[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 102 (Thursday, June 15, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H4924-H4925]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 2372, VETERANS EQUAL TREATMENT 
 ENSURES RELIEF AND ACCESS NOW ACT, AND PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF 
              H.R. 2579, BROADER OPTIONS FOR AMERICANS ACT

  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I 
call up House Resolution 379 and ask for its immediate consideration.
  The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

                              H. Res. 379

       Resolved, That upon adoption of this resolution it shall be 
     in order to consider in the House the bill (H.R. 2372) to 
     amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to clarify the rules 
     relating to veteran health insurance and eligibility for the 
     premium tax credit. All points of order against consideration 
     of the bill are waived. The amendment in the nature of a 
     substitute recommended by the Committee on Ways and Means now 
     printed in the bill shall be considered as adopted. The bill, 
     as amended, shall be considered as read. All points of order 
     against provisions in the bill, as amended, are waived. The 
     previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill, 
     as amended, and on any further amendment thereto, to final 
     passage without intervening motion except: (1) one hour of 
     debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and 
     ranking minority member of the Committee on Ways and Means; 
     and (2) one motion to recommit with or without instructions.
       Sec. 2.  Upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in 
     order to consider in the House the bill (H.R. 2579) to amend 
     the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow the premium tax 
     credit with respect to unsubsidized COBRA continuation 
     coverage. All points of order against consideration of the 
     bill are waived. The amendment in the nature of a substitute 
     recommended by the Committee on Ways and Means now printed in 
     the bill shall be considered as adopted. The bill, as 
     amended, shall be considered as read. All points of order 
     against provisions in the bill, as amended, are waived. The 
     previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill, 
     as amended, and on any further amendment thereto, to final 
     passage without intervening motion except: (1) one hour of 
     debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and 
     ranking minority member of the Committee on Ways and Means; 
     and (2) one motion to recommit with or without instructions.

                              {time}  1215

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Texas is recognized for 1 
hour.
  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the 
customary 30 minutes to the honorable gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. 
McGovern), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. 
During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the 
purpose of debate only.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, the day before yesterday, the Rules 
Committee met and reported a rule for consideration for two very 
important measures. First, the resolution provides for the 
consideration of H.R. 2372, the VETERAN Act. This rule provides for 1 
hour of debate, equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking 
member of the Ways and Means Committee.
  In addition, the resolution provides for consideration of H.R. 2579, 
the Broader Options for Americans Act. This rule provides for 1 hour of 
debate, equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member 
of the Ways and Means Committee.
  Mr. Speaker, both of these bills are a part of the House of 
Representatives' commitment to repair damage done by the Affordable 
Care Act. These bills seek to amend key parts of the American Health 
Care Act, which the House passed on May 4 of 2017.
  The American Health Care Act expands health coverage options for 
Americans by allowing them to use advanceable, refundable tax credits 
to purchase State-approved plans in the individual market. The two 
bills will ensure the tax credits that Americans will use to purchase 
health insurance policies will be available to all who qualify.
  When the House passed the American Health Care Act, the bill included 
individual, advanceable, flexible, refundable tax credits that 
individuals can use to purchase health insurance policies on the 
individual market. When the bill passed, however, procedural reasons 
prevented the House from including two key groups of Americans: 
veterans who are eligible for coverage through the VA and individuals 
who need to get continuation of coverage through an employer's COBRA-
sponsored plan. The two bills covered under this rule will remedy that 
same problem.
  In recent years, the Internal Revenue Service has adopted a practice 
of providing eligible veterans the choice to get financial support for 
a private plan in lieu of enrolling in healthcare provided by the 
Department of Veterans Affairs.
  H.R. 2372, the VETERAN Act, will codify this and continue that 
practice retroactively for both the Affordable Care Act's Premium Tax 
Credit and the new tax credit created in the American Health Care Act. 
Veterans will continue to be able to get premium support when they opt 
out to purchase a private health plan instead of enrolling in the 
healthcare provided by the VA.
  Similarly, H.R. 2579 will expand access to the new American Health 
Care Act tax credit to COBRA, in the continuation of that coverage. 
Under COBRA, group plans allow beneficiaries to keep their existing 
employer-sponsored coverage if they are laid off, work fewer hours, or 
lose insurance due to a change in family circumstances.
  Often, those who need to use the COBRA coverage are those most in 
need, such as individuals who are in the middle of a treatment course 
and want to preserve their network of providers. COBRA coverage is 
frequently very expensive, since the individual policyholder must now 
pay all the premium for their policy.
  H.R. 2579 will extend the new tax credits to include people receiving 
COBRA coverage and enable people who need it to continue taking 
advantage of their employer-sponsored healthcare coverage, even after a 
triggering event.
  Mr. Speaker, the bills the House will consider under this rule will 
help fulfill the promise Republicans made to the American people. We 
made repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act with something 
that works the highest priority. Six weeks ago, we took the first step 
in fulfilling that promise with the passage of the American Health Care 
Act, and today we will take another step forward creating a healthcare 
system that works for all Americans.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge support for the rule, I urge support for the 
underlying legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding me 
the customary 30 minutes; and I want to begin by expressing my 
appreciation to both the Speaker of the House and the minority leader 
for their presentations before the full House yesterday in the 
aftermath of this terrible tragedy, which has wounded our colleague, 
Steve Scalise, and two Capitol Police officers, and two staffers.

[[Page H4925]]

  We were all horrified by what happened, but I thought both the 
Speaker and the minority leader came to the floor and set the right 
tone, not only for this Congress, but for the Nation. And Speaker Ryan, 
yesterday, I thought, truly was the Speaker of the entire House of 
Representatives because when he said that an attack against one of us 
is an attack against all of us, I think everyone feels that way.
  I thought it was also important that both Speaker Ryan and Minority 
Leader Pelosi reminded us that we are all part of one family. Sometimes 
we might be a little bit dysfunctional, but the bottom line is we are 
all part of one family. And like all families, we have our 
disagreements, we have our points of view, and we fight for what we 
believe in, and there is nothing wrong with that. In fact, that is what 
is right about this country.
  But, clearly, our politics in this country have gotten coarse and, in 
many cases, ugly, and what happened yesterday is something that I think 
that all of us are deeply shocked by. And so we pray for our colleague, 
Steve Scalise, we pray for Matt Mika, Zachary Barth, and the two 
Capitol Police officers, David Bailey and Crystal Griner. We pray for 
their speedy recovery.

  I, too, want to echo the sentiments that were stated yesterday by our 
leadership, both in the Republican and the Democratic Parties, that we 
honor our Capitol Hill police officers. I mean, they protect us each 
and every day. They put their lives on the line for us. And if they 
weren't there, the situation could have been much, much worse, and so I 
thank God that they were there.
  As far as the rule goes, the gentleman from Texas knows how I feel 
about closed rules. I voice my opinion on that often, and I will 
continue to voice my opinion on that. But I don't think today is the 
time for me to prolong this debate, and I think we should move on, and 
that is what I intend to do.
  Just one final thing, Mr. Speaker, on a personal note. This is the 
last rule that David Vince will work on here in the Rules Committee. He 
has been a fixture over the past several years, both in committee 
meetings and here on the House floor. He has worked on everything from 
healthcare to national security and on complex legislation impacting 
the financial industry.
  When David started working here in 2011, he went by his full name, 
David M. Cooper-Vince. But since he married his wife, Jessica, he now 
insists we simply call him David Vince, so we are all still adjusting 
to the change.
  But there is good news. While David Vince is leaving the House, he is 
not going far. He will attend graduate school at Georgetown University 
here in Washington to study business. We all wish David and his wife, 
Jessica, well, and we hope to welcome him back to government service 
again someday.
  So, David, thank you very much for your incredible service to this 
House.
  Again, I thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding me the customary 
30 minutes.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Let me just say that I do agree with the honorable gentleman from 
Massachusetts. Yesterday, I think Speaker Ryan gave one of the finest 
speeches that I have heard on the floor of this House.
  I also agree that there will be ample time for debate on all of the 
issues that are encompassed in today's rule, and I look forward to that 
spirited debate, as I always have in the past. But I also agree with 
the gentleman, that some of that debate may be best left for another 
day.
  I also want to acknowledge the gentleman from Massachusetts and his 
comments about David Vince. Any time one of our staffers departs from 
either the minority or the majority side, it is obviously a time of 
gratitude for their service, and we look forward to what is next in 
their lives.
  But I want to join with the gentleman from Massachusetts that we 
appreciate the service of David Vince to the minority and to the 
members of the Rules Committee in general.
  So thank you for your service to the House, David.
  Mr. Speaker, I applaud my colleagues for all of their work on the 
rules and the underlying bills.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the 
previous question on the resolution.
  The previous question was ordered.
  The resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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