[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 170 (Tuesday, November 29, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H6343-H6344]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       NO HERO LEFT UNTREATED ACT

  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 5600) to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
to carry out a pilot program to provide access to magnetic EEG/EKG-
guided resonance therapy to veterans, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5600

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``No Hero Left Untreated 
     Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) Magnetic EEG/EKG-guided resonance therapy has 
     successfully treated more than 400 veterans with post-
     traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, military 
     sexual trauma, chronic pain, and opiate addiction.
       (2) Recent clinical trials and randomized, placebo-
     controlled, double-blind studies have produced promising 
     measurable outcomes in the evolution of magnetic EEG/EKG-
     guided resonance therapy.
       (3) These outcomes have resulted in escalating demand from 
     returning warriors and veterans who are seeking access to 
     this treatment.
       (4) Congress recognizes the importance of initiating 
     innovative pilot programs that demonstrate the use and 
     effectiveness of new treatment options for post-traumatic 
     stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, military sexual 
     trauma, chronic pain, and opiate addiction.

     SEC. 3. MAGNETIC EEG/EKG-GUIDED RESONANCE THERAPY PILOT 
                   PROGRAM.

       (a) Pilot Program.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
     carry out a pilot program to provide access to magnetic EEG/
     EKG-guided resonance therapy to treat larger populations of 
     veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, 
     traumatic brain injury, military sexual trauma, chronic pain, 
     or opiate addiction.
       (b) Locations.--The Secretary shall carry out the pilot 
     program under subsection (a) at not more than two facilities 
     of the Department of Veteran Affairs.
       (c) Participants.--In carrying out the pilot program under 
     subsection (a), the Secretary may not provide access to 
     magnetic EEG/EKG-guided resonance therapy to more than 50 
     veterans.
       (d) Duration.--The Secretary shall carry out the pilot 
     program under subsection (a) for a one-year period.
       (e) Report.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
     termination of the pilot program under subsection (a), the 
     Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs 
     of the House of Representatives and the Senate a report on 
     the pilot program.
       (f) No Authorization of Appropriations.--No additional 
     funds are authorized to be appropriated to carry out the 
     requirements of this section. Such requirements shall be 
     carried out using amounts otherwise authorized.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Miller) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano) 
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 have 5 legislative days within which to revise their remarks 
and add extraneous material.
  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 do rise today in support of H.R. 5600, as amended, the No Hero Left 
Untreated Act.
  There is no greater priority we have as a grateful nation than to 
care for those who have been wounded in the service of our country and 
to ensure that they are provided with the most successful treatments, 
including those that are new and are promising to assist them on their 
path to recovery.
  H.R. 5600, as amended, would require the Department of Veterans 
Affairs to carry out a 1-year pilot program to provide access to 
magnetic EEG/EKG-guided resonance therapy to veterans with post-
traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, chronic pain, opiate 
addiction, or who have experienced military sexual trauma.
  Magnetic EEG/EKG-guided resonance therapy has proven effective in 
addressing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic 
brain injury among veteran patients. For example, in a 2015 study, 
veteran patients experienced an almost 50 percent reduction in symptom 
severity after just 2 weeks of using this therapy.
  Though the pilot this bill would create is limited, I am hopeful that 
it will provide the needed data to support the provision of this 
promising new treatment for many more servicemembers and veterans in 
the future.
  This bill is sponsored by our good friend, Congressman Steve Knight 
from California, and I am grateful to him for sponsoring this 
legislation to increase access to innovative treatment for America's 
heroes.
  I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 5600, as 
amended.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise today in support of H.R. 5600, as amended, the No Hero Left 
Untreated Act. This bill is designed to create a pilot program in the 
VA to determine if magnetic EEG/EKG-guided resonance therapy technology 
is appropriate for larger populations of veterans suffering from post-
traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, military sexual 
trauma, chronic pain, or opiate addiction.
  Under this treatment, a veteran's EEG and EKG are analyzed to 
ascertain the brain's patterns of function and detect any possible 
abnormalities. This information is used to develop a personalized 
treatment for each patient aimed at restoring the brain to its optimal 
state.
  It is essential that the VA continue to explore new and innovative 
treatments, like resonance therapy, that can offer breakthroughs for 
veterans and servicemembers suffering from PTSD and other traumas. For 
more than 90 years, the Veterans Affairs Research and Development 
program has been improving the lives of veterans and all Americans 
through healthcare discovery and innovation.
  VA research is unique because of its focus on health issues that 
affect veterans. It is part of an integrated

[[Page H6344]]

healthcare system that coordinates care for veterans and affiliates 
with university medical schools and teaching hospitals to train our 
healthcare providers and perform groundbreaking medical research.
  I look forward to learning more about this treatment and its effects 
on those veterans who have continued to suffer from the wounds of 
combat trauma here at home. Innovative pilot programs and continued 
investment in research will help to ensure that our Nation's veterans 
get the high-quality care they have earned and deserve.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from the 25th District of California (Mr. Knight), the prime 
sponsor of this important piece of legislation.
  Mr. KNIGHT. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chair and ranking member 
for their support of this piece of legislation.
  The No Hero Left Untreated Act is just that. We expect our young 
warriors to protect our values and our ideals, and we, as Americans, 
should do nothing less than to take care of them when they return home. 
The No Hero Left Untreated Act is a new and innovative way of looking 
at how we can treat our veterans, and I think that that is what people 
in America are looking for. They are looking for how we can help our 
veterans in new and innovative ways. Well, this is one of those.
  This is a way that we have taken 500 veterans, we have given them 
this treatment, and about 95 percent of them have said that they have 
had some difference in their life because of the treatment. Sixty-one 
percent have said that it is a dramatic change because of this 
treatment. If we took those numbers and we took them to any kind of 
treatment or any kind of medical help across this country, I think that 
all of the physicians and all of the medical industry would say: yes, 
those are great numbers.
  So what we are trying to do here is we are going to put it into two 
of our medical facilities; put it into two of our VA centers, and we 
are going to collect some data on the enormous successes that we have 
seen in the past and hopefully in the future. Then, I hope to come back 
at a certain time in the future and say: this has been great; the data 
that we have collected has helped our veterans, has helped our warriors 
when they have come home. Let's put this across the country.
  I expect that everyone in every district across this country, when 
they see this, these types of successes, would want to put it into 
their VA facilities. So that is kind of our goal in what we are trying 
to do here.

  Mental and physical injuries are part of battle. Treatment that works 
should be pushed by our legislative bodies. It shouldn't be stagnated. 
And that is exactly what this body is doing. We are looking at this, 
and we are saying: this is working. Why wouldn't we push it?
  I thank everyone for looking at this in a bipartisan measure and 
saying this will help our veterans. Let's move this forward.
  This therapy has shown enormous successes, and I think that when the 
American people look at this and they say, we have got these successes, 
let's make sure that we push this forward, I think that we should also 
look at other treatments that might not be having these types of 
successes and saying, you know what, we can do different changes, and 
the medical industry, I am sure, would support that.
  So that is what we are trying to do with the No Hero Left Untreated 
Act. That is why we have named it that because that is exactly what we 
want. We don't want to leave any hero untreated.
  I appreciate the support from both sides of the aisle, and I ask for 
support of this important measure.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I encourage my 
colleagues to support this legislation and join me in passing H.R. 
5600, as amended.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I too encourage my colleagues to 
support this piece of legislation.
  I yield back the balance of 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. 5600, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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