Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 340.

Members Recorded Pursuant to House Resolution 8, 117th Congress

Axne (Spanberger)

Barragan (Gallego)

Beatty (Jeffries)

Bilirakis (Fleischmann)

Bowman (Tlaib)

Boyle, Brendan F. (Jeffries)

Brown (Mfume)

Cardenas (Gomez)

Carter (TX) (Calvert)

Cohen (Beyer)

Crist (Castor (FL))

Davis, Danny K. (Underwood)

DeFazio (Davids (KS))

DesJarlais (Fleischmann)

Deutch (Rice (NY))

Doggett (Raskin)

Fletcher (Escobar)

Gaetz (Greene (GA))

Gonzalez, Vicente (Gomez)

Granger (Cole)

Hagedorn (Carl)

Houlahan (Wild)

Johnson (TX) (Jeffries)

Keating (Clark (MA))

Kelly (IL) (Blunt Rochester)

Kind (Connolly)

Kirkpatrick (Stanton)

Langevin (Lynch)

Larsen (WA) (Connolly)

Lawson (FL) (Evans)

Mann (LaTurner)

McEachin (Wexton)

Meeks (Perlmutter)

Meng (Jeffries)

Morelle (Rice (NY))

Moulton (Kahele)

Mullin (Cole)

Norcross (Pallone)

Nunes (Garcia (CA))

Ocasio-Cortez (Garcia (IL))

Palazzo (Fleischmann)

Payne (Pallone)

Pingree (Kuster)

Rush (Underwood)

Salazar (Gimenez)

Schiff (Thompson (CA))

Sewell (Cicilline)

Sires (Pallone)

Smucker (Keller)

Speier (Scanlon)

Steube (Franklin, C. Scott)

Strickland (Jeffries)

Thompson (MS) (Butterfield)

Titus (Connolly)

Torres (NY) (Auchincloss)

Trone (Beyer)

Wagner (Walorski)

Wasserman Schultz (Soto)

Welch (McGovern)

Williams (GA) (McBath)

Wilson (FL) (Hayes)

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from Texas for her stellar leadership, for coanchoring tonight, and for all the support that she has continued to give, and the leadership of the CBC.

Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to speak about the importance of passing the Build Back Better Act, legislation nothing short of transformational for Black America.

It extends the child care tax credit for a year, cutting child poverty in half. In North Carolina, that is a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of children who go to bed hungry every night.

It puts $150 billion toward affordable housing, which has been described as the single largest and most comprehensive investment in affordable housing in history. In Charlotte and so many other communities across the country, that is real progress on our affordable housing crisis and real relief for over half a million Americans who don't have a roof over their heads.

As the chair of the CBC HBCU Caucus and cofounder of the Congressional Bipartisan HBCU Caucus, I am proud to say that this package provides approximately $10 billion specifically for historically Black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions, including $3 billion for research and development grants at these institutions and $6 billion for increased Pell grants and institutional support to lower the cost of college.

Universal childcare and pre-K will prepare children to receive the education that they need to succeed in school and be admitted to college.

As the cofounder and co-chair of the Black Maternal Health Caucus with Representative Underwood, I am also proud to say that the Build Back Better Act includes all eligible provisions of our Momnibus legislation and permanently expands yearlong postpartum Medicaid and CHIP coverage in every State.

The maternal health and morbidity crisis in this country is unacceptable, but the Build Back Better Act gets us closer to the day when every parent who enters the maternity ward and every child born in America makes it home safe.

Finally, I would like to take a point of personal privilege to recognize the hard work of our Congressional Black Caucus chair, Joyce Beatty, and all the members and committee chairs on this legislation.

I believe that promises made must be promised kept, and this package keeps our promise to all Americans. I implore my colleagues to pass the Build Back Better Act and the bipartisan infrastructure framework together. This is Our Power, Our Message.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak in strong support of reauthorizing the Family Violence Protection and Services Improvement Act. As a survivor of intimate partner violence, I can tell you that this piece of legislation is so very important.

For 37 years the bipartisan Family Violence Prevention and Services Act has supported survivors of domestic violence and their children. FVPSA helps local governments and service providers prevent violence. It protects families and victims in their most vulnerable moments. This time around, FVPSA has strong components of culturally specific programs, underscoring the sad truth: that victims from all communities need support.

This reauthorization comes at a critical time for State and local organizations in this space. The COVID-19 pandemic has not only led to an increase in domestic violence, it has also led to budget cuts for many organizations which work to combat violence.

Whether it is in the House of Representatives or the house next door or my house, we must always speak out against the harmful effects of violence, especially against women.

Madam Speaker, let's pass this bill. We will keep working for a future free from domestic violence and intimate partner violence.

Madam Speaker, I rise today as chair of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protection; co-founder and co-chair of the Black Maternal Health Caucus; as one of the original cosponsors of the bipartisan PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act; and as the mother of Jeanelle and Billy.

The issue before us today is one of equity and fairness. In our country, mothers often have to choose between providing for their families or nursing their babies.

The PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act ensures that millions of working mothers have the access and protections they need to nurse for as long as they choose to do so.

So, why is this Bill so important? As the co-chair of the Black Maternal Health Caucus, I know how important it is to break down the barriers that hold nursing mothers and their children back from the best possible health outcomes.

Every major medical authority strongly encourages nursing for at least the first year of life, as it provides significant health and nutritional benefits to both the mother and infant.

By closing an unintended loophole, the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act provides protection and support to an additional 9 million working mothers who have been forced to choose between nursing and earning a paycheck.

Fundamentally, this bill says that nursing mothers should not be punished for making the best choices for their health, and the health of their children.

Especially during this pandemic and America's maternal health crisis, I urge each of my colleagues to cast a vote for this critical legislation, and I urge the Senate to send it to President Biden's desk.

Madam Speaker, a woman who does not own or control her own body cannot call herself free.

I want you to close your eyes and imagine being forced to give birth during a global pandemic: fewer in-person visits, more telehealth visits; new parents having children alone without their families, worrying if the baby will catch the virus; something goes wrong, there may not be space in the ICU.

Now open your eyes to the truth. A woman should not have to yield control over her own choices and her own body.

So let's pass this bill, the Women's Health Protection Act. That is what we need to do.

Madam Speaker, I want to amplify the voice of Calla Hales, a woman in my district who is both an abortion care provider, and a mother.

``Last year, I made the choice to have a child with my

husband.

What I didn't choose was prenatal checkups with COVID

precautions. I didn't choose the complications I had during

my pregnancy. I didn't choose delivering my amazing baby girl

without my family because the pandemic limited the visitors

in the maternity ward.

I didn't choose worrying every day if she would be safe

from the coronavirus, despite her pulmonary issues.

I am proud of the choice that I made, in spite of

everything that's gone wrong over the past two years.

But no one should ever be forced to make that choice. No

person should be forced to carry a pregnancy to term, during

a global pandemic, or any other time.''

Madam Speaker, today, I introduced a Resolution to recognize National Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Conference Week.

HBCUs are an integral part of our society--academically, socially, and economically. Recognizing the value of HBCUs is vital as we continue to look forward to a more equitable society for all.

To that end, this Resolution provides a brief historical overview of HBCUs and how they came to be, and reaffirms our collective commitment to support the students of these colleges and universities.

Madam Speaker, today, I introduced a resolution commemorating August 30, 2021, as the 131st anniversary of the 1890 Institutions. This resolution celebrates the collaborative work the 19 historically Black 1890 Institutions, established under the Second Morrill Act on August 30, 1890, have undertaken to address the agricultural research and extension needs of the country.

Currently, the 1890 Institutions collectively serve over 88,000 undergraduate and graduate students, and like all Historically Black Colleges and Universities, have given so much to our community and our country.

As a proud 1890s graduate, I am honored to introduce this resolution, which recognizes the 131 years of significant and meaningful contributions the 1890 Institutions have made. These institutions are more than schools: they represent pathways to the middle class; they're cornerstones of our communities; and have unlocked so much potential that our country has too often ignored.

Madam Speaker, Congressman John Lewis earned his reputation as the conscience of this body because of his leadership during the long march for equal rights at the ballot box.

John and so many people of conscience and courage were arrested, beaten, bruised, and even murdered. The memory of being denied the right to vote still dwells in the minds of countless Americans. Many of those minds, like John's, survived crushing blows to the skull to earn that right.

John fought and bled for voting rights. He led the charge for voting rights. He should be honored by passing this bill drafted in his name.

We have had the promise of one man, one vote since the birth of this country, and we can't backslide on this progress.

The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act will help us get to the promised land where every person has the right to vote.

Madam Speaker, I introduced a resolution to recognize today, August 3, 2021, as Black Women's Equal Pay Day.

Two-hundred and fourteen days--that's how long into 2021 that Black women have to work to earn the same wage paid to white, non-Hispanic men. Black women are being paid 63 cents for every dollar white, non- Hispanic men are being paid.

The crossroads at which black women stand, between two walls of prejudice, one for race and one for gender, are unique and deserve singular attention. The toil and struggle of Black women stretches over centuries, and the acknowledgement of this has been too little, too late.

That is why I am introducing this Resolution to recognize August 3, 2021 as Black Women's Equal Pay Day. Because the value of those thirty- seven cents is so much more than thirty-seven cents.

It is equality, dignity, and independence.

America was founded upon imperfect equality, inequality, as we all recognize. But as America's history has shown us thus far, its arc of history bends towards equality.

I fervently urge my colleagues to examine the pressing issue of pay disparity that Black women face. When Black women are not paid equal wages, the negative impacts of lower pay are profound: lower pay impacts the lifelong ability of a Black women to pay for her education, her health, and food for her family.

Let this Resolution be the penny that brings forth great ripples of change.

Madam Speaker, today I introduced the Emergency Child & Adult Nutrition Assistance Act of 2021. This legislation will extend COVID-19 relief for both the Child and Adult Care Food Program and the school food authorities through the end of the 2021 school year to help cover their operational costs. This bill will also extend the availability of funds through September 2022. Additionally, each state that carries out a reimbursement program, will be required to submit a report on the use of such funds no later than March 2023.

As we continue to recover from the pandemic, many school districts and school food authorities are still facing major challenges to the fiscal sustainability of their school meal programs due to decreases in meals served and supplemental sales, and many adult and child care centers and after school programs continue to need support to feed children and adults in need during the public health crisis. The increased cost of food and supplies and the loss of revenue have dealt critical blows to funding for these essential programs.

The supplemental funding provided by the Emergency Child & Adult Nutrition Assistance Act will ensure that school meal programs and child and adult care programs have sufficient support to continue feeding the most vulnerable in our communities as we grapple with the continued impacts of this pandemic.

Madam Speaker, I thank the coanchor, Sheila Jackson Lee. I thank her for her stellar leadership and all of her diligent work and labor in this vineyard.

To the dynamic coanchor, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Torres), I thank him so very much.

To our illustrious chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, I am so very proud of her work and very proud of her leadership, and I thank her so much.

Power is what makes the difference in lives and communities. The first thing you have to understand about power and how to get it: You don't ask somebody how to get it, where it is, if you can have it. You take it.

Madam Speaker, I rise tonight to talk about our most fundamental right in a democracy, the power of the vote, the right to vote.

While we have made amazing strides over the past century--votes for women, voting rights for Native Americans and indigenous people, the end of racist Jim Crow laws that completely suppressed the Black votes in certain States, and lowering the voting age to 18--we are still marching because the promise of one person, one vote continues to be abridged by State legislatures across the country.

Marches, sit-ins, and protests are part of our rights as Americans, but we shouldn't have to March 245 years after the Declaration of Independence. We shouldn't have to march 151 years after the 15th Amendment guaranteed Black Americans the right to vote. We shouldn't have to march a full century after women's suffrage.

But we will continue to march, and we will continue to make our voices heard until every adult citizen can freely, fairly, and easily access the ballot. To cast a vote is at the core of what it means to be American. It is how we build a more perfect Union.

Here in the House, we have passed voting rights bills that bring us closer to a more perfect Union. As we await the support of our Senate colleagues on this urgent matter, the issue of voting rights, I want to leave you with this because I have to tell you that, in my State of North Carolina, there is a lot of mischief going on, and there has been for a number of years.

As the gentlewoman knows, my district was considered to be the district that they described as ``surgical precision.'' It continues to be a problem.

I have been a State legislator for 20 years. I have witnessed legislation that targets African Americans with almost surgical precision and imposes cures for problems that did not exist--that is, unless you think African Americans voting is a problem.

Congress cannot tolerate State-level attempts to curb our most fundamental right. Now is the time to make sure that every American who can vote has the opportunity to do so. This is our power, our message.

Madam Speaker, I am honored today to stand on the floor of the House of Representatives to pay tribute to and to honor the life of a trusted friend of 4 decades, a cherished mentor, and an extraordinary woman of faith, Mrs. Leona Jane Brown Fernander Samuda.

Rosie, as I knew her and she was fondly referred to by her family and friends, passed away on June 14, 2021.

I extend my sympathy and condolences and prayers along with the more than 700,000 citizens of North Carolina's Twelfth Congressional District to the Brown, Fernander, Samuda families during this difficult time.

Born in Alice Town, Eleuthera, Bahamas, Rosie was a woman who spoke her mind, never mincing words, always genuinely wise in thought and deeds.

A mother, grandmother, great-grandmother who raised six children, five boys and one girl, she was the rock and fortress of her family.

A matriarch to family and community, Rosie shared her many talents, including cooking her favorite mac and cheese to the love she and I both had for wearing hats.

Rosie's glowing smile, the infectious personality that she had, and always a few jokes, made her a lover of people who loved her back.

A global citizen, she never met a stranger and was genuinely interested in the politics of every community where she lived, from the Parliament in her native Bahamas to the Black community politics in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Always engaging, interacting with political leaders, advocating for human and civil rights, Rosie never ceased to make her opinions known.

Rosie's contributions were extensive and her lessons invaluable. Rosie loved children and she became an entrepreneur and a businesswoman who owned and operated Aunt Jane's Edu Care for preschoolers.

Widely traveled, living in places such as Switzerland, Chippingham, and as a resident in my district in Charlotte, she studied and earned her degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Small in stature, Rosie was a mighty little giant who made an indelible impact on so many people for more than eight decades, and I was blessed to have known her and have her as a friend.

Mrs. Leona Jane Brown Fernander Samuda, dedicated woman of faith, gained the respect of men, women, and little children, and she made this world much better than she found it.

She served to fulfill the scripture in Psalm 84:10, which says: ``Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.''

Rest in peace, Rosie. We love you. We miss you.

Madam Speaker, I am honored today to stand on the floor of the House to honor the life of a cherished friend and extraordinary North Carolinian, Andrea L. Harris, a resident of Henderson, North Carolina, who passed away on May 20, 2020.

Her death leaves a tremendous void throughout our State, but her life's work is a lasting reminder of her courageous fight for civil and human rights, social justice, and building Black wealth.

A bold voice of reason for the underrepresented, her work helped improve the quality of life for so many.

A proud alumna of Bennett College, an advocate for HBCUs, a shero for Black businesses, this ``mother of minority enterprise'' was always about making good trouble.

She cofounded the North Carolina Institute for Minority Economic Development, serving as president for more than two decades.

Andrea L. Harris made our State, our community, and our world much better than she found it and fulfilled the Scripture in Psalms 84:10, which says: ``Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.''

Rest in peace, my friend.

Andrea, we love and miss you.

Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Beatty for yielding. I thank Representative Torres for his leadership and thank Chairwoman Beatty for being such a phenomenal leader and a role model for all of us.

I am pleased to be here tonight to support the Congressional Black Caucus members, known as the conscious of the Congress, not only because of what we believe, but because we show up on days like this.

I rise tonight to talk about an essential infrastructure investment, an investment in our historically Black colleges and universities.

Earlier this year, the bipartisan leadership of the HBCU Caucus, Representative French Hill from Arkansas, Senator Chris Coons from Delaware, and Tim Scott from South Carolina, as well as our vice chairs, Representative Terri Sewell and Mike Turner, came together to introduce the bipartisan IGNITE HBCU Excellence Act.

We introduced this legislation to help light a fire for our schools. The IGNITE HBCU Excellence Act represents a historic investment in both the physical and the digital infrastructure of our historically Black colleges.

Our Nation's HBCUs deserve a level of investment and engagement reflective of their multibillion dollar impact on our Nation's economy and their collective impact on the minds of millions of our Nation's future leaders.

We have bipartisan agreement on that. Don't just take it from me. In the words of Senator Tim Scott, ``HBCUs have educated and produced top- notch graduates in every field--all while operating on minimal budgets. I can only imagine what more they will accomplish with proper funding.''

Our Nation's low-income, first-generation college students deserve that opportunity, and to ensure that that happens, the schools that they attend must be made whole. There are more than 102 across this Nation. I had the privilege of serving for 40 years on the campus of Bennett College in Greensboro, and I am a graduate twice of North Carolina A&T State University, and Johnson C. Smith University is in my district.

Finally, as we have a national debate about infrastructure in Congress and across the country, I want to make one thing clear, that the IGNITE HBCU Excellence Act is not only an infrastructure bill, it is also a jobs bill. And this bill creates jobs and enables HBCUs to continue to be a critical source of diversity in the workforce. This bill has the potential to create over half a million jobs while investing in critical HBCU infrastructure.

Historically Black colleges and universities are essential infrastructure for the next generation of students, workers, innovators, athletes, creators, thinkers, and leaders, and that is why we need to pass the most transformative legislation for historically Black colleges and universities in history. You have got to rectify over 150 years of neglect, broken promises, and institutional racism.

Any infrastructure package that leaves this House must include a historic investment in our HBCUs. I am not going to rest until we remove all of the barriers to their success and the success of our HBCU students.

So I ask my colleagues to please join me in our bipartisan list of over 70 cosponsors in the House and Senate in supporting the IGNITE HBCU Excellence Act. Our power. Our message.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his work on this bill.

Although House Democrats continue to work for an end to the pandemic, COVID-19 has changed the American workforce. People from all walks of life have suffered. Older Americans in the workforce continue to feel the fallout from the coronavirus.

The perception that older workers are not as valuable as their younger counterparts persists. The myth that older workers are unproductive and costly persists. The idea that older Americans do not value their careers, their job, or their work persists. Because of these challenges, older workers are more likely to remain out of the workforce when they lose a job.

Age discrimination is a real threat to our workforce, but it doesn't have to be that way. That is why the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act is so very important. Older workers need specific protections under the law.

As we look ahead to a stronger economy and upcoming legislation, I urge Members to remember the importance of older workers to our economy, to our workforce, and to our families.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter from the group Paralyzed Veterans of America.

Paralyzed Veterans of America,

Washington, DC, May 24, 2021.

Hon. Robert Scott,

Chairman, Education and Labor Committee,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) is

pleased to support reintroduction of the Protecting Older

Workers against Discrimination Act (POWADA). PVA is the

nation's only Congressionally-chartered veterans service

organization solely dedicated to representing veterans with

spinal cord injuries and/or disorders. POWADA is important to

our members as people with disabilities because it will

restore well-established legal standards on workplace

discrimination that were undermined by a 2009 Supreme Court

decision.

In 2009, in the case of Gross v. FBL Financial Services,

the U.S. Supreme Court decided to impose a much higher burden

of proof on workers who allege age discrimination than on

those who allege discrimination based on race, sex, national

origin, or religion. By changing the legal standards in age

discrimination cases--from having to prove that age played a

role in the worker's treatment to having to show that age

played the decisive role in the worker's treatment--the Court

set aside decades of legal precedent and signaled to

employers that some amount of age discrimination is

permissible. Moreover, the decision made it exponentially

more difficult for workers who have experienced age

discrimination to seek redress in court and prove their case.

Many courts began applying the Gross decision to weaken

other civil rights laws, including disability discrimination

cases. In 2019, in the case of Natofsky v. City of N.Y., the

Second Circuit joined the Fourth, Sixth, and Seventh Circuits

in ruling that disability discrimination under the ADA and

the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 must be established under the

higher, ``butfor'' standard. Federal courts have

consistently, but in our view erroneously, applied Gross to

claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), ADA

retaliation, and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Some courts

have questioned the applicability of Gross to disability

claims without deciding the issue, but no court has declined

to apply Gross to the ADA/Rehabilitation Act. Some courts

have even begun to apply Gross to disability discrimination

in public accommodations.

The unemployment rate for workers with disabilities is

almost double the rate for workers without disabilities. For

all the workers affected by the Gross decision, POWADA is a

jobs bill.

By clarifying that discrimination may play no role in

employment decisions under the ADA and certain other laws,

this legislation would simply restore the law prior to the

Gross decision.

PVA appreciates your continued pursuit of this important

legislation and urges Congress to act swiftly on its passage.

Sincerely,

Heather Ansley, MSW, Esq.,

Associate Executive Director.