[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9635-9639]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           DEMANDING ACCOUNTABILITY FOR VETERANS ACT OF 2014

  Mr. BENISHEK. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 2072) to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the 
accountability of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to the Inspector 
General of the Department of Veterans Affairs, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2072

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Demanding Accountability for 
     Veterans Act of 2014''.

     SEC. 2. SCORING OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.

       The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 
     complying with the Statutory

[[Page 9636]]

     Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined by reference 
     to the latest statement titled ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO 
     Legislation'' for this Act, submitted for printing in the 
     Congressional Record by the Chairman of the House Budget 
     Committee, provided that such statement has been submitted 
     prior to the vote on passage.

     SEC. 3. ACCOUNTABILITY OF SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS TO 
                   INSPECTOR GENERAL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 
                   AFFAIRS.

       (a) In General.--Chapter 7 of title 38, United States Code, 
     is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

     ``Sec. 712. Accountability of Secretary to Inspector General

       ``(a) List of Managers.--(1) If the Inspector General of 
     the Department of Veterans Affairs determines that the 
     Secretary has not appropriately responded with significant 
     progress to a covered report by the date specified in the 
     action plan of the Secretary developed in response to such 
     covered report--
       ``(A) the Inspector General shall notify the Committees on 
     Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives 
     and the Secretary of such failure to appropriately respond; 
     and
       ``(B) not later than 15 days after such notification, the 
     Secretary shall submit to the Inspector General a list of the 
     names of each responsible manager and the matter in the 
     action plan for which the manager is responsible.
       ``(2) The Inspector General may not make public the names 
     of responsible managers submitted under paragraph (1)(B).
       ``(b) Performance of Responsible Managers.--(1) The 
     Secretary shall--
       ``(A) promptly notify each responsible manager of a covered 
     issue by not later than seven days after the date on which 
     the Secretary submits to the Inspector General the name of 
     the manager under subsection (a)(1)(B);
       ``(B) direct such manager to resolve such issue; and
       ``(C) provide such manager with appropriate counseling and 
     a mitigation plan with respect to resolving such issue.
       ``(2) The Secretary shall ensure that any performance 
     review of a responsible manager includes an evaluation of 
     whether the manager took appropriate actions during the 
     period covered by the review to respond to the covered issue 
     for which a request was made under subsection (a).
       ``(3) The Secretary may not pay to a responsible manager 
     any bonus or award, including a performance award under 
     section 5384 of title 5 if the covered issue for which a 
     request was made under subsection (a) is unresolved.
       ``(c) Role of Inspector General.--Any authority of the 
     Inspector General provided under this section is in addition 
     to any responsibility or authority provided to the Inspector 
     General in the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App).
       ``(d) Definitions.--In this section:
       ``(1) The term `covered issue' means, with respect to a 
     responsible manager, an issue described in a covered report 
     for which the manager is or was responsible.
       ``(2) The term `covered report' means a report by the 
     Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs that 
     recommends actions to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (or 
     other official or employee of the Department) to address an 
     issue in the Department with respect to public health or 
     safety.
       ``(3) The term `responsible manager' means an individual 
     who--
       ``(A) is an employee of the Department;
       ``(B) is or was responsible for an issue included in a 
     covered report; and
       ``(C) in being so responsible, is or was employed in a 
     management position, regardless of whether the employee is in 
     the competitive civil service, Senior Executive Service, or 
     other type of civil service.''.
       (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the 
     beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after the 
     item relating to section 711 the following new item:

``712. Accountability of Secretary to Inspector General.''.

     SEC. 4. SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS CONTRACT AUTHORITY FOR 
                   TRANSFER OF VETERANS NON-DEPARTMENT MEDICAL 
                   FOSTER HOMES.

       (a) Authority.--Section 1720 of title 38, United States 
     Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new 
     subsection:
       ``(h)(1) During the three-year period beginning on October 
     1, 2014, at the request of a veteran for whom the Secretary 
     is required to provide nursing home care under section 1710A 
     of this title, the Secretary may transfer the veteran to a 
     medical foster home that meets Department standards, at the 
     expense of the United States, pursuant to a contract or 
     agreement entered into between the Secretary and the medical 
     foster home for such purpose. A veteran who is transferred to 
     a medical foster home under this subsection shall agree, as a 
     condition of such transfer, to accept home health services 
     furnished by the Secretary under section 1717 of this title.
       ``(2) For purposes of this subsection, the term `medical 
     foster home' means a home designed to provide non-
     institutional, long-term, supportive care for veterans who 
     are unable to live independently and prefer a family 
     setting.''.
       (b) Effective Date.--Subsection (h) of title 38, United 
     States Code, as added by subsection (a), shall take effect on 
     October 1, 2014.

     SEC. 5. CONDITIONS ON THE AWARD OF PER DIEM PAYMENTS BY THE 
                   SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS FOR THE PROVISION 
                   OF HOUSING OR SERVICES TO HOMELESS VETERANS.

       (a) Condition.--
       (1) In general.--Paragraph (1) of section 2012(c) of title 
     38, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
       ``(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), a per diem 
     payment may not be provided under this section to a grant 
     recipient or eligible entity unless the entity submits to the 
     Secretary an annual certification, approved or verified by 
     the authority having jurisdiction or a qualified third party, 
     as determined by the Secretary, that the facility where the 
     entity provides housing or services for homeless veterans 
     using grant funds is in compliance with codes relevant to the 
     operations and level of care provided, including applicable 
     provisions of the most recently published version of the Life 
     Safety Code or International Building Code and International 
     Fire Code (or such versions of such codes that have been 
     adopted as State or local codes by the jurisdiction in which 
     the facility is located), licensing requirements, fire and 
     safety requirements, and any other requirements in the 
     jurisdiction in which the facility is located regarding the 
     condition of the facility and the operation of the entity 
     providing such supportive housing or services. For purposes 
     of this paragraph, if a facility where a grant recipient or 
     eligible entity provides housing or services for homeless 
     veterans using grant funds is located in a jurisdiction 
     without relevant code requirements, the Secretary shall 
     determine code and inspection requirements to be applied to 
     the facility.''.
       (2) Effective date.--The amendment made by paragraph (1) 
     shall apply with respect to an application for a per diem 
     payment under section 2012 of title 38, United States Code, 
     submitted on or after the date of the enactment of this Act.
       (b) Annual Report.--Section 2065(b) of title 38, United 
     States Code, is amended--
       (1) by redesignating paragraph (6) as paragraph (7); and
       (2) by inserting after paragraph (5) the following new 
     paragraph (6):
       ``(6) The Secretary's evaluation of the safety and 
     accessibility of facilities used to provide programs 
     established by grant recipients or eligible entities under 
     section 2011 and 2012 of this title, including the number of 
     such grant recipients or eligible entities who have submitted 
     a certification under section 2012(c)(1).''.
       (c) Treatment of Current Recipients.--In the case of the 
     recipient of a per diem payment under section 2012 of title 
     38, United States Code, that receives such a payment during 
     the year in which this Act is enacted, the Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs shall require the recipient to submit the 
     certification required under section 2012(c)(1) of such 
     title, as amended by subsection (a)(1), by not later than two 
     years after the date of the enactment of this Act. If the 
     recipient fails to submit such certification by such date, 
     the Secretary may not make any additional per diem payments 
     to the recipient under such section 2012 until the recipient 
     submits such certification.

     SEC. 6. EXTENSION OF LOAN GUARANTY FEE FOR CERTAIN SUBSEQUENT 
                   LOANS.

       (a) Extension.--Section 3729(b)(2) of title 38, United 
     States Code, is amended--
       (1) in subparagraph (A)--
       (A) in clause (iii), by striking ``October 1, 2017'' and 
     inserting ``October 1, 2018''; and
       (B) in clause (iv), by striking ``October 1, 2017'' and 
     inserting ``October 1, 2018'';
       (2) in subparagraph (C)--
       (A) in clause (i), by striking ``October 1, 2017'' and 
     inserting ``October 1, 2018''; and
       (B) in clause (ii), by striking ``October 1, 2017'' and 
     inserting ``October 1, 2018''; and
       (3) in subparagraph (D)--
       (A) in clause (i), by striking ``October 1, 2017'' and 
     inserting ``October 1, 2018''; and
       (B) in clause (ii), by striking ``October 1, 2017'' and 
     inserting ``October 1, 2018''.

     SEC. 7. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY OF SECRETARY OF VETERANS 
                   AFFAIRS TO OBTAIN CERTAIN INFORMATION FROM THE 
                   SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY OR THE COMMISSIONER 
                   OF SOCIAL SECURITY.

       Section 5317 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by 
     striking ``September 30, 2016'' and inserting ``May 31, 
     2017''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Benishek) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Brown) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BENISHEK. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
on H.R. 2072, as amended.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Michigan?

[[Page 9637]]

  There was no objection.
  Mr. BENISHEK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2072, as amended, the 
Demanding Accountability for Veterans Act.
  This bill would require the Department of Veterans Affairs inspector 
general--the IG--to determine whether appropriate action has been taken 
by the VA in response to an IG report concerning public health or 
patient safety.
  It would require the IG to notify the House and Senate Veterans 
Affairs Committees and the Secretary of any failure of VA to respond 
appropriately.
  The bill would require the Secretary, following such notification, to 
report the names of managers responsible for implementing the relevant 
action plan to the IG within 15 days and prohibit the IG from making 
such names public.
  It would require the Secretary to promptly notify each responsible 
manager of an issue in a covered report, direct that responsible 
manager to resolve the issue, and provide such manager with counseling 
and a mitigation plan to resolve the issue.
  It also would require the VA to include an evaluation of whether such 
manager took appropriate action to a covered report in his or her 
performance review, and it would prohibit the VA from paying a bonus or 
performance award to any responsible manager if an issue in a covered 
report is left unresolved.
  Other provisions of the bill will authorize the VA for 3 years, 
beginning on October 1, 2014, to enter into a contract or agreement 
with certified medical foster homes to pay for long-term care for 
certain veterans already eligible for VA-paid nursing home care and 
require an eligible veteran to receive VA home health services as a 
component of such payment.
  It would require per diem payment recipients under VA's Homeless 
Providers Grant and Per Diem Program to provide VA with certification 
of compliance with all relevant fire, safety, and building codes; and 
it would allow entities already receiving grants or assistance under 
the program to submit such certification within 2 years of enactment, 
require the VA to determine the code requirement for a facility in a 
location without a code requirement, and also to determine how such 
facility would be inspected.
  It would require VA to include an accounting and evaluation of the 
safety and accessibility of facilities used for homeless veterans in 
the annual report on assistance to homeless veterans.
  It would also extend the current rate of certain VA housing loan 
guarantee funding fees from October 1, 2017, to October 1, 2018, and 
extend VA's authority to receive information from the Internal Revenue 
Service for pension income verification purposes from September 30, 
2016, to May 31, 2017.
  H.R. 2072, as amended, was reported out of the full committee last 
year with full support and is fully offset.
  I would like to offer my sincere gratitude and appreciation to all 
the Members who cosponsored the provisions in this bill, particularly 
Chairman Miller and Representative David McKinley from West Virginia, 
who we will be hearing from shortly.
  I also commend Chairman Miller; Ranking Member Michaud; the ranking 
member of the Subcommittee on Health, Julia Brownley; and all the 
members of the Subcommittee on Health, for their hard work and 
leadership on behalf of our Nation's veterans.
  Mr. Speaker, 2 weeks ago today, our Nation commemorated Memorial Day 
in remembrance of the brave men and women throughout history who paid 
the ultimate price in defense of our freedoms.
  One of the best ways we can honor these heroes is to ensure that 
their fellow servicemembers--those they fought side by side with--
receive the best possible health care when they return home.
  Unfortunately, it has become painfully clear that the VA is not only 
failing to reach the standard, they are not even coming close. It is a 
sad legacy that I have seen firsthand as a VA surgeon for 20 years.
  From my first day on this committee, we have been working to identify 
the problems at VA and provide solutions for our veterans.
  It has been more than a year since we on the House Veterans' Affairs 
Committee first began investigating delays in care and seeking answers, 
and it has been 2 months since public awareness of these problems took 
off, after CNN highlighted the tragedy in Phoenix, allegations which 
were first brought to light by the committee; yet we still cannot get 
clear answers from the VA and are still waiting for key VA officials to 
be held accountable.
  I am sick and tired of these bureaucrats and undersecretaries coming 
before us to say: We know there's a problem, and we're working on it. 
We take this seriously. We're going to have a fix in a little while.
  Yet there never seems to be a fix. Veterans are dying. The time for 
excuses and delays is long past. The time for action is now.
  Two weeks ago, the VA IG released an interim report on the alleged 
negligence and mismanagement at the Phoenix VA health care system.
  In that report, the IG states that they have issued reports to call 
attention to problems in analyzing critical data for almost a decade 
and called for a system to monitor VA's corrective action. That system 
is exactly what we are creating today.
  No longer will VA officials be able to hide behind excuses. Instead, 
with this bill, we will take bold steps toward ending the culture of 
mismanagement and complacency at VA.
  When the VA concurs with an inspector general's recommendation on an 
issue that needs to be fixed and, indeed, nothing happens, who was the 
person responsible for following through on that fix?
  Why is the fact that they didn't reply to an IG report and stated via 
a VA concurrence that an action would be completed, not punished? Why 
are they still getting bonuses if they don't comply? Why are they 
getting promotions for not getting the job done?
  Anywhere else in America, these questions would already have been 
answered, but not in bureaucracies like VA. The Demanding 
Accountability for Veterans Act will correct this injustice.
  Let me be clear. I know the people that are providing direct patient 
care for our veterans--the nurses and the doctors--are good people who 
work hard, but their leadership has failed them, and it has failed our 
veterans, and it must stop now.
  I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation 
and, in doing so, take a needed step to ensure that responsible 
individuals are held accountable for correcting any lapses in care that 
impact the health and well-being of our veterans.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in full support of H.R. 2072, as amended, the 
Demanding Accountability for Veterans Act.
  This legislation addresses a number of concerns that have arisen 
during hearings and other forums that we have conducted during this 
Congress.
  Too often, we have seen inspector general reports that find the same 
problem time and time again at VA medical centers, but nothing seems to 
change.
  Recommendations are made, solutions are identified, plans are made, 
but there is no followthrough. Problems aren't fixed, processes aren't 
changed, and problems reoccur several times over.

                              {time}  1715

  This bill would require the Department of Veterans Affairs inspector 
general to determine whether appropriate action has been taken by the 
Department in response to a report concerning public health or patient 
safety; and if he determines it has not, it authorizes the VA IG to 
alert the Secretary and Congress. This authority will increase 
accountability and will, hopefully, get the actions needed for things 
to change.
  H.R. 2072, as amended, also addresses medical foster homes. It 
authorizes the Department to enter into contracts with medical foster 
homes to pay for

[[Page 9638]]

long-term care for veterans who are already eligible for VA-paid 
nursing home care. We know that many veterans prefer to be cared for in 
a homelike setting rather than in an institution. This provision gives 
them that option.
  The Department of Veterans Affairs has many homeless programs, and I 
am proud to say that we have done a great job in reducing the number of 
homeless veterans by 50 percent. Buildings in which these homeless 
veterans receive services must be held to the highest standard 
concerning safety. This bill would require per diem payment recipients 
under the VA's Homeless Grant and Per Diem Program to provide the VA 
with a certification of compliance with all relevant fire, safety, and 
building codes.
  It is our commitment--no, our obligation--to ensure that veterans 
receive the best care and treatment available. This is whether we are 
fighting homelessness, ensuring the safety and security of facilities, 
or ensuring that when a problem and a solution are identified they get 
addressed.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BENISHEK. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to 
the gentlewoman from Indiana, Mrs. Jackie Walorski, my colleague on the 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs and a member of the Subcommittee on 
Health.
  Mrs. WALORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Demanding 
Accountability for Veterans Act, a bill I am proud to cosponsor.
  As the recent scandals at the VA have clearly demonstrated, better 
accountability and oversight are needed at the VA. This bill will 
actually help provide better accountability and oversight by ensuring 
that the VA inspector general recommendations are fully implemented by 
the VA.
  Currently, after the VA inspector general investigates a VA facility, 
the inspector general releases a list of recommendations for what the 
VA must do to correct the problems identified during the investigation. 
Oftentimes, these recommendations are never fully implemented by the 
VA.
  This bill will provide additional tools to ensure that the VA 
implements the IG recommendations.
  Specifically, this bill requires the VA Secretary to determine 
exactly which employees within the VA are responsible for implementing 
the suggested changes. This bill prevents the employees who are charged 
with implementing those recommendations from receiving a bonus until 
the problems identified by the IG have been addressed. This bill also 
makes it easier to fire employees who are refusing or failing to 
implement those IG recommendations.
  The VA's failure to fully implement IG recommendations has 
contributed to the mismanagement and corruption we are seeing in the VA 
today. Think about it. If the VA had done a better job of implementing 
the IG's corrective actions, maybe we wouldn't be hearing about the 
things we are hearing about today--falsified records, secret waiting 
lists, deaths due to negligence. Our veterans certainly deserve better.
  I will continue to work with my colleagues on the House Veterans' 
Affairs Committee in order to bring accountability to the VA and to 
protect the men and women who have sacrificed so much for our Nation. I 
urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance 
of my time.
  Mr. BENISHEK. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time I have 
remaining?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Michigan has 11\1/2\ 
minutes remaining.
  Mr. BENISHEK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
West Virginia, Mr. David McKinley, my colleague on the Committee on 
Veterans' Affairs.
  Mr. McKINLEY. I commend the chairman for bringing this bill before us 
today.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2072.
  I would specifically like to talk about section 5 of the bill, which 
is based on legislation I previously introduced, the Safe Housing for 
Homeless Veterans Act. This is a modification of a bill that passed the 
House in 2012.
  Currently, there are over 2,100 shelters for homeless veterans across 
the country. Unfortunately, some of these structures have been found to 
be unsafe for habitation. From 2006 to 2010, more than 1,900 fires had 
been reported in these structures. In the last decade alone, nearly 200 
residents have been lost in unsafe shelters.
  How can this slip through the cracks?
  The answer is that, currently, there is no law mandating that VA 
homeless shelters meet building codes. There is only a loosely defined 
policy that is not universally followed. As a licensed professional 
engineer, I find this to be a shocking omission in the law governing 
our veterans' homeless program funds. This bill would require any 
organization that seeks funding from the VA for services to homeless 
veterans to have documentation that the shelter meets or exceeds 
building codes.
  As a nation, it should be unacceptable for us to allow homeless 
veterans to be housed in unsafe conditions. In defense of our country, 
these men and women were put in harm's way. They should not be in doubt 
about their own safety now that they are back in this country.
  Mr. Speaker, this is commonsense legislation that will ensure that 
our homeless veterans are in a safe environment while they work and 
struggle to get back to a normal life.
  Ms. BROWN of Florida. Madam Speaker, how much time do I have 
remaining?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Walorski). The gentlewoman has 17 
minutes remaining.
  Ms. BROWN of Florida. Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. BENISHEK. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to my colleague from 
New York (Mr. Collins).
  Mr. COLLINS of New York. I thank the gentleman from Michigan for his 
leadership on this important issue.
  Madam Speaker, I come to the House floor tonight to speak in support 
of the Demanding Accountability for Veterans Act, which I am proud to 
cosponsor.
  You would think Congress wouldn't have to act to demand 
accountability from the VA on behalf of our veterans, but, sadly, as 
everyone knows, that is not the case with the current VA. The VA is 
supposed to provide service and benefits that all of our veterans have 
earned by protecting our freedom. Instead, what we have in too many 
cases is a bunch of bureaucrats in both Washington and in the local 
facilities who seem content to collect a paycheck and not serve the 
public.
  Enough is enough.
  The least we should expect is, when the inspector general issues a 
corrective action report about a public health or a patient safety 
problem, the VA employees would be held accountable for fixing it.
  At the VA hospital in Buffalo, New York, which is right outside my 
district, the improper use of insulin pens resulted in some 700 
veterans being potentially exposed to HIV and hepatitis. In this case, 
the IG issued a corrective action report. The public has every right to 
expect the VA to be held accountable for implementing a fix to make 
sure something like that never happens again. Without this legislation, 
we can't make that promise, and that is an insult to our veterans and 
to all Federal taxpayers.
  This legislation also makes it easier to get rid of the bad apples at 
the VA so that issues with problem employees don't fester and 
overshadow the care being delivered by hardworking VA nurses and 
doctors.
  Again, I want to thank Congressman Benishek for his work on this 
legislation, and I urge my colleagues to pass the bill.
  Ms. BROWN of Florida. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my 
time.
  I am reminded of the words of the first President of the United 
States, and I think they are worth repeating here today: the 
willingness with which our young men are likely to serve in any war, no 
matter how justifiable,

[[Page 9639]]

should be directly proportionate as to how they perceive the veterans 
of early wars are treated and appreciated by their country.
  I want everyone to know that I have been on this committee for 22 
years. I am the longest-serving member on this committee, and I support 
the veterans 100 percent; but I remember in 2005 when the first 
servicemen started returning home and the Bush administration was 
underfunding the VA to the tune of $1.5 billion. Congress had to pass a 
supplemental funding bill to pay for this shortfall. Because the 
administration was using old data, which was taken before all of these 
veterans returned for care, the number was wrong, and the veterans paid 
the price. Following that, a Democratic-leaning Congress increased the 
VA's budget to its highest level ever in the history of the United 
States, guaranteeing that veterans' health care would not be subject to 
the whims of politics and to advance appropriations on Capitol Hill.
  I know many people don't remember that, because sometimes it is like 
we don't have any institutional memory around here.
  I want to commend Secretary Shinseki. He did a yeoman's job as the 
Secretary. When each Vietnam veteran had to prove his case, he opened 
up the VA so that all of the veterans could come in. Certainly, the VA 
wasn't prepared for millions of additional veterans, but it was the 
right thing to do.
  I can tell you that I have done my reconnaissance and that we are not 
involved in any scandals in Florida. When we had a problem in the Miami 
hospital--and this is a service that we should give the Secretary the 
authority to do--two small projects had to be stopped because they 
combined into one project--the operating facility. We were able to get 
it amended and get it taken care of so that the veterans in the Miami 
hospital were being cared for. In Orlando, we have been working on that 
VA hospital for over 25 years--a long time. The VA has not built any 
hospitals until recently, and now we are building six new hospitals. We 
had not built a VA hospital in the Veterans Administration for 15 
years.
  Yes, we are coming together in Congress and are doing what we should 
do for the veterans. Let me point out that I support this bill, but 
this bill should go to every agency, because every single agency 
ignores the reports that come in. So, if we are going to do our 
oversight, we should do it with all of the agencies. We should not let 
veterans think that we are not doing what we need to do to take care of 
them. It should be, as I would say, one team and one fight. We should 
be fighting for the veterans. Ever since I have been on this committee, 
it has been all for the veterans. It hasn't been about the politics 
that go on--you did not fill out my report. The important thing is that 
we are taking care of the veterans.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BENISHEK. Mr. Speaker, once again, I encourage all Members to 
support H.R. 2072, as amended, the Demanding Accountability for 
Veterans Act, and, in turn, to support our veteran heroes.
  With that, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Collins of New York). The question is on 
the motion offered by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Benishek) that 
the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2072, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________