[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 174 (Tuesday, December 10, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H7614-H7617]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             VA EXPIRING AUTHORITIES EXTENSION ACT OF 2013

  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass

[[Page H7615]]

the bill (H.R. 1402) to amend title 38, United States Code, to extend 
the authorization of appropriations for the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs to pay a monthly assistance allowance to disabled veterans 
training or competing for the Paralympic Team and the authorization of 
appropriations for the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide 
assistance to the United States Paralympics, Inc., as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1402

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

       (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``VA 
     Expiring Authorities Extension Act of 2013''.
       (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act 
     is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. References to title 38, United States Code.
Sec. 3. Scoring of budgetary effects.
Sec. 4. Extension of authorization of appropriations for payment of a 
              monthly assistance allowance to disabled veterans 
              training or competing in large-scale adaptive sports 
              programs.
Sec. 5. Reauthorization and modification of adaptive sports assistance 
              program.
Sec. 6. Extension of authority to transport certain individuals to and 
              from Department of Veterans Affairs facilities.
Sec. 7. Extension of authority for operation of the Department of 
              Veterans Affairs regional office in Manila, the Republic 
              of the Philippines.
Sec. 8. Extension of requirement to provide nursing home care to 
              certain veterans with service-connected disabilities.
Sec. 9. Extension of treatment and rehabilitation services for 
              seriously mentally ill and homeless veterans.
Sec. 10. Extension of authority to provide housing assistance for 
              homeless veterans.
Sec. 11. Extension of authority for the Advisory Committee on Homeless 
              Veterans.
Sec. 12. Extension of authority for the Veterans' Advisory Commission 
              on Education.
Sec. 13. Extension of requirements relating to vendee loans.
Sec. 14. Extension of authority for the performance of medical 
              disabilities examinations by contract physicians.

     SEC. 2. REFERENCES TO TITLE 38, UNITED STATES CODE.

       Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in this 
     Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of an 
     amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provision, the 
     reference shall be considered to be made to a section or 
     other provision of title 38, United States Code.

     SEC. 3. SCORING OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.

       The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 
     complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall 
     be determined by reference to the latest statement titled 
     ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation'' for this Act, 
     submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the 
     Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such 
     statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.

     SEC. 4. EXTENSION OF AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR 
                   PAYMENT OF A MONTHLY ASSISTANCE ALLOWANCE TO 
                   DISABLED VETERANS TRAINING OR COMPETING IN 
                   LARGE-SCALE ADAPTIVE SPORTS PROGRAMS.

       (a) Reauthorization and Use of Certain Funds.--Subsection 
     (d)(4) of section 322 is amended by striking ``through 2013'' 
     and all that follows and inserting ``through 2015.''.
       (b) Cooperation With Organization.--Subsection (b)(4) of 
     such section is amended by striking ``cooperate with the 
     United States Olympic Committee'' and all that follows 
     through ``its partners;'' and inserting ``cooperate with 
     entities with significant experience in managing large-scale 
     adaptive sports programs;''.
       (c) Applicability to Commonwealths and Territories of the 
     United States.--Such section is further amended by 
     redesignating subsection (e) as subsection (f) and inserting 
     after subsection (d) the following new subsection (e):
       ``(e) Applicability to Commonwealths and Territories of the 
     United States.--The provisions of this subsection shall apply 
     in the same manner and to the same degree as to the United 
     States Olympic Committee to the Paralympic sport entities the 
     Secretary considers appropriate to represent the interests of 
     each of the following:
       ``(1) American Samoa.
       ``(2) Guam.
       ``(3) Puerto Rico.
       ``(4) The Northern Mariana Islands.
       ``(5) The United States Virgin Islands.''.

     SEC. 5. REAUTHORIZATION AND MODIFICATION OF ADAPTIVE SPORTS 
                   ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

       (a) Reauthorization.--Subsection (a) of section 521A is 
     amended to read as follows:
       ``(a) Adaptive Sports Program.--(1) The Secretary may carry 
     out a program under which the Secretary may make grants to 
     eligible entities for planning, developing, managing, and 
     implementing programs to provide adaptive sports 
     opportunities for disabled veterans and disabled members of 
     the Armed Forces.
       ``(2) For purposes of this section, an eligible entity is 
     an entity with significant experience in managing a large-
     scale adaptive sports program.''.
       (b) Additional Application Requirements.--Subsection 
     (c)(2)(A) of such section is amended--
       (1) by striking ``of all partnerships'' and all that 
     follows through the end and inserting ``of--''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following new clauses:
       ``(i) all partnerships referred to in paragraph (3) at the 
     national and local levels that will be participating in such 
     activities and the amount of grant funds that the eligible 
     entity proposes to make available for each of such 
     partnerships;
       ``(ii) the anticipated personnel, travel, and 
     administrative costs that will be paid for by the eligible 
     entity using grant funds;
       ``(iii) the financial controls implemented by the eligible 
     entity, including methods to track expenditures of grant 
     funds;
       ``(iv) the performance metrics to be used by the eligible 
     entity to evaluate the effectiveness of the activities to be 
     carried out using grant funds; and
       ``(v) the anticipated personnel, travel, and administrative 
     costs that will be paid for by grantees under this subsection 
     using grant funds; and''.
       (c) Use of Funds for Administrative Expenses.--Paragraph 
     (4) of subsection (d) of such section is amended to read as 
     follows:
       ``(4)(A) At the discretion of the Secretary, an eligible 
     entity that receives a grant under this section may use a 
     portion of the grant for the administrative expenses and 
     personnel expenses of the eligible entity. The amount that 
     may be used for such expenses may not exceed--
       ``(i) in the case of a grant made for adaptive sports 
     opportunities taking place during fiscal year 2014, 10 
     percent of the total amount of the grant;
       ``(ii) in the case of a grant made for adaptive sports 
     opportunities taking place during fiscal year 2015, 7.5 
     percent of the total amount of the grant; and
       ``(iii) in the case of a grant made for adaptive sports 
     opportunities taking place during any subsequent fiscal year, 
     5 percent of the total amount of the grant.
       ``(B) For purposes of this paragraph, personnel expenses 
     include any costs associated with an employee of the eligible 
     entity other than reimbursement for time spent by such an 
     employee directly providing coaching or training for disabled 
     veterans or members of the Armed Forces.''.
       (d) Funding.--Subsection (g) of such section is amended--
       (1) by striking ``There is'' and inserting ``(1) There 
     is'';
       (2) by striking ``through 2013'' and all that follows and 
     inserting ``through 2015.''; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
       ``(2) Amounts appropriated pursuant to this subsection 
     shall remain available without fiscal year limitation.''.
       (e) Reauthorization.--Subsection (l) of such section is 
     amended by striking ``may not provide assistance under this 
     section after December 31, 2013'' and inserting ``may only 
     provide assistance under this section for adaptive sports 
     opportunities occurring during fiscal years 2010 through 
     2016''.
       (f) Comptroller General Report.--Not later than 18 months 
     after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller 
     General of the United States shall submit to Congress a 
     report on the use of the grants, if any, awarded under 
     section 521A of title 38, United States Code, as amended by 
     this section, during the first program year that begins after 
     the date of the enactment of this Act. Such report shall 
     include each of the following:
       (1) An assessment of how the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, 
     eligible entities that received grants under such section, 
     and grantees under subsection (c) of such section have 
     provided adaptive sports opportunities to veterans and 
     members of the Armed Forces through grants awarded under such 
     section.
       (2) An assessment of how the Secretary oversees the use of 
     funds provided under such section.
       (3) A description of the benefit provided to veterans and 
     members of the Armed Forces through programs and activities 
     developed through grants awarded under such section.
       (g) Technical and Conforming Amendments.--Section 521A, as 
     amended by this section, is further amended--
       (1) in subsection (b)--
       (A) in the first sentence, by striking ``the United States 
     Olympic Committee'' and inserting ``an eligible entity''; and
       (B) in the second sentence, by striking ``The United States 
     Olympic Committee'' and inserting ``An eligible entity that 
     receives a grant under this section'';
       (2) in subsection (c)--
       (A) in paragraph (1)--
       (i) by striking ``the United States Olympic Committee'' the 
     first time it appears and inserting ``an eligible entity''; 
     and
       (ii) by striking ``the United States Olympic Committee'' 
     the second time it appears and inserting ``the eligible 
     entity''; and

[[Page H7616]]

       (B) in paragraphs (2) and (3), by striking ``the United 
     States Olympic Committee'' each place it appears and 
     inserting ``the eligible entity'';
       (3) in subsection (d)--
       (A) in paragraph (1)--
       (i) by striking ``The United States Olympic Committee'' and 
     inserting ``An eligible entity that receives a grant under 
     this section,'';
       (ii) by striking ``a grant under this section'' and 
     inserting ``the grant''; and
       (iii) by striking ``the United States Olympic Committee'' 
     and inserting ``the eligible entity''; and
       (B) in paragraph (5), by striking ``the United States 
     Olympic Committee'' and inserting ``an eligible entity that 
     receives a grant under this section'';
       (4) in subsection (e)--
       (A) by striking ``the United States Olympic Committee'' and 
     inserting ``an eligible entity''; and
       (B) by striking ``the integrated adaptive sports program'' 
     and inserting ``the adapted sports opportunities funded by 
     the grant'';
       (5) in subsection (f), by striking ``the integrated 
     adaptive sports program'' and inserting ``adapted sports 
     opportunities funded under this section''; and
       (6) in subsection (j)--
       (A) in paragraph (1)--
       (i) by striking ``the United States Olympic Committee'' the 
     first place it appears and inserting ``an eligible entity'';
       (ii) by striking ``the United States Olympic Committee'' 
     the second place it appears and inserting ``the eligible 
     entity'';
       (iii) by striking ``the integrated adaptive sports 
     program,'' and inserting ``the adapted sports opportunities 
     funded by the grant,''; and
       (iv) by striking ``the integrated adaptive sports 
     program.'' and inserting ``such opportunities and 
     programs.'';
       (B) by striking paragraph (3) and inserting the following 
     new paragraph (3):
       ``(3) If an eligible entity that receives a grant under 
     this section for any fiscal year does not submit the report 
     required by paragraph (1) for such fiscal year, the entity 
     shall not be eligible to receive a grant under this section 
     for the subsequent fiscal year.''; and
       (7) by striking subsection (m).
       (h) Clerical Amendments.--
       (1) Section heading.--The heading of such section is 
     amended to read as follows:

     ``Sec. 521A. Adaptive sports programs for disabled veterans 
       and members of the Armed Forces''.

       (2) Table of sections.--The table of sections at the 
     beginning of chapter 5 is amended by striking the item 
     relating to section 521A and inserting the following new 
     item:

``512A. Adaptive sports programs for disabled veterans and members of 
              the Armed Forces.''.

       (i) Implementation.--To ensure the uninterrupted provision 
     of adaptive sports for disabled veterans and disabled members 
     of the Armed Forces, any regulations that the Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs determines are necessary to implement the 
     amendments made by this section may be promulgated by interim 
     final rules to ensure the award of grants under section 521A 
     of title 38, United States Code, as amended by this section, 
     before the end of fiscal year 2014.

     SEC. 6. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY TO TRANSPORT CERTAIN 
                   INDIVIDUALS TO AND FROM DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 
                   AFFAIRS FACILITIES.

       Section 111A(a)(2) is amended by striking ``the date that 
     is one year after the date of the enactment of this section'' 
     and inserting ``December 31, 2014''.

     SEC. 7. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY FOR OPERATION OF THE 
                   DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS REGIONAL OFFICE 
                   IN MANILA, THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES.

       Section 315(b) is amended by striking ``December 31, 2013'' 
     and inserting ``December 31, 2014''.

     SEC. 8. EXTENSION OF REQUIREMENT TO PROVIDE NURSING HOME CARE 
                   TO CERTAIN VETERANS WITH SERVICE-CONNECTED 
                   DISABILITIES.

       Section 1710A(d) is amended by striking ``December 31, 
     2013'' and inserting ``December 31, 2014''.

     SEC. 9. EXTENSION OF TREATMENT AND REHABILITATION SERVICES 
                   FOR SERIOUSLY MENTALLY ILL AND HOMELESS 
                   VETERANS.

       (a) General Treatment.--Section 2031(b) is amended by 
     striking ``December 31, 2013'' and inserting ``December 31, 
     2014''.
       (b) Additional Services at Certain Locations.--Section 
     2033(d) is amended by striking ``December 31, 2013'' and 
     inserting ``December 31, 2014''.

     SEC. 10. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE HOUSING ASSISTANCE 
                   FOR HOMELESS VETERANS.

       Section 2041(c) is amended by striking ``December 31, 
     2013'' and inserting ``December 31, 2014''.

     SEC. 11. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY FOR THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON 
                   HOMELESS VETERANS.

       Section 2066(d) is amended by striking ``December 31, 
     2013'' and inserting ``December 31, 2014''.

     SEC. 12. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY FOR THE VETERANS' ADVISORY 
                   COMMISSION ON EDUCATION.

       Section 3692(c) is amended by striking ``December 31, 
     2013'' and inserting ``December 31, 2014''.

     SEC. 13. EXTENSION OF REQUIREMENTS RELATING TO VENDEE LOANS.

       Section 3733(a)(7) is amended by striking ``September 30, 
     2013'' each place it appears and inserting ``September 30, 
     2014''.

     SEC. 14. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY FOR THE PERFORMANCE OF 
                   MEDICAL DISABILITIES EXAMINATIONS BY CONTRACT 
                   PHYSICIANS.

       Section 704(c) of the Veterans Benefits Act of 2003 (Public 
     Law 108-183; 38 U.S.C. 5101 note) is amended by striking 
     ``December 31, 2013'' and inserting ``December 31, 2014''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Miller) and the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Michaud) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.


                             General Leave

  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks and add any extraneous materials they may have on H.R. 1402, as 
amended.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I rise today in support of H.R. 1402, as amended, the VA Expiring 
Authorities Act of 2013. Mr. Speaker, to put it simply, this bill 
extends the legal authorization for several VA authorities. Without 
enactment of this bill before December 31, 2013, the authorization to 
run certain programs and exercise certain legal authorities would end. 
This would be very detrimental to veterans and their families.
  For example, the bill extends VA's authority to ensure that severely 
disabled veterans have priority access to nursing home care, to include 
those who require that level of care for service-connected 
disabilities. It also extends VA's adaptive sports program, which is 
currently run through a partnership with the U.S. Paralympic committee. 
I have met with veterans who have benefited from this partnership and 
have seen firsthand the positive impact that the activities and events 
have had on them and their families.
  H.R. 1402, as amended, would extend other legal authorities to help 
veterans, including the authorization for treatment and rehabilitative 
services for homeless and seriously mentally ill veterans, housing 
assistance for homeless veterans, authorization to permit the use of 
contract exam providers for disability claims, and several other 
important extensions.
  I am pleased also to report that funding for these extensions was 
included in both the President's budget request and appropriation bills 
passed by the House and pending in the Senate.
  I thank my good friend and ranking member of the full committee, Mr. 
Michaud, for his assistance to bring this piece of legislation to the 
floor. And again, I want to thank all of my colleagues in the Senate 
for reaching an agreement with us on this language, especially the 
Senate VA chairman, Mr. Sanders, and the ranking member, Mr. Burr of 
North Carolina.
  Once again, I want to encourage all Members to support the bill.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in full support of H.R. 1402, as amended, the VA Expiring 
Authorities Extension Act of 2013.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill, as amended, would extend a number of critical 
programs administered by the VA. It is a bipartisan measure. I 
appreciate the highly collaborative efforts of the committee staffs and 
the cooperative efforts of our colleagues in the other body.
  H.R. 1402, as amended, would extend the authorization of 
appropriations for the VA to provide monthly stipends to athletes 
competing in large-scale adaptive sports programs and extend the 
authority of the VA to provide grants to entities that plan and carry 
out adaptive sports programs. This bill represents a bipartisan and 
bicameral agreement to modify the existing program and to provide more 
stringent oversight of the program.
  H.R. 1402, as amended, would also extend to the end of next year the 
authority of the VA to transport certain individuals to and from VA 
facilities, to operate the regional office in the Philippines, and to 
contract with non-

[[Page H7617]]

VA physicians to conduct medical disability examinations.
  H.R. 1402, as amended, would also extend the requirement that VA 
provide nursing home care to certain veterans, extend the authority to 
provide treatment and rehabilitation services for seriously mentally 
ill and homeless veterans, and extend the authority of the VA to 
provide housing assistance for homeless veterans.
  Finally, this bill would extend the authority for two advisory 
committees--the Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans and the 
Advisory Committee on Education--as well as extend the authority for 
requirements relating to the sale of vendee loans by the VA.
  Mr. Speaker, we have passed many veterans bills out of the House this 
year. It is my hope that some of these bills will become law before the 
year is out. I look forward to working with our colleagues in the 
Senate to make sure that we get this bill passed. The job at hand today 
is to pass this extenders bill, send it over to the Senate for quick 
consideration, and get it to the President's desk before the end of the 
year before the authority to continue these vital programs lapses.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, one of the things that is 
necessary in order to bring a piece of legislation that has this many 
moving parts is somebody who has been involved very much in each of 
those pieces of legislation.
  I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Colorado 
(Mr. Coffman), chairman of the Oversight and Investigations 
Subcommittee.
  Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, earlier this year I introduced, along with 
Representative Mark Takano, H.R. 1402, the Veteran Paralympics Act, and 
I am happy to see that this legislation is now poised to pass the House 
floor along with other important programs for veterans.
  My portion of this legislation will extend this joint program, 
operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Olympic 
Committee, that funds grants to adaptive sports programs for disabled 
veterans all across our country.
  Paralympic programs are adaptive sports for physically disabled 
athletes, and research has shown that Paralympic sports and other forms 
of physical activity are an impactful aspect for the successful 
rehabilitation for these wounded warriors.
  The Veterans Paralympics Act will ensure that disabled veterans in 
local communities throughout our country will continue to have 
opportunities for rehabilitation, stress relief, and higher achievement 
through adaptive sports. Currently, there are dozens of partnership 
organizations in Colorado and over 300 nationwide that are helping our 
veterans with their rehabilitation through adaptive sports.
  During committee hearings, I discussed the Veterans Paralympics Act 
with Charlie Huebner, the U.S. Olympic Committee's Paralympics chief. 
He stated that this extension would help more than 16,000 disabled 
veterans in communities throughout America receive adaptive sports 
rehabilitation.
  Mr. Huebner and I both emphatically agree that participation in 
adaptive sports and other athletic activities can help speed the 
rehabilitation process for disabled veterans, and this legislation, if 
passed, will ensure rehabilitative opportunities for disabled veterans 
in local communities throughout the country. I am proud to lead this 
effort to extend and support this important program.

  Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Takano).
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Maine, the 
ranking member, for yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support the Veterans Paralympic Act, a 
bipartisan piece of legislation that would extend the funding for 
adaptive sport programs for disabled veterans.
  Through the Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Olympic 
Committee, this joint program has provided sports and other athletic 
activities that help speed up the rehabilitation process for our 
Nation's heroes. By extending the funding through 2018, and improving 
access to adaptive sports programs, this legislation would provide the 
greatest opportunity for rehabilitation through sports our veterans 
have ever had. The sacrifice of these heroes is immeasurable, and I 
believe that Congress should be doing all it can to help their 
rehabilitation process.
  I thank the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Coffman) for introducing 
this bill, and I look forward to its passage.
  Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to yield 3 
minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Negrete McLeod).
  Mrs. NEGRETE McLEOD. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1402 that 
extends VA housing programs for homeless veterans.
  The California district which I represent is home to over 20,000 
veterans. Like the Nation, homelessness among veterans is a serious 
problem in my district. It will take continued coordination between VA 
and local organizations to ensure that veterans are able to take 
advantage of housing assistance programs.
  As a member of the House VA Subcommittee on Health, in August of this 
year I hosted a town hall with the VA and local organizations. Over 200 
veterans attended and signed up for VA veterans benefits for the very 
first time. This is a great example of better coordination in helping 
our veterans.
  Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, I would like to once again thank Chairman 
Miller for his collaborative effort in bringing both of these bills 
before the House today and his continued support to make sure that we 
do everything we can to pass legislation that will help our veterans. I 
also want to thank the staffs on both the majority and the minority 
side for working so well together to get these bills before the floor. 
I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1402, as amended.
  I yield back the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1430

  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I, too, urge my colleagues to 
support H.R. 1402, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 1402, 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. MILLER of Florida. Mr. 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, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

                          ____________________