Eni Faleomavaega: “I thank the gentleman from Utah and the gentleman from the Northern Mariana Islands for their management of this…”

“I thank the gentleman from Utah and the gentleman from the Northern Mariana Islands for their management of this important legislation. I certainly want to pay a special tribute to my good friend, the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young), for his authorship of this bill. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this resolution to amend the Senate amendment to H.R. 588, the Vietnam Veterans Donor Acknowledgement Act of 2013. I want to thank my good friend again, Congressman Don Young from Alaska, for his leadership on this very important issue. He has always been a strong supporter of our military servicemembers and veterans and has been instrumental in moving forward to building the Education Center at the Wall that will educate the millions of visitors to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial about its history and purpose. Mr. Speaker, last month the House, with overwhelming support, passed H.R. 588, the Vietnam Veterans Donor Acknowledgement Act of 2013. As we all know, H.R. 588 is supported by all the major veterans' organizations throughout the country. Unfortunately, during its consideration, the Senate significantly amended the bill, which has drastically altered the original intent of the bill. Much of the additions to H.R. 588 have not been evaluated or considered by way of markup, by either the Senate or the House, which is critical in considering any legislation.…”