Veterans' Access to Child Care Act

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. BARR. I am in its current form.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, just a few minutes ago, we adopted, by a recorded vote, a commonsense amendment offered by Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill from New Jersey. Congresswoman Sherrill's amendment would prohibit a childcare center, agency, or provider from caring for the children of our Nation's veterans as authorized by this bill if they employ an individual who has been convicted of a sex crime, a violent crime, a drug felony, or another offense the VA considers appropriate.

Mr. Speaker, I applaud Congresswoman Sherrill for offering her amendment, which I was pleased to join my colleagues in supporting on a bipartisan basis. However, Ms. Sherrill's amendment failed to address another troubling situation, a situation that, if this bill had gone through regular order, may have been identified.

Specifically, Federal law allows but does not require a childcare facility operated by a Federal agency or under contract with a Federal agency to suspend a childcare worker if they have been charged with a sex crime, an offense involving a child victim, a violent crime, or a drug felony, but whose charge is still pending.

My motion to recommit, Mr. Speaker, is very simple. It would remove that discretion and affirmatively prohibit the VA from paying a childcare provider if they employ an individual who has been charged with a sex offense, an offense involving a child victim, a violent crime, a drug felony, or other offense that the Secretary determines appropriate unless the childcare provider has suspended that individual from having any contact with any children while on the job until the case has been resolved.

It can take a considerable amount of time for some cases to proceed through our criminal justice system. For example, in 2013, a nursing assistant at the Alexandria VA Healthcare System in Pineville, Louisiana, was charged with negligent homicide after a physical altercation with a veteran patient who later died. In 2018, 5 years later, that case finally came to a resolution when the nursing assistant pleaded no contest.

During those intervening 5 years, that nursing assistant remained as a VA employee. He was suspended for some time, but eventually was brought back to work while the charge was still pending. Imagine if this individual had been caring for children.

This case illustrates the length of time the judicial process can take and, regrettably, the need to remove the manager's discretion in these situations.

Let me be clear, Mr. Speaker. This motion does not presuppose the guilt of anyone who is charged with one of these crimes; rather, it acknowledges, like we all did with Ms. Sherrill's amendment, that we have an obligation to ensure the safety and the well-being of children who will be cared for under this program.

Congress creates and oversees Federal agencies and the rules by which they and their employees operate. Just as Congress created existing guidelines giving agencies the discretion to deny employment for convicted or charged sex offenders, so, too, can Congress remove that discretion.

I am not willing to gamble with the safety of my own children, nor am I willing to gamble with the safety of our veterans' children either.

Make no mistake, Mr. Speaker, any Member here today who votes against this motion to recommit is voting to potentially expose children to the care of an individual who has been charged with a serious crime, including a sex crime against a child.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues for their support of this commonsense motion to protect the children of the men and women who have bravely served in uniform.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I have a parliamentary inquiry.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. BARR. The gentleman from Pennsylvania indicated that the effect of this motion to recommit would kill this bill. We would like a ruling on that, that the motion to recommit would not kill the bill, that it would send the bill back to committee to rectify this problem that jeopardizes the safety and well-being of the children of our veterans.

Is that true, Mr. Speaker?

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. BARR. I thank the Chair for the clarification, Mr. Speaker.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

A recorded vote was ordered.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source