[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 138 (Tuesday, September 13, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1255]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                  VETERANS MOBILITY SAFETY ACT OF 2016

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. TAMMY DUCKWORTH

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 12, 2016

  Ms. DUCKWORTH. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support the Veterans Mobility 
Safety Act of 2015.
  As a Veteran with a service-connected disability, I have personally 
participated in the Automobile Adaptive Equipment Program (AAEP) and I 
know how valuable this program is to Veterans across the country.
  As a mother of a toddler, I care about the safety of my car more than 
ever. I am committed to making the best choices for my daughter and 
strive to keep her out of danger.
  My story is not unique. There are so many Veterans out there that 
depend on the AAEP to provide transportation for their families.
  Safety and the quality of services provided to our wounded Veterans 
should be a top priority.
  Last Congress, I wrote a letter to the U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs (VA) urging them to reevaluate the AAEP because it does not 
require vendors to meet any standards of quality, performance and 
safety.
  I am extremely concerned that this obvious lack of guidelines exposes 
our most vulnerable Veterans to vendors who manufacture and install 
subpar, low quality and dangerous equipment.
  It can also lead to higher maintenance costs and wastes taxpayer 
money.
  Unfortunately, this gap in the statute allows improper and unsafe 
installations for our Veterans and also puts the general driving public 
in harm's way.
  The fix here is simple--we must have high quality and certification 
standards for those who provide automobile adaptive equipment, 
installations and maintenance for disabled Veterans.
  Veterans with disabilities have earned the right to be able to have 
safe, quality adaptive equipment in their cars that meets their needs 
and allows them to live full, independent lives.
  I urge my Colleagues to support this measure, and to remedy the VA's 
lack of minimum standards for the AAE program in order to hold vendors 
accountable, increase quality of VA healthcare and ensure safe driving 
conditions for Veterans, their families and civilians.

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