Floor Statements

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

Mr. Chair, the Americans with Disabilities Act is landmark civil rights legislation. Americans with disabilities face real challenges every day. We should strive to support them every way we can.

When Congress passes a law, we have an obligation to make sure that legislation is working and see if improvements can be made. Under the ADA, business owners are responsible to make sure their business is fully accessible to those with disabilities. However, in some cases, business owners are unaware they are in violation of the ADA.

Most Americans can agree: rather than immediately face lawsuits for violations, business owners should be given time to actually fix what is wrong. This solution advances our shared goal of improved access for all members of the community. But in listening to my constituents in Sacramento County, many are concerned that the timeframe for fixing these violations was too long. And I agree.

In response, my amendment would cut the time businesses have to fix violations in half. This means, after the notification period, a business has 60 days to fix violations, instead of 120 days in the current bill.

In some cases, these barriers can and should be immediately addressed. But in a State like California, which is prone to earthquakes, construction permits can take time. Small businesses should be given a reasonable amount of time to make changes and better serve their customers.

Having heard both sides of this debate, I believe we can, and should, find a compromise that works for both. I have seen how hard Sacramento small businesses work and how important they are for growing our economy and creating good-paying jobs. As a doctor, I have seen firsthand the challenges of those with disabilities. This amendment seeks the middle ground and is a commonsense improvement.

Americans with disabilities deserve to live full, healthy lives, unafraid of barriers that restrict their movement.

Now, let me be clear: if a business does not make the modifications to obstructions once notified, they should be held accountable and there should be consequences.

When we work across the aisle, Washington can get things done for the American people. This amendment is a commonsense fix that makes the bill better.

Mr. Chair, I urge support of my amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe).

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of WEAVE, Inc. In 1978, WEAVE opened its first domestic violence shelter to survivors of domestic violence and their families.

In 1998, WEAVE became Sacramento County's sole Rape Crisis Center, providing 24/7 support to sexual assault survivors.

Since 2009, WEAVE has expanded its services to assist survivors of sex trafficking in the Sacramento region.

WEAVE partners with law enforcement, educators and community associations to maintain public awareness and education about domestic violence, sexual assault, and sex trafficking.

As the oldest and most comprehensive provider of domestic violence services, and the sole Rape Crisis Center, in Sacramento County, WEAVE operates shelters and safe houses across Sacramento County and administers multiple programs and counseling services for victims.

WEAVE has grown from a grassroots organization to a national leader in combatting domestic violence, sexual assault, and sex trafficking and has received several awards for its efforts.

WEAVE should be commended for continuing to build a community that no longer tolerates sexual assault, domestic violence, and sex trafficking, especially as sexual harassment and assault have become a national discussion.

I want to thank WEAVE for their continued service and commitment to the people of Sacramento County.

Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me in congratulating WEAVE on 40 years of service to Sacramento County.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from New York for his leadership on this issue.

Over 26 years ago I graduated from medical school and took an oath-- an oath that hundreds of thousands of doctors have taken over the years--to do good, to do no harm, and to help our patients make the best healthcare decisions that affect their own circumstances.

But this bill, Mr. Speaker, would criminalize the practice of medicine and questions doctors' judgments. This bill attempts to intimidate doctors from providing safe, evidence-based healthcare. It would set the precedent that those without medical training can make choices for patients and dictate medical practices.

Why are we having politicians fill in for doctors?

Get the politicians out of the delivery room and let doctors care for their patients.

There is no disagreement that every baby born should receive all the medical care and treatment to survive. We are all in agreement. That is not what this bill is about. This bill is an attempt to undermine a woman's access to safe and legal reproductive health services. It is a blatant attempt to intimidate doctors from practicing the medicine that is in the best interest of their patients.

That is why I, along with my colleague and fellow physician, Dr. Ruiz, attempted to offer an amendment that upholds existing law that healthcare providers must exercise the same skill, care, and diligence as they would any other child born at the same gestational age.

It would have stopped Members of Congress, most of whom have no medical training, from interfering with how doctors practice medicine, because these decisions should be between a doctor and their patients.

I have always said that a woman's healthcare decision should be between her and her doctor, and that being a woman is not a preexisting condition.

As one of the few doctors who serves in this Chamber, listen to your doctor. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.'' That is what this doctor orders. Listen to him.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical Society.

On March 18, 1868, twelve physicians formed the Sacramento Society for Medical Improvement, which is known today as the Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical Society.

The medical society's early goals of learning about diseases and cures, formulating public health, sanitation, and food safety ordinances, and supporting the principles and ethics of the medical profession continue to benefit Sacramento communities.

The Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical Society founded the Sacramento Board of Health and helped form the first State Board of Health in California.

SSVMS represents more than 3,500 physicians, medical students, residents and fellows. Thirteen SSVMS physicians have served as President of the California Medical Association and three have served as President of the American Medical Association.

SSVMS's RX Safe Physicians program has partnered with opioid task forces in Sacramento and El Dorado Counties to create a physician led coalition that is fighting opioid abuse.

As a member myself, I want to thank the Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical Society for their work over the past 150 years.

Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me in congratulating the Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical Society on 150 years of service to the Sacramento region.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the completion of the Folsom Dam Joint Federal Project.

This project has been nine years in the making and will provide critical increased flood capacity with Folsom Dam. Last week, the Army Corps of Engineers transferred control of the new auxiliary spillway to the Bureau of Reclamation.

In connection with the existing gates, the new auxiliary spillway will help release water more quickly from Folsom Reservoir to help create space for precipitation during our wet winters.

I want to thank all of the engineers, construction workers and staff from both the Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation who worked on this important project. These agencies worked together with the Central Valley Flood Protection Board and the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency to get the project completed.

The city of Sacramento faces the second highest flood risk in the country. So this new spillway is just one part of several infrastructure upgrades to increase flood protection in the region. I look forward to working with my colleagues to support the remaining upgrades including completing levee repairs, updating the water control manual, and raising the dam walls.

Finally, I want to also extend many thanks to Mr. David Thomas, who was the ACE Sacramento District Mega Project Center Director and the lead point person for the JFP.

Soon, Mr. Thomas will retire after more than 30 years of service in the Army Corps of Engineers. He has served in a wide variety of stations from New York and Houston to Italy, Afghanistan and Iraq. Mr. Thomas received his Bachelor's degree of Engineering in 1985 from Texas A&M University. In 1993, he attended the Army Management Staff College and also holds a Master's degree in Public Administration in 1995 from Harvard University.

I want to thank him for his work over the past 5 years here in Sacramento as the Mega Project Director and his instrumental role in to helping get this project across the finish line.

Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me in congratulating Mr. Thomas and wish him the best in retirement and his next adventure. The Joint Federal Project has been a great example of how cooperation should work between government agencies and what happens when we make government work on behalf of the American people

Mr. Chairman, here we go again. Today, we are debating a bill that many of my California colleagues and I have opposed time and time again on this House floor.

This bill allows Washington, D.C., politicians to pick winners and losers when it comes to California's water. Now, that is not right. This is a partisan bill that is opposed by both California Senators as well as our Governor.

Now, California water is complicated. It is a lot more complicated than healthcare. But it should be up to Californians to kind of decide how to use our water, what we ought to do with that water.

Water is incredibly critical to our State. This isn't about picking winners and losers. When we think about water, we have certainly got to have storage, we certainly know we are going to have conveyance, but we have got to do this in a California way.

Unfortunately, H.R. 23 is going to pit northern California against southern California while overriding California's own State laws. The bill is also going to gut environmental protections and threaten the critical Bay-Delta ecosystem.

I fish on the Sacramento River, and salmon fishing is incredibly important to the State of California as well as the States to the north of us. This bill is not going to be a good bill. It is going to devastate the fishing industry.

We also have to think about drinking water for northern California.

Folsom Dam is in my district and Folsom Lake is in my district. It provides not only flood protection, but Folsom Lake provides surface drinking water for a lot of my constituents. We tried to put a simple amendment in here that would actually protect the quality of that drinking water. Unfortunately, H.R. 23 would mandate pumping levels that could negatively impact the Folsom Reservoir water supply. That is going to place many of my constituents at risk.

This isn't a good bill. Let's kill this bill. Let's step back. Let Californians decide the best way to handle California water. That is what we ought to do.

Again, this bill is dramatic overreach. It is the Federal Government stepping into something that the State should actually decide. I hope my colleagues will join me in opposing this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce the House to our guest chaplain, Reverend Kevin Kitrell Ross, Senior Minister of Unity of Sacramento.

Kevin is regarded as a respected interfaith social justice leader, committed to building bridges of understanding and cooperation across race, culture, class, and religious lines.

Whether in his role leading one of the Nation's most diverse and integrated congregations, conducting diversity and implicit bias trainings, or being an outspoken activist for healing the crisis between law enforcement and communities of color, Kevin is dedicated to strengthening communities through dialogue, direct encounter, and education.

A South Side of Chicago native, Kevin is a Morehouse College graduate, a senior fellow of the American Leadership Forum, a member of the Interfaith Council of Sacramento, and a three-time delegate to the Parliament of the World's Religions.

Kevin and his wife, Anita, have three children and reside in Elk Grove, California. Anita is the founder of Women for Equality. They are both committed to building a world that works for all.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in welcoming Reverend Kevin Ross and thank him for offering today's opening prayer in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, I stand here not as a Member of the Congress, but as a doctor. And as a doctor, health care is about taking care of patients.

That is why the bill that might come before us is a bad bill. It raises the cost of care for many people. It makes millions of folks lose their health insurance. It raises the cost on elderly patients. There is an age tax in there.

This is a bad bill. Let's go back to the drawing board. Let's come together as Democrats and Republicans, and

let's make sure health care is available and affordable for every American.

I don't want to go back to the days where I would see a patient who may have cancer and I couldn't take care of them because they didn't have that healthcare coverage.

Let's go back to the drawing board. This is a bad bill. You guys know it is a bad bill. Let's do this, and let's come up with a better bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition of the so-called Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act. I agree with the chairman of the full committee that we don't want to take away Second Amendment rights from our veterans. In fact, our veterans have the skills and understanding of how to handle firearms. I think about this as a doctor, though, who has served veterans and who has worked in the VA system.

We have an epidemic on our hands right now. Every day, 20 veterans commit suicide. That is 20 too many. As someone who has sat in the exam room and listened to these veterans, if there is any evidence or risk of suicidal ideations, if there is any risk of that, I

don't want to take doctors out of this process, and that is what I am worried about here. My first job is to do no harm and to do good and help protect these veterans.

Two out of three veterans who commit suicide do so with a firearm. We have got to prevent this. This is an epidemic, and it is a national crisis, and we know gun suicides are preventible.

When we see those risks, I want to make sure I, as a doctor, have the ability to act and protect that veteran. We need to address this problem like the public health issue that it is. We need to continue to allow doctors to report the risks when they see them. It makes their patients safer, their communities safer, and it is the right thing to do.

I would love to work with my colleague, a fellow doctor and the chairman of the full committee, on making sure we protect our veterans.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to urge all of my colleagues, Democrats and Republicans, to oppose this bill that repeals the Affordable Care Act, and here is why.

I stand here not as a Member of Congress, but as a doctor. When I took the oath to enter medicine, like thousands of other doctors, there are really three basic ethics in there:

Benevolence: to do good.

Mr. Speaker, this bill does not do anything good. It makes it harder for people to get health care.

The second ethic was non-malfeasance: to do no harm.

Mr. Speaker, this bill is going to harm millions of Americans. It is going to pull healthcare coverage away from folks. In fact, I have heard from folks who have come to my townhalls and have talked about how the Affordable Care Act has saved their lives. If you pull health care away from them, people are going to get sicker, and some people may potentially die.

And the third ethic is patient autonomy: the ability of patients to make the choices that impact their lives.

Mr. Speaker, this bill does not empower patients to make their own choices. This bill limits those choices. It takes choice away from them.

This is a bad bill that goes against everything that we in the medical profession swear to when we enter the profession. That is why you see doctors standing up and opposing this bill, hospitals opposing this bill, and health plans opposing this bill. That is why, when patients see what is in this bill, you will see American patients pushing back.

If you thought the townhalls have been boisterous over the last few months, just try to pass this bill and take necessary health care away from folks. You are going to see those patients showing up in your townhalls.

Let's talk about some of the good things that have happened in the Affordable Care Act. The Affordable Care Act expanded and made coverage for birth control much more readily available. That is a good thing. Whether you are anti-choice or pro-choice, like I am, it is a good thing. What we have seen by expanding coverage to birth control is the number of unintended pregnancies are near all-time lows. That is what we ought to be doing.

The Affordable Care Act expanded access to preventive health services. We know if we want to bring down the cost of health care, let's diagnose the cancer early. Let's treat it and let's save that life. Let's better manage disease.

Let's not go back to the old days where the patient showed up with the heart attack and then we went into action. That costs us a lot more. Let's prevent that heart attack. Let's provide better access to care.

Mr. Speaker, let's not make the President have to renege on a promise that he made. On the campaign trail and after being inaugurated, the President has said that any healthcare legislation was going to expand coverage, it was going to be cheaper, and it was going to be more accessible to patients.

We know this bill that is being introduced does none of that. It cuts coverage. It is going to be more costly for people and fewer people are going to get it.

Mr. Speaker, don't make the President have to renege and go against the promise that he made. The American public is going to hold him accountable for that.

Mr. Speaker, do the right thing. Let's put American patients first. That is what we as doctors do every day, and that is why, again, doctors are against it, hospitals are against it, and health plans are against it.

Mr. Speaker, let's reject this bill. I urge all my colleagues, Democrats and Republicans, to stand against this bill. It is a bad bill.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the ranking member and the chairman for this bill.

This bicameral and bipartisan bill that we are considering today, the NASA Transition Authorization Act of 2017, authorizes NASA's appropriations for the fiscal year 2017.

If enacted, the bill's provisions will provide important stability and funding and consistent vision that we need for NASA to succeed as they continue to make progress across disciplines of space and earth science, in human exploration and spaceflight, innovative technologies, biomedical research, and in aeronautics.

Mr. Speaker, NASA truly is a symbol of American excellence and ingenuity. For NASA to continue doing the great things that it does, including preparation for flying SLS and Orion, launching the James Webb Space Telescope, and landing humans on Mars, it is critical that S. 442 be enacted.

And while I would have preferred a more comprehensive outlook of NASA's science discipline--namely, in earth science, planetary science, astrophysics, and heliophysics--I am pleased the bill provides the consistent policy direction our Nation's space and aeronautics programs require and deserve. Notably, the bill sets the long-term course of sending humans to the surface of Mars and directs NASA to provide a human exploration roadmap outlining the capabilities and milestones needed to achieve the goal.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, NASA's space and aeronautics programs help maintain our competitiveness, stimulate innovation and economic growth, and inspire the next generation to dream big and garner the skills to turn those dreams into action.

NASA and our space program have a long history of bipartisan support. I urge Members of the House to pass S. 442, the NASA Transition Authorization Act of 2017.

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her leadership on this subject.

I am a doctor, and I have worked in low-income and free clinics, and I know title X funding works. It has impact. Here is how we also know it works: by expanding access to full reproductive services under the Affordable Care Act and contraception, we have seen a dramatic reduction in the number of unintended pregnancies.

We are debating the wrong thing here. We should be increasing title X funds right now. We should be debating how we make access to full reproductive services more readily available. That is what the women of America want.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this dangerous bill. I urge my colleagues to understand the women of America are watching.

I also urge, if somehow this makes it to the President's desk: The mothers and daughters, Mr. President, are watching; so be careful here. This is about preserving access to care and full reproductive rights. We are watching.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise not as a Member of Congress, but as a doctor. When I graduated medical school and took that oath, there are two core ethics that we take when we take that oath: to do good. And that is exactly what we tried to do when this body passed the Affordable Care Act. It was about doing good. It was about giving people basic access to health care. That is a good thing.

The Affordable Care Act is not perfect, but let's keep doing good. Let's fix it. Let's address the cost of health care. Let's make sure people can afford their medications. That is doing good.

Another core ethic that we take when we enter the profession of medicine as a physician is to do no harm. If this body repeals the Affordable Care Act, we are going to harm 20 million Americans that now have access to health care that didn't have it prior to the Affordable Care Act. We shouldn't do harm.

Let me put it into real context. I am a primary care internist. My wife is also a primary care internist. You can tell we have exciting conversations at our house. I was asking her the other day what the Affordable Care Act meant to her as a physician, and she was sharing a story of a patient that she had cared for for years.

This was a patient that had diabetes and hypertension, high blood pressure. We know these are silent killers. If you don't control your diabetes, if you don't control your blood pressure, it can have devastating consequences leading to heart attacks, leading to strokes. It is one of the leading causes of death in America. But if you control it, you can prevent all of these illnesses and people can live a normal, healthy life.

So my wife--she is a very good doctor--had her patient under good control. The patient stopped coming in to see her--maybe the patient moved away or something happened--for a couple of years. And then about 2 years ago, the patient came back in. Once she came in, her blood sugars, her diabetes was out of control; her blood pressure was out of control.

My wife looked at this patient and just said: Well, what happened? How come you stopped taking your diabetes medicine? How come you stopped taking your blood pressure medicine?

She said: Well, Doc, in the recession, I lost my job. I lost my health insurance coverage. I couldn't get the medications.

And then she said: But you know what? With the Affordable Care Act with Covered California, I was able to get health insurance again. I was able to come in and see you.

It wasn't too late for this patient. My wife was able to get her back on her medications, get her back on her blood pressure medicine, get her blood pressure and diabetes under control, and, hopefully, there is no permanent damage.

But if we do harm and repeal the Affordable Care Act, we are going to do irreparable damage to 20 million and more Americans who are just like this patient, who need their health care covered, who need their access to medications. That is what this is about.

Mr. Speaker, let's do what we are trained to do as physicians and what this body should do. Let's do good by making sure people have better coverage, affordable coverage, and better access to health care. Let's definitely make sure we do not do any harm by repealing the Affordable Care Act. Let's make sure we fix it and make it better.

``. . . to declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water;

``To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that use shall be for a longer term than two years; . . .''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Sacramento County Sheriff Deputy Danny Oliver.

Deputy Oliver had served the citizens of Sacramento County for 15 years when he paid the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty this past October.

Later that day, Placer County Sheriff's Investigator Michael Davis, Jr., was shot and killed by the same assailant.

Deputy Oliver grew up in the Del Paso Heights neighborhood of Sacramento and graduated from Grant High School. He loved serving the community where he grew up and dedicated his life to making it better. He was known for being part of the community that he served, answering emails from concerned citizens even when he was off duty, and never declining to attend a neighborhood meeting.

Deputy Oliver was as dedicated to his family as he was to his job, and his family was dedicated to him. His wife, Susan Oliver, worked two jobs while Danny went through the sheriff's academy, where he graduated at the top of his class academically. She will be my guest tonight at the State of the Union. Susan and Danny have two daughters, Melissa and Jenny.

The lives of Deputy Oliver and Investigator Davis are a reminder that our law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every day for our safety. They were true heroes, and we are forever indebted to them and their loved ones. Let's honor their memory by building understanding and trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve, just like Deputy Oliver did.