[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 168 (Wednesday, October 18, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S6552]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 1211. Mrs. MURRAY submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
by her to the concurrent resolution H. Con. Res. 71, establishing the
congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year
2018 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal
years 2019 through 2027; which was ordered to lie on the table; as
follows:
Strike section 3010 and insert the following:
SEC. 3010. DEFICIT-NEUTRAL RESERVE FUND FOR SERVICEMEMBERS
AND VETERANS.
The Chairman of the Committee on the Budget of the Senate
may revise the allocations of a committee or committees,
aggregates, and other appropriate levels in this resolution,
and make adjustments to the pay-as-you-go ledger, for one or
more bills, joint resolutions, amendments, motions, or
conference reports relating to--
(1) eligibility for both military retired pay and veterans'
disability compensation (concurrent receipt);
(2) the reduction or elimination of the offset between
Survivor Benefit Plan annuities and Veterans' Dependency and
Indemnity Compensation;
(3) the improvement of disability benefits or the process
of evaluating and adjudicating benefit claims for members of
the Armed Forces or veterans;
(4) the infrastructure needs of the Department of Veterans
Affairs, including constructing or leasing space, to include
leases of major medical facilities, and maintenance of
Department facilities;
(5) supporting the transition of members of the Armed
Forces to the civilian workforce, including by expanding or
improving education, job training, and workforce development
benefits, or other programs for members of the Armed Forces
or veterans, which may include streamlining the process
associated with Federal and State credentialing requirements;
(6) improving access to and reducing wait times for
Department of Veterans Affairs health care, including through
hiring medical providers, fully staffing emergency
departments, and improving the quality of such care;
(7) reforming and improving authorities of the Department
of Veterans Affairs to provide health care through non-
Department facilities or providers and equally investing in
improvements and expansions to the Department of Veterans
Affairs health care system; or
(8) providing or improving specialty services, including
mental health care, homeless services, gender specific health
care, fertility treatment, and support for caregivers;
by the amounts provided in such legislation for those
purposes, provided that such legislation would not increase
the deficit over either the period of the total of fiscal
years 2018 through 2022 or the period of the total of fiscal
years 2018 through 2027.
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