in the senate veterans affairs committee. i urge my colleagues to support this amendment. and i reserve. . the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. miller: mr. chairman, this in fact would make it easier for v.a. to recruit and retain its directors. it is a legislative proposal of the department of veterans affairs, included in the committee drafted h.r. 5526, it was sponsored by dr. wenstrup. i am grateful to representative guyialow and ask all of my colleagues to join me in supporting this amendment. i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. takano: mr. chairman, i urge my colleagues to support representative gallego's amendment and i yield back. the chair: the gentleman from california yields back. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from california. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair,

the ayes have it. the amendment is agreed to. it is now in order to consider amendment number 12 printed in house report 114-742. for what purpose does the gentleman from massachusetts seek recognition? mr. keating: mr. chairman, i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number is it 12 printed in house report 114-742 offered by mr. keating of massachusetts. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 859, the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. keating, and a member opposed will each control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. keating: thank you, mr. chairman. i also would like to thank chairman miller from florida for his assistance with this amendment, as well as the gentleman from california, mr. takano. i rise to offer an amendment to h.r. 5620, that would direct health care providers with v.a. affiliation to taken iting education courses -- to taken

iting education courses specified to pain -- take continuing education courses specified to pain management -- take continuing education courses specified to pain management. for veterans and our elderly veterans, the number of pain reported escalates dramatically to 50% of reporting chronic pain. and it's even more, almost double that, over 60% of veterans returning from the current conflict in the middle st report some type of chronic pain that needs administration. in fact, this type of malady is the most common medical problem experienced by returning combat veterans in the entire last decade. so it's number one of those reported problems that our veterans from combat are returning home to have to endure. according to v.a. data, over

half a million veterans, over half a million, are receiving prescriptions for opioids and the number of veterans with opioid use disorders has grown 55% over the last five years alone. additionally, the american public health association found that veterans are twice as likely, twice as likely, to overdose on prescription opioids as are members of the general population. of course, pain management isn't just a stand-alone problem for our veterans, the co-occurring mental health disorders like brain trauma or mental health stress disorder, and approximately one out of every three veterans seeking treatment for substance use disorders also have brain trauma or ptsd. the amendment incorporates language that i've introduced early in the year for the safe prescribing of veterans act.

it will help those provide health care services to veterans to learn the latest in pain management techniques, understand safe prescribing practices and spot the signs of potential substance abuse disorders. in our country some of the states have moved ahead already of what this amendment does. there are 14 states in the country that require continuing education for their physicians, to be schooled and kept up to speed with the most modern techniques in dealing with opioid abuse disorders. even though there are 14, that number decreases in some of those states for the people administering these drugs, including nurse practitioners, physicians' assistants, dentists and others. this is a problem that some states are addressing. but we're not addressing as a country to help our veterans. now, in those states that have this, they have that

requirement for continuing education as part of treating those people that are seeking treatment in those states. but in the remaining states, even if they have some kind of recommendation, there's no guarantee. for our veterans nationwide, there's no guarantee. this is something i think that's essential to do the most we can do to help the veterans and heros who have served us so well as they come back dealing with some of the effects and after effects of their combat, to be able to help them and be there for them the way that they were there for us. this congress has already acted in terms of the appropriations process for the implementation of the costs attendant to this kind of support. this bill will be a corelary bill that deals with guaranteeing that that occurs.

in my own area, just to show you the conflicts of treatment and the diversity of treatment, the commonwealth of massachusetts is one of those 14 states that requires all medical personnel, all doctors, to be able to have this continuing education requirement. that includes those doctors that serve the veterans administration. however, in my district, in the southeast portion of massachusetts, most of the veterans in my area go to providence, roiled, for their treatment. which -- rhode island, for their treatment. which does not have that guarantee. to show as an example, they have recommendations, what to do, but they don't have that guarantee. so in my own state, one portion of the state and the veterans served mostly in that portion has that requirement to make sure that's the case. the other doesn't. i want to thank mr. rothfus of

pennsylvania for joining me as a co-responser in this amendment. i want to thank my colleagues for this and i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seerk recognition? mr. miller: i -- the chair: for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? mr. miller: i rise in opposition although i am not opposed. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. miller: thank you very much. i want to thank mr. keating for coming up with this outstanding amendment to our bill. it does require v.a. employees to receive continuing education in courses on pain management, safe prescribing practices, disposal of controlled substances and addiction treatment. critical for v.a. providers to know the best practices for pain management and substance use or disorders agreement. i do want to thank mr. keating for his words tonight and mr. rothfus, and urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this amendment and i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from florida yields back. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from massachusetts. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no.

in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. he amendment is agreed to. it is now in order to consider amendment number 13 printed in ouse report 114-742. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. lowenthal: i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 13 printed in house report 114-742 offered by mr. lowenthal of california. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 859, the gentleman from california, mr. lowenthal, and a member opposed will each control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. lowenthal: thank you. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. lowenthal: i'm very pleased to have the opportunity to offer this simple, nonpartisan amendment today. like many of my colleagues

here, i am determined to do whatever i can to ensure the best possible care for our veteran. and i can tell you, i see all the time just how important the services are at my hometown, the long beach veterans administration, are to veteran in my district. it's absolutely essential our veterans receive the quality of care that they have earned and that we owe them. i believe everyone here agrees on that. the question is, how can we ensure that our veterans receive the best quality care? one straightforward but important way is to make sure that whistleblowers are adequately protected. when problems emerge, as they certainly will in any complicated system such as health care, it's vital that v.a. employees feel that they can bring forward complaints and they will be properly

considered without fear of retaliation. v.a. employees are key to teng partners in making sure the system is responsive, honest and efficient. and if they have any doubts or concerns about their whistleblower protections, then we lose the insights, their expertise and the inside view that they bring to the v.a.'s day to day operations. that would be bad for the veterans and bad for our v.a. system. my simple amendment helps to guarantee whistleblower protections are acted upon by requiring the secretary of veterans affairs or his or her designee to conduct a quarterly review of covered whistleblower complaints from the preceding quarter. this spring -- brings the necessary prompt attention and senior level v.a. oversight to

whistleblower complaints. i believe this is a nonpartisan, i believe it's noncontroversial, and i hope that the majority goes along with my colleagues in the minority and will support and i urge its adoption. thank you and reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? mr. miller: mr. chairman, i seek unanimous consent to rise in opposition, even though i am not opposed to the amendment. the chair: without objection, the gentleman from florida is recognized for five minutes. mr. miller: i want to thank mr. lowenthal for his very simple, nonpartisan amendment that's been provided tonight, requiring political appointees at v.a. review whistleblowers' complaints at every level. i'm grateful for him for bringing this forward. urge all of my colleagues to support his amendment. and yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from california

is recognized. mr. lowenthal: thank you. i yield back the balance of my time. i thank and appreciate the leader from the majority party. the chair: the gentleman from california yields back. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from california. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. he amendment is agreed to. the gentleman from florida. mr. miller: i move that the committee do now rise. the chair: the question is on the motion that the committee rise. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the motion is adopted. accordingly, the committee rises sms. - the committee rises.

the speaker pro tempore: mr. chairman. the chair: mr. speaker, the committee of the whole house on the state of the union, having had under consideration h.r. 5620, directs me to report that it has come to no resolution thereon. the speaker pro tempore: the chair of the committee of the whole house on the state of the union reports that the committee has had under consideration h.r. 5620 and has ome to no resolution thereon. the chair lays before the house the following personal requests. the clerk: leaves of absence requested for mr. desjarlais of tennessee for september 12 and for today, and mr. payne of new jersey for today.

the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the requests are granted. under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 201, the gentlewoman from arizona, ms. sinema is recognized for 60 minutes as the degree -- as the designee of the minority leader. ms. sinema: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my special order. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so granted. ms. sinema: september is suicide prevention month, a time to raise awareness about the recurring tragedy of suicide. last movant, the v.a. introduced a comprehensive updated studdy

of veteran suicide, finding an estimated 20 veterans lose their lives to suicide every day. 20 veterans a day should be a call to action for our country and this congress. we must do more. typically, time in this house chamber is split, republicans have one hour and democrats have another, but i believe this issue is too important to be overshadowed by partisan politics and that's why tonight i've invited members from both sides of the aisle to show our commitment to solving this problem together and find real solutions for our veterans. this is the fourth year i've held this event in this chamber to raise awareness and send a clear message that the ep democrat exof veteran suicide must end. we have so much more work left to do. tonight, i hope that we as a body will demonstrate our ongoing support for the individuals, organizations, and agencies who voted to -- devoted

to prevent the epidemic of veteran suicide. we challenge the v.a., the department of defense, and our fellow lawmakers to do more. today, mr. speaker, we are failing in our obligation to do right by those who have served our country so honorably. and finally, we send a message to military families who have experienced this tragedy. our message is simple. your family's loss isn't forgotten. we work for the memory of your loved ones and we will not rest until every veteran has access to the care that he or she needs. i've often shared the story of a young veteran from my district, sergeant daniel somers. sergeantsomers was an army -- sergeant somers was an army veteran with two toufers duty in iraq he served on task force 400 ing and ran over combat missions in the turret of a humvee and part of his role

required him to interrogate dozens of terror suspects. his work was deemed classified. like many veterans, he was haunted by the war when he returned home. he suffered from flashbacks, nightmares, and additional symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and made worse by a traumatic brain injury he needed help. he and his family asked for help. unfortunately they enrolled sergeant somers in group therapy sessions which he could not attend for fear of disclosing classified information. despite repeated requests for individualized counseling or other reasonable substitution, the v.a. delayed providing sergeant somers with appropriate support and care. like many veterans, sergeant somers' isolation got worse when the transitioned to civilian

life he tried to provide for his family, but he was unable to work due to his disability. sergeant somers struggled with the v.a. bureaucracy. his disability appeal had been pending for over two years in the system without any resolution. sernlt somers didn't get the help he needed in time. on june 10 of 2013, sergeant somers wrote a letter to his family. in this letter he said, i am not getting better. i am not going to get better. and i will most certainly deteriorate further as time goes on. he went on in the letter to say, i am left with basically nothing. too trapped in the war to be at peace. too damaged to be at war. abandoned by those who would take the easy road and a liability to those who stick it out and thus deserve better. -- not onlynot only

am i better off dead, but the world is better without me in it. this is what brought me to my actual, final mission. we lost daniel somers that day. and no one who returns home from serving our country should ever feel like he or she has nowhere to turn. mr. speaker and members, i am committed to working on both sides of the aisle to ensure that no veteran feels trapped like sernlt somers did and that all of our veterans have access to appropriate mental health care. sergeant somers' story is familiar to too many military families. sergeant somers' parents, howard and jean, were devastated by the loss of their son. but they bravely shared his story and created a mission of

their own. their mission is to ensure that sergeant somers' story brings to life america's deadliest war, the 20 veterans we lose every day to suicide. many of my colleagues have met with howard and jean. they are working with congress and the v.a. to share their experiences with the v.a. health care system and find ways to improve care for veterans and their families. our office worked closely with howard and jean to develop the sergeant daniel somers classified veterans access to care act. the sergeant daniel somers act ensures that veterans with classified experiences can access appropriate mental health services at the department of veterans' affairs. our bill directs the secretary of the v.a. to establish standards and procedures to ensure that a veteran who participated in a classified mission or who served in a

sensitive unit may access mental health care in a manner that fully accommodates his or her obligation to not improperly disclose classified information. the bill also directs the secretary to disseminate guidance to employees of the veterans health administration, including mental health professionals, on such stan tards and procedures on how best to engage veterans during the course of mental health treatment with respect to classified information. and finally, the bill directs the secretary to allow veterans with classified experiences to self-identify so they can quickly receive care in an appropriate setting. the sergeant daniel somers act passed the house in february. but now we're waiting for the senate to take action. no veteran or family should go through the same tragedy that the somers family experienced and we owe it to our veterans to pass and sign this bill into law. and while we're waiting for

congress to act, arizona is taking action. we're doing it ourselves. our office took immediate action when we learned from brave whistleblowers about the tragedy at the phoenix v.a. we have now held nine veterans' clinics, helping over 1,000 veterans and military family members access the benefits they've earned. our team helps veterans with everything they need, from housing to job placement to education. mr. speaker, i'll speak more about the work we're doing in arizona but i'd like to yield time, as much as he would require, to my colleague who has bravely served our country from new york, representative chris gibson. mr. gibson: i want to thank my friend and colleague, representative sinema. thank you so much for your passion for the issue, for your leadership which you bring here tonight and on all days on this very important issue for veterans.

mr. speaker, this is a very personal issue for me, after 29 years in the united states army. initially starting as a private, 17-year-old private in new york army national guard and after five years, making the transition to the regular army as a commission officer, serving 24 additional years, including four combat years in iraq, time in the balkans and also in haiti. over that time, i have seen the human condition under very severe and acute stress and have seen humans at their best and humans at their worst. and now in this role in congress, i think it's critically important that we come together and provide all the support that we can for our service men and women, for our veterans and for their families. mr. speaker, you know, my wife is also involved in helping on this score. she's a licensed clinical social worker and she commits herself

to helping. she's involved in therapy for our veterans. and, you know, for both of us, we've seen this from the vantage point of being on active duty, and then retiring from the united states military and being a civilian in a community and now serving in congress. it's clear that, you know, as far as the status of our veterans, well, i guess perhaps not surprisingly a lot like the varying.merica, it's some veterans are doing really well. got home, integrated, really exceling in every capacity in life. and yet, mr. speaker, there are some that are really struggling. they're struggling to find their footing, reintegrate into society. they've maybe -- they may be struggling financially. others have grievous wounds that

they incurred in this war. and others who were not physically wounded are carrying emotional scars. so really that's, i think, the calling here tonight, congresswoman sinema has pulled together this special order for us to put a focus on that and we appreciate that. the american people need to know. is their government listening? do we hear the calls from our veterans, their families, and from their loved ones and friends? from all americans who are concerned about the status of our veterans. mr. speaker, our government is listening. we have taken action. there is much more to be done. but i think it's important to also give an accounting, a transparent, accountable government must provide reports on what has been done. and mr. speaker, i was at the white house when we did the bill signing, when president obama signed into law the clay hunt suicide awareness and prevention

bill. clay hunt, a great american hero, a marine, who fought breyly for our country in both iraq and afghanistan. who came back and who candidly knew he was having some challenges. mental health challenges in the way -- and the way he dealt with that was to commit himself to helping others and he did make a difference. again. unfortunately, he ultimately lost his battle with the mental health challenge he is had. his family took up the cause in that immediate aftermath and it's through the inspiration of clay hunt, the way he lived his life, that we came together here in this house and i thank sergeant major walz, the highest ranking enlisted man to ever serve here, for offering the bill and i was proud pob part of it. this, we believe, will make a positive difference. it won't solve all but it does audit our program, to look at what they're doing well, and look at other programs that are well intention bud challenged

and provide a clearing house to learn from these experiences. it also starts a pilot program that's going to pay for the education for americans who want to volunteer to be part of this effort to help veterans. clay hunt suicide awareness and prevention now law. likewise, the female veteran suicide prevention act. we passed that in both chambers an the president of the united states signed that into law. we also enacted the wounded warrior federal leave act, which i also think will make a pstive -- positive difference for our veterans. then of course 18 months ago we enacted the v.a.'s most sweep regular form of the v.a. arguably in our lifetime. and we're still in the throes of implementing that, we haven't seen the full effect, but the intent is to address what congresswoman sinema was addressing moments ago, the backlog at the v.a. we've enacted legislation that i believe will, when it's fully implemented, help reduce those backlogs, bring better quality care and more accountability to

our v.a. and i want to also mention that while these aforementioned bills are now law, we pass on this floor a bill a couple of months ago that i think will also make a significant difference. it will help the mental health of all americans. timur fi, a bill on mental health that's now over in the senate. that will have a contributing effect to our veterans. so while there is an accounting of the actions we have taken to date, there's still much more to be done. and let me begin by saying that, after all these efforts, only a third of the veterans who are eligible to enroll in the v.a. are presently signed up. we have to do better than that. i think we need public service, we need leadership by example, we need a series of efforts to reach out to our veterans to get them into this community of care. some of it is going to have to come from confidence in the

v.a., which we need to improve. so we recognize that. that while we have the veterans' administration and we're trying to improve it, working hard on that we also need to try to nspire to get more vets. my assessment is, having served on active duty and now on this side, on retirement, i think the peer-to-peer programs are critically important because, you know, we have a number of programs to help and as i mentioned, my wife is participating in one of them with the therapy, helping, the fact of the matter is, is if a veteran is in crisis in the dark of the night, and we have no way of reaching out to them, we could lose them. . regardless of the programs we have. these peer-to-peer efforts, of which there are some now, some pilot programs and some important ones that are going on, we have one in new york

state, i heard congresswoman sinema talking about a program they have in arizona in new york state we have a peer-to-peer program. actually started by one of our colleagues here now, lee zelleden from long island when he was serving in the state -- zeldin from long island, when he was serving in the united states senate, he co-sponsored a bill that has been helping with peer-to-peer. i think this is critically important that we have this camaraderie, that we have this capacity that reaches out so that veterans know they are never alone. and, you know, we had in the army a program that we called the ranger buddy. the program, or sometimes called the airborne buddy, or just the plain soldier buddy, but the point is, is that for moments of ideation, the darkest, we need to have that support that will then lend itself to a transition to the other programs we have at the v.a. and other places in the light of day. i'm going to close with this. while we need to do more to

help with the physical conditions for our veterans, to help them heel and -- heal and to also work their mental health, to help support that and improve, that i firmy believe this. that one of the things that rallies all service members is a real sense of mission, the notion that what they're doing is certainly greater than themselves. they are helping to protect an exceptional way of life. and that is such a source of pride for our service men and women. when they make the transition, sometimes that's not even fully cognizant for our service men and women. i mean, they have appreciation for it, but sometimes it really takes the separation of years to recognize, you know, how significant that moment in their life was. that period of time in their life. so for some veterans, when they get home, they miss this, that sense of camaraderie, that sense of cohesion, that sense

of purpose that goes with dedicating a life to a cause. so, as we work on improving the physical health and the mental health of our veteran, i would also say that it's important that we help veterans find that cause in that -- in their civilian life. in any capacity. whether the helping out with other wounded veteran, helping in schools, helping senior citizens, helping the scouts, in any capacity, it's getting that sense of mission back again. i think that's got to be key to all these programs. so, i want to close by just thanking again congresswoman sinema, thank you for your great leadership on this and let us all go forward, dedicated to continuing to work on this issue and find ways where we can come together to make a difference. thank you. sinn sinn thank you, representative -- ms. sinema: thank you, representative gibson, for your words. thank you also for your service to our country. and thank you especially to your wife.

as a fellow social worker, i thank her for her work, serving veterans. i'd like to take the time to yield as much time as he may consume to my colleague from arkansas, french hill, thank you for joining us this evening, representative hill. mr. hill: i thank the congresswoman from arizona, my distinguished colleague on the house financial services committee. i thank you for calling attention to all the members in the house in this hallowed chamber, on this very, very important topic. so, thank you for inviting us to share. mr. speaker, in 2013, a documentary about the veterans crisis line aired on hbo. winning an academy award for best short subject documentary "crisis hotlines, veterans, press one," highlights the sue avoid cry -- suicide crisis that we're talking about here. it talked about the crisis

that's facing our nation's veterans, the men and women who have been employed by the hotline that have devoted their time and their expertise in listening to our veterans and trying to aid them in their moment of crisis. too many times these calls are ones of last resort. with our veteran having nowhere else to turn and no one else to help them. over the years we've continued to hear of the tragic crisis facing our veterans who continue to suffer from the invisible wounds of war that wreak havoc on their minds, destroy families and, sadly, claim the lives of an average of some 20 veterans every day. arkansas' second congressional district is home to many of our brave veterans. from the conflicts of our country. and many service members currently who serve at little

rock air force base, and at camp robinson. and our veteran in central arkansas are fortunate to have one of the top facilities in the entire country when it comes to treating mental health issues. the don'ten health care center, more commonly known as fort roots, located in north little rock, arkansas, provides our local veterans with mental health care facilities and services that have received "60 nal attention on minutes." the doctors at fort roots, their innovation, their success with posttraumatic stress disorder, and their treatments have got than kind of national recognition. -- gotten that kind of national recognition. the management, doctors, rank and file employees work tirelessly to give our veteran suffering from ptsd and traumatic brain injury a chance for rehabilitation and for getting back and getting on

with their lives and their families. the central arkansas veterans mental health council has also partnered with veterans, their families, and the central arkansas community to help address this ongoing crisis and better help serve the mental health needs of our arkansas veterans. and in congress we're working together on a bipartisan basis to enact policies to help our veterans and to reform our mental health care system. last year the house passed with bipartisan support and the president signed into law the clay hunt save act, to increase access to mental health care for veterans and ensure accountability of our federal agencies in providing essential suicide prevention services. the bill's namesake, a ma -- a marine veteran from houston, texas, who served in iraq and

afghanistan, clay hunt took his n life at the age of 28 in 2011. after a year's long struggle with ptsd that he had suffered as a result of his brave service to our country. we are also working to better address the mental health needs of our entire country, through the passage of helping families and mental -- in mental health crisis act, which was on the house floor earlier this summer. this lands mark bill introduced by our colleague, representive murphy from pennsylvania, was co-sponsored by over 200 bipartisan members of the house and addresses seriously outdated mental health care systems by refocusing and retooling our mental health programs, clarifying our privacy laws to ensure health care professionals can communicate with caregivers, and addressing the shortages in our mental health work force and treatment facilities. in the debate on that bill, it

was stunning to learn that in the mid 1970's we had some half a million mental health care beds in this country and now we have some 50,000. it's sad to hear the stories of parents of adult children who have lost them because of the lack of communication and the lack of service in some of our states in mental health. i commend congressman murphy for helping lead and build a major bipartisan coalition on this important topic. but all of us together, and i again thank congresswoman from arizona, we all must work together and continue to move forward with thoughtful and effective legislation on the issue of mental health and mental health access and do what we can to save the lives of our veterans and reverse this deadly trend of suicide. i'm proud to join my colleagues this evening to discuss this important matter and i'm committed to ensuring that all

of our veterans, our service members and their families receive the care and information they need to prevent suicide and help them heal and recover from these invisible wounds of war. with that, chairwoman sinema, thank you for this time. thank you for the opportunity to share part of this evening with you and i commend you for your leadership and yield back the balance of my time. ms. sinema: thank you so much, congressman hill, for joining us and for your leadership in the congress on mental health and veterans issues. i'd like to yield the next time to my colleague from california, scott peters, who currently represents howard and jean who i was speaking about earlier. thank you for being here. mr. peters: thank you for organizing this bipartisan gathering, to raise awareness about the suicide epidemic plaguing our veteran community and for your leadership on this important cause. san diego is home to the third largest population of veterans in the nation.

every year roughly half of the service members stationed in san diego are discharged and stay in the region after they leave service. with more than 236,000 residing in san diego county, honoring our commitment to veterans, the benefits they earn through their service, is one of the most important jobs we have in congress and i think folks are recognizing that here tonight. during suicide prevention month, we turn our focus to ending the awful reality of veteran suicide that has hurt families and communities across the country. every day 20 veterans tragically take their own lives. regardless of the number or rates, every veteran suicide is one too many. but there's much more we can do. mental health issues are still sigma advertised in our country, but it's time -- zig mattiased in our country, but it's -- stigmatized in our country, but it's time we talk about it. posttraumatic stress is all too prevalent among our war fighters when they return home. we don't call it a disorder because it's often a perfectly natural reaction to the horrors

that they've seen and the difficulties they've experienced. we have to come together as a nation to address this issue and our men and women in uniform deserve our dedication just as they dedicated their lives to serving our nation. in san diego we're taking some innovative and collaborative approaches to addressing veteran suicide by combining government, private groups and community partners. since 2014, 0800 has helped local veterans transition from active duty to civilian life. this community-based nonprofit connects with service members before they leave the military and makes sure that they know about the abundant services and community resources available to them as they transition themselves into new jobs and into new lives. courage to call is another san diego resource, a 24/7 help line, completely staffed by veteran. ready to speak with active duty military, reservists, guard members and fellow vets to help them navigate challenges that come with life in and after the service.

in war, service members depend on one another for guidance and support and they should have that same support as civilians. this service was started by sand -- in san diego by 211, a local private partnership -- public-private partnership and nexus to connect community resources with the individuals that can take advantage of them. it's a perfect example of how providing a central portal for benefits, employment and housing help simplify the process and gets veterans the benefits that they earn. we also have medical centers that use innovative models of care to meet our service members and veterans, and i hope we can implement some of these same standards of care across the country. that's not possible unless we come together. come together as leaders and pass bipartisan reforms to veteran care. as congresswoman cinema has mentioned -- sinema has mentioned, we have the honor of working with howard and jean somers, who have been tireless advocates for repairing the

broken health care system at veterans affairs, after they lost their son daniel to suicide in 2013. it's not perfect and we have a lot of implementation steps to take, the veterans choice act and the veterans accountability act that we debated earlier tonight will help bring accountability to assist them wrought with oversight and leadership challenges. we also need to provide more flexible treatment options like telehealth technologies that allow veterans to receive care from the comfort of their homes. finally, and i think maybe most important, we need to break the stigma of mental health issues once and for all. we know how difficult it has been to deal with veterans who come to the v.a. for care, but there's a great number who never touch the v.a., who suffer in loneliness at home and are never connected with the v.a., even with the phone call. and they take their lives before they even make the attempt. so we need to do a better job of outreach to those folks, make sure that they know that they have the support of the veterans community and the larger community at home.

we have to treat these unseen battle scars with the same gravity and respect as the visible ones. we owe it to our nation's heroes to end the tragedy of veteran suicide and this is a conversation that i'm proud to a part of, committed to constructive results and i want to thank, again, ms. sinema for her leadership on this and for organizing this evening. thank you. ms. sinema: thank you so much, congressman peters, thank you for your willingness to work tirelessly with me and with others on the issues that we know affect not just howard and jean and their son, daniel, but many other veterans around the country. thank you. i'd like to yield as much time to my colleague from florida, congressman yow ho who is joining us for the fourth year in a row. thank you for being here. mr. owe ho: mr. speaker, i'd -- mr. yow ho: i'd like to thank --

r. yow ho: i'd like to -- mr. yoho: i'd like to thank ms. sinema for putting this on for four years in a row. i thank you for calling this to the attention of america. last year, i remember sat here, or stood here and talked on the house floor, talking about 22 suicides per day. the current figures say 20. i'd like to think that part of that reason for the decrease in that is the effort you have inspired people to be more aware of this issue. and i hope that the veterans out there, the people in trouble, are watching c-span tonight and hey're watching this presentation, this talk that's coming out of the heart for so many members of congress, talking about this very important issue, and letting them know that we're here, that we're aware of this. september is national suicide prevention month. but as the country we need to use this platform to make it a

national priority, every hour, every day, every month of the year. with a reduction of two suicides per day, it's a great thing, but 20 is way too many. suicide is among the top 10 leading causes of death in thenitis. i urge all americans to take the time to learn the warning signs and where to find help for someone who may be struggling. from the brilliant comedian robin williams, bullied young men and women, to our veterans returning from the battlefield, suicide does not discriminate. emotional pain and despair can set in and take root in the mind of all ages, across all demographics. and we're focusing on our military because the liberties and freedoms we experience in this country every day, and i'm shame to feel admit that i take hose for granted at times.

but we only have those liberty -- liberties and freedom from the sacrifice and commitment of the people willing to lay everything on the line for this country, along with their spouses, their children, and their families. too many times, the signs of suicide go undetected, which leads those -- leaves those left behind asking, why did this happen? what could we have done to help prevent this tragedy? i have a dear friend of mine who committed suicide. i grew up with him. and i saw him reach out and in a busy world, we're all consumed and i feel guilty not putting a hand in there to do more to prevent that. i know his family has suffered, i know the people around him has suffered and i know there's a void in my life that will never be refilled. i often wonder, had i reached

out, would things have been different? often the signs, as i said, go undetected, which leaves us asking, why did this happen? it's so important we have an open and honest dialogue about the issue of suicide. the more we talk about it, the more we increase people's awareness and that there is help and there are alternatives. today a disproportionate amount of our nation's veterans are falling victim to suicide. after all, they have given to this couldn't -- after all they have given to this country, it is tragic and unacceptable that our nation's veterans often suffer alone until it's too late for those around them to help. sometimes it's out of pride, sometimes it's out of fear. but they don't want to reach out. and as my colleague, french hill, pointed out, at one time in this country there were over 500,000 beds in mental health facilities. we're down to 50,000. i applaud the work in this

congress, dr. murphy, timur fi, for bringing this to the spotlight. by shining a light on the veterans suicide issue we as a nation start to understand the urgency to which we need to solve and prevent this epidemic that our veterans, not alone but with their families and friends, struggle with. not recognizing the signs early enough all too often leads to that loss of life that if only we are aware of those conditions, those signs, and we reached out, we called, we let somebody else know, we could have stopped that and saved a life. saved a family. and saved a veteran. our government asks our men and women to please place themselves in harm's way and we as a nation must come together to ensure a strong support system is in place to help them when they come home. this begins with raising public awareness. like any campaign, if you don't have public awareness if you don't bring this to the forefront, it stays in shadows

and the condition goes on. sometimes increases. with public awareness and eliminating the stigma associated with seeking help this means connecting a combat veteran with mental health providers and we heard the last speaker talking about telemedicine. that doesn't work for everybody but for the person that doesn't want to go to a clinic or doesn't have access, it's a great way to go. a lot of people prefer that. and we see that other and over again this means additional mental health resources. i'm proud this congress passed that bill and that the president signed that. and this means prioritizing a change in our nation's approach to recognizing the needs of others who may be suffering in silence as i talked about my friend. congress and the v.a. are working to enact changes that will help save our soldiers but we cannot do it alone, nor can they. s the american people that will lead the change, the way in changing the way society views, recognizes and treats mental

health conditions. and i saw this at a seminar. this was so important to me. the mental health issue is not a partisan issue. we need to remove the stigma from mental health. heck, look at other diseases. many times it's a chemical imbalance. just like a disease like diabetes or hypothigh -- or hypothyroidism an you take a medication and treat. we don't stigmatize those so why is there a stigma around mental health issues? it's going to be us as a society saying it's ok, we're here, the diseases aren't stigma sized -- stigmatized like i said, so why is mental health stage stig matized. to the men and women whose pain has jet to be known, i say to you, i see you, i hear you, i acknowledge, i may not feel what you're feel, i may not feel your suffering, but i and others are

here in the community offering our service and assistance in finding support and comfort in one another, it is together that we will survive. it is together that we survive as the nation. and we need everybody involved in this. i urge anyone who is suffering to reach out to those around you and ask for help. this does not mean you are weak or deficient. asking for help often is the greatest sign of a warrior or of a leader. the enduring strength and perseverance you possess in an often -- and it often so many times inspires others, so many times it inspires others. often unwilling to reach out for help, whether it's out of fear, embarrassment, or humiliation. just know we are here and we welcome you home. my encouragement is that you

call local mental health clinic or local v.a. or your congressmen if you need. to we're here to help you, you're never alone. your country depends on you. your spouse depends on you. your children depend on you. and we as a nation depend on you. i thank my colleague for the fourth year, look forward to doing this with you next year, that when we report back we're not at 22, we're not at 20, we're at 10. you and i, this congress, and our nation can do that. god bless you, i yield back. ms. sinema: thank you very much, congressman yoho. it's been an honor to continue working on this issue with you. i'd like to yield time to my colleague from iowa, congressman david young. we co-chair a task force together to combat identity theft and fraud, it's been wonderful to work together on that issue. i'm so grateful to continue working together with you on the issue of mental health and

preventing suicide for the brave veterans who serve our country. i yield as much time to my league as he might desire. mr. young: i thank you, i appreciate our working relationship on this issue and so many others. according to the department of veterans' affairs, every day, as we know, 20 veterans take their lives. mr. speaker, this is simply unacceptable. in april, an iowa veteran called the v.a. veterans crisis line, confidential, toll free hotline, providing 24 hour support for our veterans, seeking crisis assistance. this veteran was having a rough day. this veteran needed help. as the veteran sought the help he desperately needed this ephone kept ringing and ringing and ringing. he tried again. but the only answer was, all circuit are busy. try your call later. now this hotline, designed to provide essential support for

veterans and their families and friends they let him down. his heartbreaking story is tragically true. not unique, though. and thankfully this veteran was able to contact a friend. who got him the help he was seeking. in 2014, a number of complaints about missed or unanswered calls, unrespnsive staff, as well as inappropriate and delayed responses to veterans in crisis prompted the v.a. office of the inspector general and the government accountability office to conduct an investigation into the veterans crisis line. now both investigations found gaps in the quality assurance process. and provided a number of recommendations to address these quality, responsiveness, and performance of the veterans crisis line and the mental health care -- mental health care provided to our veterans. despite prompts by the v.a. to implement changes to address

problems by the veterans who use the crisis lines, the problems are still happening. they happen to those in the district i represent and they are without a doubt happening in the districts of my colleagues. veterans the serve more. they deserve quality, effective mental health care. a veteran in need cannot wait for help in any incident where a veteran has trouble with the v.a. crisis line is simply unacceptable. how do we let this go on? the iowa veteran's experience that saturday evening in april has troubled me. his experience is why i have been working on a bill in a bipartisan manner which upholds the promises our country has made to our veterans. my bill, the bipartisan bill, the no veterans crisis line call should go unanswered act, h.r. 5392, requires the v.a. to create and implement documented plans to improve responsiveness

and performance of the crisis line. it is an important step to ensure our veterans have access to the mental health resources they need, they deserve. the unacceptable fact is, while these quality standards should be in place, they're not. they're not in place and they should be. my bill does not duplicate existing standards or slow care for veterans. instead, our bipartisan bill puts in place requirements aligning with recommendations made by government accountability organizations to improve the v.a. crisis line. our bill requires the v.a. to develop and implement a quality assurance process to address responsiveness and perform anxious of the v.a. crisis line and backup call centers and a timeline of when objectives will be reached. it also directs the v.a. to create a plan to ensure any communication to the v.a. crisis line or backup call center is answered in a timely manner.

by a live person. and document improvements they make providing those plans to congress within 180 days of enactment of this bill. we can't wait any longer. we cannot wait any longer. our bipartisan bill would help the v.a. deliver quality mental health care to veterans in need. iowa veterans and all veterans have faced enormous pressures. mental and emotional war wounds. sacrificed personal and professional gains and experienced dangerous conditions in service to our nation. and many are returning home with post-traumatic stress disorder and other unique needs which require counseling and mental health support. we should thank them for their service. but thanking them is not enough. they deserve better. this is why i introduced the bipartisan support, this bill to

honor and thank our veterans and vet -- and let them know america supports them. our veterans answered our nation's call and we shouldn't leave them waiting on the line. i thank my colleague, i thank the leadership of my colleague, ms. sinema, of arizona, for taking the time to bring attention to this important issue and all our other colleagues here on both sides of the aisle. yield back, mr. speaker. ms. sinema: thank you for joining us this evening. i would like to yield to our last speaker in this bipartisan special hour, a colleague of mine who has served our country, congressman doug collins of georgia served in 2008 and serves as an air force reserve chaplain and he has taken the time to join us this evening to talk about the unfortunate continuing problem of vet raps'

suicide and our work to provide mental health care. mr. collins: i thank the congresswoman. this is something as which move forward. and i'm glad to be here tonight. i had another -- we are going to be talking about this and this is perfect. it is so important. the issues that we deal with and the seriousness of this topic is the stigma and being still in the air force and being looking at how the military has dealt with this issue is something that is frustrating for us that do it all the time. i was in the navy for a short time and went back in the air force. and in my 15, 16 years in the military, we went through four programs to help veterans who need help with suicide.

we need more care for our airmen and soldiers and sailors and looking at it from caring about the other person. it's not a course but caring. it's looking at signs and knowing there are people out there who are hurting. and i heard many of the speakers talk about and that being the issue of mental health. my daughter, who i love dearly as spinea bifada and has not walked at all since birth, if she was to roll in here, one of the first things we see is people react with sympathy. she is in a wheelchair and see someone with a happenedy cap or somebody who is not normal, they react with sympathy. ut my question is, what is the

difference and someone in who has a visible unneed, if you would and the reaction that we get when someone says my mind is hurting? sympathy does president come to them. we believe you can shake it off and move on and mental health is not an issue that you can shake off and move on. if someone comes to us and says i'm depressed, that we reach out in loving kindness just as we would to a sweet young lady who happens to roll in life and not walk, my daughter. when we reach out in love, when we each out in compassion begin to break the darkness that those who are contemplating suicide.

studies have said, for those who have thought about suicide, the questions were asked, what did you feel -- what was it like on the moment that you were thinking about this and struggling about this. heard, they i said that they felt like they were sort of blinders on all sides and all they saw was a billboard saying you have no hope. that's all they saw. , is our job as human beings not partisan, not republican, democrat, politician, nonpolitician, it is our job to look at each other and believe that every life is a gift of god and if i believe, then every life has value. and no matter what the situation may be, we are to respond in

love. so tonight, i thank the gentlelady for taking this time, just a moment as we share, there are a lot of bills and a lot of solutions that we could come to, but i think the greatest thing we could have in a time when we think about suicide and think about our veterans and those who are struggling with mental health and other problems is to simply maybe look for those that times whenunexpected you are ready to go to do something and something interrupts you. those times when you haven't thought about somebody, the time when a co-worker or a friend says i'm not feeling right, instead of rushing to my day, of we ought to take care them.

how about a glass of water? and how about i sit here and talk about it? because when we can break the tunnel vision that there is no hope, that if you can begin to chip at that tunnel, then the light will come in and see that others care. to me, that's the greatest call of our humanity is to show love for others. who want to take their own life because they believe they are unloved is a situation that we all need to fight against. and i'm thankful to have the opportunity to highlight that tonight and with that, i yield back. ms. sinema: mr. speaker, how much time do i have left remaining? the speaker pro tempore: the jo has 10 minutes remaining. ms. sinema: an army veteran who

died on december 9, 2013. he had been stationed in bosnia and discharged in 2004. starting in 2006, kyle went to the phoenix v.a. for treatment but as time went on, it became increasingly difficult to see his doctor. and according to his mom, kyle was waiting to have his medications adjusted and see his doctor. he suffered from reoccurring pain, severe hearing loss, depression and pmptmpsmp d. erry's mom told us, the last time i saw him was a few days before his death. asked him if he had a appointment. he said no, he was still waiting. and called them six times and left three messages and was put

on hold. this problem had been going on one to two years. mr. speaker, no veteran should ever be turned away when he or she asks for help. terry asked us to share her son's story and i pledge to kerry that we'll continue working to hold the v.a. accountable to ensure that veterans have access to the highest quality care. i would like to yield to david loebsack. mr. lobiondo: i wasn't going to speak tonight but after listening to so many folks. mr. murphy yield to from pennsylvania. but i want to say a couple of things on this issue. mental health is really important issue to me as it is to so many folks in this body.

i often talk about my mom. she was a single parent who struggled with mental illness and in and out of ipstutions. this is personal for me. and my wife and i have two arine children, and my stepson are active duty. and we do what we can to help them. e had a recent suicide in iowa city at the v.a. center and we are struggling how to deal with that. the inspector germ is now looking into the circumstances of that suicide and on sunday, on 9/11, we had an event that i was horpped to attend in honor of sergeant ketch umh and his family in an attempt to raise money to raise awareness of pt