Directing Secretary of Veterans Affairs to Submit A Report on Use of Cameras in Medical Centers of Department of Veterans Affairs

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1510, as amended, the Veterans' Camera Reporting, or the VCR, Act. The VCR Act would require VA to assess how cameras are used for patient safety and law enforcement purposes in VA medical center facilities. It would also require VA to report to Congress about how camera use could be improved to make VA safer and more responsive to veterans' needs.

I was proud to introduce this bill with Congressman David McKinley of West Virginia and others earlier this year. We drafted it in response to a series of incidents across the country where missing or malfunctioning cameras played a role in serious lapses. In some of those incidents, veterans' lives were lost. Those tragedies have no place in the VA healthcare system. The VCR Act will help make sure they will never happen again.

Most importantly, it will help ensure that veterans are safe seeking the care that they have earned. The VCR Act is a bipartisan bill. It is supported by the VA and the veterans service organizations, including The VFW and the Wounded Warrior Project. I am grateful for that support.

Madam Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source