Mark Takano

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I wish to associate myself with the remarks of the ranking member regarding the beautiful work that our Cemetery Administration does for our veteran cemeteries and the National Battle Monuments Commission for the work they do with our cemeteries abroad. They are truly the pride of our country and fitting ways to show our gratitude and respect for those who have fallen in the service of our country. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Gonzalez for his work on this bill. I urge my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 1424, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3224) to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for increased access to Department of Veterans Affairs medical care for women veterans, as amended.

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. 3224, as amended.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3224, the Deborah Sampson Act, introduced by Representative Julia Brownley, the chairwoman of the Veterans Affairs' Health Subcommittee. This bill comprises 15 bipartisan bills that transform and improve comprehensive access to healthcare, benefits, and other resources for America's 2 million women veterans. This bill is named after Deborah Sampson, a Revolutionary War veteran from Massachusetts who served in the Continental Army for 17 months and was wounded in battle more than once. Deborah Sampson was neither the first nor the only woman to serve in the Continental Army, nor was she the first woman to be granted a pension by Congress, but she was the most persistent. Over 38 years, Congress granted her a pension, backpay, and ultimately her husband was granted a survivor's pension after her death. Mr. Speaker, it is because of the similar persistence of women warriors who followed in Deborah Sampson's footsteps that we are now considering this bill today. The Deborah Sampson Act creates an Office of Women's Health that reports directly to the Undersecretary of Health. This office will be responsible for internal oversight and resource allocation, including inputs to the annual budgeting process. Currently, 10 percent of VA facilities do not have gender-specific care for women. H.R. 3224, as amended, also increases staffing and training for women's health primary care providers so that every single woman veteran has access to gender-specific care at her nearest VA facility. Mr. Speaker, 75 percent of women veterans do not use VA care, often because they don't realize that they are eligible. This legislation seeks to expand communication outreach capabilities of the department to connect more women to VA benefits and healthcare. Mr. Speaker, the Deborah Sampson Act also authorizes counseling in retreat settings, expands counseling at vet centers for members of the Reserve and National Guard who are survivors of military sexual trauma, and improves resources for veterans experiencing intimate-partner violence and women veterans facing homelessness. Throughout this Congress we have addressed the issue of widespread sexual harassment and assault at VA facilities. At least one in four women veterans experience sexual and gender harassment at VA facilities, and that must end. No veteran, caregiver, employee, contractor, or other public visitor should experience sexual harassment or assault at VA. H.R. 3224, as amended, requires that VA develop a comprehensive policy that includes bystander intervention, mandatory reporting mechanisms for employees, confidential reporting mechanisms for veterans, and holds leadership accountable for addressing sexual harassment and assault at VA facilities. Today, nearly one in four new recruits joining the military is a woman. Women veterans are the fastest growing demographic in the veterans' community, and VA must be prepared to welcome them. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support H.R. 3224, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I appreciate the final comments that the ranking member made, I believe in good faith and sincerity, and they were words of generosity. But I have to rebut some of the claims that he has made. While I spent 6 years of my time in Congress in the minority, and in the minority on this committee, I can tell you that the minority staff and I, and other members of the minority, did offer amendments in good faith, but we never did so in order to derail or to obstruct passage of important and meaningful legislation. Therefore, the ranking member, while he was chairman, can point to many great pieces of legislation, including the Forever GI Bill and numerous other bills. It was a very productive Congress in the last Congress because the minority worked with him. Look, bipartisan spirit means that the minority also works in good faith. Ms. Brownley, in order to bring the Deborah Sampson Act to the floor under suspension, made some significant concessions, for which there was nothing offered in return. Mr. Barr's amendment on crimes against children has been offered on the floor as a motion to recommit, interesting enough, to Ms. Brownley's bill on childcare on the floor. That bill was voted down. It was voted down on the House floor, and I can only believe that this very same legislative language was offered as an amendment to the Deborah Sampson bill in defiance of the House already expressing its will on that bill. I refute the contention that it was offered in good faith before we brought Ms. Brownley's legislation on the Deborah Sampson Act in committee. The ranking member fails to mention that three of the amendments related to antilabor legislation, which was hostile to labor. To say that this was offered in good faith when he knows that the legislation we were bringing forward was intended to be suspension legislation, normally, the majority and the minority come to an agreement for a very expeditious legislative hearing when it comes to suspension bills. Finally, I will mention that I watched the ranking member try to subvert the landmark H.R. 8, the universal background checks bill, by raising this issue of the NICS list and trying to whip up opposition by our veterans service organizations, so I have seen him act in a different context against H.R. 8. Why he sought in committee to attach legislation related to guns to a women's health bill and to expanding opportunities for women veterans to utilize fully the benefits they have earned, I cannot fully comprehend that attempt. I can say, in many instances, I responded to the ranking member's requests to actually go outside of regular order for the minority's benefit. Let me say that I want to use this time now to yield 3 minutes the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Brownley), the author of this truly historic legislation, chairwoman of our Subcommittee on Health, and also the author of the legislation.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time I have remaining.

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

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, it is the essence of bad faith to stand on this floor and imply that Democrats do not want or care about the safety of our children. Let's be clear that the gentleman from Tennessee offered this as a motion to recommit, this language, to Ms. Brownley's bill and then, after fervently arguing why it was so necessary to be included in Ms. Brownley's bill, turned around and voted with every other Member of this Chamber for Ms. Brownley's bill. I cite that as evidence that there are some crocodile tears being cried here. I now yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Underwood), my good friend and a member of the House Veterans Affairs' Subcommittee on Health.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Correa), my good friend.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 20 seconds to the gentleman from California.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Wild), my good friend.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 20 seconds to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to hear that the ranking member recommends to his colleagues and all Members of the House that they support this excellent legislation by Representative Brownley. The minority knew in committee that this was excellent legislation. I am sorry to see that they chose procedural games to play politics with an excellent piece of legislation that they now say they are supporting, and I am very pleased that they are going to support this legislation. I urge my colleagues to pass this excellent bill. We worked hard to put this legislation in the form that would be acceptable to all Members of the House, and that is why we are moving this legislation under suspension of the rules. Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this bill, and 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. 4625) to amend title 38, United States Code, to require that educational institutions abide by certain principles as a condition of approval for purposes of the educational assistance programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes, as amended.

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. 4625, as amended.

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4625, as amended, the Protect the GI Bill Act. In 2009, before passage of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements Act of 2010--the Post-9/11 GI Bill--the Department of Veterans Affairs supplied educational benefits to over 14,000 veterans and paid schools over $36 million in educational benefits. Now, VA provides educational benefits to over 600,000 veterans and pays institutions of higher learning over $11 billion to cover the tuition, fees, and books for veterans on an annual basis. The increased educational benefits enacted through the Post-9/11 GI Bill and the Harry W. Colmery Forever GI Bill of 2017 have made pursuing an education a viable path for many veterans across the country. Schools across this country have embraced the influx of students to their campuses with open arms; and, in return, veterans have brought their knowledge, expertise, and ideas into the classroom and, eventually, the workforce. Since 2010, most institutions of higher learning have provided student veterans with a means to upward economic mobility through traditional education and vocational training. However, a small number of predatory schools have sought to expand their coffers by targeting veterans for their educational benefits, providing subpar educations in return. Not only do veterans lose precious time and benefits from being misled by these malicious actors, but it also costs taxpayers millions of dollars each year, which is why we must pass the Protect the GI Bill Act today. The Protect the GI Bill Act would hold all schools to standards set forth by the principles of excellence outlined in Executive Order No. 13607. By codifying the principles of excellence, we are ensuring that schools can no longer misrepresent their student outcomes, job placement rates, and graduation requirements when marketing to veterans and members of the military. The Protect the GI Bill Act also ensures that schools are upfront and honest regarding the cost of attendance, scholarships available for veterans before they take loans, and whether additional training is needed after graduation to pass State-based licensure or certification tests. This will allow veterans to make informed choices about the schools they want to attend to start their new careers and ensure that institutions are more accountable to veterans. This legislation also includes Congressman Bilirakis' Student Veteran Empowerment Act, Congresswoman Susie Lee's Forever GI Bill Class Evaluation Act, Congresswoman Susan Davis' Reserve and Guard GI Bill Housing Fairness Act, and Congressman Foster's GI Bill Education Fairness Act. This bipartisan legislation empowers State approving agencies to conduct targeted, risk-based surveys; eliminates waste in the Post-9/11 GI Bill program; ensures that spouses of servicemembers in the Reserves and Guard are not penalized when servicemembers are called to duty; and clarifies that servicemembers can transfer their education benefits to stepchildren, foster and adopted children, and other minor dependents. As amended, the Protect the GI Bill Act also protects veterans by stopping them from incurring debt from Post-9/11 GI Bill overpayments. According to a GAO report, in fiscal year 2014, the VA paid approximately $10.8 billion in education assistance through the Post-9/ 11 GI Bill and made approximately $416 million in overpayments to veterans in about 6,000 schools. Approximately one in four veterans received an overpayment in fiscal year 2014. Now, saddling veterans with unexpected debt is an injustice that we cannot perpetuate. This bill delays payments to schools, mandates that veterans confirm their enrollment each month, and prohibits late payment charges to students who are receiving GI Bill benefits. The Protect the GI Bill Act would also allow more veterans to restore their educational benefits in cases where schools they attend close, are disapproved by a State approving agency, or are discontinued for other reasons outside of their control. Current law only allows veterans to restore their education benefits if they attend schools that close or are disapproved by State approving agencies and if these veterans do not transfer any credits to another school or institution. This requires these veterans to restart their education to restore the benefits, which could erode their motivation and cost taxpayers more money. There is no reason that veterans should be forced to repeat basic classes or core credits in order to regain their educational benefits. This bill allows veterans to restore their education benefits while transferring up to 12 credits to another school. The expansion of eligibility in this bill is retroactive and will allow thousands of veterans to recover their educational benefits upon the enactment of this much needed bill. Madam Speaker, if our goal as a legislative body is to improve veterans' economic opportunities and end veteran homelessness, we must empower veterans to develop new and marketable skill sets in community colleges, universities, and trade schools. We must also be good fiduciaries of taxpayer funds by enacting rigorous standards and providing adequate oversight of institutions who seek to collect funds from veterans' educational benefits, which is why I support this bill. This bill also has the support of the Student Veterans of America and Veterans Education Success. I want to thank Representative Levin for his hard work on this excellent bill. I would also like to thank Representative Bilirakis, Representative Lee, Representative Davis, and Representative Foster for their contributions to this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support it. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Foster), my good friend.

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Let me just say that this bill, the Protect the GI Bill Act, contains so many elements offered by both sides of the aisle. I have to point out, for the Record, the coincidence of having the interests of foster children being protected by a man named Bill Foster. There are not enough people in here to get that joke, but I thought that was worth pointing out. The language in this bill also contains enhancements to the authorities of State approving agencies. One of the broken parts of how our schools, our for-profit schools or all schools, get approved, get their programs approved, is because our State approving agencies lack sufficient authority to intervene when they know that a certain for- profit operation that has had a shady history is about to open in their State. This legislation would allow a State approving agency to act before a bad-acting for-profit school is actually charged, formally charged. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 4625, as amended. Indeed, both sides of the aisle worked carefully together, and I am pleased to recommend that we pass this bill on suspension. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, please accept the following vote recommendations in my absence as I represent the United States at the formal ascension of the Emperor in Japan. Had I been present, I would have voted: ``yea'' on rollcall No. 579, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 580, ``nay'' on rollcall No. 581,``nay'' on rollcall No. 582, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 583, and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 584.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, please accept the following vote recommendations in my absence as I represent the United States at the formal ascension of the Emperor in Japan. Had I been present, I would have voted: ``yea'' on rollcall No. 571, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 572, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 573, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 574, ``nay'' on rollcall No. 575, ``nay'' on rollcall No. 576, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 577, and ``nay'' on rollcall No. 578.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, please accept the following vote recommendations in my absence as I represent the United States at the formal ascension of the Emperor in Japan. Had I been present, I would have voted: ``yea'' on rollcall No. 568, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 569, and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 570.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in defense of liberal democratic values and in solidarity with the people of Hong Kong. Earlier this week, the House passed legislation in support of these values and of human rights. A strong nation is one that does not turn to its worst instincts in the face of dissent. A strong nation does not see liberal democratic values as a threat. A strong nation tolerates differences in pursuit of prosperity for itself and prosperity for the world. To my fellow Americans, I say that we must not turn our backs on our principles in exchange for profit; we must not trade away our freedoms or be indifferent to those who yearn to be free. To the 2 million courageous young people in Hong Kong who marched, to those who are willing to fight for a prosperous future where their rights will be respected and where their freedoms will be protected: We are with you.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 95) to amend title 38, United States Code, to ensure that children of homeless veterans are included in the calculation of the amounts of certain per diem grants.