Phil Roe

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 1812, as amended, the Vet Center Eligibility Expansion Act. Every day, 20 of those who have worn our Nation's uniform die by suicide. Of those 20 deaths, each one is a tragedy. There are approximately four deaths among Active-Duty servicemembers and nonactivated members of the National Guard and Reserve. The number of suicides among never federally activated members of the National Guard and Reserve, in particular, has increased from 2005 to 2016, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs' most recent suicide data. Many of these men and women have stepped up to serve their communities and our country honorably in dangerous and unpredictable situations. That service can have an understandable impact on mental health, but because they may not meet the legal definition of a veteran due to the nature of their service, these individuals may not be eligible for care from the VA. This bill would address that issue by expanding eligibility for counseling and care at VA Vet Centers to those in the Reserve, National Guard, or Coast Guard who served in response to emergency situations in the wake of a disaster or civil disorder or support of drug interdiction operations who never deployed. VA's 300 Vet Centers are community-based facilities that provide readjustment counseling services to Active-Duty servicemembers, veterans, and their families. Vet Center employees, many of whom are veterans themselves, are on the forefront of the fight to prevent suicide among servicemembers and veterans, to assure their successful transition following the military, and to assist them in recovering from whatever trauma or challenges they may be facing. I am proud to sponsor this bill and grateful to Congressman Mike Levin from California for joining me as an original cosponsor. I am also grateful to the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States and the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America for their support of this legislation. It is my sincere hope that this bill will allow all of those who served in the National Guard, the Coast Guard, or the Reserve component to get the help they need and lower the number of suicides among this population of heroes. Madam Speaker, before reserving, I do want to note my surprise that the bill received a discretionary score of $55 million over 5 years from the Congressional Budget Office. It appears that CBO estimated that VA would need to create costly new capacity within the Vet Centers to care for those individuals newly eligible in this bill. Madam Speaker, I have been to many Vet Centers, and the brick and mortar is already there. You don't have to do anything. The personnel are there. So there would be, if any, minimal costs. However, I understand from VA that excess capacity exists within the Vet Centers that this bill would help fill, at little additional cost to the Department. I hope that could be taken into account for this bill, moving forward. Madam Speaker, I encourage all Members to support this bill today, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I encourage all Members to support this. I think it is a great step forward for our Guard and Reservists. I will just pass along a quick story of one of the reasons why I have pushed this so hard. In my Tennessee Guard at home, my previous commander said that in the first 45 days he commanded the Tennessee Guard, he had four suicides. He knew he had to do something, so he instituted a program there to help lower veteran suicides. We have lowered our suicide rate among our Tennessee guardsmen by 70 percent. We would like to make sure that all Guard and Reservists have access to the benefits they need, the therapy they need, and the help they need for their families by allowing them to get this help at the vet center. Madam Speaker, I encourage all Members to support this, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2326, as amended, the Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer William ``Bill'' Mulder (Ret.) Transition Improvement Act of 2019. One of the most important things our government can do to help our Nation's servicemembers is to ensure that their transition from military to civilian life is as seamless as possible. We all know that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and I believe that so many of the problems that veterans encounter later in life could have been mitigated if they had a more supportive and successful transition. I know that the goal of this bill is to help servicemembers have as smooth a transition as possible to civilian life. I will allow Congressman Jodey Arrington from Texas, who is an original cosponsor of the bill, to go into the specifics in a moment. Before I do that, I want to thank him, as the former chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, for taking the time last Congress to sit down with stakeholders and really examine the transition process from the very beginning and look at the need for improvements. While this bill was a culmination of a bipartisan review and work, it is only one step in the process to ensure a successful transition for all servicemembers. I know that we all remain dedicated to making improvements to this process to reach this goal. We were unable to persuade the Senate to act on this bill last Congress, and I want to thank Mr. Arrington, Chairman Takano, and subcommittee Chairman Levin for picking up where we left off in pushing this bill through yet again. I am confident, with their continued support, we can ensure it is on President Trump's desk very soon. Madam Speaker, I want to just say from a point of privilege, when I separated from the military, the U.S. Army in 1974, a long time ago, my transition: Was how quick can I get to the front gate? We have made huge improvements since the end of the Vietnam war. There really was no program for veterans then. It was a mistake then. I appreciate the efforts of my colleague to rectify this mistake. Madam Speaker, I encourage all Members to support H.R. 2326, as amended, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), my good friend. This is my sixth term in Congress, and I have served each one with Gus. I can assure you, there is nobody in this body, of the 435 of us, who is more supportive of our Nation's veterans than Gus Bilirakis of Florida 12.

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Arrington), my good friend who was a previous chairman of the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee on the Veterans' Affairs Committee, and have him tell you about this bill because this was his friend.

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas.

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers. I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I think it is appropriate, as we approach this Memorial Day, as many families go on picnics, to remember what it means. We not only memorialize those whom we lost in combat, but I think we also memorialize those who are lost because of the invisible wounds of combat. I can't think of a more fitting time to pass this bill for Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer Bill Mulder. It is a small consolation for his family, but I think they know his memory can live on by helping other veterans. I encourage all Members to support this legislation. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2333, the Support for Suicide Prevention Coordinators Act. This bill would require a Government Accountability Office report on the responsibilities, management, workload, training, and vacancy rates of Department of Veterans Affairs suicide prevention coordinators. The VA employs at least one suicide prevention coordinator in every VA medical center to coordinate, care for, and conduct outreach to servicemembers and veterans at risk of suicide. These men and women are on the front lines of the fight against the tragic loss of 20 of our Nation's servicemembers and veterans every day to self-harm. We must ensure that they are appropriately staffed, supported, and overseen as they go about their difficult and incredibly important work. Passage of the Support for Suicide Prevention Coordinators Act today will help us do just that. This is a bipartisan bill sponsored by several members of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, including Congressman Jim Banks from Indiana, ranking member of the Subcommittee on Technology Modernization; Congressman Mike Bost of Illinois, the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs; Congressman Steube from Florida, a member of both the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee, and Health Subcommittee. I am grateful to each of them, as well as the bill's lead sponsor, Congressman Andy Brindisi from New York, for their efforts. Madam Speaker, I encourage all Members to join me in supporting H.R. 2333, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Bost), my good friend, the previous chairman and now ranking member on the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee, and a Marine veteran. I have seen this Marine drink from the Devil Dog fountain in Belleau Wood.

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, I encourage all Members to support this piece of legislation. I, too, have visited Canandaigua, which is in New York, which is a call center, and I think this committee is doing everything it can in a bipartisan way to help lower this unbelievable rate of 20 suicides per day. Madam Speaker, I encourage all Members to support this piece of legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2340, as amended, the FIGHT Veteran Suicides Act. This bill would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to report to the local congressional delegation, as well as to the committee, whenever a veteran attempts or dies by suicide in or on the grounds of a VA facility. We have all heard the heartbreaking stories of veterans who have died by suicide on VA campuses, including five veteran suicide deaths in the last several weeks alone. There is no indication that these events represent an increase in the rate of suicide among servicemembers and veterans, but they are particularly poignant because they occur so close to help and appear to be an indictment on the healthcare system that was created to support them. To be clear, suicide is a national public health crisis that is not unique to VA, the military, or veterans. However, we must pay careful attention to the incidents of suicide among those who have served and sacrificed on our behalf and do everything we can to point those in crisis to the resources they need to recover from the traumas and live long, full, healthy lives. I am grateful to Congressman Max Rose from New York for sponsoring this bill, which will allow us to learn all we can about the suicides that occur on VA campuses so that we can take action that may save other lives in the future. I encourage all Members to support this much-needed piece of legislation. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1200, the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2019. In keeping with the traditions of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, this bill was introduced by Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee Chair Elaine Luria and Ranking Member Mike Bost. I appreciate their commitment to ensuring that veterans and their families can afford living expenses when prices go up. H.R. 1200 authorizes a cost-of-living increase for veterans and their families next year if Social Security recipients receive an increase. To put this in perspective, in 1975, a veteran who was rated totally disabled would receive at least $655 in monthly disability compensation. Because of the COLAs that Congress has passed for decades, totally disabled veterans now receive $2,907 in tax-free monthly disability compensation, an increase of 443 percent over the years. As you can see, H.R. 1200 is necessary to prevent inflation from eroding the value of veteran and survivor benefits. Madam Speaker, I encourage all Members to support H.R. 1200, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Bost), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs and a marine veteran.

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close. Madam Speaker, I encourage everyone to support this commonsense bill. I think my last duty assignment was probably in Mrs. Luria's district, Fort Eustis, Virginia. That is where my last 9 months in the Army was. I was raised in a military town: Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and Clarksville, Tennessee. I grew up around the military, and I just cannot thank them enough. This is the very least we can do for our disabled veterans, to give them a COLA which will, hopefully, make their lives a little bit better and thank them for their service. Madam Speaker, I encourage all Members to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2372, as amended, the Veterans' Care Quality Transparency Act. This bill is sponsored by Congresswoman Lauren Underwood of Illinois, and I thank her for her efforts to bring it to the House floor today. This bill would require the Government Accountability Office to conduct an assessment of the effectiveness of all memoranda of understanding and memoranda of agreement entered into by the Department of Veterans Affairs and other governmental or private-sector entities regarding suicide prevention activities and outreach, as well as the coordination of mental health services, during the 5-year period preceding the date of enactment. For the last two decades, approximately 20 of our Nation's servicemembers and veterans have died by suicide on a daily basis. Suicide is, unquestionably, a tragedy that impacts all Americans and is a crisis that VA cannot combat alone. In light of that, VA has become increasingly mindful of the need to collaborate with partners in both the public and private sectors to connect with servicemembers, veterans, and their families wherever they reside and with whatever they may be struggling. This bill would ensure that Congress has insight into those collaborations and whether or not they are working as intended to reduce incidents of suicide among those who have served our country. Madam Speaker, I encourage all Members to support this bill today, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close. Madam Speaker, I want to thank Congresswoman Underwood for submitting this legislation today. I think it is much needed. I have thought it all along. Let's find out what works and what doesn't work. I appreciate her doing this, and I feel like it will be supported by the entire body. I encourage all Members of the body to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2045, as amended, the Veterans' Education Transition and Opportunity Prioritization Plan Act, or the VET OPP Act. Madam Speaker, investing in education and employment opportunities for our Nation's veterans is one of the Department of Veterans Affairs' most important but least recognized missions. Today, programs concerning education and employment are embedded within the Veterans Benefit Administration which, understandably, devotes most of its time, attention, and resources to disability compensation- related issues and backlogs that rise and fall with time. The focus on compensation programs creates programs when other VBA programs need attention. An example of this was the implementation last fall of the Forever GI Bill which was, to say the least, rocky, the start was. While I know that the VA has many dedicated employees who tried their best to prevent the delays that occurred, I do believe that if the implementation of this law had received more attention from senior leaders at VA, things could have been better. The VET OPP Act is a means to mitigate these problems in the future. The bill would create a new, fourth administration at VA which would be called the Veterans Economic Opportunity and Transition Administration and led by a new Under Secretary for Veterans Economic Opportunity and Transition. The new Under Secretary would oversee education benefits like the GI Bill, the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Program, VA's home loan program, the Transition Assistance Program, or TAP program, and the small business programs. Creating a new administration within VA to house education and employment programs will ensure that those programs receive the focused leadership time and attention that they deserve. I appreciate my friend and colleague, Congressman Wenstrup from Ohio, for championing this legislation. It has my full support. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), my good friend, and a Member I have served with on the Veterans' Affairs Committee the entire time I have been in Congress. As I have said previously, there is no one in this body, in this House that I have seen that cares for veterans more than Congressman Bilirakis does, and he is the ranking member on the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee.

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield the gentleman from Florida an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Wenstrup), my good friend, a Congressman, doctor, colonel, Iraq war veteran, and in the previous Congress, chair of the Health Subcommittee on the Veterans Affairs' Committee, and currently a member of the House Committee on Armed Services and the House Select Committee on Intelligence.

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close. Madam Speaker, I strongly encourage my colleagues to support this bill. When I first got here to Congress in 2009, the Veterans Benefit Administration had 1 million backlogged disability claims. It is hard to focus on something else when you have that much on your plate. I think we have recognized that over the last several years, and I commend Dr. Wenstrup and others for bringing this up. Madam Speaker, I strongly encourage all Members to support this, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 1947, as amended. This bill would address a limitation in current law that prevents funding from being transferred to the Department of Veterans Affairs nonprofit research and education corporations, or NPCs, for longer than 1 fiscal year. NPCs were established by Congress in the late 1980s to provide a flexible funding mechanism to support research. Collectively, they have contributed more than $2 billion to VA research projects over the last decade. However, last year, VA's Office of the General Counsel uncovered a legal limitation that prevents funding from being transferred to the NPCs for longer than 1 fiscal year. This upturned years of practice by the NPCs and threatened a number of ongoing research projects across the country that could benefit veterans and all Americans. Madam Speaker, I have been involved in a number of research projects over the years, and they just don't go for 365 days. Many of them go for years and years. This bill would correct that limitation and preserve the ability of the NPCs to support important multiyear research projects. Additionally, H.R. 1947, as amended, includes a provision from Representative LaMalfa's bill, H.R. 1126, the Honoring Veterans' Families Act. Currently, VA is authorized to add a memorial inscription for a veteran's deceased spouse or eligible dependent child to a VA-furnished marker, but only if they are buried in a national cemetery or a State or Tribal veterans cemetery. Unfortunately, VA cannot provide this benefit to veterans and their families if they are buried elsewhere, such as a private or local cemetery. H.R. 1947, as amended, would address this problem by allowing VA to memorialize a veteran's deceased spouse or certain children on the veteran's marker, regardless of where they choose to be laid to rest. The cost of this bill will be paid for by closing a loophole in GI Bill rules related to flight schools by capping the total tuition and fees that can be used at a public school for flight training at the current private school cap of $23,671 per year. The bill would authorize a 2-year grandfather clause so that no current students are impacted by this change. It also includes provisions that would make it easier for students to attend flight training by removing the prohibition against GI Bill funds paying for a private pilot's license and giving students the option to accelerate their GI Bill benefits to pay for the increased cost associated with flight training. These changes to flight training for the GI Bill have had wide bipartisan and veteran service organization support in the past, and I am pleased that they are included in this bill. I encourage all Members to support H.R. 1947, as amended. I thank the chairman for his kind comments and support of this bill. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa), my good friend and an author of one part of this bill.

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gosar), my good friend and Western Caucus chair.