[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 109 (Tuesday, July 23, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H8107]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   INTRODUCTION OF LEGISLATION TO USE CECIL FIELD AS A SITE FOR A VA 
     NATIONAL CEMETERY AND DEVELOPMENT OF A LONG TERM CARE FACILITY

  (Mr. STEARNS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, the honorable minority whip knows that the 
Speaker was not talking about Medicare. He was talking about the Health 
Care Financing Administration. And in the book ``Putting People 
First,'' by Mr. Gore and President Clinton, they talked about scrapping 
the Health Care Financing Administration just as the Speaker did. Now 
they are accusing the Speaker of talking about Medicare when he was 
not.
  Mr. Speaker, in 1993, Cecil Field Naval Air Station was approved for 
closure by the President and this Congress. The base has long served 
the military community of Jacksonville, FL, and its surrounding area.
  In order to continue to serve our veterans, I am proposing a bill 
that would designate 1,500 acres of Cecil Field for a veterans cemetery 
as well as convert the current barracks into a veterans nursing home. 
Florida's total veterans population is the second largest in the 
country and it needs these facilities. So I hope my colleagues will 
help me to sponsor this new bill to help Cecil Field develop a cemetery 
for veterans.
  Mr. Speaker, in 1993, Cecil Field Naval Air Station was approved for 
closure by the President and this Congress. This base has long served 
the military community of Jacksonville, FL, and its surrounding areas. 
In order to continue to serve our military veterans, I am proposing a 
bill that will designate 1,500 acres of Cecil Field for a veterans 
cemetery, as well as convert the current barracks into a veterans 
nursing home. Florida's total veterans population is the second largest 
in the country, with over 274,000 veterans within a 100 mile radius of 
Cecil Field. The barracks are currently in use, housing naval officers 
and enlisted personnel, and could easily be converted to a nursing home 
facility for veterans. It is a tragedy that many veterans who fought to 
secure our freedom, have had to suffer and sometimes die at home 
because there was not enough room in the current VA facilities. 
Likewise, the cemetery would require very little money to start up, and 
would provide those who valiantly fought for this country with a proper 
burial. Please join me and support this bill to use our current 
resources for the good of our veterans.

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