Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6758, the SUCCESS Act.

As the world's leader for innovation and entrepreneurship, the United States has historically been a breeding ground for the best ideas and creative approaches that improve our quality of life and solve some of the world's most complex problems. However, currently, women, people of color, and low-income communities hold significantly fewer patents than other demographics. A recent study even showed that children born to parents in the top 1 percent of income are 10 times more likely to become an innovator and hold a patent than those born into low-income families. Innovation should not be a skill set only available to the superrich or those with the most resources.

The SUCCESS Act is an important first step to better understanding why the patent gaps exist. It will take a collective effort to create a more equitable system. With data collected via the SUCCESS Act, timely research and the number of programs across the Nation addressing underrepresentation, the Federal Government can better promote policies that increase the opportunity for those underrepresented groups to successfully qualify.

I strongly believe that it is our duty to ensure that all people have an equal opportunity to compete for patents and participate in the innovation economy. The future of American innovation is diverse, and the SUCCESS Act will help us begin to close the gap in patenting and ensure that all innovators, creatives, and patent seekers have a seat at the table.

Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to support this legislation.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chair, I offer this amendment to underscore the importance of the EPA's Environmental Justice Program.

H.R. 6147 cuts more than $700,000 in funding from this important program that has made an incredible difference in many communities across the country, including in my State of North Carolina.

The Environmental Justice Program supports and empowers communities as they work to address significant environmental and public health issues at the local level.

In North Carolina, this program has provided funding for 13 different initiatives since 2001, including the Environmental Justice Education and Research Center at Shaw University, which engages high school and college students in environmental justice research; the Healthy Homes Greensboro collaborative, which works to reduce housing-related asthma hospitalizations in low-income, minority neighborhoods resulting from exposure to toxic chemicals; and Clean Energy Durham, which runs a volunteer-driven, neighbor-to-neighbor energy education program for low-income residents of Lee County.

Nationally, this program has helped do everything from cleaning contaminated soil on reservations to managing oil spills from an abandoned power plant in Cleveland.

This program has had a measurable benefit for the people who live closest to pollution sites. This is crucially important, as people of color and people with little means are often the most affected by environmental injustice.

In fact, the environmental justice movement began in Warren County, North Carolina. In 1982, a small, predominantly African American community in Warren County was designated to host a hazardous waste landfill. In response, the NAACP and others staged a massive protest. More than 500 civil rights activists were arrested during the nonviolent sit-in protesting the landfill. While their protests failed to prevent the landfill's construction, it did spark a movement, and it has served as a model for fighting against environmental injustice since.

The EPA's Environmental Justice Program helps communities fight against these same forces. It works to ensure that no group of people should bear a disproportionate share of negative environmental consequences from commercial operations or policies.

H.R. 6147 cuts more than $700,000 in funding from this program, and that is unacceptable. Funding for this program should be increased, and substantially more than the $6.7 million that was appropriated in fiscal year 2018.

Cutting out funding for this program neglects dozens of communities of color, subjecting them to filthy air, unsafe drinking water, and the health impacts that go along with that. This amendment simply highlights that fact and challenges that Congress must do better.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman, but I respectfully disagree with my colleague.

The EPA's Environmental Justice Program provides substantial help to communities directly affected by pollution and negative environmental consequences.

Too often, it is communities of color or low-income communities that are disproportionately affected by negative environmental effects.

A study released this February by EPA scientists found that, in 46 States, communities of color are more likely to be exposed to higher levels of dangerous air pollution than White communities. Additionally, in 2012, a study by the NAACP found that coal-fired power plants are disproportionately concentrated near communities of color.

Thankfully, the Environmental Justice Program and their initiatives like the Environmental Justice Small Grants Program have helped to support and empower underserved communities across the Nation as they develop solutions to environmental pollution.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, may I ask how much time I have remaining.

Mr. Chair, I yield to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum).

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

Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 1700, the SCORE for Small Business Act of 2018.

There are nearly 30 million small businesses in the United States, representing more than 99 percent of all businesses. These small firms employ nearly 50 percent of all private sector employees in the United States.

These trailblazers play a critical role in the American economy. They take great risks by launching new ventures, developing new products, and establishing new industries; and, ultimately, these brave efforts help spur growth in our economy.

The Small Business Administration, SBA, is a vital part of their support system. The SBA administers a portfolio of Entrepreneurial Development programs, which includes the Service Corps of Retired Executives, better known as SCORE.

Through this program, the SBA has undertaken efforts to connect new entrepreneurs and small-business owners with more experienced businessmen

and -women. This expansive network consists of entrepreneurs, business leaders, and executives who volunteer as mentors to small firms both in-person and online.

SCORE has grown to become one of the Federal Government's largest volunteer business adviser and mentoring programs. In 2017, 59 percent of SCORE's clients were women, 39 percent minorities, and 11 percent veterans.

My legislation reauthorizes this essential program so that it will continue to have the ability to meet the needs of entrepreneurs. With technology enhancements and streamlined service processes, SCORE mentoring will now be accessible to business owners, no matter their location.

I urge Members to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I do have the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Evans), who will speak on this issue.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Evans).

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

I do want to thank Chairman Chabot for his support.

There is no question that we need to support our small businesses across the country, no matter their location, industry, or expertise level. My bill, H.R. 1700, provides that critical support by reauthorizing a major component of SBA's entrepreneurial programs and clarifying the utilization of the volunteer base.

This bill is supported by the SCORE Association and is reflective of the growth of this program that actively engages business owners, as well as retired executives, to mentor the next generation of job makers.

I want to again thank Chairman Chabot for working in a bipartisan manner to help our Nation's small businesses and for his support to reauthorize SCORE.

I would urge all of the Members to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

I rise to support H.R. 2655, the Small Business Innovation Protection Act of 2017.

Innovation is an indispensable driver of economic growth and it ensures America's competitive edge in the global marketplace, but many small innovators who should have IP rights are disadvantaged by a complex system which allows their property to be pirated. Much of the time, all they needed was access to the resources, the expertise, and the knowledge to obtain, monitor, and enforce their rights.

H.R. 2655 corrects this by creating a partnership between the two agencies best suited to help these innovators: the Small Business Administration and the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

By leveraging existing IP education and training programs and utilizing the immense network of Small Business Development Centers, innovators will have all the necessary resources to better protect their interests both domestically and internationally.

I applaud Representative Evans for recognizing the problem and working to advance the interests of our Nation's small businesses.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Evans).

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

Mr. Speaker, intellectual property protections offer small innovative firms and entrepreneurs much needed

protection at home and in other countries.

In fact, small business firms with IP rights earned 32 percent more in revenue on average per employee when compared to their counterparts without IP rights.

Without those protections, our economy may not be what it is today.

H.R. 2655 offers necessary education and training to sustain America's competitive edge and drive continued economic growth.

As such, I once again urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the thousands of families being ripped apart by President Trump. Like the majority of Americans, I vehemently oppose Trump's cruel and immoral zero-tolerance policy.

In less than 2 months, nearly 2,000 children have been snatched from their parents. Why? Because this administration is willing to use toddlers as bargaining chips for a wall.

This Trump-created nightmare is absolutely unacceptable. This executive order does nothing to stop immigrant families from being detained. What a shame.

Congress has the responsibility to act and create a bipartisan solution. The Ryan immigration bill is not that. It codifies hatred, putting families at greater risk.

I urge my colleagues to abandon this hyperpartisanship and find a way to keep all families together and to reunite these children with their parents.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from New York and the gentleman from Pennsylvania for organizing this event tonight. Thank you for allowing me some time.

Like many of my colleagues, I have come to the floor to speak on this topic too many times. In the last year, we witnessed dozens of school shootings, and each time we say it is too soon to discuss a solution to the violence.

Instead, we call for a moment of silence. Mr. Speaker, it is not too soon, but it will soon be too late. Thoughts and prayers and silence, they just aren't enough. We need action, and we need it now.

In 2018, there have been more than 20 school shootings, which have resulted in more deaths than lives lost in military combat. Students and their parents shouldn't have to wonder whether they are safe in school. They shouldn't have to fear going to school.

As a grandmother and mother and retired educator, that shocks me. As an American, that infuriates me. It is time Congress has the moral courage to act. Like Fannie Lou, I am sick and tired of being sick and tired of the same old 1 minute, 1 minute, 1 minute rhetoric. We owe the students and families of Santa Fe and Stoneman Douglas and Sandy Hook and Columbine and all of our children all over this country so much more. No more executions. Let's pass some legislation to help end this tragic epidemic immediately.

We must not wait. Our Nation can't wait any longer and our children can't either, so let's do the right thing because it is the right thing. You know, the time is always right to do what is right.

Mr. Chair, I want to thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Chair, I rise today to voice my strong opposition to the 2018 Republican farm bill.

As a member of the House Committee on Agriculture, I have participated in countless hearings about the needs of our Nation's farmers and families that depend on SNAP to fight hunger.

Tragically, this bill doesn't reflect any of that testimony. It is a shortsighted, partisan bill that will have a detrimental impact on communities like mine. I cannot support it.

In my home county of Mecklenburg, North Carolina, more than 55,000 households depend on SNAP to eat every day. This bill would rob them of access to quality nutrition programs. In North Carolina, it is estimated that more than 133,000 people will lose their SNAP benefits if this bill passes, including over 51,000 children. Nationwide, 2 million people would be kicked off the program and an estimated 265,000 children would lose access to free or reduced meals at school. No eating at home. No eating at school.

Adding new work requirements through an unfunded, untested mandate will bankrupt States and force more needy people out of the program. Let's scrap this flawed partisan farm bill and let's work together in regular order to draft a bill that helps America's farmers and families who depend on nutrition assistance.

Mr. Chair, I include in the Record a letter from Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, opposing H.R. 2 because of the detrimental effects and impact that it will have on our children and families there.

Mecklenburg County,

Charlotte, North Carolina, April 17, 2018.

Congresswoman Alma Adams,

House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Dear Congresswoman Alma Adams: As you mark-up of the Farm

Bill reauthorization, H.R. 2 this week, I write to you in

support of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

(SNAP) funding, formerly known as Food Stamps, which has

historically made up a significant part of this legislation.

This vital program offers nutrition assistance to millions of

eligible, low-income individuals and families and provides

economic benefits to communities. In total, more than 40

million low-income people depend upon this program to keep

their families fed.

The Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 (H.R. 2) is the

legislative vehicle for reauthorizing and reforming the

programs of the Department of Agriculture through fiscal year

2023. The last enacted Farm Bill (PL 113-79) is set to expire

on September 30. The proposed reauthorization bill is

scheduled for markup with the House Agriculture Committee

this Wednesday, April 18. It contains several provisions and

budget cuts that are troubling and could detrimentally impact

our community.

The bill includes provisions that expand work requirements

and punish the least fortunate members of our community who

are often times unable to find employment. Specifically, the

bill makes it mandatory that recipients of SNAP, who are

able-bodied adults, ages 18 to 59, are either employed or are

participating in state-run employment or job-training

programs. Participants could be denied benefits for not

meeting the new work requirements. The first suspension of

benefits would be for 12 months, while a second suspension of

benefits would be up to 36 months. Under current law, the

SNAP program already has work requirements for able-bodied

adults aged 18 to 49. Additionally, the new Farm Bill would

include spending cuts, which would make fewer people eligible

for benefits and directly harm working-poor families.

Mecklenburg County has real concern that these proposed

changes in H.R. 2 would negatively impact some of our poorest

citizens and cause serious difficulties for our community's

most vulnerable populations.

Mecklenburg has 55,472 households that rely on SNAP to help

provide sustenance. The County also has specific concerns

with language in H.R. 2 that reduces spending by $5 billion

over 10 years through the ending of a broad-based categorical

eligibility that allows states to consider working poor

beneficiaries with higher incomes that put them above 130

percent of the federal poverty level.

We look forward to working with you on this important

effort. Please feel free to contact me if you have any

questions.

Sincerely,

Dena R. Diorio,

Mecklenburg County Manager.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Raskin for putting this Special Order hour together. I thank him for his commitment and for his concern.

I join all of my colleagues in opposing what is being proposed in terms of this farm bill.

Three weeks ago, my Republican colleagues on the House Agriculture Committee sat silently while Chairman Conaway introduced a partisan farm bill. Then they allowed him to preach about the many reasons why he feels that SNAP should be transformed from a feeding program to a work program, uninterrupted.

Then they voted for this flawed bill that takes food off of the tables of veterans, seniors, and children. Now they want to pass it through the House and push it forward with their agenda to starve our Nation's most vulnerable.

My Republican colleagues ought to be ashamed of this because Proverbs 22:9 says: ``The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.''

I have said it once, and I will say it again: I don't believe that the Lord is pleased with what we are considering in this bill.

In my home county of Mecklenburg, North Carolina, more than 162,000 people are considered food insecure. Worse, 50,000 of those are children.

In my community, more than 55,000 families depend on SNAP to help put food on their tables. No one should wonder where their next meal will come from. But, sadly, this is a reality for many, many people.

Last year, North Carolina Republicans introduced a bill on the State level that would have a similar impact to this partisan farm bill. Analysis of that bill shows that roughly 130,000 North Carolinians will lose their SNAP benefits if this bill passes, including 50,000 children.

Nationwide, the impact of this bill would even be worse: kicking 2 million people out of the program and causing an estimated 265,000 children to lose free or reduced lunch at school. So, no work, no eat?

If we are lawmakers and we aren't protecting our Nation's children, then I don't think we deserve to be here.

Republicans continue to push the idea that we need entitlement reform just to appease the Speaker. Well, I understand the Speaker has announced his retirement, and I would like for us to just retire the idea that this so-called reform is just numbers on a page because it is not. Real people depend on SNAP programs and, without it, they will go hungry. No one can expect to work if they are hungry. No child can expect to learn if the child is hungry.

More than $8 in $10 in nutrition assistance go to households that include a child, a senior, or a person with a disability. Additionally, many working Americans depend on SNAP to make ends meet in expensive cities where earning the minimum wage doesn't pay all of the bills. People work two and three jobs a day at minimum wage, leave work, and go to a food bank to eat.

Additionally, many American families depend on SNAP. Working hard is not enough if you don't make enough.

Instead of punishing working Americans, let's address the cause of the issue, and let's raise the minimum wage to a living wage.

Mr. Speaker, I join my Democratic colleagues in urging Chairman Conaway to scrap this flawed bill and return it to the drawing board. We can, and we should, craft a bipartisan farm bill that benefits all communities.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Raskin is so absolutely right. I think that is why people have generally lost faith in their government.

I mentioned a Scripture from the Bible, but there are 3,000 references--more than 3,000--that speak to how we should treat the poor. We are, I think, being derelict in terms of our duties. Yes, there seems to be a lot of corruption going on. We are not placing our priorities on the people. We are putting profits over people. That is so unfortunate because we were elected to serve everyone, including the poor.

The poor will be with us always. We have a responsibility to reach out and to give a helping hand, a help up. We are not talking about people who some folks think are lazy and they are not working. They are working, and they are the caregivers of the children.

Children live in poverty because their parents do. We must ensure that we can help those adults who help our children. We want our children to go to school and we want them to do well. Children will not do well if their stomach growls because they are hungry.

Mr. Speaker, I think Mr. Raskin is right. We have two worlds here: the haves and the have-nots. It is time to give something to those who have not.

Mr. Speaker, there are probably some lazy folks in here, too.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Raskin for those comments.

One of the reasons that I wanted to serve on the Agriculture Committee was because of the issues that are impacted not only in my district but throughout this Nation. Having so many people who are food insecure gave us an opportunity, I think, to do good in this farm bill. It is my understanding that we have never had a bill that was not bipartisan, and I think we need to think about that. The citizens of this country are looking to us to do what is right because it is the right thing to do.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Raskin is exactly right. Hunger is not a partisan issue.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life and legacy of my dear friend, Congresswoman Louise Slaughter. I didn't know her as long as many of my colleagues, but our brief association was profound and meaningful.

When I came to Congress 4 years ago, Louise Slaughter was one of the first to welcome me. She was always genuine, kind, and personally supportive, always pleasant, and she always made you feel really good.

As a history-making, trailblazing champion of women's rights and the only microbiologist, as you have heard, in Congress, Louise Slaughter fought for opportunity for all people. The impact of her years of advocacy and mentorship and friendship can be seen here today in the many colleagues who are standing together to honor her life.

Louise was a champion for the people from the great State of New York, but I like to think of her with Kentucky roots and a Southern accent, as a fellow Southerner at heart. She left big shoes to fill, but I know she would be proud to welcome in the next generation of leaders.

So I join my colleagues this evening in expressing my deepest sympathies for the family, for the friends, for the staff, and for the constituents that she leaves behind. She may no longer be with us on Earth, but her spirit and her passion for life will live on for generations to come. She clearly made our world much better than she found it.

Mr. Speaker, every day, over 162,000 people in my county of Mecklenburg are considered food insecure. Worse, 47,000 of those are children who risk going to bed hungry every night.

No one should have to wonder where their next meal will come from.

In 2015, I founded the Adams Hunger Initiative to bring together a coalition of advocates in Mecklenburg to end hunger in our community.

For over 3 years, we fought to protect important anti-hunger programs like SNAP, expand public-private partnerships, and find creative ways to the systemic issues that leave families hungry.

The coalition will visit Capitol Hill to continue advocating for our priorities.

During National Nutrition Month, we sent a letter to the chairman and ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee urging protection for SNAP benefits in the upcoming farm bill.

Thirty-five thousand households in Mecklenburg and 20.3 million nationwide rely on SNAP to put food on their family's table.

As Congress considers the next farm bill, we must protect nutrition programs for those who need them most and ensure that no one in Mecklenburg or in America goes hungry.

Mr. Speaker, I was absent 01/08/18 through 01/11/18 due to my recovery from surgery.

Had I been present, I would have voted: Roll Call No. 1, Present; Roll Call No. 2, YEA; Roll Call No. 3, YEA; Roll Call No. 4, YEA; Roll Call No. 5, YEA; Roll Call No. 6, YEA; Roll Call No. 7, YEA; Roll Call No. 8, NO; Roll Call No. 9, NO; Roll Call No. 10, NO; Roll Call No. 11, NO; Roll Call No. 12, YES; Roll Call No. 13, YES; Roll Call No. 14, YES; Roll Call No. 15, YES; Roll Call No. 16, NO; and Roll Call No. 17,

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Calvin Irvin, a native of New Jersey and a resident of Greensboro, North Carolina, who passed away November 25, 2017.

Cal, as he was fondly called, was an honorable man, dedicated to his community and to mentoring young student athletes. Over his career, he served as coach of Johnson C. Smith University's basketball team, and later as professor and head coach of North Carolina A&T's basketball team for 18 years.

Cal always emphasized the importance of education, ensuring the dedication and perseverance that his athletes learned on the court was also exhibited in the classroom.

A devoted citizen of the Greensboro community, he served in countless civic roles, including treasurer of the Convention and Tourism Bureau and a lifelong member of the NAACP.

He brought his generous spirit and his heart home with him, too. He was a loving husband to his beloved wife, Kathryn, and to his nephew who was like a brother.

As my longtime dear friend and supporter, Cal's golden heart shined a bright spot in my life, too. He will be sorely missed. His loss will be felt throughout our entire State and beyond.

My thoughts and prayers continue to be with his wife, Kathryn, his family, his friends, and his community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mayor Vi Lyles, who recently made history as the first African-American woman elected mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina.

A selfless and devoted public servant, Lyles' journey began in a deeply segregated South, requiring her to overcome numerous obstacles. After more than three decades in public service, she retired from the city of Charlotte and was then elected to serve two consecutive terms as a member of the Charlotte City Council, rising to mayor pro tem. Her leadership helped mold our city into one of the fastest growing cities in America and a beacon of the South.

Mayor Lyles, mother and grandmother, is one of my sheroes and a role model to many. Like strong African-American leaders who came before her, like Shirley Chisholm and Fannie Lou Hamer, Lyles' election shattered yet another glass ceiling.

As the 59th mayor of Charlotte, the story of Vi Lyles will be an inspiration to young girls and boys and women throughout North Carolina and the Nation for generations to come.

Join me in welcoming and congratulating our new mayor, Mayor Vi Lyles. I look forward to our continued partnership to move Charlotte forward.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include any extraneous material on the subject of this Special Order.

Mr. Speaker, for the next 60 minutes, we have a chance to speak directly to the American people on issues of great importance to the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congress, our constituents, and all Americans.

I acknowledge all the members of the Congressional Black Caucus who are here, and most specifically, Congressman Richmond, who helped to organize this Special Order hour.

As we convene tonight, we are going to recognize our HBCUs, and more specifically, the nine HBCUs under the caption of: 150 Years of Excellence.

I rise today to honor our Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and in particular, the nine schools that are celebrating 150 years.

As a member of the CBC's Task Force on HBCUs and as co-chair of the bipartisan HBCU Caucus, I have the distinct pleasure of honoring all of the following schools of the HBCU 9 for this remarkable achievement: Alabama State University; Barber-Scotia College; Fayetteville State University; Howard University, Morehouse College; Morgan State University; St. Augustine University; Talladega College; and from my very own 12th District in North Carolina, Johnson C. Smith University.

The achievement of these schools across the past 150 years are beyond remarkable and their reputation as incubators of innovation and Black leadership is an incredible accomplishment in and of itself.

From humble beginnings, these schools have been able to persevere, despite decades of discrimination and intentional neglect, in order to provide African Americans a first class education.

Mr. Speaker, I stand here today as a living testament to the necessity and the importance of HBCUs. My mother, who raised me, was not an educated woman. She wasn't able to obtain a high school education. She didn't attend an HBCU, for that matter. But she understood how important education would be in my life. She did domestic work. She cleaned other folks' houses so I wouldn't have to because she understood how important it was for me to go to school.

But like those visionaries who founded these schools after surviving the horrors of slavery, my mom dreamed of a better future for me, her daughter. When I could not fully recognize the potential in myself, it was an HBCU, North Carolina A&T State University, that saw something in me and made a committed investment toward my success.

North Carolina A&T State University gave a poor Black girl from the ghetto of Newark, New Jersey, an opportunity because it believed in opportunity and the fundamental importance of education that W.E.B. Du Bois spoke about when he said: ``Of all the civil rights for which the world has struggled and fought for 5,000 years, the right to learn is undoubtedly the most fundamental.''

A&T took me where I was. They got me to where I needed to be. They shaped and molded me into what they knew I could become. Just as our HBCUs have done for many of our colleagues who join me in the people's House today, our HBCUs are responsible for educating 20 Members of this esteemed body and one Member of the U.S. Senate.

But that is only a small part of the story that these schools are continuing to tell. HBCUs also contribute 50 percent of African- American professionals and public schoolteachers. They contribute 25 percent of all African-American STEM graduates, 40 percent of all African-American engineers, 50 percent of African-American lawyers, and 80 percent of African-American judges.

Most plainly, HBCUs are responsible for building today's African- American middle class--this is a record to be proud of--and, of all of these accomplishments, without the assistance and support from the government and our private sector partners that they need and deserve.

Mr. Speaker, as we stand here tonight, as the CBC, to honor HBCUs, we remain vigilant about the current dangers that they face. Many HBCUs still suffer from barriers for access for students, such as affordability, and the overall financial instability of both the students they serve and of the institutions themselves, due to a lack of access to funding.

As many of you know, one of my first tasks when I entered Congress was to launch the bipartisan HBCU Caucus, with my co-chair Bradley Byrne from Alabama. Vice chairing our caucus is Terri Sewell and Bennie Thompson, and French Hill on the Republican side. Since its inception, we have witnessed fortunate growth to a total of 58 Representatives and 2 Senators. We came together to create a national dialogue around HBCUs for our Members and their staffs about the issues impacting our schools. We also came together to draft meaningful bipartisan legislation.

In accomplishing the first aim, the willingness of Members to attend today illustrates that a national dialogue has begun. Before we leave here today, our Members and our staffs, who couldn't join us tonight, will, hopefully, learn and know the issues. To achieve the third legislative goal, it will take the collective effort of all of us who have been entrusted to work here in the people's House.

Tomorrow, I and my colleagues on the Education and the Workforce Committee will debate a reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, a flawed piece of legislation that, in many respects, will devastate HBCUs and their students. Consideration of this measure illustrates how we need that collective effort from both sides of the aisle to work together now, more than ever.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues tonight, dedicated to the achievement of HBCU students and graduates, to come together to work to increase access and career opportunities. I hope we can all, tonight, vow to take substantive action and recognize that the government cannot take on this aim and this challenge alone. Let's work with our private partners to create pathways of opportunity for our students, placing them in fields that will make the African-American middle class larger and stronger than ever.

Let's vow to continue listening to our HBCUs and their able administrators, to ensure that they have the tools and the resources to make that happen, for only then can we ensure that these valuable institutions not only survive, but that they thrive. We have a number of universities in North Carolina for public HBCUs and six private HBCUs, and we are so very proud of all of our HBCUs throughout this Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson), my colleague.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Mississippi for not only that valuable information, but for the work that he has done over the years and for making an HBCU choice. I did the same thing for my daughter. I said: You go wherever you want, my money is going to an

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Bishop), the Morehouse man. I thank him very much for his contributions tonight and for all he has done.

Mr. Speaker, may I ask how much time I have left.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio's Third District (Mrs. Beatty).

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Beatty) for her participation and for all of the work that she continues to do, and we are so very proud of her acknowledgment tonight of our HBCUs.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from the 14th District in Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence).

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Michigan for her contribution tonight and for her support of Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have remaining?

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the Third District of Virginia (Mr. Scott), who is the ranking member on the Education and the Workforce Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Virginia for his comments and for his work in education.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the Second District of Pennsylvania (Mr. Evans).

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for not only his support, but for his contributions to our Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the Sixth District of South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn), our final speaker, the Democratic Assistant Leader.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from South Carolina, and I can certainly associate myself with those remarks that you spoke about with Ron McNair. I, too, enrolled at North Carolina A&T not fully prepared, but they made a committed investment in me, and I was able to go on and receive my Ph.D. from the Ohio State University only because of North Carolina A&T, an HBCU which has done so much for all of our students.

I want to acknowledge Elizabeth City State University; Fayetteville State University; North Carolina A&T, my

alma mater twice; North Carolina Central University; Winston-Salem State University; Barber-Scotia College; Bennett College; Johnson C. Smith University, in my 12th district; Livingstone College; St. Augustine's University; and Shaw University. All of these colleges reside in North Carolina, and we are so very proud of the work that they are doing.

Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have remaining?

Mr. Speaker, let me just thank all of my colleagues for coming out tonight and to say that we are certainly very proud of our schools, and we celebrate them tonight and every day. We acknowledge the work that they have done. We acknowledge all of the corporate folks who have pledged to work with our HBCUs, our tech companies in connection with Howard University, and all of the other tech corporations that have stepped forward to help us and to help our schools and to continue to enable the young people who so ably deserve a college education are able to do that.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank all of my colleagues who came tonight and those who will join us as we continue to work on behalf of Historically Black Colleges and Universities so that they not only continue to survive, but that they thrive.

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

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

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 8 o'clock and 26 minutes p.m.), under its previous order, the House adjourned until tomorrow, Tuesday, December 12, 2017, at 10 a.m. for morning-hour debate.