[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 145 (Tuesday, September 15, 2026)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
APPLICATION OF LEAVE PROVISIONS FOR MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES TO
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE
Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 2846) to amend title II of the Public Health Service Act to
include as an additional right or privilege of commissioned officers of
the Public Health Service (and their beneficiaries) certain leave
provided under title 10, United States Code to commissioned officers of
the Army (or their beneficiaries).
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 2846
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. APPLICATION OF LEAVE PROVISIONS FOR MEMBERS OF THE
ARMED FORCES TO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH
SERVICE.
(a) In General.--Section 221(a) of the Public Health
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 213a(a)) is amended by adding at the
end the following:
``(22) Chapter 40, Leave.''.
(b) Conforming Repeal.--Section 219 of the Public Health
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 210-1) is repealed.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Kentucky.
General Leave
Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on H.R. 2846.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Kentucky?
There was no objection.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2846 led by the
gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Houlahan).
The U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps is one of eight
uniformed services in the U.S. It is first in line to defend our
Nation's public health against any threat. This bill closes the gap in
benefits between Public Health Service officers and other civilian
uniformed public servants by aligning their leave policies with those
of other uniformed services.
The dedicated men and women of the Public Health Service Corps have
my respect and gratitude, and they deserve the same benefits and
protections afforded to their fellow uniformed servicemembers.
Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I rise in support of H.R. 2846, legislation that would extend
expanded leave benefits to members of the U.S. Public Health Service
Corps.
The U.S. Public Health Service Corps is one of eight uniformed
services in the United States. There are more than 6,000 officers who
serve as physicians, nurses, and scientists across agencies to advance
public health. Right now, these officers are not guaranteed the same
12-week leave benefit as members of the military are entitled to under
Federal law nor are they eligible for the 12 weeks of leave that all
Federal Government employees are entitled to under the Federal Employee
Paid Leave Act. This bill fixes this by extending leave benefits to
Public Health Service officers, and this leave includes expanded
parental leave, emergency leave of absence, and leave for rest and
recuperation.
I thank Representative Houlahan for her leadership on this
legislation and my colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee for
working with us to bring this bill to the floor. I encourage all my
colleagues to vote ``yes.''
Before I reserve the balance of my time, I do want to take an
opportunity to thank Una Lee, who is right here, for her more than 11
years here at the Energy and Commerce Committee, most of those years
serving as chief counsel for the Health Subcommittee.
Una has played a critical role in every major healthcare bill that
has been signed into law during that time. Una has been a trusted
adviser, and she will be missed. I don't want her to leave, but what
can I do.
I wish her nothing but the best in her future endeavors and
congratulate her for her tremendous work, truly tremendous work of
making healthcare more affordable and accessible for every American.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I just want to speak briefly. I have no further speakers, so I will
be prepared to close. The gentleman recognized Una Lee, but I didn't
get to speak earlier in the subcommittee today. We get to work with
fantastic people here, and I know Una is one of them. We get to see, on
the opposite sides of the table sometimes, but I know we are always
working to try to improve our country.
I thank her for her service. We will miss seeing her around the
Energy and Commerce room. I am prepared to close, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to
the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Houlahan), the sponsor of the
legislation.
Ms. HOULAHAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my bipartisan
and bicameral U.S. Public Health Service parity act, H.R. 2846.
This bill is about keeping a promise Congress already has made to the
people who serve our country. You should not have to choose between
your service and your family. I know something about that choice
because, when I served in the Air Force, there was a 6-month waiting
list for on-base childcare, but I only had 6 weeks of personal leave
after the birth of my child. It was, in many ways, a choice that I
needed to make between my family and my service.
If we value service and we value families, which we do, no one who
raises their hand to serve this country should have to make that
choice.
My own experience is just one reason why I was so proud to help
secure 12 weeks of paid parental leave in the past for our military
servicemembers in the fiscal year 2021 NDAA. That was good for military
families. It was really good for retention and, it is very, very good
for readiness.
However, we unintentionally left one of our uniformed services
behind, the commissioned officers of the United States Public Health
Service. Today, with this bill, we can fix that.
More than 6,000 Public Health Service officers serve our country.
They are ready to deploy wherever and whenever they are needed. They
have responded to hurricanes and oil spills. They helped lead our
Nation's response to COVID. They have deployed to confront infectious
disease outbreaks around the world, natural disasters, and public
health emergencies.
They wear the uniform of our Nation. They leave their families when
duty calls, and they serve alongside other uniformed services when our
country needs them. However, when they become parents, right now, we
don't give them the same parental leave benefits that we provide their
counterparts in the armed services. There is not a very good reason--
indeed, there is no reason for that distinction.
If we value their service when a hurricane strikes, when a disease
spreads, or when another emergency threatens the American people, then
we should value their families, too. That is the simple principle
behind this bill: same commitment to service, same sacrifice, same
support for their families.
I am really grateful that this has been a bipartisan and bicameral
effort from the very beginning. I thank Chairman Guthrie and Ranking
Member Pallone for bringing this legislation to the floor. I thank my
Republican co-lead, Representative Bacon, and our Senate partners,
Senators Duckworth and Murkowski, for working on this to get this here.
The Senate has, indeed, already acted. Today, the House has the
opportunity to finish the job and to ensure that every uniformed
service receives the same benefits and the same basic support when its
servicemembers welcome a child into their families.
{time} 1820
We ask a great deal of the men and women who serve this country, and
they should never have to wonder whether serving their Nation means
shortchanging their family.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the U.S. Public Health
Service parity act, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, in closing, I, once again, want to say
that this is an important piece of legislation, and I thank the
gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Houlahan) for sponsoring it.
Madam Speaker, I urge both sides of the aisle to support the bill,
and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend from Pennsylvania for
bringing this forward. I thank her for her service in the U.S. Air
Force and her service here.
In closing, Madam Speaker, I encourage a ``yes'' vote on the bill,
and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 2846.
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.
____________________