[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 146 (Tuesday, September 27, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1371]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

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                         HON. SUZANNE BONAMICI

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 27, 2016

  Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to be in Washington, D.C. on 
September 20, 2016 because I was attending a memorial service and I 
missed votes in the House. If I had been present, I would have voted in 
favor of H.R. 670, the Special Needs Trust Fairness and Medicaid 
Improvement Act, H.R. 5785, a bill to amendment title 5, United States 
Code, to provide for an annuity supplement for certain air traffic 
controllers, and H.R. 5690, the GAO Access and Oversight Act.
   H.R. 670 makes an important update to Medicaid to allow individuals 
with disabilities to set up their own special-needs trusts that are not 
counted as part of their assets when determining Medicaid eligibility. 
This will allow individuals to access Medicaid services without having 
to go through a lengthy process and get a court order to set up a 
special-needs trust. I support this update to make it easier for 
individuals to access critical medical services.
   H.R. 5785 makes it easier for retired federal air traffic 
controllers to train the next generation of this important workforce. 
Under current law, retired air traffic controllers cannot earn more 
than $15,720 annually as instructors and still receive their Federal 
Employees' Retirement System retirement benefits. This bill waives the 
salary cap for former air traffic controllers so they can be 
instructors without compromising their retirement benefits. I am 
pleased that the House passed this important update so that the next 
generation of controllers can be trained by qualified and experienced 
instructors.
   H.R. 5690 makes it easier for the Government Accountability Office 
to access certain federal records regarding individuals' employment 
status for the purposes of determining eligibility for assistance 
programs such as the National Directory of New Hires, Supplemental 
Nutrition Assistance Program, and the Earned Income Tax Credit. This 
bill clarifies current law so that GAO can access this information from 
Health and Human Services, which oversees the database. If I had been 
present, I would have supported the bill.

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