Steve Buyer

Mr. BUYER

Mr. BUYER. Mr. Speaker, I need to discuss an amendment that was adopted at the committee that is not in this bill today. We, as a country, are facing a tremendous challenge, and that is, with the advent of the Internet, it is very easy for people to get on the Internet; they go to a Web site and they believe that they can order drugs and that the drugs that they order on the Web site can be the very same drugs that they get down at the CVS or the Walgreens or the local community pharmacy. Every time the FDA does an inspection at our international mail facilities, they discover anywhere from 67 to 90 percent of the drugs that are coming in from the orders of these mail sites, are either adulterated, misbranded or counterfeit drugs. Now, let's just do the math. Every day, 20 to 30,000 packages, pharmaceutical packages enter each of our 12 international mail facilities every day. The FDA only screens less than 1 percent. Now, let's think about this. Just take 30 days, for a month, times 400,000 packages, you get 12 million, times 12 months, that is 144 million pharmaceutical packages. Now, do the math with regard to the number that are either misbranded, adulterated or counterfeit. Now, let's just do really simple math, and just say, okay, we will give a little flexibility in there. That is 100 million pharmaceutical packages that are either adulterated, misbranded or counterfeit. We have a very, very serious problem. Now, that is with regard to the human consumption. Now, you are saying, Steve, what does that have to do with the Animal Drug Fee User Act here today? Well, what I had hoped to do is, it is only a matter of time before the bad actors of the world enter this economic space, meaning, if they can scam the American people with regard to human consumption, you know what? It is really going to be easier for them to do this in the animal drug business because you are never going to know why that animal died. We have a tremendous challenge. The FDA feels that they do not have the authority to destroy these misbranded, adulterated, or counterfeit drugs. So what's happening? You go to an international mail facility. When Customs finds one of those packages, they'll destroy it, but if that package then gets referred to the FDA, FDA feels that they do not have the legal authority to destroy that package. Now when they feel they don't have the legal ability to destroy, they have adopted a ``return-to-sender'' policy. Now let's think about this. The bad actors of the world, the counterfeiters and the criminal syndicates, are very sophisticated as to how they move these counterfeit packages from country to country to gain access into our marketplace. Then when we discover that package, the FDA, through their policy now, returns it to the counterfeiter. Think about that. Our own FDA that is there to protect us then becomes the enabler of the counterfeiter. So the counterfeiter takes the person's money and we return the merchandise that's counterfeit to the counterfeiter. Now that is stupid. That's about as idiotic as I have ever seen. So what did I attempt to do? Well, we're working on a food and drug safety bill in the committee, and I appreciate the gentlemen's work on both sides of the aisle. It's on human consumption. So what I had hoped to do here was say, Well, let's stop these bad actors and the criminal syndicates and the counterfeiters from entering into animal drugs. Chairman John Dingell agrees with that provision, and it was going to be in here. The Democrat leadership said, ``No. We can't have that in this bill.'' Now that's a curious and puzzling thing. But what I will say is, and my agreement with Chairman Dingell is that this is an issue as a country in matters of food and drug safety that we, as Republicans and Democrats, must come together to protect the American people and to go after these bad actors around the world, the criminal syndicates who are preying upon America's most vulnerable populations. We have to enjoin together to do this. And that's my pledge to work with Chairman Dingell and Joe Barton and other members of the committee, and I salute Mr. Matheson, for us to do this so not only do we bring protections on the animal side to go after the bad actors, we put protections in place on the human side. And we can do that not only in stopping the bad actors but also including electronic pedigree, and I will work with you to do just that.

Mr. BUYER. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. BUYER. In my conversations with the chairman, not only last night but also this morning, I will work with the gentleman to make sure that we can have this in the drug safety bill not only on humans but will also protect animals, so we will give the authority to the FDA to destroy. I will work with the gentleman. But we also brought up in the conversation--I understand that a little pain could have been created here today. I want to work with the majority. In other words, they weren't forced to go through the Rules Committee and then we have a big fight on the floor. I agreed with the chairman. We withdraw the amendment. But I want to work also--please work with Mr. Matheson and I on the electronic pedigree. It builds off of Chairman Dingell's paper pedigree so we can sophisticate America's systems for American people here as we also then fight the counterfeiters who are trying to gain access into our market. And I'll work with the chairman to do that.

Mr. BUYER

Mr. BUYER. Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to this bill. As we discuss H.R. 1108, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, the question before the House is not whether we want to decrease youth smoking as the bill is purported to do. The question is, after years of headlines and alarming stories about the FDA's failure to protect our Nation's food and drug supplies, do we in Congress believe that the FDA is in a place to take on a multi-billion dollar tobacco industry? I believe that each one of us agrees that the FDA is under-funded and cannot perform its current functions. Over the past 2 years, this Congress has spent enormous amounts of time negotiating legislation to reauthorize programs such as the Prescription Drug User Fee Act and the Medical Device User Fee Act. Not only did we reauthorize the programs as they existed, but we added to these programs and increased the FDA's workload. In the past several months, there have been numerous hearings in the Energy and Commerce Committee to try to determine what needs to be fixed at the FDA so that we can assure the American people that their food, their drugs, and their medical devices are safe. Unfortunately, we all understand the realities that exist within the FDA. Foreign drug manufacturing facilities are mostly going uninspected by the FDA, and the inspections that take place are not effective. FDA's surveillance over the drugs on our market today is not where it should be. Bad actors are getting into our drug supply chain and diverting good drugs out of the supply chain and bad drugs into the chain. Hundreds of thousands of unregulated and potentially harmful drugs are streaming into our country's international mail facilities every day and being sent to American homes with no FDA inspection or testing whatsoever. And, these problems only cover the problems with FDA's oversight over our Nation's prescription drug supply. We could go on about the problems that exist with our Nation's food supply. It is important that we look back at our discussions over the past year in this Congress and the discussions that we have before us over the FDA's lack of resources and ability to fulfill the duties that we have vested in the Agency. Every morning when I pick up the paper there is a new article about the dangers facing our country due to an underfunded and ill-equipped FDA. A few recent headlines have read: ``FDA inspections lag in overseas drug factories.''--Washington Times (2/28/08) ``FDA Chief is in a Budget Bind.''--WSJ (2/27/08) ``FDA Needs $375 million more to address shortcomings.''--Congress Daily (2/27/08) In fact, just this morning in an article in the Wall Street Journal, the Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee is quoted as saying, ``There's a total inability of the FDA to carry out its mission.'' Many of my colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee have been vocal about the FDA's ineffectiveness in recent congressional testimonies. The FDA is ``a sorry mess.''--Chairman Dingell (7/17/07) ``The warning signs are clear: FDA is an agency in crisis.''--Henry Waxman (author of the tobacco bill) (5/5/07) ``Unfortunately, as this Committee under both Republican and Democrat leadership has documented, FDA's resources have become woefully inadequate given the agency's expansive mission. Accordingly, the agency's ability to protect American families from unsafe foods, drugs, medical devices, and other products has radically deteriorated.''--Bart Stupak (1/29/08) Despite these strong statements, these very members want to put a multi-billion dollar industry under an Agency that is not adequately performing its current functions. The FDA itself has expressed its concerns about being mandated to regulate tobacco. The current FDA Commissioner, Andrew von Eschenbach, outlined his concerns in a recent letter to Members of Congress. Commissioner von Eschenbach wrote, ``Enactment of H.R. 1108 would redirect Agency priorities and resources to a new regulatory area, which is not only inconsistent with FDA's mission, but also diverts attention from the significant public health matters of the safety of food, drugs, biologics and medical devices.'' And, if I remember correctly, none of the last few FDA Commissioners has supported FDA regulating tobacco. Madam Speaker, I ask that we all think long and hard about that one big question before us today. Is the FDA ready to take on this multi- billion dollar industry in the midst of the challenges already before the Agency today? I agree that we need to keep tobacco out of the hands of our youth. I agree with the statistics that show that people become addicted to tobacco while they are in their youth. I am concerned about the growing prevalence of disease and death attributable to tobacco in our country. However, I believe that we have means to increase enforcement in our States to keep tobacco out of our children's hands. We do not need a new government bureaucracy which will inevitably be underfunded and ill-equipped to effectively regulate the tobacco market.

Mr. BUYER

Mr. BUYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6445, as amended, the Veterans Health Care Policy Enhancement Act of 2008, to amend title 38, United States Code, to make a number of improvements to Department of Veterans Affairs health care policies. H.R. 6445 is a bipartisan bill that includes provisions from four veterans' health care bills that were introduced by members from both sides of the aisle. I thank our new colleague on the Committee, Don Cazayoux, for introducing this bill. H.R. 6445 would exempt veterans, who have non-service connected catastrophic injuries, from co-payment requirements for treatment at VA facilities. Such veterans require extensive medical care and many have limited financial means. The bill would also require the VA to implement a comprehensive policy on the management of pain experienced by veterans, encourage HIV testing for veterans, and expand the VA's authority to provide counseling for family members of veterans receiving non-service-connected treatment. I am pleased that this bill also includes the text of H.R. 6366, the Veterans Revenue Enhancement Act of 2008. I, along with Mike Michaud, Jeff Miller and Henry Brown, introduced this bipartisan legislation to help VA better manage third-party collections, and provide additional fiscal responsibility for the department. The provision would require VA to establish seven Consolidated Patient Accounting Centers (CPACs) modeled after the successful demonstration project in Asheville, NC. The concept of the Consolidated Patient Accounting Center, also known as CPAC, was included as a demonstration project in the Conference Report (House Report 109-95 and Conference Report 109-305) in 2005 accompanying H.R. 2528, requiring the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to initiate a revenue improvement demonstration project within 60 days after enactment of the bill (Public Law 109-114). The VA followed the recommendations in the report, and created the Mid-Atlantic Consolidated Patient Accounting Center demonstration project located in Asheville, North Carolina. The Asheville project proved to be very successful in enhancing revenue by more than $12.5 million in fiscal year 2007 and $6.5 million so far in fiscal year 2008. Building on this success, would enable VA to secure hundreds of millions of dollars that currently go uncollected. These funds could be used to further improve veterans' health care. I urge my colleagues to support the Veterans' Health Care Policy Enhancement Act of 2008.

Mr. BUYER

Mr. BUYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2192, as amended, to establish an Ombudsman within the Department of Veterans Affairs. The extraordinary sacrifices of members of the armed forces have preserved our Nation's liberty and way of life. This bill will help ensure that these brave men and women, who took an oath to defend America, receive the highest quality health care available. I want to commend the leaders of the Subcommittee on Health, Chairman Mike Michaud and Ranking Member Jeff Miller, for their bipartisan efforts in developing this bill. I also want to acknowledge Mr. Hodes for introducing this legislation to help meet the needs of our veterans. In 2007, our Nation was outraged when unacceptable conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center were exposed in a news article. In response, President Bush established the Task Force on Returning Global War on Terror Heroes and the Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors. Based upon recommendations from these blue-ribbon commissions, VA initiated various programs to better assist VA patients and their families. Such programs included: appointing patient advocates at each VA Medical Center, providing coordinators for returning OEF/OIF veterans, providing Transition Patient Advocates, and establishing the joint Federal Recovery Coordinator Program to assist seriously wounded service members. H.R. 2192, as amended would establish a centralized office to monitor the performance of these employees, and provide veterans with a single point of contact for assistance with problems that cannot be resolved at the local level. The office would also track patient issues and complaints throughout the system and provide recommendations for improvements in policies, practices and procedures. I support H.R. 2192, as amended, to ensure that our veterans receive the highest quality health care available. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2192, as amended.

Mr. BUYER

Mr. BUYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4255, as amended, a bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide assistance to the Paralympic Program of the United States Olympic Committee, and for other purposes. Mr. Speaker, I want to applaud the bipartisan manner in which this bill moved forward through the Committee. I want to especially acknowledge Chairman Filner for introducing H.R. 4255, the United States Olympic Committee Paralympic Act of 2008 and working with Subcommittee Chairwoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin and Ranking Member John Boozman to incorporate into the amended version of the bill several provisions from my bill, H.R. 1370, The Disabled Veterans Sports and Special Events Promotion Act of 2007. In 2005, the VA and the USOC concluded an agreement to increase efforts to increase participation by disabled veterans in sports at all levels, as part of their rehabilitation from their injuries. I was privileged to participate in encouraging the USOC and VA to reach that agreement and by combining our two bills, we will give VA and the USOC Paralympics some of the resources they will need to meet that goal. I look forward to seeing the VA, USOC Paralympics and their partners ramp up their efforts and am excited that we will have at least 11 disabled veterans participating as members of the U.S. Paralympic Team in Beijing as a beginning of larger disabled veteran participation in the future games. I am also pleased to see a renewed commitment to providing training opportunities for veterans that will be offered. Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, I believe you and I have created a bill that will encourage more disabled veterans to participate in sports from the local level up through elite competition such as the Paralympic games beginning with games in Beijing. Through the grant program, this bill uses the USOC and its partners to equip, train and support disabled veterans' sports and I urge my colleagues to support this bill as amended. Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support H.R. 4255, as amended.

Mr. BUYER

Mr. BUYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6225, as amended, the Injunctive Relief for Veterans Act of 2008. This bill would amend title 38, United States Code, with regard to equitable relief with respect to a State or private employer. Mr. Speaker, I commend the Committee on Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity for its bipartisan efforts in bringing this bill before us. Subcommittee Chairwoman Herseth Sandlin and Subcommittee Ranking Member Boozman have brought together some good provisions from several bills to improve upon existing Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, USERRA, and Servicemember's Civil Relief Act, SCRA, protections for our military servicemembers and their spouses. H.R. 6225, as amended, incorporates provisions of H.R. 2910, introduced by Representative Susan Davis of California; H.R. 3298, introduced by Representative Patrick Murphy of Pennsylvania; and, H.R. 6070 introduced by Representative John R. Carter of Texas. The intent of the legislation is to encourage courts to utilize equity powers in appropriate USERRA cases that come before them. During discussion of the bill that took place during the full Committee markup, Subcommittee Chairwoman Herseth Sandlin clarified that injunctive relief is available under the discretion of the judge hearing the facts at a preliminary hearing, and that this section is not intended to create a new avenue of appeal in USERRA cases. The bill, as amended, would also require colleges and universities to provide refunds on tuition and fees for students who are called up for active duty, and it would allow such students to reenter the institution at the same educational and academic status that was held at the time of activation. Mr. Speaker, this bill would extend SCRA protections to enable servicemembers with deployment orders to more easily terminate or suspend service contracts without fee or penalty for such services to include cellular phones, utilities, cable television, or internet access. It would also add penalties to those creditors under SCRA who refuse to reduce interest rates as currently required. Additionally, H.R. 6225, as amended, would allow a military spouse to vote in the same location of Federal, State and local elections as the servicemember, and pay taxes in the same State as the servicemember. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 6225, as amended, provides members of the Armed Forces necessary protections that will enable them to make a seamless transition back to civilian life after their tour of duty is completed. These brave men and women put their lives on hold to ensure the freedom and safety of our Nation, and we owe it to them to provide relief when and where we can. I support H.R. 6225, as amended, and I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. BUYER

Mr. BUYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6221, as amended, the Veteran Owned Small Business Protection and Clarification Act of 2008. This bill, as amended, would amend title 38, United States Code, to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to include in each contract the Secretary enters for the acquisition of goods and services a provision that requires compliance with the contracting goals and preferences for small business concerns owned or controlled by veterans, and for other purposes. H.R. 6221, as amended, does 3 very good things for veterans. First, it closes a loophole in the service disabled veteran-owned business provisions in Public Law 109-461 to require that any VA agreement with other entities to provide contracting services include provisions to comply with those provisions. Second, the bill would expand the types of VA work study jobs on college campuses to provide more jobs for student veterans, and widen interaction between veterans, the faculty, staff and most importantly, other students. Finally, H.R. 6221, as amended, would take provisions from H.R. 6272, introduced by Congressman Welch to create the Military Occupational Specialty Transition (MOST) program, a modernized version of the old Service Members' Occupational Conversion and Training Act or SMOCTA. Focusing on veterans whose military specialty does not translate well into civilian life and who do not have other training opportunities available under title 38, this bill will benefit veterans whose job skills no longer match what is needed by today's economy. I appreciate our colleague from Vermont, Mr. Welch, for his bill which would renew funding for the old Service Members' Occupational Conversion and Training Act or SMOCTA. Again, in a bipartisan manner, the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee has brought us a bill that meets Mr. Welch's goal of providing a training program for veterans who finish military service with few or no skills that are transferrable to civilian life. Mr. Speaker, I extend my gratitude to Chairman Filner, Subcommittee Chairwoman Herseth Sandlin and Ranking Member Boozman for working together to bring this bill to us as a bipartisan effort to make veterans more competitive in the job market. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 6221.

Mr. BUYER

Mr. BUYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 674, a bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to permanently establish the Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans, which is set to expire December 31, 2009. I commend my colleague from Illinois, Luis Gutierrez for introducing this bill. Mr. Speaker, in 1994, under Public Law 103-446, the Veterans' Benefits Improvements Act, Congress established the Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans. The Committee is comprised of veterans who represent their respective minority groups and are recognized authorities in fields pertinent to their needs. The Committee's goal is to: promote the use of VA programs, benefits, and services by minority veterans; make benefits and services more accessible to minority veterans; and, evaluate current programs and make recommendations on how VA can better serve minority veterans. As I previously stated, authority for the Committee will expire December 31, 2009. By supporting H.R. 674, we eliminate the expiration date and permanently extend this important committee to ensure the perspectives of minority veterans are considered during the establishment of VA benefits and services. I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. BUYER

Mr. BUYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5892, as amended, the Veterans Disability Benefits Claims Modernization Act of 2008, a bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to modernize the VA disability benefits claims processing system, to help ensure the accurate and timely delivery of compensation to veterans and their families. I commend the leaders of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, Chairman John Hall and Ranking Member Doug Lamborn, for introducing and developing this comprehensive bill. Their bipartisan efforts will help make substantial improvements to the veterans' benefits claims process. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability compensation payments fulfill our Nation's primary obligation to make up for the economic losses and losses of quality of life that result from service connected injuries. In recent years, VA has required increasingly longer periods to process the thousands of claims it receives each year. This has resulted in a backlog of benefits claims that VA has been struggling to overcome. This bipartisan bill is intended to improve benefits claims processing so that our veterans receive their benefits with the speed and accuracy that they deserve. It is comprised of a number of recommendations for improvement that originated in other bills. Such recommendations include: better utilization of information technology, a quality and training assessment program for the certification of each VA claims processor, and a study of a new rating schedule to help ensure that the VA rating schedule, which consists of a complex set of regulations used to determine the appropriate level of compensation for veterans' disabilities, adequately compensates veterans for both loss of earnings and loss of quality of life. Our veterans, who have sacrificed so much for the freedoms we cherish, must be assured that the compensation they receive for disabilities is based on information that is both credible and fair. By supporting H.R. 5892, we will initiate steps to ensure that VA benefits and services are of unsurpassed value to veterans. I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. BUYER

Mr. BUYER. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor and bid farewell to an exceptional leader, patriot, and friend, James M. Lariviere, as he retires from civilian Federal service. A Marine Corps Reserve colonel selected for promotion to brigadier general, he is returning to active duty to continue his distinguished military career. Throughout his life Jim Lariviere has been a devoted servant to his country and fellow citizens. A native of Rochester, New York, he earned a bachelor's degree in history from the Citadel in 1979. During my freshman year at the Citadel, Jim personally ensured that I was ``squared away'' when I navigated the trials and tribulations of ``knob year'' in the Corps of Cadets. While at the Citadel, Jim distinguished himself with scholarship having worn academic gold stars, and with military bearing as a member of the junior sword drill, Summerall Guards, and as Regimental Adjutant for the Corps of Cadets. Upon graduation, Jim was commissioned as an officer with the United States Marine Corps. During his time on active duty, Jim Lariviere commanded a force reconnaissance platoon in Beirut, Lebanon, and served as a company executive officer, company commander, assistant operations officer, and White House Social Aide. He is a graduate of the Amphibious Reconnaissance School, U.S. Army Ranger School and earned the privilege to wear the Navy Marine Corps Parachutist Insignia. In every assignment he excelled in his service, being recognized by numerous awards and medals, including: The Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal (2), Navy Marine Corps Commendation Medal (4), Joint Service Achievement Medal, Joint Meritorious Unit Citation, Afghanistan Campaign Medal (with 2 campaign stars), Global War on Terrorism Medal. Jim also holds a masters degree in national security affairs from Georgetown University and he is a graduate of the Air War College. Jim left active duty, transitioned to the Marine Corps Reserve and joined my congressional staff in 1993, bringing his military values and experience to the United States House of Representatives. Jim successfully balanced his Reserve duties with a career on Capitol Hill. Initially, he worked on my office staff as the military legislative assistant handling national security, veterans', and technology issues. He also acted as the lead staff member for the House National Guard and Reserve Components Caucus. In February 1999, he joined the professional staff of the House Armed Services Committee as a member of the policy group where he had responsibility for a wide variety of defense policy issues including national security and military strategy, force structure policy, on-going military operations, peacekeeping, and military readiness policy. In 2003, Jim Lariviere joined the firm of Holland & Knight LLP as a Senior National Security Policy Advisor, working directly with the late Congresswoman Tillie Fowler. He also served as a consultant to the Defense Policy Board. In May 2005, he returned to Capitol Hill as the Republican Staff Director of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs during the 109th Congress, when I was chairman. While staff director, he was ordered to active duty in Afghanistan from June through December 2006. While in Afghanistan as part of operation Enduring Freedom, he served as Deputy Director for Training Operations, Plans and Education at the Combined Security Assistance Command. During the same period, he also served as mentor to the G-3 of the Afghan National Army. For his military service in Afghanistan he was awarded the Bronze Star. During his tenure as staff director, he led and supervised the committee and subcommittee staffs in their legislative and oversight work, which included the enactment of the Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance Enhancement Act of 2005, which became Public Law 109-80, and the Veterans' Benefits, Health Care and Information Technology Act of 2006, which became Public Law 109-461. When I became the Ranking Republican Member in 2007, Jim Lariviere continued as the Republican staff director. He was instrumental in the minority staff development of a Republican alternative budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2008 and 2009 and in a successful amendment to the Wounded Warrior Act, which was incorporated into the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, Public Law 110-181. His tireless efforts resulted in significant improvements in the care and treatment of injured or ill servicemembers returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Jim has spent his life dedicated to serving this Nation. As he takes yet another step in continuing that service, as a warrior, a leader, and a patriot in every facet, I am confident that he will do so with strong devotion to the country and to men and women who defend our freedom and way of life. I am honored to call this family man my friend. He has earned the respect and admiration of all who know him and he embodies the principles and character that epitomizes what is expected of a model Marine Corps officer, or any officer. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me today in recognizing the remarkable career of Jim Lariviere and to thank him for his leadership and honorable service to our country. I say to him, ``Bravo Zulu'' and wish him, his wife, Virginia, and their four children, much success and happiness during the next chapters of their lives. ``Hit it smack''

Mr. BUYER

Mr. BUYER. Madam Speaker, today I am introducing the Veterans Health Scholarship Act of 2008. This legislation would extend the authority of the Department of Veterans Affairs, VA, to reinstate the Health Professional Scholarship Program and give priority to veterans in awarding these scholarships. VA is known for its high quality health care. However, the supply of highly trained medical personnel is not growing as fast as the demand, and VA struggles to recruit highly trained health care professionals critical to providing veterans the care and services they need. The Health Professional Scholarship Program was originally established to improve recruitment and retention and help reduce the national nursing shortage. VA lost an important tool to meet their current and anticipated staffing needs when the program expired in 1998 and was not reinstated. As concerns over recruitment and retention of health care professionals increase, it is especially important that we enhance opportunities to educate a new generation of VA health care providers. Reinstating the authorization for this program will provide VA another tool to attract qualified health professionals to care for our nation's veterans. Even as VA is experiencing recruiting difficulties, many servicemembers from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom are trained combat medics responsible for providing frontline trauma care on the battlefield. When they come home, we can provide the opportunity for these new veterans to continue their medical education, and use their knowledge and experience to provide needed services to their fellow veterans. Madam Speaker, the quality of health care available to our veterans is dependent on the ability of VA to recruit and retain qualified health care personnel. I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will join me in this effort to build a new generation of health care professionals and cosponsor the Veterans Health Scholarship Act of 2008.

Mr. BUYER

Mr. BUYER. Madam Speaker, today I am introducing the Department of Veterans Affairs, VA, Electronic Reporting Act. This legislation would require VA to submit to Congress reports required by law in an electronic form. VA is required to submit numerous reports to Congress on issues ranging from assistance provided to homeless veterans to the establishment of new cemeteries. This fiscal year we will receive over forty reports mandated in title 38, United States Code. Requiring VA to submit these reports electronically would be more efficient and reduce paper waste. It would also maximize the utility of the information created, collected, and provided to Congress in these reports. Madam Speaker, VA submits thousands of pages of reports to Congress each year and I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will join me in this effort to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of government information management.

Mr. BUYER

Mr. BUYER. Madam Speaker, I am introducing the Veterans Revenue Enhancement Act of 2008, which would direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish today not more than seven consolidated patient accounting centers. The concept of the Consolidated Patient Accounting Center, also known as CPAC, was included as a demonstration project in the Conference Report, House Report 109-95 and Conference Report 109-305, in 2005 accompanying H.R. 2528, requiring the Department of Veterans Affairs, VA, to initiate a revenue improvement demonstration project within 60 days after enactment of the bill, Public Law 109-114. The VA followed the recommendations in the report, and created the Mid-Atlantic Consolidated Patient Accounting Center demonstration project located in Asheville, North Carolina. A recent GAO report reiterates previous findings that third party billing and collection processes at the Department continue to be ineffective and limit the revenue received by VA from third party insurance companies. Hundreds of millions of dollars continue to go uncollected, dollars that could be used to further improve the quality and quantity of veterans' health care. With the establishment by VA of the Mid-Atlantic Consolidated Patient Accounting Center in Asheville, North Carolina, the collection of third party revenues has improved significantly at the medical centers in VISN 6. By implementing best practices, a standardized revenue cycle for business processes and training of personnel, the majority of the GAO report recommendations on maximizing third party revenue collections have been met. The demonstration project has proven to be very successful in enhancing the revenue of the department by more than $12.5 million in increased collections in FY 2007 and $6.5 million so far in FY 2008 to an overall $19 million total. Building on this success, my legislation would permit the VA to continue this successful venture at the Mid- Atlantic project in Asheville, North Carolina, and direct the Secretary to establish an additional six centers throughout the country in the next five years. I urge my colleagues to support the Veterans Revenue Enhancement Act of 2008.

Mr. BUYER

Mr. BUYER. Mr. Speaker, the bill before us creates these epileptic centers to be associated with the five polytrauma centers. In order for veterans to gain access to them, they have to be able to travel to get there. The increased price of energy is very important for veterans to be able to gain access to these centers. It is pertinent, it is relevant, and it is material to this debate.

Mr. BUYER. So have you overruled the chairman's point of order?

Mr. BUYER. I ask for a ruling from the Chair.

Mr. BUYER. I ask for a ruling from the Chair on the point of order.

Mr. BUYER. I object.

Mr. BUYER. I object.

Mr. BUYER. I wanted the gentlelady to know when you brought up the issue about, Well, here's what occurred when you were in charge, we had great deference to the Speaker and the access to the floor.

Mr. BUYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 2818, as amended, the Veterans Epilepsy Treatment Act of 2008. It's a bill to amend title 38 of the United States Code to provide for the establishment of Epilepsy Centers of Excellence in the Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs. I would like to thank the Health Subcommittee chairman, Mike Michaud, and Ranking Member Jeff Miller for their work on the bill. They determined that existing six new centers spread throughout the country without utilizing the clinical and scientific expertise available within the VA's polytrauma rehabilitation centers was probably not the optimal approach. So working in a bipartisan manner, this legislation was amended to ensure that there will soon be five polytrauma rehabilitation centers. We also need to recognize that we have many of these 89,000 veterans who live in rural areas and also will be traveling distances, we need to acknowledge, to these rehabilitation centers; so there is an energy cost issue, which we are going to address here in a moment. The VA has a long history of providing specialized treatment and research on epilepsy. In 1972, recognizing that head trauma, whether mild or severe, is a risk factor for developing epilepsy, the VA created dedicated centers to improve the quality of care for veterans who may develop posttraumatic epilepsy as a result of military service. Today the VA operates seven sites with advanced capabilities to monitor and perform epilepsy surgery. There are, as I said earlier, approximately 89,000 veterans, many of whom also live in rural America, with epilepsy enrolled in the VA health care system. And with the prevalence of combat-related traumatic brain injury among our returning OEF and OIF servicemembers, it is important that the VA is a national leader in the prevention, treatment, and research on epilepsy. With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BUYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Let me speak to a couple of matters relative here to the House in how we manage the House's business. First I will speak with regard to process. We are bringing eight veterans bills to the floor all as individual bills. That is very concerning to me because these could have been placed all in one omnibus bill that we would then bring to the floor. It would create better management of the floor. So why is this brought as eight individual bills on suspension? My guess, Mr. Speaker, is that the House is now performing what I would call filling the time. Why are we filling time? Well, because this Congress isn't working on some of the most important issues facing this country. We have about 35 legislative days left in this Congress. This Congress has not passed a single appropriations bill to run the government. This is a dysfunctional Congress, and we're failing to meet our responsibilities. So while we are not doing the responsibilities of the country, we have to fill time. So they turn to the Veterans' Affairs Committee and other committees and find what are all the bills that you've got out there that we can do on suspension, that we can do on the calendar? Let's fill the time. And that's what is happening here, and it's extremely bothersome to me. Here the country is facing tremendous issues, whether it's the downturn of the economy, the issues relative to people leaving their homes. We have got an energy crisis with the challenge on how we're going to reduce our energy dependence on a lot of bad actors around the world. We have got the solvency of Medicare issue. We have got the Social Security issue. We have got the AMT patch. We have got immigration. No, this Congress, we're not going to work on those important issues, I guess must be the message that the country is receiving from our acts of today, because we're going to take up a lot of time here on the legislative calendar on eight individual veterans bills. Now, think about that. That's eight bills split up of 40 minutes on each bill. This is the House equivalent of dilatory tactics when it comes to working on what is important facing the country. So I guess on the energy issue, I think my colleagues would immediately respond, well, my gosh, Steve, we just voted on price gouging. Okay. I think my Democrat colleagues think that to solve the energy crisis relative to the country, we are going to, let's see, tax the profits of oil companies. We're going to do price gouging legislation. Oh, there must be something going on out there in the futures market; so let's talk about speculators. Let's do nothing with regard to supply. Now, I am in favor of these Centers of Excellence to advance and coordinate care for veterans with epilepsy. So why am I talking about these other issues? I'm talking about them because they are important issues also facing the country that this Congress is not addressing. And as we continue to work as a Congress to improve the quality of life for our veterans, we must examine the added burden that energy costs are placing upon those who served their country. Americans are coping with increased energy prices, including veterans. Congress must act to decrease the energy costs. The energy bills we have been voting on in the House are fighting the smoke of the energy crisis in America, not fighting the fires. So my Democrat colleagues love to work on the demand side of the economic equation. Price is fundamental economics. You've got a supply and demand result in the increase in price. We've got one of my colleagues here that wants a 50 cent consumption tax on gasoline. Why would they be proposing things like this? Well, you propose things like that because you want to compress demand on energy to change the American culture rather than opening up supplies. Why is this such an important issue? It's an important issue because it impacts veterans. Energy price impacts veterans, and nationwide Americans are now spending nearly 4 percent of their aftertax income on gasoline. So on this bill on epilepsy, we talked about the fact that we have got 89,000 veterans with epilepsy enrolled in the VA health care system. We now in this bill are saying that we are going to move them to the polytrauma centers. There are five polytrauma centers, which means that individuals to gain access to the polytrauma care centers now have to travel. How do they get there? They either get there through the airlines or through surface transportation. In order to do that, they're facing increased costs to the access of health care. That's why energy is also an important veterans issue. We are importing over 60 percent of our oil from foreign countries, and as the price of gasoline increases, the cost of food, goods, and medical care go up. Veterans are being hit by increased prices at the pump, and Congress must make every effort to deal with the heart of the energy issue for every citizen and increase our energy supply. If we increase our supply, we will then decrease energy prices. Many of America's veterans, as I said, live in rural areas, and they also then get hit the hardest by the increase in gasoline prices. While 4 percent may be the average amount Americans are paying, that figure has surpassed 13 percent in rural areas. Rural Americans are estimated to be paying now over $2,000 for gasoline this year, and this has a tremendous impact upon our-- Point of Order

Mr. BUYER

Mr. BUYER. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.