[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 95 (Tuesday, June 4, 2024)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D574-D577]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




[[Page D574]]




                        House of Representatives


Chamber Action
Public Bills and Resolutions Introduced: 17 public bills, H.R. 8603-
8619; and 3 resolutions, H. Res. 1275-1277 were introduced. 
                                                         Pages H3654-55
Additional Cosponsors:                                   
  Pages H3656-57
Reports Filed: Reports were filed today as follows:
  H.R. 784, to require any person that maintains an internet website or 
that sells or distributes a mobile application that is owned, wholly or 
partially, by the Chinese Communist Party or by a non-state-owned 
entity located in the People's Republic of China, to disclose that fact 
to any individual who downloads or otherwise uses such website or 
application, with amendments (H. Rept. 118-536);
  H.R. 7984, to require the Administrator of the Small Business 
Administration to improve access to disaster assistance for individuals 
located in rural areas, and for other purposes (H. Rept. 118-537);
  H.R. 7989, to provide for a memorandum of understanding between the 
Small Business Administration and the National Council on Disability to 
increase employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities, 
and for other purposes (H. Rept. 118-538);
  H.R. 8014, to require the Administrator of the Small Business 
Administration to issue rules for cancelled covered solicitations, to 
amend the Small Business Act to provide assistance to small business 
concerns relating to certain cancelled solicitations, and for other 
purposes (H. Rept. 118-539); and
  H.R. 6418, to modify the program of grants to support high-quality 
charter schools, with an amendment (H. Rept. 118-540).       
Page H3654
Speaker: Read a letter from the Speaker wherein he appointed 
Representative Collins to act as Speaker pro tempore for today. 
                                                             Page H3585
Commission on Reform and Modernization of the Department of State--
Appointment: Read a letter from Representative Scalise, Majority 
Leader, in which he jointly with the Senate Republican Leader appointed 
the following individual to serve as Co-Chairperson of the Commission 
on Reform and Modernization of the Department of State: Honorable Bill 
Hagerty of Tennessee.                                        
  Page H3587
Recess: The House recessed at 10:24 a.m. and reconvened at 10:30 a.m. 
                                                             Page H3594
Recess: The House recessed at 3:14 p.m. and reconvened at 3:30 p.m. 
                                                             Page H3633
Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies 
Appropriations Act, 2025: The House considered H.R. 8580, making 
appropriations for military construction, the Department of Veterans 
Affairs, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 
2025. Consideration is expected to resume tomorrow, June 5th. 
                                                         Pages H3601-37
  Pursuant to the Rule, an amendment in the nature of a substitute 
consisting of the text of Rules Committee Print 118-35, modified by the 
amendment printed in part A of H. Rept. 118-535, shall be considered as 
adopted in the House and in the Committee of the Whole. 
                                                         Pages H3605-15
Agreed to:
  Carter (TX) amendment en bloc No. 1 consisting of the following 
amendments printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-535: Boebert (No. 3) that 
transfers $2 million from VA bureaucracy to resources for medical and 
prosthetic research to ensure our veterans receive cutting edge medical 
care from the VA; Boebert (No. 4) that transfers $2 million from VA 
bureaucracy to the office of the inspector general to combat waste, 
fraud, and abuse; Boebert (No. 5) that transfers $2 million from VA 
bureaucracy to grants for construction of veteran's cemetery programs 
to assist state and tribal governments in providing burial benefits for 
veterans in rural areas lacking a VA national cemetery; Boebert (No. 6) 
that transfers $2 million to provide additional funding for the 
construction of new state extended care facilities; Boebert (No. 7) 
that transfers $2 million from VA bureaucracy to the board of veterans 
appeals to help reduce its backlog so that veteran claims can be 
adjudicated in a timely manner; Gluesenkamp Perez (No. 11) that 
increases and decreases funding for the Veterans Health Administration 
for the purposes of submitting a report to Congress on the efforts of 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to ensure access to health care for 
veterans residing in geographic proximity to a Department of Veterans 
Affairs community-based outpatient clinic subject to closure; 
Gluesenkamp Perez (No. 12) that increases and decreases funding for the 
VA Highly Rural Transportation Grant Program to underscore need to 
modernize the program, including updating the definition of highly 
rural, to provide dependable access to health care for veterans living 
in rural areas; Vicente Gonzalez (TX) (No. 13) that increases funding 
for the Grants for Construction of Veterans Cemeteries by $2 million to 
direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to report to Congress on the 
need for veterans' cemeteries in areas of high veteran population as 
determined by the Secretary; offsets the Information Technology Systems 
Funds Operations and Maintenance account by $2 million; Vicente 
Gonzalez (TX)

[[Page D575]]

(No. 14) that increases and decreases funding by $1 million for the 
Grants for Construction of Veterans Cemeteries for the purposes of 
emphasizing the need for the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to allow 
internment of Military Working Dogs in veteran cemeteries; Gottheimer 
(No. 15) that increases and decreases funding for General Operating 
Expenses by $1 million to provide additional support for the VA 
Transition Assistance Program to provide information, resources, and 
tools to service members and their families to help prepare for the 
move from military to civilian life; LaLota (No. 23) that increases and 
decreases the Grants for Construction of State Extended Care Facilities 
account at the Department of Veterans Affairs to express support and 
expedite pace of construction for delayed projects for state veterans 
homes across the country; LaLota (No. 24) that increases and decreases 
the Department of Defense Base Closure account at the Department of 
Veterans Affairs to speed up PFAS remediation efforts at closed 
military installations where PFAS contamination affects local drinking 
water sources; LaLota (No. 25) that increases and decreases the 
Veterans Health Administration, Medical Services account at the 
Department of Veterans Affairs to support peer-to-peer mental health 
programs, which support veterans by providing them with a safe space to 
share their experiences and receive support from fellow veterans who 
understand their unique challenges, fostering a sense of community and 
resilience; LaLota (No. 26) that increases and decreases the Veterans 
Health Administration, Medical and Prosthetic Research account at the 
Department of Veterans Affairs to support Herbicide-Related Toxic 
Exposure Research, which investigates the long-term health impacts of 
exposure to harmful chemicals, leading to improved medical care, 
accurate diagnoses, and targeted treatments for conditions linked to 
such exposures; LaLota (No. 27) that increases and decreases the 
Veterans Health Administration, Medical, Medical Facilities account at 
the Department of Veterans Affairs to support Community-Based 
Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs), which support veterans by offering 
accessible, comprehensive healthcare services close to their homes, 
ensuring they receive consistent medical care, mental health services, 
and personalized treatment plans tailored to their needs; Norton (No. 
30) that increases and decreases funding by $1 million for the Veterans 
Benefits Administration to provide support to law school clinical 
programs that assist veterans with legal matters; and Wagner (No. 47) 
that increases and decreases Military Construction Defense-wide by 
$200,000,000 to provide inflation relief for unanticipated inflation-
related costs incurred during the Presidential National Emergency 
Declaration lasting from March 13, 2020, to May 11, 2023, for firm 
fixed price military construction projects that were part of the 
Defense Priority and Allocation System program;              
Page H3615
  Bergman amendment (No. 1 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-535) that 
increases and decreases the Medical and Prosthetic Research account at 
the Department of Veterans Affairs to express support for recently 
announced VA-funded research into psychedelic-assisted therapies to 
treat PTSD and depression, and to encourage VA to prioritize the 
proactive training of therapists to administer these treatments; 
                                                         Pages H3615-16
  Bergman amendment (No. 2 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-535) that 
increases and decreases the Medical Services account at the Department 
of Veterans Affairs to urge VA to report to Congress no later than 180 
days following approval of midomafetamine-assisted treatments to treat 
PTSD under Section 505 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act on 
possible incorporation of treatments in the formulary of the Department 
and the justification for such determination;            
Pages H3616-17
  Burchett amendment (No. 9 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-535) that 
prohibits funds from being used to ban or remove the photograph ``V-J 
Day in Times Square'';                                   
Pages H3617-18
  Hageman amendment (No. 17 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-535) that 
prohibits funding made available by this act from being used by the VA 
to continue decommissioning mileage reimbursement kiosks at VA 
facilities;                                              
Pages H3620-21
  James amendment (No. 18 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-535) that 
increases and decreases $3,250,000 to Medical Facilities for the 
building of a Community-based Outpatient Clinics and Mobile Medical 
Units to become more available for leasing, purchasing, and 
construction for VA hospital networks;                       
Page H3621
  Kiggans (VA) amendment (No. 19 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-535) 
that increases and decreases funding for the purpose of encouraging the 
approval and development of privatized housing for unaccompanied 
service members;                                         
Pages H3621-22
  Kiggans (VA) amendment (No. 20 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-535) 
that increases and decreases funding for the purpose of ensuring that 
the Department of Veterans Affairs maintains sufficient medical care 
for veterans who reside in U.S. Territories and Freely Associated 
States;                                                  
Pages H3622-23
  Kiggans (VA) amendment (No. 21 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-535) 
that increases and decreases funding for the purpose of ensuring that 
the Department of Veterans Affairs fully funds and competently executes 
mental health care programs, with a special emphasis on suicide 
prevention and associated outreach;                      
Pages H3623-24

[[Page D576]]


  Kiggans (VA) amendment (No. 22 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-535) 
that increases and decreases funding for the purpose of expressing the 
urgency of expeditiously and efficiently utilizing increased demolition 
funding on Navy and Marine Corps bases;                  
Pages H3624-25
  Molinaro amendment (No. 29 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-535) 
that increases and decreases the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) 
account by $10 million to reinforce the importance of strengthening the 
VHA's Office of Mental Health and its work to assist veterans with 
disabilities and mental health and substance abuse challenges; 
                                                             Page H3626
  Ogles amendment (No. 31 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-535) that 
increases and decreases funding for the Veterans Housing Benefit 
Program Fund for the development of improved informational materials 
regarding the relative benefits of a VA home loan versus other types of 
housing loans for different homebuyer profiles;          
Pages H3626-27
  Ogles amendment (No. 32 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-535) that 
increase and decreases funding for medical services at the Veterans 
Health Administration for the treatment of post-traumatic stress 
disorder in veterans;                                        
Page H3627
  Ogles amendment (No. 33 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-535) that 
increases and decreases funding for the Veterans Health 
Administration's medical community care account to increase 
accessibility for in-home health care services for veterans; 
                                                         Pages H3627-28
  Ogles amendment (No. 34 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-535) that 
increases and decreases funding for the Board of Veterans Appeals to 
prioritize increasing processing speed for veteran casework; 
                                                             Page H3628
  Ogles amendment (No. 35 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-535) that 
increases and decreases funding for grants for construction of State 
Extended Care Facilities to focus on creating or maintaining nursing 
homes for America's World War II, Korean, and Vietnam Veterans; 
                                                         Pages H3628-29
  Perry amendment (No. 36 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-535) that 
increases and decreases Veterans Health Administration, Medical 
Services, by $1 million for furnishing Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) 
therapy to personnel who elect to receive the treatment; 
                                                         Pages H3629-30
  Peters amendment (No. 37 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-535) that 
increases and decreases appropriations for the Veterans Health 
Administration--Medical Services--HUD-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) 
program by $1,000,000 to encourage local VA systems and public housing 
authorities to work together to streamline the voucher application 
process to reduce barriers for veterans seeking housing assistance; 
                                                             Page H3630
  Peters amendment (No. 38 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-535) that 
increases and decreases appropriations for the Veterans Health 
Administration--Medical Services--Supportive Services for Low Income 
Veterans and Families (SSVF) program by $1,000,000 to recognize the 
importance of SSVF's Shallow Subsidy program in keeping veterans in 
their homes and preventing veterans from falling into homelessness; 
                                                             Page H3630
  Pfluger amendment (No. 39 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-535) that 
increases and decreases funding to direct the Department of Veteran 
Affairs to collaborate with the National Academies of Sciences, 
Engineering, and Medicine to conduct a comprehensive study determining 
and identifying exposures associated with being a military aviator, 
connections between these exposures and various cancers, and prevalence 
of and mortality from specified cancers among those who served as 
active-duty aircrew;                                     
Pages H3630-31
  Rodgers (WA) amendment (No. 40 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-535) 
that increases and decreases the Medical Community Care account to 
express the need for the VA to address emergency care coverage; 
                                                             Page H3631
  Rodgers (WA) amendment (No. 41 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-535) 
that increases and decreases the Family Housing Operation and 
Maintenance, Air Force, account to emphasize the importance of housing 
oversight;                                               
Pages H3631-32
  Bost amendment (No. 8 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-535) that 
requires VA to apply the same access standards for Mental Health 
Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (MHRRTP) as for primary 
care, specialty care, and non institutional extended care services (by 
a recorded vote of ayes to 195 noes, Roll No. 237); 
                                                  Pages H3617, H3633-34
  Crane amendment (No. 10 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-535) that 
prohibits the VA from using funds to submit a beneficiary's name to the 
NICS list based on VA's appointment of a fiduciary (by a recorded vote 
of 211 ayes to 193 noes, Roll No. 238);           
Pages H3618-19, H3634
  Mast amendment (No. 28 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-535) that 
ensures veterans can participate in state-approved medical marijuana 
programs (by a recorded vote of 290 ayes to 116 noes, Roll No. 240); 
and                                            
Pages H3625-26, H3635-36
  Self amendment (No. 42 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-535) that 
prohibits funds to modify or remove any display of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs that bears the mission statement ``To fulfill 
President Lincoln's promise `to care for him who shall have borne the 
battle, and for his widow, and

[[Page D577]]

his orphan' by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's 
veterans.' '' (by a recorded vote of 206 ayes to 200 noes, Roll No. 
241).                                             
Pages H3632-33, H3636
Rejected:
  Greene (GA) amendment (No. 16 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-535) 
that sought to strike funding for the North Atlantic Treaty 
Organization Security Investment Program (by a recorded vote of 46 ayes 
to 354 noes, Roll No. 239).                    
Pages H3619-20, H3634-35
  H. Res. 1269, the rule providing for consideration of the bills (H.R. 
8580) and (H.R. 8282) was agreed to by a recorded vote of 208 ayes to 
195 noes, Roll No. 236, after the previous question was ordered by a 
yea-and-nay vote of 205 yeas to 193 nays, Roll No. 235. 
                                                         Pages H3587-96
  Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act: The House passed H.R. 8282, to 
impose sanctions with respect to the International Criminal Court 
engaged in any effort to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute any 
protected person of the United States and its allies, by a yea-and-nay 
vote of 247 yeas to 155 nays with two answering ``present'', Roll No. 
242.                                        
  Pages H3596-H3601, H3637-38
  Pursuant to the Rule, an amendment in the nature of a substitute 
consisting of the text of Rules Committee Print 118-37 shall be 
considered as adopted.                                   
Pages H3596-97
  H. Res. 1269, the rule providing for consideration of the bills (H.R. 
8580) and (H.R. 8282) was agreed to by a recorded vote of 208 ayes to 
195 noes, Roll No. 236, after the previous question was ordered by a 
yea-and-nay vote of 205 yeas to 193 nays, Roll No. 235. 
                                                         Pages H3587-96
Committee Resignation: Read a letter from Representative Deluzio 
wherein he resigned from the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. 
                                                             Page H3638
Committee Resignation: Read a letter from Representative Mfume wherein 
he resigned from the Committee on Small Business.        
  Pages H3638-39
Committee Resignation: Read a letter from Representative Zinke wherein 
he resigned from the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. 
                                                             Page H3639
Committee Elections: The House agreed to H. Res. 1275, electing Members 
to certain standing committees of the House of Representatives. 
                                                             Page H3639
Meeting Hour: Agreed by unanimous consent that when the House adjourns 
today, it adjourn to meet at 9 a.m. tomorrow, June 5th.      
  Page H3639
Committee Elections: The House agreed to H. Res. 1276, electing Members 
to certain standing committees of the House of Representatives. 
                                                             Page H3639
Discharge Petition: Representative Manning presented to the clerk a 
motion to discharge the Committee on Rules from the consideration of 
the resolution (H. Res. 1240) a resolution providing for consideration 
of the bill (H.R. 4121) to protect an individual's ability to access 
contraceptives and to engage in contraception and to protect a health 
care provider's ability to provide contraceptives, contraception, and 
information related to contraception (Discharge Petition No. 12).
Quorum Calls--Votes: Two yea-and-nay votes and six recorded votes 
developed during the proceedings of today and appear on pages H3594-95, 
H3595-96, H3633-34, H3634, H3635, H3635-36, H3636, and H3638.
Adjournment: The House met at 9 a.m. and adjourned at 6:59 p.m.