[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 3644]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS

  (Mr. POE of Texas asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, Elizabeth Oddy returned from east 
Africa after spending 2\1/2\ years as a Peace Corps volunteer. Before 
returning home, she was examined by a Peace Corps physician. She was 
deemed healthy and okay to come back to America.
  Two days after coming home, Elizabeth went to her doctor for a 
regular checkup where she was diagnosed with a life-threatening 
illness. She had stage I thyroid cancer. Her Peace Corps insurance 
ended the next day.
  Peace Corps volunteers often have severe health problems upon their 
return from abroad. Health issues that are a direct result of serving 
in the Peace Corps should be covered by the Peace Corps.
  Volunteers like Elizabeth are the spirit of humanitarian assistance. 
It is our responsibility to ensure they are properly cared for both at 
home and abroad.
  My bill, the Sam Farr Peace Corps Enhancement Act, improves health 
care for all current volunteers and returned Peace Corps volunteers 
that contract illnesses during their service. We must continue 
providing support for our American angels abroad.
  And that is just the way it is.

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