[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 67 (Tuesday, May 6, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E682]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    MILITARY CONSTRUCTION AND VETERANS AFFAIRS AND RELATED AGENCIES 
                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2015

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 30, 2014

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 4486) making 
     appropriations for military construction, the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs, and related agencies for the fiscal year 
     ending September 30, 2015, and for other purposes:

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Chair, I rise today to express my support for 
H.R. 4486, the FY15 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and 
Related Agencies Appropriations Act. I commend Chairmen Rogers and 
Culberson and Ranking Members Lowey and Bishop for crafting a 
bipartisan bill that not only provides for current and former service 
members and their families but also substantially addresses the 
veterans' claims backlog.
  The MilCon-VA bill makes critical investments in our military 
infrastructure, housing, and services to our nation's veterans, active 
military members and their families. It provides $71.5 billion in 
discretionary funding for these programs and activities, including 
$64.7 billion for the Department of Veteran Affairs. It also provides 
$58.7 billion in advance funding for the VA in FY16.
  This legislation also builds on efforts made in last year's MilCon-VA 
bill to end the claims backlog that continues to plague our VA regional 
offices, including the VA's Baltimore Regional Office. It fully funds 
the budget request of $173.3 million for the Veterans Benefits 
Management System (VBMS) and provides an additional $20 million to the 
Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) for digitizing records and 
staffing needs. The legislation also requires each VA regional office 
to submit a monthly report on its claims processing performance and 
imposes even stricter requirements on the poorest performing offices 
around the country. I am hopeful that these measures will be an 
important step in ensuring that backlogged claims are expedited as 
quickly as possible.
  I do have reservations about a number of provisions contained in the 
bill, however. I strongly oppose section 411, which prohibits the 
construction, renovation, or expansion of any facility in the U.S. to 
house individuals that are currently being detained at Guantanamo Bay. 
And as the White House outlined in its Statement of Administration 
Policy, it is disappointing that this bill does not provide full 
funding for VA Medical Care, potentially delaying the delivery of 
important health care services to our veterans.
  Despite my concerns, the MilCon-VA bill reflects our commitment and 
the promises we have made to our veterans, our service members, and 
their families. I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this 
important piece of legislation.

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