Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2010/Title VI

TITLE VI — SENSE OF CONGRESS

Sec. 601. Sense of the Congress on Veterans' and Servicemembers' Health Care.

It is the sense of the Congress that—

(1) the Congress supports excellent health care for current and former members of the United States Armed Services—they have served well and honorably and have made significant sacrifices for this Nation;

(2) the President’s budget will improve health care for veterans by increasing appropriations for VA by 10 percent more than the 2009 level, increasing VA’s appropriated resources for every year after 2010, and restoring health care eligibility to additional nondisabled veterans with modest incomes;

(3) VA is not and should not be authorized to bill private insurance companies for treatment of health conditions that are related to veterans’ military service;

(4) VA may find it difficult to realize the level of increase in medical care collections estimated in the President’s budget for 2010 using existing authorities, and increases to veterans beneficiary travel reimbursement are important; therefore, this resolution provides $673,000,000 more for Function 700 (Veterans Benefits and Services) than the President’s budget to safeguard the provision of health care to veterans;

(5) it is important to continue providing sufficient and timely funding for veterans’ and servicemembers’ health care; and

(6) this resolution provides additional funding above the 2009 levels for VA to research and treat mental health, post-traumatic stress disorder, and traumatic brain injury.

Sec. 602. Sense of the Congress on Homeland Security.

It is the sense of the Congress that because making the country safer and more secure is such a critical priority, the resolution therefore provides robust resources in the four budget functions—Function 400 (Transportation), Function 450 (Community and Regional Development), Function 550 (Health), and Function 750 (Administration of Justice)—that fund most nondefense homeland security activities that can be used to address our key security priorities, including—

(1) safeguarding the Nation’s transportation systems, including rail, mass transit, ports, and airports;

(2) continuing with efforts to identify and to screen for threats bound for the United States;

(3) strengthening border security;

(4) enhancing emergency preparedness and training and equipping first responders;

(5) helping to make critical infrastructure more secure and resilient against the threat of terrorism and natural disasters;

(6) making the Nation’s cyber infrastructure resistive to attack; and

(7) increasing the preparedness of the public health system.

Sec. 603. Sense of the Congress on Promoting American Innovation and Economic Competitiveness.

It is the sense of the Congress that—

(1) the Congress should provide sufficient investments to enable our Nation to continue to be the world leader in education, innovation, and economic growth as envisioned in the goals of the America COMPETES Act;

(2) this resolution builds on significant funding provided in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for scientific research and education in Function 250 (General Science, Space and Technology), Function 270 (Energy), Function 300 (Natural Resources and Environment), Function 500 (Education, Training, Employment, and Social Services), and Function 550 (Health);

(3) the Congress also should pursue policies designed to ensure that American students, teachers, businesses, and workers are prepared to continue leading the world in innovation, research, and technology well into the future; and

(4) this resolution recognizes the importance of the extension of investments and tax policies that promote research and development and encourage innovation and future technologies that will ensure American economic competitiveness.

Sec. 604. Sense of the Congress Regarding Pay Parity.

It is the sense of the Congress that rates of compensation for civilian employees of the United States should be adjusted at the same time, and in the same proportion, as are rates of compensation for members of the uniformed services.

Sec. 605. Sense of the Congress on College Affordability and Student Loan Reform.

It is the Sense of the Congress that—

(1) nothing in the resolution should be construed to reduce any assistance that makes college more affordable and accessible for students, including but not limited to student aid programs and services provided by nonprofit State agencies and private lenders;

(2) private and non-profit lenders, originators, and loan servicers help students plan for, apply to, and pay for post-secondary education and training;

(3) any reform of the federal student loan programs to ensure that students have reliable and efficient access to federal loans should include some future role for the currently involved private and non-profit entities, including state non-profits with 100% FFEL lending in the State, and capitalize on the current infrastructure provided by private and non-profit entities, in order both to provide employment to many Americans during this time of economic distress and to maintain valuable services that make post-secondary education more accessible and attainable for many Americans; and

(4) therefore, pursuant to any changes to the student loan programs, loan processing, administration, and servicing should continue to be performed, as needed, by for-profit and non-profit entities.

Sec. 606. Sense of the Congress on Great Lakes Restoration.

It is the sense of the Congress that this resolution recognizes the need to address significant and long-standing problems affecting the major large scale aquatic, estuarine, and coastal ecosystems nationwide. This resolution includes funding for a new interagency initiative to address such regional ecosystems. It also includes funding to work with Great Lakes States, tribes, local communities, and organizations to more effectively address issues prioritized in the Great Lakes Regional Collaborative. This initiative could address issues such as invasive species, habitat restoration and conservation, non-point source pollution, and contaminated sediment. The resolution also supports the President’s proposal to use outcome-oriented performance goals and measures to target the most significant problems and track progress in addressing these ecosystems.

Sec. 607. Sense of the Congress Regarding the Importance of Child Support Enforcement.

It is the sense of the Congress that—

(1) additional legislative action is needed to ensure that States have the necessary resources to collect all child support that is owed to families and to allow them to pass 100 percent of support on to families without financial penalty; and

(2) when 100 percent of child support payments are passed to the child, rather than administrative expenses, program integrity is improved and child support participation increases.