Educational Opportunity and Success Act of 2019

Mr. President, today I rise to talk about a matter that is very close to my heart and rooted in my faith and belief that we are all God's children created in God's image. It is an issue of fundamental equality, of basic human dignity, and it is consistent with the values we strive to embody as American citizens.

I stand today to honor the contributions of LGBTQ Americans--the contributions they have given so selflessly to our Nation--and to remind all of my colleagues of the great risks these Americans still face simply because of who they love and who they are.

It was 50 years ago this month that the gay community finally rose up. The Stonewall riots were a product of a brutal police force cracking down on the gay community. They found a voice that others had in the previous years. This Pride Month, June, we celebrate that 50 years of a rise in the voice of people to be treated just basically as everyone else. It is an important issue for me. It is an important issue for a number of reasons--first and foremost, because I am a father, but also, I am a product of the Deep South in which I was raised. As a kid, I came of age during a very tumultuous time in our Nation's history, a very tumultuous time in Alabama.

When I was a kid, our schools remained segregated for years after the Brown v. Board of Education decision, and my Black peers faced very difficult and different prospects for their future in life, which was a direct result of the Jim Crow laws that were still on the books in my childhood.

Men, women, and children were regularly targeted for violent attacks simply because of the color of their skin, the way they were born, and their audacity--their audacity to yearn for freedom and love and acceptance and respect.

The wounds of those years left scars that are still visible in many places today--many places not just in Alabama but across the country. The inequality and divisive rhetoric of the time and the tensions it fomented fueled the violence and tragedy that were wrought upon so many innocent people, especially in the 1950s and in the 1960s in Alabama, in the Deep South, and so many other places across this land.

I raise this because history has shown us time and again that when our government sanctions discrimination or merely turns a blind eye to it, we cause irreparable harm to those people. In doing so, we also turn our backs on the fundamental promise of this great country--that we are all endowed with certain unalienable rights, ``all'' being the key word in that phrase. We are all endowed with certain unalienable rights.

Without exception, policies of legalized discrimination that are fueled by fear always become a black mark on our Nation's history. Today, we can reflect on those incidents from the civil rights movement with more clarity and take pride in the significant progress we have made over time, but what we cannot do is delude ourselves into thinking this work is nearly concluded. There is still work to be done with regard to gay rights. There is still work to be done when you consider that LGBTQ people in this country are still not guaranteed permanent Federal protection against discrimination--they are still not. There is still work to be done when we see that the LGBTQ community youth are five times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers--five times more likely to commit suicide. And we know there is still work to be done when LGBTQ youth are more likely to become homeless and to face physical and sexual exploitation.

Our former colleague in this body who was here for such a long time-- he was here when I worked in the Senate in 1979 and 1980--Republican Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah spoke passionately on this floor last year, making an important point about the scope of the challenge we still face. He said:

Ensuring that our LGBT friends feel loved and accepted is

not a political issue; we all have a stake in this. We all

have family or loved ones who have felt marginalized in one

way or another because of gender identity or sexual

orientation, and we need to be there for them.

Senator Hatch. I miss him, even though I am glad my friend from Utah is here.

Instead of love and acceptance, however, too often the LGBTQ community still faces hate, violence, and discrimination in the workplace, in the classroom, in the housing market, and, more and more, in our society.

In fact, today we remember the lives of 49 innocent people who were senselessly murdered in Orlando, FL, 3 years ago at Pulse, an LGBTQ nightclub.

Just last week, a Detroit man was charged with first-degree murder for killing three LGBTQ people in an apparent hate crime.

In my home State of Alabama, a local mayor recently made headlines around the country for advocating the killing of LGBTQ people, claiming it was the only way to ``fix'' the problem.

In Washington, DC, over the weekend, a panic ensued and thousands fled for their lives when it was believed there was an active shooter targeting the city's annual Pride parade.

In Alabama, young Nigel Shelby, a high school freshman from Huntsville, ended his life this past spring after enduring bullying from his peers and struggling through bouts of depression. Mourning her son, his heartbroken mother called him the ``sweetest child.'' She said Nigel was ``always full of joy, full of light.'' As a father, I cannot begin to imagine the pain she and her family have experienced at this sudden loss. But I will tell you, as the father of a gay son, I have had to imagine the pain and uncertainty her child must have felt in a world in which he didn't feel fully accepted.

These incidents are just a few of the most recent examples I could share. Quite frankly, I have hesitated to even mention incidents in Alabama because we sometimes have the stigma of discrimination in my State.

Most recently in Alabama, the Alabama Legislature passed a most restrictive law dealing with abortion and women's rights. It was a callous law, and once again people are looking at Alabama and saying: What is going on? They look at this smalltown mayor and say: What is going on? But let me tell you, folks, for anybody who is listening to this, that is not Alabama. That is not the people of Alabama. That may be a gerrymandered legislature that represents only a small segment, but that is not the good people I know across the State of Alabama. Regardless of their political persuasion, regardless of their age, regardless of their religion, those instances do not represent the great State of Alabama.

Those are the most recent examples, but it is clear that the fear LGBTQ people can feel is by no means unfounded.

In this Pride Month, while we celebrate the LGBT community and the right for everyone to live and love as they choose, we cannot forget that for this community, there is still much work to be done. That is why I have cosponsored and I am so proud to cosponsor the Equality Act, and I urge my colleagues to do the same. Our colleagues in the House of Representatives have already passed this legislation, which fills a gap in our Nation's Federal civil rights laws by providing permanent protections for the LGBTQ community regardless of where they live.

This act is an important step. It is not a silver bullet, but it is an incredible, important step forward in what we can do to recognize the dignity of all people in this country.

Right now, these protections are simply a patchwork of State laws and other regulations. In 30 States, including Alabama, LGBTQ people are at risk of being fired, evicted, or denied other services because of their sexual orientation or gender.

I urge my colleagues to look at who is supporting the Equality Act. This is not a bipartisan issue; this is a nonpartisan issue. If you look at the over 500 organizations, a couple of hundred major corporations--the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has endorsed this bill and is urging its passage because so many across the country recognize the importance of these protections.

How many times have you seen businesses and how many times have you seen the chamber--and I mean no disrespect to them--endorse a law that bans discrimination when they know it puts certain burdens on their members? This is a historic opportunity that we have here--a historic opportunity--and we need to take advantage of it.

According to the Public Religion Research Institute, a majority of people in every State support a law like this, including a majority of the folks in Alabama. Those majorities extend across party lines, religion, and demographics, but despite most Americans being on the same page about this, the minority in opposition to this bill and in opposition to the LGBTQ community in general seems to be firm. It seems to be solid. It seems to be vocal. Opposition to such expansions of civil rights protections usually is.

From where I sit, this is not a zero-sum game. My view on this is informed by my experience. Most of what we do here is informed by experience, and my view on this issue is informed by my own experience as a father, as someone who loves his son very much--as any parent loves their son. It is informed by my experience as a lawyer, having spent my career working for justice. No matter where the downtrodden might be, I have spent my career working to make sure people are treated the same under the law, knowing that if you can change those laws and you can get treated the same under the law, hearts and minds will follow. We have seen it happen time and again.

My view is informed by my religion, my religion as a Christian and my belief that we are called upon to love one

another. It is the same and similar view expressed by our colleague Orrin Hatch in his floor speech last year.

We are called to stand up and fight for equal treatment and dignity of our fellow human beings--dignity and respect--to fight for people like my talented and compassionate son Carson and for all other sons, daughters, nieces, nephews, grandsons, granddaughters, friends, and neighbors, all out there who deserve to pursue a full, free, joyous, and loving life.

Today the Senate has an opportunity to stand up and make a very clear statement that we will not allow State government-sanctioned discrimination of LGBTQ people. We will not continue to allow that discrimination to continue, but we have to make that stand, and that stand can start right here. It has already started in the House.

The time is now to send a message. The time is now to send a message to all people--to all people across this country--that we in the U.S Senate believe that all people deserve to live with dignity, free from the fear of discrimination.

As I prepared these remarks and I read through them and made changes, I thought about my old boss whose seat I now fill, Howell Heflin. It was in the 1990s that Howell Heflin from Alabama, a son of the South whose relatives fought in the Civil War, stood before this body and said that it was time to remove the Confederate battle flag from all Federal Government-sanctioned emblems. It was a bold statement. Now we have a son of the South standing up for what in the Bible Belt is that love and respect, a son of the South who is now talking about his family, talking about discrimination, and reaching out to people across the aisle and within my own party to say that it is time; it is time to make that move.

So I ask my colleagues to take this step with me, to do the right thing by calling on Leader McConnell to bring this legislation to a vote in the U.S. Senate. Let all 100 Senators stand up and be counted one way or another. Every voice counts. Let every U.S. Senator say where they are by a vote on the Equality Act and to do it sooner rather than later.

This is a matter of civil rights, this is a matter of human rights, and this is a matter of being on the right side of history. We have an important opportunity right now to get it right. It is right now. It is the right time.

Thank you.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Educational Opportunity and Success Act, a bill to strengthen the Federal TRIO Programs and improve their administration. Across the Nation, TRIO helps students from disadvantaged backgrounds gain access to a college education and provide many of the supports that they need to prepare for, succeed in, and graduate from higher education programs. I would very much like to thank Senator Baldwin, Senator Capito, and Senator Tester for joining me as original cosponsors.

In the State of Maine, TRIO Programs serve students from all over our State and are focused on increasing educational opportunities for first generation, low-income, and disabled students. From 2007 to 2017, TRIO has expanded from 20 programs to 28 in our State and has expanded from serving 6,690 students to nearly 7,500 students in our State. Over the course of my Senate service, I have been so inspired by the stories of countless TRIO students with whom I have talked. They have described to me firsthand the positive impact of these programs on their academic success and on their futures.

For example, Autumn Mallet from Bangor, ME, graduated from Bangor High School in 2015, unsure about whether she even wanted to pursue higher education. Neither she nor her parents had any experience with higher education. That is very typical of what I found in talking with students who are enrolled in the TRIO Programs. Autumn decided to enroll at Eastern Maine Community College, where she connected with TRIO's Student Support Services Program. Autumn called TRIO ``irreplaceable'' and her ``full support system.'' The academic advisers were her ``go-to people'' when it came to signing up for classes, finding tutors, navigating financial aid, and advocating for herself.

Autumn graduated in May 2018 with an associate's degree in liberal studies and secondary education, and she has gone on to the University of Maine where she is currently earning her bachelor's degree. At the University, she also taps into the resources of the Student Support Services Program. And, very movingly, Autumn is giving back to TRIO. She is a TRIO peer mentor at Eastern Maine Community College, helping students, just like herself, successfully navigate higher education and giving them the tools and the confidence to succeed. For Autumn, TRIO has made all the difference as she has pursued her own goals and helped other students achieve theirs.

Congress created the TRIO Programs because it recognized that low- income, first-generation students often face significant financial and societal obstacles to accessing and achieving success in higher education. The Educational Opportunity and Success Act would better serve those students by implementing key reforms.

First, and most important, our bipartisan bill would reauthorize the TRIO Programs for an additional 5 years.

Second, our bill would instruct the Department of Education to publish guidance at least 90 days before each grant competition, giving colleges and universities adequate opportunity to prepare the successful applications to secure the funding needed to offer the TRIO Programs.

Third, our bill would remove the administrative burdens in the application process for these schools, making sure that Federal funds get out the door more efficiently and to the programs and the students they are meant to serve. Under the current administrative process, many colleges and universities experience delays while the Department reviews administrative errors before making all of the grant awards. This reform would help to expedite the grant process.

Fourth, our legislation would institute commonsense guidelines at the Department of Education for TRIO grant applications.

Let me tell you what happened in 2017. In that year, the Department initially rejected dozens of applications for the Upward Bound Program based on arbitrary, nonsubstantive formatting criteria, such as line spacing and font size irregularities. This was bureaucracy at its worst. One of those applications was from the University of Maine at Presque Isle, which had been a longtime recipient of funding to provide TRIO Programs. Here is what happened with the University of Maine at Presque Isle. It submitted a 65-page application. In that application, the University of Maine of Presque Isle used 1\1/2\-line spacing instead of double spacing in the text appearing in the graphics on two of its application's 65 pages.

I am not making this up. For that reason alone, because the spacing was 1\1/2\ lines rather than 2 on just 2 of the graphs in a 65-page application, the Department of Education rejected it--based on that alone.

The Department's bureaucratic decision would have denied 960 disadvantaged Maine high school students the chance to fulfill their academic potential. Imagine that--that 960 students, who needed the support of the TRIO Program to be successful, would not have been served because of a tiny formatting error on 2 pages of a 65-page application. It was nothing substantive, just a formatting error.

After months of advocacy, I was able to work with the Department of Education and my Appropriations colleagues to reverse this ill- conceived decision, and I am very happy to report that the University of Maine of Presque Isle is today serving those students.

Our bill would prevent the Department of Education from rejecting applications simply on the basis of the formatting criteria that it suggests and instead would establish a straightforward process of correction for applications with minor formatting or budgeting errors. This is a commonsense reform that will prevent unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles in the future--obstacles that have a real impact on the lives of the students who are intended to benefit from the TRIO Programs.

Fifth, our bill would make it simpler for students who receive free and reduced-priced lunches and Pell grants to qualify for the TRIO Programs. Proving income eligibility can be a barrier to services, and this bill would make it easier to identify potential participants for the TRIO Programs.

The bill would also update TRIO eligibility criteria to reflect the most recent requirements for Federal financial aid. This would ensure that TRIO administrators would not have to consult multiple data sources and can instead use a student's most recent financial aid information to determine eligibility for the TRIO Programs rather than having them go through an additional process.

Finally, the bill would require the Department of Education to conduct additional virtual training sessions, better ensuring that all areas of the country--especially our small, rural communities--have the ability to know about and access the TRIO Programs.

As the longtime cochair of the Congressional TRIO Caucus, I have long supported the TRIO Programs. I have worked to ensure that they are reaching the students who most need them. So many students in Maine and across the country have truly had their lives changed by these wonderful programs, such as Upward Bound. They have been introduced to the world of higher education. They have been given the support they need to succeed. In my State, where so many families simply do not have experience with higher education, the TRIO Programs have made all the difference for their sons and daughters.

I urge my colleagues to support the bipartisan Educational Opportunity and Success Act.

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Educational Opportunity and Success Act, a bill to strengthen the Federal TRIO Programs and improve their administration. Across the Nation, TRIO helps students from disadvantaged backgrounds gain access to a college education and provide many of the supports that they need to prepare for, succeed in, and graduate from higher education programs. I would very much like to thank Senator Baldwin, Senator Capito, and Senator Tester for joining me as original cosponsors.

In the State of Maine, TRIO Programs serve students from all over our State and are focused on increasing educational opportunities for first generation, low-income, and disabled students. From 2007 to 2017, TRIO has expanded from 20 programs to 28 in our State and has expanded from serving 6,690 students to nearly 7,500 students in our State. Over the course of my Senate service, I have been so inspired by the stories of countless TRIO students with whom I have talked. They have described to me firsthand the positive impact of these programs on their academic success and on their futures.

For example, Autumn Mallet from Bangor, ME, graduated from Bangor High School in 2015, unsure about whether she even wanted to pursue higher education. Neither she nor her parents had any experience with higher education. That is very typical of what I found in talking with students who are enrolled in the TRIO Programs. Autumn decided to enroll at Eastern Maine Community College, where she connected with TRIO's Student Support Services Program. Autumn called TRIO ``irreplaceable'' and her ``full support system.'' The academic advisers were her ``go-to people'' when it came to signing up for classes, finding tutors, navigating financial aid, and advocating for herself.

Autumn graduated in May 2018 with an associate's degree in liberal studies and secondary education, and she has gone on to the University of Maine where she is currently earning her bachelor's degree. At the University, she also taps into the resources of the Student Support Services Program. And, very movingly, Autumn is giving back to TRIO. She is a TRIO peer mentor at Eastern Maine Community College, helping students, just like herself, successfully navigate higher education and giving them the tools and the confidence to succeed. For Autumn, TRIO has made all the difference as she has pursued her own goals and helped other students achieve theirs.

Congress created the TRIO Programs because it recognized that low- income, first-generation students often face significant financial and societal obstacles to accessing and achieving success in higher education. The Educational Opportunity and Success Act would better serve those students by implementing key reforms.

First, and most important, our bipartisan bill would reauthorize the TRIO Programs for an additional 5 years.

Second, our bill would instruct the Department of Education to publish guidance at least 90 days before each grant competition, giving colleges and universities adequate opportunity to prepare the successful applications to secure the funding needed to offer the TRIO Programs.

Third, our bill would remove the administrative burdens in the application process for these schools, making sure that Federal funds get out the door more efficiently and to the programs and the students they are meant to serve. Under the current administrative process, many colleges and universities experience delays while the Department reviews administrative errors before making all of the grant awards. This reform would help to expedite the grant process.

Fourth, our legislation would institute commonsense guidelines at the Department of Education for TRIO grant applications.

Let me tell you what happened in 2017. In that year, the Department initially rejected dozens of applications for the Upward Bound Program based on arbitrary, nonsubstantive formatting criteria, such as line spacing and font size irregularities. This was bureaucracy at its worst. One of those applications was from the University of Maine at Presque Isle, which had been a longtime recipient of funding to provide TRIO Programs. Here is what happened with the University of Maine at Presque Isle. It submitted a 65-page application. In that application, the University of Maine of Presque Isle used 1\1/2\-line spacing instead of double spacing in the text appearing in the graphics on two of its application's 65 pages.

I am not making this up. For that reason alone, because the spacing was 1\1/2\ lines rather than 2 on just 2 of the graphs in a 65-page application, the Department of Education rejected it--based on that alone.

The Department's bureaucratic decision would have denied 960 disadvantaged Maine high school students the chance to fulfill their academic potential. Imagine that--that 960 students, who needed the support of the TRIO Program to be successful, would not have been served because of a tiny formatting error on 2 pages of a 65-page application. It was nothing substantive, just a formatting error.

After months of advocacy, I was able to work with the Department of Education and my Appropriations colleagues to reverse this ill- conceived decision, and I am very happy to report that the University of Maine of Presque Isle is today serving those students.

Our bill would prevent the Department of Education from rejecting applications simply on the basis of the formatting criteria that it suggests and instead would establish a straightforward process of correction for applications with minor formatting or budgeting errors. This is a commonsense reform that will prevent unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles in the future--obstacles that have a real impact on the lives of the students who are intended to benefit from the TRIO Programs.

Fifth, our bill would make it simpler for students who receive free and reduced-priced lunches and Pell grants to qualify for the TRIO Programs. Proving income eligibility can be a barrier to services, and this bill would make it easier to identify potential participants for the TRIO Programs.

The bill would also update TRIO eligibility criteria to reflect the most recent requirements for Federal financial aid. This would ensure that TRIO administrators would not have to consult multiple data sources and can instead use a student's most recent financial aid information to determine eligibility for the TRIO Programs rather than having them go through an additional process.

Finally, the bill would require the Department of Education to conduct additional virtual training sessions, better ensuring that all areas of the country--especially our small, rural communities--have the ability to know about and access the TRIO Programs.

As the longtime cochair of the Congressional TRIO Caucus, I have long supported the TRIO Programs. I have worked to ensure that they are reaching the students who most need them. So many students in Maine and across the country have truly had their lives changed by these wonderful programs, such as Upward Bound. They have been introduced to the world of higher education. They have been given the support they need to succeed. In my State, where so many families simply do not have experience with higher education, the TRIO Programs have made all the difference for their sons and daughters.

I urge my colleagues to support the bipartisan Educational Opportunity and Success Act.

Mr. President, Our Nation's public health system needs high quality, timely, and accurate data to protect the public from health threats like opioid overdoses, influenza, measles, and more. Effective prevention and response to health threats requires coordinated efforts between health care providers and public health officials across all levels of government.

Unfortunately, the public health data systems we rely on for our health and safety are antiquated and fragmented. Systems lack the interoperability needed to facilitate timely, secure information exchange. Too often, public health departments are forced to rely on systems with manual processes that are time consuming and error prone, such as paper records, faxes, and phone calls. Only two jurisdictions have begun the process to receive electronic case reports directly from health records, and only for a small number of diseases. Our public health data infrastructure lacks the automation, security, interoperability, and skilled workforce we need to confront the public health threats of today and tomorrow.

Today, I am pleased to introduce with my colleagues, Senator Isakson and Senator King, the Saving Lives Through Better Data Act to assist in building the 21st Century public health data infrastructure our Nation needs. The Saving Lives Through Better Data Act awards grants to State, local, Tribal, and territorial public health departments to improve data collection and analysis, simplify provider reporting, enhance interoperability, promote electronic case reporting, and support earlier disease detection and response. Grant recipients must support interoperability standards endorsed by the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology or those adopted by the HHS Secretary.

The Saving Lives Through Better Data Act also requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct activities to improve its public health data systems. The CDC must also develop and utilize public-private partnerships to support State, local, Tribal, and territorial public health departments in modernizing and expanding electronic case reporting and public health data systems. The legislation calls for reporting on barriers public health authorities may face in implementing electronic case reporting or interoperable public health data systems as well as an assessment of the potential public health impact of making such improvements. We make the necessary investment to improve our public health infrastructure by authorizing $100 million per year for each of fiscal years 2020-2024.

The Saving Lives Through Better Data Act will strengthen our public health data systems so we can be well-equipped to identify and respond to public health threats, which will save lives.

Mr. President, today I am introducing the Jobs and Childcare for Military Families Act, with my colleagues Senators Boozman and Tester. Enacting this bill would improve financial stability for Gold Star families across the Nation.

The families of America's servicemembers make sacrifices that often go unrecognized. Among them is packing up and moving frequently, with military spouses regularly having to quit stable employment to move to a new area and start over. This is compounded by the complex system of State licensing and certification requirements, which can limit these spouses' from taking jobs that utilize their expertise and experience. Because of this, military spouses have unemployment rates substantially higher than the national average, and are often underemployed when they do have jobs. Adding to the financial struggle that frequent periods of unemployment and underemployment cause, the rising cost of childcare puts a substantial burden on many military families.

The Jobs and Childcare for Military Families Act would help these families

in two ways. First, the bill makes military spouses an eligible population for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit. This tax credit has been proven effective in improving the employment prospects for other groups, and extending it to military spouses would help them find employment easier after moving to new areas. Second, the bill instructs the administration to implement dependent care flexible spending accounts for all servicemembers. These accounts would allow military families to contribute pre-tax dollars to accounts that they can then use to pay for childcare services, helping ease the financial burden of childcare.

I hope my colleagues will support this bill to help families who have made the greatest sacrifice for our Nation.

Mr. President, marine energy technologies generate electricity using the natural power found in ocean waves, tides, currents, and temperature differences in ocean water. This nontraditional form of hydropower has the potential to fuel American homes and businesses with renewable electricity and address the very real challenge of climate change. Additionally, establishing a commercially viable marine energy industry in the United States would support a robust manufacturing and construction supply chain and create thousands of good-paying clean energy jobs.

The Department of Energy (DOE) estimates that marine energy could produce enough renewable energy to power millions of homes. Furthermore, with more than half of the U.S. population living within 50 miles of a body of water, there is vast potential for marine energy to efficiently provide clean electricity to communities across the country--from large cities to remote coastal communities.

Because these promising marine renewable energy technologies are still in the early stages of development, federal support is needed to encourage private investments in marine energy projects, moving the United States closer to large-scale deployment of these innovative clean energy technologies.

The Marine Energy Research and Development Act advances this research by reauthorizing DOE's marine renewable energy programs from 2020 through 2021. The bill gives priority to projects and technologies that have the highest likelihood to lead to commercial utilization of new marine energy systems.

The bill also directs DOE to research ways of building a stable marine energy supply chain in the United States, as well as ways of harmonizing marine energy development with ocean navigation, fisheries, and critical infrastructure such as undersea cables.

The bill includes funding authorization for the National Marine Renewable Energy Research Centers, which are located in Florida, Hawaii and the Pacific Northwest. These three centers make use of federal funding and the resources of five universities to test and refine various marine energy technologies. The bill also provides DOE new authority to establish new National Marine Energy Centers.