Mike Bost

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Mann), my good friend.

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1510, as amended, the Veterans' Camera Reporting, or the VCR, Act. The VCR Act would require VA to assess how cameras are used for patient safety and law enforcement purposes in VA medical center facilities. It would also require VA to report to Congress about how camera use could be improved to make VA safer and more responsive to veterans' needs. I was proud to introduce this bill with Congressman David McKinley of West Virginia and others earlier this year. We drafted it in response to a series of incidents across the country where missing or malfunctioning cameras played a role in serious lapses. In some of those incidents, veterans' lives were lost. Those tragedies have no place in the VA healthcare system. The VCR Act will help make sure they will never happen again. Most importantly, it will help ensure that veterans are safe seeking the care that they have earned. The VCR Act is a bipartisan bill. It is supported by the VA and the veterans service organizations, including The VFW and the Wounded Warrior Project. I am grateful for that support. Madam Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to close. I thank the gentleman for his comments. I want to thank all of my colleagues who joined me and joined us here tonight. Thank you to my friend Representative Jackie Walorski for cohosting this Special Order. We all agree that it was necessary for Congress to step up and act quickly to help hardworking Americans laid off or out of work during the widespread pandemic shutdowns. But here we are, three vaccines later, the States are loosening restrictions. We need to refocus on where we are going, on what we are doing, on making sure children go back to school and people go back to work. I am proud to support Ranking Member Brady's Reopening America by Supporting Workers and Businesses Act. Instead of paying people to stay home, it will allow States to provide back-to-work bonuses and increased funding for reemployment services. In April's dismal jobs report, which was mentioned earlier, it is an indication we have a long way to go. It is a time that we need to get our economy back on track and our people back to work. Every time we go down the street, if you listen to the people who spoke here tonight, jobs, help wanted, help wanted, help wanted, and no help to be found. Why? Because as good as an intention as we had when we passed the unemployment extensions, Mr. Speaker, what we are doing is we are prolonging this situation where we can actually get back to work. We can take these things off, we can actually be safe going to work. We are being vaccinated. Things are gearing back up. Let's not go down the path of government entrapment. Let's go back to what America is about: People seeking employment when jobs are there, to bettering their family when jobs are there. Not through government programs, but through the opportunity of actually working every day to provide for their families and to provide their children and grandchildren with opportunities. We are going to have to do that because we have spent a lot of money this last year, quite often in making sure that our American citizens were taken care of. And rightfully so. But now it is time to go back to work. With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from South Carolina (Ms. Mace).

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I thank the former speaker because of his experience in small business and running a business for a majority of his life. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from West Virginia (Mrs. Miller).

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I am a small business man. We own a small business, my wife and I. I know many small business owners across America are struggling to reopen and rebuild after COVID-19 shutdowns. They simply can't find workers to fill the job openings. Why? Because the Federal Government is disincentivizing people from working. Many people are making more money off unemployment insurance than they would if they were back at work, and that is having a crippling impact on Main Streets across America, including in my district. People in Washington need to hear these stories. Southern Illinois is home to Belleville Boot Company, a military boot manufacturer founded in 1904. A year ago, they employed nearly 240 workers in Belleville. But after each round of stimulus checks, as good as they may be, they had fewer and fewer workers showing up. Now, their workforce has dropped to 26 percent, and they can't find enough workers to fill the openings. In Alton, the Kreative Kids Learning Center has helped educate local children for 51 years. The owner, Keith, says that they currently have 21 employees but are desperate for more. He runs ads in the newspaper, online, and on social media, offering a good wage, yet he received zero applications--zero. He has even had to turn children away because he is so short of staff. In Carbondale, Illinois, Mary Lou's Grill has been a local staple since 1962, serving up the most famous biscuits and gravy in town. On a telephone town hall last night, Marilynn, the owner of Mary Lou's, shared that her food suppliers are unable to hire enough people to run their facilities. That potentially means food shortages and skyrocketing prices for restaurants and customers. Before COVID-19, the Broadway Grille in Sparta, Illinois, had more applicants than they had positions to fill. But now, Justin, the owner, says that some former employees have told him they will not seek a job as long as they are getting unemployment benefits. He is so short-staffed that he doesn't have enough people to answer the phone most nights. If he can't find workers soon, he isn't sure what he will do. This is not just a southern Illinois issue. It touches every community across this country. That is why I have invited several of my colleagues to highlight how their districts have been impacted. I will start, first off, by yielding to the gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Walorski), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Worker and Family Support. She has many stories I am sure she can tell.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Newhouse), a person who really does understand small business and farming, who understands what it is like to employ people and how important those employees are.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Hagedorn).

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Williams).

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Estes). I know that he has many comments that are vitally important to this issue.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Donalds).

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1448, as amended, the Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers, or the PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act. This bill will help connect veterans with PTSD with service dogs by establishing a service dog training pilot program, supporting service dog training organizations, and authorizing the VA to provide veterans with PTSD service dogs and veterinarian assistance for those service dogs. The PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act is sponsored by Congressman Steve Stivers from Ohio. Representative Stivers is an Army veteran. He has spent much of his congressional career advocating for his brothers and sisters in arms and has been a champion of this bill for many years. I am grateful for his leadership and commitment. The PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act will further the lifesaving bond that exists between man's best friend and veterans in need, and it will continue our efforts to promote creative ways to support veterans who are struggling. I am proud to be one of the 313 cosponsors of the PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act, and I am proud to vote in support of it today. I hope that all of my colleagues will join me. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Stivers). He is an Army officer himself, and is the chief sponsor of this bill who has also served in this body and does a great job of that. He will be dearly missed.

Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Before I close, I thank Chairman Takano for working with Representative Stivers and myself to find common ground. I would be remiss if I did not also thank Majority Leader Hoyer for his assistance, scheduling, and consideration of this legislation before Representative Stivers leaves the House of Representatives. Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Rutherford).

Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Puerto Rico (Miss Gonzalez-Colon).

Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Rose).

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), my good friend.

Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 958, the Protecting Moms Who Served Act. Just 3 days ago, we celebrated Mother's Day, so it is particularly fitting to be here to discuss a bill to improve the care that is provided to veteran mothers. Women are volunteering to serve in uniform at a rapid rate, and when they become veterans, they seek VA healthcare at a rapid rate as well. I am committed to making sure the VA is equipped to provide them with the high-quality care that they have earned. The Protecting Moms Who Served Act will strengthen VA's maternity care coordination program. It will expand training on the physical and mental health needs of pregnant and postpartum veterans. It will also require a GAO assessment of maternal health outcomes among women veterans. I am grateful to the bill's sponsor and my fellow Illinoisan, Congresswoman Underwood, for introducing this bipartisan bill. I am pleased to support it this afternoon. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Cawthorn).

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

Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I want to thank all the Members who were involved in moving forward with this legislation, especially Chairman Takano, and I encourage all of my colleagues to support this bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2523, as amended, the Training in High-Demand Roles to Improve Veteran Employment Act, or THRIVE Act. This legislation would make needed improvements to the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. It would also make several technical corrections to the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Improvement Act of 2020. COVID-19 has had a profound impact on our economy. It has closed small businesses across the country and left millions of Americans unemployed. That includes an estimated half a million veterans. Before the pandemic, the veterans unemployment rate was at a near record low. Today, it is almost double that. We must help our veterans get back to work. I introduced the Veterans Economic Recovery Act earlier this year to do just that. That bill created the Veterans Rapid Retraining Assistance Program, or V-RAP. V- RAP allows veterans who are unemployed because of COVID-19 to receive rapid retraining to compete for high-demand jobs. The bulk of the Veterans Economic Recovery Act was enacted as part of the American Rescue Plan. Unfortunately, because Speaker Pelosi used the reconciliation process to pass the ARP, there were several provisions of V-RAP that were not included. That is why I was pleased to work with Chairman Levin on the bill before us today. It would finish the job and ensure that V-RAP is set up for success. Specifically, the THRIVE Act would allow the VA to add jobs to the in-demand occupations list so the training leads to meaningful employment; require the VA to work with the Department of Labor and nonprofit organizations to ensure that V-RAP participants are provided employment services once their training is over; require the GAO to report on the overall effectiveness of V-RAP; and make changes to how the VA pays schools for training that participants receive so that it can be used by the veterans very quickly. While I am glad the changes are being made, it is unfortunate they were not initially addressed in the ARP. The THRIVE Act also includes the text of the bill by Representative Torres of California. Her bill would add information to the GI Bill comparison tool to let the veterans know if schools have a religious affiliation or have historically served a particular minority population. This will help veterans be better informed when they decide to use their GI Bill benefits. I thank Representative Torres for her work, and I am glad that we were able to include her legislation in this bill. I am grateful to Chairman Takano and Congressman Levin for working with me on the THRIVE Act. I am confident that it will help veterans get back on their feet. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support it, and I reserve the balance of my time.