[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 8 (Tuesday, January 14, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H189]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                THE VETERANS' RECORDS RECONSTRUCTION ACT

  (Mr. HIGGINS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3397, the 
Veterans' Records Reconstruction Act.
  In 1973, a fire at the National Personnel Records Center in Overland, 
Missouri, destroyed as many as 18,000 military records. While efforts 
were made to reconstruct these records, many records were left 
incomplete, which makes it difficult to determine veterans' eligibility 
for service recognition.
  This legislation would create guidelines and allow alternative 
methods of authenticity verifying veterans' records using unofficial 
sources, thus creating a pathway toward getting due benefits and 
recognitions for veterans whose files were destroyed.
  Mr. Speaker, while this legislation does not completely solve the 
problem of missing records, it is a way for our Nation to thank 
veterans for their service by helping them to best have a chance to 
receive the recognition that they are due.
  I want to thank my colleague, Congresswoman Lois Capps, for her 
leadership in introducing the legislation. I urge its swift passage.

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