[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 194 (Monday, November 16, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H5745-H5746]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         TRAVIS W. ATKINS DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS CLINIC

  Mrs. LURIA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (S. 900) to designate the community-based outpatient clinic of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs in Bozeman, Montana, as the ``Travis W. 
Atkins Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic'', as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                 S. 900

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

     SECTION 1. DESIGNATION OF TRAVIS W. ATKINS DEPARTMENT OF 
                   VETERANS AFFAIRS CLINIC IN BOZEMAN, MONTANA.

       (a) Designation.--The community-based outpatient clinic of 
     the Department of Veterans Affairs located in Bozeman, 
     Montana, shall after the date of the enactment of this Act be 
     known and designated as the ``Travis W. Atkins Department of 
     Veterans Affairs Clinic'' or the ``Travis W. Atkins VA 
     Clinic''.
       (b) Reference.--Any reference in any law, regulation, map, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     community-based outpatient clinic referred to in subsection 
     (a) shall be considered to be a reference to the Travis W. 
     Atkins Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Virginia (Mrs. Luria) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Virginia.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. LURIA. Mr. 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 materials on S. 900, as amended.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Virginia?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. LURIA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to remember the life of Army Staff Sergeant 
Travis Atkins, who was killed in Iraq on June 1,

[[Page H5746]]

2007. I thank my colleague, Mr. Gianforte from Montana, for bringing 
this bill before us so we may all pay tribute to a selfless public 
servant.
  Travis was born on December 9, 1975, to parents Jack and Elaine. 
Growing up in Bozeman, Montana, he was an active outdoorsman, spending 
most of his time fishing, hunting, and snowmobiling. After high school, 
he worked as a painting and concrete contractor but soon felt called to 
serve.
  On November 9, 2000, 24-year-old Travis joined the Army. He deployed 
to Kuwait with the 101st Airborne Division in March of 2003 and was an 
infantry team leader during the invasion of Iraq later that month.
  After that deployment, he decided to pursue college and was honorably 
discharged in December of 2003. But as his father put it, the civilian 
life just didn't do it for him, and he rejoined the Army in December of 
2005 as part of the 10th Mountain Division and was again deployed to 
Iraq.
  Mr. Speaker, on June 1, 2007, during a route clearance in a town 
outside of Baghdad, Atkins' unit noticed two men trying to cross a road 
that they were securing. Atkins asked the men to stop. When trying to 
search one of the men, a fight broke out. Realizing the man was wearing 
a suicide vest, he fought to keep him from finding the trigger. 
Eventually, he did. Without hesitating, Staff Sergeant Atkins bear-
hugged the insurgent, threw him to the ground and pinned him there, 
shielding his fellow soldiers only a few feet away. Staff Sergeant 
Atkins saved three men that day.
  In every account of his character from his battle buddies, the word 
most used to describe him was a ``leader,'' and a fine leader he was, 
right up until his final moments.
  Surviving Sergeant Atkins are his parents and his son, Trevor. Trevor 
said that he wants his father to be remembered as the best dad and the 
best soldier that anyone could ask for. At the White House, on March 
27, 2019, Trevor accepted his father's Medal of Honor.
  The legacy of Staff Sergeant Atkins--of loyalty, of dedication, of 
leadership--must never be forgotten. As the citizens he protected, we 
honor him by trying to live by his example to care deeply and lead 
well.
  While we will never be able to fully convey the depth of our 
gratitude to the Atkins family, I hope that this bill, the naming of 
the clinic in his hometown, will offer some fraction of that comfort.
  Mr. Speaker, I wholeheartedly support this bill and I urge my 
colleagues to do the same.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 900, as amended, a bill to 
name the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient 
clinic in Bozeman, Montana, the Travis W. Atkins Department of Veterans 
Affairs Clinic.
  Staff Sergeant Travis Atkins was a Montana native and Army veteran. 
He was killed in action in Iraq in 2007 during an encounter with two 
enemy insurgents when he put himself between a suicide bomber and his 
fellow soldiers.
  Staff Sergeant Atkins' quick and selfless actions saved the lives of 
those three soldiers and led to him being posthumously awarded the 
Medal of Honor. By naming the VA clinic in Bozeman after him today, we 
will further ensure that his life and legacy is forever remembered.
  This bill was sponsored in the Senate by Senator Steve Daines and in 
the House by my friend and colleague Congressman   Greg Gianforte, who 
will be the Governor of Montana very soon. It is also strongly 
supported by the other member of Montana's congressional delegation, 
the ranking member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee and 
another good friend of mine, Senator Jon Tester.
  I am grateful to Senator Daines, Congressman Gianforte, Ranking 
Member Tester, and the many Montana veteran service organizations that 
sent in letters of support for this bill, for their efforts to honor 
Staff Sergeant Atkins' service and sacrifice through this legislation. 
These are the true heroes, Mr. Speaker. I know you know that.
  Staff Sergeant Atkins was just 32 years old when he died. He left 
behind many loved ones, including his then 11-year-old son, Trevor. I 
send my prayers to Trevor and to all of Staff Sergeant Atkins' friends 
and family members who, I know, are still grieving his loss today.
  I hope that it is a small comfort to them to know that, with the 
passage of this bill, Mr. Speaker, Staff Sergeant Atkins' memory will 
live on and serve as an inspiration to all the veterans who seek hope 
and healing in the clinic that will now bear his name.
  I am proud to support this bill, Mr. Speaker, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  Mrs. LURIA. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in passing S. 
900, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Luria) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, S. 900, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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