Beto O'Rourke

H.R. 5083, the VA Appeals Modernization Act of 2016 comes as a result of a collaborative effort among VBA, the Board and 11 major stakeholder organizations-including DAV-that assist veterans with their appeals.

The problem is obvious. The solution is simple. And I came to Congress to offer pragmatic solutions to pressing problems.

This is a no-brainer: obviously, what Rep. O'Rourke's bill calls for should be the case, as long as it conforms to HIPAA regulations.

I demand a recorded vote. The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Texas will be postponed. Amendment No. 17 Offered by Mr. Huffman The Acting CHAIR. It is now…

I thank the gentleman from Florida. I will just ask my colleagues to support a commonsense, bipartisan amendment that moves beyond parochialism, that moves beyond partisanship, that ensures that we have fiscal responsibility and effective…

I thank the gentleman from Indiana for his comments, and I also thank the gentleman from New Jersey for his and for mentioning the cost of these BRAC rounds. Yes, there is a significant, one-time cost, but if we look at the combined return…

I have an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: Page 112, beginning line 23, strike section 8121. The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 783, the…

I would agree with everything you just said. And I would add that we then also need to hold ourselves accountable.

I think we can implement the reforms, but if you're not going to hold your employees accountable, I think... that would be a concern for me.

I think academic affiliations make a lot of sense, and I would like to better understand the authorities that Dr. Jesse and the VA are going to ask for.

You just want to make sure that there's absolute adherence to the standards--that you don't have fraud.

I just want to make the point that thanks to the GAO, I think there are some significant concerns that have been raised.

I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, although I am not opposed to it. The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman from Texas is recognized for 5 minutes. There was no objection.

I have no other speakers on this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

At this time I do not have a speaker, so I reserve the balance of my time.

I have no speakers at this time. I yield back the balance of my time.

I inquire as to how much time remains on my side. The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from Texas (Mr. O'Rourke) has 3 minutes remaining.

I can't think of a more important issue for us to be working on, and I think that is reflected in your leadership.

I want to know what it will take to be able to see each one of those 17 veterans.

Until it is a stated priority, we are not going to see the changes that we need to see; we are not going to prioritize prevention.

Beto O'Rourke out of El Paso, he and I worked on a couple of bills, and we felt like we should show that Democrats and Republicans are working together.

The border is home. It is home to me and it is home to millions of others.

But many in Washington just refuse any single attempts and efforts. That is one reason the system bogs down.

Please do not sacrifice the civil rights of our home, of our community, of our people.

I really appreciated your opening comments and the harkening back to the spirit of innovation and leadership that allowed the VA to develop VistA.