Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, in addition to saluting and congratulating our colleague and friend, Congressman Mel Watt, I want to rise and salute our friend Nikki Mayes tonight.

Nikki, I just have to say to you first of all, I was a staffer for Ron Dellums when I first met Nikki, and I know tonight Ron would want to salute you, congratulate you, and thank you so much for your 36 years of service. So on behalf of Ron Dellums and myself, let me just say what a great role model you have been for all of us.

I also want to thank you for helping us navigate this great institution. We will always remember you. We will cherish your friendship. And I want to say to you that, as you start this new chapter of your life, I hope you get some rest and I hope you have a lot of fun.

Thank you, again, Nikki.

Thank you very much. Let me thank you, Congressman Fattah, first of all, for yielding and for your tremendous leadership on so many fronts. And thank you so much for this Special Order tonight and for reminding us in many ways of the history of this great movement that took place in this country.

Let me also just thank our chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, for her tremendous leadership and her tireless work and for the real humbling honor to be part of her delegation to South Africa to honor President Mandela. Also to Leader Pelosi and to our assistant leader, Mr. Clyburn.

Let me just take a moment to extend my thoughts and prayers on behalf of my district to President Mandela's family, for South Africa. We all have lost a warrior. South Africa has lost a warrior. The world has lost a freedom fighter and a great statesman.

The Congressional Black Caucus stood alongside the ANC and Nelson Mandela in the fight for equality and justice. And I am so proud of this contribution.

Even throughout his 27 years of incarceration and brutal treatment, his spirit was never broken, and this stands, really, as a testament to the power of resistance and determination.

Not only is Nelson Mandela the father of the liberation movement in South Africa, but he also laid the framework for modern liberation movements throughout the world.

With a dignified defiance, Nelson Mandela never compromised his political principles or the mission of the anti-apartheid movement, and he took up the mantle of fighting HIV and AIDS.

Like many of my colleagues, I was first inspired by Mr. Mandela in the early seventies. I was arrested in Berkeley, California, during the time when our brave brothers and sisters in the labor movement refused to unload ships carrying cargo from South Africa that arrived in Oakland's port.

My predecessor, former Congressman Ron Dellums, lead the effort with Congressman--our beloved Bill Gray--over and over and over again introducing legislation calling for divestment against this racist apartheid regime. But they finally put the United States on the right side of history when the Congress overrode President Reagan's veto.

And I vividly remember that the ANC was designated a terrorist organization by the United States Government, and it was illegal to meet with the freedom fighters, but many of us did anyway. I remember meeting with ANC members at the United Nations in Switzerland and Austria to help map out our solidarity work here in the United States.

So you can imagine how I personally felt when I joined some of you as an election observer, seeing lines and lines of people waiting to vote for the first time for Nelson Mandela as the first Black President of a free South Africa.

One of my proudest moments as a Member of Congress was when I led the effort to remove President Mandela, a Nobel Peace Prize, and the ANC from the U.S. Terrorist Watch List in time for his 90th birthday, just 5 years ago.

What now lives is Madiba's legacy of sacrifice, fighting for what is right and as an example of the power of healing and reconciliation.

And I just have to say that legacy was shown briefly in the handshake of President Obama when he extended it to President Raoul Castro of Cuba. I was proud of that handshake for what it means for diplomacy and the possibility of opening lines of communication. That handshake stands with the legacy of Nelson Mandela, of working and negotiating with those with whom you may not agree.

As Madiba said, and I quote, ``Reconciliation means working together to correct a legacy of past injustice.'' He was a peacemaker.

President Mandela taught us so many lessons, from reconciliation and

personal perseverance to the true meaning of public service. What he taught us was never to give up the fight for justice.

I had the privilege to meet Mr. Mandela many times. His serenity and his strength really were larger than life.

His legacy will live on forever in how we live our lives in the fight for freedom and for justice in a multiracial society.

Finally, let me just say that I hope, in his honor, that we live his legacy and continue our fight to end racism and to defend voting rights right here in the United States.

May his soul rest in peace.

Madam Speaker, the Affordable Care Act is already improving access to quality affordable health care for millions, including my constituents.

In my home State, for example, Covered California is a shining example of how the Affordable Care Act, when implemented fully, will be a success. California's exchange is now enrolling thousands of Californians into health care coverage every day.

Residents in my district, ranging from young adults, to seniors, to children with preexisting conditions and those who cannot afford health insurance, have been receiving critical protections and savings because of the Affordable Care Act.

In fact, one constituent wrote me recently after receiving a letter from his insurance company. After looking at the plans offered through Covered California, he was able to find coverage that was both more affordable and better for him. He told me that he does not want to put insurance companies back in charge and pay higher premiums for less coverage.

Every time Republicans vote to repeal or dismantle the Affordable Care Act, they make it perfectly clear that charging women more for being a woman is okay, that denying victims of domestic violence coverage is okay, and allowing insurance companies to increase premiums to increase profits is okay.

Mr. Speaker, as most of us joined family and friends over Thanksgiving week last week, 2,500 Afghan elders voted on a security agreement that could potentially leave thousands of United States troops in Afghanistan for at least another decade.

If the Afghan people are having a say in continued American troops in that country, at the very least this Congress should also debate and vote on any such agreement.

The war in Afghanistan has just entered its 13th year, and the need to bring our troops home remains urgent. President Karzai has recently suggested that he sees no potential security benefit from an ongoing United States security mission. I couldn't agree more, and the American people have long understood that there is no military solution in Afghanistan.

Mr. Speaker, especially at a time now when rising income inequality and harmful sequester cuts are hurting families and communities here at home, we need to get our priorities in order and stop spending good money after bad in Afghanistan.

We have known for years of the rampant waste, fraud, and abuse in Afghanistan, including bags of cash from the CIA being handed over in suit cases and plastic bags to corrupt Afghan government officials.

Enough is enough.

We need to end the corruption and end this war.

Mr. Speaker, let me first thank our leader, Nancy Pelosi, for her dedication and unwavering support to fight AIDS since arriving at the United States Congress 25 years ago.

This morning, I had the honor of joining President Obama, Secretary Kerry, Secretary Sebelius, and many advocates at the White House to mark World AIDS Day. It was a time for remembering the friends and loved ones whom we have lost. It was a reminder of the extraordinary progress that we have made, but also a reminder that we cannot stop now.

In the United States Congress, few issues have transcended partisan gridlock like the fight against AIDS. I want to also salute Chairman Ed Royce and our ranking member Eliot Engel for their unwavering commitment to keeping this a bipartisan issue. Thank you.

In the last 2 weeks alone, we have passed the HIV Organ Policy Equity Act and the PEPFAR Stewardship and Oversight Act, which President Obama signed into law this afternoon.

So many played a major role in the creation of PEPFAR and the Global Fund, and I am so proud of the leadership from the Congressional Black Caucus in supporting PEPFAR and the Minority AIDS Initiative and the National Strategy on HIV and AIDS.

Now is the time to recommit ourselves to an AIDS-free generation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of reauthorizing the Second Chance Act.

I'd like to thank my dear friend and colleague Rep. Danny Davis for being such a vocal and tireless advocate on what is a critical issue for communities in my district and throughout the country.

I'd also like to thank my colleague Jim Sensenbrenner for his work on this issue and for introducing, along with Congressman Davis, H.R. 3465 which would reauthorize this important law.

The Second Chance Act, signed into law in 2008, has provided important resources and support to individuals re-entering their communities after being incarcerated.

It has support from a broad coalition of organizations including from the civil rights, law enforcement, and behavioral health communities, in addition to many others.

Since becoming law, the Second Chance Act has authorized nearly 600 grants that have been award to local governments and nonprofit organizations in 49 states.

These grants have played a critical role in addressing recidivism and increasing public safety.

In my own district in the city of Oakland, a program known as the Comprehensive Community Cross System Reentry Support or C\3\RS, brings together government and nonprofit partners to re-engage youth in school after leaving a juvenile detention center.

This has been a tremendously successful program. Of the 592 program participants, 442 were reenrolled in school and of the 161 who received job training, 102 were placed in jobs.

This is but one example of the hundreds of successful programs that have helped previously incarcerated individuals get back on their feet and on the right path.

That is why it is so important that we move swiftly to reauthorize the Second Chance Act.

I call on House Republican leadership to bring this measure to the floor for a vote and give our communities and previously incarcerated individuals the support they need.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of passing comprehensive immigration reform legislation in the House. There is no question that it is long past time to fix our broken immigration system.

Earlier this year the Senate passed comprehensive immigration reform after working with stakeholders to reach a balanced, albeit imperfect bill.

Then last month, my colleagues in the House introduced a comprehensive immigration reform bill that has gained the support of 190 bipartisan cosponsors.

Unfortunately House Republican leadership continues to block the path forward.

Their refusal to consider legislation that has strong bipartisan, bicameral support is in direct conflict with the will and the needs of the American people-and our constituents.

There is growing unrest among the agricultural, business, and technology communities in addition to the advocacy organizations and faith groups.

In my own district, there are heart-wrenching stories of parents who made the dangerous journey here just so they could make sure their children have a place to live and something to eat back home.

They are separated not just by militarized borders, but by time-- years and decades of not being able to see one another.

That is why it is so important that organizations like PICO and countless others are continuing to organize and rally to get this done.

At this moment, faith leaders are joined together on the National Mall as part of the Fast4Families event.

They are giving up their meals in order to emphasize the moral importance of passing comprehensive immigration reform.

They follow in the footsteps of leaders like Cesar Chavez, who in 1968 led a 25-day fast for the rights of migrant workers. Today's community leaders are fighting to fix another broken system, one that affects more than 11 million people from all around the world.

Mr. Speaker, it is unacceptable that in the 145 days since the Senate passed its immigration bill, House.

Republican leaders have dedicated what little time we have to a government shutdown, 40 billion dollars in SNAP cuts, and the repeal of Obamacare.

Republican leadership may not be tired of gridlock and dysfunction but the American people are.

The nation is ready to pass comprehensive immigration reform and we must not delay any longer.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 3350, the so called ``Keep Your Health Plan Act''.

This bill is nothing more than the latest Republican effort to delay, defund, dismantle, or derail the Affordable Care Act.

I remain committed to ensuring that my constituents in California and millions across the country have access to quality, affordable health care.

Yet, the Republicans want nothing more than to capitalize on any opportunity to undermine the fundamental human right to healthcare. And that is what this latest attack is.

While we must certainly address any challenges that arise in the roll out and implementation of the Affordable Care Act, we cannot undermine its effectiveness by passing this cynical bill.

In fact, just today, I received an email from a constituent who said that his plan had been cancelled, but once he had a chance to view the options on Covered California--California's healthcare exchange--he found a better plan at a better price.

Stories like this one are happening all over the country and are further proof that we must not do anything to undermine the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

My constituents depend on it, as do millions of Americans.

I urge my colleagues to vote `no' on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I was not present for rollcall votes 588 and 589. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on both amendments.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary life and career of Bay Area community leader and tireless advocate for the underserved, Mr. Joseph Debro. Known throughout the Greater Oakland/Bay Area region as an innovative and dedicated mentor for minority businesses, Joseph Debro was also a stalwart community member. With his passing, we look to Mr. Debro's tremendous legacy and the outstanding quality of his life's work.

Born in Jackson, Mississippi, Mr. Debro attended and graduated from McClymonds High School in Oakland, California. He later enrolled at the University of California at Berkeley, where he was awarded an undergraduate and Master's Degree in bio-chemistry. Upon graduation, Mr. Debro put his extensive knowledge to work as research assistance at the University of California at San Francisco, and later when he was recruited by NASA as a bio-chemical engineer.

In his own words, Mr. Debro was the son of former slaves, who had to ride in the back of the bus with his parents, drinking water from fountains designated for coloreds only, and picking cotton in fields owned by White people. And even though he saw some diminution of racism throughout his lifetime, he was always quick to point out glaring inequalities in our justice system that persists to this day.

Mr. Debro tirelessly sought to raise awareness of the experiences African American contractors faced in their attempts to be recognized as viable businessmen in their industry. In the mid-1960's, Mr. Debro observed that Black contractors were excluded from urban redevelopment projects occurring in their own backyard. In his efforts to fight this disparity, Mr. Debro organized minority contractors and co-founded the National Association of Minority Contractors. Along these same lines, in 2009, he founded the Bay Area Black Builders, an organization composed of black construction workers and contractors fighting for economic justice.

As a community activist, Mr. Debro fought for fair housing policies, lending practices, and employment in building trades, among other issues. Alongside Congressman Bennie Thompson, he helped build thousands of units of rural housing throughout the nation. As a contractor, Mr. Debro built and rehabilitated numerous structures, such as the Malonga Casquelord Arts Center in Oakland. And in keeping with his role as a guarding of the community, in 2012, he again challenged the Raiders football team in court to repay a $53.9 million loan to the City of Oakland and County of Alameda.

Furthermore, Mr. Debro boasted an impressive history with local and state government. Throughout the years, he served as the Director for the State of California's office of Small Business, Director of the Oakland Small Business Center, Director of the Oakland Model Cities Program, and the Vice President of the Mayor's office of Economic Development in San Francisco.

I had the honor to have known Joe since the early 1970s. He was a visionary, bold, and never wavered with his commitment to the African American community. He helped fund California Resources, which Elihu Harris and I organized, and provided a Washington presence for minority owned firms. I learned a lot from Joe and will always remember his friendship and his wise counsel.

Today, California's 13th Congressional District salutes and honors a great friend of the Bay Area and a true champion for equity, Mr. Joseph Debro. His steadfast commitment to ensuring that minorities have access to a better quality of life will forever live on with the legacy of his vision. I offer my sincerest condolences to his many loved ones and to all of those whose lives he touched over the years. He will be deeply missed.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary career of Dr. Michael LeNoir as we celebrate over 40 years of his contributions to the medical field. Dr. LeNoir continues to be a celebrated physician, and we join together in praise of his remarkable contributions to the Bay Area, California, and our great nation.

Dr. LeNoir is married to Denise Washington LeNoir and they have 4 daughters and 5 grandchildren. He attended the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and graduated in 1967. During his transitional year, he interned at the Los Angeles County and the University of Southern California Medical Center. He completed his pediatrics residency at the William Beaumont Army Medical Center in 1970, and finished his fellowship in pediatric allergy and immunology in 1972 at the University of California at San Diego. Dr. LeNoir has been certified for 39 years in Allergy and Immunology from the American Board of Allergy and Immunology, and certified 40 years in Pediatrics from the American Board of Pediatrics. He has practiced clinical allergy and pediatrics in the Bay Area since 1977, and has been an active member of the National Medical Association(NMA) since 1975.

Throughout his prolific career, Dr. LeNoir has served in a number of leadership roles including former board member of the American Association of Certified Allergists, former chair of the Underserved Committee of the American Academy of Allergy, past President of the Northern California Allergy Association, former Chair of the NMA Allergy and Asthma Section, and former Chair of the Clinical Faculty at the University of California, San Francisco when he served as an associate clinical professor.

Dr. LeNoir has also earned myriad accolades, including the first Floyd Malveaux Award by the NMA Allergy and Asthma Section, the 2006 Community Physician of the Year Award by the Residents at Oakland Children's Hospital and Research Institute, the Lydia Smiley Award from the California School Nurses Association, as well as numerous awards highlighting his community service.

Dr. LeNoir was named as one of the America's leading African American Allergists by Black Enterprise Magazine in 2001 and 2008. Since 2001, Dr. LeNoir has been named as one of the best 200 physicians by Oakland Magazine and San Francisco Magazine.

From 1981 to 1993, Dr. LeNoir was the medical editor for KCBS Radio, hosting a 2 hour weekly talk show. He has been the CEO of the Ethnic Health America Network since 1985, and is the host and executive producer of the About Health Program, a talk show featured on Pacifica Radio stations, including Berkeley's KPFA. He has also served as president of the National Association of Physician Broadcasters.

Currently, Dr. LeNoir is president of the Ethnic Health Institute at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, Board Chair of the African American Wellness Project, and member of the Board of Directors at Children's Hospital and Research Center in Oakland.

Earlier this summer, Dr. LeNoir was inaugurated as the 114th President of the NMA. The NMA is the largest and oldest national organization representing the interests of more than 32,000 African American physicians and the patients they serve. Under Dr. LeNoir's leadership, the NMA will continue its work to eliminate health disparities, improve the pipeline for African American students, and advance the quality of health among communities of color and disadvantaged populations.

I have had the privilege of knowing and working with Dr. LeNoir for many years. He is a brilliant and compassionate physician who has used his expertise and experience on behalf of his patients and the overall community. I am proud to call him a colleague and a friend.

On behalf of California's 13th Congressional District, Dr. Michael LeNoir, I salute you. Your 40 years of dedication to improving the health of our communities and leadership on medical advances have made an indelible mark in history. Thank you for your continued work and best wishes to you and your loved ones in the years to come.

Mr. Speaker, many of our constituents are still recovering from the reckless Tea Party government shutdown. Now it is time to do our job and pass a budget, help grow the economy, and create jobs. Budgets are statements of our values and priorities as a Nation.

Our top priority in passing a budget must be to end the harmful, across-the-board budget cuts known as the sequester. We must extend emergency unemployment compensation which millions of jobless workers and families rely on. This will end at the end of December if we don't do this.

Although our economy has improved, there are still 4 million people in this country that have been unemployed for 6 months or more. These same individuals have already experienced reductions in their benefits due to sequestration and automatic SNAP--food stamp--cuts as of November 1.

Tea Party Republicans have refused to create jobs, they have cut job training, and now they are ready to pull the plug on this vital lifeline. This is morally wrong and economically stupid.

I urge the budget conferees to extend the Emergency Unemployment Compensation program for at least an additional year and to repeal the sequester. We need a fair and balanced budget that reflects our values.

Mr. Speaker, first, let me thank our ranking member for yielding, but also, let me just thank you so much for your tremendous leadership on this issue and on the Foreign Affairs Committee, and for your recognition and hard work in achieving and seeking to achieve an AIDS-free generation.

I want to say it is a real pleasure to be with you today and to be back with you today, actually, with the committee that I served on for 8 years. So thank you, again, so much.

Let me also thank the chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Chairman Royce, for ensuring that PEPFAR continues as a bipartisan effort, and for your commitment to an AIDS-free generation. I just want to thank you for that leadership because, oftentimes, we wonder if there is bipartisanship in this body. Well, I think today, once again, we can cite that when it comes to saving lives, PEPFAR is a clear example of how we work together to do just that.

And, of course, I must thank my cochair on the Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus, Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen from Florida. I have to thank her for her work on HIV/AIDS initiatives, both international and domestic.

I am very proud to have played a role in the creation of PEPFAR and am proud of the leadership of the Congressional Black Caucus and our chair at that time, the gentlewoman from Texas, Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson. Even before the world knew about this program, Congresswoman Johnson knew the importance of Presidential leadership and put this on the Congressional Black Caucus' agenda during our very first meeting with President Bush.

To quote from a 2002 letter to President Bush, the CBC called for an ``expanded U.S. initiative'' to respond to the greatest plague in recorded history. And then following that, in President Bush's 2003 State of the Union speech, he laid out what this important initiative should look like and made a serious commitment to this effort.

So over the last decade, we have worked closely with the late Chairman Hyde, Chairman Lantos, as well as Senator Kerry, the late Senator Jesse Helms, Senator Bill Frist, Congressman Jim Leach, Congressman McDermott, Congresswoman Donna Christensen, Leader Pelosi, and so many others. And I share this because I think it is important that society recognize that the history of this has been bipartisan because we kept our eye on the prize. We knew that we wanted to save lives and we wanted to see an AIDS-free generation, and so many people, so many Members of this body, so many outside organizations, and our staff have worked so hard to get us to this point.

So now, a decade later, I am especially proud, once again, to be a coauthor of the bill before us today. As I said, this is a bipartisan compromise, and in the end, I think we have a very good bill.

We agreed on the need to protect funding for HIV treatment and programs for orphans and vulnerable children. We agreed on the need to preserve support and extend the expired 33 percent cap on United States contributions to the Global Fund. This cap is a proven tool for leveraging donor funding and is especially important as the United States prepares to host the Fourth Replenishment Conference for the Global Fund next month.

Our bill also updates the annual report to better guide PEPFAR's transition toward greater country ownership while enhancing oversight. And I am especially pleased that we included reporting requirements on efforts to engage key stakeholders, including faith-based organizations and United States minority-serving institutions.

I can tell you, as a member of the Appropriations Committee, PEPFAR has transitioned from--and this is very important. And I want to thank Ranking Member Engel and Chairman Royce for helping us realize the need to transition from an emergency response to a means of supporting country leadership in their work towards an AIDS-free generation. So this bill will fundamentally help continue to move our programs in that direction.

Thank you very much.

I want to thank Ambassador Goosby for his tremendous leadership, who actually lives in my congressional district in northern California, and also Dr. Mark Dybul, who now leads the Global Fund, and so many more.

PEPFAR has supported nearly 6 million people on lifesaving treatment, more than 11 million pregnant women who have received HIV testing and counseling, and 1 million babies born HIV-free this year. So this bill represents the real achievements that we can make when we put aside our differences and work together to achieve an AIDS-free generation.

Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition and the Safe Climate Caucus, I rise to call for

urgent congressional action on climate change.

We must follow the examples of my home State of California, Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia. These leaders came together Monday and signed the Pacific Coast Action Plan on Climate and Energy. The action plan will help them to collectively reduce carbon pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, which will not only help the environment and public health but will also strengthen our economy.

This is a small, but significant step to act on climate change. These leaders are taking these important steps because they know the consequences of inaction. They recognize that the effects of climate change cross borders freely. Republicans and Democrats should follow this good example of action, and our leadership should move forward to combat climate change.

I, too, want to give my sympathy and my prayers with the loss of a great leader, Chairman Ike Skelton. And I know on behalf of my predecessor, my former boss, my colleague Congressman Skelton was a personal friend, and I know that he would want me to say today that he misses him.

May his soul rest in peace.

First, let me thank Congressman Al Green for that very humbling introduction, for your tremendous leadership, and for bringing us all together with, of course, Congressman Poe, and for really pulling together this Special Order in recognition of October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. It is so critical that we continue to raise the level of awareness in a bipartisan manner until we rid our country and the world of abuse and domestic violence.

As someone who unfortunately understands domestic violence on a very personal level, a deeply personal level, I know how traumatic the experience is, and, yes, I know what the support system and how important the support system is needed to emerge as a survivor. I also know that domestic violence is not only physical, but it is also emotional. It is brutal. It is dehumanizing to the battered and the batterer, and without strong and enforceable criminal laws and services, one's life can be shattered and destroyed. I know this from personal experience.

Also, as a psychiatric social worker by profession, battered women's syndrome will totally destroy a woman's life if we don't address the counseling and mental health services that will really help women rid themselves of the syndrome which comes as a result of a lifetime of abuse.

As a member of the California Legislature, I was very proud to write California's Violence Against Women Act and many domestic violence bills that were actually signed into law, Congressman Green, by a Republican Governor, Governor Pete Wilson, and I continue to make this a priority in my congressional work.

In my district, there are several agencies, such as A Safe Place, which is a victim-centered agency. Agencies such as this, they do wonderful work on a minimum budget on issues and services and housing related to and for victims of abuse; and we need to enhance and raise the level of funding because they do wonderful work, as I said, with minimal resources.

We know that staying in a shelter or working with an advocate significantly improves the victim's quality of life. It is my hope that we use Domestic Violence Awareness Month to recommit ourselves to fighting the scourge of domestic violence against men and women.

We have made accomplishments over the decades on this issue, including the passage of the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act and the Violence Against Women Act, which we fought hard to get reauthorized earlier this year under the bold and tremendous leadership of Congresswoman Gwen Moore and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

These pieces of legislation have led to an increase of nearly 51 percent in domestic violence reporting by women and a 37 percent increase in reporting for men. This is truly a significant impact. Yet, sadly, challenges remain.

Around the world, nearly one in three women have been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime. Here in the United States, as many as one in four American women report being physically or sexually abused by a husband or a boyfriend at least once in their lives.

In my home State of California, the statistics are even more staggering. According to the Women's Health Survey, approximately 40 percent of California women experience physical, intimate partner violence in their lifetime. Of these women, three out of four of them had children under the age of 18 at home.

Children who see or experience domestic violence have a much greater chance to either become victims or perpetrators as adults. They are also more likely to attempt suicide, abuse drugs and alcohol, run away from home, engage in teenage prostitution, and commit other crimes.

Beyond the cost to children, domestic violence affects the economy with as many as half of domestic violence victims reporting the loss of a job due at least in part to domestic violence. In fact, domestic violence costs employers in the United States as much as $13 billion each year, and it costs our health care system upwards of $5.8 billion, including $4 billion in direct health care expenses.

When we talk about the state of employment and the cost of health care, especially for women, the economic impacts of domestic violence and what we must do to eradicate it must be part of that conversation.

We must prioritize investments in programs that domestic violence survivors rely on when escaping their abuser, including domestic violence programs and other programs of the safety net.

When we fail to make the proper investments, women bear the consequences. Thousands of requests for domestic violence services go unmet. Thousands of calls to the National Domestic Violence Hotline go unanswered. In times of economic downturn, the rates of domestic violence tend to increase. That is why this reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act was so very important.

Not only were we able to increase outreach to victims on college campuses and expand protections for victims living on tribal lands, but for the first time, first time, we extended access to protections for immigrant and LGBT victims.

So as a member of the Appropriations Committee, I am going to continue to fight for robust funding at all levels, so that we can continue to provide victims with the services they need. With strong investments, we can address this crisis and end domestic violence, once and for all.

Although we have made great progress, we cannot claim victory. October is a critical time to raise awareness of what continues to be a pervasive issue in our country.

But we must remember that for women, children and men who are experiencing or who have experienced domestic violence, every day must be a day of awareness. So we must support all of the legislation and funding efforts that will indicate that finally, mind you, finally, we will not need Domestic Violence Awareness Month ever again because we have put an end to domestic violence.

Thank you again, Mr. Green.