Quality-Of-Life Issues Important

Floor Speech

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Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, over the past 2 years, our Hampton Roads and Navy communities have been devastated by multiple sailor suicides, in particular aboard the USS George Washington and at MARMAC.

As a former Navy helicopter pilot and nurse practitioner, it frustrates me that the number of sailors who die by suicide continues to rise. It is clear for anyone to see we have to do better to serve those serving our great country.

That is why last week I introduced the Sailor Standard of Care Act. This important bipartisan legislation would increase mental health resources and require mental health screenings for sailors assigned to limited duty, address challenges servicemembers and their families face accessing quality mental health care through TRICARE, implement a system to track quality-of-life programs and their success rate, and expedite the Navy's medical separation process that impacts limited- duty sailors.

It is imperative that we address the mental health and other quality- of-life challenges facing Active Duty servicemembers and veterans. This is exactly why I came to Congress. We speak so much about providing our military men and women with the necessary equipment, technology, training, et cetera, to be ready to fight tonight, and rightfully so, but we must take care of our people, too.

It is time for Congress to focus on quality-of-life issues for our men and women in uniform and their families--not only mental health care, but housing, childcare, and spouse employment support. There is so much work to do.

By doing so, we will not only do right by the men and women who make up our world's finest fleet, but we will also keep our Navy the best in the world.

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