What they said. What they meant.

“I want this bill to pass. Public Health Service officers don't get the same leave as other uniformed officers. They don't get the same leave as regular government workers either. That's not fair. This bill gives them the same leave. I want everyone to vote yes. Also I want to thank my staff member. She did a lot of work for our committee. I am sad she is leaving. She helped with many bills. I wish her good luck.”

“I want the House to pass this bill. It gives officers in the Public Health Service the same paid leave that military members and other federal workers get.”

“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 2846, legislation that would extend expanded leave benefits to members of the U.S. Public Health Service Corps. The U.S. Public Health Service Corps is one of eight uniformed services in the United States. There are more than 6,000 officers who serve as physicians, nurses, and scientists across agencies to advance public health. Right now, these officers are not guaranteed the same 12-week leave benefit as members of the military are entitled to under Federal law nor are they eligible for the 12 weeks of leave that all Federal Government employees are entitled to under the Federal Employee Paid Leave Act. This bill fixes this by extending leave benefits to Public Health Service officers, and this leave includes expanded parental leave, emergency leave of absence, and leave for rest and recuperation. I thank Representative Houlahan for her leadership on this legislation and my colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee for working with us to bring this bill to the floor. I encourage all my colleagues to vote ``yes.'' Before I reserve the balance of my time, I do want to take an opportunity to thank Una Lee, who is right here, for her more than 11 years here at the Energy and Commerce Committee, most of those years serving as chief counsel for the Health Subcommittee. Una has played a critical role in every major healthcare bill that has been signed into law during that time. Una has been a trusted adviser, and she will be missed. I don't want her to leave, but what can I do. I wish her nothing but the best in her future endeavors and congratulate her for her tremendous work, truly tremendous work of making healthcare more affordable and accessible for every American. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.”

“I want this bill to pass. It is about giving the same leave benefits to Public Health Service officers as other military officers. They serve the country in emergencies. They do hard work. I want to fix it so they don't have to choose between work and family. I helped get good leave for other military members. This bill makes it the same for everyone in uniform. We all agree on this. The Senate passed it already. Now the House should too. It is important for their families. It is good for keeping people in the service and for readiness. No one should have to pick between serving the country and their family. I want the government to treat all uniformed services the same.”

“I want the House to pass this bill. Military members get paid parental leave, but officers in the Public Health Service do not. These officers serve our country during disasters and health crises, and they deserve the same family leave as the rest of the military.”

“Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my bipartisan and bicameral U.S. Public Health Service parity act, H.R. 2846. This bill is about keeping a promise Congress already has made to the people who serve our country. You should not have to choose between your service and your family. I know something about that choice because, when I served in the Air Force, there was a 6-month waiting list for on-base childcare, but I only had 6 weeks of personal leave after the birth of my child. It was, in many ways, a choice that I needed to make between my family and my service. If we value service and we value families, which we do, no one who raises their hand to serve this country should have to make that choice. My own experience is just one reason why I was so proud to help secure 12 weeks of paid parental leave in the past for our military servicemembers in the fiscal year 2021 NDAA. That was good for military families. It was really good for retention and, it is very, very good for readiness. However, we unintentionally left one of our uniformed services behind, the commissioned officers of the United States Public Health Service. Today, with this bill, we can fix that. More than 6,000 Public Health Service officers serve our country. They are ready to deploy wherever and whenever they are needed. They have responded to hurricanes and oil spills. They helped lead our Nation's response to COVID. They have deployed to confront infectious disease outbreaks around the world, natural disasters, and public health emergencies. They wear the uniform of our Nation. They leave their families when duty calls, and they serve alongside other uniformed services when our country needs them. However, when they become parents, right now, we don't give them the same parental leave benefits that we provide their counterparts in the armed services. There is not a very good reason-- indeed, there is no reason for that distinction. If we value their service when a hurricane strikes, when a disease spreads, or when another emergency threatens the American people, then we should value their families, too. That is the simple principle behind this bill: same commitment to service, same sacrifice, same support for their families. I am really grateful that this has been a bipartisan and bicameral effort from the very beginning. I thank Chairman Guthrie and Ranking Member Pallone for bringing this legislation to the floor. I thank my Republican co-lead, Representative Bacon, and our Senate partners, Senators Duckworth and Murkowski, for working on this to get this here. The Senate has, indeed, already acted. Today, the House has the opportunity to finish the job and to ensure that every uniformed service receives the same benefits and the same basic support when its servicemembers welcome a child into their families. We ask a great deal of the men and women who serve this country, and they should never have to wonder whether serving their Nation means shortchanging their family. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the U.S. Public Health Service parity act, and I yield back the balance of my time.”

“This is good legislation. Thank you for sponsoring it. Everyone should support it.”

“I want both parties to vote for this bill. It is important.”

“Madam Speaker, in closing, I, once again, want to say that this is an important piece of legislation, and I thank the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Houlahan) for sponsoring it. Madam Speaker, I urge both sides of the aisle to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.”