good to see you. how are you? how have you been? good. my mom's for liberty here, i love it. [indiscernable]

>> and we're going to leave this to fulfill our more than 40-year commitment to live coverage of congress. the u.s. house is about to gavel in to debate six bills. you're watching live coverage here on c-span. es objected to under clause 6 of rule 20.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from missouri seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 1076 the preventing of illegal synthetic drugs act as amended. the clerk: h.r. 1076, a bill to require the comptroller general

of the united states to carry out a study into the trafficking of the united states of illicit finance and illicit drugs and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from missouri, mr. luetkemeyer, and the gentleman from colorado, ms. peterson, each will control 20 minutes. mr. luetkemeyer: i ask members may have five days to include extraneous remarks and i yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise in support of h.r. 1076 preventing the financing of illegal synthetic drugs act. as we are aware, fentanyl is a poison affecting everyone. this is 50 times more potent than hernan 100 times more potent than morphine.

two milligrams is enough to be lethal. members like congresswoman de la cruz hit the ground running. this is the life blood that keeps the fentanyl business model going. as we heard in the financial services committee hearing titled "following the money" sustaining the command and control, personnel, arms, communications, logistics and organized crime groups. following the money trail can disrupt and these. and this is attacking the fentanyl crisis including unsecured border. we can only address what is in our jurisdiction and that is its financing. congresswoman de la cruz's study

will inform on the next best step to disrupt drug financing. i urge my colleagues to support this bill and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from missouri reserves. the gentlewoman from colorado is recognized. ms. pettersen: i rise in support of preventing the financing of illegal synthetic drugs act sponsored by representative de la cruz. thanks to collaboration, this bill offers a well written study focused on the financing and proceeds of the synthetic drug trade. by following the money behind the drug trade, we are able to understand the traffickers' operations and improve our ability to disrupt their abilities. the effects of the trafficking has been staggering.

deaths increased by 22% resulting in the deaths of more than 100,000 people of our family members and our neighbors. 20222 there were nonfatal overdoses. in 2021, the overdose death rates increased 49% for blacks and native americans. combatting is one of the reasons and like too many americans my family has been impacted. my mom's addiction began with the overprescription which led to hernan fentanyl when it started taking over the drug supply chain in 2016. unfortunately, my mom's story is not unique in jefferson county, in colorado or in this country. the opioid ep deem is more and

more potent. it is going to take an all-hands on deck to stop fentanyl and other opioids. and ensuring that we understand the drug networks is a critical tool to protect american lives. this will not solve the issue. we need to do more to increase for treatment and recovery services and need to do more to help support the work force shortages. we need to crack down on social media companies that are permitting the sale of illegal drugs to young americans and the financial systems has the tools to break up the drug trafficking rings. as a member of the house financial services committee, i leveraging every tool at our disposal to pursue the traffickers of illicit drugs and

i advocate for every individual and family that will suffer from misguided drug policies to have the support that they need. i urge my fellow members to vote for this needed trafficking study bill and i urge them to consider we must take the time to learn lessons of the past epidemic and take further steps to eliminate counter productive policies. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from colorado reserves. the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: i would like to yield to the sponsor of the bill, the newest dynamic member of our committee, ms. de la cruz from texas. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized.

ms. de la cruz: i thank the gentlemanfrom missouri and his broad leadership of the financial services subcommittee on national security. mr. speaker, according to the c.d.c., over 107,000 americans died from drug overdoses or drug poisonings in the 12-month period since january, 2022. 67% of those deaths involved synthetic drugs. which is 50 times stronger than hernan 100 times stronger than morphine. last year, a county that sits in my district made history at the u.s.-mexico border. these include 1.5 million in

january, 2022 and 330,000 in june. these numbers are staggering. according to law enforcement, illicit investments of 30,000 or less could yield $6 million to $32 million. we must tackle the financing. as the addage goes, follow the money. this money fuels the operations of the cartels that are poisoning our families. my bill, the preventing the financing of illegal synthetic drugs act will help law enforcement pinpoint the business model of how the traffickers, how they move and hide their profits and what the u.s. can do to stop fentanyl

money laundering. money laundering. to end this carnage that's taking so many lives in south texas and across america we must track down the funds that fuel it. thank you, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado is recognized. the gentleman from missouri reserves. mr. luetkemeyer: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from colorado is recognized. ms. petr issen: -- ms. pettersen: i yield to the gentlewoman from ohio, mrs. beatty, such time as she may consume. the speaker: the gentlewoman is recognized. -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. beatty: thank you. first let me thank the gentlelady for yielding. i am pleased to rise in support of the preventive of financing

of illegal -- preventing the financing of illegal synthetic drugs act, h.r. 1076. as the ranking member of the subcommittee of national security, illicit finance and international financial institutions, our jurisdiction tends to focus abroad, mr. speaker. but make no mistake. the epidemic of synthetic drug overdoses impacts each and every congressional district and every community throughout our country. for example, in ohio. i would like to share that ohio, which we are not proud of, ranks third in the overall number of drug overdose deaths. and according to the center for disease control and prevention, over 107,000 people in the united states die from drug overdoses or drug poisoning in

the most recent study over the past 12 months. 5,000 of those individuals were right there in my district. let me also share as my colleague and our chair of the committee has stated to us, under the bill, the g.a.o. would examine these illicit financial flows from and to foreign nations. including china. and will review the business of the trafficking of synthetic drugs and related illicit finance, such as participation in transnational criminal organizations and behaviors. so if we're going to sthoap flow of illicit drugs, like fentanyl and meth, and the tragic loss of lives that they bring with them, then we need to know more about the who, the where, and the how the illegal trafficking trade is

taking place. and that is why i am honored to support what i'm going to call a commonsense, bipartisan piece of legislation. and again, i want to thank the chair and certainly our committee and our ranking member of the financial services and the bill spon -- bill's sponsors. i urge my colleagues to join in support. thank you and i yield back. ms. pettersen: i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from colorado reserves. the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from colorado is recognized. ms. pettersen: thank you, mr. speaker. i have no further speakers and am prepared to close if the gentleman from missouri has no further speakers. mr. luetkemeyer: i have no further speakers. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from colorado is

recognized. ms. pettersen: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself the balance of the time. i thank representative de la cruz for her collaboration on this bill. together we can better understand the financing of drug trafficking and how the traffickers move and hide their proceeds. doing so will help congress and other policymakers to better disrupt their operations, protecting americans from the deadly harm they cause across the country. i again encourage my colleagues to support this bill and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank the bill's son cor, ms. de la cruz, and the gentlelady from ohio have both arctic pated -- articulated the need for this bill. i urge support for it. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 1076 as amended.

o'o'. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative -- the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. >> mr. speaker, i request a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having risen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from missouri seek recognition? mr. luetkemeyer: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 1156, the china financial threat

mitigation act as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the by the clerk: h.r. 1156, a bill to require the secretary of the treasury to conduct a study and report on the exposure of the united states to the financial sector of the people's republic of china and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from missouri, mr. luetkemeyer, and the gentlewoman from colorado, ms. pettersen, each will control 0 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from missouri. mr. luetkemeyer: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this bill. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. luetkemeyer: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: i rise in support of h.r. 1156, the china financial threat mitigation act. that is a measure that originated in the financial services committee where it was first introduced by our former colleague, anthony gonzalez of ohio.

i'm pleased to see his oco-sponsor, ms. spanberger, continue to champion the measure this congress. the china financial threat mitigation act is based on the notion that china's financial system is so opaque it may hide risks for the global economy to which we are not aware. the bill requires the treasury secretary to study and report on these risks so we can take effective countermeasures. as we all know, china has been cracking down on western firms and executives due to fears that the private sector's information gathering and due diligence efforts pose a threat to the chinese communist party. the c.c.p. clearly views transparency as inconsistent with its self-interest. this should alarm us all. due to the state-owned nature of many chinese financial institutions, there are fewer market signals that can alert to us problems in time and the central government may be on the hook for liabilities of unknown scope. the financial stability oversight council touched on the possibility of risks in the

country, including those rising from china's housing sector, but these have been broad brushed efforts. we need to dig deeper and that is what the reporting in this legislation will require. i urge my colleagues to support this measure and with that, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from missouri reserves. the gentlewoman from colorado is recognized. ms. pettersen: thank you. i yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise in support of h.r. 1156, the china financial threat mitigation act of 2023, sponsored by representative spanberger of virginia. it is crucial we closely monitor any risk to our financial system in an economy that may arise from the financial sector and economy of the people's republic of china. our financial regulators have already raised concerns about such risks. for example, the financial stability oversight council highlighted in their 2022 report that, quote, difficulties in the real estate sector could cause strains across china's financial

system including at banks, nonbanks, corporate bond marks and local government finances, end quote. however, further analysis is needed as china's size and interconnectedness with the global economy may pose risks to the united states if those kinds of risks spill over. h.r. 1156 would require a comprehensive report by our treasury department looking at these different types of financial risks. in consultation with relevant agencies to better inform congress and provide actionable information to our representatives to various financial bodies to mitt gate these risks. ranking member waters was pleased to work with chair mchenry last congress to advance this bipartisan bill through the house. i join her in hoping that we can pass this bill again with the support of the senate so this work can begin quickly. i urge my colleagues to support this bill and i reserve the plans of my time. -- the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from colorado

reserves. the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: i'd like to recognize for as much time as he may consume, the gentleman from texas oirk baseball coach who has distinguished himself not only here in congress but also on the baseball field, mr. williams. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. williams: thank you, mr. chairman, and mr. speaker, for that great introduction. china is attempting to weaken our country in any way possible. the interference and aggression coming from the chinese communist party poses a significant threat to our family, businesses, and country. the c.c.p.'s track record of aburgs financial system is jeopardizing our national and economic security. h.r. 1156, the china financial threat mitigation act requires the department of treasury to report on the risk coming from the chinese financial sector, along with the recommendations on strengthening international cooperation to monitor and mitigate these risks. our top priority should always be to protect our western values and promote the greatest country

in the world in the interest of the united states. my bill is a critical step in holding the c.c.p. accountable for their continued abuse of the fps cial sector. i urge my colleagues to support this important piece of legislation. in god we trust. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from missouri reserves. the gentlewoman from colorado is recognized. ms. pettersen: thank you. i yield to the gentlewoman from ohio, mrs. beatty, as much time as she may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. beatty: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd like to thank the gentlewoman for yielding and i am pleased to rise in support of the china financial threat mitigation act, or h.r. 1156. certainly i agree with my colleague and friend across the aisle that we need to dig deeper and also we understand that, yes, china is trying to weaken our country. because of its size and deep connection to the global economy, the people's republic

of china represents a potential threat to our economy and our financial system. we must have a clear picture of the systemic risks we face so we can respond appropriately to safeguard our economic interests and mitt gate these threats. this is a bipartisan bill. and it will require the treasury department to study and issue and issue a report that analyzes risk to the united states financial stability and the global economy stemming from china. i would like to thank my colleague who is the vice ranking chair of this subcommittee for participating today along with our republican colleagues because as the ranking member of the financial services subcommittee of national security, illicit finance and international financial institutions, this is the right thing to do.

and i am very happy to work across the aisle to address the issues of competitiveness with china. and i urge all the members to support this bipartisan bill. mr. speaker, lastly, i don't think i need to remind us that i think it was almost three times that in the last congress we brought this legislation before and certainly i would like to thank then the congressman from ohio who sponsored this legislation. so thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: thank you. the gentlewoman from colorado reserves. the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: reserve at this time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from colorado is recognized. ms. pettersen: thank you, mr. speaker. i have in fourth speakers and i'm prepared to close if the gentleman from missouri has -- i have no further speakers and i'm prepared to close if the gentleman from missouri has no

further speakers. mr. luetkemeyer: i have no further speakers. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. pettersen: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. pettersen: i commend representative spanberger for her work on these issues and drafting this bipartisan bill. i thank representative williams on the other side of the aisle for working with us democrats on this important legislation this bipartisan work resulted in a vote of 40-0 on this bill during a financial services committee markup earlier this year. i again urge my colleagues to support this bill and i yield back the plans of my time. -- the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from colorado yields. mr. luetkemeyer: i thank the sponsors of this bill for their hard work on this good piece of legislation. they expressed the need for it. i urge adoption of this and i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 1156 as amended. those in favor, say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative the rules are suspended. the bill is passed and without objection -- mr. luetkemeyer: i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: i yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, yeas and nays are ordered pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? >> i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 366. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill.

the clerk: a bill to amend title 38 united statescode to treat certain individuals who served in vietnam as a member of the armed forces of the republicic of korea for purposes of the provision of health care by the department of veterans affairs. pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from illinois, mr. bost and the gentleman from california, mr. takano, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the the chair recognizes the >> they are eligible for v.a. health care.

v.a. has been providing health care services to veterans through government agencies since world war i. these korean-american veterans deserve the same opportunity, they share similar needs with the those they served with. they suffer from ptsd among other injuries and illness dances they have earned access to pro care. ranking member takano's bill will do exactly that. many of the 70th anniversary of the vitally important alliance between the u.s. and republic of korea. this bill is a fitting tribute to thank the veterans for their service and i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 366. and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois reserves. the gentleman from california is

recognized. mr. takano: thank you, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized mr. takano: i rise in support of my bill, h.r. 366, the korean-american valor act. i am proud to have sponsored this legislation which will provide eligibility for v.a. health care to veterans who served in the armed forces in the republic of korea asal guys of the united states during the vietnam war who have become naturalized citizens. this year marks the 70th anniversary of the korean-american alliance. last month during his visit to washington d.c., the president addressed a joint session of congress and reflected on how to serve safeguard and freedom. following the korean war, the united states and the republic

of korea signed a mutual defense treaty on october 1, 1953. it has been called the alliance forged in blood. in part, out of gratitude for the service and sacrifices made by americans during the korean war. the republic of korea has aided the united states in every war since the vietnam war. between 1965 and 1973, south korea sent more than 320,000 troops to fight along side u.s. servicemembers in vietnam, the largest contingent of any u.s. ally. more than 5,000 south korean troops died in the vietnam war and 11,000 were injured. veterans who served in the armed forces during the vietnam war and later became u.s. citizens

are living today. my legislation would provide some measure of long overdue parity for korean-vietnam veterans. under this bill, the united states and the republic of korea will establish a reciprocal agreement. korea will reimburse the united states v.a. furnishes to these veterans. in exchange, the united states will reimburse korea for health care it provides to veterans of the united states armed forces residing in korea. such an arrangement is not new. since 1958 since the allied beneficiary program, they have had the authority to treat veterans that were allied with the united states during world war i and world war ii. these veterans did not need to

be united states citizens and v.a. has the authority to treat veterans of any combat era. v.a. furnishes this care through agreements which have been established through the united kingdom, australia, canada and south africa and in 1976, v.a.'s program was extended to those that were in poland during world war i or world war ii who became u.s. citizens. we observed the 50th anniversary of the date the last combat troops left vietnam. it is far past time for our nation to properly honor the service and sacrifice of south koreans who served side-by-side with united states troops during the vietnam war and have since become naturalized u.s. citizens. we must ensure they receive the

same consideration and respect their counterparts have received for generations. the needs of korean-american veterans are no different of those from american veterans, agent orange and complex injuries and mental illness dances they deserve the services and many of them are entering their final years and should not have to wait any longer for this care. so i urge my colleagues, mr. speaker, to support h.r. 366, the korean-american valor act. thank you, mr. speaker. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. bost: i now recognize the gentlewoman from california for two minutes, young kim. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. kim: thank you for yielding and i rise in support of h.r.

366. and i thank ranking member takano for your leadership. during his joint address to congress, south korean president highlighted that during the korean war, korean and american soldiers stood shoulder-to-shoulder and fought bravely. but the korean war was not the last time korean soldiers fought along side american troops. they fought in the vietnam war sharing the same scars from this conflict and many of these korean troops emgrated to the united states and became proud american citizens and i know several of these individuals and i'm grateful for their service. unfortunately, because the united states does not currently have a reciprocal health care agreement with the republic of

korea, these korean americans cannot access health care benefits. this will create a pathway for an agreement to be reached and for the veterans to receive access to v.a. health care. i urge my colleagues to support this legislation. and i yield the balance of my time. mr. bost: reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. takano: i thank the gentlelady from california. i am confident this bill will become law but we wilt need to make sure we work together in a bipartisan way to make sure this agreement finally gets put into effect. i would like to yield three minutes to my good friend who holds a seat on the house budget committee, homeland security and she is a staunch advocate for our military servicemembers and veterans. i now yield to the the

gentlewoman from texas, congresswoman jackson lee, three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from texas is recognized. ms. jackson lee: i thank the gentleman as well for his leadership and years of service he has given to the veterans committee. we could not have a more stalwart champion for the veterans of america. i thank my friends on the other side of the aisle and you have made an important point. it has to be bipartisan and i hope i will lean into the efforts and the bipartisan efforts that need to be done the to make sure it passes but its implementation. i am on homeland security, the budget committee. many times in those committees, we see the concerns of domestic security. we also see the concerns of being effectively utilizing all tools to ensure the proper budget for the people of the

united states of america. i cannot think, as we approach memorial day, and as we commemorate the acknowledgement of asian-americans in this great month of may, interacting with our communities, that we would not find an appropriate time to honor those korean-american soldiers who fought along side of our fellow vietnam soldiers in a battle that was in democracy and protecting the sense of equality and protecting the people of that era and of that war. these soldiers bled. they rescued. they stood in front of our soldiers in terms of being comrades and they saved lives and lost lives. it is important to take note

that members of the armed forces of the republic of korea and veteran of the armed forces of the united states and provisions of health care, i would listen to my vietnam vets. and talking about agent orange and it just seemed it was not being heard. thank goodness we have done many things, agent orange, my tenure as a member of the united states congress, we understood the truth of what veterans say and every time they speak, we should listen. you want to thank them. every speech i make in my community, i ask veterans to rise and say thank you. title 38 is used to retain employees and allows n.i.h. to be competitive with other health care facilities. but this would expand this tore

veterans who served in the armed force is during the vietnam war and became naturalized citizens, almost 3,000. and so this legislation is clearly an evidence of our relationship between the republic of korea -- the speaker pro tempore: time. mr. takano: additional 30 seconds. ms. jackson lee: and the friendship we have established. as we heard the president who spoke to a joint situation just a few weeks ago, he talked about patriotism, democracy and unity of our nations. it is imperative that we support these korean-war vets who stood with us and be able to acknowledge them that they served in vietnam and naturalized citizens and have

evidence of the illness. it is important to call it is important to call the korean american vietnam veteran we want them to get the honor of the korean american valor act. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. bost: thank you, mr. speaker. we do need to remember that this is a perfect weekend, a perfect week to do this, when memorial day is coming up and we are -- we were honored to make sure that these veterans are recognized in the way they should be and that they do receive the health care. with that, i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. takano: i have no further speakers and i'm prepared to close. i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. mr. bost: i have no more speakers, i'm prefaired dloaz as well.

i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. takano: i ask my colleagues to join me in passing h.r. 366, the korean american valor act. might i just add to the chairman's assertion that this is the perfect week to pass this bill, i've already mentioned the 70th anniversary of our historic alliance, but now as we in the indo-pacific must strengthen our alliance, i also want to add my congratulations to both the nations of japan and the republic of korea for making great strides to improve tear relationships and to afford us the opportunity in the trilateral alliance iaamong the united states, japan and korea, south korea, to become stronger allies. and this legislation, i believe, is part of the entire effort to become stronger allies.

what is greatly needed, a greater cooperation in the indo-pacific. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. bost: thank you, mr. speaker. i encourage all our colleagues to support this legislation and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 366. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended. the bill is passed. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? mr. bost: i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1669 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the

clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 48, h.r. 1669, a bill to amend title 3, united states code, to make permanent the high technology pilot proosm the department of veterans affairs and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from illinois, mr. bost, and the gentleman from california, mr. takano, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois. mr. bost: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on h.r. 1669 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. bost: i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker: the gentleman is recognized. mr. bost: i rise today in support of representative ciscomani's bill, h.r. 1669, as amended. it would enhance the program, the vet-tec program at the departmentdepartment of veteran.

the vet-tec program was co-authored by speaker mccarthy and congressman ro khanna, in the forever g.i. bill in 2017. this provides post-9/11 style benefits to veterans so they can attend short-term training that leads to jobs in the information technology sector. the education and employment program has been a wildly successful program. it has helped thousands of veterans not only find a job but a career and a promising future in the technology sector. this program san example of government programs that truly works for our veterans. vet-tec has an 80% graduation rate. a 62% employment rate. and an average salary of $65,000 a year. veterans using this program are going to -- going into careers with the best tech companies in the world. the reason this program works

well as it has, i think, is that the schools only receive the full another. the tuition and fees when the student gets a job in the tech industry. now this level of accountability is honestly something i think we should be looking at all over federal government programs. thousands of veterans achieving their career of their dreams has proven to me that this is time for an expansion of vet-tec. now representatives ciscomani's bill makes important changes to the pilot program to make it even stronger so it can continue to help even more veterans fine their american dream. improving vet-tec program has the full support of the v.a. and many veterans' service organizations. three weeks ago, vet-tec providers told thinks program had run out of funds and they're no longer allowed to accept new students. over 2,500 student veterans will

miss out on the chance for a better career this year if congress sun able to fix this problem. it goes without saying that the time is short and the need to help our veterans continues to -- continues that we should be focusing on this training. even with recorded high inflation and soaring interest rates because of biden administration, veterans using this program have shown that they can still achieve high-paying job. representative ciscomani's bill as amended also includes several other bipartisan bills including general jack bergman's bill, h.r. 234, which would allow survivors of veterans to receive the burial allowance benefits if their loved one passes away at home while receiving v.a. hospice care rather than in a v.a. facility. representative arrington's bill, h.r. 1169, which would also allow veterans to receive their g.i. bill electronic

notifications virtually. representative obernolte's bill, h.r. 746, which would include nondegreed pilot programs into the veteran readiness and employment program. representative van orton's bill, h.r. 1798, which would protect the spouses of service members from g.i. bill debt. and representative kiggans' bill, h.r. 1635, which will eliminate a nearly 70-year-old rule that limits the g.i. bill payment that survivors and dependents receive in the philippines. with the inclusion of these bills, in h.r. 1669, we would make great improvements in how our veterans can use the g.i. bill benefits. i would like to thank the student veterans of american, veterans of foreign war, the american legion, the vet-tec working group, the disabled american veterans for supporting the proposed legislation today

and i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 1669 as amended and with that, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. takano: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. takano: i rise to speak on the vet-tec authorization act of 2023 as amended. in 2020, when our country experienced record unemployment, vet-tec was a bright spot of veteran employment. today, nearly 5,000 veterans have found employment from the program at a salary of over $65,000 a year. today, veterans are employed at record high levels. the biden economy has brought veteran unemployment to the lowest level ever on record. let me say that again.

biden economy has brought veteran unemployment to the lowest level ever on record. the legislation before us adds five more years to the vet-tec program, providing v.a. an additional $337 million to get more veterans hired in the high technology field. this program was created by speaker mccarthy in the forever g.i. bill and i respect the fact that it is a big priority for the speaker and my friend, chairman bost. while i support the legislation, i wish to share my concern about moving a bill with such a large cost when we have so many provisions awaiting action by this congress. the $413 million price tag of this bill dwarfs the costs of many of the bills we must pass to address veteran homelessness. this is an expensive bill in a fiscally uncertain time. and while we all appreciate

veteran employment programs, veteran unemployment is the lowest ever on record. a vet-tec extension is nice to have but with veterans experiencing homelessness and food insecurity, there is action on those programs that we must have. now as ranking member of the committee, i have the responsibility of weighing priorities and choosing between worthy policies that help veterans. i know the chairman and his colleagues on our committee share my goal of ending veteran homelessness. when we consider this legislation in our committee, i offered an amendment to this legislation to make permanent some basic authorities which lowered veteran homelessness by 11% during a public health emergency. this amendment cost only $6 until mandatory spending. last year, the chairman himself

made it clear, and i quote the chairman, no veteran should be without a place to call home, i am glad that the most recent estimate showed fewer veterans living in homeless shelters last year, that's why we must continue our work to ensure that the rubber is meeting the road and every veteran has access to safe, stable housing and the help they need to thrive. end quote. chairman bost is correct. the work must continue. we must continue the ongoing work which has already helped so many veterans and can help so many more. the reason given for not moving this bill was that it implicates the toxic exposure fund or t.e.f. i understand the chairman is concerned about how the congressional budget office scores bills with t.e.f. implications. i am too. i have spoken extensively on

this. however, there has yet to be a solution proposed for the t.e.f. that does not undermine its purpose which is to protect funding for toxics exposed veterans and to acknowledge this as a cost of war. in light of this, i'm asking that as we come together and work on mutual priorities, so that we can responsibly and equitably pass legislation using the limited offsets available to us. i think the chairman believes, as do i, that providing basic needs for homeless veterans deserves to be on that priority list. therefore, i ask my colleague, the chairman, if he will commit to bringing representative cherfilus-mccormick's bill to the floor without delay. i ask will the chairman commit to this and i will yield for a response. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from illinois is recognized.

mr. takano: i was yielding for . the speaker pro tempore: my bad. my mistake. mr. bost: thank you, mr. speaker. while i understand the concerns expressed by the minority i would like to point out that the program has been a huge success in helping veterans gain meaningful employment. we have been very successful in recent years in reducing veteran's unemployment and now is not the time for us to take our foot off the gas. now i believe a successful education program such as

yet the first time i've heard these concerns was late last week. now the bill through regular order as amended was offered for the minority representative mcgarvey to reduce the length of time in the program. that amendment was accepted and is included in the bill. so the length of the program was subject to bipartisan agreement. now i recognize that the minority has valid concerns about spending and limbed resources that we have worked with. the problem was made worse with the passage of the toxic exposure fund, the pact act, that requires mandatory spending for many of the v.a. programs. mr. speaker, i repeat my plea that my friends on the other side of the aisle will join me in developing a resolution to the -- mr. takano: reclaiming my time. i reclaim my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. takano: mr. speaker, i simply mr. takano: i simply ask the gentleman to work with us to bring mrs. cherfilus-mccormick's

bill to the floor. and that's a question that i will yield for an answer. will the gentleman work with us? mr. bost: thank you for yielding. i will address veterans' homeless as i always said i have been. it's very concerning to me. we currently are working on a package to address the issue, but i am not going to pit one group of veterans over another. i would like my friends in the minority to work with me to develop legislation to address the veterans' homeless in a bipartisan, fiscally responsible way over the next few months. so the yes is, yes, we will work with you. but we actually got to sit down and work together to figure out the problem of the expense and knowing how it is and where it is that we make the investment that still balances and that is the answer that i will give to the gentleman. mr. takano: well, mr. speaker, reclaiming my time. i do -- i am grateful that i hear some kernal that they will work with us in a bipartisan

way. he mentioned over the next few months. i can tolerate over the next few months, can we come to an agreement by the fall when the temperatures start to rise but the hot summers in some parts of the country would require us to work more expeditiously. these pandemic authorities expired. these pandemic authorities that expanded our ability to help homeless veterans expired on may 11 and v.a. and its community partners have operated with fewer authorities and less funding to help homeless veterans. v.a.'s ability to quickly bring a veteran in off the streets and to get them the services they need to put them on their way to stable, permanent housing has been greatly diminished. prior to the pandemic we were maintaining the status quo. the number of veterans experiencing homelessness had remained basically stagnant year after year for quite some time. for every veteran housed,

another veteran would fall into homelessness. during the pandemic, we approached the homelessness crisis head-on and with the urgency that it has long deserved. it's incredible to me that we were able to reduce homelessness during covid-19 by 11%. during the darkest days of that pandemic, v.a. actually reduced homelessness by 11%. it permanently housed over 40,000 veterans last year alone. we knows these authorities ex-alrated v.a.'s -- accelerated v.a.'s ability to address homelessness. i am pleased to hear the chairman wants to work together to extend these authorities and get homeless veterans into housing. i say let's prioritize h.r. 645 in the coming days, not the coming months, and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. bost: thank you, mr. speaker. i will and we will work on this priority. you see, what we can do is chew

gum and walk at the same time, and that means we can go ahead and not only work on homelessness but also this bill, as important as it is. i appreciate the gentleman's concern, but believe me, our side of the aisle has just as much concern about our homeless veterans. with that i'd like to yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from illinois, ms. -- iowa, representative miller-meeks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from iowa is recognized. mrs. miller-meeks: thank you, mr. speaker and thank you, chairman bost, for yielding time. vet tech is a pilot program that started under president trump and was led by speaker mccarthy. let me repeat that. vet tech is a highly popular and successful program that was started under president trump. that allows eligible veterans to use g.i.-style benefits to attend innovative job training programs to prepare them for

future employment in the technology industry. they can dget training for computer training, data processing, information science and media applications. in addition to which, employment may help prevent and treat homelessness. 62% employment, 65,000 years average salary. i'm grateful my colleague, representative ciscomani, introduced this legislation that will help grow our economy and get veterans back to work. as a physician, it's no small aside that the dignity of work and having a purpose in life may also help improve mental health which may also help improve homelessness. the vet tech authorization act proves our commitment, not only to maintaining funding levels, but increasing support for veterans. last congress, i led legislation to extend this important program, and i'm proud to support this legislation today. this program has been widely popular and successful, and this is exactly the type of

taxpayer-funded program that we can all support. i urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this important legislation. thank you and i yield back. mr. bost: reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from iowa yields. the gentleman from illinois reserves. and the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. takano: mr. speaker, i have no further speakers, and i'm prepared to close. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. bost: thank you, mr. speaker. at this time i'd like to yield three minutes to the gentleman from arizona, the sponsor of the main part of this bill, representative ciscomani. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona is recognized. mr. ciscomani: thank you, mr. speaker. and thank you, chairman bost, for yielding me time to talk about this important bill. i'm grateful of my bill, h.r. 1669, the vet tech authorization act, is being considered today on the house floor. this bipartisan effort would extend the invaluable program for our veterans.

the veteran tech program. it allows eligible veterans to gain experience and training in high-demand tech jobs. since the start of the vet tech program in 2019, introduced by speaker mccarthy, over 12,000 veterans have completed the program in areas like computer programming, software, software development, data processing, and other in-demand careers. this is crucial to strengthening our american workforce while enabling our vets to have a clear shot at the american dream. a dream they have fought to protect for so many of us. of the veterans that completed the program, 62% got a career with an average salary of around $65,000 a year. these results show the program works and by extending the

program will ensure veterans will be able to participate in the program in the coming years. not only is this program beneficial for our veterans but it is crucial for our employers as well. we need a skilled workforce working in the tech industry, and our veterans are the perfect fit. i am proud to have partnered with chairman bost and congressman khanna on this legislation, and i look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure that men and women who served our country can continue to grow in the civilian workforce as well. i urge all my colleagues to vote yes on this bill today. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona yields. the gentleman from illinois reserves. and the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. takano: mr. speaker, i retract my comments about having no further speakers. i have an additional speaker. at this time i yield one minute to my good friend and colleague from my home state of california who serves on the armed services

and oversight committee, the gentleman from california, mr. khanna. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. khanna: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you, representative takano, for your leadership. and i'm glad that veterans can still bring this house together. i was honored to work with speaker mccarthy back in 2017 on the pilot program, which has been a resounding success to provide veterans who serve this nation with the technology skills so they can get jobs when they're back in the united states. there was an 84% graduation rate. 12,000 veterans have been helped by this program. and the average salary was $65,000. these are the types of things that we need to do in the house, bringing the house together to actually improve veterans' lives. i appreciate representative ciscomani's leadership, and i look forward to this program being permanent and hopefully expanded so veterans who serve

our nation, who do the highest duty have the opportunity to have secure livings when they're back at home. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california yields. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. takano: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. bost: mr. speaker, at this time i yield three minutes to the gentleman from michigan, general bergman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. bergman: thank you, mr. chairman, for all the support, for these bills that not only make life better for the vetbut also for their -- veterans but also for their families. i rise in support of 1669, the vet-tec authorization act, which, as amended, includes the text of legislation i originally introduced as h.r. 234, gerald's law. gerald's law was drafted and introduced on behalf of gerald elliott, a u.s. army veteran and a resident of the upper peninsula of michigan as well as on behalf of his family and the thousands of other veterans like

him. a life-long uper, jerry was part of the american legion post and an active volunteer for the u.p. honor flight. after a cancer diagnosis in 2019, gerald received his care at the iron mountain v.a. as the disease progressed and he was placed on hospice care, he decided to go home to enjoy his final days with his family. following his death, jerry's family discovered that even though he received hospice care through the v.a., his family did not qualify for burial benefits after his death. and that's burial benefits for jerry himself. that's because under current law v.a. hospice care provided at home does not qualify as a death under v.a. care and is therefore not covered under the nonservice-connected burial and plot benefit.

as a result of this quirk, if a veteran with a terminal illness wants the full burial benefit, they would be forced to die in a hospital or nursing home under the v.a. auspices instead of transferring to home hospice care. this is just a -- i'm sure a mistake and an injustice that is just unacceptable and unconscionable. no veteran should worry about losing v.a. benefits for their family when choosing to spend their final days in the comfort of their own home. gerald's law will address this by extending v.a. burial allowance eligibility to veterans whose passing occurs at home while receiving v.a. hospice care if they were previously receiving v.a. hospital or nursing home care. i am thankful for the house v.a. committee for their work to assist the thousands of veterans and family members being denied benefits due to this legislative

oversight. h.r. 1669, which includes gerald's law and other bipartisan, commonsense reforms, was approved unanimously by the committee in april. i urge every member of congress, every member of the house to support its passage on the house floor today, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan yields. mr. bost: thank you, mr. speaker. we have no more speakers and i'm ready to close and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. takano: mr. speaker, i have no further speakers, but let me before i reserve the balance of my time, i want to commend general bergman for the section of the vet-tec bill, which includes addressing this issue related to burials and the cost that the veteran's family has to bear. i find it peculiar that the

majority would take pains to include this legislation, which i have no quarrel with and support, but could not deal with and chose not to deal with the expiring authorities to deal with our homeless veterans. americans care deeply about the homeless veterans in our country, are offended that we would have anybody who wore the uniform of the united states be homeless and so there are elements to this bill that came up in markup. they brought a bill to the floor, the vet-tec bill, which includes many elements, but they specifically chose to leave out addressing the expiring authorities of -- that we've used to bring down homelessness by 11%. i'm afraid we're going to lose the momentum. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. bost: thank you, mr.

speaker. mr. speaker, one thing that needs to be very, very clear, the bergman amendment, the bergman bill does not have a t.e.f. issue, the toxic exposure fund issue. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. takano: thank you, mr. speaker. i realize the chairman has -- and all of us in the veteran space have had our differences with the way the c.b.o. scores the t.e.f., but i would assert that we cannot -- we cannot use that as an excuse for why we don't address veteran homelessness. . look, this bill, the expansion of the veteran tech -- vet-tec as a program is to the tune of

nearly a half a billion dollars. $413 million. at a time when my colleagues on the other side are looking to make draconian cuts, draconian cuts to the nondefense side of the leger, which veterans do fall within, they are expanding a program that addresses veteran employment at a time when veteran employment is at its lowest. i ask, what i want to compare is the $6 million compared to the near half a billion dollars that the republicans want to expand this program by. i too stand behind veteran employment programs and effective ones, at that. but should we be expanding it and authorizing for five years this program, vet-tec, when we're allowing a $6 million program to care for homeless

veterans, to get them off the streets, should we be allowing that to expire? it's a rather rich situation that my colleagues want to expand spending, spend more on a program whose urgency is really in question. because the biden economy, as i have explained, has brought veteran unemployment to its lowest levels ever, but they want to expand spending in that program by an enormous amount, but yet they want to eliminate $6 million in authorizations to take care of our homeless veterans. this makes no sense at all to me. with that, i support the chairman's bill, but i hope he will work with us to solve this problem in the matter of days, not month -- in a matter of days, not months. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california yields back. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. bost: thank you, mr. speaker. and i am going to say a couple things that i've said on this house floor before and i'm going say them again.

the gentleman referred to us cutting veterans issues. actually, we're increasing, over the president's budget. we'll get more into that later this week in committee. but let me also say this. speaker, i've repeated -- i'll repeat my plea right now. that our friends on the other side of the aisle will join me in developing a solution to an issue that he has decided is not anything more than a political ploy to try to say words that we are going to cut benefits by straightening this problem out. and we are not, we will not, let me say this again on this floor, veterans are not being cut. period. this is a good piece of legislation. it's bipartisan. i would encourage all of the people on our side of the aisle and on both sides of the aisle to support this legislation. and with that, i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 1669, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, -- mr. bost: mr. speaker, i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from -- mr. bost: i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? mr. bost: thank you, mr. speaker. i move to suspend the rules and pass s. 777.

the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: senate 777. an act to increase, effective as of december 1, 2023, the rates of compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for survivors of certain disabled veterans and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from illinois, mr. bost, and the gentleman from california, mr. takano, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois. mr. bost: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on s. 777. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. bost: mr. speaker, i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. bost: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in support of s. 777. and i appreciate senator tester's and senator -- senator tester and senator moran for their leadership on this important bill.

i also want to thank subcommittee on disability assistance and memorial affairs chairman luttrell and ranking member pappas for leading the house companion to s. 777. our bipartisan collaboration on this legislation each year is vitally important. the veterans cola act of -- veterans' cola act of 2023 would increase the rates of compensation for our veterans and their survivors to keep pace with inflation and rising costs of living. many veterans fought for our country and came back with visible and invisible injuries. their disability compensation benefits provide financial security for service-disabled veterans and their families. mr. speaker, veterans do not have to worry -- should not have to worry whether they would be -- earn their benefits and that they can cover their basic needs. they should not have to choose between gas to get to work or groceries for their family.

but unfortunately because of the biden inflation problem that has occurred, out-of-control spending, this is a reality for thousands of veterans' families. the least we can do for them is provide a cost of living adjustment this year so that they can continue to pay their bills and put forward on their tables. now, i'm proud to support this bill today and i hope all of my colleagues will join me in sending this bill to the president's desk. with that, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. takano: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. takano: mr. speaker, i rise to express my support for s. 777, the veterans' compensation cost of living adjustment act of 2023. as we do annually, today we are taking up legislation to increase the amounts paid for war time disability compensation, compensation for dependents, clothing allowance for certain disabled veterans, and dependency and indemnity

compensation for surviving spouses and children. specifically, the bill requires v.a. to raise these benefit amounts by the same percentage as the cost of living increase provided to social security recipients, serving as a guarantee of quality of life for veterans and their families and ensuring that they will not experience a decline in earned benefits as economic conditions fluctuate. the cost of living adjustment is a continued recognition by our grateful nation of the service and sacrifice, not just of those who have courageously worn our nation's uniforms, but those families who have supported them and also bear a great burden. as ranking member of the committee on veterans affairs -- veterans' affairs, it is an honor for me to support this effort. particularly with respect to dependency and indemnity compensation, more needs to be done beyond the annual cola to bring that program on par with other federal survivors benefits.

it is -- it has lagged behind for far too long which is a disservice to the survivors of our veterans. i hope this committee can see fit to advance that cause this congress as well. typically we alternate primary sponsorship of this bill with the senate. and this year it happens to be the senate's turn. so i would like to acknowledge the senate for promptly sending us their version. i also want to commend the subcommittee on disability assistance and memorial affairs and extend my gratitude to ranking member pappas and chair luttrell for their sponsorship of the house companion to this bill, and for their unwavering support to our veterans. so i wholeheartedly support s. 777 and i encourage my colleagues to do the same. so thank you, mr. speaker, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. bost: thank you, mr. speaker. at this time i'd like to yield two minutes to the sponsor of

the bill, the gentleman from texas, mr. luttrell. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. luttrell: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you, chairman bost. i rise today in support of s. 777. i would like to thank senator tester and senator moran for leading this bill through the senate. i would also like to thank the disability assistance ranking member, mr. pappas, for joining me in co-leading the house companion to 777, as chairman bost said this legislation is necessary to ensure that veterans and veteran survivors' compensation benefits keep pace with rising inflation. there are veterans in my district who are struggling to make ends meet without their disability compensation benefits -- meet. without their disability compensation benefits, they may not be able to do that. financing can be a major source of stress. according to the bureau of labor statistics, in just one year the consumer price index has risen to $4.9 ps -- 4.9% with housing and gas prices at the front. this bill is crucial to ensure that veterans can keep pace with

this widespread inflation. i know many of my colleagues are committed to helping their veteran constituents. i urge my colleagues to support this bill and with that i yield back. mr. bost: reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas yields. the gentleman from illinois reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. takano: mr. speaker, at this time i'd like to yield five minutes to my good friend who is the ranking member of the subcommittee on disability and assistance memorial affairs, house veterans -- of the house veterans' affairs kerks the gentleman from -- committee, the gentleman from new mexico. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is -- new hampshire. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pappas: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i want to thank ranking member takano for yielding to. chairman bost as well for your your support -- yielding. to chairman bost as well for your support. we all know we have a sacred and solemn obligation to ensure that the needs of our veterans are met. my home state of new hampshire is home to about 100,000 veterans from all branches, with service dating from the second world war to today.

some of those veterans returned home with service-connected disabilities and require extra care and support. and as we all continue to feel the impact of inflation and higher costs, those pressures can be particularly challenging for our veteran community. our veterans swear to give everything up to and including their lives for this country. they shouldn't have to worry if they can afford groceries this week or pay their electric bill the next week. their v.a. benefits should keep pace with economic trendses and their financial -- trends and their financial and overall well-being should never be left to hang in the balance. this legislation would increase the rates of v.a. benefits equal to the cost of living increase provided for social security benefits for veterans with service-connected disabilities as well as rates of compensation for survivors of veterans. this will help ensure that veterans with service-connected disabilities and families and loves ones of veterans that have been lost can rest assured that their benefits will support them, even as our economy changes. we owe our veterans and their families a tremendous debt of

gratitude. and the legislation we propose today is another way that we can all work to honor their sacrifice and work to pay down that debt that we all bear. so i urge swift passage of this bipartisan bill so we can send it to the president's desk for his signature and i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new hampshire yields back. mr. takano: mr. speaker, i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. bost: i have no more speakers. i'll reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. takano: mr. speaker, at this time i'd like to yield three minutes to my good friend from the judiciary committee, sheila jackson lee of texas. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from texas is recognized. ms. jackson lee: let me thank you very much to the ranking member, to mr. bost, to my good friend from texas, ranking member, and of course the gentleman from new hampshire. and of course in the other body, senator tester, for a very instructive and important initiative dealing with the cost

of living for our veterans. if you are embraced and engaged with veterans, which many of us do every time we are home in the district, you realize that they in many instances continue their service in the kinds of work that they do. you realize, however, that they have any number of additional challenges, in many instances. and that, of course, includes some of the health issues, housing issues, the ability to support family issues, and this cost of living is in essence something that we should make as a commitment for the service that they have given. i know that we often say thank you for your service. we often have a smile on our face. i want it to be well known, well known that it is by our action and our deeds, not just by our words. the veterans that we see across

our districts and across america have fought in many wars. many of them i see who believe that they have not been given the full amount of their veterans benefits, that they believe they're still trying to petition for level of disablement, if you will. some are at a certain percentage and feel that they deserve another percentage because they're in a financial condition that causes them to wonder about their service and their service-connected disability. we get all those questions. but i think the overall statement that has been made about the cost of living is to recognize the difficulty that our veterans have, the increasing amount of moneys that it requires for you to take care of your veterans, and that this is a responsible and respectable way of doing so. i hope that

i hope that we will pass this quickly. i hope it will go to the president's desk. when we see our veterans, we'll be able to be an exhibitor of deeds that we stood on the floor of the house to say thank you. we stood on the floor to say we recognize the needs that you have from the veterans' hospitals, veterans' clinics and certainly the need for compensation. this is an important state not only for -- statement not only for veterans but for our nation and for the young men and women who put on the uniform today unselfishly. they will ultimately be veterans, and we hope that they will be able to serve and they will be able to come out as a veteran. please be reminded, as we celebrate memorial day, there are those that put on the uniform unselfishly and they never made it home. we want to be able to honor those but as well we want to honor those living veterans. i support this legislation that provides for a veterans cola of 2023. with that i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from texas yields back. the gentleman from california is recognized. the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. bost: thank you, mr. speaker. i have no more speakers and i'm ready to close. i reservice. the speaker pro tempore: -- mr. bost: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. takano: i want to ask my colleagues to join me in pass s. 777, the veterans' compensation cost-of-living adjustment act of 2023. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. bost: once again, i encourage all our colleagues to support this and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass senate 777. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and concur in the senate amendment to h.r. 346, the notam improvement act of 2023. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 346, an act to establish a task force on improvements for notices to air missions, and for other purposes. senate amendment. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from minnesota, mr. stauber, and the gentleman

from california, mr. desaulnier, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from minnesota. mr. stauber: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material into the record on the senate amendment to h.r. 346. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. stauber: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. stauber: thank you, mr. speaker. i am pleased to rise in support of my bipartisan legislation that improves the safety of air travel. notam provides current, up-to-the-minute data to pilots on any aspect of their flight. unfortunately, notam's are often buried in reports, conflating inefishensies that have created

lifesaving -- all u.s. domestic flights were grounded for the first time since 9/11. the notam system crashed. old and antiquated, it comes as no real surprise that the system easily went down. unfortunately, leadership at the department of transportation has left me uninspired. instead of focusing on resources on safety improvements and upgrades, secretary buttigieg has spent his time retitling programs and systems. i will tell you no pilot cares what the system is called. just that it works and provides her with the information she needs to get her crew and her passengers to safety. mr. speaker, i have been advocating for notam upgrades for four years. my legislation, which creates a task force at the f.a.a. with important input from safety experts, industry professionals, and unions to address both the efficiency and resiliency of the

nota system has passed out of the house in both the 116th and 117th congress. however, it is only after a disastrous event that this legislation finally got the traction it deserves. we must stop reacting in congress. we must be thoughtful, considerate and proactive in how we legislate. i'd like to thank my good friend and colleague, mr. desaulnier, for his support and his leadership on this legislation and senators klobuchar and capito for pushing the legislation in the senate. i encourage my colleagues to support this legislation before another failure of the notam system occurs. our pilots, our crews and our passengers are counting on us and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from minnesota reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. desaulnier: thank you, mr. speaker.

and thank you, my good friend, representative stauber. i'm really grateful to be here once again to support h.r. 346, the notam improvement act, which we introduced together and worked on and will continue to work on together. the notice to air mission system is an essential part of our aviation infrastructure as it provides critical real-time flight safety information, including potential hazards to pilots, flight dispatchers, and other airspace users. in 2017, an air canada plane at san francisco international airport preparing to fly -- preparing to land flew within 59 feet of four fully loaded planes narrowly avoiding an unimaginable disaster. it would have been the greatest aviation disaster in american history. if it wasn't for the quick thinking of a couple of united airline pilots who saw him approaching inappropriately, we would have had that disaster.

the national transportation safety board found that this outdated notam system was a significant part of the problem. the importance of this work was further emphasized when earlier this year in january the u.s. airspace came to a standstill when the federal aviation administration grounded all airline domestic departures due to an outage of the system. although the f.a.a. worked to quickly solve the problem and lift the domestic flight -- all the domestic flight stops, airlines and passengers faced the cascading effects of mass delays and cancellation for hours. the notam outage also exposed significant vulnerabilities in the f.a.a.'s legacy i.t. infrastructure and underscore the need for congress to take decisive action to quickly modernize these critical systems -- safety systems that flight crews and airline passengers depend on.

to help strengthen the integrity of the notam system, this bipartisan bill directs the f.a.a. to create a task force on notam improvement. two, identify best practices to make sure that critical flight information to pilots is in a way that optimizes review and retention. and develop recommendations to ensure the stability, resiliency and cybersecurity of the notam system. this task force will consist of key aviation stakeholders, including airline pilots, air traffic controllers, aircraft dispatchers, air carriers, and aviation safety and computer system experts. it also recognizes the -- requires the f.a.a. to complete its notam modernization efforts and other i.t. system upgrades by the fall of 2024. as the committee continues to work on the upcoming f.a.a. re-authorization bill, we will build upon the 2018 law and

implement any necessary improvements to safeguard u.s. airspace from cascading system outages. the task force created under this bill will play an important role in the f.a.a.'s ongoing notam modernization initiative to ensure pilots, flight crews and other airspace users receives notam's that are timely, relevant, and accurate. auto i'm very proud of our work, working together -- i'm very proud of our work, working together with chairman stauber. at a time when there's much disagreement within our parties, i'm glad that we worked together in a bipartisan manner to prioritize the public safety. i'm also grateful that our senate colleagues recognize the importance of this issue and work quickly to pass this bill. our unwavering, bipartisan commitment to aviation safety continues to be a priority for congress and the f.a.a. as we enter what is expected to

be a busy summer travel season, h.r. 346 will help put us on course to pursue best practices that bolsters safety, prevent future disruptions, and allow for pilots, air traffic controllers, crews, and customers to be safe and feel confident in the technology and in the u.s. aviation system. i'm proud to support this legislation and urge my colleagues to do the same and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. stauber: mr. speaker, i want to yield two minutes to my good friend from tennessee, mm mr. burchett. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mr. burchett: thank you, mr. speaker, chairman stauber from the great state of minnesota, my great friends across the aisle, george, everyone here. i want to thank you so much for being here today, and i rise in support of the notam improvement act. nearly three million people every day count on flights in the united states to safely get

them to where they need to go. the notice to air mission systems is how we make sure that that will happen. the system is how we tell pilots about possible hazards. when the system gets all jacked up, flights can't take off. it's just that simple. back in january, planes across the country were grounded for the first time since 2001 because of a damaged file in our notice to air mission database. we need to prevent this from happening, mr. speaker. we need to prevent it from happening again and also look at whatever adjustments we can make. this should be one of the top priorities, not worrying about over four ounces of honey in your baggage. this bill has bipartisan support and there isn't any reason that it shouldn't pass with overwhelming support now. and the reason the press isn't here is mainly because we're agreeing on something. we're working together, which is what this body is supposed to be

doing, daggumit. thank you for allowing me to be here, chairman, and i yield back to you, and i hope you use it very well. mr. stauber: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from minnesota reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. desaulnier: i once again say how fulfilling this has been and how much work we still have to do but i know we're working in partnership to make sure we fulfill a long history in this country of aviation safety and make sure it gets even better. i have no other members on my side to speak so be happy to yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california yields back. the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. stauber: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may con consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. stauber: mr. speaker, h.r. 346, it's a key step towards safeguarding the integrity and safety of america's national airspace. this legislation proves that

congress can rise to the challenges of the day and i urge all members to support the bill. thank you and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from minnesota yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and concur in the senate amendment to h.r. 346. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affir affirmative, the rules are suspended, the senate amendment is agreed to, and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess until approximately 6:30 p.m. today.