Jon Tester

I just want to thank you and Ranking Member Crapo again for your commitment to have weekly hearings on housing finance reform and be able to mark up a bill before the end of the calendar year.

The goal with these mechanisms, which enable community-based institutions to access the secondary market, is to leverage economies of scale, to put smaller institutions on equal footing with their large competitors.

The naval record alone should have brought up some red flags.

When money is involved, obviously there are some folks that do not give a damn about the product.

I believe it was you that talked about quality metrics.

We need to make immediate reform of the process. There needs to be more transparency. There needs to be more oversight.

What else is going on out there that they are allowing--that are slipping through the cracks on security clearances?

I want to know about July 2011. Were you guys aware of what the charges were?

The contractor missed it and you guys missed it.

VVA strongly favors any additional mechanisms that promote better accountability in the delivery of VA services.

S. 1573 is common sense, no-cost legislation that enables quick payments from the DVA to eligible surviving spouses pending the receipt of formal paper work.

Senator Tester's S. 1573 would allow the VA to make faster payments of DIC compensation to surviving spouses.

I have introduced the Rural Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act this year to tackle these issues.

Once you get the rules out, I think we can have a positive impact on economic growth in this country through the JOBS bill.

I appreciate that. That is what hearings should be about. It is about getting good information so that as policy makers we can make decisions that are effective and basically good.

I think there is a tremendous effort that needs to be done to get these rules out.

Without access to capital, the next-generation idea may not become a reality.

We have got to do them right, and we have got to be thoughtful.

Yes, thank you, Senator Johanns.

Capital allows business to grow, take calculated risks, and create more jobs.

The opportunity for growth within businesses across America is enormous, and we need to do all we can to empower them.

I don't know that I have heard a clear reason for the lack of recognition from the Department.

If you had Federal recognition you could gain all those health care benefits.

When can we expect a final rule on Part 83?

I think you need to be deliberate and you need to be thoughtful. But you also need to get it done.