VA Accountability First and Appeals Modernization Act of 2016

Floor Speech

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Ms. TITUS. Madam Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

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Ms. TITUS. I am opposed to the bill in its current form.

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Ms. TITUS. Madam Speaker, this is the final amendment to the bill. It will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. If adopted, the bill will immediately proceed to final passage, as amended.

The motion to recommit that I offer today is simple, straightforward, and long overdue. The amendment is a technical correction to update our Nation's laws to reflect the realities of the day by eliminating outdated, discriminatory language that is currently found in the U.S. Code.

Over a year ago, the Supreme Court ruled definitively on the question of equal protection for all citizens under the law. Their decision in Obergefell v. Hodges struck down discriminatory laws that defined marriage and made marriage equality the law of the land.

Following that decision, the Veterans Administration issued guidance to ensure that all legally married veterans and their spouses would have access to the full range of Federal benefits that they earned through their military service. Yet, title 38 of the U.S. Code, which governs the VA, still reflects decades-old language that does not meet the constitutional reality of today. This is why I am offering the motion to remove the sex-specific definition of ``spouse'' found in the VA Code.

Now, updating the U.S. Code is nothing new to this body. In 1986, Congress updated our Nation's laws to reflect the fact that not all veterans are men and not all veteran spouses are wives. Earlier this year, I would remind the House that we passed, by unanimous vote, a measure offered by my friend and colleague from New York, Congresswoman Meng, to remove discriminatory language on race found in the Code.

By passing this MTR, we can take yet another step to clean up our laws and recognize that all American veterans and their families are equal. Indeed, we owe it to those who have worn the uniform and to their loved ones to respect their service and their sacrifice in both word and in deed. So let's remove this discriminatory language and ensure that all veterans are provided the respect, the benefits, and the equal protection they deserve.

Accordingly, I would urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to have just a fraction of the courage that these brave American heroes have and vote for this motion to recommit.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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Ms. TITUS. Madam Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

A recorded vote was ordered.

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