[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 2]
[House]
[Pages 2125-2127]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1730
   COMMENDING THE PEOPLE OF WASHINGTON FOR SHOWING THEIR SUPPORT FOR 
                                VETERANS

  Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 790) commending the people of the State of 
Washington for showing their support for the needs of the State of 
Washington's veterans and encouraging residents of other States to 
pursue creative ways to show their own support for veterans.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 790

       Whereas every day, American men and women risk their lives 
     serving the country in the Armed Forces;
       Whereas it is important to many Americans to be able to 
     donate money directly to causes about which they care;
       Whereas it is important for residents to have a tangible 
     way to demonstrate their support for veterans;
       Whereas despite Government funding for the Nation's 
     veterans, many important needs of veterans remain unmet;
       Whereas citizens in the State of Washington have banded 
     together in a grassroots effort to create a Veterans Family 
     Fund Certificate of Deposit;
       Whereas any financial institution in the State of 
     Washington can choose to offer a Veterans Family Fund 
     Certificate of Deposit;
       Whereas the Bank of Clark County has become the first 
     institution to offer these Certificates of Deposit;
       Whereas the Governor of the State of Washington and the 
     Washington State Veterans Affairs Department have expressed 
     the State's support for this program;
       Whereas when a person buys a Veterans Family Fund 
     Certificate of Deposit from a participating financial 
     institution, half of the interest is automatically donated to 
     the State of Washington's Veterans Innovation Program to 
     address the unmet needs of the State of Washington's veterans 
     and their families;
       Whereas the Veterans Innovation Program provides emergency 
     assistance to help current or former Washington National 
     Guard or Reserve service members cope with financial 
     hardships, unemployment, educational needs, and many basic 
     family necessities; and
       Whereas the Veterans Family Fund Certificate of Deposit 
     will be officially launched on November 8, 2007: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) commends the people of the State of Washington for 
     showing their support for the needs of the State of 
     Washington's veterans; and
       (2) encourages residents of other States to pursue creative 
     ways to show their own support for veterans.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Rodriguez) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Stearns) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
  Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my distinguished colleague, 
Congressman Brian Baird of Washington, for drafting this resolution 
which calls on the States to create innovative ways to supplement State 
and Federal programs created to assist our Nation's veterans. I would 
also like to commend the Washington delegation for the strong 
bipartisan support they demonstrated in introducing this resolution.
  This resolution establishes a certificate of deposit in participating 
financial institutions that would automatically donate 50 percent of 
the accrued interest to the State of Washington's Veterans Innovation 
Program. Providing this avenue to invest in our veterans will help 
ensure that the needs of our Nation's heroes are available when they 
need them.
  I strongly support the resolution and encourage all States to follow 
the enthusiasm and support for our veterans. Mr. Speaker, I urge my 
colleagues to join me in support of House Resolution 790.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 790, a bill 
commemorating the people of the State of Washington for showing their 
support for the needs of the State of Washington's veterans and 
encouraging residents of other States to pursue creative ways to show 
their own support for veterans.

[[Page 2126]]

This resolution was introduced by my distinguished colleague from 
Washington (Mr. Baird).
  It was particularly inspired by the Veterans Family Fund Certificate 
of Deposit, an insured account created through the grassroots efforts 
of citizens in Washington State to benefit military veterans and their 
families. The Veterans Family Fund Certificate of Deposit was 
officially launched on November 8, 2007.
  When an individual purchases a Veterans Family Fund Certificate of 
Deposit from a participating financial institution, half of the 
interest is automatically donated to the State of Washington's Veterans 
Innovation Program. The Veterans Innovation Program was created to 
provide emergency assistance to help current or former Washington 
National Guard or Reserve servicemembers simply cope with financial 
hardships, unemployment, educational needs, and many other basic family 
necessities.
  The initiative of the citizens of the State of Washington in creating 
this program is to be commended. Throughout the years, young men and 
women across this great Nation have answered the call to duty and taken 
up arms in defense of our freedom and that of others in this world. We 
should recognize the service of these veterans and encourage others to 
honor them by simply passing this bill today.
  I would like to thank Chairman Filner and Ranking Member Buyer for 
bringing this resolution so quickly to the floor for consideration 
today.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to 
the gentleman from Washington, Brian Baird.
  Mr. BAIRD. I thank my friend and colleague from Texas and the 
gentleman from Florida as well. I want to commend Chairman Filner for 
his support as well.
  I am very, very pleased today to recognize the efforts of my 
constituents, who joined together with many others from across 
Washington State to unite in a common endeavor, to help our veterans 
and their families. The desire of Washington residents to help our 
veterans has led to the creation of the Veterans Family Fund 
Certificate of Deposit in November of last year.
  As my friends have described earlier, anyone wishing to show their 
personal support for our veterans can do so in a simple way: They can 
simply invest in a 6-month Veterans Family Fund Certificate of Deposit. 
After the 6 months, as mentioned earlier, half of the interest earned 
on the certificate goes back to the individual who invested, but the 
other half of the interest is donated as a charitable contribution to 
the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs' Veterans 
Innovation Program.
  The Department of Veterans Affairs will use the new funding to 
provide assistance to veterans and their families in areas where none 
is otherwise available through the State or Federal Government. This 
will include direct grants for emergency financial assistance and 
efforts to promote the long-term financial stability of Washington 
State's veterans. Speaking personally, as someone who worked in the VA 
system as a clinical psychologist, I can tell you how valuable this 
sort of flexible individualized assistance can be to helping our 
veterans and families.
  Last year, Congress stepped up to the plate and provided significant 
increases in funding for our Nation's veterans, but this is a creative 
way for the average citizen to show his or her support for the brave 
men and women who have served in the Armed Forces. This program was 
entirely citizen-driven, and it demonstrates the power of interested 
individuals who come together to make a difference.
  I would like to particularly acknowledge Jane Jacobsen, who was the 
first to come up with the idea for the program, and Mike Worthy of the 
Bank of Clark County who made his institution the first to participate 
in the program and has already sold more than $300,000 in CDs, 
including one which I was happy to invest in myself. I also want to 
acknowledge John Lee, the director of the Washington State Department 
of Veterans Affairs, who has supported the project from the very start. 
And, in particular, I want to give special recognition to the 
outstanding Governor of the State of Washington, Governor Christine 
Gregoire, who has been a key supporter and advocate for this program 
from its infancy.
  I am joined in this effort by the entire Washington delegation on 
this resolution to commend the people of our State for showing their 
support for the needs of our veterans, and we encourage residents of 
other States to pursue similar creative ways to show their support for 
veterans. Again, I thank the Chair, I thank the gentleman from Texas 
and the gentleman from Florida for their time, and urge passage of this 
resolution.
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, let me take this opportunity to recognize 
the Congressman from Rhode Island, Mr. Patrick Kennedy, for such time 
as he may consume.
  Mr. KENNEDY. I too want to join in support of this resolution and 
commend my colleagues from Washington State, particularly my colleague 
Brian Baird.
  I have always thought, and I have talked to the Bank of America about 
this and have an appointment with former Treasury Secretary Bob Rubin 
to discuss a Veterans Visa. We all have credit cards and we all have 
the affinity cards. They sell us cards where they have the affinity, 
where you get your bonus miles with American Airlines, you get your 
bonus miles if you use your card with a particular institution and so 
forth.
  I figure Americans, when they use their credit card, could send their 
bonus miles or the equivalent of those to veterans, and they would be 
happy to lay down their credit cards, whether it be American Express or 
Visa or whatever, with a big red, white and blue credit card. And 
someone say, what kind of credit card is that, that it's that color? 
And they say, That's the Veterans Visa. That means all those bonus 
miles that would have gone to me being able to get a little extra bonus 
vacation or whatever is going to go to help our Nation's veterans. And 
I will tell you, I think there would be a lot of Americans out there 
who would be more than happy to be able to show their patriotic sense 
of duty when they are going around, especially those who are very 
comfortable and sitting in the business board rooms of this country 
doing business transactions all across this country and are sitting 
comfortably home while our young men and women are overseas fighting 
for this country, to be able to lay down that Veterans Visa card and 
have those affinity dollars go to those veterans groups. I think we 
could send that directly to the very great organization in New York, 
the Fisher Foundation which has a grade A transparent ruling for all 
the dollars that it sends to the Intrepid Organization and to the poly-
trauma centers and all the vet centers across the country.
  I think this is a terrific notion of the certificate of deposits, 
having a percentage of those interest payments going to veterans, and I 
think this is one that I am hoping to get started as well. And it 
follows on the same concept that you are working on here in Washington 
State. I hope to take your concept that you are doing in Washington 
State and bring it to my State of Rhode Island. I commend you on it, 
and I just want to salute you for the work that you are doing out in 
Washington State.
  Mr. BAIRD. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. KENNEDY. I yield to the gentleman from Washington.
  Mr. BAIRD. I would just like to thank you for supporting this 
initiative and would in turn support your proposal.
  What this comes out of is citizens saying, Look, we've got young men 
and women, and as many people know in this conflict, it's not just 
young men and women, it's people of all ages overseas in Iraq and 
Afghanistan and throughout the country. And when they come back home, 
we want to show them our support. It's a fine thing and a proper thing 
that we would wave a flag and say thank you for your service. But 
sometimes people need more

[[Page 2127]]

than just a thanks. Sometimes they need the ability to visit a loved 
one; sometimes they need a home repaired; sometimes they need a little 
bit of help financially to go to school. And the kind of program that 
we are putting forward today allows over and above what we are already 
providing through our VA services to average citizens to provide 
support for doing just that. It sounds like that is what you are 
seeking to do, Mr. Kennedy. I commend you for your efforts and look 
forward to working with you.
  Mr. KENNEDY: I likewise thank the gentleman.
  Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, let me also take this opportunity to 
congratulate the author, Mr. Brian Baird of Washington.


                             General Leave

  Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous materials on House Resolution 790.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. 
Res. 790 and to acknowledge the dedication and support provided to 
Washington State veterans by the Veterans Family Fund and the 
Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs.
  As someone who is privileged to represent thousands of veterans and 
their families, I believe that we owe the men and women who have served 
our country an enormous amount of gratitude and respect.
  People who have never served in uniform frequently ask me how they as 
individuals can support veterans beyond simply displaying a flag on 
Veterans' Day. Today, I am proud to say that the Veterans Family Fund, 
in coordination with the Washington State Department of Veterans 
Affairs, has provided a way for all citizens to directly show their 
support for our veterans year-round, and provide financial assistance 
to those veterans and their families who need a bit of extra support.
  The program is simple, and requires only a modest financial 
commitment. When taking out a ``Veterans Family Fund'' Certificate of 
Deposit for at least 6 months, individuals pledge that half of the 
interest earned by the certificate will be donated to benefit veterans 
and their families, while the investor receives the other half of the 
interest, and a tax deduction for their contribution. The contributions 
are managed and disbursed to veterans and their families who are in 
need by the Veterans Innovations Program, operated by the Washington 
State Department of Veterans Affairs.
  The Veterans Family Fund is an independent organization founded by 
local citizens to help all Washington State veterans. I would like to 
take a moment to specifically acknowledge the members of the Veterans 
Family Fund Steering Committee, who made this program possible: Jane 
Jacobsen, Executive Director, Confluence Project; Michael C. Worthy, 
CEO, Bank of Clark County; Robert Friedenwald, Colonel (retired), U.S. 
Army; Betsy Henning, Principal, Alling Henning Associates; and John 
Lee, Director, Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs.
  I encourage other States to look at the Washington State Department 
of Veterans Affairs, and the Veterans Family Fund, as a model of 
creativity and innovation in providing support for our veterans at the 
local level. I commend their work and ask my colleagues to support the 
resolution.
  Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege to stand with our State 
delegation to recognize an important new program begun in Washington to 
support our soldiers and veterans.
  We must never forget that we enjoy our freedom today because of the 
courage, commitment, and sacrifice of generations of men and women in 
uniform. From the beaches of Normandy to the jungles of Vietnam, our 
troops have willingly and repeatedly stood in harm's way to preserve 
the values and liberties we cherish.
  I know my colleagues who stand here with me today share my commitment 
to keeping our promises to America's veterans. But we must also keep 
our promise to veterans in our communities, and the Veterans Family 
Fund Certificate of Deposit is a perfect example of just such an 
effort. It is a straightforward way of raising additional funds to meet 
the needs of Washington veterans and their families, and to assist our 
returning troops in making a seamless transition home.
  This program represents some of the very best that can come from 
public-private partnerships. I commend the many participating banks and 
credit unions for joining with the State VA to make this initiative 
possible, and I hope that other States will soon follow Washington's 
lead.
  No matter how big or small the effort, we must continue to pursue 
every available means of supporting our troops. We are the United 
States of America today, and we are free, because of the sacrifices of 
these men and women in uniform who put their lives on the line--for us, 
for their country.
  Mr. RODRIGUEZ. I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Rodriguez) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 790.
  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. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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