John Boozman

I look forward to receiving feedback on H.R. 2461 and the other bills before us today.

I applaud the progress made on verifying existing VIP entries, but more should be done to ensure our veterans are afforded the small business opportunities Congress intended then to enjoy.

I support Mrs. Kirkpatrick's bill to extend the Advisory Committee.

We should do that just because--as was said, I spent a lot of time at Walter Reed in Bethesda with the young people, and it is the individual soldier or Marine who gets hit, but it is the whole family that has to recover.

It does seem that working together it is a very solvable problem.

SFAA mentioned their willingness to work with VA to promote veteran-owned small businesses.

I think that the use of the GI Bill is a good example. It is good investment to invest in veteran-owned small business.

In terms of priority, it always has to be for those who are the most disabled, and so the adaptability grants have to come first.

Small business is the backbone of our economy. And as you guys know, it is very tough in the real world right now.

The vast majority, and you all would know the percentage better than I, although I should know it very well

AMVETS commends the Chairwoman and Ranking Member Boozman for leading the way in a call for transparency and accountability as it relates to Federal procurement.

We commend Mr. Buyer for his 'Veteran-Owned Business Promotion Act,' and would also support that with two reservations.

All that you have done and which is extraordinary in the last Congress and this with the Post-9/11 GI Bill is extraordinary in terms of helping people go to school limited only by their own drive and their own hard work as to which school…

I really do appreciate the Members bringing forward these bills, and I think it is just a great example...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to thank you for bringing us together to take testimony on 14 bills, including H.R. 1169.

The sterile cockpit rule violations have been notable factors in both the Lexington and the Buffalo plane crashes.

It shouldn't be happening but it happens all the time.

The gentleman testified earlier that 90 days out of the year they are sending raw sewage into the river.

In the Bay area we have seen a tremendous increase in population.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

If we put one tenth of the money into Clean Water that we are putting into the TARP program and the bailing out of banks--there is more money going into bonuses for bank moguls than there is for cleaning up the pollution of this…

I certainly want to welcome everyone to our hearing today, and especially Mr. Wittman and Mr. Connolly.

We all agree, I think everybody in this room agrees that this is something that just has to be done.

I really think we need to get one.

I have three daughters and, you know, really am very, very interested in this and really quite alarmed about some of the things that you brought up.