Jeff Miller

Mr. MILLER of Florida

Mr. MILLER of Florida. I would ask my good friend, the ranking member, if he would respond to a question.

Mr. MILLER of Florida. Madam Speaker, I would ask if the gentleman from California supports Senator Murray's piece of legislation--which I believe there is almost an identical piece filed in the House by Mr. Bishop--does he support, yes or no, that piece of legislation?

Mr. MILLER of Florida. I yield to the gentleman from California.

Mr. MILLER of Florida. Reclaiming my time, Madam Speaker, I find it quite interesting that the gentleman from California has just called the Senator, who is the chair of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, a hypocrite, which I do not believe is appropriate. I believe that there are nuances and differences which we will be able to work out, hopefully, in conference when we bring these bills together. I hope that the minority will, in fact, engage in the conference portion of this piece of legislation because we have tried to engage them over and over outside of the committee structure to be able to give them an opportunity to give us another offset, another way to fund this particular piece of legislation, and they have not brought anything to us. So, to me, it's a problem we are trying to solve. We have different ways in which we are trying to accomplish goals. And I want to put veterans back to work, helping to retrain those, in particular those that are unemployed in this very, very difficult economic time. The overall veterans' unemployment numbers are around 8.1 percent, and we know that the numbers with the OEF/OIF returning veterans are significantly higher. I don't believe I have any more speakers on this particular piece of legislation, Madam Speaker, and I would reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. MILLER of Florida. I do support goals.

Mr. MILLER of Florida. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. MILLER of Florida. If there are a hundred ways to perfect the piece of legislation, why have you and the minority party not offered one, not one time in our committee? And you and I have tried very diligently during the preceding months in this Congress to try to be able to keep as nonpartisan as we possibly can, but not one time have you offered anything other than rhetoric to attempt to perfect this bill. Why haven't you offered any amendments?

Mr. MILLER of Florida. I do support goals.

Mr. MILLER of Florida. Madam Speaker, I thank my good friend from California for the lively debate. I would remind my colleagues that this piece of legislation did pass out of our committee with bipartisan support, 17-5. I would like to enter into the Record the following letters of support from various organizations: Military Officers Association of America, Alexandria, VA, July 14, 2011. Hon. Jeff Miller, Chairman, Committee on Veterans Affairs, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Miller: On behalf of the 370,000 members of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), I am writing to thank you for your leadership in introducing H.R. 2433, The Veterans Opportunity to Work Act. H.R. 2433 would re-open Vietnam Era GI Bill educational benefits to certain veterans who have been chronically unemployed, mandate attendance in the Transition Assistance Program (TAP), require the Defense and Departments of Labor to track outcome measures for TAP participants, re-authorize a pilot program to link military acquired skills to civilian jobs through licensing and certification, and for other purposes. MOAA recommends including a provision in the bill to require outreach by the VA to unemployed veterans who may be eligible for the GI Bill benefits authorized in Title I of the legislation. We would also recommend adoption of Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VRE) program adjustments and other employment-related features in the Hiring Heroes Act of 2011, H.R. 1941. MOAA pledges its full support for early enactment of H.R. 1941 and respectfully requests including this letter in the record of any hearing to consider or mark-up this important legislation. Sincerely, Norb Ryan.

Mr. MILLER of Florida. I also ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 2433, as amended.

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

Mr. MILLER of Florida

Mr. MILLER of Florida. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2074) to amend title 38, United States Code, to require a comprehensive policy on reporting and tracking sexual assault incidents and other safety incidents that occur at medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs, as amended.

Mr. MILLER of Florida. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support of H.R. 2074, as amended, the Veterans Sexual Assault Prevention and Health Care Enhancement Act. The bill before us is, in fact, a bipartisan product of many months worth of oversight on behalf of our Health Subcommittee. It's derived from numerous proposals championed by Members from both sides of the aisle to improve the care and the services provided to our veterans by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Of special note is a provision introduced by our Health Subcommittee chairwoman, Ms. Ann Marie Buerkle, and myself. This provision would address the findings of a Government Accountability Office report detailing the high prevalence of sexual assault incidents at VA medical facilities and the very serious failures in accountability on the part of VA leadership. As I've said before, just one assault, just one assault of this nature, one sexual predator or one veteran's rights being violated within the VA is one too many. I am grateful to my good friend, the ranking member, Mr. Filner, and the Health Subcommittee Chairwoman, Ann Marie Buerkle and Ranking Member Mike Michaud for the leadership that they have shown in bringing this legislation forward to strengthen the VA health care system for our veteran heroes. I now yield such time as she may consume to my good friend and colleague from New York, Chairwoman Buerkle, to further discuss the provisions of H.R. 2074, as amended.

Mr. MILLER of Florida. Madam Speaker, I associate myself with the comments of my colleague. It is egregious that there have been so many sexual assaults that have, in fact, gone unreported by the VA. I would encourage my good friend and his colleagues to work with us and provide amendments in any way that they see important to help bills like this strengthen the reporting requirements and to help us in an oversight and investigative response of this Congress, which is trying to do more on the oversight and investigative side. The last Congress did very little, and even those under Republican administrations did very little. We're trying to reengage the oversight and investigation side, and I think that it is very important that we work together; and I do commend my good friend for his outrage on this particular report that came out, and I will work with him in any way possible. With that, I yield such time as he may consume to my good friend from the Staten Island area of New York, the 13th Congressional District, Congressman Grimm.

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

Mr. MILLER of Florida. I have no further requests for time.

Mr. MILLER of Florida. Madam Speaker, I commit to working with the ranking member on the further reporting of these incidents. I would add that this particular piece of legislation does, in fact, incorporate every single recommendation that the GAO gave to this committee in their report. General Leave

Mr. MILLER of Florida. I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. MILLER of Florida

Mr. MILLER of Florida. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 2302, as amended.

Mr. MILLER of Florida. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2302) to amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to notify Congress of conferences sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs, as amended.

Mr. MILLER of Florida. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support of H.R. 2302, as amended. It amends title 38, United States Code, that directs the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs to notify Congress of certain conferences sponsored by the VA. It's a good government bill. It provides additional transparency. It shifts VA and Department of Defense GI Bill reporting requirements from chapter 30 to chapter 33. This legislation is sponsored by the chairman of our Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Stutzman). My thanks go out to him as well as the ranking member, Mr. Filner, and also the ranking member of the subcommittee, Mr. Braley of Iowa, for their efforts. With that, I yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Stutzman), chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity.

Mr. MILLER of Florida

Mr. MILLER of Florida. With that, I urge all of my colleagues to support this outstanding piece of legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MILLER of Florida. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I support strongly H.R. 2349, as amended, the Veterans' Benefits Training Improvement Act of 2011. It was created by the chairman of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Runyan). It also was worked on in collaboration with the ranking member of that subcommittee, the gentleman from California (Mr. McNerney). To describe H.R. 2349, as amended, I would like to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Runyan).

Mr. MILLER of Florida. I have no more speakers, if the gentleman is ready to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. MILLER of Florida. Madam Speaker, what we owe the United States' people is the truth. The truth is that the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee approved under Democrat leadership this exact language under the past two Congresses. In fact, what my good friend, the ranking member, wants to do is to give a bureaucrat within VA the opportunity to adjudicate somebody mentally incompetent. Now they do have the ability to say they are not able to control their finances. What this act in the legislation does is it says they cannot do it without the order or finding of a judge, a magistrate, or other judicial authority of competent jurisdiction that such a person is in danger to himself or to others. I do not believe that a bureaucrat within the Department of Veterans Affairs has that ability nor that authority, and I think that judges need to do it. So we do agree on that particular instance. General Leave