[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Page 18660]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY LEASE AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2013

  Mr. INHOFE. Madam President, I am pleased that the Senate is 
scheduled, hopefully, to pass H.R. 3521, the Department of Veterans 
Affairs Major Medical Facility Lease Authorization Act of 2013, known 
as S. 1740 in the Senate, which I proudly cosponsored. The treatment of 
our country's veterans is of great importance to me, and I believe that 
it is the government's duty to honor the promises made to our veterans.
  My constituents have written to me many times regarding the worsening 
conditions of the VA outpatient clinic in Tulsa. The building currently 
lacks the space to care adequately for the large number of veterans 
that receive their medical treatment at the facility. Due to the size 
of the facility, services such as the behavioral health services were 
located several miles away. Additionally, the parking lot capacity was 
not acceptable. It is because of my constituents that I have worked 
vigorously to ensure that their voices were heard.
  With the passage of this bill, there will be funding to improve and 
expand this clinic. The new VA outpatient clinic in Tulsa would include 
primary care, women's health, imaging, specialty care, physical 
therapy, audiology, optometry, mental health, prosthetics, dentistry, 
and a pharmacy. The facility would then be able to provide the services 
that were promised to our men and women who were willing to make the 
personal sacrifices necessary to serve in the defense of our country.

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