Timothy Walz

Mr. WALZ

Mr. WALZ. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Khanna), a true supporter of veterans and new Member of the House who came with a passion for veterans.

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

Mr. WALZ. Madam Speaker, may I inquire how much time I have left.

Mr. WALZ. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Once again, you heard from members of the committee, and Members of this House about an important piece of legislation. This past Saturday, I had the opportunity to meet with my hometown Guard unit, the 2nd Battalion of the 135th Infantry, the Red Bull Battalion. They came back from a mission in the Sinai. When they left to go to the Sinai, because of the 12304(b) orders that were in there, they were not eligible for certain benefits. The entire time they were deployed, they continued to call and asked what was happening on the bill. On Saturday, they had just returned, and I was able to tell them that we were going to vote tonight, we were going to move this thing, and that their questions had been responded to. So, retroactively, we were able to get this back to 2013. There are lots of good things in here that I think, as people spend a little more time on this, they will see, smart stuff. Generations of veterans have contributed to our country and bettered themselves through the GI Bill. It is one of those things that a grateful nation does, an earned benefit that has been improved with time. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the passage of H.R. 3218, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 282. This is a commonsense bill. It has received bipartisan support as it moved through the committee. It simplifies the process for a spouse of a servicemember to choose and change their State of residency for tax and voting purposes. The bill is about removing additional headaches from servicemembers' lives and doing right by them. There are enough issues being a member of the military and for spouses and family. We don't need to add more to it. This is a smart piece of legislation. It does exactly what it says it is going to do, and I support and encourage all Members to join me in support. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I again urge Members to support this smart piece of legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 1058, as amended. The VA Provider Equity Act is a commonsense solution to a really important problem that is plaguing the VHA--a shortage of healthcare providers. This legislation would allow VHA to attract the talented and experienced podiatrists it needs to better treat conditions caused by lower extremity injuries. By allowing podiatrists the opportunity to advance within the VHA while earning pay comparable to what private sector podiatrists earn, VHA can better attract and retain these providers. I appreciate the gentleman from Ohio, Dr. Wenstrup's, work highlighting this, educating all of us on the committee, and making sure that the treatments of podiatrists between VHA and the private sector industry is aligned. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this good piece of legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, again, this is a smart piece of legislation. I thank the gentleman from Ohio for his work on this. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 1058, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. WALZ

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2006, the VA Procurement Efficiency and Transparency Act. This legislation will require VA to record any costs or savings it incurs as a result of using competitive procedures. The reporting requirement is limited to contracts reported in the Federal procurement data system and will ensure increased transparency in the VA. It also requires VA to use standardized contracting templates throughout the entire VA. This will create an efficient system for VA contracting officers so they are not wasting man-hours developing multiple documents to award VA contracts. Anyone who has been a Member of Congress and has dealt with VA contracts knows how difficult, confusing, and just, quite honestly, frustrating this is. So having standardized forms will improve oversight of these contracts so that all VA employees and contractors follow the same requirements for the same type of contract. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this smart legislation, efficiency in government, and help provide care in a more timely manner. Mr. Speaker, I urge its support, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Yes, Mr. Speaker, I was in the Lutheran hymnal and not the Baptist. I apologize to the gentlewoman, and the next time I ask my 10-year-old to not be on his phone, I will be duly chastised. Mr. Speaker, I do rise in support of H.R. 1690. The gentlewoman is right. It is smart. The public demands transparency. Make sure that there is an accountability in this, and make sure that we are tracking. So I thank the gentlewoman for her tolerance of us getting ahead of ourselves. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this piece of legislation also, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. WALZ

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 1848, as amended, the Veterans Affairs Medical Scribe Pilot Act of 2017, offered by Chairman Roe. No one knows more about this, and I appreciate the chairman's education that goes into learning about the practice of medicine. Having a physician as the chairman is invaluable. This issue of scribes and how it interfaces with the doctor providing the care and the electronic medical record has been invaluable for me to understand. I know that the chairman and many physicians have said they feel they are spending too much time entering the data and not enough time on patients. Chairman Roe's legislation would allow for the use of scribes within the VA during a 2-year pilot program. It has been proven to assist physicians and alleviate administrative burdens. This is smart stuff, again. I appreciate the insight brought to us and making more efficiencies in the system. Mr. Speaker, I urge support of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this piece of legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. WALZ

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2749, as amended, the Protecting Business Opportunities for Veterans Act. I thank General Bergman and Ms. Kuster of New Hampshire for introducing this. The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations has worked hard to ensure that our service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses are provided the protections and support they need from the VA to remain competitive in the Federal contracting process. Congress granted Federal Government contracting preferences to small businesses owned by veterans and service-disabled veterans because we want our veteran entrepreneurs to thrive. This bill, introduced by Representatives Bergman and Kuster, closes a loophole utilized by some that pass through contracts to non-veteran- owned businesses. This practice is unfair to the thousands of small- business owners who are actually serving and owned by service-disabled veterans who play by the rules. The bill ensures that only our veteran entrepreneurs get this preference by closing the loophole. It is smart, it is the right thing to do, and I urge its passage. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this good piece of legislation that is doing the right thing, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. WALZ

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2781. As said, the bill would require the VA Secretary and the General Services Administration to increase the number of veteran-owned small businesses and service- disabled veteran-owned small businesses on the Federal Strategic Sourcing Initiative. The Federal Strategic Sourcing Initiative increases cost savings, value, and socioeconomic participation for the sourcing of government contracts and ensures that our government has a community of businesses to strategically source from. Ensuring more veteran-owned small business and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses are on the Federal Strategic Sourcing Initiative means that taxpayer dollars are spent on contracts that add value to the U.S. Government, at the same time supporting veteran-owned businesses--smart legislation, again, the right thing to do. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this piece of legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Panetta), one of the coauthors of this bill and a veteran himself and a champion of veterans since he has been in Congress.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. Again, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2781. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. WALZ

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I would like to associate myself with the chairman's remarks, especially the thanks of all the people involved in this. I think, Mr. Speaker, this is the third time we have come to this body this Congress, as the chairman and the ranking member of the VA Committee, as fellow veterans, as friends and American citizens, on issues of utmost importance to our veterans. We do have a constituency. We do have a special interest group that we look out for: America's veterans. Those 18 groups, plus millions of Americans across this country, their collective voices through their organizations, through the Disabled American Veterans, through The American Legion, articulate every Congress in front of us what their top priorities are. This year, they came in front of us and said the three things that Congress needs to get done, needs to get right, and needs to get moving as soon as possible in this 2-year period that we have is: appeals reform, choice extension of care in the community, and an accountability bill. Well, I am proud to say this is the third of those three. The other two have moved here in a bipartisan manner. In the climate that we are in, and the uncertainty that the American public is feeling--quite honestly, probably the frustration they feel with this body--I think it is important to note that none of those things were easy lifts, none of them were locked in, and many of them contained things that were pretty ideologically polarizing. Chairman Roe, through his leadership and with the professional staff, was able to navigate to get to that point that the top priority and focus was care for veterans--making sure that care is delivered in a timely manner; making sure those delivering the care are the best possible; and, as the chairman said, if they are doing their job, they are afforded their constitutional rights and appeals. If they are not, I agree with the chairman, they should be removed as quickly as possible. They should certainly not be rewarded for that. That strengthens the VA. That strengthens those good employees. Again, keep this in mind: This is the second largest agency in the Federal Government. It has a $190 billion budget. It has 350,000-plus employees. It is an issue that unites us and that Americans are passionate about. So we stand before you today with an issue that is unified, as Americans, as accountability. Certainly, the examples that Chairman Roe mentioned, no one is going to defend those. I am pleased because I think the chairman clearly understands that every time one of those issues goes unaddressed in a timely manner, it hurts the morale of the entire agency and erodes trust in the system by Americans. Those veterans who use the VA system know they are getting quality care. On any given day, tens of thousands of appointments and procedures are being carried out in the most professional manner. All of that is undermined if a bad employee is allowed to not live up to those standards. So I am pleased to say that I am in full support of this piece of legislation. The way this was done is the way we are taught in school how it is supposed to work. We debate, we send something there, we don't agree, then we let the Senate do that. We all work together to get something. We bring back that little, I am just a bill sitting on Capitol Hill. Now it is back over here. It is not perfect in everyone's mind, but it is certainly perfect in terms of how legislation is done and reaching those goals. Everyone compromised. I think the chairman needs to be singled out on this. I thank him for commenting about Chairman Miller. We had Mike Michaud on our side work on that, too. Others have been here and done it, but we needed someone to get it over the line. The three pieces I mentioned--appeals, choice, and accountability-- are certainly things that were on everybody's mind. All three are going to pass through this House. Just a couple of notes on this. This does maintain due process protections for employees, and I support that. I hope we can come together and pass the compromise piece. The bill promotes accountability by giving the VA the tools it needs to hold bad employees accountable, while maintaining those constitutional-mandated workplace rights. At this point, I would say that Secretary Shulkin has earned the trust of, certainly, this committee, certainly of the veterans service organizations, and I would say, if you don't know, the American people. He has asked for some of these things. I take that very seriously. If he says this will add to accountability, if he says this will make his job better in delivering care for veterans, that weighs heavily. He asked us for these things. He asked and was part of making that. We should be grateful that he is willing to work with Congress. It also requires VA to evaluate supervisors based on their protection of whistleblowers. This commonsense provision aligns the incentives for supervisors to protect whistleblowers when they shed light on dangerous situations and problematic employees at the agency. I want to be clear: we don't support collective bargaining rights just because it is a union issue that we think should be there, those of us who ideologically believe workplace protections allow for a larger voice and protect good employees who are pointing out bad behavior from being arbitrarily fired without a collective will to fight back. One person in a manager's office with no support or no legal right is a very dangerous situation. One employee being backed by workplace guarantees and their union collectively bargained rights helps make us stronger. The bill requires the VA to improve its training regarding whistleblower disclosures. This is a really key piece. We want to ensure there are no excuses for employees at the VA to not know how to handle protected disclosures. Proper training will be a key to ensure all employees and not just supervisors understand the importance. No matter what this bill does, it would be hard to support if it didn't do the things the chairman said. It does protect those constitutional rights. It maintains all existing due process protections in current law by ensuring there is notice and an opportunity to respond before an employee is fired. The bill even improves the appeals process by requiring the VA to provide an employee with the complete evidence file when they are fired, thereby empowering them to appeal sooner. If someone is wrongfully accused of wrongdoing, now they are going to see and have the entire file. We are just asking that they do it sooner. If someone commits one of the acts that the chairman talked about, it is indefensible for it to take 6 months or a year to have it adjudicated. We certainly want them to have a fair due process, but, again, if we are waiting to get that done, that is holding a position for someone else that could be serving veterans. It also keeps an employee under the cloud of not getting it done and moving on. If they are innocent, we want to move it on as quickly as possible. We do not jeopardize or change any of their appeal process to come back. Now is the time to bring real, long-lasting constitutional accountability measures to the Department of Veterans Affairs. I would hope we could come together to pass this. Again, the entire goal of all of the people involved with this was to improve the care for this Nation's veterans, ensuring people's rights to be heard, and a fair due process if they are accused of something, but with the intention that if you are not serving our veterans in the manner that you should, then there are other places you should work. This ensures that those tools are there. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.