Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman, Senator Rockefeller, and fellow Committee members. Thank you for your time and effort organizing this meeting. I appreciate the assistance my staff and I have received from Jim Gottlieb, Bill Tuerk, and rest of the Committee's majority and minority staff in bringing these bills before us today.

The bills on today's agenda address important concerns for our nation's veterans. I am particularly pleased that the Committee has agreed to consider S. 714, S. 309 and S. 623. S. 714, the extension of the Native American Direct Home Loan Program, will continue our efforts to help Native Americans who reside on trust lands realize their dreams of home ownership. Although I had hoped that we could make this a permanent program, I appreciate the Chairman's willingness to work with me to develop a mutually agreeable compromise. The six-year extension will allow VA to gain additional information to analyze the program. It will also provide the Committee the opportunity to review the data from the extension and improve and, hopefully, permanently authorize this important program.

In addition, approval of the parking waiver bill, which I also introduced, will alleviate the potential inequitable treatment between Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense personnel and visitors. I am also pleased that the Committee has placed the Filipino Veterans Equity Act, introduced by Senator Inouye, on the agenda. The compromise to provide full burial benefits to naturalized World War II Filipino veterans who are receiving or are eligible to receive compensation and non-service connected disability pension is the first step toward equity for World War II Filipino veterans.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank you and Senator Rockefeller for your leadership and efforts to move forward on these important legislative initiatives.

Thank you.