APPLICATION OF LEAVE PROVISIONS FOR MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES TO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE

On 2026-09-15, Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-6) delivered a floor speech titled "APPLICATION OF LEAVE PROVISIONS FOR MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES TO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE" in the House.

APPLICATION OF LEAVE PROVISIONS FOR MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES TO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 145 (Tuesday, September 15, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 145 (Tuesday, September 15, 2026)] [House] [Page H] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] APPLICATION OF LEAVE PROVISIONS FOR MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES TO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2846) to amend title II of the Public Health Service Act to include as an additional right or privilege of commissioned officers of the Public Health Service (and their beneficiaries) certain leave provided under title 10, United States Code to commissioned officers of the Army (or their beneficiaries). The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 2846 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. APPLICATION OF LEAVE PROVISIONS FOR MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES TO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE. (a) In General.--Section 221(a) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 213a(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following: ``(22) Chapter 40, Leave.''. (b) Conforming Repeal.--Section 219 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 210-1) is repealed. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Kentucky. General Leave Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2846. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Kentucky? There was no objection. Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2846 led by the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Houlahan). The U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps is one of eight uniformed services in the U.S. It is first in line to defend our Nation's public health against any threat. This bill closes the gap in benefits between Public Health Service officers and other civilian uniformed public servants by aligning their leave policies with those of other uniformed services. The dedicated men and women of the Public Health Service Corps have my respect and gratitude, and they deserve the same benefits and protections afforded to their fellow uniformed servicemembers. Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 2846, legislation that would extend expanded leave benefits to members of the U.S. Public Health Service Corps. The U.S. Public Health Service Corps is one of eight uniformed services in the United States. There are more than 6,000 officers who serve as physicians, nurses, and scientists across agencies to advance public health. Right now, these officers are not guaranteed the same 12-week leave benefit as members of the military are entitled to under Federal law nor are they eligible for the 12 weeks of leave that all Federal Government employees are entitled to under the Federal Employee Paid Leave Act. This bill fixes this by extending leave benefits to Public Health Service officers, and this leave includes expanded parental leave, emergency leave of absence, and leave for rest and recuperation. I thank Representative Houlahan for her leadership on this legislation and my colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee for working with us to bring this bill to the floor. I encourage all my colleagues to vote ``yes.'' Before I reserve the balance of my time, I do want to take an opportunity to thank Una Lee, who is right here, for her more than 11 years here at the Energy and Commerce Committee, most of those years serving as chief counsel for the Health Subcommittee. Una has played a critical role in every major healthcare bill that has been signed into law during that time. Una has been a trusted adviser, and she will be missed. I don't want her to leave, but what can I do. I wish her nothing but the best in her future endeavors and congratulate her for her tremendous work, truly tremendous work of making healthcare more affordable and accessible for every American. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I just want to speak briefly. I have no further speakers, so I will be prepared to close. The gentleman recognized Una Lee, but I didn't get to speak earlier in the subcommittee today. We get to work with fantastic people here, and I know Una is one of them. We get to see, on the opposite sides of the table sometimes, but I know we are always working to try to improve our country. I thank her for her service. We will miss seeing her around the Energy and Commerce room. I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Houlahan), the sponsor of the legislation. Ms. HOULAHAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my bipartisan and bicameral U.S. Public Health Service parity act, H.R. 2846. This bill is about keeping a promise Congress already has made to the people who serve our country. You should not have to choose between your service and your family. I know something about that choice because, when I served in the Air Force, there was a 6-month waiting list for on-base childcare, but I only had 6 weeks of personal leave after the birth of my child. It was, in many ways, a choice that I needed to make between my family and my service. If we value service and we value families, which we do, no one who raises their hand to serve this country should have to make that choice. My own experience is just one reason why I was so proud to help secure 12 weeks of paid parental leave in the past for our military servicemembers in the fiscal year 2021 NDAA. That was good for military families. It was really good for retention and, it is very, very good for readiness. However, we unintentionally left one of our uniformed services behind, the commissioned officers of the United States Public Health Service. Today, with this bill, we can fix that. More than 6,000 Public Health Service officers serve our country. They are ready to deploy wherever and whenever they are needed. They have responded to hurricanes and oil spills. They helped lead our Nation's response to COVID. They have deployed to confront infectious disease outbreaks around the world, natural disasters, and public health emergencies. They wear the uniform of our Nation. They leave their families when duty calls, and they serve alongside other uniformed services when our country needs them. However, when they become parents, right now, we don't give them the same parental leave benefits that we provide their counterparts in the armed services. There is not a very good reason-- indeed, there is no reason for that distinction. If we value their service when a hurricane strikes, when a disease spreads, or when another emergency threatens the American people, then we should value their families, too. That is the simple principle behind this bill: same commitment to service, same sacrifice, same support for their families. I am really grateful that this has been a bipartisan and bicameral effort from the very beginning. I thank Chairman Guthrie and Ranking Member Pallone for bringing this legislation to the floor. I thank my Republican co-lead, Representative Bacon, and our Senate partners, Senators Duckworth and Murkowski, for working on this to get this here. The Senate has, indeed, already acted. Today, the House has the opportunity to finish the job and to ensure that every uniformed service receives the same benefits and the same basic support when its servicemembers welcome a child into their families. {time} 1820 We ask a great deal of the men and women who serve this country, and they should never have to wonder whether serving their Nation means shortchanging their family. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the U.S. Public Health Service parity act, and I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, in closing, I, once again, want to say that this is an important piece of legislation, and I thank the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Houlahan) for sponsoring it. Madam Speaker, I urge both sides of the aisle to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend from Pennsylvania for bringing this forward. I thank her for her service in the U.S. Air Force and her service here. In closing, Madam Speaker, I encourage a ``yes'' vote on the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2846. The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed. A motion to reconsider was laid on the table. ____________________

Referenced legislation: HR2846, HR2846