{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.hirono.senate.gov/news/press-releases/hirono-joins-colleagues-in-bipartisan-push-to-bolster-vas-emergency-response", "Hirono Joins Colleagues in Bipartisan Push to Bolster VA\u2019s Emergency Response", "2023-11-21", "2023", "2023-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "HI", "Mazie K. Hirono", "H001042", "www.hirono.senate.gov", "hirono", "https://www.hirono.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee, joined Senators Jon Tester (D-MT) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) in introducing the Advancing VA\u2019s Emergency Response to (AVERT) Crises Act of 2023, legislation to improve the Department of Veterans Affairs\u2019 (VA) emergency response.\n\n\u201cIn August, one of the deadliest fires in U.S. history destroyed an entire town, causing devastation to businesses, families, and impacting entire communities on Maui and across the state of Hawaii,\u201d said Senator Hirono. \u201cHawaii has been affected by other fires as well, most recently in upcountry Maui, on Hawaii Island, and on Oahu. As natural disasters and extreme weather events \u2013 such as wildfires \u2013 become increasingly common across the country, it is crucial that the VA has the resources it needs to respond to these events. The AVERT Crises Act will help the VA in its efforts to fulfill its emergency preparedness mission and enable Congress to determine how it can provide the agency with additional support to strengthen its response to future extreme weather events and disasters.\u201d\n\nThe AVERT Crises Act would improve VA\u2019s response to natural disasters, pandemics, and other emergencies to ensure continuity of VA medical care for veterans, and that the Department is better prepared to activate their Fourth Mission authority\u2014VA\u2019s role in improving the nation\u2019s response to emergencies. It would require VA to implement fully operational emergency communications systems throughout VA medical facilities, and improve VA\u2019s emergency cache program\u2014stored reserves at VA medical facilities containing drugs and medical supplies to be used during an emergency.\n\nThe Senators\u2019 legislation addresses lessons learned from VA\u2019s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, recent natural disasters, and the findings of numerous reports from the VA Office of Inspector General. Recently, natural and weather-related disasters have increased in frequency and intensity, and VA plays a critical role in responding to these emergencies.\n\nAmong its many provisions, the AVERT Crises Act would:\n\nRequire VA to implement a fully operational emergency communications system throughout their medical facilities;\n\nRequire VA to report to Congress on the current status of its Regional Readiness Centers, and on recommendations for improving the alignment of its offices involved with emergency management to ensure there is not redundancy between offices;\n\nRequire VA to ensure its emergency pharmacy vehicles and emergency caches are fully stocked with unexpired inventory; and\n\nRequire VA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to analyze cross-Department coordination during emergencies.\n\nThe full text of the bill is available here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"]], "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://www.hirono.senate.gov/news/press-releases/hirono-joins-colleagues-in-bipartisan-push-to-bolster-vas-emergency-response"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.4118300061672926, "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"}