Floor Statements

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to this bill, which is nothing more than a political ploy. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle say a vote against this bill is a vote to block veterans services.

It's actually this government shutdown, which they have caused, that threatens VA's ability to provide the services for our veterans.

If Republicans in this House were really serious about helping our veterans, they'd pass a clean CR and end this government shutdown that they have caused.

If they really want to guarantee veterans services are adequate, they would bring forward in this House H.R. 813, as amended, to the floor. This bipartisan bill would fund all the VA through future advanced appropriations, and take this political football off the table forever.

Passing that bill will help make sure that veterans will no longer be used like they are being used today, as the pawns of a political party scheme.

This is outrageous. And I would encourage my Republican colleagues to bring up H.R. 813, as amended, to the full floor so we can stop playing political football with the men and women who served this great Nation of ours.

It's unbelievable that you'd do such a thing. And if you think that you're convincing the VSOs that if we don't fund this then we're not supporting veterans, they know the difference.

They see through the political football. They are tired of it, and I would encourage you to encourage the Speaker to bring up once again H.R. 813, as amended, passed unanimously by the Veterans' Affairs Committee, for a full vote in this House.

This is outrageous and nothing but a political gimmick today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the city of Ellsworth, Maine as it celebrates its 250th anniversary.

Located in the heart of Hancock County, and a gateway to Acadia National Park, Ellsworth is one of our state's fastest growing and picturesque communities. It serves as the county seat and is a regional center for Downeast Maine, with agricultural, commercial, and educational resources that are utilized and embraced by thousands of nearby Mainers.

The town was settled in 1763 and named after Oliver Ellsworth, a delegate to the 1787 United States Constitutional Convention. The city combines a comfortable small town feel with the beautiful scenery of Maine's coastline. One of Ellsworth's many attractions includes the Downeast Scenic Railroad, which begins in the town and travels along the historic, recently renovated, Calais Branch line.

The residents of Ellsworth embody the values of the hardworking people of Maine, and they take great pride in the rich heritage they have created over the past 250 years. It is an honor and a privilege to represent the people of Ellsworth in Congress, and I am pleased to have this opportunity to help the town celebrate its 250th anniversary.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating the people of Ellsworth and wishing them well on this joyous occasion.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Hope Carroll, winner of the Stars and Stripes Spectacular essay contest, for her inspiring essay titled ``What Freedom Means to Me.'' I had the pleasure of listening to Hope read her essay at the annual Stars and Stripes Spectacular on July 4th in Portland, Maine.

One of the best parts of my job as a member of Congress is having the opportunity to witness the great talent and potential of our nation's young people. This rising 6th grader, from Lincoln Middle School, represents the best and brightest among them. I would like to take this opportunity to share Hope Carroll's essay with the House of Representatives.

Freedom is bravery, confidence and love. Bravery is

standing up for your freedom, confidence helps you believe in

your freedom, confidence helps you believe in your freedom

and love takes care of it. Freedom is laughing and crying.

When my family laughs together there is not a care in the

world and that is freedom. We cry together, it is the way we

express our sadness, that is freedom. Freedom is dancing

around the room when no is watching because being silly and

happy is freedom. Freedom is nature, beautiful trees and

lovely pink flowers. Freedom is bravery, confidence, love,

laughing, crying, silly, happy and beautiful.

Hope showed bravery and confidence well beyond her years in reading her essay, and I look forward to following her progress as a writer.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating Hope Carroll, winner of the Stars and Stripes Spectacular essay contest.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the town of Machias, Maine as it celebrates its 250th anniversary.

Located in the heart of Washington County and known as the ``Blueberry Capital of the World,'' Machias is one of our state's most historic and picturesque communities. It serves as the county seat and is a regional center for Downeast Maine, with agricultural, commercial, and educational resources that are utilized and embraced by thousands of nearby Mainers.

The town was settled in 1763 and is home to the Burnham Tavern, a National Historic Site carefully maintained by members of the Hannah Weston Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. In 1775, Machias was the site of the first naval battle of the American Revolution. Author James Fenimore Cooper described the infamous battle and the capture of the English schooner HMS Margaretta in his History Of The Navy Of The United States Of America, as ``the Lexington of the seas, for like that celebrated land conflict, it was a rising of the people against a regular force, was characterized by a long chase, a bloody struggle, and a triumph.''

The residents of Machias embody the values of the hardworking people of Maine, and they may take great pride in the rich heritage they have created over the past 250 years. It is an honor and a privilege to represent the people of Machias in Congress, and I am pleased to have this opportunity to help the town celebrate its 250th anniversary.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating the people of Machias and wishing them well on this joyous occasion.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the people of the town of St. Albans, Maine, as they celebrate their community's bicentennial.

Like many of Maine's early settlements, the Town of St. Albans began as part of Massachusetts and has been in existence longer than the State of Maine itself. In 1794, the land first known as Township No. 5--located in the 4th range of townships, north of the Waldo patent in the county of Somerset--was surveyed and in 1799, it was purchased by the renowned Boston doctor, John Warren. While its name changed several times from Township 5 to Berlin, and then to Fairhaven, this community would later be incorporated on June 14, 1813, as the town of St. Albans and it became the 199th town in the District of Maine.

This weekend, the people of St. Albans will celebrate the bicentennial of their town filled with the same local spirit and sense of common purpose that filled those first residents who first petitioned to have their community recognized. The residents of St. Albans embody the values of the hardworking people of Maine and can take great pride in the rich heritage they have created over the past 200 years.

It is an honor and a privilege to represent the people of St. Albans in Congress, and I am pleased to have this opportunity to help the town celebrate its 200th anniversary.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating the people of St. Albans and wishing them well on this joyous occasion.

Madam Chair, I rise today to support the Tsongas-Michaud amendment, which will strengthen the Department of Defenses' (DOD) Buy America requirements.

According to the Berry Amendment, the Department of Defense (DOD) cannot procure clothing items unless they are produced in the United States. In recent years, however, DOD has circumvented this policy by issuing cash allowances to soldiers for their own purchase of physical training shoes.

The amendment that Representative Tsongas and I sponsored to the Defense Authorization bill would require that any footwear furnished or provided by cash allowance to members of the Armed Forces upon initial entry be Berry compliant. Two major, domestic athletic footwear brands--New Balance and Wolverine World Wide--are already prepared to produce 100% Berry compliant athletic shoes for the U.S. military. And at least one of those companies can do so at a lower price than the value of the cash allowances DOD gives soldiers now.

If DOD started complying with the Berry Amendment, I feel confident many more companies would jump into the market as well.

This would be good for our troops and good for our economy. This amendment makes Congress' intent of the Berry Amendment explicit and will ensure that all components of our troops' PT uniforms are made in the U.S.A.

Madam Chair, this amendment will guarantee our troops fight and train in American-made uniforms from head to toe.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to welcome Colonel Andrew Gibson as today's guest chaplain.

Colonel Gibson is from Pittsfield, Maine. He is a decorated veteran who served in the Maine Army National Guard for 25 years. Before being deployed to Afghanistan in 2006, he served in Bosnia in 1997 as one of the first two National Guard chaplains to ever be deployed to a hostile fire zone.

Currently, Colonel Gibson is the Joint Forces Headquarters Maine chaplain and the director of Deployment Cycle Support. In these roles, he oversees the spiritual needs of the Maine Guard's soldiers and families. He also coordinates a team of health professionals who provide support to our servicemembers, veterans, and military families.

Colonel Gibson's service also extends deep into our communities. He is a key organizer of Maine's annual Interfaith Prayer Breakfast. Colonel Gibson is a true asset to our State of Maine and our country. I'm proud that he is my constituent, and it's an honor to have him deliver today's prayer.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the courageous acts and professionalism of dispatchers from Central Maine Regional Communications (CMRCC), Somerset Regional Communications Center (SRCC), and LifeFlight of Maine Communications in the rescue of a grievously injured snowmobiler. These agencies were the recipients of the Critical Incident of the Year Award from the Maine chapter of the National Emergency Numbers Association.

On the morning of March 8, 2012, Bonnie Sancomb and several others embarked on a snowmobile ride in Somerset County, Maine. During the course of the adventure Ms. Sancomb missed a tight turn, which catapulted her 45 feet from the marked trail and pinned her underneath the 500-pound sled. All the while, the snowmobile track continued to turn, shredding Ms. Sancomb's clothes and eventually her skin, exposing her internal organs.

About 15 minutes later, the rest of Ms. Sancomb's party realized her absence and backtracked to the scene of the accident. A member of the party dialed 911 and was received by a dispatcher at CMRCC, who immediately notified SRCC, mobilizing Maine Warden Service units and LifeFlight of Maine. Complicating the response efforts was the fact that the accident occurred in a remote Unorganized Territory, 13 miles outside of Rockwood Township. All parties remained in constant contact during the rescue mission, which was critically important as the accident's location was determined solely from the GPS coordinates of the caller's cell phone.

After close to an hour of sustained communication, LifeFlight of Maine arrived first on the scene and began treating Ms. Sancomb, who only had a few minutes left to live. The truly incredible and coordinated communication efforts by the dispatchers and rescue workers from CMRCC, SRCC and LifeFlight are responsible for saving Ms. Sancomb's life.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in commending Jennifer Berube, Darren Curtis, Joanna Kenefick, Jessica Mihalik, Susan Poulin, Shane Hunt, Margaret Parady, Stephen Crowe, JR Roebuck, and all other dispatchers and first responders involved, for their courageous and truly professional display of emergency communications.

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

I wholeheartedly support H.R. 671, the Ruth Moore Act of 2013. This bill was introduced by my colleague and good friend of mine from the State of Maine, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree. It is named after a constituent of mine, Ruth Moore.

This important legislation seeks to better serve those men and women who have become victims of military sexual trauma. This legislation makes clear that we expect the VA to update its regulations in regards to military sexual trauma, which we believe are outdated and do not reflect the needs of those who are living through this awful experience. This bill would encourage the VA to update its regulations to ensure that military sexual trauma is specified as an in-service stressor and that those updated regulations also recognize the full range of physical and mental disabilities that may result.

Mr. Speaker, VA did the right thing by our Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange by updating their regulations. We expect VA to also do the right thing by veterans who have been suffering from military sexual trauma.

H.R. 671, as amended, contains language to ensure VA follows through on the requirement to do better by those who have suffered military sexual trauma. It will dramatically increase the reporting requirements of VA in the event that these regulations are not updated within 15 months in an appropriate manner.

Let's be clear: Congress disagrees with VA's assessment that MST is being adjudicated effectively. We expect VA to take a good, hard look at this issue and update its regulations in a timely fashion. We will be watching, and we will be having oversight hearings to make sure that the reporting requirements are upheld.

I would urge my colleagues to support passage of H.R. 671, the Ruth Moore Act.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, at this time, I would like to yield 5 minutes to the author of the bill, the gentlewoman from my home State of Maine, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree.

At this time, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Negrete McLeod).

Mrs. NEGRETE McLEOD. Thank you, Ranking Member Michaud.

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise in support of H.R. 671, the Ruth Moore Act of 2013.

This bill specifies military sexual trauma as a type of stressor for posttraumatic stress disorder. This is an important step forward in assuring that the VA gives full consideration for disability claims originating from sexual violence committed against military personnel while they serve our country.

As a cosponsor of H.R. 671 and as a member of the Military Sexual Assault Prevention Caucus, I believe we must support our veterans who may confront challenges upon returning to civilian life. This includes obtaining compensation for violence committed by a fellow servicemember.

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

In closing, today, we can take a meaningful step to ensure the VA better serves veterans who were subject to sexual trauma while serving in our military. These veterans' disabilities were not the result of fire from the enemy, and they were not the result of injury incurred during training. They were the result of the armed services' continual failure to systematically address the culture of sexual assault in the military.

This situation is unacceptable and unconscionable, and we must act. With this legislation, we hope to ensure that the VA helps these disabled veterans. We have a duty to make the lives of these men and women a little better. They never should have had to deal with these events in the service of our Nation anyway, so I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation.

I also want to thank the chairman of the full committee and the chairman of the subcommittee and their staffs for their hard work in bringing this bill before the floor for us to vote on today. I know the committee staffs on both sides of the aisle have worked very hard to amend this bill so that it's acceptable to both sides of the aisle. I thank the chairman for all his hard efforts, not only on this legislation, but also on legislation as it affects veterans and their families throughout the country.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the town of Rumford on receiving a national Main Street designation and for joining the Maine Downtown Network program.

The National Main Street Program was launched in 1980 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. For over three decades, this program has promoted the revitalization of downtowns across the country by leveraging local assets such as cultural or architectural heritage, local enterprise, and community pride. Since 2009, the Maine Downtown Center, MDC, has served as the state coordinator for the National Main Street Program. MDC has done an excellent job building a network of participating communities over the last several years.

As a national Main Street designee, Rumford will receive guidance, resources and professional training in community development from MDC. They will also have access to MDC staff, 24-member volunteer Advisory Council and the National Main Street Center resources. Rumford is capitalizing on its distinct character, through a unique public-private partnership, to stimulate economic vitality in the heart of their community.

This recognition acknowledges the hard work that the Town of Rumford and its business community have put towards strengthening the local economy. Their efforts are already yielding dividends and making the region a better place to do business.

Mr. Speaker, please join me again in congratulating the town of Rumford and on their outstanding achievement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express opposition to H.R. 1919.

Specifically, I rise to express concern with section 8 of this bill, which allows prescription drug labeling for physicians, pharmacists, and other health

care professionals to be provided solely by electronic means.

This provision is flawed on multiple levels. First, Internet access in rural States like mine can often be intermittent at best. In an area with low Internet connectivity or reliability, health care providers would not automatically have the necessary information about the drugs to make sure that they're being administered and prescribed appropriately. This is even true in areas that have good Internet connectivity, but may have been hit by a natural disaster like Hurricane Sandy.

Second, eliminating the paper labeling requirement will have repercussions for the industry that it supports. There are more than 10,000 jobs nationwide associated with the printing of this sensitive information.

In Maine, the paper industry supports 7,000 workers, including hundreds in the pharmaceutical paper industry. These workers are part of an important industry that keeps health care professionals, dispensers, and consumers informed about their drugs. Section 8 would jeopardize the jobs of more than 1,000 Mainers.

Finally, legislation passed during the 112th Congress required GAO to conduct a study of the advantages and risks of electronic-only labeling of pharmaceuticals. This study is due to be released next month. Passing this legislation that preempts the finding of this study is bad policy. So I would urge my colleagues to support informed health care professionals and consumers and to fight for more than 10,000 manufacturing jobs across the country. So I would urge a ``no'' vote on

I yield to the gentleman from California.

I yield to the gentleman from Ohio.

I thank both gentlemen for your willingness to look at section 8 more closely.

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

First of all, I want to thank the chairman of the full committee for all his hard work and for working in a bipartisan manner not only on this piece of legislation but all of the bills that we've been dealing with in the committee this Congress.

I rise today in support of H.R. 1412, as amended, the Improving Job Opportunities for Veterans Act of 2013. I want to thank Mr. Coffman for introducing this legislation. I also want to thank committee Chairman Miller and subcommittee Chairman Mr. Flores and Ranking Member Takano for their leadership in assisting and bringing this bill before us today.

In these challenging employment markets, we need to use all available means to assist our veterans in obtaining the training that they need to find a good paying job. H.R. 1412 assists veterans by improving and increasing the VA's on-the-job training and apprenticeship programs.

In these programs, a veteran employee's salary is paid in part by the employer and in part by the VA, with not less than 50 percent being paid by the program. As a veteran completes the apprenticeship and becomes a fully qualified employee, the employer pays an increasing percentage of the salary, eventually assuming all of it.

H.R. 1412 reduces slightly the percentage of the salary the employer pays near the end of the training program. This eases the burden on the employers and is an incentive to employers to increase the number of veterans in the program. The Veterans' Affairs Committee will be closely monitoring this program to ensure that more veterans are being offered training opportunities as a result.

Mr. Speaker, we know that on-the-job training and apprenticeship is a highly efficient and cost-effective means of connecting veterans with meaningful, long-term employment. This is good for both veterans and employers. H.R. 1412 enhances the opportunities for both, making it easier for companies to employ veterans and for veterans to find new jobs and careers.

Unfortunately, however, too few employers know about this program and how to connect to it. As we pass this legislation, I encourage the VA to do more to inform employers and veterans about the benefits of this program.

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

Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano).

Mr. Speaker, I, too, have no further Members who wish to speak, but I do want to, in closing, emphasize that veterans are an asset to any organization, whether it is in the private or public sector. They make the organization better, and they improve the bottom line. This bill is very timely and is very important for our veterans.

I also want to thank, once again, Mr. Takano for his leadership on this issue. In his life before he became a Member of Congress, he was in the community college system, and he knows about training and how important apprenticeship programs are. So I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 570, as amended, the American Heroes COLA Act.

I wish to thank Mr. Runyan, the sponsor of H.R. 570, and the chairman of the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee, as well as Ms. Titus, our subcommittee ranking member, for their hard work on this measure.

I'd also like to thank Chairman Miller for working closely with me, and with the veterans groups, to make the key improvements in this particular bill.

H.R. 570 would permanently index the annual veterans cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, to the increase provided to Social Security beneficiaries, but only if the Social Security COLA continues to be determined using the current methodologies.

This guards against automatically passing on any decrease to veterans that result from any future actions to implement a chained CPI regime.

Second, H.R. 570 extends a COLA round-down provision set to expire this year for 5 years, instead of making it permanent. This round-down provision was implemented many years ago as a means of budget savings, and many veterans groups voiced opposition to making such a decrease permanent.

Third, the savings generated from the round-down extension will be reinvested in veterans programs, namely, increasing the monthly amount provided to some of our veterans most in need of assistance and care.

H.R. 570 would increase the amount of what is called a ``special monthly compensation'' paid to catastrophically disabled veterans in need of aid and attendance. This monthly amount would be increased from $2,002 to $3,163, and for those most in need of care from $2,983 to $4,713. These final payments would be phased in to comply with PAYGO requirements.

H.R. 570, as amended, is a good bill, and I urge my colleagues to support this measure.

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

Mr. Speaker, at this time I'd like to yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Titus).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. O'Rourke).

In closing, Mr. Speaker, H.R. 570, as amended, is a solid piece of legislation that the veterans service organizations support, that the committee supports, and I would urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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

Thank you very much for yielding.

I want to thank the gentleman from Wisconsin for his leadership in the No Label Problem Solving group, and I really enjoy working with you.

I came to Congress after serving in the Maine Legislature for 22 years--a place where Democrats, Independents, and Republicans did work together to get things done.

The House Veterans' Affairs Committee also works on a bipartisan basis, and I'm proud to serve on the committee. Chairman Miller and myself work very well together, along with our committee members, to try to find solutions to the problems that our veterans are facing today. We are doing it in a nonpartisan way, and that's how things should work.

However, I do remain concerned about Congress, and Washington as a whole. There is too much division, gamesmanship, and too little cooperation. But the group that you see here tonight on this floor that I'm speaking of is a group that actually gives me hope, a group of individuals, Republicans, Democrats, from all different facets of life, from different parts of the country, that are willing to sit down and work together to get things done.

I'm very proud to join my fellow Problem Solvers because it's long past time to work together and get things done for the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to welcome the law enforcement officers from Maine and around the world that are joining us for National Police Week. Every year, thousands come to Washington to honor and remember those who valiantly gave their lives serving their communities.

We honor the memory and sacrifice of the fallen officers throughout the world that strive to make our lives safe.

Each day, law enforcement officials like Maine State Trooper Douglas Cropper risk their safety for our protection. Just last summer, Trooper Cropper raced ahead of a driver going in the wrong direction on a very busy interstate. Cropper, without hesitation, pulled in front of the disoriented driver so that his Police vehicle would collide into the oncoming vehicle. The vehicle came to rest, preventing any serious injury to the driver and possibly saving lives of innocent motorists.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in recognizing the thousands of law enforcement officers like Trooper Cropper who selflessly put their safety on the line every day.