council is expected to pass a resolution in support of this legislation on September 28th, 2006, the anniversary of a 1901 battle between Filipino and American soldiers in the town of Balangiga on the island of Samar, Philippines.

As a result of this conflict between Filipino and American troops, the bells in the church were taken to the United States as war trophies and have been on display ever since at F.E. Warren Air Force Base. I am introducing as a result of a vote by the Wyoming Veterans Commission to return the bells to the church in Balangiga.

The citizens of Balangiga have erected a memorial that includes the names of the Filipino and American soldiers who lost their lives in the 1901 incident, and the town honors these war dead on September 28th each year. The Filipino people have requested the return of the bells to the original setting in the Balangiga Parish where they could ring again, after 105 years of muteness, as a symbol of this bond.

The acts of conflict that surrounded the bells of Balangiga are not consistent with the friendship that is an integral part of the relationship between the Republic of the Philippines and the United States. Filipino soldiers have fought side by side with American troops in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, and the bells should more properly serve as a symbol of friendship and not of conflict.

I urge support of this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone), the great defender of our Nation's coastlines.

Mr. Speaker, I think everything has been said, and I urge support for the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of S. 362, the Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act.

America's beaches are littered with garbage washed ashore. At a time when more and more people are enjoying being outdoors, we're finding more debris on our coasts that can pose a serious threat to beachgoers, boaters, and divers.

Congress has already passed many laws that attempt to address this issue including the Clean Water Act, the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships, the Ocean Dumping Act, the Driftnet Impact Monitoring, Assessment, and Control Act, and the Marine Plastic Pollution Research and Control Act. Yet the problem persists.

S. 362 attempts to address these issues by having the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) undertake various initiatives to reduce and prevent the use and adverse impact of debris on the marine environment including--

Assessing the impact of marine debris found in the navigable waters of the United States and our 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone.

Mapping and removing marine debris from our coastal waters.

Requiring measures to prevent the loss of fishing gear that can kill fish and marine mammals for years after they are lost from a ship.

Establishing outreach and education programs to help those that live on and along our waters to understand the impact of marine debris on our environment.

Under this legislation, the Coast Guard is required to enforce existing laws and treaties related to marine pollution and to develop new regulations on the disposal of plastics and fishing gear.

Plastic and other materials that are not biodegradable threaten the health of our oceans. Therefore, we must find a way to make sure they don't get into the water in the first place. As someone who represents a coastal district, I look forward to the day when I can walk down the beach without seeing it polluted by marine debris that has washed ashore.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Chairman Young, Chairman LoBiondo and Ranking Member Oberstar for the bipartisan approach that they took to develop this legislation. This legislation is another step forward in protecting the world's oceans from marine debris.

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

Mr. Speaker, a famous law of nature says that when you have dug yourself into a deep hole, the first thing to do is stop digging. That hole is Iraq. According to our own intelligence agents, the war in Iraq is actually fueling more terror worldwide, undermining the global war on terror. And yet this administration refuses to stop digging.

Conditions for our own troops are getting worse and worse. They are merely serving as referees in a civil war between Sunnis and Shias in which over 100 Iraqis die every day.

And our Army Chief of Staff, who I refer to as the Carl Sagan of the budget, says we need billions and billions and billion of more dollars if we are going to keep the Army going in Iraq and elsewhere.

Last week, General Abizaid was asked if we were winning the war in Iraq; he said we would be if we had unlimited time and unlimited resources.

Yet in the face of all of this mismanagement, all of the death and destruction, our President has the nerve to say when history looks at Iraq, it will see a mere comma. A mere comma. What about the deaths of 2,700 of our bravest men and women, Mr. President? How about the injuries of 20,000 of our finest troops? It is time to stop digging and bring the troops home.

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

As Chairman Buyer stated, a near catastrophe occurred in early May of this year when a lap-top containing 26 million names and data, Social Security data and some medical data, was stolen from a VA employee's home. Now, this theft of data was not just human error, it was not just an accident, it was not just bad luck. As Mr. Buyer had been pointing out for many years, this was a systemic problem, a problem of incredibly bad management of cyberinformation at the VA, a lack of cybersecurity, a lack of centralization of responsibility for cybersecurity, and it could have resulted in identity theft for millions of our Nation's veterans.

We were lucky. Apparently, the lap-top was recovered before the names were stolen. Although I don't have 100 percent confidence in that judgment, that is what we think right now. But the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, under the leadership of Chairman Buyer, saw this as a wake-up call, a time to change failed policies, a time to change directions. Under the leadership of Chairman Buyer, the Committee on Veterans' Affairs took this wake-up call as an opportunity to change the way things were going, to change a backward culture, and to bring the VA into the 21st century.

Now, Mr. Buyer had been saying such things about the need for cybersecurity and the need for centralization for many years. I have to say, Mr. Buyer, that I admire your persistence and your lack of discouragement when people did not pay attention. We should have. But we are now, and we thank you for doing all that work at a time when people did not pay much attention.

I think you have, you have set up a model here in the bill that other Departments in the government should be looking at. You have set up a model where we can in fact say to the people who our government is serving, we are protecting your identity, we are protecting your data, we are making sure that if there is any breach of that, we will take these steps to make sure you don't have any losses, either material or psychological. And that was a real problem in the VA which you recognized.

When this data was stolen, there was incredible fear throughout the country, because the VA did not have the steps ready to take to assure the veterans that they would not suffer any material or other loss. So, Mr. Buyer, I thank you for working not only in a bipartisan manner, but bicameral and bicommittee. You brought everybody into the process.

The committee held hours and hours of hearings. We checked out all the expertise in the country. Our chairman, Mr. Buyer, brought expertise from all around the Nation. I think we took the role of oversight that is appropriate for every committee in this Congress, that is, we had a problem with the executive branch, we went to work to make sure that we had the knowledge, we had the information, we had the attention of the executive branch; and this bill is a result of that effort.

I think Mr. Buyer described what was in the bill. I just want to point out that it establishes data breach notification requirements, it makes substantive changes to how the VA addresses information technology, and it clarifies how the VA is to comply with the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002.

Most importantly, it provides veterans with the tools that they can use immediately to protect themselves in the case of future data breaches. If a veteran's data is compromised, they can immediately request that a fraud alert be placed on their credit files for a period of 1 year, as well as a credit security freeze.

It also mandates that the VA undertake an independent analysis of any data breach, and if it is determined that a reasonable risk of misuse exists, then the VA will provide a range of remediation services, including making available data breach analysis, credit reports, credit monitoring services, and identity theft insurance.

Finally, and again, Mr. Buyer, your creativity here was very important, knowing that an agency like the VA, which does not have the background or information or expertise, you said let's create a scholarship fund so we can train people in this area and that the VA can fund and then draw on that new expertise to improve its services in the cybersecurity area.

So, again, I think this is a model for other agencies to look at, the way you looked at a problem and not only tried to solve it, but moved us forward with a real creative program of scholarship and loan forgiveness that I think will help students in our Nation and, of course, help our Federal Government.

The VA Secretary, Mr. Nicholson, has stated that the goal now is to make the VA the gold standard in data security. I hope he takes advantage of this bill to allow him to reach that goal.

I thank Chairman Buyer for the way he undertook the oversight, the bipartisan way we approached this bill, the drawing on all the Members for their ideas and their expertise, and I urge us all to support this bill.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, again, to have the chairman of another committee testify to working together is really I think a good model. So thank you again, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from South Dakota (Ms. Herseth), the ranking member of our Economic Opportunities Subcommittee of the VA committee, a lady who has left much of her fingerprints on this bill. We thank you for your expertise, your real ability to stick to the issues here.

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

Mr. Speaker, again, I think this is an incredibly good bill. It shows the way we ought to work as a Congress and as a committee. Again, I thank one more time Mr. Buyer for his leadership and urge passage of the bill.

I yield back the balance of my time.

I thank Congressman Lantos for your leadership in the fight for benefits, and your chairman, Mr. Hyde, and the sponsor of this legislation, Mr. Issa. Along with my colleague from San Diego County, Mr. Issa, we chair the Congressional U.S.-Philippines Caucus, and Mr. Issa is the prime sponsor of the equity bill which you talked about, H.R. 4574, to bring real justice to our Filipino American and Filipino veterans.

We all know, or we all should know, the impact of the Filipino soldiers on World War II. They endured the original Japanese advance. They held them up far beyond their calendar, allowed MacArthur and the U.S. Army to have more time. As guerillas, they kept the Japanese busy for the 4 years that they were occupied, and then helped prepare the way for General MacArthur's return and our eventual victory in the Pacific.

We know their great contribution to American history, but we have repaid this great contribution with words. My friend, the doctor from Florida, said this is a long overdue resolution, and it is a fitting tribute.

Well, 10 years ago this body, or 10 years ago, President Clinton said this same thing: I urge all Americans to recall the courage, sacrifice and loyalty of Filipino veterans of World War II and honor them. Five years ago President Bush sent his greetings, which said the same thing: We thank you all for this work.

But nobody since 1946 has done what President Truman tried to say: I consider it a moral obligation of the United States to look after the welfare of the Filipino Army veterans. They were drafted into the American Army. They were promised benefits.

But in 1946, this Congress, only Mr. Lantos was here, I think, at the time, this Congress passed a Rescissions Act, which cut the benefits and cut the recognition that they were promised by President Roosevelt and President Truman.

This is wrong, my colleagues; and yet Mr. Issa, as the sponsor of this resolution, also is the sponsor of the real answer to this situation and the real tribute that we could pay to these veterans, all of whom now are in their 80s. They are a rapidly dwindling band of patriots. What they want is honor and dignity, and that is provided by H.R. 4574, the Filipino Veterans Equity Act. I hope that Mr. Lantos is right, that this resolution will pave the way. I am afraid it will be an excuse for not doing anything more.

Let us pass this resolution. It helps educate us and our constituents about the role of the Filipino veterans in World War II. But let us go further. Let us pass the Filipino Veterans Equity Act, which provides access to health care and access to pensions of those Filipinos who are eligible.

They don't have long to live, Madam Speaker. They want the honor and dignity that was denied them after World War II. So let us give a fitting tribute and let us do a long overdue action of this Congress. Let us pass H.R. 4574, which will be our true tribute to these brave men.

I thank Mr. Issa for introducing this resolution. Let us approve it, but let us move on beyond this and truly recognize those who contributed so much to this Nation's freedom and independence.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and thank the committee and the Chair for moving this bill forward.

I rise also in support of H.R. 5815. It has been some time now since Congress acted to address the health care infrastructure of the Department of Veterans Affairs. I am pleased, along with everyone else, that the Committee on Veterans' Affairs has reasserted its traditional role in this area.

We have supported the CARES process, the Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services, but have always maintained that the most important part of that acronym is at the end, that is, ``enhanced services.'' Realignment is certainly essential, but enhanced services are critical.

As the CARES report to the Secretary stated in 2004: ``VA infrastructure and support facilities, many built in the aftermath of World War II, are not all configured for contemporary health care delivery, and some are no longer appropriately located. Moreover, with an average age exceeding 50 years, these buildings are becoming more costly to maintain.''

We all know that VA health care is a national asset. Our committee has been trying to ensure that veterans receive the health care they have earned and deserve. While health care funding should remain our biggest priority, we must also see to it that the facilities where veterans receive this health care are modern and up to date, as well as conveniently located to their place of residence. It is difficult to provide the most modern health care in facilities that are half a century old. It is time that we recognize this and move forward in bringing the aging VA infrastructure up to the standards of the 21st century.

This bill is an important step in the process. It provides the authorization for the VA to complete the projects it has started. It provides the authorization for us to rebuild VA facilities that were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, and it provides authority to further the VA's collaborative efforts, efforts that hold the promise of enhancing health care for our veterans while maintaining the unique identity of the VA health care system.

We must ensure that VA construction projects are authorized, that the resources are provided to quickly complete them, and that we provide all the resources needed to maintain high quality health care in the Veterans Administration. We must keep our promises to the men and women who have served our Nation in the past and, of course, are serving us today.

So I thank my colleagues on the Veterans' Affairs Committee for their work on this issue and urge speedy passage of this important legislation