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[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 127 (Wednesday, September 19, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H6142-H6144]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

        VETERAN EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIAN SUPPORT ACT OF 2012

  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 4124) to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide grants to 
States to streamline State requirements and procedures for veterans 
with military emergency medical training to become civilian emergency 
medical technicians, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4124

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Veteran Emergency Medical 
     Technician Support Act of 2012''.

     SEC. 2. ASSISTING VETERANS WITH MILITARY EMERGENCY MEDICAL 
                   TRAINING TO MEET REQUIREMENTS FOR BECOMING 
                   CIVILIAN EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIANS.

       (a) In General.--Part B of title III of the Public Health 
     Service Act (42 U.S.C. 243 et seq.) is amended by inserting 
     after section 314 the following:

     ``SEC. 315. ASSISTING VETERANS WITH MILITARY EMERGENCY 
                   MEDICAL TRAINING TO MEET REQUIREMENTS FOR 
                   BECOMING CIVILIAN EMERGENCY MEDICAL 
                   TECHNICIANS.

       ``(a) Program.--The Secretary shall establish a program 
     consisting of awarding demonstration grants to States to 
     streamline State requirements and procedures in order to 
     assist veterans who completed military emergency medical 
     technician training while serving in the Armed Forces of the 
     United States to meet certification, licensure, and other 
     requirements applicable to becoming an emergency medical 
     technician in the State.
       ``(b) Use of Funds.--Amounts received as a demonstration 
     grant under this section shall be used to prepare and 
     implement a plan to streamline State requirements and 
     procedures as described in subsection (a), including by--
       ``(1) determining the extent to which the requirements for 
     the education, training, and skill level of emergency medical 
     technicians in the State are equivalent to requirements for 
     the education, training, and skill level of military 
     emergency medical technicians; and
       ``(2) identifying methods, such as waivers, for military 
     emergency medical technicians to forego or meet any such 
     equivalent State requirements.
       ``(c) Eligibility.--To be eligible for a grant under this 
     section, a State shall demonstrate that the State has a 
     shortage of emergency medical technicians.
       ``(d) Report.--The Secretary shall submit to the Congress 
     an annual report on the program under this section.
       ``(e) Funding.--Of the amount authorized by section 
     751(j)(1) to be appropriated to carry out section 751 for 
     fiscal year 2013, there is authorized to be appropriated to 
     carry out this section $1,000,000 for the period of fiscal 
     years 2013 through 2017.''.
       (b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 751(j)(1) of the Public 
     Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 294a(j)(1)) is amended by 
     striking ``There is authorized to be appropriated'' and 
     inserting ``Subject to section 315(e), there is authorized to 
     be appropriated''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Pitts) and the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. 
Capps) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania.

                             General Leave

  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
insert extraneous materials in the Record on H.R. 4124.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening in support of H.R. 4124, the Veteran 
Emergency Medical Technician Support Act of 2012. This act would take 
us forward

[[Page H6143]]

in two important ways: it would reduce the shortages of emergency 
medical technicians in the United States and at the same time help our 
veterans find employment.
  Emergency response is a crucial component of our health care system 
and preparedness strategy. EMTs are often the first point of contact in 
a crisis situation, and their care can make the difference between life 
and death. Emergency response is even more crucial on the battlefield, 
where military medics respond to emergencies and provide care for the 
soldiers until a physician or other health professional can take over. 
These soldiers, trained as combat medics, become very experienced 
dealing with massive trauma injuries and other complex health problems.

                              {time}  2120

  It seems that utilizing those with military medic training in our EMT 
workforce here at home would be good for the returning soldiers, good 
for the health care system, and good for patients.
  Areas throughout the United States are experiencing a shortage of 
EMTs, and military medics could potentially fill those workforce gaps. 
However, there are a number of issues keeping military medics from EMT 
employment. Most importantly are State licensing requirements, which 
can require duplicative training and education that is likely to be 
unnecessary for someone with significant experience.
  It is our hope that this bill would allow States to study this issue 
and streamline their EMT requirements for those returning from the 
military that have the experience so desperately needed in many 
communities.
  I would like to thank Mr. Kinzinger, a veteran who has served with 
many of these military medics, and Mrs. Capps for their work on this 
bill. I urge my colleagues to vote in support of this legislation.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 5 minutes.
  Mr. Speaker, our military men and women are trained to perform at the 
highest levels in a host of jobs. The individuals who serve our Nation 
in uniform do so with distinction.
  However, there is much more to be done to help our service men and 
women and their families when they return home to translate those 
skills and experiences into civilian service. That disconnect is what 
we are trying to address here today.
  Our military men and women receive some of the best technical 
training in emergency medicine, and every day, on the battlefield, they 
prove their skills under the very toughest of conditions. However, when 
they return home, experienced military medics are often required to 
start over. They must begin at entry-level curricula to receive 
certification for civilian jobs.
  Similarly, military medics with civilian credentials often must let 
their civilian certifications lapse while they're defending our 
country. Either way, this keeps our veterans out of the civilian 
workforce and withholds valuable medical personnel from our 
communities.
  As a nurse, I know the importance of having qualified and capable 
first responders in each of our communities, and that is why we must do 
all we can to break down the artificial barriers that obstruct our 
military medics from civilian opportunities.
  So I am pleased to have joined Congressman Kinzinger to introduce 
H.R. 4124, which is the Veteran Emergency Medical Technician Support 
Act. This bill is a straightforward, bipartisan approach to help States 
streamline their certification processes to take military medic 
training into account for civilian licensure.
  It's a small but very important step towards breaking down the 
barriers that our servicemembers face when transitioning home.
  While the bill directs States to undertake these demonstration 
projects, I believe public and private organizations within the States, 
like area health education centers, or AHECs, will be important 
partners in the successful implementation of this initiative. This will 
help engage and leverage expertise already in our States and 
communities so that we can do our best by our veterans.
  I also want to take a moment to thank the leadership of the Energy 
and Commerce Committee, Chairman Upton, Ranking Member Waxman, Chairman 
Pitts, and Ranking Member Pallone for their dedication to this bill and 
to the staff for working in a bipartisan manner to bring this to the 
floor.
  Finally, I want to take a second to recognize a former congresswoman, 
Jane Harman, who spearheaded this issue in the last Congress.
  I urge my colleagues' support for this legislation, and I look 
forward to swift consideration of it in the Senate.
  At this point, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield at this time 5 minutes 
to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Kinzinger).
  Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I want to first off thank the 
chairman for bringing this bill forward. I want to thank Chairman 
Upton, the ranking member of both the full and subcommittee, and I 
especially want to thank Congresswoman Capps for helping me on this. 
This is an outstanding bill, and I thank you for your leadership.
  Unemployment rates continue to be far too high among our men and 
women who are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Returning veterans 
deserve a smooth transition from the military into the civilian 
workforce. As a Nation, we must recognize the experience and education 
that our military-trained EMTs receive. It's inefficient to force these 
well-trained veterans to start over with basic training in the civilian 
workforce after aiding wounded military men and women who are severely 
injured in combat.
  We must recognize military-trained EMT skills and education and 
streamline the process so these honorable men and women can return 
quickly to work here at home.
  We also need to recognize that training and education of these EMTs 
and the education that they receive in the military is important, and 
we must streamline the civilian certification process so these 
honorable men and women can return to work even faster.
  I'm a pilot in the military, and I still continue as an Air National 
Guard pilot. One of the things that really stood out to me was how I 
went through training with the military and came out and very quickly 
was able to receive all of the civilian equivalent certifications from 
what I got in the military.
  Now, that really stands out to me as how we, both in the Federal 
Government and in the State, ought to consider doing business and 
recognize the skill that these military folks are trained with.
  This bill is a commonsense way to help our veterans as they 
transition back to civilian life. By supporting States to make the 
process more efficient, veterans with military EMT training will more 
quickly become certified civilian EMTs. In doing so, they will not have 
to start over at square one in their training, and they can be ready to 
go.
  I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense bill.
  Mrs. CAPPS. In closing, Mr. Speaker, I also wish to thank my 
colleague, Mr. Kinzinger, for his leadership and his experience in the 
military, which led him to be very interested in this topic as well.
  The Veteran Emergency Medical Technician Support Act is a small but 
very important step toward helping our military medics transition to 
civilian EMT service, and it is a bipartisan measure. It fills a need 
both in the veterans' community and also in our health care 
communities.
  I urge full support for this bill, and I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, as a veteran I appreciate the efforts of Mr. 
Kinzinger and Mrs. Capps and others in this commonsense and very 
bipartisan bill to support our veterans and provide for this need in 
the emergency medical technician area.
  I urge support for the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, each of us is deeply indebted to the members 
of our military for their patriotism and for all they do to protect our 
country and its national interests.
  We know that our returning vets have unique skills and experiences 
that make them highly-qualified for jobs in the health care and

[[Page H6144]]

other sectors. However, the unfortunate reality is that our veterans 
experience unemployment rates well above the national average.
  Congresswoman Capps and Congressman Kinzinger have introduced common-
sense legislation--H.R. 4124--to advance our shared goals of getting 
our veterans back to work and addressing areas of shortage in health 
professions. Congresswoman Capps has also authored legislation--H.R. 
3884, the Emergency Medic Transition Act of 2012--that similarly seeks 
to help armed services personnel transition from military to civilian 
jobs in a timely fashion.
  H.R. 4124 authorizes a demonstration grant program to states to 
support planning efforts to streamline their certification and 
licensure requirements for emergency medical technicians. As 
Congresswoman Capps has noted, I think there is a role for partnerships 
between public and private organizations within the States--such as 
area health education centers--in the implementation of this program.
  I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4124, and I commend 
Congresswoman Capps and Congressman Kinzinger for their work on this 
legislation.
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4124, the Veteran Emergency Medical 
Technician Support Act of 2012, provides two important benefits. It 
addresses the shortages of emergency medical technicians (EMT) and it 
helps get our veterans back to work.
  Military medics receive some of the best medical and emergency 
training available while they serve our country.
  Yet, not all military medical training satisfies civilian EMT 
licensing and certification requirements. As a result, our returning 
veterans are unnecessarily prevented from working as an EMT when they 
re-enter civilian life.
  This bill will examine ways that states with a shortage of EMTs can 
streamline requirements so that military medics do not have to 
duplicate the education and training they received on the battlefield. 
Our vets will be put back to work, and critical workforce shortages in 
emergency care can be filled to meet public health needs.
  I proudly support this bill and urge my colleagues to support it. I 
yield the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Pitts) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4124, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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