mr __PUNCT__ presid __PUNCT__ todai i am offer an amend to the fiscal year __NUM__ emerg supplement __PUNCT__ which i am pleas to announc is be cosponsor by senat corzin __PUNCT__ bingaman __PUNCT__ and graham __PUNCT__
thi amend would meet certain need of our injur servic member in recognit of the tremend sacrific thei have made in defens of our countri __PUNCT__
the other dai i had the opportun to visit some of our wound hero at walter reed armi medic center __PUNCT__
i know that mani of my colleagu have made the same trip and i heard about their visit __PUNCT__ but there is noth that can fulli prepar you for what you see when you take that first step into the physic therapi room __PUNCT__
these ar kid in there __PUNCT__
our kid __PUNCT__
the on we watch grow up __PUNCT__
the on we hope would live live that were happi __PUNCT__ healthi __PUNCT__ and safe __PUNCT__
these kid left their home and famili for a danger place halfwai around the world __PUNCT__
after year of be protect by their parent __PUNCT__ these kid risk their live to protect us __PUNCT__
and now __PUNCT__ some of them have come home from that war with scar that mai chang their live forev __PUNCT__ scar that mai never heal __PUNCT__
and yet thei sit there in that hospit __PUNCT__ so full of hope and still so proud of their countri __PUNCT__
these kid ar the best of america __PUNCT__
thei deserv our highest respect __PUNCT__ and thei deserv our help __PUNCT__
recent __PUNCT__ i learn that some of our most sever wound soldier ar be forc to pai for their own meal and their own phone call while be treat in medic hospit __PUNCT__
up until last year __PUNCT__ there wa a law on the book that prohibit soldier from receiv both their basic subsist allow and free meal from the militari __PUNCT__
basic __PUNCT__ thi law allow the govern to charg our wound hero for food while thei were recov from their war injuri __PUNCT__
thankfulli __PUNCT__ thi bodi act to chang thi law in __NUM__ so that wound soldier wouldn't have to pai for their meal __PUNCT__
but __PUNCT__ we deal with a bureaucraci here __PUNCT__ and as we all know __PUNCT__ noth is ever simpl in a bureaucraci __PUNCT__
so now __PUNCT__ becaus the depart of defens doesn't consid get physic therapi or rehabilit servic in a medic hospit as __PUNCT__ be hospit __PUNCT__ there ar wound veteran who still do not qualifi for the free meal other veteran receiv __PUNCT__
and after __NUM__ dai __PUNCT__ even those classifi as hospit on an outpati statu lose their free meal as well __PUNCT__
also __PUNCT__ while our soldier in the field qualifi for free phone servic __PUNCT__ injur servic men and women who mai be hospit hundr or thousand of mile from home do not receiv thi benefit __PUNCT__
for soldier whose famili member aren't abl to take off work and travel to a militari hospit __PUNCT__ hear the familiar voic of a mom or dad or husband or wife on the other side of the phone can make all the differ in the world __PUNCT__
and yet __PUNCT__ our govern will not help pai for these call __PUNCT__
and it will not help pai for those meal __PUNCT__
think about that __PUNCT__
think about the sacrific these kid have made for their countri __PUNCT__ mani of them liter risk life and sacrif limb __PUNCT__
and now __PUNCT__ at __MONEY__ a meal __PUNCT__ thei could end up with a __MONEY__ bill from the govern that sent them to war everi singl month __PUNCT__
thi is wrong __PUNCT__ and we have a moral oblig to fix it __PUNCT__
the first amend that i offer todai will do thi __PUNCT__
it will expand the group of __PUNCT__ hospit __PUNCT__ soldier who cannot be charg for their meal to includ those servic member undergo medic recuper __PUNCT__ therapi or otherwis on __PUNCT__ medic hold __PUNCT__
the number of peopl affect by thi amend will be small __PUNCT__
onli about __NUM__ servic member ar estim to fall under the categori of __PUNCT__ non __PUNCT__ hospit __PUNCT__
the amend is retroact to __DATE__ in an effort to provid those injur servic member who mai have receiv bill for their meal with some relief from those cost __PUNCT__
the amend will also extend free phone servic to those injur servic member who ar hospit or otherwis undergo medic recuper or therapi __PUNCT__
i am proud that thi amend is support by the american legion __PUNCT__ and i hope my colleagu will join them in that support __PUNCT__
i ask my colleagu to join me in support thi amend __PUNCT__
these ar our kid out there __PUNCT__ and thei risk their live for us __PUNCT__
when thei come home with injuri __PUNCT__ the govern that ask these kid to serv should provid them with the best possibl care and support __PUNCT__
thi is a small price to pai for those who have sacrif so much for their countri __PUNCT__
i thank the senior senat from alaska and my colleagu from mississippi for work with me on thi issu __PUNCT__
i am hope we can reach an agreement on thi __PUNCT__
