Caregiver Outreach and Program Enhancement Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3581, as amended, the Caregiver Outreach and Program Enhancement Act, or COPE Act.

This legislation, as amended, incorporates three Republican-sponsored bills, which were marked up at the subcommittee and full committee level over the summer.

First, H.R. 3581 would create a 3-year, $50 million per year grant program to award grants to entities that will provide mental health counseling, treatment, or support to caregivers participating in VA's family caregiver program.

The VA would also be required to provide outreach to caregivers to inform them of available mental health support offered by grantees. The legislation also requires the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study to assess the availability and accessibility of mental health support for veterans' caregivers.

Additionally, H.R. 3581, as amended, will authorize VA to contribute to local authorities to mitigate the risk of flooding on local property adjacent to VA medical facilities. It would also authorize up to $125 million over 5 years for VA to carry out flood mitigation improvements.

Currently, the statute only allows VA to contribute to local authorities for improvements needed for safe ingress or egress; however, veterans' access to healthcare is frequently disrupted in areas that experience frequent flooding, and VA's ability to partner with local authorities on flood mitigation projects has been limited.

This legislation would also require VA to submit to Congress a report assessing the extent to which each of its medical facilities is at risk of flooding, including flooding associated with rising sea levels.

Finally, H.R. 3581, as amended, will establish a 5-year survey program to examine security and criminal activity at VA facilities, staffing of VA's police departments, and the availability and adequacy of VA police equipment and training.

After surveying all facilities, VA will be required to submit annual reports to Congress summarizing the survey results and providing action plans for addressing any identified weaknesses.

While I support the policy ideas in H.R. 3581, as amended, I know our colleagues in the Senate would like to make some changes to this legislation before it can be enacted. Just last Friday, House committee staff met with their Senate counterparts to discuss changes to the VA security reporting provisions.

Senate staff also have proposed broadening the report on VA medical facility flooding risks such that VA would be required to assess all of its mission-critical assets, including medical facilities, cemeteries, and regional offices, and their vulnerabilities to flooding, wildfire, tornadoes, hurricanes, and other disasters.

Therefore, similar to the other veterans bills we are considering on the floor today, we already know this legislation simply cannot be taken up and passed in the Senate, and future House action will be needed.

It would have been preferable if the majority had resolved these differences before bringing this bill to the floor. Nevertheless, I will support H.R. 3581, as amended, and encourage my colleagues to join me in passing it.

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Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, again, I ask all my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 3581, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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