Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 122.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the passage of the Speak Out Act.

As the co-chair of the Bipartisan Task Force to End Sexual Violence, I have seen how perpetrators of workplace sexual assault and harassment hide behind nondisclosure agreements to sweep their heinous conduct under the rug.

Let's remember that the vast majority of assault and harassment in the workplace goes unreported, and most perpetrators are never held accountable. It takes tremendous courage for survivors to come forward.

I am so proud that under the leadership of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, this House overwhelmingly passed the Speak Out Act yesterday, and we have sent this commonsense, bipartisan bill to the President's desk.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Right to Contraception Act.

The overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court was a wake-up call. We cannot leave our right to privacy and our most fundamental freedoms up to chance.

The government has no place inserting itself into the personal and private healthcare decisions of Americans, including access to contraceptives.

Ongoing extreme attacks on women's freedom and control of our own bodies make clear that Congress must take action to protect our most basic right to medical care and contraception. There are countless reasons for patients to access contraception and why healthcare providers prescribe. These reasons are nuanced, complicated, and, frankly, none of the government's business.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' and to protect the privacy and freedom of millions of Americans.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Women's Health Protection Act and to speak for the generation of women who have lost their freedom to make healthcare decisions for themselves. The government has no place inserting itself into people's personal healthcare decisions.

I never expected to be on the floor of the House talking about miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, or fertility treatments, but here we are.

For many, pregnancy is not an easy path. One in eight pregnancies end in miscarriage, and 1 in 50 women experience ectopic pregnancies--an outcome that always leads to pregnancy loss and poses serious risk of life to the mother.

For countless others, getting pregnant requires costly, exhausting, and complex procedures such as IVF.

Regardless of the circumstances, reproductive health is private.

Pregnancy can be unpredictable. The government has no place in deciding what care patients can receive and doctors can administer. Like all healthcare, decisions surrounding reproductive health should be between a patient and their doctor.

As an adoption attorney, I worked with hundreds of birth mothers making the most personal, consequential decisions of their lives, and not one of those women looked to the government to make that decision for them.

I support the Women's Health Protection Act, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 40th anniversary of New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR).

For decades, NHPR's mission has always been to provide objective and engaging reporting for New Hampshire. Previously called the Granite State Public Radio, the independent public radio broadcasted for the first time in 1981. To this day, NHPR is the largest and only station that broadcasts state-wide.

NHPR has reported on key moments in New Hampshire's history such as the Challenger tragedy in 1986, New Hampshire's first in the nation primaries throughout the years, and more recently, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic across the state. In 2021, NHPR began broadcasting in Spanish, a necessary expansion to include our state's ever-growing Spanish-speaking population. Recognized by the Radio Television Digital News Association, NHPR has won awards in digital, investigative reporting, hard news, and news documentary categories. NHPR has long stood as a backbone for state-wide news, and it is through their important work that all Granite Staters are able to stay informed.

On behalf of my constituents across New Hampshire's Second Congressional District, I would like to thank and congratulate New Hampshire Public Radio for all the work they have done and will continue to do for our state.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 7666, the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act of 2022.

It has never been more urgent to pass this comprehensive legislation that will help deliver essential mental health and substance use disorder treatment and support to communities across this country.

Americans continue to lose loved ones to addiction and mental health struggles every day. Mr. Speaker, 2021 marked the deadliest year yet, with nearly 108,000 overdose deaths here in the United States. In Nashua, New Hampshire, in my district, the rate of fatal overdoses doubled from March to April just this year, and it is on track to reach the highest number of opioid deaths since the epidemic began.

We cannot wait another day to pass this critical legislation.

As founder and co-chair of the Bipartisan Addiction and Mental Health Task Force, I am pleased to see the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act include many of the bills from our task force agenda, bills like the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act to remove outdated barriers that prevent healthcare providers from prescribing essential treatment for substance use disorder.

I am also pleased to see the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act include the KIDS CARE Act, legislation I introduced with Congressman Hudson to improve Medicaid in schools and provide mental health screenings for justice-involved youth.

Importantly, H.R. 7666 addresses the many unmet needs of communities that have suffered because of inadequate mental health resources, from bolstering grants for depression screening and suicide prevention to strengthening the behavioral health workforce.

I support this legislation because it responds to the urgency of today's crisis and will improve mental health and addiction care all across the country.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Pallone and his staff for his leadership on this bill and the Speaker for giving us the opportunity to discuss this legislation. I urge a ``yes'' vote.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Louis Burkot as he celebrates 40 years as the founding artistic director of Opera North in Lebanon, NH.

Among his accomplishments, Louis has conducted the Dartmouth College Glee Club and more than 700 Opera North Resident Artists from around the world. His expertise in vocal and choral music has contributed significantly to the Upper Valley community and beyond. Louis' knowledge of vocal and operatic music has been invaluable for many young singers, many of whom have gone on to major careers around the world.

On behalf of my constituents in New Hampshire's Second Congressional District, I thank Louis for his many years of service, and for being a part of what makes the Granite State so great. I am honored to recognize and congratulate Louis on 40 years of incredible work, and I wish him many more.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mike Claflin on the occasion of his retirement as Executive Director of Affordable Housing Education & Development Education (AHEAD).

Mike has long been at the forefront of constructing affordable housing in New Hampshire's North Country. It has been an honor to work alongside Mike and his team to see so many impactful projects come to fruition, like the Friendship House and Lloyd's Hills Apartments in Bethlehem. Mike's leadership and advocacy have delivered more options for those suffering from substance abuse disorders as well as countless new housing opportunities for working families to a region that needs our steadfast support now more than ever before.

I commend Mike on his retirement after nearly a decade with AHEAD and on his unwavering dedication and commitment to our North Country. On behalf of my constituents in New Hampshire's Second Congressional District, I thank Mike for his many years of service, and for being a part of what makes the Granite State so great. I am honored to recognize and congratulate Mike on his retirement and wish him the best of luck in the years ahead.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Affordable Insulin Now Act, critical legislation to cap out-of-pocket costs for insulin at $35 per month.

I consistently hear from Granite State families about how the rising cost of insulin is forcing them to put their health at risk by cutting back on doses or skipping them all together because it is just too expensive.

We cannot continue to force American families to make impossible decisions between their medication and their well-being. At the end of the day, the work that we do is about our constituents, and I can say right here, right now that I care more about the well-being of my constituents and their health than I do about the profits of certain companies that seem to be protected on the other side of the aisle.

No one should pay more than $35 a month for their insulin, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Madam Speaker, as an adoption attorney for 25 years, I worked with more than 300 birth mothers making the most personal, private decisions of their entire lives. They consulted their families, their loved ones, their doctors, but not one of these birth mothers looked to the government to make this choice for them.

On January 1 of this year, sweeping abortion restrictions took effect in my home State of New Hampshire; in fact, the first abortion ban ever to pass the New Hampshire legislature and to be signed into law by our Governor, Chris Sununu, making it illegal to terminate a pregnancy after 24 weeks, with no exceptions; no exceptions for rape, for incest, or for fatal fetal anomaly; and requiring every person seeking an abortion to undergo an invasive ultrasound.

This new law places a felony penalty and fine of up to $100,000 for doctors who violate the law, making New Hampshire a less desirable place for doctors to work, and for patients to seek care.

Granite State women and families are already feeling the impact of this harmful, regressive abortion ban.

Earlier this year, a constituent of mine, the daughter of a dear friend, reached out to tell me her story and how this law is impacting families like hers across New Hampshire.

Madam Speaker, 38-year-old Lisa, has a beautiful 1-year-old daughter at home and she is now pregnant with twins. Twenty-one weeks into her pregnancy, her doctors told her what no parent wants to hear: One of her twins had no chance of surviving outside the womb, and that twin was threatening the life of her other healthy twin.

Because of New Hampshire's abortion ban that makes no exceptions for late-term complications, fetal viability, or even maternal well-being, Lisa and her husband have had to travel out of state to get a second opinion on their options.

After traveling four States away for a specialist consultation, they learned that an abortion had the potential to save the healthy twin's life, and even the life of the mother. But in the time that it took to get this second opinion and to weigh her options, Lisa was past the 24- week threshold in New Hampshire, and she will be unable to get this treatment, even if it becomes medically necessary.

If Lisa chooses to deliver her healthy twin in New Hampshire, she runs the risk of losing both babies, and even her own life, as her doctors would not be allowed to perform an abortion, even to save her healthy twin's life or her own life.

Lisa and her family are already facing an impossible circumstance, which is being made even more excruciating by the New Hampshire extreme abortion ban.

Safe access to reproductive and preventative healthcare, including abortion, is essential to the health and well-being of women and their families in New Hampshire and throughout this country. Restrictions on access to reproductive care ignore the complexities of maternal health and threaten the life of countless mothers and their children.

New Hampshire's new abortion ban, and those like it across the country, are harming families, and putting politics above health and science. This I know: New Hampshire voters believe in less government interference in people's personal and private lives.

I want to thank Lisa for sharing her story, and for shedding light on the tragic impact that this abortion ban is having on mothers and grandmothers and husbands and families like her across the Granite State and throughout this country.

Madam Speaker, I thank the representative from Texas for this opportunity.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Noah Clay from Keene, New Hampshire. Noah is joining me virtually for the State of the Union. Noah is an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurse who has been on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Granite State. I am pleased to honor Noah's commitment and that of his colleagues to the well-being of our communities and their tireless work to save lives during the pandemic.

Mr. Clay, a native of Keene, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Colby-Sawyer College in 2020 and completed his Masters in Nursing Management from Colby-Sawyer College in 2022. Noah is an early career Registered Nurse who came directly into the ICU specialty in 2020.

It's impossible to overstate the essential role of our Granite State health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout every surge and every variant, they have been on the frontlines, putting themselves in harm's way to save lives and push back against this deadly virus. Our state and our country would not be where we are without them. Noah and his fellow health care workers are the true heroes behind America's progress, and I'm proud to uplift their stories.

On behalf of New Hampshire's Second Congressional District, I thank our health care heroes for all they do. I look forward to our continued work in Congress to ensure New Hampshire is the best place to live, work and raise a family.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the outstanding career in public service of Nashua Fire Chief Brian Rhodes. It is with great pride that I join others in honoring Brian's commitment to the City of Nashua.

Brian's career with the Nashua Fire Department was marked with many milestones and achievements. He has attended the National Fire Academy and successfully graduated from both the Fire Service Financial Management and Executive Planning programs. Brian started his career with the Nashua Fire Department in 1987. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 2000, Captain in 2004, Deputy Chief in 2011, Assistant Chief in June of 2015 and took over as Chief in April of 2018. In 2018, Chief Rhodes joined me in Washington, D.C. to share his work combating the opioid epidemic with Members of Congress. I appreciate Chief Rhodes unwavering commitment to serving his community and sharing his expertise with leaders from across the country.

I commend Chief Rhodes on his retirement after more than three decades with the Nashua Fire Department and on his unwavering dedication to the Granite State. Chief Rhodes also served as a State Representative from 2008 to 2014 representing Nashua Ward 3 in the New Hampshire General Court--a testament to his dedication to making the Granite State a better place.

On behalf of my constituents in New Hampshire's Second Congressional District, I thank Brian for his many years of service, and for being a part of what makes the Granite State so great. I am honored to recognize and congratulate Brian on his retirement and wish him the best of luck in the years ahead.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to offer my sincere best wishes to Ken Norton as he steps down as Executive Director at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) New Hampshire after many years of dedicated service in the field of mental health.

During Ken's long and successful career in community mental health advocacy, he will be remembered as a leading and influential voice for mental health awareness and access in New Hampshire. Ken has brought science-based grassroots mental health services to every community in our Granite State. We are grateful for Ken's leadership as he grew the NAMI New Hampshire organization, while strengthening partnerships, building the organization's capacity for support, education, and advocacy services. Our families, neighbors, and communities are better because of the work of Ken Norton.

On behalf of New Hampshire's Second Congressional District, I thank Ken Norton for his exemplary service. I wish him the best of luck in the years ahead.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the first competitive ski jumping event at the Nansen Jump Park in nearly 40 years that will take place January 23, 2022.

The Nansen Ski Jump was constructed in 1936-38 by the city of Berlin and the National Youth Administration with help from with the Nansen Ski Club.

For almost fifty years the Nansen Ski Jump was the premier ski jump in the country, hosting Olympic trials and National Championships. In 1988, the jump was closed and the site of the jump was overgrown and rundown.

Winter sports are more than just a hobby in New Hampshire and throughout the United States; they are a way of life. I was proud to support Nansen Ski club's efforts to restore and renovate the Nansen Ski Jump. The restoration of the Nansen Ski Jump site, and the return of ski jumping to New Hampshire's North Country, will create an economic and communal boost to the region.

On August 27, 2021 I was excited to visit the Nansen Ski Jump in Milan to see the progress on renovations. I am proud of the North Country community for coming together to make the project a reality.

On behalf of my constituents across New Hampshire's Second Congressional District, I thank them for all they do to ensure New Hampshire remains such a wonderful place to live, play, and raise a family.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a group of veterans who have gone unrecognized for far too long.

In World War II, top secret units known as the Ghost Army used combat deception to literally fool the Nazis. Their mission to was to divert enemy forces away from American combat units so that our troops faced less resistance. This required creativity and a special kind of courage.

Whereas a typical American unit had tanks made of steel, the Ghost Army, as you have heard from my colleagues, Mr. Barr and Ms. Dean, built tanks made of rubber and wood. Using inflatable equipment and sonic deception, the Ghost Army made it appear as if there were tens of thousands of combat troops when there were literally none.

If the Germans ever discovered this ruse, the Ghost Army would have been annihilated. Throughout the war, the Ghost Army took this risk and, using their creativity and artistic talents, played a decisive role in Allied combat operations.

As Mr. Barr noted, in evaluating the performance of these units after World War II, an Army analysis found rarely, if ever, has there been a group of such few men who had such great influence on the outcome of a major military campaign. I might note that was the campaign that turned the tide of World War II.

To this day, combat deception units in the Army learn about the tactics that were used by the Ghost Army so many years ago. In this sense, the brave actions of the Ghost Army still are keeping Americans safe to this day.

The Ghost Army's combat deceptions were so effective that the Army kept them classified for over 40 years after the war. Because of this classification, the great men of the Ghost Army were never properly recognized for their heroism and contributions to defeating fascism in Europe.

Mr. Speaker, as noted, the House passed the Ghost Army Congressional Gold Medal Act that I introduced last spring. The Senate is now asking passage of the companion bill, S. 1404, introduced by Mr. Markey. This would right the wrong by awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to those living members of the Ghost Army. We will recognize the families of those who have passed.

I am proud that 75 years after their service, the Ghost Army is finally getting some of the recognition it earned.

I also want to take a moment to recognize the contributions of so many individuals in getting this bill over the finish line.

First, I want to thank my colleague, Representative Stewart, and his staff for dedicating themselves to this bill.

I also want to recognize a good friend of mine, Rick Beyer, and Roy Eichhorn. These two historians helped rediscover the Ghost Army's story and share it with the world.

Finally, I want to recognize all of the members of the Ghost Army Legacy Project. This coalition, made up largely of family members of Ghost Army veterans, worked tirelessly to help Representative Stewart and myself secure the 292 House cosponsors necessary to pass this bill.

It is a testament to this institution that a handful of passionate citizens, without the help of any special interest groups or lobbyists, can build the support necessary to send this legislation to President Biden's desk. So it is fitting that we pass this bill today.

Of the more than 16 million Americans who served in World War II, barely more than 240,000 are still alive, including just nine members of the Ghost Army. We should never forget the contributions of the Ghost Army and all the servicemembers in World War II to preserve democracy around the world.

This is personal for me because my father, Malcolm McLane, was a fighter pilot and a POW during World War II. While today we rightfully single out the brave actions of the Ghost Army, I hope we also take a moment to remember all of our World War II veterans.

In closing, I want to note what made the Ghost Army special was not just their extraordinary courage but their creativity. Their story reminds us that listening to unconventional ideas, like using visual and sound deception, can help us solve existential challenges like defeating tyranny.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support the bill.