[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.
____________________