Phil Roe

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to add extraneous material on S. 3076.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 3076) to amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish caskets and urns for burial in cemeteries of States and tribal organizations of veterans without next of kin or sufficient resources to provide for caskets or urns, and for other purposes.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, once again, I encourage all Members to support S. 3076. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hill).

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Wenstrup), an active member of the committee.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1209, the Improving Access to Maternity Care Act, sponsored by my good friend from Texas, and fellow OB/GYN physician, Mike Burgess. As an obstetrician/gynecologist who spent 31 years practicing medicine, I find it unacceptable that there are pockets across the United States where women do not have access to needed OB/GYN care. There are a huge number of OB/GYNs who are nearing retirement age, and more still who are considering early retirement. This is occurring while the female population is expected to increase 36 percent by 2050. A decrease in available doctors, coupled with an increase in female population, will lead to severe shortages that could threaten many women's ability to receive timely prenatal, labor and delivery care. Every year, 1 million babies are born to mothers who did not receive adequate prenatal care. Without proper care, the babies born to these mothers are three times more likely to be born low birth weight and five times more likely to die than babies whose mothers received care. I am a proud cosponsor of this legislation that would require the Health Resources and Services Administration to designate maternity healthcare professional shortage areas and target maternity care resources where they are most needed, helping to ensure healthier pregnancies and healthier babies. It was my job as an OB/GYN physician to make sure mothers and their children were healthy during and after their pregnancy, and I still feel very strongly about that duty now that I am here in Congress. While this bill will not solve the entire shortage crisis, I think it is a meaningful start. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman. I rise today in support of H.R. 6094, the Regulatory Relief for Small Businesses, Schools, and Nonprofits Act, a much-needed piece of legislation that will delay the Department of Labor's misguided proposed overtime rule. The annual wage in my home State of Tennessee is $41,300. In my district, the median household income is even lower, $39,000. The Department's proposed threshold for overtime is $47,000. That means that well over half the households in my district could be impacted by this ruling. My question to the Department of Labor is: If over half the workers in an area will be affected by a regulation, where will the money come from? The government might be able to print money, but if a local mom-and- pop business back home in my district started doing that, it is a felony, and the Secret Service won't be stopping by just to say hello. The answer is fairly obvious to anyone who has run a business or had to meet a payroll. To comply with the regulation, fewer full-time employees will be hired, and workers will be strictly limited in their hours. While the regulation may give a few employees a pay raise, for many other employees it will result in fewer opportunities and unemployment. We all want to see wages go up and the economy recover like it has in the past, but that happens by decreasing the number of oppressive regulations to stimulate job creation and business growth, not by adding yet another layer of regulation that could put small companies and nonprofits across my district out of business or cause them to cut back workers' hours and change salaried employees to hourly. Additionally, if this rule is finalized, the colleges in my district will be affected to the tune of between $1 million and $9 million annually, which will only end up raising the price of education, which is already too high. I want to say in closing that I am an Eagle Scout and very proud to be one. As you may know, the motto of the Scouts is: Be Prepared. Unfortunately, for groups like the Boy Scouts of America that rely on donations, there is no way that they could be prepared to pay all their employees $47,476 or more and continue operating. This proposed rule will do nothing but hurt an already ailing economy and force groups like the Boy Scouts to cut back on their operation that helps kids, rich and poor, come together and learn skills they need to be a productive member of society when they grow up. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I missed votes on September 26th, 2016, while recovering from a surgical procedure. Had I been present, I would have voted YES on Roll no. 557 and YES on Roll no. 558. I applaud my colleagues on passage of H.R. 5392, the No Veterans Crisis Line Call Should Go Unanswered Act. Recent reports show that as many as one-third of calls to VA's veterans' crisis line go unanswered. Mr. Speaker, this is as unacceptable as it is appalling and I intend to push Secretary McDonald for answers and see that this atrocity is quickly rectified.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 5587, the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act. CTE programs are designed to prepare high school students and community college students for the workforce. However, the laws supporting these efforts have not been updated in over a decade. In my district, I often hear from businessowners, employers, administrators, and students who all tell me about the need for quality education and training necessary in today's workplace. Just as the one- size-fits-all approach doesn't work for health care, it will not work for education and workforce training. Each State, school district, and student is different. Local administrators, teachers, and employers-- not the Federal Government--should have these decisionmaking powers. Congress has worked to improve K-12 education and modernize the Nation's workforce development system, and this bill continues to build on that progress. The recession may have ended in 2009, Mr. Speaker, but too many people are still struggling to make ends meet. We can do better. I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 5587.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 5620, the VA Accountability First and Appeals Modernization Act sponsored by my friend and colleague and VA Committee chair, Jeff Miller. This legislation would bring much-needed relief for veterans who are currently waiting months, and sometimes even years, for the disability benefit appeal to be adjudicated. It also grants the Secretary the expanded authority he needs to remove VA employees for poor performance or misconduct. Mr. Chairman, at the beginning of 2015, there were roughly 375,000 pending appeals within the VA system. A mere 18 months later, in June of 2016, that number had exploded to 457,000, a 1.2 percent increase per month. With that in mind, it is clear that the VA appeals process is fundamentally broken. By its own admission, the Board of Veterans' Appeals annual report for fiscal year 2015 stated that the number of appeals certified to the Board from the regional offices will increase from 88,183 in 2016 to 359,000 in 2017, an almost 400 percent increase in 12 months. We must work now, not later, to address this backlog before things get even more out of hand. By implementing the reforms included in this legislation, the VA will be operating under streamlined processes needed to draw down this backlog. This bill also gives veterans some amount of control over how they wish their appeal to be reviewed. Under H.R. 5620, a veteran will be given the option of having their appeal heard by the regional office or having it bumped directly to the Board of Veterans' Appeals for adjudication. By allowing veterans to waive or request a hearing and to limit or introduce new evidence in support of their claim, the veteran will have more control over who reviews their appeal, when it is reviewed, and what evidence is reviewed. Without this legislation, veterans will continue to be treated by VA as a mere case number, not as a veteran of the United States Armed Forces.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Also included in this legislation is an important management tool for the Secretary to better maintain order within its workforce by expanding the authority of the Secretary to discipline or fire senior executive employees granted under the Veterans Choice Act to all VA employees. In an effort to protect employees who speak out from suffering retaliation, this bill provides comprehensive whistleblower protections. These provisions are not meant to discourage or reduce morale for good, honest VA employees. In fact, it should accomplish just the opposite. The opponents of this provision are looking to protect the nurse who showed up drunk for surgery, the employees who purchased illegal drugs for veterans, or the managers who cooked the books on scheduling appointments and resulted in veterans dying. As someone who spent time working in a VA facility, I feel very strongly that the expedited removal of these types of employees improves the corrosive nature within the VA and makes the VA a safer, more respectful place to work. Veterans deserve the best care, and I would challenge anyone to explain to me how these bad employees contribute to delivering quality of care.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Miller, Ms. Brown, and Mr. McNerney for their work on this bill. I encourage all Members to support this legislation. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I, too, want to thank Chairman Miller, Ranking Member Brown, and the members of the committee for all these bills we have passed this afternoon. I encourage all Members to support H.R. 3936, as amended. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Costello), my friend and fellow member of the Veterans Affairs Committee.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise and urge all Members to support H.R. 3936, as amended. H.R. 3936 would authorize a 3-year pilot program for Veteran Engagement Teams. Veteran Engagement Teams allow the Department of Veterans Affairs' employees to meet one on one with veterans to help facilitate the claims process. Veteran Engagement Teams bring veterans and VA claims processors and physicians to help facilitate the claims process. The VA is currently testing a similar program that has proven to be both popular and successful. Allowing veterans to talk with VA employees face-to-face helps to reduce confusion and frustration with the VA's complicated claims process. H.R. 3936, as amended, would require the VA to continue to provide this personal service to many veterans, which would reduce their frustration and confusion with the VA's complicated claims process. I thank Mr. Costello, a member of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, for introducing this bill and for being an advocate for our veterans and their families. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3936, as amended. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to add extraneous material on H.R. 3936, as amended.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3936) to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot program under which the Secretary carries out Veteran Engagement Team events where veterans can complete claims for disability compensation and pension under the laws administered by the Secretary, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5317, a bill to name the Department of Veterans Affairs VA healthcare center in Center Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, as the Abie Abraham VA Clinic. This bill is sponsored by Congressman Mike Kelly from Pennsylvania. I am grateful to him for his work to introduce this legislation to honor a true American hero. Master Sergeant Abraham lived a truly remarkable life. Born in Lyndora, Pennsylvania, as 1 of 11 children, he set a world record as a young teenager for sitting in a tree for 3\1/2\ months--that is rather amazing, I might add--according to his obituary in the Pittsburgh Post- Gazette. In 1932, at the age of just 19, he enlisted in the United States Navy. Two years later, he enlisted in the United States Army. Over the course of a 30-year military career, he served in the Philippines, China, Germany, Panama, and earned a number of well-deserved accolades, including the Purple Heart. During World War II, he survived the Bataan Death March. Over the course of 3\1/2\ years in captivity, Master Sergeant Abraham was beaten, stabbed, shot, and starved. At one point, he contracted malaria. Instead of returning immediately to the United States following his rescue, Master Sergeant Abraham agreed to stay behind at the request of General Douglas MacArthur. For 2\1/2\ years, he worked to recover the remains of his fallen comrades and to ensure they received the respect they were certainly due. Following his service, Abie Abraham devoted his time to caring for his fellow brothers and sisters in arms. He was a lifelong member of several veterans service organizations. He also volunteered at the VA Butler Healthcare Center, where, over the course of 23 years, he would spend almost 40,000 hours tending to veteran patients there. According to his obituary, Master Sergeant Abraham would arrive at the Butler VA facility at 6:45 in the morning, 5 days a week, and spend hours in greeting veteran patients, in helping them where they needed to go, in answering their questions, in bringing them coffee, and in generally making their experiences at the VA easier and better. In his spare time, he authored two books about his experiences in the military; he made public appearances at schools and community centers; and he participated in documentary films that have aired on the Discovery and History channels. I must mention as well that, in addition to his being a hero on the battlefield and at the VA afterwards, an accomplished author, and an inspirational mentor, he was also a lightweight boxing champion and trainer. In 2012, Master Sergeant Abraham died at the age of 98. Given his long and full life--a life that was characterized by service to others both in uniform and out--it is only fitting and appropriate that we honor Master Sergeant Abraham by naming the VA healthcare center in Butler County, Pennsylvania, after him. This legislation satisfies all of the committee's naming criteria and is supported by the Pennsylvania congressional delegation as well as by many VSOs. Once again, I thank my colleague, Congressman Mike Kelly, for introducing this bill, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting it. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. As a fellow veteran, I can't think of anything that I would rather be doing this afternoon than naming this VA center for this incredible American hero. Once again, I encourage all of the Members to support this legislation. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Butler, Pennsylvania (Mr. Kelly).

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5317) to designate the Department of Veterans Affairs health care center in Center Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, as the ``Abie Abraham VA Clinic'', as amended.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Small Business Health Care Relief Act. I want to thank my colleagues, Dr. Boustany and Representative Thompson, for their leadership on this important issue. It is not very often that we have bipartisan legislation that will make a real difference in lowering healthcare costs for working families, and I am pleased to see this bill come to the House floor today. This legislation is a no-brainer. As a physician with more than 30 years of experience, I have personally seen the need for commonsense reforms that will remove barriers to lower healthcare costs and give Americans more control over their own healthcare decisions. Because of the Affordable Care Act, I constantly hear from families who are paying higher premiums and out-of-pocket costs for less coverage and lower quality of care. I hear from small-business owners who desperately want to help their employees acquire health insurance, but face costly regulations that make it harder, if not impossible, for them to do so. Employers of all sizes are implementing innovative solutions to address the rising healthcare costs, and we should do everything we can to support those efforts. Unfortunately, misguided Federal rules too often stand in the way. Regulatory guidance issued by the IRS that penalizes small businesses who offer stand-alone Health Reimbursement Arrangements is a perfect example. HRAs are popular among both workers and employers. Employers offer HRAs to help their employees pay for health care. In return, families are provided greater flexibility and an opportunity to set aside pre-tax income for medical expenses. It simply doesn't make sense for the Federal Government to restrict a positive tool aimed at expanding access to affordable healthcare coverage. It is unconscionable that ObamaCare is penalizing small businesses for trying to do the right thing and alleviate the financial burden on working families. That is why this bill is so important. We need to encourage policies that empower every American with affordable coverage, provide more choice, and promote a healthy workforce. And I hope we can all agree that we should eliminate misguided rules that only make it harder for families and small businesses to obtain healthcare coverage they desperately need. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation which will restore the ability of small businesses to offer HRAs.