[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 178 (Thursday, December 20, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2365]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


       21ST CENTURY MONTGOMERY GI BILL ENHANCEMENT ACT AMENDMENTS

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                               speech of

                        HON. CYNTHIA A. McKINNEY

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 11, 2001

  Ms. McKINNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1291, the 
Veterans' Benefit Act of 2001. This bill contains numerous provisions 
that will help our nation's veterans obtain greater educational 
opportunities, it increases the resources available to assist veterans 
with finding housing, and most importantly, the bill corrects and 
expands legislation to provide compensation and benefits to veterans 
who are disabled. I commend the chairman of the Veterans' Affairs 
Committee, Mr. Smith from New Jersey, and the ranking member, Mr. Evans 
for their hard work in bringing this bill to the floor.
  One provision in this that I am personally proud of is section 201, 
which removes the 30-year time limit for the presumption of service 
connection of respiratory cancers for Vietnam War veterans. This 
provision is adapted from H.R. 1587, the Agent Orange Respiratory 
Cancer Act of 2001, which I introduced and which was cosponsored by 47 
of my colleagues.
  Agent Orange has rained havoc on the lives of thousands of Vietnam 
veterans, causing cancer, diabetes, and birth defects. Thankfully, for 
most veterans suffering from their exposure to this herbicide, benefits 
were made available. Unfortunately, a seemingly arbitrary 30-year time 
limit was placed on the presumption of service connection for 
respiratory cancers--among the most deadly types of cancer. Those 
veterans who suffered from respiratory cancers that appeared 30 years 
after their service were denied service connection, and thus benefits 
and assistance for these diseases. In effect, the U.S. government told 
them that they were on their own.
  In a recent study, the Institute of Medicine stated that there was no 
evidence that a time limit could be placed on the presumption of 
service connection, and this bill rightly makes that correction to past 
law. No longer will veterans who suffer respiratory cancers have to 
worry about their government forgetting about their service and 
neglecting their needs. Rare is it that common sense prevails in 
Congress to help those in greatest need, but I believe that this 
provision, and this bill, achieve such status. I thank the Veterans 
Committee Chairman and Ranking Member for their dedicated attention to 
the plight and troubles of America's veterans, for including the Agent 
Orange provision in the Veterans Benefits Act of 2001, and for passing 
this important piece of legislation.

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