[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 19]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 26622]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DOC HASTINGS

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 3, 2009

  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Madam Speaker, I wish to record that had 
I been present I would have voted in favor of H.R. 1168, the Veterans 
Retraining Act; H. Res. 291, Recognizing the crucial role of assistance 
dogs in helping wounded veterans live more independent lives; and S. 
509, to authorize a major medical facility project at the Department of 
Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Walla Walla, Washington. The late 
notice by the Majority of this week's schedule made it impossible to 
secure a flight back from my district in time for these votes.
  S. 509 is of particular importance, as it authorizes $71.4 million to 
design and construct a new veterans outpatient clinic and renovate 
existing facilities at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center at Walla 
Walla, Washington State. The Walla Walla facilities serve 70,000 
veterans in Oregon, Idaho and Washington State, including many in my 
own Congressional district. This bill has my strong support and I 
commend my colleagues for supporting it.

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