{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://roby.house.gov/newsroom/press-releases/roby-pays-tribute-veterans-house-floor", "Roby Pays Tribute to Veterans on House Floor", "2017-11-07", "2017", "2017-11", "Republican", "House", "AL", "Martha Roby", "R000591", "roby.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Representative Martha Roby (R-Ala.) today paid tribute to veterans in a speech on the House floor and said advocating for those who have served this nation is one of the most rewarding parts of her job.\n\u201cI take my responsibility to look out for veterans very seriously, whether through pushing for better policies, fighting to improve access to VA medical services, or going to bat for someone the bureaucracy has left behind,\u201d Roby said. \u201cI would like to extend my sincere gratitude to everyone who has served this country and to their families. Our country is great because of the men and women who were willing to sacrifice on our behalf.\u201d\nRoby also shared the good news that the Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System (CAVHCS), which serves all of Alabama\u2019s Second Congressional District, has\u00a0improved\u00a0by another star rating. CAVHCS now ranks three out of five stars, which is a significant improvement from two years ago when the system ranked as one of the nation\u2019s worst.\nSince Veterans Day is this week, the House is taking action on nine bills aimed to improve veterans\u2019 services:\nH.R. 918, the Veteran Urgent Access to Mental Healthcare Act\nH.R. 1133, the Veterans Transplant Coverage Act of 2017\nH.R. 1900, the National Veterans Memorial and Museum Act\nH.R. 2123, the VETS Act of 2017\nH.R. 2601, the VICTOR Act of 2017\nH.R. 3634, the SERVE Act of 2017\nH.R. 3705, the Veterans Fair Debt Notice Act of 2017\nH.R. 3949, the VALOR Act\nH.R. 4173, the Veterans Crisis Line Study Act of 2017\nThe full text of Rep. Roby\u2019s remarks as prepared is below:\nThank you, M. Speaker.\nIn the year 1918, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of the year, the armistice ending World War I was signed.\nOriginally known as Armistice Day, Congress later passed and President Dwight Eisenhower signed a resolution officially designating November 11th as Veterans Day. Now, every year, Americans pause on this special day to recognize all those, young and old, who have served our country in uniform.\nWhile we should honor the service and sacrifice of our veterans every day, this holiday provides a unique opportunity for us to come together as a nation and pay tribute to the men and women who put their lives on the line for our freedom.\nThis year I\u2019ll be participating in my hometown of Montgomery\u2019s Veterans Day event, and I highly encourage you and your family to attend the festivities in your area.\nI can promise you that you won\u2019t regret it. For me, it\u2019s not only an opportunity to express my gratitude to those who have served, but it\u2019s also a chance for my children to meet veterans and to better understand the sacrifices that have been made for us.\nIf you can\u2019t attend an event in person, I hope you will take time to reach out to friends or relatives who have served to let them know they are appreciated.\nMr. Speaker, this Veterans Day comes as services for veterans are improving \u2013 both on a national level and locally in Alabama\u2019s Second Congressional District.\nI have been impressed by the leadership of Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. David Shulkin. He\u2019s been making the long-troubled Department work better for those it serves.\nCloser to home for me, the Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System has again improved its service rating and now ranks three out of five stars.\nThis is encouraging news, especially considering that just a few short years ago the Central Alabama VA was one of the nation\u2019s worst. Our VA now has the steady leadership of Dr. Linda Boyle, and there\u2019s no question that her guidance has made a difference in making this sustained progress. I\u2019m eager to see it continue.\nWe still have significant issues to address at our Central Alabama VA, which is why I will remain actively engaged in working to turn around the system.\nMr. Speaker, it is my distinct honor to represent a district that is home to one of the nation\u2019s highest concentrations of veterans and retired military personnel. One of the most rewarding parts of this job is being able to advocate for those who have served this nation in uniform.\nI take my responsibility to look out for veterans very seriously, whether through pushing for better policies, fighting to improve access to VA medical services, or going to bat on behalf of someone the bureaucracy has left behind.\nSo Mr. Speaker, I would like to close by extending my sincere gratitude to everyone who has served this country and to their families. Our country is great because of the men and women who were willing to sacrifice on our behalf.\nThank you. I yield back.\n###", 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://roby.house.gov/newsroom/press-releases/roby-pays-tribute-veterans-house-floor"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.7739680372178555, "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"}