[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 79 (Monday, May 24, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H3721-H3723]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 ASSURING QUALITY CARE FOR VETERANS ACT

  Mr. FILNER. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 5145) to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the 
continuing professional education reimbursement provided to health 
professionals employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5145

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

[[Page H3722]]

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Assuring Quality Care for 
     Veterans Act''.

     SECTION 1. IMPROVEMENT OF CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION 
                   REIMBURSEMENT FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS EMPLOYED 
                   BY THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

       (a) In General.--Section 7411 of title 38, United States 
     Code, is amended--
       (1) by striking ``shall'' and inserting ``may'';
       (2) by striking ``board-certified physician or dentist 
     appointed under section 7401(1) of this title'' and inserting 
     ``health professional appointed under paragraph (1) or (3) of 
     section 7401 of this title'';
       (3) by striking ``$1,000'' and inserting ``$1,600'';
       (4) by inserting ``required to maintain licensure'' after 
     ``professional education''; and
       (5) by adding at the end the following new sentence: ``No 
     such health professional may receive reimbursement under this 
     section and reimbursement for the same expenses incurred for 
     continuing professional education provided by a Department 
     medical center.''.
       (b) Clerical Amendments.--
       (1) Section heading.--The heading for such section is 
     amended to read as follows:

     ``Sec. 7411. Full-time health professionals: reimbursement of 
       continuing professional education expenses''.

       (2) Table of sections.--The table of sections at the 
     beginning of chapter 74 of such title is amended by striking 
     the item relating to section 7411 and inserting the following 
     new item:

``7411. Full-time health professionals: reimbursement of continuing 
              professional education expenses.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Filner) and the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Buyer) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. FILNER. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and to include extraneous material on H.R. 5145, as amended.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. FILNER. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5145, the Assuring 
Quality Care for Veterans Act.
  I thank my colleague from California (Mr. McNerney) for his diligent 
advocacy on behalf of our veterans. His talent and hard work have 
culminated in this important piece of legislation.
  Many key health care professionals require continuing professional 
education in order to maintain their licensure. Such education can be 
costly, and the VA has long reimbursed up to $1,000 annually to 
physicians and dentists. This reimbursement program has been an 
important part of the VA's efforts to recruit and to retain high-
quality health care personnel. Moreover, it ensures that the VA 
employees are well-informed and knowledgeable about advances or new 
information in their chosen fields.
  Organizational efforts to improve access to knowledge and 
opportunities have been shown to improve job satisfaction. However, 
since its inception, this program has only been open to physicians and 
dentists. It unfairly excludes many key health care providers who face 
similar licensing requirements. This act would correct this inequity by 
expanding the program to such key health care personnel as nurses, 
pharmacists, and physical therapists.
  This legislation would recognize that the maximum reimbursement rate 
of $1,000 is outdated, its having been unchanged for nearly two 
decades. H.R. 5145 would reflect inflationary increases since the last 
update by increasing the cap to $1,600 annually.
  Madam Speaker, I am proud to support this legislation. Not only does 
it recognize the hard work of health care providers in the VA system, 
but it also empowers the VA to hire and retain talented health care 
personnel and to offer them the tools they need to remain extremely 
skilled and knowledgeable.
  I would urge the support of all of my colleagues, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. BUYER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 5145, as amended, the 
Assuring Quality Care for Veterans Act.
  It would amend title 38 of the United States Code to improve 
continuing professional education reimbursements provided to health 
care professionals employed at the Department of Veterans Affairs. This 
legislation increases by $600 the continuing professional education 
reimbursement for VA's health professionals. It would also expand those 
eligible to receive such reimbursements to include health professionals 
from a wide range of medical specialties, and it would clarify that 
reimbursements may only be provided for such continuing education 
expenses that the VA does not offer, itself.
  While we can all be proud of the quality of care provided to veterans 
at VA facilities, we should always be looking for ways to improve the 
VA's provision of medical services, ensuring that the VA's health 
professionals are continually kept on the cutting edge of modern 
medical advances. It is important to ensure high-quality medical care 
continues to thrive at the VA. H.R. 5145, as amended, would provide VA 
employees with more opportunities to improve their knowledge base and 
skill sets, and it would provide veterans with superiority when it 
comes to care that they, I believe, deserve.
  Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise).

                              {time}  1530

  Mr. SCALISE. I thank the gentleman from Indiana for yielding.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this bill dealing with 
professional education, but I just arrived from New Orleans and landed 
in D.C. a little while ago, and I am angry.
  The people back in my State are very angry right now about what is 
happening in the Gulf of Mexico. We have got a crisis right now that is 
probably the largest environmental disaster in this Nation's history, 
and we are not getting the adequate response we need from this Federal 
Government.
  Now, our governor for over 2 weeks has been asking for the Federal 
Government to approve a barrier plan to actually protect our marsh from 
the oil, and we are not getting an answer from the Federal Government. 
All we are getting is excuses. We have got letters from the Corps of 
Engineers and others that are saying they need to do studies, they need 
to look at the environmental impact. Well, the environmental impact is 
right there in our marsh. Here is a dead pelican from just the other 
day.
  We have got oil coming up into our marshes in globs, thick globs, 
every single day, and we don't have one ounce of action from the 
President. Now, the law is very clear. The Oil Pollution Act says the 
President shall ensure effective and immediate removal of discharge. 
Instead, he is just pointing fingers at everybody. We know BP is 
responsible for this.
  Madam Speaker, I understand we are talking about veterans issues, but 
right now we are talking about the livelihood of the people of the gulf 
coast whose livelihood is threatened, and all we are asking is the 
President to fulfill his duties under the law, which he is not doing.
  We don't need a finger-pointer-in-chief. We need somebody who is 
going to step up to the plate and actually follow the law, take charge 
of this and stop not only the oil from flowing, but let our local 
leaders do what they said they need to do. And they have gotten no 
response from the White House. They are not getting the help they need.
  The President has paid a lot of lip-service, but we have had oil 
coming into our marsh every day now for days. It has been going on for 
a month now, and all we see is ceding of power to BP. We know they are 
going to pay the cost, but the President under the law is responsible 
for actually taking charge. We need a quarterback on the field, like 
the law says the President is supposed to be. He is not supposed to be 
the commentator in the booth.
  So all we are doing is saying we are tired of the excuses, Mr. 
President. It is time to live up to your obligation under the law. Help 
us protect our marsh. If you don't have a plan, we do, but you are not 
letting us implement our plan. Get out of our way and approve our plan. 
Otherwise, you come up with your own. But this is inexcusable.
  Mr. BUYER. I want to thank the gentleman for coming to the floor 
today. The issue before us deals with increasing the reimbursement on 
professional

[[Page H3723]]

education with regard to VA's health professionals.
  I understand the gentleman has every reason to be upset with regard 
to what is occurring in the Gulf with regard to the oil spill. This oil 
should almost be treated as an invasion of our country. I understand 
why he is upset.
  The legislation before us deals with veterans issues. It deals with 
making sure that the professionals that work in the VA are able to be 
reimbursed for their continuing professional education.
  I want to thank Chairman Filner right now for his patience. I want to 
thank you for that. I think we can feel for Mr. Scalise as he just 
returned from Louisiana, how upset and how high the emotions are in New 
Orleans and Louisiana, not only from Katrina but also the oil spill, 
and I can understand where he is coming from. But I want to bring us 
back to the issue of the bill itself. So I want to thank Mr. Filner for 
being very patient with our colleague from Louisiana.
  One point that we probably haven't talked about with regard to this 
is the challenge, Chairman Filner, that we have in front of us with 
regard to nursing and the nursing shortage. So many of the nurses are 
going to be retiring now over the next 12 years, and as we look at the 
ability for us to replenish that hole that is going to be created, 
there is going to be a dynamic shift within our health professions. So 
a lot of jobs and responsibilities that the nurse corps would be 
providing today, they are not going to be providing 10 years from now.
  Actually, there will be a dynamic shift within health care itself and 
their profession. Their skill sets are actually going to get higher and 
even better and more improved, and jobs which they are doing today are 
going to have to be back-filled by nursing assistants. So for us to 
step forward and do this type of reimbursement to increase the quality 
of what they are about to provide, this is extremely important.
  I want to thank the majority for bringing this type of bill, because 
we are going to have to help them increase the standards. It is the 
only way we are going to be able to actually deal with this hole that 
we are going to have in our health system and the increased demand that 
it is going to be placing upon the health system itself, because we 
don't have all the nursing slots in the education system to be able to 
do this.
  I want to thank you for stepping into the breach. This is the right 
thing for us to do, especially when I look back at the years in which I 
served as a legal advisor for a hospital with regard to quality 
assurance and risk management. These are always extremely important 
issues. So I want to thank the chairman.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. FILNER. Madam Speaker, I do urge my colleagues to support H.R. 
5145, as amended.
  Like the gentleman from Indiana, I understand the outrage and anger 
of the gentleman from Louisiana as we are facing probably the biggest 
environmental disaster of this century. And yet, Madam Speaker, I find 
it more than ironic, I find it irresponsible, that the very same people 
who say ``drill, baby, drill,'' the very same people who are always 
against government interference, the very same people who are always 
against Big Government, all of a sudden, when it is their district, 
they want Big Government, and they want regulation, and they want 
government to clean up the environmental disaster.
  Well, we all have to get in there, and BP had better recognize its 
corporate responsibility for this. But, Madam Speaker, these people 
always scream against Big Government, but they are the first who want 
Big Government to come in and save them. So, let us understand the 
irony and the irresponsibility of those who keep yelling against 
government regulation, and government interference, but when it affects 
their district, they want it.
  I ask for unanimous agreement on this measure.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Filner) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 5145, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. FILNER. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

                          ____________________