Mr. Chairman, on May 1 the Committee on Armed Services reported H.R. 4546 on a strong bipartisan vote of 57 to one. The bill authorizes appropriations for the Department of Defense and for the Department of Energy national security…

May marks National Military Appreciation Month, and I can think of no appropriate way to recognize it than to rise in strong support of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003. I especially commend for my colleagues'…

Mr. Speaker, I support the motion of the gentleman in that it endorses the provision of the Senate bill that would broaden the Survivors Benefit Plan to include members of the armed services who die while on active duty. Providing this…

as the House is about to move to final passage on this defense authorization bill, I think it is appropriate that we take a moment to note that this will be the first defense bill in over 30 years that Floyd Spence did not have a part in…

may I take a moment to thank our staff on both sides of the aisle for the tremendous job and the many late nights that they have spent here and put up with us and produced this good bill. Madam Chairman, I urge everyone to support the bill.

My amendment expresses a sense of Congress regarding the recognition of civilian employees within the Department of Defense who are killed or wounded as a result of hostile action. For those in the uniformed services who have died or were…

On August 1, the Committee on Armed Services reported H.R. 2586 with strong bipartisan support, a vote of 58-1. The bill authorizes appropriations for the Department of Defense and for the Department of Energy national security programs…

8 years ago this month, the original authorization for a memorial on the Mall honoring the World War II veterans was signed into law, and still construction has not yet begun. H.R. 1696 will be the sixth bipartisan piece of legislation…

veterans across the country will appreciate the efforts of this subcommittee, under the able leadership of the gentleman from New York, for including an historic $1.7 billion increase for VA health care, over and above the Administration's…

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 747 amends the 1910 act of Congress that granted the State of Arizona's entry into the Union. This bill makes two minor changes to the Arizona Enabling Act relating to the administration of state trust funds. This…

Mr. Chairman, section 151 of the authorization bill would prevent the Department of Defense from buying a commercial communications satellite system or leasing a communications service unless independent testing proves that the system or…

I believe this clarification will help us address DOD needs while being mindful of private sector concerns.

I said the Clinton-Gore budget. This Republican budget increase has the largest increase in history for veteran VA health care. I want to commend the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kasich), the chairman of the Committee on the Budget, and the…

in the history of those who have served in the House, relatively few names will appear to date as Members from the State of Arizona. Those who have served may be few in numbers, but they have made a difference in this House and on behalf…

We are being shortchanged in this bill. We are getting back less than 10 percent of this for veterans' savings, and that is simply not fair to the veterans of this country.

H.R. 3039 is the Veterans Transitional Housing Opportunity Act of 1998. It authorizes the VA to guarantee home loans for multi-unit transitional housing for homeless veterans. The bill also requires homeless projects using these loans to…

H.R. 3603 authorizes a total of $205 million in major medical construction projects throughout the United States. It also authorizes $8.5 million in VA's medical care account for leasing facilities. All of these projects will be funded…

I, too, was greatly disturbed, as were my constituents, by rumors that there may have been attempts used to have Arlington Cemetery and the privilege of being put to rest there used for political fund-raising purposes. My grandmother…

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3211, the Arlington National Cemetery Burial Eligibility Act, is an important bill that is strongly supported by veterans and their service organizations. The lion's share of credit for setting the stage for this bill…

I believe it would be better to investigate the feasibility of establishing perhaps another cemetery in Washington for the purpose of honoring Americans who have substantially contributed to the well-being of the Nation but who do not meet…

Mr. Speaker, there have been some Members that have expressed a desire to consider language that would still provide a waiver for Arlington, and we considered this at length in committee. I personally oppose such language and would like to…

the House amendments to S. 714 represent a compromise between the House and Senate veterans' affairs committees on several measures considered by both sides this year. It requires the VA to develop new treatment programs for Persian Gulf…

In closing, let me just say, as others have, that we will be observing Veterans Day here in just a couple of days to honor all those who have served this Nation. I urge my colleagues to support this bill because it will provide meaningful…

S. 923 is a bill to deny burial in a national cemetery to veterans convicted of capital offenses. During our committee hearings on this measure, and a similar measure which the gentleman from Illinois and I introduced, we heard testimony…