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| 4 | 5 | | SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is charged |
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| 6 | 7 | | with ensuring the health and well-being of the nation's veterans, |
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| 7 | 8 | | but in recent years, its failure to adequately perform its mission |
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| 8 | 9 | | has been the source of scandal; and |
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| 9 | 10 | | WHEREAS, In 2014, the United States Congress responded to |
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| 10 | 11 | | unconscionable delays and denials of care at VA facilities by |
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| 11 | 12 | | passing the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act, which |
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| 12 | 13 | | allows access to private medical care providers for veterans who |
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| 13 | 14 | | have been waiting more than 30 days for an appointment or who live |
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| 14 | 15 | | more than 40 miles from a VA facility; this law is set to expire in |
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| 15 | 16 | | 2017; and |
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| 16 | 17 | | WHEREAS, By expanding the reforms of the Veterans Choice Act, |
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| 17 | 18 | | Congress can improve the VA system, broadening access to timely |
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| 18 | 19 | | health care while offering greater choice and flexibility to every |
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| 19 | 20 | | eligible veteran; experts have proposed allowing access to walk-in |
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| 20 | 21 | | clinics without preauthorization or copayment, expanding VA |
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| 21 | 22 | | pharmacy hours and telemedicine, and extending the Veterans Choice |
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| 22 | 23 | | Card program to permit all qualified veterans to see the doctor of |
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| 23 | 24 | | their choice; in addition, those who have studied the system |
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| 24 | 25 | | carefully encourage best-practices peer review for VA facilities; |
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| 25 | 26 | | and |
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| 26 | 27 | | WHEREAS, Our nation's veterans have made enormous sacrifices |
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| 27 | 28 | | to guarantee our freedoms, and although the nation can never fully |
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| 28 | 29 | | repay its debt of gratitude, it can and should ensure timely access |
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| 29 | 30 | | to the highest quality of medical care; now, therefore, be it |
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| 30 | 31 | | RESOLVED, That the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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| 31 | 32 | | hereby respectfully urge the United States Congress to enact |
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| 32 | 33 | | legislation to ensure that all veterans receive in a timely manner |
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| 33 | 34 | | the level of medical care that they have earned and that they so |
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| 34 | 35 | | richly deserve; and, be it further |
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| 35 | 36 | | RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official |
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| 36 | 37 | | copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to |
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| 37 | 38 | | the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of |
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| 38 | 39 | | Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the |
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| 39 | 40 | | members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that |
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| 40 | 41 | | this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a |
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| 41 | 42 | | memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. |
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| 42 | | - | ______________________________ ______________________________ |
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| 43 | | - | President of the Senate Speaker of the House |
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| 44 | | - | I hereby certify that S.C.R. No. 52 was adopted by the Senate |
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| 45 | | - | on May 3, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. |
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| 46 | | - | ______________________________ |
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| 47 | | - | Secretary of the Senate |
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| 48 | | - | I hereby certify that S.C.R. No. 52 was adopted by the House |
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| 49 | | - | on May 12, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 142, Nays 0, one |
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| 50 | | - | present not voting. |
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| 51 | | - | ______________________________ |
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| 52 | | - | Chief Clerk of the House |
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| 53 | | - | Approved: |
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| 54 | | - | ______________________________ |
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| 55 | | - | Date |
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| 56 | | - | ______________________________ |
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| 57 | | - | Governor |
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