Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 1. When I was home last weekend, my constituents shared how devastating this bill would be for them.

A fifth grade teacher, Sarah, talked about how harmful the elimination of the deduction to purchase classroom supplies will be for teachers. She said:

How out of touch do you have to be to cut a tax credit for

public school teachers?

A senior citizen, Mark, spoke about how devastating the repeal of the medical expense deduction would be for him and his wife with Alzheimer's.

How can House Republicans justify helping corporations over families in need?

A father, Devin, who works two jobs to support his family, spoke about how he counts on the student loan interest deduction to plan for his future. He said:

All I ask is that Congress keep the promise they made to

us. We planned based on the promises they made. I hope they

don't break that promise. I hope they don't make life a

little bit harder on our families.

How can Republicans defend making the lives of middle class families like his more difficult?

To make matters worse, this bill will explode the deficit and lead to devastating cuts to Medicare. I ask my Republican colleagues to think about the families that will be hurt by this bill instead of prioritizing handouts to billionaires and corporations.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the Republican tax plan. This bill is nothing but a giveaway to America's wealthiest and corporations on the backs of middle class families.

The GOP tax plan gets rid of commonsense policies that the American people rely upon:

It eliminates the student loan deduction that helps young people pay for college;

It eliminates the medical expense deduction, which helps families struggling with diseases like Alzheimer's afford care;

It eliminates the deduction for teachers that helps them purchase supplies for the classroom; and

It sharply reduces the State and local tax deductions that my constituents in Sacramento rely upon.

Meanwhile, when the national debt grows as a result of the GOP's unfunded tax breaks, Republicans will turn around and justify cuts to earned benefits like Medicare and Social Security.

Middle class Americans shouldn't be punished so that the megarich and corporations get a break.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 3922.

Mr. Speaker, the uncertainty that we have created for our community health clinics and their patients is unacceptable. Each day it is a new threat. Most

of the year it has been TrumpCare's severe cuts to Medicaid, which health centers and their patients rely upon. Today it is a lack of extension of the critical grant funding. Tomorrow or the next week, we will be back to ripping Medicaid away to pay for the Republican's tax cuts.

We have always extended CHIP and community health center funding on a bipartisan basis, but, unfortunately, the bill before us today is not bipartisan. The Prevention Fund, which would be slashed in this bill, funds programs that are critical to children and families who rely upon CHIP and community health centers. Many times these programs are even run out of our community health centers and could not exist without the Prevention Fund. These are things like childhood asthma prevention, vaccines, and lead abatement.

It often takes someone going above and beyond a simple doctor's visit to provide families with the resources they need to stay healthy. We need to invest in these services. We cannot strip this funding from critical prevention programs that children and families rely on. We cannot allow programs like Medicare and Medicaid to be attacked and raided.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on H.R. 3922.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this rule. For months, House Republicans have delayed action to fund CHIP and community health centers. These programs are critical in our communities and cannot survive without this funding.

They have always been bipartisan, but, unfortunately, the bill before us today is not. Instead of working with us, Republicans have focused on TrumpCare and sabotaged the ACA. Now they have put forward this bill full of poison pills that will only further delay funding these critical public health programs, and to turn what has been traditionally a bipartisan process into a political game does a disservice to families.

H.R. 3922 eliminates the ACA's Prevention and Public Health Fund which helps people in my district and other districts get vaccines, prevent diabetes, and combat heart disease. The reason we put the preservation fund in the ACA in the first place was to reorient our health system towards prevention, which ultimately saves money and keeps people healthier.

We all want to ensure kids have the insurance that they need to access affordable care, but slashing benefits that will in the long term hurt the very children and families that CHIP and the community health centers help, as this bill does, is the wrong way to go. Through its cuts to the Prevention Fund, this legislation is another attempt by Republicans to undermine the ACA.

Unfortunately, this is just one of many acts of sabotage that we have seen over the last year from the Trump administration and congressional Republicans.

On top of these attacks on the Affordable Care Act, H.R. 3922 creates a false choice between helping seniors and helping kids. This legislation makes changes to Medicare that will hurt all seniors' benefits in the long term.

Democrats have offered solutions that would pay for funding CHIP and community health centers in a way that doesn't rob Peter to pay Paul. I support the substitute amendment offered by Ranking Member Pallone which would do just that.

Mr. Speaker, I am extremely disappointed that the Republicans have chosen this partisan path for programs that are so dear to our communities, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on H.R. 3922 and to support the Democratic substitute.

Mr. Speaker, today I stand to recognize Ms. Rachel Iskow on the occasion of her retirement from the position of Executive Director of Mutual Housing California and Mutual Housing Management. I ask all my colleagues to join me in honoring Rachel and her dedication to sustainable housing.

Since its incorporation in 1988, Mutual Housing California has worked to create a locally-led nonprofit that spurs the revitalization of low- income communities by strengthening existing neighborhood leaders and houses. As Mutual Housing's Executive Director, Rachel has utilized her experience in nonprofit leadership, housing development, and community outreach. Under her guidance, Mutual Housing has seen the expansion of environmentally-friendly developments, inclusive housing for all residents, and overall compassionate housing. Rachel supports permanent solutions to the pressing housing needs of our region's diverse families. Ultimately, Rachel's work has led to positive outcomes for the health and stability of families and for Sacramento as a whole.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand and honor Ms. Rachel Iskow today and to wish her the best of luck in her retirement from Mutual Housing. I ask all my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to Rachel for her unwavering dedication to sustainable housing.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize The Chinese American Council of Sacramento (CACS) as they celebrate their 30th Anniversary and annual Gold Mountain Celebration. I ask all my colleagues to join me in honoring the voice of the Chinese American Community.

Since 1987, The Chinese American Council of Sacramento has served as an invaluable organization dedicated to the empowerment, representation and support of the Chinese American Community and Asian Pacific Islander American community. Since its conception, CACS has successfully continued to bring awareness to the cultural and historic significance of Chinese Americans and Asian Pacific Islander Americans and their crucial contributions to American society. The Chinese American Council of Sacramento has championed a myriad of social justice issues that plague its community, from discrimination to voter education. Their work to protect and ensure the civil and human rights of the most vulnerable within their community speaks to their tireless dedication to the advancement of Asian-Pacific Islander Americans throughout the greater Sacramento area. Congratulations on thirty years of exceptional service to our community.

We also celebrate Mr. Clarence Chu as the Hall of Fame inductee. Mr. Chu is being recognized for his enduring contributions to the Chinese American and Asian Pacific Islander American community. The Sacramento Chinese Community Service Center is being recognized with the community service award for the outstanding programs it provides. The community center provides health, human, and social services to immigrants, refugees, and other underserved individuals in Sacramento. Through these programs and their quality education services, The Sacramento Chinese Community Service Center successfully aids its community members in becoming economically self-sufficient and empowered.

Mr. Speaker, as members and friends of The Chinese American Council of Sacramento celebrate their Gold Mountain Celebration, I ask all my colleagues to join me in the celebration of their 30th anniversary and give recognition to all that this exemplary institution has given our community over the past three decades.

Mr. Speaker, on October 8 to 14, 2017, across the United States and throughout the world, patients, plasma donors and plasma collection centers will join together to observe International Plasma Awareness Week. There will be events to raise global awareness of the crucial need for plasma to create lifesaving therapies, recognize that plasma donors contribute greatly in saving and improving lives, and increase understanding of the many rare diseases and plasma protein therapies that help to treat them.

Plasma-derived therapies and recombinant blood clotting factors, collectively known as plasma protein therapies, are unique, biologic medicines that are either infused or injected to treat a variety of rare, life-threatening, chronic, and genetic diseases including bleeding disorders, hereditary angioedema, immune deficiencies, pulmonary disorders, neurological disorders, shock and trauma, liver cirrhosis, and infectious diseases such as tetanus, hepatitis, and rabies.

Plasma-derived therapies save and improve lives of individuals throughout the world, including in emergency and surgical medicine. Plasma protein therapies have significantly improved the quality of life, markedly improved

patient outcomes, and extended the life expectancy of individuals with rare, chronic diseases and conditions.

Healthy, committed donors provide the plasma essential to manufacture these lifesaving therapies; and there are more than 575 plasma collection centers in the U.S. that have demonstrated their commitment to plasma donor and patient safety and quality by earning International Quality Plasma Program (IQPP) certification.

I ask that my colleagues in the House of Representatives join me and rise in commemoration of International Plasma Awareness Week, honoring those committed donors and collection centers who make and collect needed and lifesaving contributions.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1539, the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Act of 2017, which I coauthored with my colleague, Congressman Guthrie.

The Newborn Hearing Screening and Intervention Program established almost 2 decades ago has been life-changing for those born deaf or hard of hearing. A member of my staff in Sacramento, Devin, was born hard of hearing but didn't receive a screening at birth. For the first few years of her life, she appeared to be struggling to keep up with her peers.

It wasn't until Devin reached the middle of kindergarten that her teacher suggested she get her hearing tested. After receiving her diagnosis, Devin's family was able to seek out tools and resources to help her catch up to her classmates in school.

Devin's story illustrates the importance of early detection and intervention. We know that a child's development in the first few years of their life can have a major impact on their well-being later on.

By extending this program through our legislation, we are ensuring that infants continue to have access to hearing screenings at birth so their parents can make informed choices about their care and management early on.

We have come so far in increasing the number of babies who are screened every year. By passing this legislation, we are continuing that progress.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, Congressman Guthrie, for his leadership on this issue, and I ask for everyone's support.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 130th Anniversary of Sacramento Central Seventh-Day Adventist Church. As the church community gathers to celebrate this momentous occasion, I ask all my colleagues to join me in honoring this well-established congregation in Sacramento.

The Sacramento Central Seventh-Day Adventist Church began as only a handful of Sacramento faithful who would meet every week near 14th and I Street. The first meeting occurred on November 9th, 1881, and the group grew all the way into the twentieth century. The congregation was then joined by a pastor and started a series of moves and construction projects as the burgeoning community necessitated ever more space for worship. This journey culminated in 1973, when the building that serves as the Central Church was constructed along the banks of the American River.

The members of the Sacramento Central Adventist Church have worked tirelessly to better the world around them, both at their doorstep with a host of services to benefit their local community and across the globe through mission trips. Their generosity and moral courage have won them many adherents in the course of their 130 years in Sacramento, and their journey is far from over.

Mr. Speaker, as the congregation gathers in honor of the 130th Anniversary of Sacramento Central Seventh-Day Adventist Church, I ask all my colleagues to join me in honoring this staple of the Sacramento area and all it has provided to the community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the Sacramento Rainbow Chamber of Commerce. As 2017 marks the 15th anniversary of this important organization, I ask all my colleagues to join me in honoring the Sacramento Rainbow Chamber of Commerce for its commitment to promoting LGBTQ-run businesses in the Greater Sacramento Region.

For the past 15 years the Sacramento Rainbow Chamber of Commerce has been a tireless advocate for LGBTQ-owned businesses through advocacy, facilitation, business development, education, access to procurement opportunities and supplier diversity channels, and community support. The Sacramento Rainbow Chamber of Commerce has been crucial in the transformation of the Greater Sacramento Region into a prosperous and business-friendly environment that is inclusive of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender business owners and professionals. I applaud their focus on creating opportunities for their membership to grow their businesses in the Sacramento region.

In addition to their advocacy work for local businesses, the Sacramento Rainbow Chamber of Commerce's Rainbow Chamber Foundation has contributed more than $40,000 in scholarships for LGBTQ youth. They have also focused on fundraising for other non-profit organizations that help support LGBTQ youth, and collaborated with other community groups, including the Sacramento Gay & Lesbian Center and the National Suicide Prevention Program Trevor Project among others.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to pay tribute to the Sacramento Rainbow Chamber of Commerce for their fifteen years of service to their members and the community. I ask all my colleagues to join me in honoring their exemplary activism on behalf of and in support of businesses run by members of the LGBTQ community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Sacramento Bee as it celebrates its 160th anniversary. As the community, supporters, and Bee staff members gather today, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring them and their long history of service to the Sacramento region and beyond.

On February 3, 1857, the Sacramento Bee released its first issue, proclaiming that ``the object of the Sacramento Bee is not only independence, but permanence.'' It is that permanence that we come together to honor today. For five generations, the McClatchy and Maloney families have strived to provide the greater Sacramento area with quality news rooted in independent, honest journalism. The Bee is not only a family institution, but a staple of our Sacramento community as well.

The Bee has been awarded six Pulitzer Prizes and continues to produce a quality newspaper that serves the needs of its community. As the longest running newspaper in Sacramento's history, the Bee consistently exemplifies its core values of integrity and independence. Its dedication to transparency and ethical journalism has garnered the Bee immense praise and countless industry awards for its superior journalism, setting the standard for the 29 other McClatchy Company newspapers located across the country.

Mr. Speaker, as the Sacramento Bee celebrates 160 years of service to the Sacramento region, I ask all my colleagues to join me in honoring the paper and its employees for their dedication to journalism and to our community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize September as Rail Safety Month and September 24-30, 2017 as Rail Safety week, and to commend the efforts being made across our country to improve railroad crossing safety.

An accident involving a train occurs every 3 hours in the United States and California ranks No. 1 in the nation in both trespassing and grade crossing deaths. Last year in California there were a total of 148 highway grade-crossing incidents, including 98 trespasser fatalities and 32 highway-rail crossing fatalities, all of which could have been avoided if both trespassers and drivers were taking the necessary safety precautions. There are more than 10,000 highway rail- grade crossings located within 52 counties and more than 400 cities in California to service the BNSF Railway, Union Pacific Railroad, other freight trains, and Amtrak passenger trains running through California.

September is historically back to school month for most children and college students. Many must cross railroad tracks to attend school and it is important to reinforce rail safety with both children and their caretakers. California Operation Lifesaver, the Federal Rail Administration, the California Department of Transportation, the California Public Utilities Commission and freight and passenger railroads are working together to improve railroad safety and educate children and adults about the dangers of not obeying the signs and signals around railroad property. The ``See Tracks? Think Train'' campaign by Operation Lifesaver and its federal partners aims to help reduce pedestrian and driver injuries and fatahties around railroad tracks by highlighting behaviors that put people at risk, and by conducting on-the-ground law enforcement trainings, safety presentations, and public awareness activities. Railroad operators, motor vehicle operators, and pedestrians will benefit from a combined effort by local, state, Federal, industry, and citizen efforts to promote safety around railroad tracks and crossings.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to recognize September as Rail Safety Month and September 24-30, 2017 as Rail Safety week. I ask all my colleagues to join me in commending efforts being made to improve railroad crossing safety.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the SELF DRIVE Act. With this legislation, we have the opportunity to unlock autonomous vehicle innovation and help improve the quality of life for millions.

Today, so many of our neighbors, friends, and family face mobility challenges. Many seniors and people with disabilities are not able to use a car to do errands, go to doctor appointments, and visit loved ones. For millions of people who travel our roads, this technology has the potential to prevent accidents and save lives. That is why we must act to put policies in place that allow AVs to be tested and deployed, with an emphasis on consumer protections.

In my home district of Sacramento and across California, we recognize the promise of AV technology and are developing a pathway for its safe testing and deployment. Sacramento's ATOS lab aims to foster a public- private consortium of government agencies and AV companies by leveraging Sacramento's 5G network, an ideal location. The legislation we are considering today allows California to continue to lead, while protecting roadway safety.

With the SELF DRIVE Act, we are preserving the important AV deployment work happening at the State level and also creating the foundation for a strong Federal framework to build on our progress and protect drivers and pedestrians.

I am also pleased that this bill contains language on legislation I introduced, the MORE Act, which ensures technology companies, auto manufacturers, and new market entrants are on a level playing field for testing AVs.

Just as the development of the personal computer has revolutionized our daily lives, so, too, will the employment of autonomous vehicle technology.

This legislation, which passed the Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously, puts us on a path towards innovation that, up until recently, seemed unimaginable. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle as we work together to move this legislation forward.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 3440, the DREAM Act, to protect DREAMers like Eduardo, a student at UC Davis.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize this year's Sacramento Japanese American Citizens League's (JACL) high school scholarship recipients. As the members of the Sacramento JACL, the student's and their families gather to celebrate, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in recognizing these deserving young men and women.

Each year, the JACL provides scholarships to a select group of high school students who have demonstrated outstanding academic excellence and achievement, as well as community service and a desire to pursue higher education. This year, five outstanding students will receive scholarships provided by dedicated members of JACL, VFW Post 8985, and the community. This year, Kiyomi A. Sun is receiving the Harry and Kinu Masaki Memorial Scholarship and the Nisei VFW Post 8985 Scholarship. Allie T. Umemoto is receiving the Kiyoto and Rika Kawakami Memorial Scholarship, and the Noboru and Akiko May Shirai Memorial Scholarship. Kyle W. W. Kawakami is receiving the Fumio Jesse and Kiyoko Miyao Memorial Scholarship and The Nikkei Singles Club Scholarship. Cody M. Kurahara the Harry and Kinu Masaki Memorial Scholarship and the Nisei VFW Post 8985 Scholarship. And last but not least, Nozomi M. Schmoock is receiving the Sacramento JACL Chapter Scholarship.

The Sacramento Japanese American Citizens League is dedicated to protecting communities affected by bigotry and injustice as well as advancing the civil rights of all Americans. It also helps to guide the Japanese American community to further social and economic equality. I trust that the students being recognized will carry this tradition forward to protect and help fight for the civil rights of all of our citizens and remain engaged in their communities.

Mr. Speaker, as these students are being honored by the Japanese American Citizens League members, I ask my colleagues to join me in wishing them success in their future endeavors.