Deborah Sampson Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3224, the Deborah Sampson Act, which removes barriers faced by women veterans accessing health care and benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Our country has more than 2 million women veterans who live in every Congressional district, including the Northern Mariana Islands.

And the number of women veterans seeking VA health care has doubled since 2000.

While the women veteran population continues to grow, the VA has not kept up in providing the care and services tailored to their unique health care needs.

The Deborah Sampson Act, which I cosponsored, improves women's care at the VA by requiring at least one designated women's health provider in each VA facility, retrofitting existing medical facilities to improve privacy and environmental care conditions, and expanding access to newborn care. The bill also increases funding for legal and support services to focus on unmet needs among women veterans, like prevention of eviction and foreclosure and child support issues.

Passage of H.R. 3224 is critical to ensuring the VA has the capacity and resources to meet the current and future needs of women veterans.

I thank the gentlelady from California, Ms. Brownley, for her leadership on this legislation and urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3224.

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