PRINTER'S NO. 19
No. 10 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY CASORIO, COHEN, D. EVANS, BAKER, BARRAR, BEYER, BISHOP, BOYD, BUXTON, CALTAGIRONE, CREIGHTON, DALEY, DePASQUALE, GALLOWAY, GEORGE, GOODMAN, HUTCHINSON, KING, KOTIK, MANN, MARKOSEK, MUNDY, MUSTIO, M. O'BRIEN, PALLONE, PARKER, PAYNE, PETRONE, RAMALEY, READSHAW, SONNEY, STABACK, SWANGER, VULAKOVICH, WALKO, WOJNAROSKI, YOUNGBLOOD, YUDICHAK, LONGIETTI, BENNINGHOFF, CAPPELLI, GRUCELA, JOSEPHS, KULA, RAPP, FRANKEL, MELIO, DALLY, FREEMAN, BELFANTI, SCAVELLO, SOLOBAY, GIBBONS, WANSACZ, BASTIAN, DeLUCA, GINGRICH, GERGELY AND EVERETT, JANUARY 30, 2007
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, JANUARY 30, 2007
A RESOLUTION 1 Urging the Congress of the United States to increase funding for 2 the medical needs of veterans who have served our country in 3 Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. 4 WHEREAS, The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) faces a 5 critical situation in funding, primarily for veterans' health 6 care; and 7 WHEREAS, Ever-increasing demands on the system by veterans 8 returning from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi 9 Freedom and inadequate resources provided after the start of a 10 new fiscal year place enormous stress on the system and leave 11 the VA struggling to provide the care that veterans have earned 12 and deserve; and 13 WHEREAS, New veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are 14 at higher risk for psychiatric problems, including posttraumatic
1 stress disorder, depression and anxiety, in addition to 2 significant physical injuries, including brain injury; and 3 WHEREAS, The VA health care appropriation for the 2006 fiscal 4 year of $22.5 billion proved to be inadequate; and 5 WHEREAS, An additional $1.2 billion in emergency funding has 6 had to be appropriated as the number of personnel returning from 7 Iraq and Afghanistan seeking medical treatment through the VA 8 was severely underestimated; and 9 WHEREAS, The Administration has proposed a VA health care 10 budget totaling $31.4 billion for the 2007 fiscal year, an 11 insufficient increase given the influx into the system of new 12 veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan; and 13 WHEREAS, The Independent Budget for fiscal year 2007, a 14 comprehensive budget policy document coauthored by Paralyzed 15 Veterans of America, AMVETS, Disabled American Veterans and 16 Veterans of Foreign Wars, recommends funding of $32.4 billion 17 for veterans' health care during the 2007 fiscal year; and 18 WHEREAS, This funding request tracks the real needs of the VA 19 in providing quality health care in a timely manner to all 20 veterans enrolled in the system; therefore be it 21 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 22 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the Congress to increase the 23 health care budget for the 2007 fiscal year to meet the medical 24 needs of veterans who have served our country in Operation 25 Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom; and be it further 26 RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to 27 the President of the United States, to the presiding officers of 28 each house of Congress and to each member of Congress from 29 Pennsylvania. L14L82DMS/20070H0010R0019 - 2 -