Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the exceptional service of Christine James-Brown, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA), who recently announced her retirement as President.

CWLA is an outstanding organization that works to improve the quality and availability of child welfare and related services through standard-setting and advocacy. Ms. James-Brown began her tenure as President of CWLA in April 2007, assuming the leadership of the nation's oldest and largest membership-based child welfare organization. Ms. James-Brown has served as the eighth President of this 103-year-old organization. With more than sixteen years of service, she is the second-longest serving President of CWLA. Ms.

James-Brown is a national leader in efforts to protect children and strengthen families, and she has led CWLA through historic accomplishments and challenging times.

Ms. James-Brown led CWLA's advocacy efforts to help enact critical child welfare laws, including the Fostering Connections to Success and Promoting Adoptions Act of 2008 and the Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018. Her leadership continued CWLA's policy work in areas including kinship care, adoption and foster care services, prevention services, and residential care.

Under Ms. James-Brown's leadership, CWLA worked with members and experts across the country during 2012 and 2013 to develop the CWLA National Blueprint for Excellence in Child Welfare that presents a vision for the future of child welfare where all children grow up safely in loving families and supportive communities.

Her service includes her work as a member of the Congressionally- mandated National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine panel with the mission of making recommendations to reduce child poverty in half over ten years. I and other policymakers used those recommendations and the science behind them to champion legislation that helped reduce child poverty during the global pandemic.

During her tenure, Ms. James-Brown helped CWLA continue its leadership and engagement of its network of public and private agencies and partners to advance policies, best practices, and collaborative strategies that result in better outcomes for children, youth, and families. She led the organization through 16 national conferences, including a celebration of 90 years in 2010 and a virtual conference during the pandemic on the organization's 100th anniversary

I join with members of the Child Welfare League of America and the child welfare community to thank Ms. Christine James-Brown for her exceptional service to the children and families of our nation and to wish her health and happiness in her well-deserved retirement.

Mr. Speaker, this spring, we mark the 30th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act, known as FMLA. This groundbreaking law allows millions of workers to take unpaid leave from their jobs when necessary, without the fear of losing their jobs or being forced to choose retaining a job over the needs of themselves or their families.

Prior to the passage of the FMLA, there were no uniform laws or guaranteed leave for workers. None. In 1993, with bipartisan support, Congress passed, and President Bill Clinton signed into law, the Family and Medical Leave Act.

FMLA has remained crucial for workers all over the United States for three decades. It has provided workers across the country with 12 weeks of leave to care for a new child, an ill family member, or their own health. During this time, one's job is guaranteed. Unfortunately, FMLA leave is entirely unpaid, only about 56 percent of workers are eligible for the program due to strict eligibility requirements regarding tenure and worksite size, it restricts the definition of family to exclude millions of caregivers, and the stark reality is that many workers cannot go without income.

As we celebrate 30 years of FMLA, Congress should recognize that paid family and medical leave is long overdue. The pandemic made crystal clear that the current patchwork system fails to cover many workers, especially low-paid workers, and harms our economy by removing millions of workers from the labor force and hundreds of millions of dollars in earnings. Limiting leave to those who can afford time off without pay harms workers of color and lower-wage workers, in particular. For example, Black workers are 86 percent more likely to be unable to take leave when they need to care for others or themselves. Indeed, 68 percent of Black women are the sole breadwinners in their households, making any loss of pay due to illness or caregiving a tremendous hardship. Families should not face the unethical choice of earning a paycheck or caring for their loved ones or themselves.

As the lead Democrat of the Ways and Means Committee Subcommittee on Worker and Family Support, which has jurisdiction over paid leave, I am proud that House Democrats passed out of the House the first-ever, universal, comprehensive paid family and medical leave program. Had the Republicans in the Senate not blocked its final passage, this program would have provided all U.S. workers with up to 4 weeks of paid leave to address a serious personal or family health issue, or to care for a newborn or newly-adopted or fostered child.

Universal paid leave is not a gamble; we have decades of research from state and international implementation that comprehensive protections help businesses retain qualified workers and government support helps level the playing field for small businesses while supporting workers and strengthening the economy. Fourteen states and the District of Columbia have passed laws to provide or require paid leave: Arizona; California, New Jersey; Rhode Island, New York; District of Columbia; Washington; Massachusetts; Connecticut; Oregon; Colorado; New Hampshire; Maryland; Virginia; and Delaware.

Research by the Rutgers University Center for Women and Work found that implementing universal paid family and medical leave would result in higher post-birth wages for women who take paid leave than for those that do not. Given that women are more likely to serve as primary caregiver and, therefore, are more likely to need leave, a federal paid leave program would strengthen the economic security of women. Additionally, research by Zero-to-Three found that the well-being of children would improve dramatically given the availability of parents to care for children and help obtain needed healthcare. Finally, the improved economic well-being of families would boost the economy and business revenue. In fact, paid leave policies creating gender equity would boost GDP by $2.4 trillion by 2030, and policy allowing caregiving for older adults $1.7 trillion by 2030.

I am proud to recognize my home state of Illinois is one of three states (i.e., Illinois, Maine, Nevada) that has enacted mandatory earned time off, a policy that is a substantial leap forward to universal paid family and medical leave. The Illinois Paid Leave for All Workers Act will begin in 2024. It allows workers to accrue one hour of paid leave for every 40 hours workers, with a limit of 40 hours per year. Importantly, workers can use this leave for any reason, not just health care. I also am proud to recognize that ordinances in Cook County and Chicago proved that these policies benefit both workers and employers. This flexible time off for shorter life events coupled with paid family and medical leave for longer periods could substantially support workers, allowing them to remain in the workforce and advance their careers over time while still meeting the needs of themselves and their families.

We must take action to ensure equity for women, workers of color, and low-income workers through comprehensive, universal, paid family and medical leave legislation. Although my Republican colleagues have repeatedly blocked Democratic efforts to enact paid family and medical leave, I promise to continue to champion comprehensive paid family and medical leave legislation to give workers the protections they deserve that will strengthen families, communities, and our country. As we recognize the 30th anniversary of the Family Medical Leave Act, we must commit ourselves to moving toward a future in which all workers enjoy the right to paid leave.

Mr. Speaker, this February we celebrate the 23rd Black History Month. Black History Month is a time to honor the past contributions of Black people in American society and also to pay homage to those making progress currently and in the future. It is an annual celebration of achievements, reflection on challenges faced, and recognition of the central role of Black people in U.S. history.

Each Black History Month adopts a central theme. Last year's theme was ``Black Health and Wellness;'' this year, we focus on ``Black Resistance.'' ``Black Resistance'' is a powerful message that refers to how, throughout history, African Americans have withstood, com batted, and opposed both intermittent or ongoing disadvantages and oppression. We've undergone being enslaved and having human and civil rights stripped away. For centuries, African Americans have faced enormous obstacles in numerous aspects of life, including education, economic security, healthcare, employment, housing, and criminal justice. African Americans routinely experience opportunity denial due to the color of our skin, and we continue to struggle for justice and equality for ourselves and communities in the face of systematic racism. In Chicago, as across the nation, Black families are more likely to live in poverty than white families, making it challenging to access decent education, health care, and other essential resources for a fulfilling life. Being Black in the United States is a complicated and multidimensional experience affected by historical, social, and cultural influences.

Black Resistance has helped overcome these barriers on the path to equality. African Americans have made enormous contributions to American culture, politics, and society. From the Civil Rights Movement to Black Lives Matter, Black people have battled for justice and equality. Their words and actions have molded the history and identity of our Nation. Black families have demonstrated Black Resistance--a remarkable endurance, fortitude, and perseverance in the face of adversity. Through all the pressures of life, Black

parents teach their children the meaning behind the color of their skin, to stay on the right side of the system, and to face a world that fears our physique. Despite centuries of challenges, Black parents have raised children who grew into the workers, professionals, parents, and communities who made this wonderful Nation what it is.

Black Resistance has helped us overcome barriers on the path to equality; yet recently, it seems that more obstacles arise with each hurdle we surmount. Instead of moving forward, it sometimes feels like we are stuck in an ongoing cycle of one-step-forward-two-steps-back. Black students in Chicago and across the nation are disproportionately likely to attend underfunded schools that lack resources and qualified teachers. This inequity often results in decreased academic achievement and diminished opportunities for success. Black parents must advise their children how to navigate the centuries-old barriers facing African Americans and hope the world doesn't take their babies from them. Too many Black mothers in the United States suffer from the agony of knowing that their child's last words were a call for them while being killed by the police. Further, some Republican leaders are aggressively pushing to eliminate the teaching of African-American history in classrooms, promising to exacerbate the ongoing education crisis and forcing the country to move backward instead of forward. Without education on the various accomplishments and failings of the past, future generations will be unprepared for the challenges ahead due to the lost lessons of history.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., recognized that ``the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.'' Regardless of the obstacles encountered, the Black community has a long, cultural tradition of activism and advocacy, and this Black Resistance advances the fight for justice and equality that Dr. King spoke of. In honor of Black History Month, I organized a town hall gathering to recognize the historical heroes and heroines, those from the past who have shaped our world and those from the present who are paving the path for future sheroes and heroes. The event occurred on Sunday, February 19, 2023, at the Home of Life Missionary Baptist Church. During this event, l heard from residents about what policies on which they believe Congress should focus to continue bending the arc of the moral universe toward justice.

As we celebrate the 23rd Black History Month, I am reminded of Sam Cooke's hope: ``It's been a long . . . time coming, but I know a change gonna come. Oh yes, it will.'' I have seen Black Resistance bring about such wonderful change in my lifetime. I am proud to celebrate this success, and I promise to continue fighting for equality and opportunity at every turn. Change is gonna come.

Mr. Speaker, as we begin the 118th Congress and the new year, I want to take a moment to voice my strong support for the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, Public Law 117-328. Given that this legislation will help so many, it is fitting that we enacted this bipartisan bill during the holiday season--a time of kindness and caring for others.

As people struggle with higher costs, this law provides substantial help paying for food, housing, health care, childcare, and education. For example, a few notable provisions include:

It increases affordable housing funding by 8 percent, including an expansion of vouchers for 12,000 households at risk of homelessness;

It ensures that the 40 million children on Medicaid and CHIP have uninterrupted access to health care through the year by offering continuous coverage;

It expands high-quality childcare and preschool by increasing the Child Care and Development Block Grant by $1.9 billion and Head Start by $950 million;

It invests in mental health services for Medicare beneficiaries by expanding the physician workforce, creating a new outpatient benefit, and extending telehealth flexibilities for 2 years;

It helps improve customer service by the Social Security Administration for seniors, people with disabilities, and survivors with an additional $785 million;

It lowers food insecurity with an additional $13.4 billion for the SNAP program and by giving 29 million kids healthy meals during the summer with the creation of a permanent summer food program;

It increases Pell Grants by $500, the largest increase in over a decade;

It helps lower energy costs with $6.1 billion for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program or LIHEAP;

It helps individuals, families, and communities affected by disasters with $27 billion; and

It strengthens retirement for Americans.

I am very proud that this law includes 3 of my bills and over $24 million to help my local organizations and constituents via community projects funding.

The law includes The Jackie Walorski Maternal and Child Home Visiting Reauthorization Act of 2022 that provides historic funding for the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program that funds evidence-based home visiting proven to improve mother and child health, family safety, and child development.

It includes the Retirement Parity for Student Loans Act that improves retirement savings and lowers educational debt by allowing employers to make 401(k) matching payments for employees making student-loan payments, helping younger workers who currently cannot afford to save for their retirement to begin saving much sooner.

In addition, the law includes key provisions of the Unclaimed Savings Bond Act that will help locate bondholders and heirs of unclaimed bonds, helping ordinary Americans claim the over $33 billion owed to them. Illinois citizens are owed over $1 billion in matured unredeemed savings bonds. Under current practice, Treasury has required bondholders and heirs who cannot produce the physical bond from redeeming those funds unless they are able to provide the serial number and other detailed information. This requirement likely affects poorer and elderly bondholders who face the most challenges in retaining all of their personal records and who hold a significant percentage of these bonds. Working with my colleague, Ron Estes, and other Ways and Means Members, the law included a fix to ensure that Treasury makes every effort to provide each state with the complete information, including the serial numbers, for bondholders in that state. Helping bondholders and their heirs redeem their investments is the clear purpose of the statute, and I will work with the executive branch to ensure it is carried out.

Finally, this law delivers over $24 million to help my local organizations and constituents via community projects. These projects will: increase access to quality health, substance abuse, and mental health services; expand affordable and transitional housing; improve higher education for minority men; expand community well-being programs to improve community safety and economic security; help modernize one of our cherished local museums; improve the trauma-informed care system for children on the south and westsides; and provide high-caliber programming to youth.

I am proud that the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, does so much to support individuals, families, communities, and businesses-- improving well-being, safety, and economic security. I look forward to seeing all the goods things that this law does unfold during 2023.

Mr. Speaker, I know this may be the beginning of a new year, but we are back to the same old thoughts, ideas, and practices: Protect the wealthy. Disadvantage the poor.

We need a tax system that is fair. We need the skilled auditors who can look at the more complex returns of wealthy taxpayers and make sure that they are paying their fair share.

There is no doubt that this is a sham. Vote this down because it takes away opportunity for fairness in our tax system. We need the auditors.

Madam Speaker, these words are attributed to Sir lssac Watts, who wrote, and I paraphrase, ``Were I so tall as to reach from pole to pole or grasp the ocean with my span, I must be measured by my soul, for the mind is the measure of the man.''

Trying to describe Prince Asiel Ben Israel is no easy task because so many characteristics of desirability. He was a man of principle, a great husband, a provider, protector, a wonderful father, grandfather, great grandfather, a patriarch, and the leader of a tribe. He was a people's Prince born, educated, trained and prepared to lead. He was a visionary who understood that you cannot lead where you don't go and you cannot teach what you don't know. Prince was always searching for truth and knowledge and was exceptionally passionate about practically everything that he did or cared about.

He loved people, and I mean people, and he had a humanitarian spirit and expressed that, ``all life sacred.'' it is now 4:00 am, in the morning, so let me wrap this up. I was blessed to spend many fortunate, precious, and meaningful hours with Prince. We traveled at least ten times to Africa, South Africa, West Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. Many of these times it was just the two of us, and talk, talk, talk we did. We met with Heads of State, the ANC, Winnie Mandela, Members of Parliaments, academicians, grassroots groups, clerics, giants of industry, and sometimes I thought Prince was the greatest advocate and diplomat on earth, both at the same time, and he was always on point.

A gifted intellectual spiritual leader who used his knowledge, talents and skills to advance the causes of his people (all caring people), as he journeyed through a lifetime of service to humanity.

As I walked away from our last meeting with two of his sons and a government official from Ghana a few weeks ago, I had a feeling, first

of all, servant of all, you shall transcend all, and as I walked down to my car on Michigan Avenue humming to myself, ``Swing low sweet chariot, coming for to carry me home.''

Good night my friend.

Madam Speaker, Lawrence Butler, Jr. was born in Natchez, Mississippi on November 25th to Ellen Shaw Butler and Lawrence Butler, Sr. He was the only son and the youngest of three children. He had two sisters: Clara Butler Watts and Regina Butler Davis. The family attended Greater Fatherland Baptist Church.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1499, I call up the bill (H.R. 8876) to reauthorize the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on H.R. 8876.

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

Mr. Speaker, first of all, let me commend and thank Chairman Neal and Ranking Member Brady for their cordiality and the outstanding way in which they have managed the affairs of the Committee on Ways and Means. That is one of the reasons that we are here today, for such an outstanding bipartisan bill, to talk about the welfare of children and families.

For struggling families, home visiting is a life-changing experience. Research demonstrates that home visiting works. I have seen these successes in my home city of Chicago, parents and home visitors partnering to tackle big challenges and making children healthier and safer.

My friend Jackie Walorski saw home visiting work in her district, too. Jackie was deeply committed to helping vulnerable children and families, and she was my partner in our committee's effort to preserve and strengthen home visiting. I really wish she was here today as we continue with the work that we did together.

I also thank our colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee-- Chairman Pallone, Ranking Member McMorris Rodgers, Health Committee Chair Eshoo, and Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Guthrie--for their leadership on this bill.

The Jackie Walorski Maternal and Child Home Visiting Reauthorization Act would reauthorize the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program for 5 years.

Over that 5 years, the bill would double our Federal investment in evidence-based home visiting, bringing home visiting to more families and communities.

This bill would more than double our investment in Tribal communities, where so many residents need home visiting but have been left out due to a lack of funding.

It would invest in the critical home visiting workforce because it is the support and relationships that home visitors build with mothers, fathers, and children that make home visiting work.

And it would ensure that States and territories have reliable, predictable funding and rules so that they can focus on helping more families thrive.

The Ways and Means Committee passed this important, bipartisan legislation on a unanimous vote of 41-0. I urge all my colleagues to join us in supporting the bill today, as we work to enact it into law in the coming weeks. I also thank my colleagues at the Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce Committees for their input and support on the introduced bill.

The bill also has the overwhelming support of home visiting stakeholders, including the Home Visiting Coalition, which endorsed the bill and wrote that it addressed every request the coalition made in a ``thoughtful and productive manner.''

We have an opportunity to make a real difference for children and families across America, and so I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' and then work with us to enact the bill this year.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the outstanding gentlewoman from California (Ms. Chu).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore), a fierce defender of poor and disadvantaged people.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Alabama (Ms. Sewell), an outstanding gentlewoman that many of us call the pride of the South.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

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

Let me, first of all, thank Dr. Wenstrup for his leadership. And I also thank all of those who have spoken to the virtues of the bill as well as the virtues of Jackie Walorski.

I was able to attend her homegoing services, and I can assure you if you were in Mishawaka or South Bend, Indiana, you would hear the same words that have been spoken here today. She was indeed an amazing woman.

Mr. Speaker, before I close, I would mention another amazing woman who has been legendary and become legendary in this institution, and that is our dearly beloved Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, who has led this body for a number of years. And I think that this can indeed be one of its proudest moments.

Mr. Speaker, I close by quoting Erika Beck, who receives home visiting services in Chicago. At one of the hearings Jackie and I held, Ms. Beck said, ``I know that our lives are changed forever and for the better because of Myia, our home visitor. She is helping me and Louis, my husband, help our kids succeed, and she is educating all of us.''

Such is the feeling of those who receive these valuable services.

Mr. Speaker, I also take this opportunity to thank all of the organizations and individuals who have joined our fight to continue and expand home visiting.

I thank the bipartisan Committee on Ways and Means staff: Staff director Morna Miller, Taylor Downs, Cheryl Vincent, and Andrew Gradison.

I also thank the tremendous nonpartisan staff that my staff and I relied on so much throughout this process. Patrick Landers and Karen Lynch at the Congressional Research Service; James Grossman at the Office of Legislative Counsel, and Carolyn Ugolino at the Congressional Budget Office.

Mr. Speaker, I also thank my legislative staff director, deputy chief of staff, Dr. Jill Hunter-Williams, who put in so much time, energy, and effort on this bill. I also thank all of us who worked with her.

I have had some proud moments in this body, but I can tell you that there is no prouder moment that I have had than to be a force and to suggest when we vote for this bill, for this home visiting opportunity for thousands and thousands of children and mothers and families to experience the help that they need to become everything that America has the potential of helping them to be.

Again, Mr. Speaker, it is an excellent piece of legislation. I urge its passage, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, the almighty God has called to his eternal rest Mr. Lawrence Butler, Jr. Mr. Butler was the only son, one of three children, he had two sisters, Clara Butler Watts and Regina Butler Davis, and after attending Southern University in Baton Rouge Louisiana, he moved to Chicago, where he lived with his Uncle Harrison Shaw. Lawrence fell in love with Chicago and quickly went to work making a life for himself in the windy city. He went to work as a bus driver for the Chicago Transit Authority and was drafted into the Army where he served as a military policeman. After serving his country, he returned to Chicago and joined the Chicago Police Department. He wore the badge with pride and honor for 34 years and enjoyed protecting and giving back to the city that he so cherished.

Lawrence's life truly began when he met and fell in love with a beautiful young woman named Beverly. Lawrence and Beverly married September 21, 1975. Shortly afterwards, they purchased what would become their home, a beautiful Victorian in the historical Austin Shock District. Lawrence and Beverly have two daughters, Mary Ellen and Hilaree. Lawrence and Beverly and their daughters were neighbors of my family for many years, and I treasure their presence in our village and commend Lawrence for his service to our country, our city and our neighborhood where we live, work and pray.

Madam Speaker, as the Chairman of the Ways and Means Worker and Family Subcommittee with jurisdiction over the Supplemental Security Income Program--or SSI, it is an honor and privilege to recognize the 50th Anniversary of this essential program that serves as our nation's fundamental safety net for low-income seniors and people with disabilities.

The charge that a humane society should care for its vulnerable is long-standing. The Chinese philosopher Confucius said: ``In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of.'' The Jewish teaching of tzedakah advocates treating every person with righteousness and justice. In the book of Matthew, Jesus said, ``As you did it to one of these, the least of my brethren, you did it to me.'' And, Mahatma Gandhi indicated that ``the true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.''

In the 20th century, our country established and improved programs that created the foundation of a system to care for vulnerable Americans--such as FDR's New Deal, LBJ's Great Society, and the hundreds of laws to strengthen these programs. Fifty years ago, many low-income Americans with significant disabilities experienced painful hardship because they lacked the monthly income to support themselves. No federal program met their needs; rather, each state had separate rules for who could receive benefits, for how long, and for how much.

In 1972, a Democratic Congress and a Republican President recognized the challenges faced by low-income people with severe disabilities and amended the Social Security Act to replace the inadequate, inconsistent, state support system with a permanent, national benefits program that offers a minimum, monthly income. As a federal program, SSI consolidated several state and federal elderly anti-poverty and disability programs into one program to support the most vulnerable.

Today, SSI provides food, shelter, heat in the winter, and dignity to more than 7.6 million American seniors and those with severe disabilities. In Cook County, Illinois, which includes my Congressional District, over 140,000 people rely on SSI to help buy food, pay rent, keep the lights on, and pay out-of-pocket health care costs. Importantly, SSI eligibility often increases eligibility for other important benefits--such as state public assistance, Medicaid, and SNAP--to also assist with critical expenses, like hospital stays, doctors' bills, and prescriptions.

In addition to supporting seniors and adults with disabilities, SSI benefits also help many children with disabilities and health conditions access the specialized care and treatment they need. Further, SSI helps compensate for the loss of income that is common for parents managing their children's complex care. Over 33,000 Illinois children receive these vital supports each month.

As we reflect on the strengths of SSI, we also must recognize the need for improvement. Given that SSI represents the only income for more than half of SSI recipients, we have a responsibility to ensure that the program truly protects disabled and elderly Americans from poverty and hardship. Further due to our country's history of systemic racism, including in employment and health care, people of color disproportionately experience poverty and disability compared to their peers. Consequently, policymakers need to modernize the SSI program to promote stability for the most vulnerable Americans.

We must improve monthly benefits to protect the elderly and disabled from suffering in poverty. We must adjust the asset limits for inflation. Currently, the program caps monthly savings at $2,000 and $3,000 for participating individuals and couples. If we adjusted asset limits for inflation since 1972, the asset cap for individuals would be $9,000. Raising assets limits would allow millions of beneficiaries to appropriately save for emergencies, rather than having to make immoral choices between food or shelter or health. Additionally, we need to increase the outdated income limits that remain the same as they were 50 years ago. In short, we must modernize the SSI program so that it effectively supports the poorest Americans, bolstering dignity and well-being.

I am especially proud that, as we mark the 50th anniversary of SSI, my colleagues and I at the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Worker and Family Support continue working closely with the Social Security Administration to improve outreach to those missing seniors and people with disabilities as they reopen their field offices, but there is much more we need to do to help reconnect those whom the pandemic disconnected from SSI, either from applying for initial benefits or being separated from current benefits.

As we celebrate five decades of the SSI program, I would like to recognize the amazing local disability advocates who tirelessly provide the on-going, vital help for vulnerable individuals in Chicago. These organizations serve as points of access for long-term supports and services, including home health care and assistive technology. They help expand and defend people's rights, including supporting self- advocacy groups and legal assistance. A few of these wonderful organizations are:

Access Living

The Arc of Illinois

Chicago ADAPT

Chicago Health Advocates

Equip for Equality

Health and Disability Advocates

Ilinois Council on Developmental Disabilities

Illinois Department of Aging

Legal Counsel for Health Justice

Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities

Voices for Illinois Children

In closing, I celebrate the first 50 years of the Supplemental Security Income program, and I promise to continue to fight for dignity for our most vulnerable citizens to make SSI's impact even bigger over the next 50 years.

Madam Speaker, it is my great pleasure to congratulate Mr. Richard Koepke of Oak Park, Illinois, on his retirement earlier this year from the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS).

With its headquarters in Chicago, ISTSS is the premier, global, interdisciplinary, professional organization promoting the advancement and exchange of knowledge about traumatic stress.

As Executive Director of ISTSS for over two decades, Mr. Koepke worked tirelessly with ISTSS leaders to advance the traumatic stress field and promote healing and recovery among survivors of trauma.

Prior to joining ISTSS, Mr. Koepke served in other non-profit management roles across Chicago, including with the American Hospital Association and the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago.

As a social worker, Mr. Koepke also provided front-line clinical services for mental health consumers and their families.

I join the members of ISTSS in congratulating Mr. Koepke on his outstanding career, and wish him much health and happiness in his well- deserved retirement.

Madam Speaker, I was unable to cast votes on the following legislative measures. If I were present for roll call votes, I would have voted Aye for the following votes:

Roll 461, September 29, 2022: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass S. 4900--SBIR and STTR Extension Act of 2022.

Roll 462, September 29, 2022: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, As Amended, H.R. 8466--Chai Suthammanont Healthy Federal Workplaces Act of 2022, as amended.

Roll 463, September 29, 2022: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass S. 3470--End Human Trafficking in Government Contracts Act of 2022.

Roll 464, September 29, 2022: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass S. 2551--AI Training Act.

Roll 465, September 29, 2022: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass S. 958--Maximizing Outcomes through Better Investments in Lifesaving Equipment for (MOBILE) Health Care Act.

Roll 466, September 29, 2022: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, As Amended, H.R. 6965--Visit America Act, as amended.

Roll 467, September 29, 2022: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, As Amended, H.R. 7321--Global Aircraft Maintenance Safety Improvement Act, as amended.

Roll 468, September 29, 2022: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, As Amended, House Amendment to S. 3662--Preventing PFAS Runoff at Airports Act.

Roll 469, September 29, 2022: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, As Amended, H.R. 8888--Food Security for All Veterans Act.

Roll 470, September 29, 2022: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass S. 2794--Supporting Families of the Fallen Act.

Roll 471, September 29, 2022: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, As Amended, H.R. 8446--Global Food Security Reauthorization Act of 2022, as amended.

Roll 472, September 29, 2022: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 8463--Millennium Challenge Corporation Eligibility Expansion Act.

Roll 473, September 29, 2022: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass Certain Bills and Concur in the Senate Amendments on H.R. 8956, H.R. 6967, H.R. 8163, H.R. 4081, H.R. 6889, H.R. 1638, Senate Amendment to

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to remove the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Owens) as cosponsor of H.R. 8876, the Jackie Walorski Maternal and Child Home Visiting Reauthorization Act of 2022.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairwoman for her outstanding leadership of this committee. It has been a pleasure to serve with you and under you and know that your interests go far beyond anything that I have heard this evening.

As a matter of fact, the Census is very important for far more reasons than just apportionment or just for looking at one issue or looking at immigration. I guess I have been involved in Census-taking for about 40 years, and every 10 years we go through this angst in my community, whether or not we are going to get a fair and accurate count, whether or not the people who are there are going to be counted so that resources which come as a result will flow back to the area.

Well, that has not happened. And even after the expressions of the last round, it was determined that there were undercounts, that there were people missed. And so everything that we can do to try and make sure that the Census taken is fair, accurate, and comprehensive, we need to do that.

Mr. Chair, as the designee of the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney), I rise to offer amendments en bloc.

Mr. Chairman, I strongly support these

amendments. Black, Latino, and indigenous communities all were significantly undercounted in the 2020 Census.

One of the key provisions of this bill is to codify the Bureau's National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic, and Other Populations in order to help reduce these undercounts.

Ms. Jackson Lee's amendment will enhance this objective by ensuring there is a senior employee within the Census Bureau who is dedicated to enhancing racial and ethnic equity in the decennial Census.

The Constitution requires an enumeration that is fair and complete, one in which all people are counted so that all communities obtain the representation and services that they deserve. This amendment will help achieve that.

I also support the amendment offered by Representative Case, which requires the Census Bureau to submit a report to Congress on the agency's process for consulting and engaging with jurisdictions and local partners in conducting the decennial Census.

We know that certain communities are traditionally harder to count, including groups that are mistrustful of the government, students and transient populations, minority communities, migrant communities, and communities with unique geographic challenges.

Engaging with local stakeholders is essential to reaching these communities and ensuring that the Census counts everyone in the United States, regardless of where they live. This amendment will increase transparency around the Bureau's process for engaging with jurisdictions and local partners and ensure that Congress and the American people can support the Census Bureau in this crucial effort.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the Hice amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I oppose the amendment proposed by Representative Hice of Georgia. His amendment would weaken the protections in this bill that safeguard the Census Bureau from partisan manipulation. His amendment eliminates two key provisions from the bill.

First, the amendment would remove the provision requiring that the Bureau have a single Deputy Director position, which would be filled by a career official with relevant knowledge and experience, including experience in collecting and analyzing data and a demonstrated ability to manage large organizations. Experts agree that a single, qualified Deputy Director is important for ensuring smooth operations within the Bureau, including when there is an absence of a Senate-confirmed Census Director. Having a single Deputy Director also avoids disruptions that can be caused when multiple Deputy Directors are appointed with unclear job descriptions.

That is exactly what happened in the last administration. In August 2020, while the Census count was already underway, former President Trump appointed his third Deputy Director to the Census Bureau. The unclear duties and qualifications of these appointees sparked an internal inquiry by the Commerce Department's Inspector General's Office.

The amendment would also remove the cap on political appointees at the Census Bureau. The bill caps that number at four, which is consistent with historical precedent. During the last administration, there were an unprecedented eight political appointees at the Census Bureau. That is far too many political appointees for a nonpartisan agency like the Census Bureau, and it makes the danger of political manipulation much greater.

I am committed to protecting the integrity of the Census Bureau and improving each decennial count. Unfortunately, this amendment would make these goals harder to achieve.

Mr. Chairman, I urge all Members to oppose Representative Hice's amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Madam Speaker, I associate myself with the remarks made by my colleagues relative to our tragic loss of Representative Walorski who was the ranking member of the subcommittee that I chair.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. This is the most transformative piece of legislation that I have seen. It lowers family healthcare costs, reduces drug and energy costs, makes the largest investment in addressing climate change in the history of this country, and cuts carbon emissions by 40 percent.

This bill would create millions of good-paying, union jobs and stimulate economic growth and development across the Nation. It incentivizes manufacturing and reduces our reliance upon foreign-made products.

This bill does what we have been trying to do for years, and that is, it empowers Medicare to negotiate the price of prescription drugs. Millions of seniors and disabled individuals will benefit from this provision alone, not to mention what the monthly cap on the price of insulin would do for millions of others.

Madam Speaker, this bill would cut the deficit and lower inflation, will not cost the average taxpayer one additional cent, unless they earn $400,000 annually or more. One feature of this bill that I am especially proud of is the enhanced tax credit to bring solar and wind energy to low-income communities. This tax credit will assist these communities.

Madam Speaker, this is a great bill, and I urge its passage.

Madam Speaker, I ran for Congress to help people in Chicago, in Illinois, and across the country. The Inflation Reduction Act represents a transformative investment in families, workers, businesses, and the planet that will improve health and well-being, advance economic and environmental justice, meaningfully address climate change, and grow our economy while asking the wealthiest and most secure to pay their fair share.

As a member of the Ways and Means Committee, I am deeply honored to have played an active role in advancing these policies that improve the health of Americans, workers, our economy, and the environment. The pandemic has harmed tens of millions of Americans--disproportionately hurting African Americans and other communities of color, women, seniors, and children. This bill meets immediate needs for lower costs for health care, medications, and energy as well as long-term needs for good-paying jobs, a healthy environment, a fairer tax system, and deficit and inflation reduction.

As a former health care professional, I am proud to vote for this bill that would achieve several important goals in healthcare. The Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) would have the power to negotiate certain high-cost prescription drugs for seniors and people with disabilities that are Medicare beneficiaries. It would enhance premium tax credits, subsidies for people who buy insurance on the Affordable Care Act marketplaces, for three additional years. This is to extend the enacted legislative measure by Congress and President Biden last year to help people during the COVID-19 pandemic. Medicare recipients would not have to pay more than $35 per month of their out- of-pocket costs for insulin. Drug companies will have to pay a rebate to Medicare if their prices increase faster than inflation, and place caps on Medicare Part D out-of-pocket drug purchases at $2,000 yearly. There will be no copayments for vaccines in Medicare Part D, Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Each of these health provisions directly helps people spend less of their money on healthcare costs and slows the price increases of medicines, giving Chicagoans, Illinoisans, and Americans extra money to meet their needs and improve their well-being.

As the representative of communities harmed by high energy costs and pollution, I am proud to vote for this bill that will save the average American household hundreds in energy bills, reduce emissions by 40 percent by 2030, generate enormous public health benefits via reduced air pollution, and grow our clean energy economy by spurring 9 million jobs.

I am pleased that this legislation includes my bill, the Low-Income Housing Renewable Energy Credit Act (LIHREC) of 2021, to provide a larger tax credit for those businesses investing in new wind and solar projects in low-to-moderate income (LMI) communities. I am confident that this provision will help the tax code advance environmental and economic justice by bringing the economic and environmental benefits of solar energy to low-income individuals and communities, spreading the benefits of clean and affordable energy to households like those that I represent that have far too often been neglected by clean energy providers. Current renewable tax benefits typically remain out of reach for low-income communities, which also experience greater power- generated pollution. The new provision would provide an enhanced Investment Tax Credit to solar projects benefiting low-income residents, including multifamily housing, community solar homes, and individual low-income residential homeowners.

Some of the leading companies in this sector have raised the need for additional guidance related to the use of the credit for projects benefiting low-income homeowners to ensure that the program within the reconciliation bill will provide environmental justice allocations in a manner that provide businesses sufficient certainty to make the necessary investments in LMI communities. The central concern is clarity that businesses offering rooftop solar to LMI homeowners will receive the credit allocation prior to engaging with potential customers so that businesses can honestly convey the expected energy costs. Critical to the success of this new program will be participation by those businesses providing residential rooftop solar.

My intent in drafting the LIHREC Act, the basis for the provision included in the reconciliation bill, was to ensure that residential rooftop solar businesses would be in a position to leap into service of LMI communities when the bill is signed into law. As such, the legislation is designed to provide maximum flexibility to Treasury in designing the application and allocation process for the bonus 10 percent credit. Specifically, the legislation is intended to allow residential rooftop providers to identify potential customers in qualifying census tracts and submit applications to serve these customers up-front, before these businesses have engaged these potential customers. My understanding is that these businesses will need to know if they have received a credit allocation before they can offer the benefits of rooftop solar to new customers in LMI areas to provide accurate pricing information to low-income customers. Without certainty in the availability of the credit allocation, low-income homeowners are at risk of entering deals with shifting costs or of not having the opportunities at all given the uncertainty for businesses. So today, I make clear my understanding that the negotiated text gives Treasury the necessary flexibility to award allocations up-front so that businesses can make new investments in LMI communities knowing that they will be in a position to claim the bonus credit.

I also received questions from an insurance company in Illinois about whether companies that only prepare what is known as statutory accounting statements would be required to produce GAAP statements or a hybrid of GAAP. It is my understanding that the legislation provides that applicable financial statements required to be filed with state insurance regulators will be recognized as applicable financial statements for purposes of the new book minimum tax. State insurance regulators already are subject to a robust regulatory financial statement requirement to ensure the continued protection of insurance consumers. After enactment, I will work to convey this understanding to the executive branch.

I am honored to vote for this once-in-a-generation legislation. I came to Congress to make this type of momentous change. I urge my colleagues to pass it.