Mike Bost

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, once again, I encourage all Members to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2334) to amend the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to preempt any squatter's rights established by State law regarding real property owned by a member of the uniformed services, as amended.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 2334, as amended.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2334, as amended, offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast), my friend and colleague. This bill would protect servicemembers' homes from squatters while they are away on Active Duty. Under current law, servicemembers are not clearly protected under various State adverse possession laws. Due to this lack of protection, a squatter might be able to move in and make a claim to that servicemember's home when that servicemember is deployed. This is outrageous. We must ensure that servicemembers can return to their homes following a deployment without the worry that someone might be occupying their home and that they will be forced to get into a costly legal battle to get their home back. Mr. Speaker, it should go without saying that this should not be happening, and I will do what I can to protect our servicemembers. This important bill would also require the VA and Department of Justice to work together to provide updated information to servicemembers about their rights. I thank Chairman Mast for bringing this issue to the committee's attention and championing this legislation. We must ensure that servicemembers' homes are not occupied by squatters while a servicemember is away serving our great country. I look forward to continuing to work with the ranking member this fall on a bipartisan piece of legislation like this one that puts veterans' and servicemembers' needs first. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 2334, as amended, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast), the sponsor of this bill.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, once again, I encourage all Members to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1860) to designate Regional Breast and Gynecologic Cancer Care Coordinators to expand the work of the Breast and Gynecologic Oncology System of Excellence at the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 1860, as amended.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1860, as amended, offered by Representative Sylvia Garcia of Texas. This bill would create coordinators within each of the Veterans Integrated Service Networks to help veterans navigate cancer care. Specifically, this bill aims to improve care coordination for common cancers in women. No person wants to hear that they have or that their loved one has cancer. Having the resources to navigate such a difficult time can make all the difference in the treatment journey. VA must give women veterans who have to navigate cancer treatments the highest quality care that we can offer them. Whether it is screening, diagnosis, treatment, or recovery, our women veterans have earned top-notch support from VA every step of the way. More women veterans than ever before are using VA. My friend, the gentlewoman from Iowa (Mrs. Miller-Meeks), recently hosted a hearing to discuss improving care for women veterans. This bill builds on our work to ensure this population of veterans has access to the modern care that they have earned. Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support H.R. 1860, as amended, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I have no more speakers. I am ready to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, once again, I encourage all Members to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3400) to amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to assign physicians of the Department of Veterans Affairs to temporarily serve as traveling physicians in the territories and possessions of the United States, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 3400, as amended.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3400, as amended, offered by my colleague on the Veterans' Affairs Committee Representative King-Hinds. This bill would give the VA Secretary the power to assign traveling physicians for up to 1 year at a time in the U.S. territories to deliver care. The VA provides healthcare in five U.S. territories in the Pacific and Atlantic. In the Pacific, the VA has one medical center in Honolulu, Hawaii. There are three outpatient clinics in American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. In the Atlantic, the VA has one medical center in Puerto Rico. There are 10 outpatient clinics across Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Based on the most recent data we have, the VA Pacific system served 7,200 enrolled veterans. The VA Caribbean system serves 61,000 enrolled veterans. The veterans in these parts of the world are forced to spend time and money to get their hard-earned care. For example, a veteran in Guam must travel 4,000 miles for care in Honolulu. A veteran in the Virgin Islands has to fly to Puerto Rico to receive care at the VA Medical Center there. The TRAVEL Act would expand the reach of VA care by putting physicians where the veterans live. I thank Representative King-Hinds, my friend, for her leadership on this bill to get veterans in remote parts of the world the healthcare they have earned. I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 3400, as amended, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (Ms. King-Hinds).

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, once again, I encourage all Members to support this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3767) to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for a time frame for the employment in the Department of Veterans Affairs of participants in the Health Professionals Scholarship Program, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 3767, as amended.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3767, as amended, offered by my friend and colleague, Representative Hamadeh. This bill would hold the VA to a deadline to hire participants in the Health Professionals Scholarship Program. The scholarship was created to address chronic workforce shortages. Critical healthcare jobs, like nurses, physician assistants, and mental health providers, continue to be short-staffed and need good people in these roles. Right now, VA pays for scholarship enrollees' education in return for several years of service to the VA. Unfortunately, there have been cases where VA can take months before offering them a position. Sometimes, people in the program are forced to break the agreement because of bureaucracy delays at the VA. They seek work elsewhere just to make ends meet. Representative Hamadeh's bill would ensure that VA is properly staffed by making VA fulfill its end of the bargain. This bill also includes language from Representative Neal Dunn's bill, which would prohibit smoking on VHA campuses. Since the nineties, VA has issued policies to provide safer smoking environments. Then, in March 2019, VA issued its most recent policy for a smoke-free VHA. This bill would align law with the current VA practice. Patients and VA employees have a right to be protected from the harmful medical effects of secondhand smoke. This bill would do just that. Many private-sector healthcare systems already have smoke-free policies. This bill, as amended, would take important steps to improve VA healthcare. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 3767, as amended, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hamadeh), the sponsor of this bill.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I encourage all Members to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2721) to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish and carry out a pilot program to furnish a headstone or burial marker to veterans who died on or before November 1, 1990, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 2721.