Ike Skelton

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, this amendment is a simple one that makes technical changes in section 101 to clarify the qualification of military officers who may supervise medical care case managers and also in section 107 to require that the tracking system for reports to medical authorities regarding wounded warriors' symptoms of post- traumatic stress disorder or suicidal tendencies be developed not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this legislation.

Mr. SKELTON. I yield to the gentleman.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. SKELTON. We discussed this issue and this proposed amendment in the committee. At that time, we said we would work with you, and I compliment you on it. I support it. I think it is an excellent amendment and I wish to move forward and vote for it.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I thank my friend from Rhode Island, Mr. Kennedy, for this amendment and for the fact that it is a clarifying amendment that makes all of us, as well as those within the medical community, understand that mental health is included in the term ``medical care.'' I thank you for that, and I fully support it.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, will the gentlewoman yield?

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I compliment the gentlelady on this excellent amendment, and certainly support it.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I have examined this amendment. I think it is an excellent one, and I compliment you. It is certainly acceptable on our side.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. 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. 1538.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I accept and I thank the gentleman from Florida for the amendment.

Mr. SKELTON. Let me support this amendment of my friend and colleague, Mr. Welch. The gentleman from Vermont has done a service in bringing this thoughtful amendment forward. In doing so, it specifies the training and reporting requirements for medical care case managers and servicemember advocates. More importantly, it ensures they have the resources they need to get the job done. I will repeat that. That they have the resources to get the job done. I appreciate his contribution and thank him for his efforts in this regard to make this good bill even better.

Mr. SKELTON. Would the gentleman yield?

Mr. SKELTON. I must say, it is a thrill to be able to work with my friend, Duncan Hunter, in bringing a piece of legislation like this forward in a bipartisan manner, and thank him for his cooperation as well as all on both sides of the aisle. Again, I will mention our wonderful staff that works so well in a bipartisan manner. So Mr. Hunter, thank you very much for your solid efforts in this regard.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that during further consideration of H.R. 1538 in the Committee of the Whole pursuant to House Resolution 274, any of the amendments printed in House Report 110-78 may be considered at any time.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I thank my friend from Texas for giving me this opportunity to speak so I can applaud my friend, John Spratt, the gentleman from South Carolina, for bringing to this House floor a fiscally responsible budget, particularly as it relates to defense. It is an excellent budget. The fiscal year 2008 budget resolution provides the same level of funding for national defense as was requested by the President. It provides for $507 billion for national defense and another $145 billion for overseas deployments, numbers consistent with the CBO's reestimates of the President's budget. The budget resolution includes proposals that would reorient the national defense priorities, including more funding for CTR and nonproliferation programs, which I think are very important, and greater assistance for wounded veterans, including fixing the problems at Walter Reed. This is serious. Earlier today we passed legislation that was the first step in fixing the challenges at Walter Reed Hospital, and this budget resolution gives us greater assistance in doing just that, and we will be able to do that in the Armed Services Committee. The budget resolution also calls for a significant increase in funding for veterans' health, and I fully support this proposal which falls within the jurisdiction of the Veterans' Affairs Committee. I urge my colleagues to support this bill. Budget resolutions are difficult at best. But if you look at it through the eyes of the Committee on Armed Services and if you look at it through the eyes of national security, this is an excellent approach. It gives us the opportunity to work our will within the committee, to make things even better, particularly for the young men and women in uniform. They are our national treasures, and this budget resolution gives us the opportunity to do something positive about that. Again, I thank my friend from Texas.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, first let me compliment my friend from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey), the chairman of the Appropriations Committee; and the subcommittee chairman, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murtha), for the excellent work that they have done. And we thank our minority for working with us on this bill. The purpose of the Members of Congress front and center is to provide for the common defense of our country. I must tell you how concerned and worried I am about the readiness and state of readiness of the United States Army based upon testimony and briefings that we have had within the Armed Services Committee. Readiness is based upon equipment and based upon people able to do their job as defenders in uniform. This is a serious situation in which we find ourselves. This bill is a major step toward helping our readiness. It is our job not just to appropriate money for today's concerns, whether it be in the Middle East or elsewhere. It is our job to make sure that those in uniform can protect the interests of America in the days and years ahead. In the last 30 years, we have had 12 military conflicts in which our military associates have been involved. What does the future hold? We don't know. But as sure as God made little green apples, there will be threats that we need to deter or challenges that we need to fight in the days and years ahead. We must have a ready force in all services and my deep concern for the United States Army causes that to come into question in our capability. In this we provide money for the real war in Afghanistan, the Strategic Reserve Fund, which supports training, not just operations but repair of equipment, purchase of equipment, and expenses to improve the readiness of the nondeployed military forces. I am deeply concerned about the readiness of our forces in the days and years ahead. This bill will help immeasurably in that first step toward restoring readiness for our United States Army. And this is no small thing. A vote against this is a vote against those uncertainties of the future as well as where we are today involved in conflict. Military health care is very important, and we look at that in this bill solidly. Veterans' health care, military housing allowances. We do so many good things in this bill for our military. Let us not let the readiness of our United States Army suffer as a result of not passing this all-important legislation.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 1362, the Accountability in Contracting Act. This bill amends title 10 and 41, United States Code, and establishes other new statutory requirements to improve the quality of government contracts, increase government contract oversight, and promote integrity in contracting. The House Armed Services Committee approved this legislation on a bipartisan vote of 53-0. Our committee has worked for decades to improve the contracting process within the Department of Defense. Over this time, the committee has passed numerous bills, including both major additions to contract law and focused revisions. We utilized the experience gained in these legislative efforts to formulate our recommendations in this bill. I am confident that this is a good product that will improve contracting and save the taxpayer money. Right now, American military forces are deployed throughout the world in support of the war on terrorism as well as other military operations, including Iraq. These contingency operations have generated a number of very large contracts, the Department of Defense has expended billions of dollars on support and reconstruction contracts that have been awarded, administered and overseen in the most challenging of conditions. H.R. 1362 would help address these challenges by empowering the heads of the military departments and the defense agencies to ensure the proper use of a variety of contract types, both competitive and noncompetitive, and by empowering Congress to oversee such contracts. It also ensures continued faith in the integrity of the procurement system. I thank my friend and colleague, Chairman Waxman, for introducing this legislation and bringing it to the floor today. And I especially want to thank my friend and partner on the Armed Services Committee, Mr. Hunter, who is the ranking member and the former chairman, for working so closely with us on this legislation. I thank him for that. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I will be glad to yield 1 minute to the gentleman.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I first wish to thank the gentleman from California and all the members of the Armed Services Committee that worked on this legislation that recommended its passage by a 53-0 vote, and I was very pleased and proud of that. Of course, it was changed to about 1 percent as opposed to 99 percent that we approved in our committee. The change merely clarifies the application of post-employment restrictions to senior level officials who are involved with procurement. It is a minor change. The language was shared with the minority well before the bill went to the Rules Committee for its rule on bringing it to the floor today. So I think that the change made post-Rules Committee effectually was minimal, or as they say in the law, de minimus; and I am sorry that there is a question that has arisen to that effect. This bill does not affect the rapid acquisition authority that the Armed Services Committee did approve. It allows, as the gentleman from California mentioned, 1 year for emergency contracts, and it can go longer if the agency head so determines that it is needed. I wish that this bill, as it is before us, could receive a unanimous vote on the floor because of what it does. It is clear. It helps the procurement process. It brings it home to every American that we are on top of the matter and that oversight is happening, and it is a clarification of a law that is actually overdue and well deserved. I applaud all those who worked on it. I am going to thank the gentleman from California for his work on the Committee on Armed Services and all of those, Democrats, Republicans, who did approve it and thank the chairman, Mr. Waxman, for his hard efforts in bringing this to the floor. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman).

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the remaining time. I thank the gentleman from California; and, again, I certainly hope we could get a strong bipartisan vote for this bill. It does good things. It clarifies the law and makes sure that the American taxpayer is more protected regarding contracts. It is fair. It is equitable. It is easy to understand. All you have to do is read the King's English and follow the law, and it will help clarify so much of the problems that have arisen in recent years regarding contracting.