[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 6]
[House]
[Pages 8261-8262]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   SCHOOL MILK NUTRITION ACT OF 2015

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I recently teamed up with 
Congressman Joe Courtney of Connecticut to introduce H.R. 2407, the 
bipartisan School Milk Nutrition Act of 2015.
  Between 2012 and 2014, schools across the country served 187 million 
fewer pints of milk, despite an increase in public school enrollment. 
Mr. Speaker, this is an alarming statistic considering milk is the 
number one source of nine essential nutrients in young Americans' diets 
and provides many significant health benefits.
  The School Milk Nutrition Act, which has the strong support of the 
International Dairy Foods Association and the National Milk Producers 
Federation, seeks to reverse the decline of milk consumption in schools 
throughout Pennsylvania and across the country.
  To help achieve this goal, the bill would reaffirm the requirement 
that milk is offered with each meal and also give schools the option of 
offering low-fat flavored milk, rather than only fat free.
  I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get behind this 
legislation and become a cosponsor of the School Milk Nutrition Act of 
2015.


       The Veterans E-Health and Telemedicine Support Act of 2015

  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, with this past week being 
celebrated and remembering Memorial Day--Memorial Day having just 
passed--it is important that we continue to remember and honor our 
fallen soldiers and the new generation of heroes who equally deserve 
our respect, our gratitude, and the promise of continued support.
  This is why I recently joined with New York Congressman Charles 
Rangel to introduce H.R. 2516, the Veterans E-Health and Telemedicine 
Support Act of 2015.
  This bipartisan legislation would allow Veterans Affairs health 
professionals, including contractors, to practice telemedicine across 
State borders if they are qualified and practice within the scope of 
their authorized Federal duties.
  Currently, overly cumbersome location requirements can make it 
difficult for veterans, especially those struggling with mental health 
issues, to get the help they need and deserve.
  Mr. Speaker, under current law, the VA can only waive the State 
license requirement for treatment if both the physician and the patient 
are located in a federally owned facility.
  The Veterans E-Health and Telemedicine Support Act of 2015 removes 
these barriers and allows the VA to provide treatment through 
physicians free of this restriction. Veterans will no longer be 
required to travel to a VA facility but, rather, can receive 
telemedicine treatment from anywhere, including their home or a 
community center.
  Mr. Speaker, these brave men and women put so much on the line each 
and every day in service to our country that when they return home it 
is our

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shared duty to be there for these heroes by making lifesaving resources 
readily available.
  This legislation will eliminate the multiple layers of bureaucracy, 
allowing our veterans to have greater access to mental and behavioral 
health services, especially in rural areas.
  I rise today and ask my colleagues in both parties to get behind this 
bipartisan, commonsense legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, sadly, 22 veterans commit suicide every day. Let's end 
that crisis.

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