[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 5728]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS

  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, last week marked an important step as we 
worked in a bipartisan manner to improve the lives of survivors of 
trafficking. We were able to move the Justice for Victims of 
Trafficking Act forward and help provide direct supports and services 
for these survivors, thanks to support from the Community Health Center 
Fund.
  Community health centers are the safety net providers of our health 
care system. In my home State of Washington, they provide full health 
care services for working families across the State, and they work 
tirelessly to ensure that individuals get the supports and services 
they need. Community health centers help keep health care costs down 
and keep people out of the emergency room by improving health outcomes 
for the populations they serve.
  Our community health centers were strengthened by the work in the 
Affordable Care Act, and I am proud that we were able to once again 
work together to strengthen them as part of the Medicare and CHIP 
Reauthorization Act earlier this year.
  This was a very unique circumstance, and it is not a precedent for 
Congress to draw on the Community Health Center Fund for other 
purposes. It is my hope and intention that this was the one and only 
time Congress draws money from the health center fund to pay for other 
programs. This funding was intended to keep the health centers program 
whole so that more than 1,300 health centers nationwide can continue to 
provide access to care for their patients for the next 2 years.
  Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, as you know, I have worked for many years 
to ensure all Americans have access to primary care. Community health 
centers are instrumental in providing that access to primary medical, 
oral, and mental health care. Right now, community health centers 
provide primary care to 24 million patients in 9,000 underserved 
communities in every State and territory across the country.
  Until last month, health centers were facing a 70-percent reduction 
in funding this fall due to the expiration of the Community Health 
Center Fund. On an overwhelmingly bipartisan basis, I was very pleased 
that Congress was able to extend the health center fund in the Medicare 
and CHIP Reauthorization Act bill for 2 years to avert this massive cut 
to the program.
  Although I supported legislation to provide funds for victims of 
trafficking, taking money recently allocated to community health 
centers in the SGR bill to pay for health care services for victims of 
trafficking was not a good solution. Both of these programs serve 
important populations with significant health care needs, and I 
understand from those who negotiated this agreement that the funding 
transfer was a special circumstance as a way to move forward on this 
bill.
  It is my hope and understanding from the bill sponsors that this was 
the one and only time Congress draws money from the Health Center Fund 
to pay for other programs.
  Mrs. MURRAY. I am proud of the progress we have been able to make for 
survivors of trafficking and that we were able to use community health 
centers funding to help this very vulnerable population at a time when 
they need it the most.
  Mr. WICKER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Senator Casey 
and I be permitted to engage in a colloquy.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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