Mark Takano

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin) as well as the gentlewoman from Washington State (Ms. Jayapal) for hosting this important Special Order hour. Congressman Raskin and Congresswoman Jayapal are two of the newest members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and I want to express my gratitude for their leadership. Mr. Speaker, last week, President Trump issued an executive order that violated America's basic commitment to projecting hope and tolerance around the world. With a stroke of his pen, he turned his back on a humanitarian crisis and shut the door on desperate families fleeing unspeakable violence. It has taken just 2 weeks for this administration to undermine our moral authority and weaken our role in promoting peace and stability in a volatile world. In airports across the country, in streets of coastal cities and midwestern towns, in States that voted for Secretary Clinton and in States that voted for President Trump, the American people are expressing their outrage at the Muslim ban. Patriotic men and women are standing up for the compassionate, exceptional country we strive to be. Religious leaders are standing up to say: This is not who we are. Veterans are standing up to say: This is not what we fought for. There was a time when Republican leadership stood with them. These two tweets to my right are a memorial to a time when Vice President Pence and Speaker Ryan were prepared to publicly oppose policies they called un-American. Now, when faced with the reality of this policy, Speaker Ryan is choosing to support the ban. Our Vice President deleted his tweet. We had to search around to find the original tweet, and it is right over there. The American people deserve better. Let's be clear. The President's executive order makes America less safe. The only threat to America posed by Syrian refugees is to our conscience. Instead of protecting the homeland from terror, the President has gift-wrapped powerful propaganda for our enemies. This is not just my opinion or the opinion of Democrats in Congress. This is what we have heard from dozens of national security experts from both parties. They are warning us that this executive order is a stain on our reputation and a setback for counterterrorism efforts around the world. Yet congressional Republicans remain silent. Mr. Speaker, our democracy has endured and prospered for more than two centuries because of our system of checks and balances. Congress has a responsibility to act when the executive branch advances reckless and ill-conceived policies. We are failing to fulfill that duty by refusing to repeal the Muslim ban, by refusing to investigate the President's many conflicts of interest. And by refusing to stand up for America's most basic principles, my friends across the aisle are putting our global leadership and the integrity of our government at risk. If ever there was a time to choose your country over your party, this is it.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, the Federal Government, which spends billions of dollars contracting with private companies every year, has an obligation to demonstrate and promote responsible behavior. We should not be in the business of working with contractors who repeatedly violate our Nation's labor laws, particularly when they harm the veterans who have served our Nation so bravely. Repealing this rule sends the wrong message to employers, the wrong message to veterans, and the wrong message to hardworking Americans who deserve to be treated with respect in the workplace.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Fred Korematsu Day. I could hardly imagine a more relevant time to celebrate his fight for freedom and equality. When the United States incarcerated 115,000 Japanese Americans during World War II, including my parents and grandparents, Fred Korematsu resisted Executive Order 9066 and courageously stood up for the oppressed when few others would. History often forces us to ask ourselves: How would we have acted if we lived in that moment? Through the President's recent executive order, we no longer have to wonder. How you react to the Muslim ban today is how you would have reacted to the imprisonment of my grandparents and parents 75 years ago. If you are silent today, you would have been silent then. If you are complicit today, you would have been complicit then. This great institution is facing an enormous test of our commitment to liberty and justice for all. Let our children and grandchildren look back and see that we passed that test.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank my dear colleague, Bonnie Watson Coleman, for yielding to me. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my strong opposition to the nomination of Betsy DeVos for Secretary of Education. To start, President-elect Trump's nominee to lead our country's education policy has absolutely no experience in public schools: not as a teacher, not as a student, and not as a parent. That lack of experience makes her efforts to privatize public education particularly shameful. I was a public schoolteacher for more than 24 years--I taught high school--which means that I have spent at least 24 more years in a public school classroom than Betsy DeVos. If she actually stepped inside of a classroom in a public school, here is what she would find: she would find teachers who are giving everything they can, their passion, their time, and often their own money to give kids the best education possible. She would find facilities in need of repair, classrooms in need of modern equipment, and programs in desperate need of funding. She would find students who deserve to receive an exceptional education that will help them reach their potential. But Ms. DeVos has no interest in supporting America's public education system. Instead, she will insert a profit motive into our children's education that will cripple our public schools and punish the millions of children who attend them every day. The Obama administration pushed public schools on a race to the top. Betsy DeVos will create a race to the bottom line. The result of her work in Michigan serves as a warning to schools across America. By using her personal fortune to influence policy, Betsy DeVos engineered a massive influx of for-profit charter schools into the State of Michigan. Michigan taxpayers now hand for-profit charter schools $1 billion every year, and, in return, many of those schools underperform public schools while evading accountability. The opportunity that comes with a good education is what makes the American Dream possible for each new generation. If we abandon our public schools, we abandon the millions of children and parents who rely on them as a path to a brighter future. It is very simple. The Senate should not confirm a Secretary of Education who does not believe in public education. Senate Democrats and Republicans must send a clear message to parents, teachers, and students across the country that we stand by our public schools. I hope they will do so by rejecting this nomination. I thank my dear colleague from the State of New Jersey. I appreciate this opportunity to let my views be known and to make a plea with our colleagues in the other house to do their duty and hold out for a Secretary of Education who actually believes in public education.

Mr. TAKANO. If I might join in a little more, I became a teacher-- more than, wow, gosh, it must be 30 years ago now--having experienced the disparity in the public schools in the Boston, Massachusetts, area; some days being a substitute teacher in Brookline, Massachusetts, and other days being a substitute teacher in inner city Boston. The contrast between the wealthy Brookline School District and then the inner city Boston where you walk through a metal detector woke me up. And I really believed that if we did not address the achievement gap in our country, that if the American Dream of social economic mobility was only available to some and not all of our students, that our very democracy would be in jeopardy. It pains me to see from the incoming Trump administration such a superficial, extreme profit-driven notion of improving our schools. I wish that both President-elect and Betsy DeVos could see some of the great work that is being done at my schools in my congressional district where we have a teacher--I am blanking on his name, but he is responsible for one-fourth of all the Latinos in the State of California that score 4s and 5s on the physics AP test. Remarkable work being done in a regular school that does not cherry-pick its students. It is a public school in the Val Verde Unified School District that is making remarkable strides. This work is not being looked at carefully, is being overlooked, and it is a shame that we have a nominee for Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, who has such a terrible history, who is committed to actually tearing down our public school system.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Ashford), who had the tenacity to stick it through and bring this legislation finally in this form to the floor.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. I want to add some more comments about the legislation that we are about to pass. I concur in and associate myself with the remarks of my colleague from Nebraska, Mr. Fortenberry. I certainly want to extend my appreciation to the majority for its generosity of spirit in this particular case. If there is anything that fills me with great hope that we can restore the esteem of this great institution in the eyes of the American people, it is when we pass legislation such as Mr. Ashford's bill today. We rose above politics--both sides rose above politics--to do the right thing for veterans. It was our regard for veterans that brought us together. It is fitting that this action is happening in the heartland of our country. This is no small measure today. The American people do not really see the drama. It looks very effortless about what we are going to do because it is going to be voice voted. No real big drama is going to play out in front of everybody, but I am going to tell you that Republicans and Democrats worked together. I want to congratulate and show my appreciation to my whip, Mr. Hoyer. He worked his relationships with some Members on the other side in the Senate, and it showed that we shouldn't be so hasty to move our more senior Members so quickly out of their positions because these relationships matter after so many years. I will go more into detail with anyone who cares to know more about it later. Mr. McCarthy, of my home State of California, my own Leader Pelosi, and staff on both sides of the aisle worked tirelessly to bring this bill. We are about to head home for the holiday season, and I can't think of a greater gift that we can give--well, I can think of a lot of greater gifts, but this is a very important gift that we are going to give. It is truly a potentially transformative piece of legislation. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers at this time. I just want to encourage all of my colleagues to support this important piece of legislation and join me in passing H.R. 5099, as amended. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 5099, as amended, Communities Helping Invest through Property and Improvements Needed for Veterans Act of 2016. Indeed, it is a mouthful but is a very, very important, potentially transformative piece of legislation. Otherwise, we can shorten it down to the CHIP IN for Vets Act of 2016, which was introduced by my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Nebraska, Brad Ashford. The bill is a testament to his hard work, as well as many Members and staff on both sides of the Capitol, that we are considering this bill today. This bipartisan legislation will authorize a pilot program, allowing the Department of Veterans Affairs to partner with nonprofit and private donors to build VA hospitals, receive donated land, and acquire other VA facilities so that the VA may continue to serve veterans. Today there are generous donors and organizations ready to pitch in and invest in their community's willingness to support and serve our veterans. That is why we must take immediate action and pass H.R. 5099, as amended. This bill will permit the VA to accept facilities constructed by donors, land where a future facility will be constructed by a donor, and permit a donor to construct a facility on VA property under an agreement to donate the facility to VA upon completion. It will also preserve VA's authority to determine need by only allowing projects to move forward under this program based on projects authorized and funded by Congress or included on the VA's strategic capital investment planning process priority list. This bill is necessary not only because of the Federal Government's significant budget constraints, but also so that VA has clear authority to undertake these projects and accept donations for the acquisition of facilities. It also allows VA and Congress to determine whether this pilot program that permits the VA and non-Federal organizations to combine resources to construct facilities is a viable future model for the funding and management of major and minor VA construction projects. Thanks to the public-private partnerships this legislation will foster, the VA will be able to take meaningful steps in improving its capacity to provide our veterans the quality care they deserve at state-of-the-art VA facilities, all the while saving American taxpayers millions of dollars in the process. It is the very definition of a win-win situation. Mr. Speaker, strengthening the VA and increasing its capacity to provide and coordinate care is one of our highest priorities at the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and I am pleased to support H.R. 5099, as amended, which will only improve VA's ability to do so. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to support this important legislation and to join me in passing H.R. 6435. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in support of this legislation by the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Mullin). Ensuring VA delivers safe and high-quality health care to veterans is an important priority for this committee. This bill will allow Veterans Integrated Service Network directors to contract with civilian accreditation and healthcare evaluation organizations to inspect and investigate VA medical centers. This gives VA another tool to evaluate and improve the quality of care provided at its facilities. VA medical centers are routinely inspected and accredited by recognized organizations in the healthcare world, such as the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals and the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities. This bill would allow other organizations to inspect and accredit VA hospitals at VA's discretion. Since the VA inspector general and Government Accountability Office also routinely conduct investigations, inspections, and audits of VA medical facilities, I would like to emphasize that this bill requires both GAO and the IG to be notified when a VISN chooses to contract with civilian inspection and accreditation organizations. Coordination of efforts with GAO and the IG will avoid duplication and prevent the waste of taxpayer dollars. I also want to emphasize that this authority should not be used to replace the role of the IG and GAO in conducting investigations, inspections, and evaluations of VA medical facilities. I urge my colleagues to support this bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Jeff Miller and Richard Blumenthal Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2016. Naming the bill after my colleagues is a testament to the bipartisan nature of both the House and Senate Committees on Veterans' Affairs. The bill before us today contains numerous pieces of legislation introduced or supported by Members on both sides of the aisle. I thank Chairman Miller and all the members of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, both Democrats and Republicans, for their hard work putting together an omnibus bill that will improve the care and support we provide to America's veterans. I want to specifically acknowledge our committee members-- Representative Brown, Representative Titus, Dr. Ruiz, Representative O'Rourke, Representative Rice, Representative Walz, and Representative McNerney; and my other Democratic colleagues, Representative Pingree and Representative Frankel, Senator-elect Duckworth, Representative Gallego, Representative Hahn, and Representative Sinema--all who made valuable contributions to this bill. I also would like to take this time to congratulate Dr. Roe on his selection as the next chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. I look forward to working with him in order to preserve the bipartisan nature of this committee in the 115th Congress so that we can do what is best for veterans. It is fitting that we are taking this bill up on the eve of the attack on Pearl Harbor. December 7, 1941, is remembered not just for the 2,300 Americans that we lost that day, but also for the heroic response of so many Americans that followed. It is a reminder of the sacrifices millions of young men and women have made in service to our Nation. It is a reminder of the debt we owe them. As the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity and as a former community college trustee, I am pleased that this bill contains several provisions that will improve veterans' education and employment prospects after they serve. I have enjoyed collaborating with Chairman Wenstrup, and I am proud of the bills our subcommittee has moved forward. This bill before us today contains language from H.R. 2360, the Career-Ready Student Veterans Act, which I introduced last May, to ensure that veterans who use their hard-earned Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits will attend education programs that prepare them for a career in their chosen field of study. It requires that all career education programs meet proper accreditation, licensure, and certification requirements in order to serve student veterans who are using Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits. The Department of Defense already has this policy in place to protect servicemembers using tuition assistance benefits. It often makes sense that Congress should protect student veterans in the very same way. This provision is supported by the American Legion, the VFW, IAVA, and other VSOs. This bill also includes H.R. 2361, Work-Study for Student Veterans Act, which I introduced with Chairman Wenstrup. It reauthorizes certain work-study activities for individuals receiving educational assistance through the VA. The current authorization expired in 2013. This bill reauthorizes the program through 2021. Through the VA's Student Work-Study Allowance Program, qualifying student veterans in college degree programs or vocational or professional programs are paid to work in a variety of capacities on campus, at VA facilities, and at other veteran-centered organizations to assist fellow veterans. This provision will reinstate expired activities to allow participating veterans more options when entering VA's successful work-study program. The work-study program achieves two important goals: offering student veterans a way to earn a little extra money, and providing transitioning veterans with the guidance and assistance of fellow veterans who know firsthand what that transition is like. Peer-to-peer support is one of the most effective methods we have to help veterans meet the challenges of civilian life. I worked with Congresswoman Radewagen to introduce H.R. 5229, the Improving Transition Programs for All Veterans Act, which requires VA, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Defense to study the effectiveness of veterans' transition programs for women veterans and other minority groups. This policy will help us learn about how we can specialize transition programs for minority veterans in order to meet their unique needs and overcome barriers to employment. The specific groups that will be included in this study include women veterans, veterans with disabilities, Native American veterans, insular island veterans from the U.S. territories, and other groups as determined by the Secretaries. This generation of veterans is the most diverse in American history, and we must be prepared to support every person who has served. I am pleased to have worked on this legislation in a bipartisan fashion, and I am glad it was included in the omnibus before us today. I believe it will ensure the best outcome for all veterans during their transition from military to civilian life. H.R. 6416 improves the Fry Scholarship for the children and spouses of fallen soldiers. The bill includes H.R. 2531, introduced by Representative and now Senator-elect Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq war combat veteran. This provision will provide a surviving spouse whose husband or wife died in the line of duty after 9/11/2001 the time necessary to use the full 36-month benefit from the Fry Scholarship without fear of it being cut short during their educational pursuits. The Fry Scholarship is an educational benefit given to children and spouses of our fallen troops. Currently, public law cuts off Fry Scholarship eligibility 15 years from the date of a servicemember's death. Unfortunately, this means that spouses who lost a loved one shortly after 9/11 could be out of time to use an educational benefit that is good for 36 months of enrollment and is normally used over the course of 4 years. This policy will allow Gold Star families whose eligibility will end before they can fully use their benefit to complete their education. There are several very important provisions in H.R. 6416 that I would like to highlight in the area of claims processing and how we, as a nation, honor and memorialize our Nation's heroes. Chairman Abraham and Ranking Member Titus of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs have worked hard for the last 2 years, and it shows by the almost two dozen provisions produced by their subcommittee that are included in this bill. One of these is the long overdue Honor America's Guard-Reserve Retirees Act, introduced by the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Walz), which confers honorary veteran status to Guard and Reserve members who have served for 20 years and who would otherwise not meet the full requirement for veteran status under the U.S. Code. These servicemembers wear the same uniform, receive the same training, are subject to the same code of military justice, and in many cases fight and die alongside Active Duty troops in war. It is clear why receiving this honor is so important to them, and I am very happy to be here today to support the legislation of Mr. Walz. I would also like to highlight four bills introduced by minority members of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs intended to expedite veterans' claims for various types of benefits. H.R. 6416 also contains the Veterans Access to Speedy Review Act, which requires the Board of Veterans Appeals to allow video appeal hearings available to veterans who choose them. Again, this simple, sensible approach can speed up the benefits appeal process for veterans who are comfortable with the videoconference format. This will mean that many veterans will no longer have to wait for an in-person hearing and will no longer need to travel; saving them time, money, and the stress of traveling, which is particularly difficult for our disabled veterans. This bill also includes two sections drafted by Congressman O'Rourke and Ranking Member Titus that will increase VA transparency so that congressional policymakers and the public know how the VA is doing with its processing of veterans' claims and appeals. The first section requires that the VA publish average times for processing claims and appeals, including those that are timely and overdue. The second section requires a GAO study of the Veterans Benefits Administration regional offices to determine the management and communication factors that distinguish higher performing offices from the average and lower performing offices. There is another group of veterans who deserve our greatest respect, and that is the men and women left permanently wounded, ill, or injured as a result of service in the armed services. I believe we will hear later from the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Frankel) about her resolution to honor these veterans which is included in today's bill. Mr. Speaker, making sure veterans get the care and benefits they have earned and deserve is the mission of this committee, and this bill helps keep that promise. For the past 2 years, the Subcommittee on Health has been focused on improving access to care, strengthening mental health care, recruiting and retaining quality providers, and reducing veteran homelessness. These priorities are reflected in the bill before us today. VA's construction program has been the target of several hearings and reports for many years now. They have exposed cost overruns, poor oversight, and a host of management issues. This bill would address some of the issues brought up over this past Congress. I thank Congresswoman Kathleen Rice for her leadership on these issues and for introducing a provision that would require a forensic audit when a project exceeds its authorization by more than 25 percent. H.R. 6416 also ensures that eligible veterans can access mental health care in a manner that honors their obligation not to disclose classified information. I would like to thank Representative Sinema of Arizona for introducing this issue as part of H.R. 421, the Classified Veterans Access to Care Act. In addition, it adds professionals who have a doctoral degree to the list of qualified, VA-licensed mental health counselors. On the issue of veteran homelessness, we all agree that one homeless veteran is one too many. For the past decade, VA has been working diligently to dramatically reduce the homeless population among veterans, and those efforts have been successful--but we can always do more. An important provision of H.R. 6416, introduced by Representative Hahn of California, would help many of our women veterans by expanding the definition of ``homeless veteran.'' This will ensure that veterans who are victims of domestic violence are able to access emergency housing and are not penalized under the law. Mr. Speaker, as we move forward, I want to acknowledge that, while H.R. 6416 does indeed do a number of good things to help veterans, there is still much more that we need to do. I know that finding ways to pay for new programs without cutting existing support for veterans has been one of our biggest challenges in this Congress, but I look forward to working with our Members and our colleagues across the aisle to advance big policy issues that will help millions of veterans, issues such as appeals reform, leasing and provider agreements, and caregiver support. Once again, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 6416. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Maine (Ms. Pingree).

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. McNerney), my good friend and a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Titus), the ranking member of the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, before I close, I want to just add how proud I am that we got this bill over the finish line, working together with the majority, working together with the stakeholders. I want to give special words of gratitude to the staff in my office and the staff on the Veterans' Affairs Committee for working extra hours to get this bill done. This makes enormous sense to do, and it should have been done sooner, but I am very glad we could get it done in this Congress. I look very much forward to working with Dr. Roe in the next Congress to do similar bills and bills of greater magnitude in the future. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this legislation. I urge my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 4150, as amended. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Ruiz), my good friend who is an emergency room physician and a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 4150, as amended, introduced by my very good friend, the gentleman from California (Mr. Ruiz). This legislation will improve the recruitment and retention of medical professionals at the Department of Veterans Affairs. H.R. 4150, as amended, allows the VA to arrange flexible physician work schedules to allow for the staffing and full implementation of a hospitalist physician system and to accommodate the unusual work schedule requirements for emergency medicine physicians. We all recognize the need for flexibility when working the rigorous and irregular hours that are routinely required of emergency medicine doctors. Giving the VA the ability to have flexible working hours that best suit the demand for delivering health care to the veterans who rely on those doctors just makes sense. The current 80-hour, biweekly pay period limitation for these doctors creates challenges at the VA medical centers to adequately and sensibly staff the emergency rooms. Generally, most healthcare providers work a traditional 40-hour workweek. However, for hospitalists and emergency room physicians, they may need to work more than that in a week to provide safe, quality health care to veterans who seek services at the VA. Ensuring access to care for veterans has been a major focus of this committee's, and this bill will help to eliminate the access barrier and provide a more efficient and effective way to ensure that the emergency rooms across the VA healthcare system are ready to take care of our veterans. Importantly, the bill also includes protections for physicians by requiring their consent before they can move to the flexible schedule. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation and join me in passing S. 3076. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of S. 3076, the Charles Duncan Buried with Honor Act, which expands the cemetery burial options offered by the VA to the families of financially insolvent veterans and to those with no identifiable next of kin. I thank my friend, the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee chairman, Dr. Wenstrup, for sponsoring this bill in the House. We who serve on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee hear over and over how important it is to the families of many veterans that they be buried near loved ones and near home. This is particularly true in rural areas where the option of burial in a national veterans' cemetery within a manageable travel distance is frequently not an option. Under current law, indigent veterans and those with no next of kin are eligible for reimbursement rates of $2,421 for caskets or $244 for urns when buried in a national cemetery. However, if a State or a tribal cemetery that is supported by grants from the VA is geographically closer to the veteran's home and is preferable to the veteran or to the family, burial there is not currently allowed. The bill before us today provides that choice by broadening the scope of the Dignified Burial and other Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act to include the option of burial in a State or a tribal cemetery for which the Department of Veterans Affairs has provided a grant. Mr. Speaker, this bill enjoys the support of the American Legion. It makes good sense and ensures that we are doing everything in our power to provide the greatest honor and comfort for veterans and their families. I urge my colleagues to support it. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. Before I close, I want to offer a word of praise and affection for my good friend Dr. Benishek for his long service to this body and to the committee. I also want to congratulate his intrepidity for saying the word ``intrepidity'' on the floor of the House. I am very pleased to support this legislation, and I encourage my colleagues to join me in passing S. 3492. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in support of this legislation sponsored by my colleague, Dr. Benishek. This bill will name the Traverse City, Michigan, Community-Based Outpatient Clinic the Colonel Demas T. Craw VA Clinic. Colonel Craw had a distinguished military career. He dropped out of high school to enlist in the Army during World War I. He was furloughed and discharged when the war ended, but he soon reenlisted. After being promoted to corporal, he continued to work to advance in the Army. He earned an appointment to West Point in 1920 and graduated in 1924 as a second lieutenant. After being assigned to the Army Air Corps, then First Lieutenant Craw served around the world and the United States. Upon entering World War II, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and assigned to north Africa in 1942. On his last mission, Colonel Craw volunteered to approach the French forces to negotiate a ceasefire when Allied forces began their assault. Colonel Craw earned the Medal of Honor for his actions on his last mission. As the citation reads: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action above and beyond the call of duty . . . Colonel Craw volunteered to accompany the leading wave of assault boats to the shore and pass through the enemy lines to locate the French commander with a view to suspending hostilities . . . Encountering heavy fire . . . Colonel Craw, accompanied by one officer and one soldier, succeeded in landing on the beach under constant strafing from three enemy planes. Riding toward French headquarters, progress of the party was hindered by fire from U.S. naval guns. Nearing his destination, Colonel Craw was instantly killed by a sustained burst of machine-gun fire at pointblank range from a concealed position near the road. Not only was Colonel Craw awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions, but the officer accompanying him, Major Pierpont M. Hamilton, who was captured before ultimately succeeding in suspending the hostilities, was also awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in this mission. I am honored to support this bill to name the VA facility in Traverse City, Michigan, the Colonel Demas T. Craw VA Clinic. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I have no further speakers. Before I close, I would like to say that I fully appreciate the work of my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Moulton), for the work he has done on this bill and for the way in which he is able to reach out to veterans and those who care for veterans across the country. I am especially pleased that included in this legislation is a specific way to independently assess the off-the-shelf technology as compared to the technology that is being developed in-house at the VA. I think these provisions will ensure that the taxpayer is protected in terms of cost, efficiency, and effectiveness. And, of course, bottom line, this means effectiveness for our veterans. We want to make sure that the best technology is put forward, whether it is in-house or whether it is the off-the-shelf choice, that we have a way to independently verify which is best. I want to encourage all of my colleagues to support this important legislation and join me in passing H.R. 4352. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Moulton).

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4352, as amended, sponsored by my friend, the gentleman from Massachusetts and a veteran himself, Representative Moulton. This important legislation authorizes the VA to administer a pilot program where veterans use an Internet Web site to schedule and confirm medical appointments at medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs. The VA has been working to bring the power of scheduling to veterans since the wait time scandal at the Phoenix VA Medical Center in 2014. The Department of Veterans Affairs had developed and is rolling out the Veterans Appointment Request, otherwise known as VAR, for primary care. This is a mobile application, and the approach will allow veterans to directly schedule or request primary care appointments and request mental health appointments at facilities where they are already receiving care. With the app, veterans can also view appointment details, track the status of requests, send messages about the requested appointments, get notifications about appointments, and cancel most appointments. The VA has also implemented the Audiology and Optometry Direct Scheduling Initiative. This program began as a successful pilot at three sites in 2015 and is now being expanded to all VA medical centers. Veterans can schedule a routine appointment for audiology or optometry directly by calling the scheduling department or by speaking directly with audiology or optometry staff. The covered services include hearing tests, eye exams, vision prescriptions, eyeglass fittings, and other routine appointments. This important legislation will allow veterans to better control their VA experience no matter what services they need. Ensuring veterans are comfortable with the scheduling platform ultimately used is a critical factor. Whether that is a smartphone, Internet Web site or calling directly to make that appointment, the primary consideration is the ease of use by the veteran. The only way to make sure it works is to test it. This legislation will ensure that the technology fits the veteran and also fits the VA. For those reasons, I support this legislation and urge my colleagues to do the same. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. In closing, this is one of the final opportunities that I will have to discuss veterans legislation on the floor with my colleague, Chairman Miller, who appears to have stepped off the floor at the moment. I want to offer my sincere gratitude for his leadership on the committee. I think it is fair to say that we have not always agreed on the best path forward, but I think this bill demonstrates our ability, the ability of this committee to put aside our differences and get things done for America's veterans. The Veterans' Committee has long been a model of bipartisanship at a time where cooperation can be hard to come by. I appreciate the chairman's commitment to continuing that tradition, and I wish him all the best in the next chapter of his career. I have no further speakers, and I do encourage my colleagues to support this legislation and join me in passing H.R. 5399. I yield back the balance of my time.