Gus Bilirakis

Mr. BILIRAKIS

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

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, in closing, once again, I encourage all Members to support this legislation. Let's get it through the Senate, as well, and get it on the President's desk, as he supports it. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time

Mr. BILIRAKIS

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1133) to amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide for an operation on a live donor for purposes of conducting a transplant procedure for a veteran, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill, H.R. 1133, as amended.

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1133, as amended, the Veterans Transplant Coverage Act of 2017. This bill is meant to remove an unnecessary barrier to care for veterans in need of transplants involving a living donor. Last year, Mr. Charles Nelson, a 100 percent service-connected veteran from Texas, sought a kidney transplant through the Department of Veterans Affairs with Mr. Nelson's nonveteran son, Austin, serving as Mr. Nelson's live donor. Rather than travel from his home in Texas to VA transplant centers in either Nashville, Tennessee, or Portland, Oregon, Mr. Nelson requested to receive his transplant at the University Hospital in San Antonio using the Choice Program. However, his request was denied by VA because Austin was not a veteran, and, therefore, VA did not believe the Department had the authority to pay for this portion of the transplant procedure with Choice funds. Mr. Nelson eventually received his transplant in San Antonio using his Medicare benefits, private donations, and personal savings to cover the cost of his and Austin's care. To prevent any other veterans from being unable to access transplant care in the community under Choice, H.R. 1133, as amended, would amend the Choice Program to allow VA to pay for any care or services a live donor may require to carry out a transplant procedure for an eligible veteran, notwithstanding that the live donor may not be eligible for VA healthcare. I thank my friend from Texas, Congressman Carter, for his dedication to solving this problem for his constituent, Mr. Nelson, and for veterans and families across the country. This is how Congress should work. He is a great representative, and I am really proud to serve with him. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 1133, as amended, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, in closing, once again, I urge my colleagues to pass this very important bill. I encourage the Senate to pass it as soon as possible so we can get it on the President's desk. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BILIRAKIS

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Davidson).

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1900) to designate the Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus, Ohio, as the National Veterans Memorial and Museum, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1900, as amended.

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1900, as amended. H.R. 1900, as amended, would designate the Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus, Ohio, as the National Veterans Memorial and Museum. The national designation is appropriate because this will be the only memorial and museum in the Nation that will honor our veterans throughout our Nation's history. Mr. Speaker, I thank our distinguished ranking member, Mr. Walz, of course, for working with the bill sponsor; and our chairman, Chairman Roe; and, of course, Mr. Stivers, who is the bill's sponsor; and me, to ensure that the Veterans Memorial and Museum will maintain the highest standards after it receives the national designation. H.R. 1900, as amended, will require the museum to provide a report to Congress that would include information on its organizational and financial projections. The bill specifically states that, after 5 years, if the memorial and museum is not operating satisfactorily, then Congress may withdraw the national designation. We hope that doesn't happen. Moreover, H.R. 1900, as amended, makes it clear that the museum and memorial is not affiliated with the National Park System, and that the bill does not authorize Federal funds for the museum. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 1900, as amended, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the ranking member. We had a little issue in committee, but we didn't stall the bill. We worked that out and moved forward. So let's get the Senate to pass it now after we pass it today. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Stivers), the sponsor of the bill.

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, again, we need to teach our children the value of military service so they can appreciate it. These are our true American heroes. I am looking forward to visiting Mrs. Beatty in Columbus. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mrs. Beatty and, of course, General Stivers for doing such a wonderful job in getting this bill done, and I also thank the ranking member. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BILIRAKIS

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2123) to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the ability of health care professionals to treat veterans through the use of telemedicine, and for other purposes.

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2123.

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2123, the Veterans E- Health and Telemedicine Support Act of 2017. I believe that telemedicine represents the future of healthcare delivery, and I am proud of the fact that the Department of Veterans Affairs is a longtime leader in telemedicine. Through VA's many different telehealth modalities, VA doctors and nurses have been able to better serve veterans in remote, rural, or medically underserved areas and veterans with limited mobility or other issues that make it difficult to travel to and from the VA medical facilities for needed appointments and follow-up care. Importantly, veterans who have had experience accessing care through telemedicine have demonstrated improved healthcare outcomes, including decreases in hospital admissions. It is my hope that all veterans would have access to VA telemedicine when and where appropriate. However, the continued expansion of telemedicine across the VA healthcare system has been constrained by restrictions on the ability of VA providers to practice telemedicine across State lines without jeopardizing their State medical license. H.R. 2123, the Veterans E-Health and Telemedicine Support Act of 2017, would remove those constraints by authorizing the VA providers to practice telemedicine at a location in any State, regardless of where the provider or patient is located. This would provide VA clinicians the statutory protection they need to continue providing high-quality telehealthcare to veteran patients across the country without fear of penalties imposed by the State medical licensing boards. I am grateful to my friend and colleague, Representative Glenn Thompson from the great State of Pennsylvania, for his leadership on this issue and for bringing this important bill forward. I am also grateful to my fellow committee member, Representative Julia Brownley of California, the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Health, for her work and advocacy on VA telemedicine. Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 2123, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson), who is the sponsor of the bill.

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Coffman).

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from the great State of Michigan (Mr. Bergman).

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, this puts the veterans first, as the gentleman said; and, again, the veteran has a choice as to whether to use telemedicine or go to see the doctor, because it doesn't work for everyone. But, in any case, this is a great bill. It puts the veteran first. I urge my colleagues to pass this particular bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BILIRAKIS

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Bost).

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2601) to amend the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to improve the access of veterans to organ transplants, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I encourage all the Members to support this great piece of legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that at all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2601, as amended.

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2601, as amended, the Veterans Increased Choice for Transplanted Organs and Recovery, or VICTOR, Act of 2017, which is sponsored by my good friend and fellow committee member, Dr. Neal Dunn from the great State of Florida. The VA healthcare system has offered solid organ transplant services since 1962 and bone marrow transplant services since 1982 through the VA Transplant Program, which manages 13 transplant centers across the country. However, since Congress created the Choice Program in 2014 to address access to care concerns at VA medical facilities, the committee has heard an increasing number of complaints about the VA Transplant Program from veterans who are concerned about the lengthy travel required for many veterans to reach a VA transplant center and bureaucratic barriers to receiving transplant care closer to home. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, a greater distance from a VA transplant center was associated with a lower likelihood of receiving a transplant and a greater likelihood of death among veteran transplant patients. That can't happen. This is unacceptable, in my opinion. H.R. 2601, as amended, represents a commonsense solution. That is what we are all about today: commonsense solutions for our true heroes. It would require the VA to consider whether there is a medically compelling reason to require a veteran to travel outside the organ procurement and transplantation network region that the veteran resides in to receive a transplant from a VA transplant center, or whether the veteran faces an unusual or excessive burden in receiving a transplant from a VA transplant center before referring a veteran to a VA transplant center, rather than to a community transplant center. This would greatly increase access to transplant care in the community for veteran transplant patients living far from VA transplant centers. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Dunn), the sponsor of the bill and my good friend.