Mark Takano

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Garcia), my good friend and author of H.R. 1860. She serves on the House Financial Services Committee.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I once again urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 1860, the Women Veterans Cancer Care Coordination Act of 2025, as amended. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 3400, the TRAVEL Act of 2025, as amended. The VA estimates that as of June 2023, there were at least 100,000 veterans living in U.S. territories, but it is likely that this number is even higher. However, only Puerto Rico has a VA Medical Center, and only American Samoa and Guam have outpatient clinics or CBOCs. Therefore, veterans living in the territories have limited access to VA medical care. While eligible veterans can receive care through the VA's community care program, access to specialty care, even in the community, is extremely limited, given the lack of such services in the territories. This legislation authorizes the VA to appoint traveling physicians to provide care to veterans residing in American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and any other territory or possession of the United States. It will also allow the traveling VA physician to coordinate with nondepartment medical providers as necessary to provide care. I thank Representative King-Hinds for introducing this bill. Individuals from the territories generally enlist in the military at higher per capita rates than residents of most U.S. States. However, veterans in the territories have long struggled to access the VA healthcare they have earned. This legislation could help reduce the rate at which these veterans must be referred to community providers or endure lengthy travel to access services at VA medical facilities thousands and thousands of miles away from home. Veterans deserve access to the care and benefits they have earned, regardless of where they live. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3400, the TRAVEL Act. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, once again, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 3400, the TRAVEL Act. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 3767, the Health Professionals Scholarship Program Improvement Act of 2025, as amended. For many years, the Health Professionals Scholarship Program has allowed VA to provide financial assistance to future medical professionals in return for a promise of service at VA facilities to ensure VA can meet its staffing needs. The program has had longstanding success in both ensuring prospective providers can complete their training and bolstering VA's workforce, especially in difficult-to-hire areas and for difficult-to-recruit professions. However, some participants have expressed concerns that hiring delays at VA have prevented them from receiving their employment contracts in a timely manner. While there are many steps to onboarding new clinicians at VA, including necessary processes such as credentialing and privileging, we must make sure that VA does everything in its power to bring new staff on quickly, especially in the case of prospective providers who have proven themselves willing to serve the veteran community. This legislation will ensure that VA provides employment contracts to graduates of the Health Professionals Scholarship Program within 90 days of completion of their programs or within 90 days of completing all necessary licensing and credentialing processes, whichever is later. Participants in the Health Professionals Scholarship Program are dedicated to service to the veteran community and are vital to ensuring VA has sufficient staffing across the Nation. We should continue to seek additional ways to improve the hiring and onboarding process at VA, including through additional workforce investments and improving the use of expedited hiring authorities. However, in the meantime, there is an important step in ensuring this program fulfills its purpose, both for participants and for VA's workforce needs. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, once again, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 3767, the Health Professionals Scholarship Act of 2025, as amended. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2721, the Honoring Our Heroes Act of 2025, as amended, offered by Representative Tim Kennedy, who is an outstanding member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Mr. Speaker, most Americans would be shocked to hear this, but servicemembers who passed away before 1990 are currently ineligible by law to request a government-issued headstone from the National Cemetery Administration. In the haze of grief after a loved one passes away, families are often unaware of what benefits they may be eligible for. Oftentimes, they make short-term decisions they intend to revisit later but, for varying reasons, they do not. Unfortunately, for the families of veterans, that sometimes means that they could have applied for a headstone for their loved one, only to find out years later they were arbitrarily cut off from accessing that benefit simply by the passage of time. I think we can all agree that when a veteran passes away, they deserve the benefits they earned. That includes marking their place in history with a headstone or other marker that pays respect to their service. That should be true, regardless of when that veteran passes away. Mr. Speaker, that is what the Honoring Our Heroes Act of 2025 seeks to do. It gives late veterans the burial rights they deserve, and it gives families a sense of pride and closure after their loss. We on the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs are continually guided toward equity in the veteran population. When our constituents bring an issue to us that highlights inequity or injustice, it is our duty to correct it. It is with this change in mind that my esteemed colleague Representative Kennedy took up the fight and spearheaded this effort on behalf of the families of veterans who, before November 1, 1990, by statute cannot request a headstone from the National Cemetery Administration. I am thankful to Representative Kennedy for his dedication to veterans' families on an issue that has been overlooked for far too long. I am also thankful to the families who highlighted this issue and who testified in support of this legislation. As we continue to strive for veterans, their families, and survivors to access their earned benefits and as we continue to push commonsense changes that allow more of these deserving people to get what they are owed, we must remember that from military separation through healthcare and in death, they matter. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to do the same. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Kennedy), my good friend and author of H.R. 2721. He currently serves on our Subcommitee on Economic Opportunity and our Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, in closing, once again, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 2721, the Honoring Our Heroes Act of 2025, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my support for H.R. 3579, as amended, the Veterans Readiness and Employment Program Integrity Act. The VA Veteran Readiness and Employment program, otherwise known as VR&E, is also known as Chapter 31. It is a comprehensive benefits program designed to help veterans with service-connected disabilities find and maintain suitable employment. It offers personalized assistance, including career counseling, vocational training, and educational support to help veterans overcome employment barriers. The program's ultimate goal is to empower disabled veterans to achieve independence and a successful career in the civilian workforce. I take great pride in my work on the Honoring our PACT Act that resulted in hundreds of thousands of veterans finally having their disability recognized, making them eligible for the VR&E program. However, that massive influx of new applicants has brought to light improvements that are needed for the VR&E program. This legislation seeks to add some good-governance steps to the program, to make sure veterans are aware of how the benefit works upon sign up and ensures that veterans are actively seeking employment as they are prepared to exit the VR&E program. This legislation also includes data reporting for Congress and veterans so wait times and wage data are public. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues in the House, and Senate as well, to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick), who serves on our Subcommittee on Health and our Technology Modernization Subcommittee.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield myself the balance of my time to close. Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 3579, as amended, the Veterans Readiness and Employment Program Integrity Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3951, the Rural Veterans' Improved Access to Benefits Act of 2025, as amended. There are few things we on both sides of the aisle agree on completely, and I am happy to report this bill highlights one of them. Veterans in rural areas deserve the same access to care that someone living near a VA facility in a large city does. Rural populations are particularly vulnerable because of unreasonable travel distances for appointments, especially specialists. For some veterans, this can be a reason to delay or forgo routine exams or care, later resulting in poorer health outcomes. We hear many stories of veterans who have appointments scheduled hours away, requiring them to secure transportation, which can often be difficult. We have also heard incredibly frustrating stories of these same appointments being canceled or rescheduled at the last minute. What does that mean for our veterans and their families? It can mean rescheduling childcare, leave, work, transportation, as well as other appointments they may have grouped together for ease and convenience. It also means that any follow-up appointments begin the cumbersome cycle all over again. We should not tolerate rural veterans being treated as secondary purely because of their location. They should have the same access to care that other veterans have in more densely populated areas. The Rural Veterans' Improved Access to Benefits Act attempts to rectify part of this problem by expanding license portability, allowing practitioners to perform exams for veterans across State lines. At a time when medical professionals in many specializations are particularly difficult to access at the VA, it is vital that we ease access to these practitioners where possible. This bill mandates a report regarding the number of exams completed through this license portability agreement. This data will surely prove beneficial in highlighting communities with greater needs for care. We will continue to work to ensure all veterans get access to the care they need, whether it be through legislative levers like this or continued efforts of outreach and advocacy. I am thankful to all of those who worked on this effort to ensure that no one is left behind. I support this bill and urge my colleagues to do the same. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for closing. Mr. Speaker, once again, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 3951, the Rural Veterans' Improved Access to Benefits Act of 2025, as amended. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3854, the Modernizing All Veterans and Survivors Claims Processing Act, as amended. We are living in an era of remarkable technological advancement. It seems every day that there is a new story about how artificial intelligence is shaping data visualization or modeling. In fact, there are AI models that are helping to detect diseases before traditional detection periods. As the world around us continues to advance in this way, we cannot handcuff the Department of Veterans Affairs and bar them from utilizing this remarkable technology, but neither can we let them proceed unfettered without considering all the implications of its use. H.R. 3854 directs the VA to plan for the use of automation tools to aid in retrieving service records, medical evidence, and claims decision support, and to generate correspondence to the veteran. It requires the VA to share this report with Congress so that we may provide the proper oversight of this burgeoning technology. This bill also provides an analytical structure to assess the feasibility and extent of collaboration required between offices utilizing artificial intelligence. Lastly, it seeks to modernize and expedite the processing of benefits for certain children of veterans, a uniquely vulnerable community. Beyond just addressing the use of emerging AI technology at the VA, H.R. 3854, as amended, also seeks to bolster the VA's data collection. Currently, the VA does not collect cause-of-death data on veterans. This is problematic, and it creates a challenge when assessing trends in veteran deaths. The collection of cause-of-death data would allow the VA to begin to build datasets that can be tracked and assessed, a promising thing in this era of rapid technological advancement. It is not a stretch to say that this data can one day be used to anticipate and prevent potentially catastrophic diagnoses in veteran populations with similar markers. I, for one, look forward to a day when we are preventing deaths from occupational exposures instead of merely tracking them. This bill begins to tackle that. This isn't a magic wand to fix and modernize all of VA, but it is a start. I am confident that with modernization efforts like this legislation, as well as my colleagues' efforts in other areas, we can make a concerted effort to give our veterans the best care and experience they deserve. There is one very large caveat in this effort to modernize the VA and its systems that I would be remiss not to mention, which is any push to increase the use of automation, artificial intelligence, and big data at the VA must not simultaneously remove the humanity from the system. AI is no substitute for a well-trained workforce, especially one that is as mission-driven and dedicated as the one we have at the VA. Even as chaos unfolds around them, I know that VA employees are trying hard to continue to deliver for veterans. We should not lose sight of that. Even with the promise of evolving technologies, we know that the human element is still the most important when delivering world-class care and service to veterans. It is what veterans want, and it is what serves them best. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. Morrison), my good friend who serves on our Health Subcommittee and our Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for closing. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues, once again, to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 3854, Modernizing All Veterans and Survivors Claims Processing Act, as amended. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise to express my support for H.R. 2034, the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship Opportunity Act, as amended. Edith Nourse Rogers was a trailblazer for veteran benefits, and the program we are amending today that bears her name was created to support the next generation of veteran trailblazers. She was instrumental in the creation of the original GI Bill and advocated for a greater role for women in the Armed Forces. Congress created the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship in 2017 as part of the Forever GI Bill. However, since creation, we have learned of cases where improvements to the program would encourage more veterans to pursue dual degrees, degrees in STEM education, and degrees in healthcare. Representative Budzinski's legislation would improve the program to better fit student veteran needs by making two fundamental changes to the program to increase access. First, the legislation allows veterans to apply for the scholarship while they are still finishing their undergraduate degrees. That means students won't have to delay their education for no reason or hit an arbitrary completed credit hour requirement if they are accepted into the program. Veterans can seamlessly progress to their next degree. Second, the legislation removes the requirement that a student exhaust all credit hours on their GI Bill benefits, which makes enrollment easier for STEM-seeking students. The scholarship is a wonderful tool, but these requirements, originally well-intended, have made the scholarship onerous to use and limited enrollment far below projections. H.R. 2034 fixes those issues and clears the way for more trailblazers like Congresswoman Edith Nourse. I thank Representative Budzinski for introducing this important bill, and I urge my colleagues in the House and the Senate, as well, to support this bill. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Budzinski), my good friend and the author of the bill, the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Technology Modernization.

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I ask all my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 2034, the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship Opportunity Act, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2701, the Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Act, as amended. I thank my good friend and colleague Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz for introducing this bill. Madam Speaker, oftentimes veterans who were buried overseas during World Wars I and II were put to rest on foreign soil without the full picture of who they were as people. In life, these servicemen and - women showed courage, honor, respect, dignity, and sacrifice. In death, some have been unfortunately misrepresented. Not because of malice, but more often circumstances of time, space, and uncertainty, roughly 900 American-Jewish servicemembers were buried under a Latin cross that does not accurately reflect their religious heritage. The Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Act seeks to correct this oversight. It formalizes a program with the American Battle Monuments Commission to identify and establish contact with descendants of those fallen servicemembers who were mistakenly buried under the Latin cross and works in partnership with a nonprofit organization to obtain the grave marker that accurately represents their religious heritage and replace the inaccurate headstone. Acts like this provide a structure to identify our veterans not merely as markers in cemeteries, but as whole humans, with their belief in something greater than even their service--their creator. I am thankful to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz) for championing this effort and for ensuring we are accurately capturing the history and dignity of those who served overseas in some of our most trying conflicts. Far too often, we think of Arlington National Cemetery or maybe your local veterans cemetery and don't even realize that we have servicemembers buried overseas in plots around the world. The work of the American Battle Monuments Commission is broad, reaching across 26 permanent American military cemeteries, over 30 memorials, monuments, and markers, in 17 different countries. I encourage all those who have the opportunity to do so to visit one of these cemeteries. If you find yourself overseas, do an internet search and see if you can stop by an ABMC location. You will be awed and humbled by the emotional sight of seeing the true cost of freedom and sacrifice. I can assure you, you will find a passionate group of caretakers, educators, historians, and advocates who take such care to keep these lands sacred. It is people like this who continually work to ensure those buried far from home are done so in dignity and with their true heritage represented. Their efforts and the efforts of those who have worked so hard to bring this program and legislation to this point assure that we, as a nation, with our overseas partners, will work continuously for accurate representation and history for our veteran community. Madam Speaker, I support this legislation and urge my colleagues to do the same, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz), my very good friend and author of H.R. 2701. She serves as ranking member on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies.

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 2701, the Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Act, as amended. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise to express my support for H.R. 3481, the Delivering Digitally to Our Veterans Act of 2025, as amended. Veterans should not have to fight to get information about their earned GI Bill benefits, and this legislation looks to ease access to information from the VA to veterans by allowing the Department of Veterans Affairs to do outreach using digital messaging, such as text messages, direct messages, and virtual chat, in addition to direct mail. VA is already doing much of this, but H.R. 3481, as amended, looks to codify these efforts into law to ensure they are available to veterans in the future. H.R. 3481, as amended, also includes the text of H.R. 3386, the Streamlining the Solid Start Communications Act. Then-Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin and Senator Hassan permanently authorized the Solid Start program, which has been a critical outreach to newly separated veterans. Solid Start allows VA to stay connected with veterans as they navigate their transition to civilian life. H.R. 3481, as amended, expands VA Solid Start outreach efforts to include the same texts and digital options included in the underlying text. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues in the House, and the Senate, as well, to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I ask all my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 3481, the Delivering Digitally to Our Veterans Act, as amended. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.