Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4547, the Strengthening Protections for Social Security Beneficiaries Act of 2018. This bill is important to two program areas under the jurisdiction of the Subcommittee on Human Resources, which I chair: Supplemental Security Income and child welfare.

Thank you to Chairman Johnson and Ranking Member Larson for their work on this bill and for including Supplemental Security Income recipients.

All individuals receiving benefits through the Social Security Administration deserve to be protected, especially those who need the assistance of a representative payee to manage their finances.

I would specifically like to highlight the important changes this bill would make for children involved with the foster care system, another vulnerable population in need of protection.

H.R. 4547 requires the Social Security Administration, or SSA, to enter into monthly data exchanges with State foster care programs to identify when a child receiving Social Security benefits has entered or exited foster care or changed foster care placement.

When a change occurs, SSA will now be required to redetermine the appropriate representative payee to ensure Social Security benefits follow the child. Additionally, the Government Accountability Office will be required to produce a report on minor beneficiaries in foster care and the representative payees to identify whether additional changes are needed.

H.R. 4547 also clarifies liability for overpayments when a child is in foster care. In cases where a Social Security beneficiary or Supplemental Security Income recipient is overpaid while in foster care and the State foster care agency is the payee, the beneficiary or recipient would not be liable for the overpayment. Instead, the State foster care agency would be required to repay SSA for the overpayment it received.

Foster youth exiting the system have enough challenges, and paying back an overpayment they never received should not have to be one of them.

I am proud to cosponsor this legislation, and I encourage my colleagues to support its passage.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the tax reform conference report.

This is our great opportunity to reduce the tax burden on Americans across the economic spectrum, while modernizing our Tax Code for the 21st century.

I would like to take a few moments to discuss what this bill does for American agriculture.

First and foremost, this bill cuts taxes for most Americans, while simplifying compliance and transitioning us to a more competitive tax system internationally.

In addition to retaining the deduction for State and local taxes for individuals and families up to $10,000, this bill leaves intact the full deduction for property taxes on ag land and property.

In addition, I am grateful this conference report includes a solution to concerns raised by agriculture co-ops and their members about the repeal of section 199.

With commodity prices low, it is important we ensure the Tax Code continues to work as intended, with co-ops passing along their profits to their producer owners.

Finally, while I would have preferred we repeal the death tax in full, doubling the exemption and keeping a stepped up basis will help provide certainty for more farmers, ranchers, and small businesses.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman and the conferees for their work on this strong product. I am anxious to pass this bill and get it to the President for his signature.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Brady for the time and for his leadership as we continue our efforts to pass this historic legislation.

Mr. Speaker, after nearly 7 years of work in the Ways and Means Committee and more than 31 years since our last true tax reform, many hearings along the way, it is time to pass historic comprehensive tax reform. Our current Tax Code is antiquated, as we know. It is complex, and it ignores many of the improvements and competitiveness, which have been adopted by every other major economy worldwide.

The time for tax reform is now. Others have already outlined many of the highlights of this bill, but I think they warrant mentioning again.

Simplified compliance and rates for individuals and families means more than 95 percent of Americans will be able to file their returns on a postcard. Lower rates for small businesses recognize the important role they play as job creators in our economy. A 20 percent top corporate tax rate and transitioning to a territorial system will ensure our businesses remain competitive with the rest of the world.

In addition to lower rates, expanded expensing will further encourage entrepreneurs to invest in capital to grow their businesses, and full repeal of the death tax, including the continuation of step-up in basis, will ensure our Nation's farmers, ranchers, and small manufacturers can continue creating opportunity for generations to come without the threat of double taxation.

Our Tax Code shouldn't reward businesses and investors because they hired accountants and lawyers to help them avoid taxes, and the estate tax does exactly that right now. I think it is equally important to praise what the bill leaves alone in the Tax Code. With our impending entitlement crisis, we want Americans to save everything they can for retirement. This bill leaves those incentives intact.

It also excludes a proposal, which had initially been included in the bill, to apply self-employment taxes to rental income. This could have had serious repercussions for ag land rental, and I am glad it was dropped. And I particularly appreciate how this bill continues the deductibility of State and local taxes for businesses, including farmers and ranchers.

U.S. producers have made great strides in increasing production on a per-acre basis, but land remains a primary input as they work to feed the world. Ensuring the property tax on land and production remains deductible as business cost is vital to their continued success.

This is the moment to finally provide the tax relief Americans have been asking for and to make our country competitive again. I urge the passage of this progrowth bill.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on Rollcall No. 628.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2792 and to thank the gentlewoman from South Dakota for her tremendous effort on this piece of legislation.

This is a good bill which improves existing law and sends an important message: taxpayers should not provide benefits to individuals wanted by the police under outstanding warrants or parole violations for felonies or other serious crimes. Let me say that again. This improves existing, actually, bipartisan law, and it is not a new concept. It only applies to individuals with outstanding warrants for serious crimes.

The bill provides 4 years for the Social Security Administration to implement this law and to ensure benefits are not unfairly or improperly discontinued.

It also provides a process under which SSA notifies beneficiaries of issues with an outstanding warrant or parole violation and provides time for them to address the concern with law enforcement.

In addition, SSA is empowered to provide compassionate allowances for those with serious disabilities or medical concerns who are unable to clear their warrant in a timely fashion.

Mr. Speaker, this is a narrow bill which protects both law-abiding beneficiaries and taxpayers. It is important that we have these funds to help the needy families who are benefiting from the MIECHV program, the home visitation program, a unique Federal program that actually shows that it makes a positive difference in the lives of young people and young families.

Mr. Speaker, it is important that we look at the entire issue in a fiscally responsible way, where we have the funds through this bill to pay for the needs among needy families across America.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 3823) to amend title 49, United States Code, to extend authorizations for the airport improvement program, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend the funding and expenditure authority of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, to provide disaster tax relief, and for other purposes, with the Senate amendment thereto, and concur in the Senate amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet on Monday, October 2, 2017, when it shall convene at noon for morning-hour debate and 2 p.m. for legislative business.

Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 4 o'clock and 2 minutes p.m.), under its previous order, the House adjourned until Monday, October 2, 2017, at noon for morning-hour debate.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2824.

Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Chair, I rise in support of H.R. 2824, the Increasing Opportunity and Success for Children and Parents Through Evidence-Based Home Visiting Act. This bill would reauthorize the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program, known as MIECHV, for 5 years and make sure the program continues to focus on results.

I would like to note, this bill represents the first full reauthorization proposal Congress has considered for this program.

The Ways and Means Human Resources Subcommittee, which I chair, held a hearing on the program earlier this year. We solicited feedback from stakeholders, marked up a bill in committee, and today we are debating this bill on the floor. This is how Congress is supposed to work, and this bill is an example of Congress getting its work done.

The MIECHV Program helps support State and local efforts to provide voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services to parents and children living in communities that put them at risk of poor social and health outcomes, including in rural areas like those I represent.

Unlike many other programs that focus on money spent or people served, this program focuses on achieving real results for families. Specifically, this program promotes school readiness of young children, increases economic self-sufficiency of families, improves prenatal health and birth outcomes, and prevents childhood abuse and neglect.

Madam Chair, I have had the opportunity to see firsthand what home visiting looks like. In March, I spent time in Nebraska with the Panhandle Public Health District's Healthy Families America program in western Nebraska. The program focuses on improving the economic success and school readiness of vulnerable children and families in three Nebraska counties: Scotts Bluff, Morrill, and Box Butte.

During my visit, I met with Dawn, one of the program participants, who told me what it was like for her to work with a home visitor. Her home visitor helped her find a stable home and a steady income to provide for her growing family. These are the types of outcomes we should be expecting when we have programs to help those who are struggling to get ahead.

MIECHV works because funding is tied to evidence. Unfortunately, MIECHV is the exception, as few Federal social programs have been evaluated at all, and almost none condition funding on evidence of whether the program actually works.

In the Better Way agenda put forward by House Republicans last year, we proposed doing more of what MIECHV does: measuring how well programs are working to focus funding on those which produce real results. When we spend limited taxpayer dollars to help those in need, we must make sure we are spending money on effective programs. To do otherwise is a disservice to both taxpayers as well as those we are seeking to help.

On March 15 of this year, the Human Resources Subcommittee held a hearing on MIECHV. In the hearing, we heard from those with firsthand experience with home visiting programs, and their input was invaluable as we developed this proposal.

Both before and after the hearing, we sought input from States and others about how the program was working and how it could be improved and strengthened. These conversations also informed the bill before us today.

I should also note, there is broad bipartisan support for MIECHV, including from dozens of national organizations and hundreds of State and local organizations, including business leaders, law enforcement officers, faith-based groups, healthcare providers, child welfare advocacy organizations, and early education providers.

While I understand some of my colleagues would like to continue this program or even increase its funding without an offset, under the rules that govern this Chamber and our current deficits, it would be irresponsible and against the rules of this Chamber to fund this program without finding ways to reduce spending elsewhere. That is why we are considering this as part of a package of two bills today: this bill and the Control Unlawful Fugitive Felons Act of 2017, which will be considered later this week during its own debate.

Instead of increasing our Nation's debt, we should be doing more of what we are doing here today: prioritizing Federal spending and focusing on what works by improving the integrity of one program to provide funding for another.

Madam Chair, I am grateful for the time we are spending here today to consider the reauthorization of this important program, and I appreciate the opportunity to stand in support of this bill today.

I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Energy and Commerce,

Washington, DC, September 18, 2017.

Hon. Kevin Brady,

Chairman, Committee on Ways and Means,

Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Brady: I write concerning H.R. 2824,

Increasing Opportunity through

Evidence-Based Home Visiting Act, which was additionally

referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

I wanted to notify you that the Committee will forgo action

on H.R. 2824 so that it may proceed expeditiously to the

House floor for consideration. This is done with the

understanding that the Committee's jurisdictional interests

over this and similar legislation are in no way diminished or

altered. In addition, the Committee reserves the right to

seek conferees on H.R. 2824 and requests your support when

such a request is made.

I would appreciate your response confirming this

understanding with respect to H.R. 2824 and ask that a copy

of our exchange of letters on this matter be included in the

Congressional Record during consideration of the bill on the

House floor.

Sincerely,

Greg Walden,

Chairman.

Madam Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Meehan).

Madam Chair, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bishop).

Madam Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Estes).

Madam Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Walorski).

Madam Chair, I just want to add for the Record that the State of Florida matches their funds more than 2 to 1 already, so I am anxious to present the data here as it becomes necessary and is helpful to the exchange here.

Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Again, I would like to take this time to thank my colleagues for taking the time to consider the reauthorization of this important program.

The MIECHV Program has bipartisan support due to its focus on achieving real results for families. This program works because its funding is tied to real evidence. It is imperative that we continue this program in a responsible way, partnering with States to increase the program's success.

I might repeat that for emphasis. It is imperative that we continue this program in a responsible way--a reasonable way, I will add--as we partner with States to increase the program's success. This bill shows how we can prioritize our Federal spending, focusing on programs with evidence that shows they actually work.

I look forward to moving this bill forward to reauthorize the MIECHV Program so more Americans can get the help they need to get ahead.

Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Chair, this amendment seeks to establish a careful balance between two competing views in regards to where and how home visiting programs

should be operated. The law requires States to operate home visiting programs in areas of highest need. However, some States expressed concern that they have been required to operate home visiting programs in areas where they were likely to fail, as they were not permitted to take into account staff and community resources and other requirements of a home visiting model when choosing where to operate.

In the bill I introduced with my colleagues, we allowed States to take these considerations into account, and States were generally pleased with this change. However, since the introduction of the bill, we have received additional feedback that some changes might be needed to make sure States could take into account these factors but not simply avoid serving actual areas with the highest need, including rural areas and remote areas that I represent, as well as others.

During the Ways and Means markup of this bill, Representative Sewell offered an amendment to address this problem. Although we did not include her actual amendment in the reported bill, as we did not have enough time to review it and consider any unintended consequences, Representative Sewell and I have been able to review her proposal since the markup and discuss its implications. I am pleased today to offer this bipartisan amendment to address the concerns she and others have raised.

Specifically, this amendment, combined with the language in the underlying bill, allows States to take into account staffing, community resources, and other requirements when determining how to operate their home visiting programs, while requiring that they operate at least one home visiting model in those communities with a high need for services. This ensures States do not shy away from some of the most difficult areas, which are often those that need home visiting services the most.

I am glad we have been able to work together on this bipartisan amendment, and I urge my colleagues to support the amendment as well as the underlying bill.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, again, I am grateful that Ms. Sewell and I could work together to come up with this amendment. I certainly urge its adoption as we do move forward with the bill.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, since the creation of the MIECHV Program, States have been required to demonstrate their home visiting programs result in measurable improvements in six benchmark areas specified in the law.

One of the benchmark areas States can choose to focus on is ``improvements in family economic self-sufficiency.'' Yet, as the result of changes made last year under the prior Presidential administration, ``economic self-sufficiency'' no longer means what you think it means--increasing work and earnings. Instead, it was defined as whether you have health insurance or are in school.

Clearly, this is not what Congress meant when the program was created and included the concept of economic self-sufficiency. So this bill would make sure that States, if they choose to focus on family economic self-sufficiency as one of the four benchmarks of the six, would measure employment and earnings as a part of that metric.

Again, States can choose among six different benchmarks when they decide which home visiting programs to operate and what goals they would like to achieve within those previously established by Congress. They don't have to choose this metric, as I mentioned earlier. However, when they do explicitly set out to increase economic self-sufficiency-- emphasis on the economic--information on work and earnings must be part of what is measured to determine whether they have achieved their goal. I believe it is absolutely critical that this intent be restored in the law.

Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment and support the underlying bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, again, I urge my colleagues to oppose the amendment as well as support the underlying bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, even though I am not opposed to it.

Mr. Chairman, I support this amendment, the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program, that is designed to serve families with young children living in communities at risk of a range of negative outcomes.

Today, HHS allocates money for MIECHV based on the share of children under age 5 in families at or below 100 percent of the Federal poverty line living in each State and territory.

It is imperative that the distribution of funds is done using the most accurate and up-to-date information so we can use our limited resources to target those most in need.

I thank the sponsors of this amendment, Representatives Murphy, Gonzalez-Colon, and Velazquez, for bringing this issue to our attention and for offering this amendment.

Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I urge support of this amendment and the underlying bill so that we can help children.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Mr. Speaker, I claim the time in opposition to the motion to recommit the pending bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the motion to recommit. This bill is the result of an open process. In fact, several amendments were agreed to--in fact, one sponsored by my colleague who just spoke--and so I think we should reject this procedural motion so we can move on to pass a good underlying bill with modest reforms.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 513.

Amendment No. 186 Offered by Mr. Ellison

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Arrington for yielding. It is great to join him and others here this evening to really celebrate rural America.

A lot happens in rural America. Oftentimes, it kind of flies under the radar. That is okay. That is generally the way rural Americans like it. It is interesting. As I represent the 75 counties of Nebraska's Third District, it is part of two different time zones and just a diverse perspective there of many different Nebraskans.

I would say that anecdotally, at least, the most common request among my constituents is to be left alone. And it is interesting that when we talk about policies like waters of the U.S. or various--healthcare, interestingly, you know, a lot of promises were made there that haven't panned out, and so I am grateful that I can represent so many Nebraskans who are focused on solutions, and I seek to really reflect their ideas as solutions here in Washington.

Obviously, there is a lot happening now. I would say all too much or all too often there is so much bickering that we can't get to the solutions that we know will help the American people.

I am proud to represent the top producing agriculture district in the country, and of course, with 75 counties, we have a lot of production, whether it is livestock, whether it is row crops. I am happy to have helped start the Modern Agriculture Caucus, and I am grateful for colleagues participating in this effort to focus on new ways of doing things in terms of agriculture.

We know that, obviously, agriculture has been around a long time, and things change. Resources can change oftentimes, but I am glad that we can focus on new ways of doing things that we know are good for the environment. We conserve resources, natural resources and others, as we focus on research that has led to increased yields for our crops so that we can help feed the world.

We know that many countries around the world look to America as leaders in agriculture, especially production agriculture, and so I am glad to help reflect to those successes, help celebrate those successes.

Who would have thought that not so long ago, who would have thought that today, we can have record yields amidst a drought. That not only helps producers, that helps consumers, and that literally helps every person around the world.

And America is a big country, we know that, and oftentimes there seems to be somewhat of a disconnect between rural America and urban America.

Interestingly, I like to share this story. There was a very well- meaning civil servant who visited rural Nebraska a while back, and we were touring part of Nebraska. We turned onto a gravel road, and this well-meaning individual said it had been about 20 years since he traveled on a gravel road.

I don't think there was any intended disrespect at all, but certainly a difference of perspective. And so here we are, literally raising the awareness of all of America in terms of what we can do in rural America as we do focus on helping feed the world, helping feed America, certainly, but applying biotechnology out across the fields and across the prairies of rural America.

And when it comes to trade, we know that we are good at producing agriculture products. We want to sell our products around the world, especially when 96 percent of these customers reside outside our country. So that is why I hope that we can focus on trade policies moving forward so that we can bring some prosperity to the home front amidst a struggling ag economy.

Let us be honest about that. Crop prices are not what they were, but property taxes are still high, input costs are still high, and we want to do what we can to bring stronger market prices to agriculture.

That is why we want to and we need to focus on the global economy that is so important.

I am grateful to have the opportunity to stand here and really celebrate rural America, as we do have so many of the solutions that our country needs right now.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on H.R. 2842.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support to talk about H.R. 2842, the Accelerating Individuals into the Workforce Act.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are more than 6 million job openings, the highest level since the government started tracking the data in the year 2000. At the same time, the share of Americans participating in the workforce is near a four-decade low.

Moving welfare recipients into employment is a central goal of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, or TANF. Yet only half of all TANF recipients receiving cash assistance are working or preparing for work.

Some TANF recipients have a difficult time transitioning from welfare into a job, so these types of on-the-job work experiences aid in the transition. The same goes for employers who may be reluctant to hire welfare recipients with limited work experience or other barriers to working.

So the question is: How can we bridge the gap? How do we connect out- of-work Americans with all of the employers who want and need to fill job openings?

H.R. 2842, sponsored by Congressman Curbelo of Florida and Congressman Davis of Illinois, encourages employers to work with State and local agencies to hire TANF recipients. States would only be able to use this money to provide benefits to those who are working, providing paychecks in lieu of benefit checks, a key tenet to welfare reform.

Employers would take the lead by partnering with State and local agencies to hire TANF recipients, providing recipients with highly valued work experience and on-the-job training, including apprenticeships.

Earn-and-learn models help people become familiar with the workplace, gain needed skills, and earn a wage.

The bill reserves up to $100 million for 1 year from the TANF Contingency Fund, which has already been extended through the end of fiscal year 2018 to subsidize up to 50 percent of a TANF recipient's wage for no more than 12 months.

Fifteen percent of the funds would be set aside for career pathway programs, which combine work, training, and other supports to help individuals enter the workforce and move up the economic ladder.

Finally, high-quality evaluations would be used to determine whether these public-private partnerships were effective in helping welfare recipients move into jobs and retain work.

There is broad support from the employer community for helping low- skilled Americans gain on-the-job experience, and there is plenty of support here and across the country for tying government assistance to work or work preparation for those who are able-bodied.

Decades of experience tells us the most effective anti-poverty program is a job. It is helping low-income Americans earn success through the dignity of work.

Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the opportunity to stand with Mr. Curbelo in supporting this bill today, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 5 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Florida (Mr. Curbelo), the lead sponsor of the bill.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the efforts here today of my colleague from Illinois (Mr. Danny K. Davis) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Curbelo) working together focusing on solutions.

Mr. Chairman, we know that, this day and age, it is very easy to identify the problems and the challenges that our country faces. It is a little more difficult to come up with the solutions and bring people together. I appreciate the efforts of both sides coming together today.

I truly believe that the solutions to our challenges are out in the communities where needy families live, and we know we have many needy families across our country for various reasons. America is a big country. And when you look at the challenges that individuals might face economically, I hope that we can come together as Americans to focus on growing our economy, growing opportunity, hoping that we see, as our number one responsibility, the need to provide for opportunity in the future.

We can't set certain and determine certain outcomes, but we can certainly measure the outcomes from our efforts here in Washington. That is why this bill, very importantly, requires States to report on outcomes through this program. We know that we need to provide more flexibility for States. This does exactly that, and, even more so, with communities.

As we do get the feedback from the States, I hope that we will heed their advice because they are the folks who are more in touch with the needs of their various communities around their jurisdictions, all 50 States.

Mr. Chairman, they are experts, and I hope that we can work together with them here, on both sides of the aisle, in Washington, but also all across America with very diverse needs for needy families.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I am prepared to close if there are no more speakers. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I appreciate Mr. Curbelo and Mr. Davis for their leadership on this issue, and then colleagues from both sides coming together in a bipartisan way so that we can help more Americans get back to work.

This bill requires high-quality evaluations to determine whether these public-private partnerships are effective in helping welfare recipients move into jobs. These evidence-based results will be used to inform future policy decisions to reform our welfare system, similar to the approach taken in the mid-1990s.

I look forward to working with my colleagues on these important issues so more Americans can earn a wage and feel the dignity of work.

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, although I am not opposed to the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I support this amendment. It requires States to coordinate efforts under this bill with other Federal programs designed to help low-income individuals obtain the necessary skills to enter employment and climb the economic ladder.

Our Federal welfare system is large, fragmented, and growing in cost. The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service estimates that we currently operate over 80 programs that provide food, housing, healthcare, job training, education, energy assistance, and cash to low-income Americans. Reducing bureaucracy and streamlining a State's administration of employment and training services to low-income Americans is a step in the right direction.

Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment as well as supporting the underlying bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, again, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment as well as the underlying bill.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment, although I am not opposed.

Mr. Chairman, I support this amendment. This amendment provides further information to ensure we have high-quality evaluations requiring States to measure how many recipients entered employment in the same field they received on-the-job training. The more we know about how these programs work and their return on our investments is important when we make decisions down the road.

Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support the amendment as well as the underlying bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I thank Mr. Davidson for his efforts.

Mr. Chairman, I support this amendment. I hope that we can evaluate all of the programs that we have, coordinate among them, learn more about their effectiveness, and ultimately respect folks in need and do all we can that is appropriate to help lift themselves out of poverty.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment, although I am not opposed.

Mr. Chairman, I support this amendment.

This amendment simply requires that the high-quality evaluations include measurements or how many recipients participated in an apprentice or career pathway program, and any credentials earned along the way.

Earn-and-learn models--those where an individual is getting on-the- job experience, earning a wage, and learning new occupational skills-- are one of the best types of workforce development models the government can support. Apprenticeships, in particular, provide a combination of occupational on-the-job training and related instruction, helping to improve worker training and address critical skill gaps that align with the needs of industry.

We know that the best way out of poverty is through work, and apprenticeships provide a pathway to obtaining a successful career.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment as well as the underlying bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment, although I am not opposed.

Mr. Chairman, I support this amendment.

The first hearing I held as chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources was on the geography of poverty. People often think of poverty only as they see it in cities, not realizing poverty today is more common than ever in suburban and even rural areas.

People also underestimate poverty in rural and remote areas, not knowing the rates of poverty in these areas have, for decades, been higher than in urban areas.

This amendment ensures the Secretary takes into account rural areas and Indian Tribes when making recommendations on how to address employment-related challenges.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment as well as support the underlying bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and the underlying bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Chair, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 296.