Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to re-introduce the Students Helping Young Students Act. This important and bipartisan legislation would provide an additional pathway to enable students to work their way through college, while at the same time enhancing the afterschool opportunities of their younger peers.

The Students Helping Young Students Act would incorporate work at afterschool programs into the Federal Work-Study program. Encouraging students enrolled in higher education to work with vulnerable younger students is a win-win, expanding opportunities for students at colleges and universities to participate in afterschool programs for at-risk youth. The bill creates new paths to achievement and opportunities for students at all levels, a commonsense way to improve our nation's education system.

The hours between 3 p.m.--7 p.m., when children are out of school but parents are not yet home from work, can be a critical time for children, families, and communities. Mentoring and afterschool programs can play a key role in filling this gap. Unfortunately, too few at-risk students have the opportunity to participate in these programs. While not a panacea, afterschool and mentoring programs have been associated with improved educational outcomes, reduced negative behaviors, increased school attendance, and improved social and emotional development.

At the same time, as college costs continue to rise, the Federal Work-Study program provides a key source of financing for students to

attain a degree. Since 2000, colleges and universities participating in Work-Study have been required to use a portion of their federal funding allocation for community service jobs. While a variety of community service opportunities can meet this requirement, many effective afterschool programs are not eligible. Under this legislation, these programs would become eligible for this existing allocation, encouraging students to participate in the programs.

By making it easier for college students to help their younger peers through afterschool programs, students of all ages--as well as the schools they attend--come out ahead. I urge Congress to pass the Students Helping Young Students Act.

Mr. Speaker, on May 8, 2018 I was in my district for my primary election and missed rollcall votes 169, 170, 171, and 172. Had I been present, I would have voted: ``Nay'' on rollcall 169, ``Nay'' on rollcall 170, ``Nay'' on rollcall 171, and ``Nay'' on rollcall 172.

Mr. Speaker, on May 7, 2018 I was in my district for my primary election and missed rollcall votes 167 and 168. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall 167 and ``yea'' on rollcall 168.

Mr. Chair, I was unavoidably detained and missed rollcall votes

155 to 160. Had I been present, I would have cast the following votes:

Rollcall 155, on H.R. 4, DeFazio Amendment, vote ``yea.''

Rollcall 156, on H.R. 4, Rohrabacher/Bass Amendment, vote ``nay.''

Rollcall 157, on H.R. 4, S. King Amendment, vote ``nay.''

Rollcall 158, on H.R. 4, Lipinski Amendment, vote ``yea.''

Rollcall 159, on H.R. 4, Denha/Costa Amendment, vote ``nay.''

Rollcall 160, on H.R. 4, Lynch/Meng Amendment, vote ``yea.''

personal explanation

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize Alfonson L. Campbell.

Mr. C, as his family and friends affectionately call him, is celebrating his 100th birthday. He was born on the Theo Baker Dairy Farm in Culpepper, Virginia on April 20, 1918. His father, who was white, and his mother who was black, raised 5 children in a two-room farmhouse.

At a very young age, Mr. Campbell helped his father on the farm by shoveling hay, milking cows and feeding chickens. He also spent his childhood gathering wood for the stove, storing milk in the well to keep cool, stuffing bedding with hay to use as mattresses, and breaking ice that formed on a nearby lake to store meat and hunted opossum. Mr. Campbell walked over a mile to attend a one-room school, where the teacher was also his preacher.

His father took care of the farm to pay his debts to the property owner and left the farm after the debt was paid. A few years later, Mr. Campbell also left the farm at 16 years old to begin a new life in Washington, DC.

Mr. Campbell joined the Army and served seven years in the Army National Guard. During his time of service, he participated in the Korean War Conflict. After leaving the military, he followed his childhood dream of becoming an automobile mechanic. He was the favorite amongst his co-workers, always teaching them the `tricks of the trade.' His intelligence, mechanical skills and his ethics were so impressive that his boss rewarded him with $100.00 when the business closed. His love for cars secured him an auto-mechanic job with the District of Columbia Government for 45 years. Upon retiring from the DC government, Mr. Campbell went on to operate a successful lawn service business for 16 years.

Mr. Campbell credits his longevity to his faith in Jesus Christ and love of life. He enjoys fishing, tinkering with cars, eating the three C's (cabbage, collard greens and cornbread), and enjoyed travels with his late wife to various destinations such as Africa, Acapulco, Aruba, Germany and Hawaii. His greatest loves now are his son, daughter, six grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, and Jesus Christ.

Mr. Alfonson L. Campbell turned 100 years old on April 20, 2018. I ask my colleagues to join me in extending our warmest birthday greetings to him and wishing him many more healthy and happy years.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate Warren Central High School on its numerous athletic achievements over the 2017-2018 school year. The Warriors men and women's basketball teams were crowned the IHSAA 4A State Champions, the Winter Guard won the Tri State Championship, and the Special Olympics team is set to compete in the upcoming Special Olympic state finals. Warrior Nation is taking over the City of Indianapolis.

The undefeated men's basketball team secured a record of 32-0 for the season and the first Indiana high school boys basketball team to go undefeated since 2009. The women's basketball team never expected to be in the state championship, but fought their way to the title game and won a resounding victory over Zionsville 50-46.

The Winter Guard was the first U.S. high school team to compete in an international competition at the Winter Guard International Regional Championship.

This amazing group of student athletes have secured their place in the storied history of Indiana athletics and should be proud of everything they have accomplished. I extend my congratulations to the athletes, coaching staff, faculty and the entire school as our city celebrates this season's achievements.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend, Representative Hanabusa for yielding me this time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak in support of my bill, H.R. 4851, the Kennedy-King National Commemorative Site Act. I also thank my colleagues on the Natural Resources Committee for their very prompt consideration of this bill, including Chairman Bishop and Ranking Member Grijalva.

H.R. 4851 is a bipartisan and bicameral bill with the full support of the entire congressional delegation, including my good friend and colleague Congresswoman Susan Brooks; including my mentor, one of my heroes, Representative John Lewis; and my buddy, Representative Joe Kennedy. I thank them for joining the delegation of original cosponsors of Hoosiers.

Mr. Speaker, I introduced the Kennedy-King National Commemorative Site Act at the request of my constituents to provide formal National Park Service recognition to the site where Senator Robert F. Kennedy gave an extraordinary speech in Indianapolis in the spring of 1968.

This recognition, as well as addition to the African American Civil Rights

Network, will help this location--set on a community board over there-- remain visible and accessible for the inspiration of present and future generations.

Mr. Speaker, some of my colleagues may have heard the story, as it was previously mentioned by my other colleague, that Robert Kennedy had a scheduled speech in the great Hoosier State in the city of Indianapolis during his campaign for the Presidency. However, just before he was to give those remarks, Mr. Speaker, he was told of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King.

Before the news became widely known, his advisers said he shouldn't speak at all. They suggested he should stand back. But Robert F. Kennedy wanted to speak. Despite the risks of outbursts or interruptions, he had something important to say in person and face-to- face for all who were gathered.

He changed his planned remarks on the fly and broke the news of Dr. King's assassination to the large crowd assembled in the park. He called for a nonviolent response to Dr. King's death. Robert Kennedy's speech has been described as one of the greatest addresses of the 20th century, as a call for unity and nonviolence in a time of great unrest.

Mr. Speaker, I include the text of the speech in today's Record.

Full Text of Robert F. Kennedy's Speech: Indianapolis, April 4, 1968

Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm only going to talk to you just

for a minute or so this evening, because I have some very sad

news for all of you. Could you lower those signs, please? I

have some very sad news for all of you, and, I think, sad

news for all of our fellow citizens, and people who love

peace all over the world; and that is that Martin Luther King

was shot and was killed tonight in Memphis, Tennessee.

Martin Luther King dedicated his life to love and to

justice between fellow human beings. He died in the cause of

that effort. In this difficult day, in this difficult time

for the United States, it's perhaps well to ask what kind of

a nation we are and what direction we want to move in.

For those of you who are black considering the evidence

evidently is that there were white people who were

responsible you can be filled with bitterness, and with

hatred, and a desire for revenge.

We can move in that direction as a country, in greater

polarization black people amongst blacks, and white amongst

whites, filled with hatred toward one another. Or we can make

an effort, as Martin Luther King did, to understand, and to

comprehend, and replace that violence, that stain of

bloodshed that has spread across our land, with an effort to

understand, compassion, and love.

For those of you who are black and are tempted to fill with

hatred and mistrust of the injustice of such an act, against

all white people, I would only say that I can also feel in my

own heart the same kind of feeling. I had a member of my

family killed, but he was killed by a white man.

But we have to make an effort in the United States. We have

to make an effort to understand, to get beyond, or go beyond

these rather difficult times.

My favorite poet was Aeschylus. And he once wrote:

Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget

falls drop by drop upon the heart,

until, in our own despair,

against our will,

comes wisdom

through the awful grace of God.

What we need in the United States is not division; what we

need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the

United States is not violence and lawlessness, but is love,

and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling

of justice toward those who still suffer within our country,

whether they be white or whether they be black.

So I ask you tonight to return home, to say a prayer for

the family of Martin Luther King yeah, ifs true but more

importantly to say a prayer for our own country, which all of

us love a prayer for understanding and that compassion of

which I spoke.

We can do well in this country. We will have difficult

times. We've had difficult times in the past, but we and we

will have difficult times in the future. It is not the end of

violence; it is not the end of lawlessness; and it's not the

end of disorder.

But the vast majority of white people and the vast majority

of black people in this country want to live together, want

to improve the quality of our life, and want justice for all

human beings that abide in our land.

And let's dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so

many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle

the life of this world. Let us dedicate ourselves to that,

and say a prayer for our country and for our people.

Thank you very much.

Mr. Speaker, as we approach the 50th anniversary of RFK's speech, it becomes very clear that America needs this national treasure to be preserved and promoted beyond the residents of Indianapolis. This powerful message of nonviolence in response to violence is more timely and important than ever.

The Smithsonian has described 1968 as ``the year that shattered America.'' It was a time when divisions were sharp and the morale of this country was low. Many stirred up hatred and fear with venomous rhetoric, which drove people long left out of America's bounty to the limits of their very humanity. Many cities erupted in flames and violent riots.

When other cities expressed their justified pain, anger, and disenfranchisement with destruction, Robert Kennedy's calm voice of reason changed the hearts and minds of people who were feeling so much pain. Indianapolis was the only major city in America that did not burn in that season of pain and violent disruption.

JFK was assassinated. Martin Luther King was assassinated. And just 2 months after RFK's emotional speech in Indianapolis, he, too, was assassinated. But in his youth and his ability to feel the pain of others, RFK called on those who were hurting to turn away from violence and hate and practice what MLK practiced.

This message and this special place needs to be shared with all Americans across the country today and into the future. The amendment approved by the committee will add the Kennedy-King site to a new civil rights network, Mr. Speaker, and it will designate the location as a commemorative site.

This is a timely first step, and I look forward to seeing the bill signed into law this year. And after this step, our constituents and I will continue to count on congressional support for our efforts to establish the Kennedy-King National Historic Site as a unit of the National Park system in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Mr. Speaker, I again thank my good friend, Congresswoman Susan Brooks, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this great bill.

Mr. Speaker, during Roll Call Vote number 102 on H.R. 5247, I mistakenly recorded my vote as nay when I should have voted yea.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Department of Homeland Security Reserve Service Act, a bill that establishes a reserve service for five agencies within the Department of Homeland Security: the United States Secret Service, Federal Protective Service, Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Transportation Security Administration.

Personnel shortages in each of these agencies are well documented. Many current or former directors have made public statements linking personnel shortages to gaps in hiring processes, issues with retention of employees, and temporary or ongoing surges in need. The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Government Accountability Office, and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform have issued reports spotlighting these issues.

The implication is clear. Many agencies within the Department of Homeland Security lack the workforce necessary to carry out their critical missions during surges in need. These shortages are a matter of national security.

By way of example, the United States Secret Service has faced hiring and retention issues for years. In August 2017, the Director asked Congress for additional funds because these shortages, coupled with surges in need, caused more than 1,000 agents work hundreds of hours of uncompensated overtime. Representatives Jon Katko (R-New York) and Elijah Cummings (D-MD) subsequently introduced a bill allowing the Secret Service to raise special agents' salaries and overtime caps for 2017 and 2018. While I support the

measure, it does not solve the larger issue. Also, repeatedly increasing and lowering salary caps is inefficient and costly.

There is precedent for reserve services in the Department of Homeland Security. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) responded to Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Jose, and Hurricane Maria by mobilizing temporary on-call reservists and Cadre On-Call Response/ Recovery (CORE) personnel to assist with rescue and recovery.

The Department of Homeland Security Reserve Service Act establishes adapts this model for other pervasive, yet unpredictable national security requirements. The bill establishes a reserve service, comprised of skilled, ready-to-work former employees, including retirees that can be temporarily mobilized to fill personnel shortages and meet emergent demands.

This reserve service allows components to be innovative in structure and application. While some positions could mirror existing ones, components are encouraged to find new ways to call upon a reservist's skill set, in whole or in part.

For example, if a retired United States Secret Service agent has expertise in planning for the United Nations General Assembly, but is not able or does not want to carry a gun and/or meet the physical demands required in some protective missions, they could fill a critical planning role, freeing permanent personnel or other gun carriers for other assignments. Under this bill agencies are urged to find innovative approaches that decouple skills held by reserve service members from those required of full-time employees.

Rather than maintaining the status quo, this program represents an opportunity to curb costs by capitalizing on investments taxpayers and agencies have already made in the human capital of former employees while simultaneously preserving institutional knowledge and experience.

I urge my colleagues to join me in helping the Department of Homeland Security perform their mission critical duties of investigation, patrol, response, security, protection, recovery, and inspection by supporting this act.

Mr. Speaker, during rollcall vote No. 101 on H.R. 1119, I mistakenly recorded my vote as ``yea'' when I should have voted ``nay.''

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to introduce the Rare disease Advancement, Research, and Education (RARE) Act. This important, bipartisan legislation would address many of the issues facing rare disease patients and families. Today, Rare Disease Day, many of these individuals are sharing their stories and educating communities of researchers, health professionals, governments, families, and friends about how rare diseases affect them. I am proud to introduce the RARE Act not only in recognition of these efforts, but moreover to address the many unique challenges facing the rare disease patient community.

Almost 7,000 rare diseases affect nearly 30,000,000 Americans, and many lack an effective treatment. There remains much Congress can do to improve rare disease awareness, education, research, surveillance, diagnosis, and treatment, and to address common challenges faced by rare disease patients.

Over the course of my time in Congress, I have met with countless rare disease patients and their families. Each story is unique--and in many cases heartbreaking--but it is essential that Congress address some of the root causes behind these stories.

Rare diseases cross the medical spectrum, but individuals with rare diseases face some common challenges. In large part due to their limited patient population size, these individuals may have difficulty obtaining an accurate diagnosis, finding physicians or treatment centers with expertise in their disease, and ultimately finding appropriate treatment options and cures. While over 450 drugs have been approved for the treatment of rare diseases, millions of Americans suffering from a rare disease have no approved treatment options.

For decades, Congress has worked to support advancements in rare disease, with legislation ranging from the Orphan Drug Act to the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act to most recently, the 21st Century Cures Act. In addition, the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health have made important strides, prioritizing research, development, and approval of treatment targeting rare diseases. Nonetheless, it remains clear that there remains much policymakers can do to further these critical efforts.

The RARE Act would represent an important step in this direction, addressing some of the commonalities between rare diseases and aiming to improve rare disease treatment, research, and diagnostics.

First, the RARE Act would expand our understanding of rare diseases by enhancing an existing and successful program: the Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network. The Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is made up of 21 research `centers of excellence' studying rare diseases in an interdisciplinary way, working with patients and others on clinical studies and other research.

Second, the RARE Act would fill critical gaps in our healthcare system, improving coordination, surveillance, and awareness of rare diseases. For example, the RARE Act would require the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to create a National Rare Disease or Condition Surveillance System. Modelled off of similar systems for other conditions, this formalized infrastructure would track rare disease data, helping researchers to understand commonalities between diseases. The RARE Act would also require the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to expand and intensify its work to ensure that health professionals are aware of rare disease diagnoses and treatments. And it would mandate an updated report on rare disease efforts from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, to ensure that Congress has the best tools possible to address these issues.

Passage of the RARE Act would represent a major stride in combating these unique diseases and conditions, and enhance the federal government, non-profit, and private sectors capacities to improve patients' lives. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the RARE Act.

Mr. Speaker, on January 22, 2018, I missed rollcall vote No. 44 because of illness. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no''.

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to introduce a bill to establish a unit of the National Park System to preserve, protect, and interpret for the benefit of present and future generations the site of Senator Robert Kennedy's April 4, 1968 speech associated with the Kennedy-King Park in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Some of my colleagues might not be aware that on April 4, 1968, Robert Kennedy had scheduled a speech in Indianapolis, Indiana during his campaign for the presidency of the United States. However, just before he was to give his remarks, Mr. Kennedy was told of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. before the news became widely known publicly.

Mr. Kennedy changed his planned remarks to inform the large crowd gathered in the local park of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and called for a nonviolent response to Mr. King's death. Mr. Kennedy's speech has been described as one of the greatest addresses of the 20th Century as a call for unity and non-violence in a time of great unrest. In 1994, a memorial sculpture to honor Mr. Kennedy and Dr. King was erected on the park site.

The site of this impactful speech should be preserved as a national treasure and the 50th anniversary of the speech is a fitting time for preservation.

I urge my colleagues to join me in helping to establish the Kennedy- King National Historic site as a unit of the National Park System in Indianapolis, Indiana by supporting this act.

I include in the Record, the text of Mr. Kennedy's speech:

full text of robert f. kennedy's speech: indianapolis, april 4, 1968

``Ladies and Gentlemen,

I'm only going to talk to you just for a minute or so this

evening, because I have some very sad news for all of you.

Could you lower those signs, please? I have some very sad

news for all of you, and, I think, sad news for all of our

fellow citizens, and people who love peace all over the

world; and that is that Martin Luther King was shot and was

killed tonight in Memphis, Tennessee.

Martin Luther King dedicated his life to love and to

justice between fellow human beings. He died in the cause of

that effort. In this difficult day, in this difficult time

for the United States, it's perhaps well to ask what kind of

a nation we are and what direction we want to move in.

For those of you who are black considering the evidence

evidently is that there were white people who were

responsible you can be filled with bitterness, and with

hatred, and a desire for revenge.

We can move in that direction as a country, in greater

polarization black people amongst blacks, and white amongst

whites, filled with hatred toward one another. Or we can make

an effort, as Martin Luther King did, to understand, and to

comprehend, and replace that violence, that stain of

bloodshed

that has spread across our land, with an effort to

understand, compassion, and love.

For those of you who are black and are tempted to fill with

hatred and mistrust of the injustice of such an act, against

all white people, I would only say that I can also feel in my

own heart the same kind of feeling. I had a member of my

family killed, but he was killed by a white man.

But we have to make an effort in the United States. We have

to make an effort to understand, to get beyond, or go beyond

these rather difficult times.

My favorite poet was Aeschylus. And he once wrote:

Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget

falls drop by drop upon the heart,

until, in our own despair,

against our will,

comes wisdom

through the awful grace of God.

What we need in the United States is not division; what we

need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the

United States is not violence and lawlessness, but is love,

and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling

of justice toward those who still suffer within our country,

whether they be white or whether they be black.

So I ask you tonight to return home, to say a prayer for

the family of Martin Luther King yeah, it's true but more

importantly to say a prayer for our own country, which all of

us love a prayer for understanding and that compassion of

which I spoke.

We can do well in this country. We will have difficult

times. We've had difficult times in the past, but we and we

will have difficult times in the future. It is not the end of

violence; it is not the end of lawlessness; and it's not the

end of disorder.

But the vast majority of white people and the vast majority

of black people in this country want to live together, want

to improve the quality of our life, and want justice for all

human beings that abide in our land.

And let's dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so

many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle

the life of this world. Let us dedicate ourselves to that,

and say a prayer for our country and for our people.

Thank you very much.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to join me in cosponsoring a resolution recognizing the needs of children of incarcerated parents.

The U.S. continues to lead the world in the rate of incarceration with over 2.3 million people behind bars. Not only does the system disproportionately impact the lives of low income families and minorities--it also hurts the goals of rehabilitation and breaking the cycle of violence in our communities.

As Congress works to address the problems facing our criminal justice system, we should do so with more than just the offenders and ex- offenders in mind. We need to raise awareness of the unique problems faced by children of incarcerated parents. When families are separated by the criminal justice system, it turns their whole world upside down. The family often loses a source of income and child care. Some children are forced to enter the foster care system. Without the proper resources and nurturing, these children are more likely to follow in the footsteps of their parents and face a life of crime themselves.

Mr. Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this important resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to join me in cosponsoring the Recidivism Reduction Act to help streamline our Social Security system and reinstate fairness for ex-offenders who have served their time.

The Recidivism Reduction Act will quickly restore federal disability benefits for eligible individuals after incarceration. Access to federal disability and health care benefits is a critical component of successful re-entry into the community when individuals are released from prison or jail, especially among the mentally ill.

Typically, federal disability benefits are either suspended or terminated depending on the length of incarceration. However, upon release these benefits should be reinstated promptly to help provide access to essential treatment services and supports, housing and necessary income. Currently, due to barriers in federal law, it often takes several months to reinstate benefits. Addressing this delay will help foster successful transitions into the community and reduce the likelihood of recidivism.

The bill does not grant individuals new benefits; rather it removes bureaucratic hurdles to ensure that individuals promptly receive the benefits to which they are entitled in order to break the cycle of recidivism.

When individuals have prompt access to disability and medical benefits after incarceration, they are better equipped to transition successfully into the community, which would help reduce prison overcrowding and save taxpayer money. By cosponsoring the Recidivism Reduction Act, we can make the technical corrections to current law that will make a real difference.