Ralph Abraham

Mr. ABRAHAM

Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 4336) to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for the burial in Arlington National Cemetery of the cremated remains of certain persons whose service has been determined to be active service, with the Senate amendments thereto, and concur in the Senate amendments.

Mr. ABRAHAM

Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the life of Regnal Wallace, the ``Original Voice of Louisiana Agriculture.'' It is a nickname he earned for good reason. When you heard his voice on the radio, you knew immediately that it was Reg. As a farmer myself, I knew I always needed to listen up because what he was going to tell me was important. In 1981, Reg launched ``This Week in Louisiana Agriculture,'' a show he imagined as a new way to tell the public about the incredible work taking place in the fields and processing plants across the State by some of the hardest working men and women in Louisiana. Thirty-five years later, this show is still carried by 18 affiliates in Louisiana and nationwide by RFD-TV, bringing the story of agriculture to 400,000 people each week. Reg died earlier this month at his home in Franklin Parish, which I represent. Those of us in Louisiana will be forever grateful for Reg's contributions to agriculture in our State and the life he dedicated to serving farmers.

Mr. ABRAHAM

Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4360, the Official Personnel File Enhancement Act. As a member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, myself and other committee members are constantly reading reports of and investigating instances of employee misconduct and performance shortcomings. Yet too often, these investigations come up empty because the employee decided to resign or otherwise leave federal service before the investigation is over, thereby ending the investigation. I cannot tell you how frustrating this is. These investigations must be completed, and any employee seeking to return to federal service must have the results of that investigation as a part their record. We owe it to the American taxpayer to ensure that the federal government only hires the most qualified and honorable employees. H.R. 4360 will allow that to happen. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. ABRAHAM

Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the career of Commander Kristina Dell'Orco and her service in the United States Coast Guard. Kristina graduated from the United States Coast Guard Academy and was selected to attend Naval flight training, where she trained to pilot fixed-wing aircraft. Kristina earned her wings in 1999 and received the Daughters of the American Revolution award, given annually to the Coast Guard graduate with the highest grades. Kristina would go on to win many more awards, including the Coast Guard Commendation Medal and three Coast Guard Achievement Medals. Along with these individual awards, Kristina has trained hundreds of cadets in annual flight instruction as a senior company officer. I serve with Kristina in the Coast Guard Auxiliary and can truly say she is dedicated to her service and this great Nation. It is an honor to recognize Kristina for all she has done for the Coast Guard and this country, and I wish her a happy retirement.

Mr. ABRAHAM

Mr. ABRAHAM. I thank the chairman. Mr. Speaker, I am here to urge my colleagues to support this important piece of legislation that recognizes the services of certain groups of men and women who have valiantly served their country. When the GI Bill Improvement Act became law in 1977, it contained language that was championed by Senator Barry Goldwater and by Louisiana's own Lindy Boggs that deemed certain groups of women, civilians, and foreigners who served the United States as Active Duty in order to qualify for benefits administered by the VA. Ultimately, nearly 35 groups have been made eligible for benefits through that law. These include the Women Airforce Service Pilots, the U.S. merchant seamen who served on blockships in Operation Mulberry on D-Day, male civilian ferry pilots, U.S. civilians of the American Field Service, and many, many more. In recognition of their service, the cremated remains of these groups may be inurned in all cemeteries under the jurisdiction of the VA. However, Arlington National Cemetery is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Defense, not of the VA. This bill recognizes all of the individuals who are eligible to have their cremated remains inurned in Arlington National Cemetery to include groups that have been given veteran status in the GI Bill Improvement Act, including the WASPs. Decades after Congresswoman Boggs championed this legislation, I am proud to continue Louisiana's long tradition of support for these groups by cosponsoring this bill. I thank, most greatly, Congresswoman McSally for introducing this very important piece of legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support it. It is long past due that we recognize these women and men who have served this country.

Mr. ABRAHAM

Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to draw attention to my home State of Louisiana, where thousands of people throughout the State, and in my congressional district particularly, are dealing with the aftermath of widespread flooding. Beginning on Wednesday of last week, heavy rains began falling across northeast Louisiana. By Friday, we had recorded over 2 feet of rain. Creeks and lakes overflowed. Water topped levees and spilled into neighborhoods. State highways looked like rivers, and parking lots looked like ponds. Since the flood began, I have visited a number of parishes throughout my district. Whether it was in north, central, or southeast Louisiana, the one constant was there were far, far too many people hurting. As of yesterday, at least four people had died from the flood in Louisiana. Nearly 15,000 homes had been reported damaged, and the number will definitely grow. More than 6,800 people have requested help from FEMA, and that number will likely grow as well. Lives were changed last week, and we have a long way to go to recover. The President has approved, at the request of the Governor, Federal disaster aid for most parishes affected. This is a great, great thing, and we need it. I appreciate that support very much. I have lived in Louisiana all my life. I still live in a soybean field in northeast Louisiana not far from where I grew up in a cornfield, also close to my home. I have seen a lot of things in my time and I have seen a lot of rain come, but I have never seen as much rain as we received last week. Unfortunately, Louisiana is all too familiar with disasters. In the last 10 years, we have seen five hurricanes, an oil spill, and now this horrific flooding. But each time we face adversity, Louisiana and her people respond. We follow Christ's commandment, which is to love and help one another. I have been so inspired by the way our communities across Louisiana have answered the call to serve: packing sandbags in the wee hours of the morning, volunteering at shelters, cooking food for relief workers, housing stranded family members; and sometimes people who are not even known to these people, they are taking them into their homes. The acts of kindness just keep coming and coming, and we need more of them to keep coming. There is one group of individuals I want to especially recognize, and that is our first responders. The National Guard has rescued over 3,295 people so far. Sheriffs, deputies, other law enforcement officials, and firefighters are still tallying their numbers because they have saved so many lives. These men and women have logged countless hours and put themselves in harm's way to save the lives of others. I have heard stories of some officers using makeshift rafts to pull people from flooded homes and getting them out before waters overtook their home. I have seen videos of the National Guard with Black Hawk helicopters rappelling into floodwaters and pulling people to safety who were clinging to trees. I saw one instance where a gentleman had been in a tree for up to 2 days. It is just incredible what our first responders have done. There is another story about our power company employees saving a man whose truck was swept off the road by water. Again, he had been in a tree, hanging on for life, for 2 full days before he was saved. Story after story in parish after parish show the incredible strength our Louisianians have and the first responders' abilities and their caring and what they have done for our State. The rains have stopped for now, but we are not in the clear by any means. The water is pushing most of our rivers over their flood stages in a big, big way. I hope another round of floods isn't on the way. In Louisiana, we know how to bounce back from adversity, but we will only do so with the continued generosity of those who are in a position to help others. I ask the Nation to remember Louisiana in its prayers as we continue and start the process of rebuilding.

Mr. ABRAHAM

Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. Chairman, I thank my good friend, Dr. Fleming, for introducing this very important amendment. He and I both know that hunting is a major part of Louisiana's heritage and culture. In Louisiana, hunters themselves are usually the best steward of our environment. This amendment would give authority to the Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to nominate roads that could be open for utility terrain vehicles in the Kisatchie National Forest. Like Dr. Fleming said, these vehicles have a minimum footprint and are much safer than our traditional ATVs. They are often used by hunters to recover game and carry supplies and equipment in and out. For far too long, they have been prohibited from sharing municipal roads with other users. Dr. Fleming's amendment would simply make Federal law more consistent with existing State laws of Louisiana where these UTVs are commonly used in a safe and responsible manner. This would allow hunters greater access to roads within the Kisatchie Forest travel plan. If the Chief of the Forest Service determined that opening a road to UTVs would pose an unacceptable safety risk, then they would have the authority to override this nomination. However, they would be required to publish their justification in the Federal Register. This is important to ensure transparency and accountability in the Federal decisionmaking process. The Kisatchie National Forest is one of Louisiana's national treasures. The citizens of Louisiana should not be unnecessarily limited in how they can use this beautiful public space. I urge my colleagues to support Dr. Fleming's amendment.

Mr. ABRAHAM

Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. Speaker, I want to first say thank you for Dr. Murphy's persistence and determination for bringing this legislation to this point. It has been an act of love on his part, and I greatly appreciate it. Dr. Murphy, also, great thanks for your continued work with our men and women in uniform in the mental health field as you continue to do today. It is much appreciated. As a family doctor in rural Louisiana, I have witnessed firsthand the hardships mental illness can put on families, individuals, and friends. I am sure every American has a story of how someone that they know and love has been affected by mental illness. It is not a partisan issue, as has been said here just recently. Thankfully, the study and treatment of mental health has improved dramatically in the last 50 years, leading to better outcomes and better lives. But, as our knowledge of mental health improves, we must routinely ensure that our government is keeping up. It has been over 15 years since Congress last passed comprehensive mental health reform. During that time, the size and authority of our Federal mental health bureaucracy has grown to the point where the amount of coordination required to function effectively is too immense. How much has it grown? A recent report from the independent Government Accountability Office found that there are now a total of 112 Federal programs intended to address mental illness--112. As you can imagine, the report also found that there is serious fragmentation and lack of coordination among these programs. As history continues to prove time and time again, when the size of bureaucracy increases, the effectiveness decreases; but when mental health bureaucracy fails, it fails individuals, it fails families, and it fails communities. Unfortunately, the President's solution this year is to throw more money at the problem and increase the bureaucracy. His 2017 budget proposes to add $500 million in mandatory spending to the same Federal programs that have been proven to be inefficient, uncoordinated, and inadequate. This is a shortsighted response to a long-term challenge. We must do more than throw money at a problem and hope for a solution. Congressman Murphy's Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act has taken inventory of these Federal programs. It refocuses the programs that work and removes the ones that don't, greatly increasing program coordination across the Federal Government. This is only one of the many reasons why I have cosponsored this comprehensive bill, and I welcome rigorous debate on this floor on the rest of the bill's merits. Finally, I thank again Dr. Murphy for his dedication and leadership on this mental health issue. The time, effort, and attention to detail that he has put into this comprehensive reform bill is what the American public should expect from elected officials. I strongly encourage and support his efforts.

Mr. ABRAHAM

Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a dedicated public servant of Louisiana, Mr. Leroy ``Slick'' Seal, who passed away recently. He was 95 years old. Mr. Seal was born on September 2, 1920, in Varnado, Louisiana, where he was a lifelong resident and law enforcement officer. Leroy began his career in 1950 when then-Governor Earl K. Long appointed him to serve as the first marshal in Varnado. When he left that post in 1954, he went on to work for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries until 1979. During that time, Leroy was selected by his peers as top woodsman and earned the position of major. Mr. Seal moved from the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to serve as chief deputy of the Washington Parish Sheriff's office from 1981 to 1991. He was elected chief of police in his hometown of Varnado in 1992, where he served until 2008, though he continued to serve Varnado as a police officer until 2012. Mr. Seal committed 60 years of his life to protecting the people of Louisiana. While in the line of duty as a law enforcement official, he was inducted into the Louisiana Justice Hall of Fame in 2010. In 2013, he was duly recognized by the Louisiana State Legislature where they declared September 2 Leroy ``Slick'' Seal Day. Mr. Seal is survived by his children, Eathel Seal, Stanley Seal, and Randy Seal, as well as his 15 grandchildren and numerous great- grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. I commend Mr. Seal for all the work he has done for Louisiana. May he rest in peace.

Mr. ABRAHAM

Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Chairman Miller, Ranking Member Brown, Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Ranking Member Titus, and all Members who worked so hard to bring this bill to the floor. There are many provisions in H.R. 677, as amended, that would help improve services for veterans and their families, but I want to focus my remarks on a section that I am proud to have authored. First, the bill would authorize an automatic COLA for beneficiaries who receive the VA disability compensation. Although the Congress generally approves COLA legislation every year, veterans have to wait until Congress actually acts.

Mr. ABRAHAM

Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 677) to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for annual cost-of-living adjustments to be made automatically by law each year in the rates of disability compensation for veterans with service- connected disabilities and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for survivors of certain service-connected disabled veterans, as amended.

Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and add extraneous materials to H.R. 677, as amended.

Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 677, as amended. H.R. 677, as amended, contains many important provisions that would help our Nation's veterans, including provisions to provide an automatic annual COLA, cost-of-living adjustment, for veterans' benefits; expedite the processing of veterans' claims and appeals; improve VA's fiduciary program; expand the official documentation accepted by the Secretary of Defense to grant veteran status with limited benefits to World War II Merchant Marine and Coastwise Merchant Seamen; designate certain cities as American World War II cities; and express the sense of Congress honoring American veterans disabled for life. I want to recognize the hard work of the Members whose proposals have been incorporated into H.R. 677, as amended. I particularly want to thank my colleagues on the Veterans' Affairs Committee: Chairman Miller, Ranking Member Brown, Ms. Titus, Dr. Ruiz, Mr. Walz, and Mr. O'Rourke. In addition, I want to acknowledge the contributions of Representatives Johnson, Butterfield, Latta, Rouzer, and Frankel. H.R. 677, as amended, incorporates legislation that Chairman Miller introduced that would expand the eligibility for a medallion provided by VA for private headstones that identify the deceased as a veteran. These medallions may be attached to privately purchased headstones of veterans who are buried in private cemeteries. They are inscribed with the word ``veteran'' across the top, and the branch of service is inscribed along the bottom. The medallions have proven to be very popular, with many families choosing to use it to honor the service of their loved one. Unfortunately, current law only authorizes medallions for veterans who died before November 1, 1990. During a Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee hearing, the VA testified that it has been forced to deny 91 percent of applications for medallions because the requests were made by families of veterans who died before November 1, 1990. H.R. 677, as amended, would allow the VA to provide these medallions to individuals who served in the Armed Forces after April 6, 1917, which is the date the United States entered World War I. The reason that this proposal limits eligibility to those who served after April 6, 1917, is due to the possibility that attaching a medallion to an older headstone may cause damage. There are also concerns that placing medallions on antique headstones in older cemeteries may alter the appearance of historic cemeteries. H.R. 677, as amended, would protect historic gravestones and cemeteries, but also recognizes the importance in honoring the service and sacrifice of those who have served our Nation in the Armed Forces. These medallions ensure that veterans who are buried in private cemeteries and whose graves are marked by privately purchased headstones can easily be distinguished. I hope that when people visit these cemeteries and see these medallions they take a few moments to remember that we all owe our freedom to our Nation's veterans. These patriotic heroes deserve nothing less. This bill also includes the text of H.R. 1575, a bill that was introduced by Ranking Member Brown to extend a pilot program on counseling in retreat settings for women veterans who are newly separated from service. This pilot was originally authorized in 2010, and pilot participants have reported unanimously positive experiences and a significant improvement in well-being, stress, and positive coping skills following their participation in the retreats. I am grateful to the ranking member for sponsoring this provision in recognition of the good work being done in this pilot program and the need to ensure that women veterans continue to have access to it. There are many provisions in H.R. 677, as amended, that would help improve services for veterans and their families, but I want to focus my remarks on the section that I am proud to have authored. First, the bill would authorize an automatic annual COLA for beneficiaries who receive VA disability compensation. Although Congress generally approves COLA legislation every year, veterans have to wait until Congress actually acts. This can be very stressful for our veterans and their families who depend on their payments to make ends meet. Our Nation's heroes should not have to wait to know whether they are going to be able to pay their bills or not. H.R. 677, as amended, would ensure that our Nation's veterans automatically receive the same annual COLA as Social Security recipients. This critical provision will help our Nation's veterans better plan for their financial future, and I urge all Members to support it. Second, this legislation would help make it more convenient for veterans to schedule disability examinations by extending the temporary authorization that allows the VA to use contract physicians to conduct disability examinations through 2017. Veterans in rural areas, like the Fifth District which I represent, may have to travel long distances to see a VA examiner for a disability examination. My proposal would make it easier to schedule disability examinations by permitting the VA to contract with any physician with a current, unrestricted license to conduct these examinations in the United States. Additionally, H.R. 677, as amended, would require the VA to provide Congress with regular types of claims veterans file. This information will help better inform our efforts to reform the VA and ensure veterans receive timely, accurate claims decisions. Section 4 of H.R. 677, as amended, would also express the sense of Congress that the VA should develop a designated form for an increased rating claim or reopening of a claim that does not require the resubmittal of information previously submitted to the Department. I am grateful for the ranking member's response in this provision in recognition of the good work being done in this pilot program, and we need to ensure that it is passed. I urge my colleagues to support the legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Costello).

Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. Speaker, once again, I encourage all Members to support H.R. 677, as amended. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. Speaker, I continue to urge support of H.R. 677. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ABRAHAM

Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3234) to amend title 38, United States Code, to establish within the Department of Veterans Affairs an Office of Failing Medical Center Recovery, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and add extraneous material on H.R. 3234, as amended.

Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3234, as amended, the Department of Veterans Affairs VA Medical Center Recovery Act. This bill would require the VA to publish key health metrics and use these metrics to determine semiannually which VA medical centers are performing satisfactorily and which are underperforming. If a VA medical center is determined to be underperforming, VA would be required to send a rapid deployment team to the facility within 30 days to establish a remediation plan and provide needed help in problem areas. The VA would also be required to send regular reports to Congress on which facilities are underperforming and what actions have been taken to improve their performance. In addition, the bill would require the VA inspector general to prioritize investigations related to underperforming medical centers and the Office of Accountability Review to prioritize investigations of whistleblower retaliation relating to underperforming medical centers. This bill would also include a provision to strengthen training for undergraduate nurses on veterans unique issues, needs, and benefits. H.R. 3234, as amended, is sponsored by Congresswoman Martha Roby from Alabama, and I am grateful for her leadership in introducing this legislation. I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Alabama (Mrs. Roby).

Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. Speaker, I also once again encourage all Members to support H.R. 3234, as amended. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ABRAHAM. I yield the gentlewoman an additional 3 minutes.

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

Mr. ABRAHAM

Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2915) to amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to identify mental health care and suicide prevention programs and metrics that are effective in treating women veterans as part of the evaluation of such programs by the Secretary, as amended.

Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and add extraneous material on H.R. 2915, as amended.

Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 2915, as amended, the Female Veteran Suicide Prevention Act. This bill would amend the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans, or the SAV Act, by directing the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure that the independent third- party evaluation of mental health and suicide prevention programs required in the act identifies programs and metrics that are effective in treating women veterans. Women are an important and an increasing segment of our Active Duty and veteran populations, and, moving forward, we must ensure that VA takes the unique needs of women veterans into account when conducting program reviews and evaluations. This is particularly important for mental health and suicide prevention programs, given that recent research has shown that female veterans commit suicide at nearly six times the rate of other women and are five times more likely to commit suicide than male veterans. H.R. 2915, as amended, would also require the VA to establish and disseminate standards and procedures to ensure that a veteran who has participated in a classified mission or served in a sensitive unit while in the Armed Forces may access VA mental health care in a manner that fully accommodates his or her obligation to not improperly disclose classified information. Serious concerns have been raised about the mental health care that VA provides to veterans following the suicide death of Sergeant Daniel Somers in 2013. Sergeant Somers served on a number of classified missions during his time in the military. When he separated from service and sought VA care, he was enrolled in group therapy sessions despite his fear of being unable to participate comfortably in group sessions due to his fear that he may inadvertently share classified information. Had VA been more responsive to Sergeant Somers' concerns and provided him treatment that was sensitive to has concerns, he may be with us today. H.R. 2915, as amended, is sponsored by Congresswoman Julia Brownley of California, the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Health, and incorporates provisions sponsored by Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona. I am grateful to both of them for their work. I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 2915, as amended. I reserve the balance of my time.