{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://duffy.house.gov/press-release/duffy-s-va-reform-legislation-signed-into-law", "Duffys VA Reform Legislation Signed Into Law", "2016-12-15", "2016", "2016-12", "Republican", "House", "WI", "Sean Duffy", "D000614", "duffy.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Veterans will now have more options for hearing healthcare services\nWashington D.C. \u2013\u00a0U.S. Representative Sean Duffy\u2019s (WI-07)\u00a0amendment to help Veterans receive better access to hearing healthcare was signed into law today. The language of Duffy\u2019s hearing aid bill, H.R. 353, the Veterans\u2019 Access To hearing Health Act, is included in\u00a0H.R. 3471, the\u00a0Veterans Safety Mobility Act. This law will provide veterans with better access to audiology services by allowing the VA to utilize hearing instrument specialists in addition to audiology doctors to service veterans\u2019 hearing health needs, thereby decreasing wait times for veterans and freeing up the VA\u2019s audiologists for more complex cases.\nThe bill passed the House with a bipartisan majority, 310 to 116, and it passed the Senate by unanimous consent.\nUpon the bill becoming law, Congressman Duffy offered the following comments:\n\u201cThere\u2019s no question, the VA is in dire need of reform, but this bill to expand hearing health options for veterans is an important step in the right direction,\u201d said Congressman Duffy. \u201cI\u2019ve talked with veterans in my district who drive up to 90 miles to get hearing healthcare from a VA audiologist, but with this bill now signed into law, they can receive the same care from a local hearing aid specialist. Our men and women in uniform deserve options in healthcare when they return home.\u201d\u00a0\n\u201cThank you to my colleagues in the House and Senate, who came together in a bipartisan fashion to enthusiastically support this bill, and to the President for signing it into law.\u201d\u00a0\nWatch Congressman Duffy\u2019s remarks from debate on the bill in September:\n\u00a0\n\u00a0\n\u00a0\nWI-7", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://duffy.house.gov/press-release/duffy-s-va-reform-legislation-signed-into-law"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4888439327478409, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}