To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide coverage for wigs as durable medical equipment under the Medicare program, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to raise awareness of alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss on the scalp and other areas of the body.

Today, close to 7 million Americans live with alopecia areata, including over 1 million children under the age of 12.

Alopecia areata is a greatly unpredictable disease and currently has no known cause and no known cure.

Sadly, this disease often presents itself at an early age, with small round, smooth patches appearing on the head.

With limited treatment options, many individuals use wigs, which come at a significant out-of-pocket cost.

It was one of my constituents, Deirdre Nero, an alopecia patient, who

first brought to my attention the challenges facing the alopecia areata community. That is why I have been proud to stand with my colleague, Congressman Jim McGovern, and support H.R. 2925, legislation to provide coverage for wigs as durable medical equipment under the Medicare program.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to stand with alopecia areata patients across the Nation and cosponsor this commonsense and bipartisan measure.

Honoring South Floridian Larry Adams

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a remarkable south Floridian, Mr. Larry Adams.

Born in West Palm Beach in 1927 to a family of limited means, Larry understood from a young age the importance of getting an education. Larry also possessed a strong desire to serve his country during World War II. He enrolled at Purdue University as a U.S. Air Corps Cadet and served in the U.S. Air Force in Germany from 1945 to 1946.

Upon returning home, Larry attended my alma mater, the University of Miami--Go Canes--where he excelled at both sports and academics, including pitching for our university's baseball team.

In 1949, Larry began a 42-year career at Florida Power & Light Company--42 years. Starting from the bottom, he worked his way from being a lineman digging ditches and climbing power poles to being a vice president of the State's largest electric utility.

While excelling at his difficult job duties, Larry reenrolled in school while working for the company and earned a degree from Harvard Graduate Business School's Advanced Management Program for executives.

Never one to limit himself, Larry also devoted extraordinary time and effort to his community, serving in over 36 local, regional, State, and national community service organizations, which earned him many accolades.

Larry also played a founding and integral role in the development of management systems to improve the quality and cost of goods and services produced throughout our great Nation.

In 1987, President Ronald Reagan requested that certain U.S. corporations provide a team of quality management experts whose mission was to create an American Quality Management Award for Excellence program. Florida Power & Light assigned Larry to work under the direction of the U.S. Commerce Secretary and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, where Larry co-chaired one of four teams of professional quality improvement management experts provided by American businesses.

Together, they developed and secured Presidential and congressional approval to create the Malcolm Baldrige Foundation Award to empower U.S. organizations to reach their goals and become significantly more competitive in national and international trade and commerce. Today, the now popular Sterling Management program is a derivative of the Baldrige program and is managed by the Governors of each of our 50 States.

At the age of 89, Larry became the recipient of the 2016 Florida Governor's Sterling Ambassador of the Year Award for successfully coaching businesses, charitable, and government agencies to learn and deploy Sterling and Malcolm Baldrige management systems during the past 25 years.

Larry has had an extraordinary life, which he has enjoyed with his wife of over 65 years, Betsy Gregg Adams. Together, they have three sons: Larry, Jr., an architect; Ron, a trial attorney; and Thad, a commercial realtor.

Congratulations to my friend, Larry Adams, for a remarkable life well lived.

Mr. Speaker, on October 2, the Dade County Farm Bureau is proud to honor Paul and Swanee DiMare, an agriculture powerhouse couple hailing from our south Florida community.

For more than 90 years, the DiMare family has graced south Florida by providing some of the best quality produce our Nation has to offer, so much, in fact, that they have earned the title of Mr. and Mrs. Tomato.

But where some may know them for their tasty and nutritious products alone, others know them for their world-class philanthropy and public service. From protecting our beautiful botanical gardens, to advocating for organizations like the Red Cross, Paul and Swanee continue to serve as an inspiration to all those who call our slice of paradise home.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to recognize this extraordinary couple, and I thank Paul and Swanee for their tireless work in our community.

Annual Miami Walk to End Alzheimer's

Mr. Speaker, I rise to support the Alzheimer's Association 2018 Walk to End Alzheimer's in Miami-Dade, being held in my congressional district on November 3.

According to the Alzheimer's Association, more than 5.7 million Americans are battling this brutal condition, 200,000 of whom are under the age of 65.

Moreover, this disease is the sixth leading cause of death in our Nation. Sadly, Alzheimer's, currently, cannot be cured, cannot be prevented, and cannot be slowed. That is why advocacy and awareness are paramount.

Although scientific and medical advancements to fight the effects of dementia have made significant progress, we must not, and we cannot, rest. That

is why this walk is being held to remind us all that the struggle continues. Day after day, we must continue to raise the benchmark and ensure that progress toward effective treatment and a cure continue.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my south Florida community to soak up some Sun--safely--on November 3 for a good cause, and participate in the Alzheimer's Association Miami-Dade Walk. Together, we can take the first step in a world without Alzheimer's.

Raising Awareness of Alopecia Areata

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize September as Alopecia Areata Awareness Month.

Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease, resulting in the loss of hair on the body, affecting about 7 million Americans. Additionally, of the 7 million Americans battling alopecia, almost 15 percent--or just over 1 million--are under 12 years of age. This is because alopecia often presents itself at an early stage in life, with no warning and no prevention to be had. It appears on the skin, most often as one or more small, round, smooth patches of hair loss on the scalp, and can progress to total hair loss.

My constituent, Deirdre Nero, first informed me of the effects and seriousness of alopecia. Deirdre, who has alopecia, is a legislative liaison and secretary of the board for the National Alopecia Areata Foundation. Earlier this month, Deirdre and her fellow NAAF participants were on Capitol Hill advocating on behalf of a bill, H.R. 2925, that is called Legislation to Provide Coverage for Wigs As Durable Medical Equipment under the Medicare Program. That bill title says it all.

It is a commonsense reform bill that will make a simple change to the definition of durable medical equipment under the Social Security Act to include cranial prosthetics, alleviating large out-of-pocket expenses for patients.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to have championed this cause during my time in Congress, and I am thankful for the work that the National Alopecia Areata Foundation continues to do on behalf of all patients.

Furthermore, I humbly ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in recognizing Alopecia Areata Awareness Month and support this important legislation.