Coburn won't budge on veterans billBy JIM MYERS World Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn vowed Wednesday to continue his hold on a bill designed to address high suicide rates among veterans,
calling the bill insulting to veterans and warning that its mandatory mental health screening could harm their future job options.Supporters of the bill dismissed the Oklahoma Republican's concerns, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., served notice that he would move the bill before Congress adjourns.
"We are not going to let one or two senators stop us from moving forward on this," said Reid, who cit ed his father's suicide years ago.
Both sides of the impasse, reported earlier by Congressional Quarterly, aired their views in comments delivered on the Senate floor.
Coburn attempted to distance himself from previously reported concerns about the impact the bill could have on veterans' gun rights, saying that's "hardly the situation at all."
Instead, he focused on the duplication of ongoing efforts by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the mandated mental health screening for all veterans, regardless of why they visit a VA facility, and the tracking of veterans who
have mental health issues.
"It's insulting to our military men and women," Coburn said.
He said such mandatory screening of all veterans, even those without any symptoms, would result in such information becoming part of their record, which could impact their efforts to become a pilot, a police officer or join other professions.
"I'm going to continue to hold this bill until we work on the issues to guarantee freedoms of the veterans in terms of the tracking of their data and them individually, in terms of securing the data about them," Coburn said.
He also said his attempts to resolve his differences with Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, the bill's sponsor, have been rebuffed.
During his remarks, Harkin disputed Coburn's claim.
Harkin said his staff, along with the staff of Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, one of the bill's supporters, met with Coburn's staff before the August recess.
Coburn's staff, he said, made no suggestions to resolve Coburn's concerns, adding that attempts to set up additional meetings were unsuccessful.
Harkin said Coburn's concerns are unfounded.
Veterans, he said, returning from deployment already are required by the Department of Defense to complete a check-list on symptoms such as anxiety, sleeping difficulties and suicidal thoughts.
"There are no opt-outs because these programs are critical to ensure that those with mental health concerns receive the assistance they need," Harkin said.
He said he was puzzled by Coburn's concerns that the bill could interfere with a veteran's right to access firearms.
"There are strict privacy laws that govern the doctor-patient relationship," Harkin said. "Privacy laws prevent the release of identifiable information about any patient."
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