[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 83 (Monday, May 16, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H4991-H4994]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
DANIEL KAHIKINA AKAKA DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMUNITY-BASED
OUTPATIENT CLINIC
Mr. TRONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(S. 1760) to designate the community-based outpatient clinic of the
Department of Veterans Affairs planned to be built in Oahu, Hawaii, as
the ``Daniel Kahikina Akaka Department of Veterans Affairs Community-
Based Outpatient Clinic''.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
S. 1760
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. DESIGNATION OF DANIEL KAHIKINA AKAKA DEPARTMENT OF
VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMUNITY-BASED OUTPATIENT
CLINIC.
(a) Designation.--The community-based outpatient clinic of
the Department of Veterans Affairs planned to be built in
Oahu, Hawaii, shall after the date of the enactment of this
Act be known and designated as the ``Daniel Kahikina Akaka
Department of Veterans Affairs Community-Based Outpatient
Clinic'' or the ``Daniel Kahikina Akaka 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 Daniel
Kahikina Akaka Department of Veterans Affairs Community-Based
Outpatient Clinic.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Maryland (Mr. Trone) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Bost) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Maryland.
{time} 1530
General Leave
Mr. TRONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have
5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on S. 1760.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Maryland?
There was no objection.
Mr. TRONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to offer my strong support for S. 1760, a bill to
designate the veterans' health facility in Oahu, Hawaii, as the Daniel
Kahikina Akaka Department of Veterans Affairs community-based
outpatient clinic, named after the first United States Senator of
Native Hawaiian ancestry, the late Daniel Akaka.
I recognize Senator Mazie Hirono for spearheading this effort to
honor a man of such great esteem. The CBOC in
[[Page H4992]]
Oahu will stand as a lasting testimony to his commitment to the men and
women of the Armed Forces, providing countless services and benefits to
our Nation's veterans for years to come.
Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Kai Kahele, whose constituency
includes parts of Oahu, for leading this effort on the House side. He
grew up the son of a Native Hawaiian mother and a father of Chinese and
Native Hawaiian heritage. As a student of Kamehameha, a high school for
boys, a military school, Senator Akaka's path was forever changed after
having witnessed firsthand Japanese fighter planes attacking Pearl
Harbor in 1941.
Like most patriotic Americans during World War II, Senator Akaka
wanted to join in the U.S. effort to defend our freedom. He ultimately
ended up joining the Army Corps of Engineers and served throughout the
Pacific theater.
After the war, Senator Akaka took advantage of the GI Bill benefits,
and earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University
of Hawaii. After working several years in State government, Akaka was
persuaded to enter elected office to ensure there would be a Native
Hawaiian presence in his State's decisionmaking process.
Elected to the House of Representatives in 1977, Daniel Akaka became
a congressional champion of indigenous and veteran issues. In 1990, he
was elected to represent Hawaii in the United States Senate.
Thanks to Senator Akaka's commitment to recognizing the military
contributions of the AAPI community, more than 30 Medals of Honor were
awarded to Asian and Asian-American World War II veterans; a
recognition of their patriotism and bravery that was long overdue.
When it comes to the question of naming the VA community-based
outpatient clinic in Hawaii, I ask this body: Who better than Daniel
Kahikina Akaka; a Hawaiian-born, Hawaiian-serving veteran whose life
philosophy was sharing aloha and was a true public servant for over
three decades.
Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record letters of support from our
colleagues in the Hawaiian Congressional Delegation, the American
Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Disabled American
Veterans.
Congress of the United States,
Washington, DC, November 17, 2021.
Hon. Jon Tester,
Chairman, Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Washington,
DC.
Hon. Jerry Moran,
Ranking Member, Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs,
Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Tester and Ranking Member Moran: We, the
Hawaii Congressional Delegation, write in support of
legislation to designate the planned outpatient clinic on the
Island of Oahu, Hawaii as the ``Daniel Kahikina Akaka
Department of Veteran Affairs Community-Based Outpatient
Clinic,'' to honor and commemorate Senator Daniel Akaka's
service to his country during World War II and his service to
the people of Hawaii in Congress.
Born in 1924 in Honolulu, Hawaii, Senator Akaka attended
public grade school, but went to Kamehameha School for Boys
and graduated from there in 1942. From 1943 to 1945, after
graduating from high school, he served as a civilian worker
in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He continued to serve in
the Army Corps of Engineers after being drafted in 1945,
including assignments on Saipan and Tinian, until being
honorably discharged in 1947.
He returned to Hawaii and pursued his education at the
University of Hawaii utilizing the GI Bill. He spent 15 years
as an educator and administrator in public schools before
transitioning into government service. During his time in
government, he was the Chief Program Planner for the Hawaii
Department of Education, Director of the Hawaii Office of
Economic Opportunity, Director of the Progressive
Neighborhood Program, and Special Assistant in the Office of
Governor George Ariyoshi.
Senator Akaka was first elected to the U.S. House of
Representatives in 1976, where he represented the people of
Hawaii for 14 years. In 1990, he was appointed to fill a
Senate vacancy after the death of Senator Spark M. Matsunaga.
He was elected to the seat that fall and continued to serve
as Senator for 23 years until his retirement in 2013. Senator
Akaka was the first U.S. Senator of Native Hawaiian ancestry,
and during his tenure was the only Chinese-American member of
the Senate.
Senator Akaka was a member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs
Committee (SVAC) from 1990 through 2013, and was the chairman
of the committee from 2007 to 2011. During his tenure, he
expanded benefits for veterans and worked to ensure those who
had served our country were properly recognized for that
service.
Mr. Akaka sponsored legislation in 1996 to review the
service records of Asian-Americans who had fought in the
442nd Regimental Combat Team and the 100th Infantry Battalion
during World War II. The review resulted in over 30 Medals of
Honor being belatedly bestowed, some posthumously, on Asian-
American veterans. Many of these veterans were of Japanese
heritage, and included his fellow Senator from Hawaii, Daniel
K. Inouye.
As chairman, in 2008, he oversaw the largest increase ever
in funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). At
the time, he said it was important to ensure VA had the
funding needed to respond to veterans' needs. He said at the
time, ``as the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan
continue, we must recognize that care for those wounded in
combat is part of the cost of war.''
In his farewell speech, Senator Akaka credited the GI bill
with saving him from some of the effects of PTSD after
returning from the war, saying he ``would not be standing
before you today without the opportunity the GI bill gave me,
not only to get an education but to have structure and a path
forward.'' As chairman of SVAC, he worked with Senator Jim
Webb to pass the Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance
Act to update and expand GI Benefits so that Iraq and
Afghanistan war veterans had the same opportunities he was
once afforded.
Senator Akaka and Senator Inouye pursued legislation to
provide one-time compensation for members of the Phillippine
Scouts, an American-led unit of mostly Filipino and Filipino-
American recruits who fought alongside United States troops
but did not qualify for Veterans Administration benefits. The
Senators successfully secured the funding for this
compensation in the 2009 stimulus bill.
While much of what Senator Akaka accomplished benefitted
veterans across the country, he never stopped advocating for
the Native Hawaiian veteran community. Using his roles on
both SVAC and the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, he
highlighted the unique challenges faced by Native Hawaiian
veterans, including holding a field hearing in Hawaii in 2006
in which these specific issues were discussed.
The Daniel Kahikina Akaka Department of Veteran Affairs
Community-Based Outpatient Clinic is an appropriate and a
meaningful way to honor Senator Akaka's lifetime of service
to his country and to the people of Hawaii and continue his
legacy on behalf of veterans. Senator Akaka in his farewell
speech to Congress speak volumes as to his commitment to
veterans:
``I want to take this moment to urge all of my colleagues
and all of the incoming Senators and Representatives to do
everything they can for our veterans and their families
because we ask them to sacrifice so much for us. They put
their lives on the line while their wives and husbands watch
over their families. Caring for them is one of our most
sacred obligations as a nation.''
Legislation to name the clinic has been introduced in the
Senate (S. 1760) with a companion measure introduced in the
House (H.R. 3406). with the full support of Hawaii
Congressional delegation.
Thank you for your consideration of this legislation.
Sincerely,
Mazie K. Hirono,
U.S. Senator.
Kaiali`i Kahele,
U.S. Representative.
Brian Schatz,
U.S. Senator.
Ed Case,
U.S. Representative.
____
The American Legion,
Department of Hawaii,
Honolulu, HI, October 20, 2021.
Subject: The proposed legislation to rename the Ewa Plain VA
Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) the DANIEL KAHIKINA AKAKA VA
Outpatient Clinic (CBOC).
The American Legion Department of Hawaii fully supports
legislation proposed by Hawaii US Senator Mazie Hirono to
rename the Ewa Plain VA Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) the DANIEL
KAHIKINA AKAKA VA Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) after the late US
Senator Daniel Akaka.
Senator Akaka was a military veteran who served honorably
in the US Army from 1945-1947 in Saipan and Tinian during
World War II. Following military service, he returned to
Hawaii to attend college, then pursued a career of teaching.
Eventually he entered politics, first as a US Congressman
where he served his Hawaiian constituents for seven terms.
Following Hawaii's US Senator Matsunaga's death, he was
appointed to fill his vacancy in US Senate. Senator Akaka
then served successfully in the US Senate for three more
terms. As Hawaii's junior US Senator, he served on the US
Senate's Committee on Indian Affairs and on the US Senate's
Committee on Veterans Affairs. Two of the more prominent
legislation that he championed and saw passed were:
spearheading awarding nearly 2 dozen Medals of Honor to
soldiers of the famous World War II 442nd/100th ``Go for
Broke'' Battalion; and passing legislation authorizing World
War II Philippine Scouts just compensation for denied
veterans benefits.
US Senator Akaka was a true pioneer, the first native
Hawaiian to serve in the US Senate. He was also a military
veteran who would take care of veterans while serving in the
Senate. It is only appropriate that the Ewa Plain VA
Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) be
[[Page H4993]]
renamed the Daniel K. Akaka VA Outpatient Clinic (CBOC)
honoring a Patriot who served his community, his veterans,
and his nation with distinction.
Always Serving Veterans with Aloha,
Jim Hussey,
Commander.
____
Veterans of Foreign Wars,
Department of Hawaii,
Honolulu, HI, April 6, 2021.
Hon. Mazie Hirono,
U.S. Senator, the State of Hawaii,
Washington DC.
Aloha Senator Hirono: The Veterans of Foreign Wars,
Department of Hawaii, is writing to support your legislation
to name the ALOHA Project VA Clinic the ``Department of
Veterans Affairs Daniel Kahikina Akaka Community-Based
Outpatient Clinic''. We support this effort to celebrate our
fellow veteran for his service in WWII and his service as the
first Native Hawaiian to serve in the U.S. Senate.
During his twenty-three years on the Committee of Veterans
Affairs and also serving as Chairman from 2007 to 2011,
Senator Akaka sponsored legislation expanding benefits,
increasing funding for veteran healthcare, and ensuring
proper recognition for our comrades who served, especially
for those who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan. This
included ensuring that the VA handles both PTSD and TBI
claims with the respect they deserved and expanding the GI
Bill.
In 1996 he cosponsored legislation that reviewed the
records of Asian-Americans including Hawaii's own 442nd
Regimental Combat Team and the 110th Infantry Battalion for
action seen during WWII. As a result, many heroic actions
were properly recognized. This included thirty Medals of
Honor, including for his fellow Senator from Hawaii, Daniel
K. Inouye.
Before leaving office, Senator Akaka initiated the VA Aloha
Project legislation. We believe that is fitting and pono to
name this clinic after him. This action will ensure that his
honor and his dedication to veterans will be remembered for
generations to come. We respectfully request that the Senate
Veterans Affairs Committee quickly consider this important
legislation.
Ron Lockwood,
Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of Hawaii, State
Commander.
George Barlett,
Department of Hawaii Adjutant.
____
Disabled American Veterans,
Department of Hawaii,
Honolulu, HI, May 18, 2021.
Re Support for Renaming the Department of Veterans Affairs
outpatient clinic in Ewa Plain, Oahu, Hawaii, as the
Daniel Kahikina Akaka Department of Veterans Affairs
Outpatient Clinic.
Ms. Hirono plans to introduce the following bill: which is
expected to be referred to the Senate Committee on Veterans'
Affairs: A BILL To name the Department of Veterans Affairs
outpatient clinic in Ewa Plain, Oahu, Hawaii, as the Daniel
Kahikina Akaka Department of Veterans Affairs CommunityBased
Outpatient Clinic.
The Disabled Americans Veterans, Department of Hawaii is
writing this letter in support of legislation introduced by
Ms. Hirono. The proposed legislation would name the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Clinic in Ewa Plain,
Hawaii after Senator Daniel Kahikina Akaka.
The Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic in Ewa
Plain, Oahu, Hawaii, shall after the date of the enactment of
this Act be known and designated as the Daniel Kahikina Akaka
Department of Veterans Affairs Community-Based Outpatient
Clinic. Any reference to such outpatient clinic in any law,
regulation, map, document, record, or other paper of the
United States shall be considered to be a reference to the
Daniel Kahikina Akaka Department of Veterans Affairs
Community-Based Outpatient Clinic.
During World War II Senator Akaka served in the United
States Army Corps of Engineers, including service on Saipan
and Tinian. He served from 1945 to 1947.
Akaka was appointed by Governor John Waihee to the U.S.
Senate in April 1990 to serve temporarily after the death of
Senator Spark Matsunaga. During his tenure, Akaka served as
the Chair of the United States Senate Committee on Indian
Affairs and the United States Senate Committee on Veterans'
Affairs.
He attended his final session in the Senate on December 12,
2012. He closed his speech with a traditional Hawaiian
farewell, ``a hui hou'' (until we meet again).
Former president Barack Obama remembered Akaka as ``a
tireless advocate for working people, veterans, native
Hawaiian rights, and the people of Hawaii . . . He embodied
the aloha spirit with compassion and care.''
Akaka died of organ failure in the early hours of April 6,
2018, at the age of 93.
Sincerly,
Gregorrio Alip,
Department Comander.
Mr. TRONE. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support S. 1760, to
designate the soon-to-be-constructed VA community-based outpatient
clinic in Oahu, Hawaii, after our friend and former colleague, Daniel
Kahikina Akaka. In doing so, this body will appropriately commemorate
the significant achievements of America's first Senator of Native
Hawaiian ancestry.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 1760, a bill to name the
VA community-based outpatient clinic in Oahu, Hawaii, after World War
II veteran and former Hawaiian Senator, Daniel Akaka.
Senator Akaka has a long and proud record of service in a uniform and
out. Following his time in the Army, he represented his fellow
Hawaiians in both the House and the Senate. During that time in the
Senate, he served as chairman of the Veterans Affairs' Committee, where
he also represented his fellow veterans.
Mr. Speaker, it is only fitting that the community-based outpatient
clinic in his hometown of Oahu be named in his honor. I am proud to
support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. TRONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Case), who serves on the Appropriations
Committee and the Natural Resources Committee.
Mr. CASE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues, including
my colleagues kindly speaking here today from Maryland and Illinois, in
strong support of House passage of S. 1760, introduced by my colleague
Senator Mazie Hirono, and passed unanimously by the Senate.
This critical measure, companion legislation to H.R. 3406, which I
co-introduced in the House with its principal sponsor, my colleague and
partner, Congressman Kaiali'i Kahele, will designate the new community-
based outpatient clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs, now
literally rising out of the ground at Kalaeloa in Hawaii, and known to
date as the Advanced Leeward Outpatient Healthcare Access, or ALOHA
project, as the Daniel Kahikina Akaka Department of Veterans Affairs
Community-Based Outpatient Clinic.
Daniel K. Akaka was many things throughout his long and full 93 years
of life: teacher, Member of this House from 1977 to 1991, the first
U.S. Senator of Native Hawaiian ancestry from 1991 to 2012, beloved
mentor to generations, and on and on. Of all of these, he was a deeply
proud veteran, having served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the
Second World War, deploying to the Western Pacific in support of the
critical island-hopping campaign, which won the Pacific war.
Senator Akaka carried his pride and passion and commitment to our
Nation's veterans into his work in Congress. As member and chair of the
U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, he produced an unmatched
record of progress on healthcare, compensation, and other benefits for
veterans, including crafting the new veterans' GI Bill in Congress to
ensure more education benefits for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.
In this Asian-Pacific Heritage Month, it is fitting to recognize his
work focusing on specific issues affecting our Asian-American, Native
Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander veterans.
The importance of the ALOHA project to our veteran `ohana, or family,
throughout Hawaii and the Pacific cannot be overstated. On its
projected completion in late 2023, it will bring our VA healthcare
system to our veterans, relieving significant and growing pressure in
Hawaii on that system, increasing healthcare access for Hawaii's over
110,000 veterans and more, and alleviating significant and growing
logistical and capacity challenges at Tripler Army Medical Center and
the Spark M. Matsunaga Medical Center.
I cannot think of a more deserving and appropriate individual to
grace this facility and those who work and are healed there with his
name and his still living, breathing spirit, than Daniel Kahikina
Akaka.
Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this measure so that it may be sent
directly to the President for his consideration and enactment.
``Mahalo nui loa.'' ``Thank you very much.''
Mr. TRONE. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I am prepared to
close, and I reserve the balance of my time.
[[Page H4994]]
Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I encourage all my colleagues to support this
bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. TRONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in
passing S. 1760, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Trone) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, S. 1760.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. BISHOP of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas
and nays.
=========================== NOTE ===========================
May 16, 2022, on page H4994, in the first column the following
appeared: The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair,
two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ayes have it. Mr. MURPHY
of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and
nays.
The online version has been corrected to read: The SPEAKER pro
tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the
affirmative, the ayes have it. Mr. BISHOP of North Carolina. Mr.
Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
========================= END NOTE =========================
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution
8, the yeas and nays are ordered.
Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this motion
are postponed.
____________________