[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 164 (Tuesday, September 22, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H4677-H4678]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING ALL VETERANS ACT

  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 3010) to amend title 38, United States Code, to establish a 
mission statement of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 3010

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Honoring All Veterans Act''.

     SEC. 2. MISSION STATEMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

       (a) Required Mission Statement.--Section 301 of title 38, 
     United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
     following new subsection:
       ``(d) The mission statement of the Department shall be as 
     follows: `To fulfill President Lincoln's promise to care for 
     those ``who shall have borne the battle'' and for their 
     families, caregivers, and survivors.'.''.
       (b) Notification.--Not later than 30 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
     shall--
       (1) publish in the Federal Register and on the internet 
     website of the Department of Veterans Affairs a notification 
     explaining the mission statement of the Department as 
     specified in subsection (d) of section 301 of title 38, 
     United States Code, as added by subsection (a) of this 
     section; and
       (2) update each internet website of the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs and other electronic references that use a 
     previous mission statement.
       (c) Guidance.--Not later than 30 days after the date of the 
     enactment of the this Act, the Secretary shall develop and 
     issue guidance to all elements of the Department regarding 
     the mission statement of the Department as specified in 
     subsection (d) of section 301 of title 38, United States 
     Code, as added by subsection (a) of this section. The 
     guidance shall include the following:
       (1) A notification explaining the mission statement.
       (2) Instructions and a timeline for updating all previous 
     mission statement references at each such element.
       (3) A method to monitor and evaluate the compliance by 
     facilities of the Department with the guidance, including a 
     reporting mechanism for such facilities to report back to the 
     Secretary on the progress made in updating all non-electronic 
     mission statement references.
       (4) Any other information that the Secretary determines 
     necessary to ensure timely compliance with the guidance.
       (d) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress 
     a report containing a review and assessment of the progress 
     of each element of the Department in complying with the 
     guidance under subsection (c), including--
       (1) any reasons explaining why an element of the Department 
     has failed to implement the guidance; and
       (2) a plan to address any such failure to implement the 
     guidance and ensure that each element of the Department fully 
     implements and complies with the guidance.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Takano) and the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. David P. 
Roe) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and to insert extraneous material on H.R. 3010.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, H.R. 3010 establishes an inclusive VA mission 
statement or motto as follows: ``To fulfill President Lincoln's promise 
to care for those `who shall have borne the battle' and for their 
families, caregivers, and survivors.'' Congresswoman Rice introduced 
this bill to establish a model at VA that includes all who VA is 
mandated to serve.
  Since its creation in 1861, only one woman, Dr. Mary Walker, has 
received the Medal of Honor. Her citation recognized her for devoting 
``herself with much patriotic zeal to the sick and wounded soldiers, 
both in the field and in hospitals, to the detriment of her own 
health,'' and enduring ``hardships as a prisoner of war.''
  She received the Medal of Honor in 1866 for her service to the U.S. 
Army throughout the American Civil War.
  The current VA mission statement, a line from President Lincoln's 
second inaugural address delivered in 1865, uses only male pronouns and 
excludes women and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer 
veterans, as well as the diversity of their families, caregivers and 
survivors.
  For years, this committee has heard from veterans and their 
supporters that both the gender-exclusive motto and the VA's refusal to 
changes it are reflective of a culture that does not prioritize or 
value them.

                              {time}  1345

  The current model was unilaterally selected by the Administrator of 
what was then the Veterans Administration in 1959.
  By passing this bill to create a new mission statement, we are 
demonstrating the will of the American people for VA's motto to be 
inclusive. In the original context, President Lincoln expressed an 
intent of inclusion and an obligation to care for all who had endured 
conflict.
  Madam Speaker, H.R. 3010 both honors the original spirit of President 
Lincoln's words while reflecting the full scope of VA's mission and 
whom they must serve. As Dr. Mary Walker said: ``Let the generations 
know that women in uniform also guaranteed their freedom.''
  I, again, thank Miss Rice from the State of New York for sponsoring 
this bill and for her tireless work on behalf of America's veterans, 
their families, caregivers, and survivors.
  I thank Dr. Roe and the minority Members who made bringing this bill 
to the floor a fully bipartisan effort, and I hope the Senate will take 
this on swiftly so that it will pass into law before the end of the 
116th Congress.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such 
time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3010, the Honoring All 
Veterans Act, which is sponsored by my friend, Congresswoman Kathleen 
Rice from New York.
  This bill would establish a mission statement in the statute for the 
Department of Veterans Affairs. That mission statement would read: ``To 
fulfill President Lincoln's promise to care for those `who shall have 
borne the battle' and for their families, caregivers, and survivors.''
  This is in homage to President Lincoln's immortal words in his second 
inaugural address, which state, in full: ``With malice toward none; 
with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to 
see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind 
up the Nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the 
battle, and for his widow, and his orphan,

[[Page H4678]]

to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among 
ourselves and with all nations.''
  Those words, which were delivered in 1865, remain some of the most 
important in our country's history, and they continue to reverberate 
even now.
  For one, they inspired the creation of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs as we know it. That is why VA has been using them as a motto 
since 1959. However, in the last several years, veterans service 
organizations and others have rightly noted that the use of the male 
pronoun in President Lincoln's statement can inadvertently ostracize 
the increasing number of women in the military and veteran communities.
  Women are the fastest growing cohort of servicemembers and veterans. 
They play critical roles in the battlefield and in the VA healthcare 
system where their numbers have tripled in the last two decades alone. 
VA has made great strides in the last few years with respect to 
improving care for women and, as a result, women veterans now express 
greater trust in VA than ever before.
  Enacting the Honoring All Veterans Act would go one step further in 
making VA a more inclusive and welcoming place of care for them and 
future generations of veterans, whoever they may be, while preserving 
in statute the spirit of President Lincoln's charge to forever honor 
and care for those who have served.
  The bill would also be more inclusive of many caregivers, survivors, 
and family members of veterans who are vitally important sources of 
ongoing love and support of veterans in need across the country.
  Madam Speaker, I appreciate Congresswoman Rice's leadership on this 
bill. I am proud to sponsor it and support it today, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
New York (Miss Rice), who is my good friend and who is the sponsor of 
H.R. 3010.
  Miss RICE of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my 
bipartisan bill, the Honoring All Veterans Act.
  This bill would finally require the Department of Veterans Affairs to 
replace its outdated motto with a more inclusive statement. The words 
of the original motto would be updated to read: ``To fulfill President 
Lincoln's promise to care for those `who shall have borne the battle' 
and for their families, caregivers, and survivors.''
  For far too long, the VA's gender-exclusive motto hasn't properly 
acknowledged the service of women and LGBT veterans. This is simply 
wrong, and it is long overdue that we change it. Women and LGBT 
servicemembers have sacrificed so much for our country. They have 
always answered the call of duty, and they should know that we are just 
as grateful for their service and sacrifice as we are for anyone who 
serves this country.
  That is why we must make this change. We need a VA motto that 
properly recognizes and honors the service of all veterans, regardless 
of their gender or sexual orientation.
  Changing the motto won't solve every issue facing women and LGBT 
veterans, of course, but it is a start, and it is the right thing to 
do. It would say in no uncertain terms that all veterans are seen 
equally in the eyes of the agency that exists solely to serve them.
  I want to thank Chairman Takano for his support for me getting this 
bill to where it is today. And it is simply that, as Chairman Takano 
said, we would not be here if it were not for the ranking member, Dr. 
Roe. I want to thank him personally so much for supporting this bill 
and for helping to bring it to the floor today.
  I also want to thank my Republican colead, Representative Brian Mast, 
the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and all the veterans whom 
I have heard from in support of this bill.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote for the Honoring All 
Veterans Act today. It is time every veteran who served our country 
receives the respect and recognition they deserve.

  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, in closing, I 
appreciate the opportunity to be here, and I appreciate Congresswoman 
Rice's and the chairman's leadership on this.
  It seems to me it is past time to do this. It is the right thing to 
do. I encourage my colleagues to support that, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I thank H.R. 3010's sponsor, 
Representative Kathleen Rice from New York. It is long past due for us 
to recognize the contributions of all veterans, regardless of gender, 
sexual orientation, or gender identity.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 3010, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Takano) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 3010.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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