PRINTER'S NO. 1999
No. 312 Session of 2003
INTRODUCED BY STERN, LEDERER, GORDNER, BISHOP, LESCOVITZ,
WATSON, DeWEESE, JAMES, FAIRCHILD, BOYD, DENLINGER, PHILLIPS,
BELARDI, GODSHALL, CAPPELLI, HERMAN, READSHAW, BARRAR,
YUDICHAK, BEBKO-JONES, FICHTER, GEIST, McILHATTAN, GOODMAN,
CREIGHTON, MAJOR, R. MILLER, HENNESSEY, CRAHALLA, BUNT,
RUBLEY, WASHINGTON, LAUGHLIN, LEH, NAILOR, SOLOBAY,
S. MILLER, PAYNE, HARRIS, WOJNAROSKI, BELFANTI, McNAUGHTON,
BAKER, SATHER, GEORGE, HERSHEY, HARHAI, BALDWIN, TRUE,
E. Z. TAYLOR, BENNINGHOFF, GINGRICH, WALKO, HESS, BROWNE,
HUTCHINSON, SHANER, TIGUE, KELLER, PICKETT, HORSEY, FABRIZIO,
LEWIS, KIRKLAND, PETRARCA, FREEMAN, YOUNGBLOOD, WANSACZ,
MELIO, REICHLEY, SEMMEL, HARHART, GRUCELA AND TURZAI,
JUNE 11, 2003
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
JUNE 11, 2003
A RESOLUTION
1 Urging Congress to support the passage of the Veterans Health
2 Care Funding Guarantee Act of 2003.
3 WHEREAS, Funding for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
4 health care under the Federal budget is discretionary and it is
5 within the discretion of the Congress of the United States to
6 determine how much money is allocated each year for veterans'
7 medical care; and
8 WHEREAS, Section 1710(a) of Title 38 of the United States
9 Code provides that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs "shall"
10 furnish hospital care and medical services, but only to the
11 extent Congress has provided money to cover the costs of the
12 care; and
1 WHEREAS, The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) firmly believes
2 that service-connected disabled veterans have earned the right
3 to VA medical care through their extraordinary sacrifices and
4 services to this nation; and
5 WHEREAS, The American Legion, AMVETS, Disabled American
6 Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Paralyzed Veterans and other
7 service organizations have fought for sufficient funding for VA
8 health care and a budget that reflects the rising cost of health
9 care and the increasing need for medical services; and
10 WHEREAS, The VA is unable to provide timely access to quality
11 health care to many of our nation's most severely disabled
12 service-connected veterans; and
13 WHEREAS, Making veterans health care funding mandatory would
14 ensure that the Federal Government meets its obligation to
15 provide health care to service-connected disabled veterans and
16 that all veterans eligible for the VA health care system have
17 access to timely, quality health care; and
18 WHEREAS, Making veterans health care funding mandatory would
19 eliminate the year-to-year uncertainty about funding levels
20 which has prevented the VA from being able to adequately plan
21 for and meet the growing needs of veterans seeking treatment;
22 and
23 WHEREAS, Including all veterans for care in the mandatory
24 health care funding proposal protects the overall viability of
25 the system and the specialized programs the VA has developed to
26 improve the health and well-being of our nation's service-
27 connected disabled veterans; therefore be it
28 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
29 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge Congress to take all the
30 necessary steps to enact into law the Veterans Health Care
20030H0312R1999 - 2 -
1 Funding Guarantee Act of 2003, and make veterans health care
2 mandatory to ensure that veterans have access to timely, quality
3 health care; and be it further
4 RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
5 the presiding officers of each house of Congress and to each
6 member of Congress from Pennsylvania:
7 The Honorable William Frist
8 U. S. Senate
9 Washington, D.C. 20510
10 The Honorable Dennis Hassert
11 U. S. House of Representatives
12 Washington, D.C. 20515
13 Senator Rick Santorum
14 120 Russell Senate Office Building
15 Washington, D.C. 20510
16 Senator Arlen Specter
17 711 Hart Senate Office Building
18 Washington, D.C. 20510
19 Representative Robert A. Brady
20 216 Cannon House Office Building
21 Washington, D.C. 20515
22 Representative Michael F. Doyle
23 133 Cannon House Office Building
24 Washington, D.C. 20515
25 Representative Phillip S. English
26 1410 Longworth House Office Building
27 Washington, D.C. 20515
28 Representative Chaka Fattah
29 1205 Longworth House Office Building
30 Washington, D.C. 20515
20030H0312R1999 - 3 -
1 Representative Jim Gerlach
2 1541 Longworth House Office Building
3 Washington, D.C. 20515
4 Representative James C. Greenwood
5 2436 Rayburn House Office Building
6 Washington, D.C. 20515
7 Representative Melissa A. Hart
8 1508 Longworth House Office Building
9 Washington, D.C. 20515
10 Representative Joseph M. Hoeffel
11 1229 Longworth House Office Building
12 Washington, D.C. 20515
13 Representative Timothy Holden
14 2417 Rayburn House Office Building
15 Washington, D.C. 20515
16 Representative Paul E. Kanjorski
17 2353 Rayburn House Office Building
18 Washington, D.C. 20515
19 Representative Tim Murphy
20 226 Cannon House Office Building
21 Washington, D.C. 20515
22 Representative John P. Murtha
23 2423 Rayburn House Office Building
24 Washington, D.C. 20515
25 Representative John E. Peterson
26 307 Cannon House Office Building
27 Washington, D.C. 20515
28 Representative Joseph R. Pitts
29 204 Cannon House Office Building
30 Washington, D.C. 20515
20030H0312R1999 - 4 -
1 Representative Todd R. Platts
2 1032 Longworth House Office Building
3 Washington, D.C. 20515
4 Representative Donald L. Sherwood
5 1223 Longworth House Office Building
6 Washington, D.C. 20515
7 Representative William Shuster
8 2188 Rayburn House Office Building
9 Washington, D.C. 20515
10 Representative Patrick J. Toomey
11 224 Cannon House Office Building
12 Washington, D.C. 20515
13 Representative W. Curtis Weldon
14 2466 Rayburn House Office Building
15 Washington, D.C. 20515
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