[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 25 (Friday, February 8, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H1469-H1482]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   VETERANS' ACCESS TO CHILD CARE ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. McEachin). Pursuant to House Resolution 
105 and rule XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of 
the Whole House on the state of the Union for the further consideration 
of the bill, H.R. 840.
  Will the gentleman from the Northern Mariana Islands (Mr. Sablan) 
kindly take the chair.

                              {time}  0915


                     In the Committee of the Whole

  Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the 
Whole House on the state of the Union for the further consideration of 
the bill (H.R. 840) to amend title 38, United States Code, to direct 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide child care assistance to 
veterans receiving certain medical services provided by the Department 
of Veterans Affairs, with Mr. Sablan (Acting Chair) in the chair.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The Acting CHAIR. When the Committee of the Whole rose on February 7, 
2019, amendment No. 11, printed in House Report 116-6, offered by the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cloud) had been disposed of.


                Amendment No. 12 Offered by Ms. Sherrill

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 12 
printed in House Report 116-6.
  Ms. SHERRILL. Mr. Chair, I rise as the designee for the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Allred).
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Page 2, after line 24, insert the following:
       ``(c) Outreach.--The Secretary shall perform outreach to 
     inform eligible veterans of the child care assistance 
     available under this section.''.
       Page 2, line 25, strike ``(c)'' and insert ``(d)''.
       Add at the end the following:
       (c) Public Notice.--After the enactment of this Act, the 
     Secretary shall make publicly available on a Department 
     website notice of the child care assistance benefit under 
     section 1730D of title 38, United States Code, as added by 
     subsection (a). Such notice shall be easily accessible and 
     visible and shall include a description of the expanded and 
     cost-free child care assistance for veterans, eligibility 
     requirements, and any additional information the Secretary 
     determines necessary.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 105, the gentlewoman 
from New Jersey (Ms. Sherrill) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from New Jersey.
  Ms. SHERRILL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to offer and speak in support of 
the amendment by my colleagues, Congressman Allred from Texas and 
Congresswoman Torres from California.
  Our amendment directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to notify 
veterans of the expanded, cost-free childcare services in this bill, 
and perform outreach to veterans and their families.
  Each of us have heard from the women and men who have served and 
sacrificed in uniform about the challenges that come from seeking 
access to the benefits that veterans have earned.
  Last year, at a veterans' roundtable in Woodland Park, I heard from 
women veterans that it is not enough for Congress to enact a new 
provision and think our job is done. We must direct the VA to find the 
veterans who need help and make sure they know and fully utilize these 
services.
  This straightforward amendment requires the VA Secretary to provide 
public notification on VA.gov about the program, and to perform 
outreach to inform eligible veterans. The VA has significant and 
specialized resources for our veterans. Veterans in my district rely on 
services at the Morristown VA Outpatient Clinic as well as nearby Lyons 
and East Orange facilities.
  I had the opportunity to visit the Morristown Clinic last week and 
speak with caregivers and patients at the facility.
  I want every veteran, including the more than 25,000 veterans in New 
Jersey's 11th Congressional District to know that these VA facilities 
are there for them. These specialized treatment facilities are part of 
systems worth strengthening and saving.
  Mr. Chairman, we must make sure that childcare resources reach their 
intended recipients as we work to improve care for our veteran 
community. Only then will we see veterans coming forward to seek 
counseling and other medical services, secure in the knowledge that 
their children have a safe place during their appointment.
  Simply put, this important childcare program will not work as 
intended or have the reach that it could without informing our 
servicemen and -women that it exists in the first place.
  I thank the gentleman from Texas for this amendment, and I wish him 
and his wife--who is from Montclair, New Jersey--well as they welcome 
their first child.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to 
the amendment, although I am not opposed.
  The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for 
5 minutes.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as 
I may consume.
  Mr. Chair, I rise in support of Representatives Allred, Sherrill, and 
Torres' amendment that would require the VA to ensure that eligible 
veterans are made aware of childcare assistance available to them 
through this program via outreach and publicly available information 
made easily accessible on VA's website.
  This program would be no good to any veteran if they don't know that 
it exists and could potentially serve them. This is a commonsense 
proposition and I encourage all of my colleagues to join me in 
supporting it.
  On a related note, I understand that Representative Allred recently 
left D.C. to return to Dallas for the birth of his son, which is 
further proof of how disruptive children can be to a working parent's 
schedule and why this bill is so needed.
  I wish Congressman Allred and his family my hearty congratulations 
and send them my best wishes during this joyous occasion.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. SHERRILL. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from

[[Page H1470]]

California (Mr. Takano), the chairman of the committee.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.
  I support this amendment because we want every veteran who may be 
eligible to receive no-cost childcare to be able to access it. If 
veterans don't know that they may be eligible to place their child in 
childcare while they attend their healthcare appointments, they may 
mistakenly think they will have to miss their healthcare appointments 
to care for their children.
  When veterans are not aware of the healthcare benefits available to 
them, or don't know where or who to turn to for help, the result can 
sometimes be fatal.
  When 20 veterans and servicemembers commit suicide every day in this 
country, and the VA under this administration only spent $57,000 last 
year out of the $6.2 million set aside for suicide prevention outreach, 
that is less than 1 percent. The administration's lack of commitment 
shows.
  As VA's top clinical priority, we cannot allow VA to continue to fail 
in its duty to notify veterans of VA's mental health and suicide 
prevention services, and that is why I support this amendment.
  If VA is not mandated by Congress to notify and conduct outreach to 
veterans, it won't do it. Many veterans who would benefit from cost-
free childcare won't know it exists.
  The Acting CHAIR. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Ms. SHERRILL. Mr. Chair, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the 
gentleman from California.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Chairman, I would also like to quickly add that 
Congressman Allred, a new member of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, 
is expecting his first child any day now, so it is very appropriate 
that we are debating a bill today that will help so many veterans who 
are parents of young children.
  I thank both Congresswoman Sherrill and Congressman Allred for 
offering this amendment, and if it is adopted, this committee will 
ensure VA conducts outreach and notifies veterans of their childcare 
benefits.

  Mr. Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.
  Ms. SHERRILL. Mr. Chairman, I would just like to add that I hope that 
the VA will do outreach with groups like Welcome Home Vets of New 
Jersey.
  I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close. I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Chairman, I encourage my 
colleagues to support this amendment, and I yield back the balance of 
my time.
  Ms. SHERRILL. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support this 
amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentlewoman from New Jersey (Ms. Sherrill).
  The amendment was agreed to.


                 Amendment No. 13 Offered by Ms. Moore

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 13 
printed in House Report 116-6.
  Ms. MOORE. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end, add the following new section:

     SEC. 3. REPORT REQUIRED.

       (a) Annual Report.--Beginning in the first fiscal year 
     following the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs shall submit, as part of the annual budget 
     request document for the Department of Veterans Affairs, a 
     report regarding eligible veterans who received child care 
     assistance under section 2 during the immediately preceding 
     fiscal year. Each such report shall include the following:
       (1) The number of such eligible veterans in each region of 
     the Veterans Health Administration.
       (2) If feasible, the number of such eligible veterans per 
     facility of the Department.
       (3) The amount of funding for such assistance made 
     available by the Secretary--
       (A) for each region of the Veterans Health Administration; 
     and
       (B) for each type of assistance specified in subsection (b) 
     of such section.
       (4) Findings regarding--
       (A) challenges in providing such assistance;
       (B) child care not covered by such assistance; and
       (C) recommendations to improve such assistance.
       (b) Biennial Supplement.--Not less than once every two 
     years, the report under subsection (a) shall include a 
     supplement regarding the following:
       (1) Other challenges regarding child care services that 
     prevent veterans from receiving covered health care services 
     under section 2.
       (2) Plans of the Secretary to address challenges identified 
     under paragraph (1).
       (3) An assessment of the extent to which lack of education 
     by the Department or awareness by veterans of the assistance 
     under section 2 contributes to a lack of use of such 
     assistance.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 105, the gentlewoman 
from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Wisconsin.
  Ms. MOORE. Mr. Chairman, I will be brief. The lack of childcare is a 
serious barrier to workforce participation. But the lack of childcare 
is also a significant barrier to obtaining good healthcare, which is 
why I am so grateful that we are taking this step today to make it less 
so for our Nation's veterans who are in dire need of critical services 
at their VA.
  My amendment is simple, Mr. Chairman. First, it requires the VA to 
report on the use of this new benefit broken down by region. We need to 
have hard data about usage to gauge the effectiveness of this program.
  Secondly, it requires a biannual report from VA on other childcare 
barriers besides the financial assistance we are providing today that 
may be hindering veterans' access to care.
  Now, while this bill may get us down the road on improving care, 
there may be other barriers to childcare that remain: the lack of 
transportation, as an example; availability; or access to providers. 
While this bill is progress, we can't rest until all of the barriers to 
quality and affordable childcare for veterans seeking services has been 
addressed.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to 
the amendment, although I am not opposed.
  The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for 
5 minutes.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as 
I may consume.
  Mr. Chair, I rise in support of Congresswoman Moore's amendment to 
require annual reports on the participation and funding requirements 
associated with childcare assistance, as well as biannual reports on 
other remaining challenges regarding childcare services and 
recommendations for improvement.
  If we are going to create a new program like this one, we have an 
obligation to ensure that it is serving the people it is supposed to be 
serving, and providing good value for our taxpayers.
  I am happy to support this amendment to ensure that this program is 
closely monitored by VA, and that Congress is able to use these reports 
to conduct appropriate oversight of it.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. MOORE. Mr. Chair, how much time do I have remaining?
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman has 3\1/2\ minutes remaining.
  Ms. MOORE. Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Takano), the distinguished chairman of the Veterans' 
Affairs Committee.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentlewoman from Wisconsin for 
yielding.
  I support this more amendment because we need to know how many 
veterans and children are eligible for no-cost childcare versus how 
many veterans and children are participating in this program.
  Each region and medical facility should know how many veterans and 
children are eligible, and this report asks for VA to report this data 
in the President's budget submission to Congress so we can ensure VA is 
accurately reporting the resources it needs to make this a successful 
program.
  Every 2 years, the VA would also be required to report other 
challenges and barriers veterans face, apart from childcare services 
that prevent veterans from receiving their healthcare at VA.

[[Page H1471]]

  This report is also key to ensuring VA conducts the outreach and 
notifications to eligible veterans that would be required if this bill 
passes into law. This bill will require VA to assess whether lack of 
outreach by VA, or lack of awareness by veterans of this no-cost 
childcare program is a reason for lower participation.
  This report would hold VA accountable for not doing everything it can 
to make this benefit available for the veterans who need it. I support 
this amendment.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Chair, I strongly support 
Congresswoman Moore's amendment, and urge my colleagues to support it 
also.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. MOORE. Mr. Chair, I do want to thank the chairman for his 
support, and I want to thank Members of the minority for their support. 
This is so very important.
  I look forward to working with the chairman in this Congress to 
continue to ensure that the Veterans Administration has the capacity 
and the resources to do right by our veterans, to respect the rights of 
its union employees, to provide the needed services, and as you 
mentioned earlier, to make sure that they get critical healthcare.
  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore).
  The amendment was agreed to.

                              {time}  0930


        Amendment No. 14 Offered by Ms. Kuster of New Hampshire

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 14 
printed in House Report 116-6.
  Ms. KUSTER of New Hampshire. Mr. Chairman, I rise to speak on my 
amendment to H.R. 840, Kuster amendment No. 14.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Page 2, line 3, insert ``to'' after ``required''.
       Page 2, after line 24, insert the following:
       ``(3) The Secretary shall establish criteria for providing 
     child care assistance under paragraph (1) designed to ensure 
     reasonable access to such assistance for veterans who 
     experience any unusual or excessive burden to accessing child 
     care services, including excessive driving distances, 
     geographic challenges, and other environmental factors that 
     impede such access.''.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 105, the gentlewoman 
from New Hampshire (Ms. Kuster) and a Member opposed each will control 
5 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from New Hampshire.
  Ms. KUSTER of New Hampshire. Mr. Chairman, first, I thank the members 
of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee and our new leader, Mark 
Takano. Time and again, this committee proves that Congress can work 
across the aisle to pass commonsense policy to improve the lives of our 
Nation's veterans. I also thank Congresswoman Julia Brownley, my good 
friend and colleague, for improving the availability of childcare 
services for veterans seeking mental health treatment.
  That is why I am a proud cosponsor of H.R. 840, the Veterans' Access 
to Child Care Act, and it is also why I proudly offer this amendment.
  My amendment would ensure that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
develops and provides criteria to VA medical centers that account for 
access challenges when deciding what type of assistance to provide 
these veterans.
  This Congress has recognized since at least 2014 that burdens to 
access are a significant barrier to receiving the quality healthcare 
that veterans want and deserve from our VA. Mental healthcare is no 
different.
  In fact, access challenges are even more acute for mental health. We 
know that an alarmingly small percentage of eligible veterans seek 
mental health treatment, and we know that the veteran community is in 
crisis over suicide. We must do everything we can to ease the burden to 
access.
  My amendment would address one of those access challenges that faces 
rural veterans daily. It is tough enough for veterans in my home State 
of New Hampshire who have to drive hours, sometimes through rain or 
snow, to receive the high-quality services at VA medical centers. They 
should be afforded the opportunity to place their children at childcare 
services closer to home to ease at least one burden, caring for a child 
while traveling.
  But my amendment would also require the VA to provide childcare 
assistance that is convenient to the veteran rather than the 
contracting office. If the VA cannot provide services at the facility 
and instead must provide services in the community, veterans should not 
have to drive across town to drop off their children.
  Childcare assistance should be provided in a way that eases burdens 
and accounts for geography and long driving distances.
  In requiring the Secretary to develop criteria, my amendment will 
force consistency in furnishing this benefit and, more importantly, 
require the Department to really consider what it means for veterans 
seeking mental healthcare while also actively caring for their 
children.
  I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this amendment, and I am 
grateful for the wonderful work the gentleman does on behalf of our 
Nation's veterans.
  Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in 
opposition, although I am not opposed.
  The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for 
5 minutes.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time 
as I may consume.
  Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the amendment sponsored by 
Congresswoman Kuster to require VA to establish criteria for childcare 
assistance for veterans who experience unusual or excessive burdens 
when trying to access those childcare services.
  Approximately 40 percent of veteran patients live in rural or highly 
rural areas. Those veterans have unique barriers both to healthcare and 
to childcare, and VA must take those barriers into consideration when 
it is designing this program.
  I thank my good friend, Congresswoman Kuster, who is a tireless 
advocate for veterans in New Hampshire. Congresswoman Kuster and I 
spent Thanksgiving a couple years ago in Afghanistan, visiting our 
troops. I know her love for veterans and her commitment to that and her 
work on this amendment. I am pleased to join her in supporting it.
  Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. KUSTER of New Hampshire. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from 
Tennessee for his kind words.
  Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Takano).
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.
  I support this amendment offered by Congresswoman Kuster, a former 
member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee and a tireless advocate for 
veterans in the State of New Hampshire. I am pleased that our 
colleague, Congressman Pappas from New Hampshire, has joined our 
committee so that we can continue to work on veterans legislation for 
the veterans of the State of New Hampshire and across the country.
  This amendment will require the VA to establish criteria for 
childcare assistance for veterans who need to drive long distances or 
face other unique geographic challenges. I believe that this amendment 
would also address some of the concerns raised by our colleague Mr. 
Sablan from the Northern Mariana Islands, where veterans must cross the 
Pacific Ocean to access VA healthcare. I also thank the gentlewoman for 
including a technical fix for the underlying bill in her amendment.
  Mr. Chairman, I support this amendment.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to 
support this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. KUSTER of New Hampshire. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to 
support this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentlewoman from New Hampshire (Ms. Kuster).
  The amendment was agreed to.


                Amendment No. 15 Offered by Mr. Delgado

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 15 
printed in House Report 116-6.

[[Page H1472]]

  

  Mr. DELGADO. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Page 2, line 9, insert ``or extended day program'' after 
     ``child care center''.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 105, the gentleman 
from New York (Mr. Delgado) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.
  Mr. DELGADO. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  No veteran in Upstate New York or across the country should have to 
forgo healthcare because they can't access childcare services. My 
amendment adds emergency mental healthcare as a covered healthcare 
service for veterans under H.R. 840.
  As it now reads, the bill provides for regular and intensive care, 
such as monthly VA medical appointments. However, it does not account 
for unscheduled appointments that, sadly, can make the difference 
between life and death. What if there is no time for an appointment? 
What if the individual is thinking about harming themselves or others?
  My amendment would allow veterans to receive childcare services when 
there is an immediate need for assistance due to mental ailment, 
whether from addictive opioids, post-traumatic stress disorder, or 
depression, just to name a few.
  In my district and throughout most of the country, we have seen the 
opioid crisis rise to horrific numbers and impact millions of families. 
In fact, between 2010 and 2015, studies revealed that the number of 
veterans addicted to prescribed opioids grew by more than 50 percent, a 
total of 68,000 servicemembers. This is quite a concern. In my 
district, I represent more than 39,000 veterans, and much too often, 
addiction and mental health are swept under the table.
  Mental health should not be treated differently than one's physical 
health, and this legislation and proposed amendment take significant 
steps to do just that, helping to aid veterans and their respective 
families with this fight. Our veterans have sacrificed so much for our 
country, and when faced with a mental health crisis, it is our 
responsibility as a nation to do everything we can to provide for their 
well-being.
  Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Chair, I claim the time in 
opposition, although I am not opposed.
  The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for 
5 minutes.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as 
I may consume.
  Mr. Chair, I rise in support of Congressman Delgado and Congresswoman 
Lawrence's amendment to expand the definition of childcare services to 
include extended daycare programs.
  Many schools offer childcare in the morning or evening hours to 
accommodate the busy schedules of working parents. If those programs 
are a better fit for the children of veterans seeking childcare 
assistance under this bill, it only makes sense for VA to have the 
flexibility to use them.
  That said, I have questions about this amendment that I believe could 
have been addressed had this bill gone through regular order. For 
example, would this amendment permit veterans whose children are 
already involved in these programs to deduct a portion of the cost when 
they are seeking care, or does this only cover drop-in care?
  I am grateful to Congressman Delgado for his work on this amendment, 
and I hope that we can work with Chairman Takano to address these 
questions.
  Mr. Chairman, I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting this 
amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. DELGADO. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Takano).
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  I support this amendment because veterans should be able to receive 
stipends for extended day programs for their children. Extended day 
programs are before- or after-school childcare programs that are 
generally less expensive than traditional childcare services and often 
include tutoring or other academic assistance to children.
  If placing children in an extended day program is a convenient way 
for veterans to make sure their children are being cared for while they 
attend their healthcare appointments, we should support making this 
alternative and often less expensive childcare service available to 
them.
  Mr. Chairman, I support this amendment, and I urge my colleagues to 
do the same.
  Mr. DELGADO. Again, Mr. Chairman, I thank Congresswoman Brownley and 
Chairman Takano for their efforts to get H.R. 840 to the House floor. I 
urge both sides of the aisle to support this amendment, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Delgado).
  The amendment was agreed to.


                Amendment No. 16 Offered by Mr. Delgado

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 16 
printed in House Report 116-6.
  Mr. DELGADO. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Page 3, line 16, strike ``or'';
       Page 3, after line 16, insert the following:
       ``(C) emergency mental health care services; or''.
       Page 3, line 17, strike ``(C)'' and insert ``(D)''.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 105, the gentleman 
from New York (Mr. Delgado) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.
  Mr. DELGADO. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  My amendment would add extended day programs, otherwise known as 
before- and after-school programs, to the childcare services that 
qualify for a stipend or reimbursement from the U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs under H.R. 840.
  Extended day programs held at educational institutions, typically K-
12, are offered to students whose parents have obligations prior to 
school hours and/or obligations that extend beyond school hours. They 
are a valuable educational tool. Recent studies suggest that childcare 
programs that focus on education rather than general daycare services 
improve students' academic achievement and help close the achievement 
gap.
  In rural communities like those in my district, going to the doctor 
can mean a long commute, so expanding access to childcare services is 
especially important.
  Expanding such access is also vital as we look to fulfill our 
Nation's commitment to support female veterans. Mothers in particular 
often have to forgo their own healthcare in order to provide for their 
children. With more and more women in service, including the estimated 
3,500 woman servicemembers in my district, we must prioritize ways we 
can help them and their families. This bill is one way we can do that, 
and adding this amendment would just strengthen that measure.
  Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Chairman, I think we have these 
two amendments reversed.
  The Acting CHAIR. Does the gentleman seek to be recognized in 
opposition to the amendment?
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Yes, I do.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time 
as I may consume.
  Mr. Chairman, I would like to engage in a colloquy with Chairman 
Takano.
  I think we have these two amendments reversed.
  Mr. TAKANO. Will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. I yield to the gentleman from 
California.
  Mr. TAKANO. The order of the amendments got reversed.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. We voted on 15, and now we are going 
to 16.

[[Page H1473]]

  

  Mr. TAKANO. That is correct.

                              {time}  0945

  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of 
Representatives Delgado, Harder, and Stefanik's amendment to include 
emergency mental healthcare under the definition of a covered health 
service.
  It is a tragedy and a tragic fact that approximately 20 veterans die 
every day by suicide. We have perhaps no greater calling on the 
Veterans' Affairs Committee than doing all we can do to lower and 
eliminate that number.
  A veteran in crisis must have the benefit of every available support 
to get them through that crisis and on a path to healing. This 
amendment will ensure that the lack of childcare won't be a barrier to 
care for a veteran in crisis.
  Mr. Chair, I encourage my colleagues to support this amendment, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. DELGADO. Mr. Chairman, again, I have to thank Congresswoman 
Brownley and Chairman Takano for their efforts to get H.R. 840 on the 
House floor.
  I urge Members on both sides of the aisle to support this amendment, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Delgado).
  The amendment was agreed to.


                 Amendment No. 17 Offered by Mr. Golden

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 17 
printed in House Report 116-6.
  Mr. GOLDEN. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Page 3, line 14, after ``services'' insert ``, including 
     health care services provided as part of readjustment 
     counseling''.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 105, the gentleman 
from Maine (Mr. Golden) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Maine.
  Mr. GOLDEN. Mr. Chair, I want to start, first of all, by thanking the 
chair and ranking member of the committee, Chairman Takano and Ranking 
Member Roe. I appreciate their work on this bill and the committee 
bringing this forward so early on in the year.
  I also want to thank Congresswoman Ann Kuster for cosponsoring this 
amendment.
  I offer this as one of many veterans who has depended on VA mental 
health services. Like so many other veterans, I was diagnosed with 
post-traumatic stress after my service in Afghanistan and Iraq.
  When I returned home to Maine after completing my service, I 
struggled a bit. It took me over a year to accept that I actually 
needed help of any kind, but when I did finally get to that point, one 
thing that helped me was readjustment counseling at a local vet center.
  Readjustment counseling is another term for mental health services 
that help veterans and their families transition from the battlefield 
to civilian life. Readjustment counseling helped me to better 
understand that the physical and emotional reactions I had returning 
from Iraq were, in fact, normal. Once I understood this, it became 
easier for me to deal with these reactions head-on.
  I know firsthand how easy it is for real life to get in the way of 
seeking the mental healthcare that a veteran needs. You will make 
almost any excuse that might come your way--or reasonable excuse, 
sometimes--to avoid seeking these services, so I think it is important 
to knock down those barriers and make it as easy as possible for 
veterans to access the ability to go to an appointment.
  Knowing how difficult it can be sometimes when life gets in the way, 
I am not surprised that 10 percent of veterans have had to cancel a 
necessary VA appointment because they didn't have childcare. When you 
consider that number, it is clear that veterans and their families 
sometimes need access to childcare so they can get to their mental 
healthcare appointment.
  This bill, the Veterans' Access to Childcare Act, makes that 
childcare available to vets and their families when they need it.
  None of my fellow veterans should have to choose between caring for 
their children and getting the mental healthcare that they need; and, 
just like I did, many veterans need readjustment counseling. My 
amendment makes sure that readjustment counseling services are covered 
under this bill.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support 
this important amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the 
amendment, although I am not opposed to it.
  The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for 
5 minutes.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of 
Congressman Golden and Congresswoman Kuster's amendment to expand the 
healthcare services under which a veteran would be eligible to receive 
childcare assistance to include readjustment counseling.
  The readjustment counseling provided through vet centers is an 
important component of VA's mental healthcare system of care. I commend 
Congressman Golden and Congresswoman Kuster for making sure that 
veterans in need of childcare assistance so that they can attend 
appointments at vet centers are able to receive that assistance.
  I thank Congressman Golden for his service to our great country. I 
think we owe the gentleman a great debt of gratitude and welcome him 
here to the House floor.
  Mr. Chair, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting this 
amendment today, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOLDEN. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Takano).
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and let me 
also associate myself with the remarks of the ranking member. I thank 
Congressman Golden for his service and, more importantly, thank him for 
sharing his story so bravely and forthrightly on the House floor. I 
hope it will do much to encourage other veterans to seek counseling 
with the VA.
  I support this amendment because the transition from military to 
civilian life can be a stressful time for many veterans. When veterans 
are simultaneously caring for children, it can be difficult for 
veterans, during this time when they may be looking for or starting a 
new job or starting school, to get the mental health services they 
need. They should not be worried about finding and affording childcare 
so they can receive mental health counseling and healthcare treatment 
when the VA can provide it at no cost.
  Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague for offering this important 
amendment.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Chair, I support this amendment; I 
encourage my colleagues to support it; and I yield back the balance of 
my time.
  Mr. GOLDEN. Mr. Chair, I also want, in closing, to urge all of our 
colleagues to support this amendment, and I yield back the balance of 
my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Maine (Mr. Golden).
  The amendment was agreed to.


                 Amendment No. 18 Offered by Mr. Golden

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 18 
printed in House Report 116-6.
  Mr. GOLDEN. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end of the bill, insert the following:
       (c) Report to Congress.--Not later than 18 months after the 
     date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs shall submit to Congress a report on the 
     effectiveness and accessibility of the child care assistance 
     provided under section 1710D of title 38, United States Code, 
     as added by this section, for eligible individuals who reside 
     in rural and highly rural areas.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 105, the gentleman 
from Maine (Mr. Golden) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Maine.

[[Page H1474]]

  

  Mr. GOLDEN. Mr. Chair, I also want to thank Congressman Roe for his 
service as well, and I appreciate the gentleman recognizing that for me 
as well.
  Having already thanked, with the previous amendment, the chairman and 
ranking member, I want to thank Congressman Brindisi for cosponsoring 
this amendment. The gentleman comes from a place similar to mine, a 
very rural area, which leads me to the subject of the amendment.
  Too often in this country, I think that Congress can make laws that 
benefit cities and urban areas without understanding fully how those 
laws impact rural communities. I represent Maine. It is one of our 
country's most rural States.
  Almost a quarter of all veterans in the United States, about 4.7 
million, return from active military careers to reside in a rural 
community where they experience the many rural healthcare challenges 
that are only intensified by combat-related injuries and illnesses.
  According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, 58 percent of rural 
veterans are enrolled in the VA healthcare system, significantly higher 
than the 37 percent enrollment rate of urban veterans. In rural areas, 
basic levels of healthcare or preventive care may not be available to 
support residents' long-term health and well-being.
  Compared to urban areas, rural communities tend to have higher 
poverty rates, more elderly residents, and fewer physician practices, 
hospitals, and other health delivery services.
  The Veterans' Access to Child Care Act would help our veterans and 
their families get the care that they need, but the program has to work 
just as well for veterans in rural areas as it does for veterans in 
urban regions. I offer a second amendment today that would help ensure 
this new program works for veterans living in rural areas.
  The amendment would require the VA to study whether the VA childcare 
program is as effective and accessible for veterans in rural and very 
rural areas so that the program can later be improved upon if it falls 
short in helping rural veterans.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the 
amendment, although I am not opposed to it.
  The Acting CHAIR (Mr. McEachin). Without objection, the gentleman is 
recognized for 5 minutes.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of 
Congressmen Golden and Brindisi's amendment requiring a report 
regarding the accessibility and effectiveness of the childcare 
assistance program for veterans living in rural and highly rural areas.
  As I said earlier this morning when discussing Congresswoman Kuster's 
amendment, approximately 40 percent of veterans live in rural or highly 
rural areas. Those veterans have unique access needs, and VA must be 
mindful when creating this program.
  Mr. Chair, I encourage all of my colleagues to join me in supporting 
this amendment today, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOLDEN. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Takano).
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  I support this amendment because veterans living in rural or highly 
rural areas face many barriers to receiving healthcare. Childcare, 
whether for a lack of convenience or its high cost, should not be 
another roadblock for veterans who must sometimes travel great 
distances for their appointments.
  This amendment would require VA to report to Congress on the 
effectiveness and accessibility of no-cost childcare for veterans 
living in rural communities. This report can, in turn, be used to find 
solutions for veterans who need both childcare and healthcare in rural 
communities.
  Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for offering this amendment, and I 
urge my colleagues to support it.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Chair, I support this amendment; I 
encourage my colleagues to support this amendment; and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. GOLDEN. Mr. Chair, I would like to end, again, by urging all of 
my colleagues to support this amendment as well, and I want to thank 
the chairman, the ranking member, and the entire committee and Rules 
Committee for entertaining these two very important amendments.
  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Maine (Mr. Golden).
  The amendment was agreed to.


                Amendment No. 19 Offered by Ms. Sherrill

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 19 
printed in House Report 116-6.
  Ms. SHERRILL. Mr. Chair, I have the amendment at the desk made in 
order by the rule.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Page 2, line 5, strike ``Child care'' and insert ``Subject 
     to subsection (c), child care''.
       Page 2, after line 24, insert the following:
       ``(c) Requirements; Rule of Construction.--(1) In 
     accordance with paragraph (2), a child care center, child 
     care agency, or any other child care provider described in 
     subsection (b) may not provide child care under this section 
     if the center, agency, or provider employs an individual who 
     has been convicted of a sex crime, an offense involving a 
     child victim, a violent crime, a drug felony, or other 
     offense the Secretary determines appropriate.
       ``(2) Nothing in paragraph (1) shall supersede, nullify, or 
     diminish any Federal or State law (including any local law or 
     ordinance), contract, agreement, policy, plan, practice, or 
     other matter that establishes standards and requirements for 
     employees of child care centers, child care agencies, or 
     other child care providers described in subsection (b) that 
     are more restrictive than the requirements specified in 
     paragraph (1).''.
       Page 2, line 25, strike ``(c)'' and insert ``(d)''.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 105, the gentlewoman 
from New Jersey (Ms. Sherrill) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from New Jersey.
  Ms. SHERRILL. Mr. Chair, I rise to offer the 19th amendment to the 
Veterans' Access to Child Care Act.
  The pilot program Congress authorized in 2010 to provide childcare at 
VA medical centers and clinics around the country is incredibly popular 
with the veteran community. It provides a safe, reliable option for 
parents who need to access VA healthcare. This bill will expand the 
program so that all caretakers, including parents and grandparents, can 
access this service.
  The amendment I am introducing this morning ensures that caretakers 
have a safe and secure environment for their children at a VA center. 
It bars employment of individuals convicted of a sex crime, an offense 
involving a child victim, a violent crime, a drug felony, or other 
offense the Secretary of Veterans Affairs deems appropriate. It also 
ensures that the bill will not weaken State or local laws that enforce 
rigorous hiring guidelines.
  As a working mom, I know all too well how important it is to know 
that your children have a safe and healthy environment while away from 
home. Mr. Chair, ensuring our veterans have access to childcare at VA 
facilities is the least we can do for the men and women who have stood 
up to serve our country.
  Over 6 million veteran households have children. In my own community, 
I have heard from the new generation of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, 
many with young families, on the need for VA to modernize services in 
line with their needs.

                              {time}  1000

  This includes local veterans I have spoken to at our American Legion 
in Woodland Park, who are working parents with small children. They 
have remarked that the extension of this program could be a significant 
benefit to the veteran community in New Jersey. This bill means less 
stress for our veterans who would need to otherwise arrange for 
childcare to make an appointment. They have also told me that this bill 
will help veterans make and attend appointments because they wouldn't 
have to worry about arranging childcare. This acknowledges both the 
needs of our veterans and creates a support network for them.
  I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.

[[Page H1475]]

  

  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the 
amendment, although I am not opposed to it.
  The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for 
5 minutes.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of 
Congresswoman Sherrill's amendment, which would prohibit childcare 
providers from providing childcare assistance under this program if 
they employ an individual convicted of a sex crime, an offense 
involving a child victim, a violent crime, or a drug felony.
  It would also stipulate that the requirements in this bill are not 
intended to lower any Federal, State, or local standards for hiring or 
screening childcare centers.
  I thank Congresswoman Sherrill for introducing this thoughtful 
amendment that recognizes that the children of veterans accessing 
childcare assistance under this bill must be cared for in the safest 
environment possible.
  This amendment is a no-brainer, and I encourage all of my colleagues 
to join me in supporting it.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. SHERRILL. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Takano).
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding, and I 
also thank the gentlewoman for her service in our military as a Navy 
pilot.
  I support this very important amendment because veterans must be able 
to trust that childcare centers and childcare providers caring for 
their children will not place their children at risk.
  At a very minimum, the veterans should know that when they receive 
their health services, their children are safe. This amendment would 
prevent an onsite VA childcare center, or any childcare agency that has 
a contract with VA, from employing anyone convicted of sex crimes, 
offenses involving a child victim, violent crimes, drug felonies, or 
other offenses.
  Since State and local laws often have even stricter standards when it 
comes to who can be employed as a childcare provider, this amendment 
would not supersede those State or local laws or any contract or 
agreement that requires higher standards to be met.
  At the very minimum, veterans who need childcare so they can see 
their healthcare providers must trust that those who are watching their 
children will keep their kids safe. I thank the gentlewoman for 
offering this very important amendment.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Chair, I support this commonsense 
amendment and encourage my colleagues to do so also.
  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. SHERRILL. Mr. Chair, I have no other speakers, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the 
amendment offered by Ms. Sherrill to the underlying bill.
  While I support the underlying bill, this amendment is overly broad 
in that it would prohibit qualified individuals from being employed 
under the bill if they had ever been convicted of a drug felony or any 
violent crime, even a misdemeanor. I support the other exclusions 
included in the amendment.
  The collateral consequences faced by individuals convicted of drug 
felonies, such as denial of employment when otherwise qualified, is 
counterproductive to the goal of reducing recidivism.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentlewoman from New Jersey (Ms. Sherrill).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes 
appeared to have it.
  Ms. SHERRILL. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from New Jersey 
will be postponed.


                Amendment No. 20 Offered by Ms. Sherrill

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 20 
printed in House Report 116-6.
  Ms. SHERRILL. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Page 3, line 15, insert ``, including counseling and care 
     and services under section 1720D of this title'' before the 
     semicolon.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 105, the gentlewoman 
from New Jersey (Ms. Sherrill) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from New Jersey.
  Ms. SHERRILL. Mr. Chairman, I rise to offer an amendment to the 
Veterans' Access to Child Care Act, which will specifically include 
military sexual trauma counseling and care services in the definition 
of services eligible for childcare at a VA center clinic.
  We ask our servicemembers to risk their lives and their health on 
behalf of our country. They take care of us, and it is our duty to take 
care of them, especially after they leave the military.
  Over the summer, I spoke to veterans in my district in New Jersey 
about the inadequacies they see in VA services for this generation of 
returning servicemembers.
  I heard from female servicemembers about the need for better 
counseling services for victims of military sexual trauma, or MST. 
Several of the female veterans at a roundtable I held this summer 
remarked on the fact that their voices were not heard in either the 
planning of services or implementation of services.
  Many of their fellow veterans did not make important appointments due 
to lack of access to childcare. Certainly, as a mother, I would not 
feel comfortable attending counseling and relating a story of sexual 
assault to a counselor in front of my children.
  This amendment is just one step in what must be an ongoing effort in 
this Congress to address military sexual assault trauma. The Department 
of Defense estimates that in 2016, 14,900 Active Duty servicemembers, 
men and women, experience a sexual assault.
  While this number is much lower than the 34,000 Active Duty 
servicemembers who are believed to have experienced a sexual assault in 
2006, the armed services still has a long way to go to address military 
sexual assault in the ranks.
  The female veterans in my community have remarked that because of the 
trauma of military sexual trauma, women often do not report it, and, 
therefore, the number of veterans who have been sexually assaulted is 
woefully underreported.
  These are the invisible wounds of war--invisible trauma that we 
cannot see as our servicemembers return home. I am particularly 
concerned that victims of sexual trauma, which is prevalent in military 
and civilian populations, are not getting the services that they need.
  This amendment will ensure survivors are treated with the dignity and 
respect they deserve when trying to access care at the VA without 
worrying about the cost or availability of childcare.
  I take this opportunity to thank some of the veteran service groups 
in our district, like Welcome Home Vets and SOS Stakeholders, who 
support our veterans, give feedback to the VA on the needs of our 
servicemembers, and work tirelessly to connect service providers with 
veterans.
  I also thank Congresswoman Kuster and Congresswoman Moore for 
cosponsoring this amendment and their tireless advocacy for our 
veterans.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the 
amendment, although I am not opposed to it.
  The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for 
5 minutes.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of 
Congresswomen Sherrill, Kuster, and Moore's amendment to include mental 
healthcare provided for the treatment of military sexual trauma, MST, 
under the definition of a ``covered health service.''
  Sexual trauma can have wide-ranging implications on a person's 
physical and mental health. I am grateful to the sponsors of this 
amendment for making sure that MST is specifically included in this 
legislation so that veterans who have suffered this terrible crime will 
face one less barrier to obtaining care. I am happy to support this 
amendment

[[Page H1476]]

and urge all of my colleagues to join me.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. SHERRILL. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Takano).
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. I 
support this amendment because veterans, especially women veterans, who 
have been victims of military sexual trauma, often need intensive 
healthcare services and mental health treatment that can require 
frequent appointments at VA medical centers, clinics, and vet centers.
  Finding convenient, safe, and affordable childcare should not stop 
veterans from receiving treatment, especially veterans who are victims 
of sexual assault in the military and suffer from the lasting effects 
of that trauma.
  This committee, through the Women Veterans Task Force, led by 
Congresswoman Brownley, will make access to care for women veterans and 
their specific healthcare needs a priority of ours. I support this 
amendment and urge my colleagues to support it.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Chair, I encourage my colleagues 
to support this amendment.
  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. SHERRILL. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentlewoman from New Jersey (Ms. Sherrill).
  The amendment was agreed to.


                Amendment No. 21 Offered by Ms. Slotkin

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 21 
printed in House Report 116-6.
  Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end of section 2, add the following new subsection:
       (c) Authority to Consult With Secretary of Defense.--In 
     implementing section 1730D of title 38, United States Code, 
     as added by subsection (a), the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
     may consult with the Secretary of Defense.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 105, the gentlewoman 
from Michigan (Ms. Slotkin) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Michigan.
  Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment to H.R. 
840, the Veterans' Access to Child Care Act.
  As a former national security official, as the wife of a retired Army 
officer, and a stepmom to a new Army lieutenant, I strongly support 
H.R. 840, the Veterans' Access to Child Care Act, and any legislation 
that helps our veterans access and use VA healthcare that they have 
earned and to which they are entitled.
  My amendment would take a simple but important step toward better 
serving military families and veterans. Specifically, it would 
authorize the Secretary of Veterans' Affairs to consult with the 
Secretary of Defense in implementing this legislation.
  The need for better DOD-VA coordination on every front is not new. 
From education to job training and healthcare, Congress has taken many 
steps to encourage, to prod, to require, and, in some cases, to demand 
that DOD and the VA work together and better coordinate the services 
they provide to military families and veterans.
  And as I can tell you from very personal experience, you do not have 
to spend much time with veterans in my district to know the stories of 
faulty connections, gaps in communication, and mismatched systems that 
confound our ability to serve military families and veterans evenly.
  I am standing here today because I believe we should take every 
opportunity to encourage the kind of coordination that eases these 
connections. Childcare is an area in which DOD and the VA can and 
should collaborate more closely, especially as the two departments work 
to better coordinate the provision of healthcare benefits to millions 
of retirees and their families.
  The Veterans' Access to Child Care Act would add valuable childcare 
services to VA patients to help them keep vital medical appointments 
that they might otherwise have missed in the absence of childcare 
options.
  Simultaneously, the Department of Defense has been working to expand 
childcare options for military families, addressing an urgent need for 
services that don't just care for families, but contribute to military 
readiness.
  Both of these efforts are vitally important, which means that the 
Department of Defense and VA should look for any opportunity to work 
together and expand childcare options for the families they serve. 
What's more, thousands of military members on Active Duty and in the 
Reserve component are married to veterans. Thousands of dual military 
families today will eventually become military and veteran families 
tomorrow, and my stepdaughter is married to a military officer, so this 
one is particularly personal.
  This is just another reason that coordination between the Department 
of Defense and VA childcare programs can help us better serve these 
populations.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support my amendment to push for 
stronger coordination between the VA and the Department of Defense.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the 
amendment, although I am not opposed to it.
  The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman from Tennessee is 
recognized for 5 minutes.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of 
Congresswoman Slotkin's amendment to authorize consultation between the 
Secretaries of Defense and Veterans' Affairs in the implementation of 
this childcare assistance program.
  Ensuring greater collaboration between VA and DOD has long been a 
priority of mine, so I am pleased to support this amendment today.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Takano).
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. I rise 
to support this amendment because it would allow the VA to consult with 
the Department of Defense on the implementation of this bill.
  Since DOD provides childcare for servicemembers and their families, 
VA can look to DOD for best practices so that it can successfully and 
efficiently expand this program so that every veteran eligible for no-
cost childcare while they are receiving healthcare services can access 
this benefit when they need it.
  I thank the Congresswoman for offering this amendment, and I urge my 
colleagues to support it. I might also add that I am pleased to see so 
many of the amendments that my colleagues offered today are adopted. I 
hope that when we vote on this much improved bill, it will pass with 
unanimous support so that I can advocate for its swift passage with my 
Senate colleagues.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Chair, I support this commonsense 
amendment and encourage my colleagues to do so.
  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1015

  Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Slotkin).
  The amendment was agreed to.


                    Announcement by the Acting Chair

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, proceedings 
will now resume on those amendments printed in House Report 116-6 on 
which further proceedings were postponed, in the following order:
  Amendment No. 4 by Mr. Bergman of Michigan; and
  Amendment No. 19 by Ms. Sherrill of New Jersey.
  The Chair will reduce to 2 minutes the minimum time for any 
electronic vote after the first vote in this series.


                 Amendment No. 4 Offered by Mr. Bergman

  The Acting CHAIR. The unfinished business is the demand for a 
recorded vote on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Michigan 
(Mr. Bergman) on which further proceedings were postponed and on which 
the ayes prevailed by voice vote.

[[Page H1477]]

  The Clerk will redesignate the amendment.
  The Clerk redesignated the amendment.


                             Recorded Vote

  The Acting CHAIR. A recorded vote has been demanded.
  A recorded vote was ordered.
  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 172, 
noes 246, not voting 20, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 72]

                               AYES--172

     Abraham
     Aderholt
     Allen
     Amash
     Amodei
     Armstrong
     Arrington
     Babin
     Bacon
     Baird
     Balderson
     Banks
     Barr
     Bergman
     Biggs
     Bilirakis
     Bishop (UT)
     Bost
     Brady
     Buck
     Bucshon
     Budd
     Burchett
     Burgess
     Calvert
     Carter (GA)
     Carter (TX)
     Chabot
     Cheney
     Cline
     Cloud
     Cole
     Collins (GA)
     Collins (NY)
     Comer
     Conaway
     Cook
     Crawford
     Crenshaw
     Curtis
     Davidson (OH)
     Davis, Rodney
     DesJarlais
     Diaz-Balart
     Duffy
     Duncan
     Dunn
     Emmer
     Estes
     Ferguson
     Fleischmann
     Flores
     Fortenberry
     Foxx (NC)
     Fulcher
     Gallagher
     Gianforte
     Gibbs
     Gooden
     Gosar
     Granger
     Graves (GA)
     Graves (LA)
     Graves (MO)
     Green (TN)
     Griffith
     Grothman
     Guest
     Guthrie
     Hagedorn
     Harris
     Hartzler
     Hern, Kevin
     Hice (GA)
     Higgins (LA)
     Hill (AR)
     Holding
     Hollingsworth
     Huizenga
     Hunter
     Johnson (LA)
     Johnson (OH)
     Johnson (SD)
     Jordan
     Joyce (OH)
     Joyce (PA)
     Kelly (MS)
     Kelly (PA)
     King (IA)
     King (NY)
     Kinzinger
     Kustoff (TN)
     LaHood
     Lamborn
     Latta
     Lesko
     Long
     Loudermilk
     Luetkemeyer
     Marchant
     Marshall
     Massie
     Mast
     McCarthy
     McCaul
     McClintock
     McKinley
     Meadows
     Meuser
     Miller
     Moolenaar
     Mooney (WV)
     Mullin
     Newhouse
     Norman
     Nunes
     Olson
     Palazzo
     Palmer
     Pence
     Perry
     Posey
     Ratcliffe
     Reed
     Reschenthaler
     Rice (SC)
     Riggleman
     Roby
     Rodgers (WA)
     Roe, David P.
     Rogers (KY)
     Rooney (FL)
     Rose, John W.
     Rouzer
     Roy
     Scalise
     Schweikert
     Scott, Austin
     Sensenbrenner
     Shimkus
     Simpson
     Smith (MO)
     Smith (NE)
     Smucker
     Spano
     Stauber
     Steil
     Stewart
     Taylor
     Thompson (PA)
     Thornberry
     Timmons
     Tipton
     Wagner
     Walberg
     Walden
     Walker
     Walorski
     Waltz
     Watkins
     Weber (TX)
     Webster (FL)
     Westerman
     Williams
     Wilson (SC)
     Wittman
     Womack
     Woodall
     Wright
     Yoho
     Young
     Zeldin

                               NOES--246

     Adams
     Aguilar
     Axne
     Barragan
     Bass
     Beatty
     Bera
     Beyer
     Bishop (GA)
     Blumenauer
     Blunt Rochester
     Bonamici
     Boyle, Brendan F.
     Brindisi
     Brooks (AL)
     Brooks (IN)
     Brown (MD)
     Brownley (CA)
     Buchanan
     Bustos
     Butterfield
     Byrne
     Carbajal
     Cardenas
     Carson (IN)
     Cartwright
     Case
     Casten (IL)
     Castor (FL)
     Castro (TX)
     Chu, Judy
     Cicilline
     Cisneros
     Clark (MA)
     Clarke (NY)
     Clay
     Cleaver
     Cohen
     Cooper
     Correa
     Costa
     Courtney
     Cox (CA)
     Craig
     Crist
     Crow
     Cuellar
     Cummings
     Cunningham
     Davids (KS)
     Davis (CA)
     Davis, Danny K.
     Dean
     DeFazio
     DeGette
     DeLauro
     DelBene
     Delgado
     Demings
     DeSaulnier
     Deutch
     Doggett
     Doyle, Michael F.
     Engel
     Escobar
     Eshoo
     Espaillat
     Evans
     Finkenauer
     Fitzpatrick
     Fletcher
     Foster
     Frankel
     Fudge
     Gabbard
     Gallego
     Garamendi
     Garcia (IL)
     Garcia (TX)
     Golden
     Gomez
     Gonzalez (OH)
     Gonzalez (TX)
     Gonzalez-Colon (PR)
     Gottheimer
     Green (TX)
     Grijalva
     Haaland
     Harder (CA)
     Hastings
     Hayes
     Heck
     Herrera Beutler
     Higgins (NY)
     Hill (CA)
     Himes
     Horn, Kendra S.
     Horsford
     Houlahan
     Hoyer
     Hudson
     Hurd (TX)
     Jackson Lee
     Jayapal
     Jeffries
     Johnson (GA)
     Johnson (TX)
     Kaptur
     Katko
     Keating
     Kelly (IL)
     Khanna
     Kildee
     Kilmer
     Kim
     Kind
     Kirkpatrick
     Krishnamoorthi
     Kuster (NH)
     Lamb
     Langevin
     Larsen (WA)
     Larson (CT)
     Lawrence
     Lee (CA)
     Lee (NV)
     Levin (CA)
     Levin (MI)
     Lewis
     Lieu, Ted
     Lipinski
     Loebsack
     Lofgren
     Lowenthal
     Lowey
     Lujan
     Luria
     Lynch
     Malinowski
     Maloney, Carolyn B.
     Maloney, Sean
     Matsui
     McAdams
     McBath
     McCollum
     McEachin
     McGovern
     McHenry
     McNerney
     Meeks
     Meng
     Mitchell
     Morelle
     Moulton
     Mucarsel-Powell
     Murphy
     Nadler
     Napolitano
     Neal
     Neguse
     Norcross
     Norton
     O'Halleran
     Ocasio-Cortez
     Omar
     Pallone
     Panetta
     Pappas
     Pascrell
     Payne
     Perlmutter
     Peters
     Peterson
     Phillips
     Pingree
     Plaskett
     Pocan
     Porter
     Pressley
     Price (NC)
     Quigley
     Raskin
     Rice (NY)
     Richmond
     Rogers (AL)
     Rose (NY)
     Rouda
     Roybal-Allard
     Ruiz
     Ruppersberger
     Rush
     Ryan
     Sablan
     Sanchez
     Sarbanes
     Scanlon
     Schakowsky
     Schiff
     Schneider
     Schrader
     Schrier
     Scott (VA)
     Scott, David
     Serrano
     Sewell (AL)
     Shalala
     Sherman
     Sherrill
     Sires
     Slotkin
     Smith (NJ)
     Smith (WA)
     Soto
     Spanberger
     Speier
     Stanton
     Stefanik
     Stevens
     Stivers
     Suozzi
     Swalwell (CA)
     Takano
     Thompson (CA)
     Thompson (MS)
     Titus
     Tlaib
     Tonko
     Torres (CA)
     Torres Small (NM)
     Trahan
     Trone
     Turner
     Underwood
     Upton
     Van Drew
     Vargas
     Veasey
     Vela
     Velazquez
     Visclosky
     Wasserman Schultz
     Waters
     Welch
     Wexton
     Wild
     Yarmuth

                             NOT VOTING--20

     Allred
     Clyburn
     Connolly
     Dingell
     Gaetz
     Gohmert
     Huffman
     Jones
     Kennedy
     LaMalfa
     Lawson (FL)
     Lucas
     Moore
     Radewagen
     Rutherford
     San Nicolas
     Steube
     Watson Coleman
     Wenstrup
     Wilson (FL

                              {time}  1043

  Messrs. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, HUDSON, MITCHELL, McHENRY, 
STIVERS, DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, Ms. HERRERA BEUTLER, Messrs. LEWIS, 
GONZALEZ of Texas, BUCHANAN, CLEAVER, FITZPATRICK, Mmes. BASS and 
TORRES SMALL of New Mexico changed their vote from ``aye'' to ``no.''
  Messrs. TAYLOR, DIAZ-BALART, WALKER, and KING of New York changed 
their vote from ``no'' to ``aye.''
  So the amendment was rejected.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
  (By unanimous consent, Mr. Hoyer was allowed to speak out of order.)


  Moment of Silence in Memory of the Honorable John David Dingell, Jr.

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Chairman, my fellow colleagues, I rise with great 
sadness to announce the passing of one of this House's great and good 
Members, former Representative John David Dingell, Jr., who served in 
this House for almost a full six decades. His father preceded him for 
22 years, and his wife, our beloved colleague, Debbie Dingell, serves 
now.
  At the request of his beloved wife, I have the sad task of informing 
the House that John died yesterday after a long, distinguished, and 
committed career of service to community, to this House, and to his 
country.
  John served with honor in wartime and with distinction in this House. 
He worked for the advancement of his fellow veterans and their care and 
benefits in peacetime, and he fought all of his life for fairness and 
opportunity for all. He defended vigorously the working men and women 
of the auto industry and working families everywhere.
  His wit, his humor brought smiles to our faces, and his fearless 
questions of witnesses in committee brought grimaces to those who 
believed they had undermined the safety and health of our citizens.
  Much will be said. I know that each of you have your own memory of 
Chairman Dingell. I know that each of you will want to rise at some 
point in time over the next number of days to give your observations of 
this colleague with whom we were honored to serve.
  Let us begin our remembrances of him, however, by celebrating the 
love that he had for this great institution about which he cared so 
deeply. He believed its powers to be: improving people's lives and 
delivering on the promises of those who came before us and to those who 
will come after us.
  May John's legacy guide us forward as we seek to make this House all 
he believed it could be and all he did to make it so better than it 
might have been.
  I now yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the 
distinguished Speaker of the House of Representatives.
  Ms. PELOSI. I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his beautiful 
statement of our beloved Mr. Dingell, Mr. Chairman.
  Mr. Chair, again, as he mentioned last night, our Nation lost a 
beloved pillar of this Congress and one of the greatest legislators in 
American history.
  Every chapter of Chairman John Dingell's life was lived in service to 
our country, from his time as a House page, as a teenager, to his 
service in the Army during World War II, to his almost six decades 
serving the people of Michigan in the U.S. Congress.
  John Dingell leaves a towering legacy of unshakeable strength, 
boundless energy, and transformative leadership. Chairman Dingell had a 
hand in crafting many major legislative accomplishments over the past 
half century,

[[Page H1478]]

yet among the vast array of historic legislative achievements, few hold 
greater meaning than his tireless commitment to the health of the 
American people.
  During every Congress since 1955, Chairman Dingell introduced 
legislation to secure affordable, quality healthcare for all Americans.
  Because of his father's legacy, which our distinguished leader has 
referenced, and his own leadership, in 1965, he gaveled Medicare into 
law. In 2010, it was my privilege to hold that same gavel as we passed 
the Affordable Care Act.
  Chairman Dingell was our distinguished dean and chairman, our 
legendary colleague, and a beloved friend. His memory will stand as an 
inspiration to all who worked with him or for him or had the pleasure 
of knowing him.
  His leadership will endure in the lives of the millions of American 
families he touched. We hope it is a comfort to Chairman Dingell's 
beloved wife, dear Deborah, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, and their 
entire family that so many people mourn their loss and pray for them at 
this sad time.
  I am pleased to mention that the flag is flying half-staff over the 
Capitol in his memory and invite Members to sign the condolence book in 
the Speaker's lobby.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Chair, I thank the Speaker for her retelling, very 
briefly, the extraordinary record of our friend and colleague, John 
Dingell, who made America better, who made this House better, and who 
believed that in doing so, it was critically important to reach across 
the aisle, to have legislation that would enjoy the support of both 
sides of the aisle.
  In that regard, I am blessed now to yield to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. McCarthy), the Republican leader and my friend.
  Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Chair, I also rise to commemorate the incredible 
life and career of John Dingell, the former dean of this House.
  Few individuals have amassed a record of public service that could 
rival John's, and I will bet no one will ever match it--59 years as an 
elected Representative.
  In fact, his interest in politics began during his time as a 
congressional page, where he personally witnessed FDR's ``a day that 
will live in infamy'' speech from this very podium.
  Take one moment to think of the life that this man has witnessed on 
this floor.
  John taught us that public service is not a sprint, but a marathon. 
There are many lessons in his life that we can learn from, but I hope 
we take that lesson every day when we come to work here.
  Another lesson I hope we learn is the one how I first met John. He 
was an icon before I got here. But I watched the respect, not from his 
own colleagues in his own party, but the respect from across the aisle.
  They went to John for advice. When he walked on the floor, there were 
many on our side who stood around him to question him where he thought 
we could go.
  He believed in this House; he believed in this country.
  He had great passions: passion for his constituents; passion for his 
committee, Energy and Commerce. He loved that committee so much, he 
thought there needed to be no other committee in this House. It wasn't 
until his retirement that we got jurisdiction back in other places.

  But he understood an ever-changing world, if you can only imagine 
serving that long. He was able to adapt, which we should learn from 
him, too.
  Yes, the new world of social media many would think would pass him by 
because of his age. He was one of the first I would follow on Twitter.
  And this is a lesson that this House, in a bipartisan manner, should 
take. It is one of my favorite tweets from John. It came in July of 
2017. He wrote: ``I've been trying to repeal and replace the United 
States Senate since 1955. No luck.''
  Yes, we are sad today, but he lived a life we could admire. I may 
have differences of opinion and philosophy with him, but I admired his 
will to fight for what he believed in. I admired the way he treated 
people who had different beliefs, and I admired the way he believed all 
sides should be heard.
  I speak for everyone on this side of the aisle to convey our deepest 
sympathies, and to Debbie, and I ask that we lift him up in our prayers 
to God for his soul to rest peacefully, and to remember what he truly 
believed: public service matters; this country matters; and the ability 
to work together so all Americans will have a better tomorrow matters.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Chair, I thank the majority leader for his remarks.
  Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for the promotion.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Chair, the spirit of John Dingell was so present in 
that remark.
  Now, John Dingell apparently was not always right. He wanted to 
repeal the Senate, but then he wanted to replace it.
  Mr. Chair, John Dingell, I will tell you, I was with him Wednesday 
from approximately 4 p.m. on Wednesday until 6:30 p.m., and Debbie was 
there. Your dad was there, Andy, our dear colleague. Sandy Levin was 
there and John Orlando, who served with John on the Energy and Commerce 
Committee for such a great time. He remembered all of you. He asked me 
to give each of you his best, to wish you well, and to say that our 
country needs each of us to work together.
  Would that we could leave just some of the legacy that John Dingell 
has left behind. We are so blessed that we have the opportunity to 
serve with his wife, his beloved wife, his lovely Deborah. What an 
extraordinary relationship, what an extraordinary man. How lucky we 
were and are to serve with them.
  The Speaker will be shortly notifying us of when the funeral will be, 
opportunities to go to the funeral. There will be a memorial service as 
well, here, and probably a service in the Capitol as well. So there 
will be opportunities for each of us to stand and testify to the 
greatness and goodness of John David Dingell, Jr.
  Mr. Chair, I ask all the Members of Congress and all the ladies and 
gentlemen in the gallery to join us in a moment of silence in 
remembrance of our friend John Dingell.
  The Acting CHAIR (Mr. Pallone). All present will rise and observe a 
moment of silence in honor of our beloved John Dingell.


                Amendment No. 19 Offered by Ms. Sherrill

  The Acting CHAIR. The unfinished business is the demand for a 
recorded vote on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from New 
Jersey (Ms. Sherrill) on which further proceedings were postponed and 
on which the ayes prevailed by voice vote.
  The Clerk will redesignate the amendment.
  The Clerk redesignated the amendment.


                             Recorded Vote

  The Acting CHAIR. A recorded vote has been demanded.
  A recorded vote was ordered.
  The Acting CHAIR. This will be a 2-minute vote.
  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 401, 
noes 19, not voting 18, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 73]

                               AYES--401

     Abraham
     Adams
     Aderholt
     Aguilar
     Allen
     Amodei
     Armstrong
     Arrington
     Axne
     Babin
     Bacon
     Baird
     Balderson
     Banks
     Barr
     Barragan
     Beatty
     Bera
     Bergman
     Beyer
     Bilirakis
     Bishop (GA)
     Bishop (UT)
     Blumenauer
     Blunt Rochester
     Bonamici
     Bost
     Boyle, Brendan F.
     Brady
     Brindisi
     Brooks (AL)
     Brooks (IN)
     Brown (MD)
     Brownley (CA)
     Buchanan
     Buck
     Bucshon
     Budd
     Burchett
     Burgess
     Bustos
     Butterfield
     Byrne
     Calvert
     Carbajal
     Cardenas
     Carson (IN)
     Carter (GA)
     Carter (TX)
     Cartwright
     Case
     Casten (IL)
     Castor (FL)
     Castro (TX)
     Chabot
     Cheney
     Chu, Judy
     Cicilline
     Cisneros
     Clark (MA)
     Clarke (NY)
     Clay
     Cleaver
     Cline
     Cloud
     Cohen
     Cole
     Collins (GA)
     Collins (NY)
     Comer
     Conaway
     Cook
     Cooper
     Correa
     Costa
     Courtney
     Cox (CA)
     Craig
     Crawford
     Crenshaw
     Crist
     Crow
     Cuellar
     Cummings
     Cunningham
     Curtis
     Davids (KS)
     Davis (CA)
     Davis, Rodney
     Dean
     DeFazio
     DeGette
     DeLauro
     DelBene
     Delgado
     Demings
     DeSaulnier
     DesJarlais
     Deutch
     Diaz-Balart
     Doggett
     Doyle, Michael F.
     Duffy
     Duncan
     Dunn
     Emmer
     Engel
     Escobar
     Eshoo
     Espaillat
     Estes
     Evans
     Ferguson
     Finkenauer
     Fitzpatrick
     Fleischmann
     Fletcher
     Flores
     Fortenberry
     Foster
     Foxx (NC)
     Frankel
     Fulcher
     Gabbard
     Gallagher
     Gallego
     Garamendi

[[Page H1479]]


     Garcia (IL)
     Garcia (TX)
     Gianforte
     Gibbs
     Gohmert
     Golden
     Gomez
     Gonzalez (OH)
     Gonzalez (TX)
     Gonzalez-Colon (PR)
     Gooden
     Gottheimer
     Granger
     Graves (GA)
     Graves (LA)
     Graves (MO)
     Green (TN)
     Green (TX)
     Griffith
     Grijalva
     Grothman
     Guest
     Guthrie
     Haaland
     Hagedorn
     Harder (CA)
     Hartzler
     Hastings
     Hayes
     Heck
     Hern, Kevin
     Herrera Beutler
     Hice (GA)
     Higgins (LA)
     Higgins (NY)
     Hill (AR)
     Hill (CA)
     Himes
     Holding
     Hollingsworth
     Horn, Kendra S.
     Horsford
     Houlahan
     Hoyer
     Hudson
     Huizenga
     Hunter
     Hurd (TX)
     Jackson Lee
     Jeffries
     Johnson (LA)
     Johnson (OH)
     Johnson (SD)
     Johnson (TX)
     Jordan
     Joyce (OH)
     Joyce (PA)
     Kaptur
     Katko
     Keating
     Kelly (IL)
     Kelly (MS)
     Kelly (PA)
     Khanna
     Kildee
     Kilmer
     Kim
     Kind
     King (IA)
     King (NY)
     Kinzinger
     Kirkpatrick
     Krishnamoorthi
     Kuster (NH)
     Kustoff (TN)
     LaHood
     Lamb
     Lamborn
     Langevin
     Larsen (WA)
     Larson (CT)
     Latta
     Lawrence
     Lee (CA)
     Lee (NV)
     Lesko
     Levin (CA)
     Levin (MI)
     Lewis
     Lieu, Ted
     Lipinski
     Loebsack
     Lofgren
     Long
     Loudermilk
     Lowenthal
     Lowey
     Luetkemeyer
     Lujan
     Luria
     Lynch
     Malinowski
     Maloney, Carolyn B.
     Maloney, Sean
     Marchant
     Marshall
     Mast
     Matsui
     McAdams
     McBath
     McCarthy
     McCaul
     McClintock
     McCollum
     McEachin
     McGovern
     McHenry
     McKinley
     McNerney
     Meadows
     Meeks
     Meng
     Meuser
     Miller
     Mitchell
     Moolenaar
     Mooney (WV)
     Moore
     Morelle
     Moulton
     Mucarsel-Powell
     Mullin
     Murphy
     Napolitano
     Neal
     Neguse
     Newhouse
     Norcross
     Norman
     Norton
     Nunes
     O'Halleran
     Olson
     Palazzo
     Pallone
     Palmer
     Panetta
     Pappas
     Pascrell
     Payne
     Pence
     Perlmutter
     Perry
     Peters
     Peterson
     Phillips
     Pingree
     Plaskett
     Pocan
     Porter
     Posey
     Price (NC)
     Quigley
     Raskin
     Ratcliffe
     Reed
     Reschenthaler
     Rice (NY)
     Rice (SC)
     Riggleman
     Roby
     Rodgers (WA)
     Roe, David P.
     Rogers (AL)
     Rogers (KY)
     Rooney (FL)
     Rose (NY)
     Rose, John W.
     Rouda
     Rouzer
     Roybal-Allard
     Ruiz
     Ruppersberger
     Rush
     Ryan
     Sablan
     Sanchez
     Sarbanes
     Scalise
     Scanlon
     Schakowsky
     Schiff
     Schneider
     Schrader
     Schrier
     Schweikert
     Scott, Austin
     Scott, David
     Sensenbrenner
     Serrano
     Sewell (AL)
     Shalala
     Sherman
     Sherrill
     Shimkus
     Simpson
     Sires
     Slotkin
     Smith (MO)
     Smith (NE)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smith (WA)
     Smucker
     Soto
     Spanberger
     Spano
     Speier
     Stanton
     Stauber
     Stefanik
     Steil
     Stevens
     Stewart
     Stivers
     Suozzi
     Swalwell (CA)
     Takano
     Taylor
     Thompson (CA)
     Thompson (MS)
     Thompson (PA)
     Thornberry
     Timmons
     Tipton
     Titus
     Tonko
     Torres (CA)
     Torres Small (NM)
     Trahan
     Trone
     Turner
     Underwood
     Upton
     Van Drew
     Vargas
     Veasey
     Vela
     Velazquez
     Visclosky
     Wagner
     Walberg
     Walden
     Walker
     Walorski
     Waltz
     Wasserman Schultz
     Waters
     Watkins
     Weber (TX)
     Webster (FL)
     Welch
     Westerman
     Wexton
     Wild
     Williams
     Wilson (SC)
     Wittman
     Womack
     Woodall
     Wright
     Yarmuth
     Yoho
     Young
     Zeldin

                                NOES--19

     Amash
     Bass
     Biggs
     Davidson (OH)
     Davis, Danny K.
     Fudge
     Gosar
     Harris
     Jayapal
     Johnson (GA)
     Massie
     Nadler
     Ocasio-Cortez
     Omar
     Pressley
     Richmond
     Roy
     Scott (VA)
     Tlaib

                             NOT VOTING--18

     Allred
     Clyburn
     Connolly
     Dingell
     Gaetz
     Huffman
     Jones
     Kennedy
     LaMalfa
     Lawson (FL)
     Lucas
     Radewagen
     Rutherford
     San Nicolas
     Steube
     Watson Coleman
     Wenstrup
     Wilson (FL)

                              {time}  1104

  Mrs. BEATTY changed her vote from ``no'' to ``aye.''
  So the amendment was agreed to.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment in the nature of a 
substitute, as amended.
  The amendment was agreed to.
  The Acting CHAIR. Under the rule, the Committee rises.
  Accordingly, the Committee rose; and the Speaker pro tempore (Mr. 
Butterfield) having assumed the chair, Mr. Pallone, Acting Chair of the 
Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union, reported that 
that Committee, having had under consideration the bill (H.R. 840) to 
amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs to provide child care assistance to veterans receiving certain 
medical services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and, 
pursuant to House Resolution 105, he reported the bill back to the 
House with an amendment adopted in the Committee of the Whole.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the rule, the previous question is 
ordered.
  Is a separate vote demanded on any amendment to the amendment 
reported from the Committee of the Whole?
  If not, the question is on the amendment in the nature of a 
substitute, as amended.
  The amendment was agreed to.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the engrossment and third 
reading of the bill.
  The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and was 
read the third time.


                           Motion to Recommit

  Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is the gentleman opposed to the bill?
  Mr. BARR. I am in its current form.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the motion to 
recommit.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Mr. Barr moves to recommit the bill H.R. 840 to the 
     Committee on Veterans' Affairs with instructions to report 
     the same back to the House forthwith, with the following 
     amendment:
       At the end of section 1730D of title 38, United States 
     Code, as proposed to be added by section 2 of the bill, add 
     the following new subsection:
       ``(e) Additional Requirements for Child Care Providers.--
     (1) Subject to paragraph (2), no payment may be made under 
     this section to a child care center, child care agency, or 
     child care provider described in subsection (b) that employs 
     an individual who has been charged with--
       ``(A) a sex offense;
       ``(B) an offense involving a child victim;
       ``(C) a violent crime;
       ``(D) a drug felony; or
       ``(E) other offense that the Secretary determines 
     appropriate.
       ``(2) Payment may be made under this section to a child 
     care center, child care agency, or child care provider 
     described in subsection (b) if such child care center, child 
     care agency, or child care provider has suspended the 
     individual described in paragraph (1) from having any contact 
     with children while on the job until the case is resolved.''.

  Mr. BARR (during the reading). Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent 
to dispense with the reading.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Kentucky?
  There was no objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Kentucky is recognized 
for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, just a few minutes ago, we adopted, by a 
recorded vote, a commonsense amendment offered by Congresswoman Mikie 
Sherrill from New Jersey. Congresswoman Sherrill's amendment would 
prohibit a childcare center, agency, or provider from caring for the 
children of our Nation's veterans as authorized by this bill if they 
employ an individual who has been convicted of a sex crime, a violent 
crime, a drug felony, or another offense the VA considers appropriate.
  Mr. Speaker, I applaud Congresswoman Sherrill for offering her 
amendment, which I was pleased to join my colleagues in supporting on a 
bipartisan basis. However, Ms. Sherrill's amendment failed to address 
another troubling situation, a situation that, if this bill had gone 
through regular order, may have been identified.
  Specifically, Federal law allows but does not require a childcare 
facility operated by a Federal agency or under contract with a Federal 
agency to suspend a childcare worker if they have been charged with a 
sex crime, an offense involving a child victim, a violent crime, or a 
drug felony, but whose charge is still pending.
  My motion to recommit, Mr. Speaker, is very simple. It would remove 
that discretion and affirmatively prohibit the VA from paying a 
childcare provider if they employ an individual who has been charged 
with a sex offense, an offense involving a child victim, a violent 
crime, a drug felony, or other offense that the Secretary determines 
appropriate unless the childcare provider has suspended that individual 
from having any contact with any children while on the job until the 
case has been resolved.
  It can take a considerable amount of time for some cases to proceed 
through our criminal justice system. For example, in 2013, a nursing 
assistant at the Alexandria VA Healthcare System in

[[Page H1480]]

Pineville, Louisiana, was charged with negligent homicide after a 
physical altercation with a veteran patient who later died. In 2018, 5 
years later, that case finally came to a resolution when the nursing 
assistant pleaded no contest.
  During those intervening 5 years, that nursing assistant remained as 
a VA employee. He was suspended for some time, but eventually was 
brought back to work while the charge was still pending. Imagine if 
this individual had been caring for children.
  This case illustrates the length of time the judicial process can 
take and, regrettably, the need to remove the manager's discretion in 
these situations.
  Let me be clear, Mr. Speaker. This motion does not presuppose the 
guilt of anyone who is charged with one of these crimes; rather, it 
acknowledges, like we all did with Ms. Sherrill's amendment, that we 
have an obligation to ensure the safety and the well-being of children 
who will be cared for under this program.
  Congress creates and oversees Federal agencies and the rules by which 
they and their employees operate. Just as Congress created existing 
guidelines giving agencies the discretion to deny employment for 
convicted or charged sex offenders, so, too, can Congress remove that 
discretion.

                              {time}  1115

  I am not willing to gamble with the safety of my own children, nor am 
I willing to gamble with the safety of our veterans' children either.
  Make no mistake, Mr. Speaker, any Member here today who votes against 
this motion to recommit is voting to potentially expose children to the 
care of an individual who has been charged with a serious crime, 
including a sex crime against a child.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues for their support of this 
commonsense motion to protect the children of the men and women who 
have bravely served in uniform.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I claim the time in opposition to the motion 
to recommit.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from California is recognized 
for 5 minutes.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania 
(Mr. Lamb), who was a former criminal prosecutor before he arrived in 
Congress.
  Mr. LAMB. Mr. Speaker, the underlying bill here was made in regular 
order, and many amendments were considered, including the amendment we 
just voted on. It is an amendment that does keep children safe. In 
fact, the way to make a mistake here and ensure that the safety of our 
children is in jeopardy would be to defeat this underlying bill.
  This underlying bill does what we were sent here to do. It takes an 
excellent government program which provides childcare to tens of 
thousands of veterans and their families. It takes a program that works 
and says we are going to double down when the Veterans Administration 
does the right thing and people are satisfied; we will continue that 
program.
  Instead, our colleagues on the other side of the aisle want to 
interrupt a great program, and when they could have made an amendment 
yesterday or when they could introduce new legislation, they want to 
sideline this successful program that takes care of children.
  We had one veteran tell us that this was the best benefit they had 
been extended in exchange for their service since 1992 and that their 
child loves the childcare program at the VA, loves the children that 
they are included with and the people who watch over them while their 
parent can get treatment. There are tens of thousands of people out 
there like them.
  Mr. Speaker, the motto of the Veterans Administration came from 
President Lincoln himself. He dared us to strive on, to finish the work 
we are in, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his 
widow and his orphan--in other words, to take care of the entire 
family.
  This is about family, and through the amendment process, we have made 
sure that no one will provide childcare to these children who is in 
serious trouble. We are doing our job. We will continue to strive on. 
There is no reason to get in the way of this excellent bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I have learned a lot in my past year of being here. One 
important thing that I have learned is that we can always update the 
references we have made. I have quoted President Lincoln, but my 
colleague from New York (Mr. Jeffries) is also fond of making more 
contemporary references.
  There is one that occurred to me today as I thought about the message 
of this bill. As the Pittsburgh Pirates were racing toward the World 
Series in 1979, they adopted as their slogan the words of the disco 
stars Sister Sledge: ``We are family.''
  Mr. Speaker, that is what this bill is about. We are family. We will 
take care of the veterans, and we will take care of their children. We 
are family. Now get up everybody and vote against this MTR and for the 
underlying bill.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.


                         Parliamentary Inquiry

  Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I have a parliamentary inquiry.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will state his parliamentary 
inquiry.
  Mr. BARR. The gentleman from Pennsylvania indicated that the effect 
of this motion to recommit would kill this bill. We would like a ruling 
on that, that the motion to recommit would not kill the bill, that it 
would send the bill back to committee to rectify this problem that 
jeopardizes the safety and well-being of the children of our veterans.
  Is that true, Mr. Speaker?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. If adopted, the effect of the motion will be 
that the amendment is reported by the chair of the committee and is 
immediately before the House.
  Mr. BARR. I thank the Chair for the clarification, Mr. Speaker.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the previous question is 
ordered on the motion to recommit.
  There was no objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion to recommit.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the noes appeared to have it.


                             Recorded Vote

  Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.
  A recorded vote was ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 9 of rule XX, the Chair 
will reduce to 5 minutes the minimum time for any electronic vote on 
the question of passage.
  This is a 5-minute vote.
  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 200, 
noes 214, not voting 18, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 74]

                               AYES--200

     Abraham
     Aderholt
     Allen
     Amodei
     Armstrong
     Arrington
     Axne
     Babin
     Bacon
     Baird
     Balderson
     Banks
     Barr
     Bergman
     Biggs
     Bilirakis
     Bishop (UT)
     Bost
     Brady
     Brooks (AL)
     Brooks (IN)
     Buchanan
     Buck
     Bucshon
     Budd
     Burchett
     Burgess
     Byrne
     Calvert
     Carter (GA)
     Carter (TX)
     Chabot
     Cheney
     Cline
     Cloud
     Cole
     Collins (GA)
     Collins (NY)
     Comer
     Conaway
     Cook
     Crawford
     Crenshaw
     Cunningham
     Curtis
     Davids (KS)
     Davidson (OH)
     Davis, Rodney
     Delgado
     DesJarlais
     Diaz-Balart
     Duffy
     Duncan
     Dunn
     Emmer
     Estes
     Ferguson
     Finkenauer
     Fitzpatrick
     Fleischmann
     Flores
     Fortenberry
     Foxx (NC)
     Fulcher
     Gallagher
     Gianforte
     Gibbs
     Gohmert
     Gonzalez (OH)
     Gooden
     Gosar
     Gottheimer
     Granger
     Graves (GA)
     Graves (LA)
     Graves (MO)
     Green (TN)
     Griffith
     Grothman
     Guest
     Guthrie
     Hagedorn
     Harris
     Hartzler
     Hern, Kevin
     Herrera Beutler
     Hice (GA)
     Higgins (LA)
     Hill (AR)
     Holding
     Hollingsworth
     Horn, Kendra S.
     Hudson
     Huizenga
     Hunter
     Hurd (TX)
     Johnson (OH)
     Johnson (SD)
     Jordan
     Joyce (OH)
     Joyce (PA)
     Katko
     Kelly (MS)
     Kelly (PA)
     King (IA)
     King (NY)
     Kinzinger
     Kustoff (TN)
     LaHood
     Lamborn
     Latta
     Lesko
     Long
     Loudermilk
     Luetkemeyer
     Luria
     Marchant
     Marshall
     Massie
     Mast
     McCarthy
     McCaul
     McClintock
     McHenry
     McKinley
     Meadows
     Meuser
     Miller
     Mitchell
     Moolenaar
     Mooney (WV)
     Mullin
     Newhouse
     Norman
     Nunes
     Olson
     Palazzo
     Palmer
     Pence
     Perry
     Peterson
     Posey
     Ratcliffe
     Reed
     Reschenthaler
     Rice (SC)
     Riggleman
     Roby
     Rodgers (WA)
     Roe, David P.
     Rogers (AL)
     Rogers (KY)
     Rooney (FL)
     Rose, John W.
     Rouzer
     Roy
     Scalise
     Schrier
     Schweikert
     Scott, Austin
     Sensenbrenner
     Shimkus
     Simpson
     Smith (MO)
     Smith (NE)

[[Page H1481]]


     Smith (NJ)
     Smucker
     Spano
     Stauber
     Stefanik
     Steil
     Stewart
     Stivers
     Taylor
     Thompson (PA)
     Thornberry
     Timmons
     Tipton
     Turner
     Upton
     Van Drew
     Wagner
     Walberg
     Walden
     Walker
     Walorski
     Waltz
     Watkins
     Weber (TX)
     Webster (FL)
     Westerman
     Williams
     Wilson (SC)
     Wittman
     Womack
     Woodall
     Wright
     Yoho
     Young
     Zeldin

                               NOES--214

     Adams
     Aguilar
     Amash
     Barragan
     Bass
     Beatty
     Bera
     Beyer
     Bishop (GA)
     Blumenauer
     Blunt Rochester
     Bonamici
     Boyle, Brendan F.
     Brindisi
     Brown (MD)
     Brownley (CA)
     Bustos
     Butterfield
     Carbajal
     Cardenas
     Carson (IN)
     Cartwright
     Case
     Casten (IL)
     Castor (FL)
     Castro (TX)
     Chu, Judy
     Cicilline
     Cisneros
     Clark (MA)
     Clarke (NY)
     Clay
     Cleaver
     Cohen
     Cooper
     Correa
     Costa
     Courtney
     Cox (CA)
     Craig
     Crist
     Crow
     Cuellar
     Cummings
     Davis (CA)
     Davis, Danny K.
     Dean
     DeFazio
     DeGette
     DeLauro
     DelBene
     Demings
     DeSaulnier
     Deutch
     Doggett
     Doyle, Michael F.
     Engel
     Escobar
     Eshoo
     Espaillat
     Evans
     Fletcher
     Frankel
     Fudge
     Gabbard
     Gallego
     Garamendi
     Garcia (IL)
     Garcia (TX)
     Golden
     Gomez
     Gonzalez (TX)
     Green (TX)
     Grijalva
     Haaland
     Harder (CA)
     Hastings
     Hayes
     Heck
     Higgins (NY)
     Hill (CA)
     Himes
     Horsford
     Houlahan
     Hoyer
     Jackson Lee
     Jayapal
     Jeffries
     Johnson (GA)
     Johnson (TX)
     Kaptur
     Keating
     Kelly (IL)
     Khanna
     Kildee
     Kilmer
     Kim
     Kind
     Kirkpatrick
     Krishnamoorthi
     Kuster (NH)
     Lamb
     Langevin
     Larsen (WA)
     Larson (CT)
     Lawrence
     Lee (CA)
     Lee (NV)
     Levin (CA)
     Levin (MI)
     Lewis
     Lieu, Ted
     Lipinski
     Loebsack
     Lofgren
     Lowenthal
     Lowey
     Lujan
     Lynch
     Malinowski
     Maloney, Carolyn B.
     Maloney, Sean
     Matsui
     McAdams
     McBath
     McCollum
     McEachin
     McGovern
     McNerney
     Meeks
     Meng
     Moore
     Morelle
     Moulton
     Mucarsel-Powell
     Murphy
     Nadler
     Napolitano
     Neal
     Neguse
     Norcross
     O'Halleran
     Ocasio-Cortez
     Omar
     Pallone
     Panetta
     Pappas
     Pascrell
     Payne
     Perlmutter
     Peters
     Phillips
     Pingree
     Pocan
     Porter
     Pressley
     Price (NC)
     Quigley
     Raskin
     Rice (NY)
     Richmond
     Rose (NY)
     Rouda
     Roybal-Allard
     Ruiz
     Ruppersberger
     Rush
     Ryan
     Sanchez
     Sarbanes
     Scanlon
     Schakowsky
     Schiff
     Schneider
     Schrader
     Scott (VA)
     Scott, David
     Serrano
     Sewell (AL)
     Shalala
     Sherman
     Sherrill
     Sires
     Slotkin
     Smith (WA)
     Soto
     Spanberger
     Speier
     Stanton
     Stevens
     Suozzi
     Swalwell (CA)
     Takano
     Thompson (CA)
     Thompson (MS)
     Titus
     Tlaib
     Tonko
     Torres (CA)
     Torres Small (NM)
     Trahan
     Trone
     Underwood
     Vargas
     Veasey
     Vela
     Velazquez
     Visclosky
     Wasserman Schultz
     Waters
     Welch
     Wexton
     Wild
     Yarmuth

                             NOT VOTING--18

     Allred
     Clyburn
     Connolly
     Dingell
     Foster
     Gaetz
     Huffman
     Johnson (LA)
     Jones
     Kennedy
     LaMalfa
     Lawson (FL)
     Lucas
     Rutherford
     Steube
     Watson Coleman
     Wenstrup
     Wilson (FL)

                              {time}  1127

  So the motion to recommit was rejected.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the passage of the bill.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.


                             Recorded Vote

  Mr. DUNN. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.
  A recorded vote was ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. This is a 5-minute vote.
  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 400, 
noes 9, not voting 23, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 75]

                               AYES--400

     Abraham
     Adams
     Aderholt
     Aguilar
     Allen
     Amodei
     Armstrong
     Arrington
     Axne
     Babin
     Bacon
     Baird
     Balderson
     Banks
     Barr
     Barragan
     Bass
     Beatty
     Bera
     Bergman
     Beyer
     Bilirakis
     Bishop (GA)
     Bishop (UT)
     Blumenauer
     Blunt Rochester
     Bonamici
     Bost
     Boyle, Brendan F.
     Brady
     Brindisi
     Brooks (IN)
     Brown (MD)
     Brownley (CA)
     Buchanan
     Buck
     Bucshon
     Burchett
     Burgess
     Bustos
     Butterfield
     Byrne
     Calvert
     Carbajal
     Carson (IN)
     Carter (GA)
     Carter (TX)
     Cartwright
     Case
     Casten (IL)
     Castor (FL)
     Castro (TX)
     Chabot
     Cheney
     Chu, Judy
     Cicilline
     Cisneros
     Clark (MA)
     Clarke (NY)
     Clay
     Cleaver
     Cline
     Cloud
     Cohen
     Cole
     Collins (GA)
     Collins (NY)
     Comer
     Conaway
     Cook
     Cooper
     Correa
     Costa
     Courtney
     Cox (CA)
     Craig
     Crawford
     Crenshaw
     Crist
     Crow
     Cuellar
     Cummings
     Cunningham
     Curtis
     Davids (KS)
     Davis (CA)
     Davis, Danny K.
     Davis, Rodney
     Dean
     DeFazio
     DeGette
     DeLauro
     DelBene
     Delgado
     Demings
     DeSaulnier
     DesJarlais
     Deutch
     Diaz-Balart
     Doggett
     Doyle, Michael F.
     Duffy
     Duncan
     Dunn
     Emmer
     Engel
     Escobar
     Eshoo
     Espaillat
     Estes
     Evans
     Ferguson
     Finkenauer
     Fitzpatrick
     Fleischmann
     Flores
     Fortenberry
     Foxx (NC)
     Frankel
     Fudge
     Fulcher
     Gabbard
     Gallagher
     Gallego
     Garamendi
     Garcia (IL)
     Garcia (TX)
     Gianforte
     Gibbs
     Gohmert
     Golden
     Gomez
     Gonzalez (OH)
     Gonzalez (TX)
     Gooden
     Gottheimer
     Granger
     Graves (GA)
     Graves (LA)
     Graves (MO)
     Green (TN)
     Green (TX)
     Griffith
     Grijalva
     Grothman
     Guest
     Guthrie
     Haaland
     Hagedorn
     Harder (CA)
     Harris
     Hartzler
     Hastings
     Hayes
     Heck
     Hern, Kevin
     Herrera Beutler
     Hice (GA)
     Higgins (LA)
     Higgins (NY)
     Hill (AR)
     Hill (CA)
     Himes
     Holding
     Hollingsworth
     Horn, Kendra S.
     Horsford
     Houlahan
     Hoyer
     Hudson
     Huizenga
     Hunter
     Hurd (TX)
     Jackson Lee
     Jayapal
     Jeffries
     Johnson (GA)
     Johnson (OH)
     Johnson (SD)
     Johnson (TX)
     Jordan
     Joyce (OH)
     Joyce (PA)
     Kaptur
     Katko
     Keating
     Kelly (IL)
     Kelly (MS)
     Kelly (PA)
     Khanna
     Kildee
     Kilmer
     Kim
     Kind
     King (IA)
     King (NY)
     Kinzinger
     Kirkpatrick
     Krishnamoorthi
     Kuster (NH)
     Kustoff (TN)
     LaHood
     Lamb
     Lamborn
     Langevin
     Larsen (WA)
     Larson (CT)
     Latta
     Lawrence
     Lee (CA)
     Lee (NV)
     Lesko
     Levin (CA)
     Levin (MI)
     Lewis
     Lieu, Ted
     Lipinski
     Loebsack
     Lofgren
     Long
     Loudermilk
     Lowenthal
     Lowey
     Luetkemeyer
     Lujan
     Luria
     Lynch
     Malinowski
     Maloney, Carolyn B.
     Maloney, Sean
     Marshall
     Massie
     Mast
     Matsui
     McAdams
     McBath
     McCarthy
     McCaul
     McClintock
     McCollum
     McEachin
     McGovern
     McHenry
     McKinley
     McNerney
     Meadows
     Meeks
     Meng
     Miller
     Mitchell
     Moolenaar
     Moore
     Morelle
     Moulton
     Mucarsel-Powell
     Mullin
     Murphy
     Nadler
     Napolitano
     Neal
     Neguse
     Newhouse
     Norcross
     Norman
     Nunes
     O'Halleran
     Ocasio-Cortez
     Olson
     Omar
     Palazzo
     Pallone
     Palmer
     Panetta
     Pappas
     Pascrell
     Payne
     Pence
     Perlmutter
     Perry
     Peters
     Peterson
     Phillips
     Pingree
     Pocan
     Porter
     Posey
     Pressley
     Price (NC)
     Quigley
     Raskin
     Ratcliffe
     Reed
     Reschenthaler
     Rice (NY)
     Rice (SC)
     Richmond
     Riggleman
     Roby
     Rodgers (WA)
     Roe, David P.
     Rogers (AL)
     Rogers (KY)
     Rooney (FL)
     Rose (NY)
     Rose, John W.
     Rouda
     Rouzer
     Roy
     Roybal-Allard
     Ruiz
     Ruppersberger
     Rush
     Ryan
     Sanchez
     Sarbanes
     Scalise
     Scanlon
     Schakowsky
     Schiff
     Schneider
     Schrader
     Schrier
     Schweikert
     Scott (VA)
     Scott, Austin
     Scott, David
     Serrano
     Sewell (AL)
     Shalala
     Sherman
     Sherrill
     Shimkus
     Simpson
     Sires
     Slotkin
     Smith (MO)
     Smith (NE)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smith (WA)
     Smucker
     Soto
     Spanberger
     Spano
     Speier
     Stanton
     Stauber
     Stefanik
     Steil
     Stevens
     Stewart
     Stivers
     Suozzi
     Swalwell (CA)
     Takano
     Taylor
     Thompson (CA)
     Thompson (MS)
     Thompson (PA)
     Thornberry
     Timmons
     Tipton
     Titus
     Tlaib
     Tonko
     Torres (CA)
     Torres Small (NM)
     Trahan
     Trone
     Turner
     Underwood
     Upton
     Van Drew
     Vargas
     Veasey
     Vela
     Velazquez
     Visclosky
     Wagner
     Walberg
     Walden
     Walorski
     Waltz
     Wasserman Schultz
     Waters
     Weber (TX)
     Webster (FL)
     Welch
     Westerman
     Wexton
     Wild
     Williams
     Wilson (SC)
     Wittman
     Womack
     Woodall
     Wright
     Yarmuth
     Yoho
     Young
     Zeldin

                                NOES--9

     Amash
     Biggs
     Brooks (AL)
     Budd
     Davidson (OH)
     Gosar
     Mooney (WV)
     Sensenbrenner
     Walker

                             NOT VOTING--23

     Allred
     Cardenas
     Clyburn
     Connolly
     Dingell
     Fletcher
     Foster
     Gaetz
     Huffman
     Johnson (LA)
     Jones
     Kennedy
     LaMalfa
     Lawson (FL)
     Lucas
     Marchant
     Meuser
     Rutherford
     Steube
     Watkins
     Watson Coleman
     Wenstrup
     Wilson (FL)

                              {time}  1134

  So the bill was passed.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
  Stated for:
  Mrs. FLETCHER. Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted 
``yea'' on rollcall No. 75.


                          Personal Explanation

  Mr. ALLRED. Mr. Speaker, as I am back home in Dallas, Texas, on 
paternity leave with my family, I submit the following vote 
explanation.
  Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 72, 
``yea'' on rollcall No. 73, ``nay'' on rollcall No. 74, and ``yea'' on 
rollcall No. 75.

[[Page H1482]]

                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

  Mr. FOSTER. Mr. Speaker, on February 8, 2019, I missed two recorded 
votes. Had I been present, on rollcall No. 74, I would have voted no, 
and on rollcall No. 75, I would have voted yes.

                          ____________________