Michael H. Michaud

Mr. Speaker, as my time as a Member of Congress is coming to an end, I want to thank the people of Maine's Second District for allowing me the privilege of representing them here in the People's House.

From Fort Kent to Lewiston and Franklin County to Washington County, Mainers have shared with me their lives, their hopes and their concerns. We have worked together to improve our transportation infrastructure--which is pretty important when you represent the largest geographic district east of the Mississippi. We've worked together to stop bad trade deals from taking away good jobs; and to attract new businesses to Maine's increasingly diverse and innovative economy. I've been down on the clam flats, hiked our new and growing recreational trails and walked the floors of our mills. I couldn't have asked for better ``bosses'' than the men and women of the Second District.

I'm proud of everything we have accomplished together. We've helped support innovative small businesses across Maine through the Northern Border Regional Commission. We've protected and created new jobs in places like DFAS at Limestone. We've expanded access to affordable quality healthcare. We've taken steps to strengthen manufacturing in Maine by ensuring that our service members wear American-made footwear.

I'm particularly honored by the work I've been able to do with our veterans. During my time in Congress and with the support of our local veterans' organizations, we expanded access to care--making it easier for veterans in the County to get care at Cary Medical Center, so they don't have to take time off from their jobs and travel hundreds of miles, round-trip, to Togus. Working together, we ensured that aging veterans could always access affordable and quality healthcare at state veterans homes. We secured additional resources to confront the very serious problem of veterans' homelessness. We strengthened the GI Bill, making it easier for veterans to access important education and training opportunities.

I'd like to thank my fellow delegation members--Representative Chellie Pingree, and Senators Angus King and Susan Collins. It's been a pleasure partnering with them over the years on a number of issues critical to Mainers. I'd also like to thank my staff, who have helped me always meet the needs of my constituents. They include Peter Chandler, John Graham, Diane Smith, Jane Calderwood,

Gene Allen, Dan Rafter, Daniel Walls, Ben Goodman, Mac Routh, Andrea Quaid, Chris Winstead, Matt Dubois, Barbara Hayslett, Susan Cerini, Brandon Smith, Rachel Smith, Cassie Doyle, Rosemary Winslow, Brian Zimmerman, Nora Todd, Ed Gilman, Kim Glas, Monica Castellanos, Nancy Dolan, and the staff on the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. I'd also like to thank all of those who have been on my staff in the past, and who worked so hard for the residents of the Second District.

Despite the partisan gridlock we see all too often here in Washington, Mainers are known for our tenacity and our willingness to roll up our sleeves and get things done. We have a proud history of well-respected lawmakers who have done just that, from Margaret Chase Smith to George Mitchell to Olympia Snowe. I am confident that if Maine's representatives continue to be guided by a commitment to partnership over partisanship, we can continue to achieve great things.

I return home honored by the time I spent serving the Second District in Congress, grateful for the people I met and the experiences I had, and optimistic for our future. Working together, we've made Maine a better place.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5059, the Clay Hunt SAV Act, which was introduced in July of this year. It has 134 cosponsors, including myself, Chairman Miller, and the chairman and ranking member of the Health Care Subcommittee. Congressman Walz is the primary sponsor of this very important piece of legislation.

Over the years, the Veterans Affairs' Committee has taken steps to address the rise of suicide among veterans. In the 110th Congress we enacted the Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention Act.

Earlier in this Congress we reported H.R. 4971, which included a measure sponsored by our colleague, Representative Sinema, that would protect veterans who have worked in classified environments by ensuring that appropriate mental health care treatment options exist for them.

Today, we are acting again, by considering H.R. 5059, the Clay Hunt SAV Act. There are no easy answers or quick fixes to addressing veterans suicide. It will take a concerted effort for all of us in Congress, the White House, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Defense to work together to find real solutions. Veterans support groups, community employers, and families are part of the solution too.

H.R. 5059 takes a number of steps toward that goal. It will improve the safety net for at-risk veterans, while introducing some accountability into the Department of Veterans Affairs mental health care and suicide prevention programs, using a third-party evaluation.

It will provide veterans with a Web site that will serve as a centralized source of information on mental health services.

H.R. 5059 initiates a program to help address some of the glaring mental health personnel shortages at the Department of Veterans Affairs. While the incentives in this bill are limited to the psychiatric field, I would like to see this effort expanded in the future to all mental health professional shortfalls.

H.R. 5059 also takes steps to temporarily expand peer support networks,

which we have heard are quite effective. I believe the reports required by this bill will confirm additional resources that should permanently be dedicated to fully utilizing peer support.

H.R. 5059 also provides an additional window of eligibility for combat veterans who may have missed the window of opportunity to sign up for VA health care. This extra time will help to ensure that veterans receive the health care, including mental health care, that they need. I would encourage my colleagues to support this piece of legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Walz). I want to thank Mr. Walz for his continued effort to make sure that our veterans are taken care of in this great Nation of ours.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Brown), the incoming ranking member for the Veterans' Affairs Committee, who has been a strong advocate for our veterans for the number of years she has been on the committee.

Mr. Speaker, how many more speakers has the gentleman from Florida?

We have one more speaker, and I believe she is on her way.

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

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

Providing sufficient and effective mental health care to our veterans is an issue that I believe we must focus on. It is an issue that I hope will bring comprehensive policies in the next Congress. Finding real solutions will require all of us working together and will require sufficient resources and dedication.

I know my colleague, the gentleman from Minnesota, will be at the forefront of this fight, joined by Chairman Miller, Ranking Member- elect Ms. Brown, and all of the Republicans and Democrats on the Veterans' Affairs Committee. But I will not be in the House of Representatives next session to join that fight.

In my years in Congress, I have worked hard toward solutions that provide modern and effective care and benefits for our veterans. I have fought against inadequate budgets and for resources necessary to do the job. I have worked hard to improve the care and benefits of our newest veterans, while never forgetting our veterans from previous conflicts.

I have been encouraged by what we have all been able to accomplish together. But there is more that we have to do, and I know my colleagues will not give up the fight until we have won that battle.

But I do want to thank Chairman Miller for his leadership, his support, and his friendship over the years. It has been an honor to work with Chairman Miller, and it has been a pleasure to serve with him as well.

I also want to thank the members of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, both past and present. They have been true colleagues, mentors, and friends.

I want to wish the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Brown), our ranking member-elect, the best of luck, and I hope that she will enjoy her time as ranking member as much as I have enjoyed my time as ranking member.

And for the staff, both the majority and minority staff, they are the ones that make Members look good. They work very hard day and night to make sure that the policies that the members of the committee want are put into legislation.

I can say truly that the majority and minority staff in this Congress has worked very well together. They have put aside the partisanship that other committees have not. So I thank them for their hard work and dedication to making sure that we do what we are here to do, and that is to serve our veterans.

There is no more noble calling than serving those who have served this great Nation of ours.

And to my colleagues here in Congress who are veterans and to America's veterans, I will simply say, thank you. Thank you for your service to this great Nation of ours. It is because of you that we are the country that we are today. You never turned your back. You never faltered. And some of you have made the ultimate sacrifice and have given your life for this country. So thank you for your service.

Mr. Speaker, I would urge my colleagues to support this bill and move it to the Senate.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery as it celebrates its 125th anniversary.

Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery, in East Orland, Maine, is one of two Maine facilities in the National Fish Hatchery System of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. I am pleased to celebrate the great contributions the hatchery has made to preserving and restoring Atlantic salmon populations in the Northeast.

Craig Brook was established in 1889 to raise Atlantic salmon for stocking Maine waters. Today, the hatchery supports two Atlantic salmon programs. The facility receives adult salmon from the Penobscot River for breeding purposes and produces up to three million eggs per year, transferring about one million to Green Lake National Fish Hatchery in Ellsworth, while the rest are raised at Craig Brook and released as fry. Craig Brook also rears salmon caught from six Maine rivers with endangered populations and releases spawn back into these same rivers.

Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery, like all of our nation's fish hatcheries, does indispensable work in the preservation and restoration of endangered aquatic species. This is why I have been proud to support legislation to ensure that our nation's fish hatcheries continue to serve the public for years to come.

Craig Brook's important scientific work to preserve our region's fish embodies the environmentally conscious spirit of Maine. I am delighted to recognize the accomplishments of Craig Brook and its dedicated team and look forward to their continued success well into the future.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery on 125 years of exceptional research and conservation work.