Mark Takano

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to support H.R. 2429, the VA Police Improvement and Accountability Act, introduced by former Committee on Veterans' Affairs member Representative Rice from New York. This bipartisan legislation cosponsored by Representative Radewagen would improve the transparency and accountability of the VA police. Specifically, the legislation would require the VA police to publish online information about arrests and use of force, as well as establish a consistent way for the public to obtain more detailed information about those incidents. Importantly, this bill would also require VA to have its police use body-worn cameras, publish guidance on the use of such cameras, improve tracking and analysis of arrests and other police actions, and develop a staffing plan that adequately supports every VA facility's needs. Together, these improvements will build accountability and trust between the VA police and anyone who walks through VA facility doors across the country. H.R. 2429 was reported favorably by the committee, and I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting the VA Police Improvement and Accountability Act. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Miss Rice), my good friend, a former member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, and the lead Democratic cosponsor.

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2429) to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the staffing, transparency, and accountability of the law enforcement operations of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone), my good friend, the author of this critical piece of legislation, and also the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1257) to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a study on the effect of financial and credit counseling for homeless veterans and veterans experiencing housing instability, as amended.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York for his work. We are indeed friends. We both were teachers, Mr. Bowman a principal. We are educators at heart. To recover from one of the worst economic crises we have faced as a Nation, we must invest in families, our care economy, and our Nation's childcare. For most American families, quality childcare and preschool are unaffordable. In Riverside County, where my district, the 41st District of California, is located, it is unavailable. My district is a childcare desert. My constituents do not have childcare locations available, even if eligible, to help them care for their children while they attend school or work. It doesn't have to be this way, and it shouldn't be this way. In fact, we should use our path toward recovery as an opportunity to address the disparities communities like mine have been facing when it comes to affordable childcare options. The American Families Plan will secure universal access to preschool and will expand the supply of quality childcare options for all families. Studies have proven that quality preschool will positively impact children's cognitive, behavioral, and social-emotional development that is critical for their long-term success and mental health. If we are serious about investing in our children's education, we must provide universal preschool and affordable childcare for every child in need. Investing in preschool and affordable childcare will not only help our children, but will also greatly benefit our workforce. As more preschools and childcare centers are available, more families can get back to work without worrying about their child's well-being. This is our opportunity to help struggling families and take bold action to create a just and equitable post-COVID economy. I urge my colleagues to invest in our care economy by supporting the American Families Plan Act. We just can't go back to the way things were before. We have to be bold and act with urgency to give families and parents access to the resources they need to help our country bounce back stronger than ever before. Let me just close with a short anecdote, a short story. This happened on the weekend, the Friday before the Memorial Day weekend. I, as chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, joined Secretary McDonough in a ceremony to honor our Nation's veterans at the Quantico cemetery. I met the commander of the base, who has responsibility not just for the Marine base that is there but also the FBI training center. There are a number of different facilities that are sort of associated with the base. We just got in a chat, and I wasn't fishing for any sort of answers from him or any information. But I said: What has been your biggest challenge, in terms of reopening your base? He said: Congressman, quite surprisingly to me, the biggest challenge has been childcare. That is what has held us back, and that has been my biggest challenge as a base commander. I said: Do you think other base commanders across the country have had the same challenge? He said: Yes. This challenge of providing quality childcare and preschool is something that is really holding our road to recovery back, and it is slowing it down. The American Families Plan is a sound and substantive answer to meeting this challenge.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on H.R. 239.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2545) to amend title 38, United States Code, to clarify the role of doctors of podiatric medicine in the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I would like to close by saying I urge all of my colleagues to support the VA FOIA Reform Act of 2021. We need to make sure that our veterans and their families get information that they have requested from the VA in a timely manner. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gallego), my good friend, author of H.R. 2726, and a member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to support H.R. 2726, the VA FOIA Reform Act of 2021, introduced by Representative Gallego, a member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. This bipartisan legislation is cosponsored by Representative Murphy from North Carolina and would modernize the Department of Veterans Affairs' Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, process to help VA meet statutory requirements and improve efficiency. The FOIA process is essential for ensuring a transparent and accountable VA by allowing the public insight into the workings of a Department that serves millions of veterans each year. However, an enduring backlog of open requests and out-of-date technology have made it difficult for the Department to provide timely access to requested information. Madam Speaker, this bill would require VA to establish a plan in order to meet all statutory FOIA requirements, identify its technology needs, and carry out this plan within 5 years. Veterans and their families, employees, and the public who have made FOIA requests at VA have been kept waiting for too long. I hope this bill puts VA on a path to providing FOIA information in a timely manner. Madam Speaker, H.R. 2726 was reported favorably by the committee, and I ask my colleagues to support the bill. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support Representative Bost's bipartisan legislation, the ``VA Transparency and Trust Act,'' or H.R. 2911, and for which Representative Pappas, Representative Mann, and I are original co-sponsors. This bill provides additional oversight for the funds Congress made available to VA through the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the CARES Act in 2020, as well as the American Rescue Plan which we passed earlier this year. The purpose of H.R. 2911 is to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress a detailed plan for obligating and expending coronavirus pandemic funding made available to the Department of Veterans Affairs by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security, or CARES Act, or the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. H.R. 2911 also requires the VA Office of Inspector General to report to Congress semi-annually on VA's actual expenditures and obligations, comparing it to their detailed plan, and on other subjects. Finally, H.R. 2911 requires the Comptroller General of the United States to report to Congress twice--in 2022 and 2024-- on VA's process for developing its funding request, among other subjects. Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020, Congress has provided over $36 billion dollars in supplemental funding--that is, funds that are in addition to VA's annual budget--to fund various pandemic-related operations and programs at VA. Specifically, Congress provided to VA: $60 million in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act in March 2020 to support medical services and medical community care; $19.5695 billion in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act in March 2020 to support medical services, community care, medical facilities, informational technology systems, general administration, and other purposes; and $16.694 billion in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 in January 2021 to support medical care and health needs, supply chain modernization, the VA Office of Inspector General, a COVID-19 veteran rapid retraining assistance program, and other purposes. With these significant investments in VA operations and programs, legislation is needed to ensure that VA efficiently and effectively obligates and spends these funds to achieve Department goals. The legislation provides ongoing oversight opportunities for relevant Congressional committees until all funds have been expended and provides for the VA Office of Inspector General and the Government Accountability Office to provide intermittent reviews of VA's spending and allocation process, similar to prior reporting. H.R. 2911 adds to the existing oversight on VA's spending. It will enable greater transparency for Congress and the public to ensure that these funds are spent wisely to support critical VA programs and services as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to honor the service of Dr. Debra A. Draper, a Director of Health Care at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), on the occasion of her upcoming retirement. Dr. Draper spent 14 years of her career at GAO, primarily overseeing evaluations of federal health care services for veterans and military servicemembers. Dr. Draper brought with her to GAO more than 25 years of experience in health care administration, health services research, and health care consulting, as well as a Ph.D. in Health Services Organization and Research. As she retires, Dr. Draper will leave a lasting legacy--not only at GAO, but at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and here in Congress. As Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I am especially grateful for the work Dr. Draper and her teams have done for this committee. As a Director at GAO, Dr. Draper has issued at least 80 written products, more than 45 of which were reports or written testimony prepared at the request or mandate of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Dr. Draper and her teams have made hundreds of recommendations to improve the delivery of health care services to our nation's veterans, the majority of which have been implemented. Since 2010, Dr. Draper has testified at 12 hearings convened by the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs or its Subcommittees. She has been a trusted voice and provided meaningful insights on numerous issues within the Committee's jurisdiction. However, Dr. Draper's most significant contributions as a hearing witness have been on the topic of veterans' wait times for appointments at VA medical facilities, an issue that captured nationwide media attention in 2014. Dr. Draper's testimony and subsequent reports on this topic has been invaluable to helping the Committee understand VA's appointment scheduling processes and the lack of transparency in VA's reported wait times. Dr. Draper's body of work will continue to guide the Committee's oversight in this area, even after her retirement. In 2015, GAO added VA health care to its biennial High Risk List, which focuses attention on federal programs and government operations that are most vulnerable to waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement. In designating VA health care as a high-risk area, GAO identified five areas of concern: (1) ambiguous policies and inconsistent processes; (2) inadequate oversight and accountability; (3) information technology challenges; (4) inadequate training for VA staff; and (5) unclear resource needs and allocation priorities. Since 2015, amid significant leadership instability at VA, Dr. Draper has diligently monitored the Department's response to GAO's high-risk designation, engaging in countless meetings with VA officials and providing ongoing feedback on the Department's plans for addressing GAO's five areas of concern. While VA still has a significant amount of work to do to meet GAO's criteria for removal from the High Risk List, Dr. Draper has established a solid foundation for evaluating VA's future progress. Please join me in thanking Dr. Draper for her many years of dedicated GAO service, which will have a lasting impact on veterans, VA, and the Congress. Throughout her time at GAO, she has been a highly respected leader, supervisor, mentor, and colleague, and she will undoubtedly be missed by those who have worked closely with her. My House Committee on Veterans' Affairs colleagues and I, and our staffs, congratulate her and wish her well in her richly deserved retirement.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2911) to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress a plan for obligating and expending Coronavirus pandemic funding made available to the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentlewoman an additional 2 minutes.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 240 as we did unanimously in committee. I suspect that if this bill were brought to a vote before the entire body, it would pass with near-unanimous support. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on H.R. 711, as amended.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I also want to express my gratitude to my colleague, Ranking Member Bost, and the Republicans on the committee for working with the majority. I believe that the issues that we worked out were common sense, and upon further examination, I think taxpayers and most independent, reasonable observers would say this is what Congress should be doing on behalf of our veterans. I can't imagine why there would be any objection to this on the floor of the House. Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 711, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on H.R. 2167, as amended.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak on H.R. 2167, as amended, the GI Bill National Emergency Extended Deadline, or GI Bill NEED Act, introduced by Congresswoman Sherrill. The COVID-19 pandemic didn't only impact veterans' health, but it also put a serious strain on veterans' access to educational benefits. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the limit on VA authority to extend the time for use of its educational assistance program benefits amid an emergency. Representative Sherrill's bill fixes these limits during times of emergency for Montgomery GI bill users and those participating in the Veteran Readiness and Employment Program. Mr. Speaker, this bill authorizes VA to pause the clock as needed when an institution must close temporarily, or permanently, due to an emergency, or when a student is prevented from continuing his or her program for other reasons. This was an authority VA lacked during COVID-19, and if not for the quick action by Congress, thousands of veterans would have seen their benefits wasted. Now it is time to take the lessons from the pandemic and fix this problem once and for all. Not only that, but H.R. 2167, as amended, includes additional improvements to VA education programs used by veterans and their families. This legislation would require that VA ensure the modern information technology (IT) service can process claims faster and more efficiently through improved processing integration and accuracy, data exchange and reporting, customer integration, and simplification of the online experience. The legislation would also expand in-State tuition rates at public universities to participants in the Dependents' Educational Assistance program. Guaranteeing in-State tuition for those survivors using Dependents Education Assistance, otherwise known as DEA, under Chapter 35, is a low-cost lift that will drastically improve educational options for surviving families and reduce their need for student loans. I, therefore, ask my colleagues to join me in supporting the GI Bill National Emergency Extended Deadline, or GI Bill NEED Act. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

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

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I ask all my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 2167, as amended, as sponsored by Congresswoman Sherrill of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2878) to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a Native VetSuccess at Tribal Colleges and Universities Pilot Program, as amended.