Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise to introduce the Promoting Healthier Lifelong Improvements in Food and Exercise Act of 2022, or the LIFE Act, which would authorize a national initiative to combat a major health problem in the United States that cannot be remedied through the health care system alone. Increasing rates of overweight and obesity are found among Americans of every age, race and major demographic group, and threaten the health of Americans like no other condition or disease. In fact, the key to eliminating many of the most serious health conditions is not only to reduce overweight and obesity, but also to encourage exercise of all kinds.

This bill would provide $25 million to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for a coordinated national effort to reverse increasingly sedentary lifestyles and diets that are high in fat and sugar. Specifically, this bill would require the CDC to establish the first national strategy to combat the overweight and obesity epidemic. The CDC, either directly or through grants to states and local organizations, would train health professionals to recognize the signs of overweight and obesity early in order to educate Americans about proper nutrition and regular exercise; conduct public education campaigns about how to recognize and address overweight and obesity; and develop intervention strategies for use in everyday life, such as in the workplace and community settings.

The National Survey of Children's Health found that 16.2 percent of children ages 10 to 17 had obesity in 2019-2020. The CDC National Center for Health Statistics reports that Type 2 Diabetes, once considered an adult disease, is now widespread among children. The rising cost of the health care system, including insurance premiums, reflects this epidemic. Today, chronic diseases, many of which are caused or exacerbated by overweight and obesity, account for 70 percent of all deaths in the U.S. and 75 percent of U.S. medical care costs, according to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. A focused national health initiative would provide guidance to state and local governments to engage in similar programs.

A national focus could lead to changes, such as greater participation in high school physical education classes, which dropped from 42 percent in 1991 to 23 percent in 2020, according to the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. Changes in nutrition are equally critical because more than half of all young people consume too much fat, a factor in the increase of overweight youth. Data also show an increase in unhealthy eating habits for adults and no change in physical activity.

To cite an example of the need for action, the District of Columbia is one of the fittest cities in the U.S., according to a 2019 study by the American College of Sports Medicine, yet, even here, obesity continues to be a severe problem. Approximately one-fifth of District residents are considered obese. Most of the obesity epidemic is exercise- and food-related.

I urge support for this important bill to mobilize the country before entirely preventable health conditions, which often begin in childhood, overwhelm the Nation's health care system.

Madam Speaker, today, I rise to introduce the District of Columbia Code Returning Citizens Coordination Act. I introduced a similar version of this bill earlier this year. This bill would require the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to provide information to the District of Columbia government on individuals convicted of felonies under D.C. law in BOP custody. Currently, BOP provides no information to D.C. on these individuals, even immediately before release, which inhibits reentry, increases recidivism and harms public safety.

Federal law requires BOP to incarcerate individuals convicted of felonies under D.C. law. There are currently 3,200 such individuals in BOP custody, and they are located in prisons throughout the United States. This unique custody arrangement creates several obstacles to successful reentry, including information sharing among agencies.

BOP asserts that federal privacy laws prohibit it from providing any information to D.C. on these individuals, which prevents D.C. from having services ready for them when they return from prison. Yet, studies consistently show the importance of health care, housing, education, job training and substance use disorder treatment for successful reentry.

This bill would require BOP to provide D.C. two types of information on each individual convicted of a D.C. Code felony in BOP custody. Every 90 days, BOP would provide the name, age, Federal Register Number, facility where housed and the scheduled release date. Upon D.C.'s request, BOP would provide D.C. the same information that BOP provides to the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia (CSOSA) on these individuals, such as their release plan. CSOSA is a federal agency that supervises individuals convicted of D.C. Code felonies on supervised release and parole.

D.C. would be allowed to provide the biographical information only to counsel for the individuals, and to organizations that provide legal representation to individuals in criminal or post-conviction matters, or in matters related to reentry. D.C. would not be allowed to provide any of the other information, and D.C. law enforcement agencies would not have access to any of the information.

The overwhelming majority of people in prison return home. I hope everyone agrees on the importance of successful reentry.

I strongly urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in congratulating two District of Columbia schools on being recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as Green Ribbon Schools.

For the past 11 years, the Department of Education has recognized schools for their sustainability practices. Since 2011, 11 schools in the District have been recognized as Green Ribbon Schools. This year, J.G. Whittier Elementary School and American University were selected as Green Ribbon Schools.

J.G. Whittier Elementary School, located in Manor Park in Northwest D.C., was established in 1926 and serves 324 students in grades K-8. The school recently held a Sustainability Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) Day, which allowed students to learn about sustainability and the effect that we have on the environment, as well as to engage in project-based activities connecting their learning. I applaud J.G. Whittier Elementary School for its recognition as a Green Ribbon School.

Located in Spring Valley in Northwest D.C., American University helps students to learn, research and work to spark positive change in their neighborhood and the world. Established in 1893 by an Act of Congress, American University enrolls 14,000 students in its undergraduate and graduate programs. American University has a proud history of sustainability, which includes becoming one of the first universities in the Nation to reach carbon neutrality, in 2018. I applaud American University for its recognition as a Green Ribbon School.

Madam Speaker, again, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in congratulating J.G. Whittier Elementary School and American University for their recognition as Green Ribbon Schools.

Madam Speaker, I rise to introduce the Reducing the Effects of the Cyberattack on OPM Victims Emergency Response Act of 2022, or the RECOVER Act, which would require the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to make permanent the free identity protection coverage that Congress required OPM to provide for 10 years to individuals whose Social Security Numbers were potentially compromised during the OPM data breaches. In 2015, OPM reported that the personally identifiable information of as many as 25.7 million current, former and prospective federal employees and contractors was stolen in two data breaches. I appreciate that Representative C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger is co-leading on this bill.

After OPM announced that it would offer identity protection coverage of limited duration and value, Senator Ben Cardin and I introduced the RECOVER Act in July 2015, which would have provided affected individuals lifetime protection and at least $5 million in identity theft insurance. Congress subsequently passed a version of our bill as part of an appropriations bill, but limited the duration of the protection. Under current law, OPM is only required to provide identity protection coverage through fiscal year 2026. Under the bill I am introducing today, OPM would be required to provide coverage for the remainder of the lives of affected individuals.

The current coverage is inadequate, particularly considering that there is no limit to when the stolen data may be exploited. Therefore, there should be no limit on the duration of the coverage provided to affected individuals. This bill would give current, former and prospective federal employees and contractors who were affected both some peace of mind and protection. OPM failed to protect these people. It follows that the government must make up for its mistake.

I urge my colleagues to support this important bill.

Madam Speaker, today, I introduce a bill to clarify certain due process rights of federal employees serving in sensitive positions. This bill would overturn an unprecedented federal court decision, Kaplan v. Conyers and MSPB, which stripped many federal employees of the right to independent review of an agency decision removing them from their jobs on grounds of ineligibility. The case was brought by two Department of Defense (DOD) employees, Rhonda Conyers, an accounting technician, and Devon Northover, a commissary management specialist, who were permanently demoted and suspended from their jobs after they were found to be no longer eligible to serve in noncritical sensitive positions. In 2014, the Supreme Court declined to hear the case, which allowed the decision to stand. This bill is cosponsored by Representative Andre Carson.

Specifically, the decision prevents federal employees who are designated as ``noncritical sensitive'' from appealing to the Merit Systems Protection Board if they are removed from their jobs. Noncritical sensitive jobs include those that do not have access to classified information. The decision affects at least 200,000 DOD employees who are designated as noncritical sensitive. Even more seriously, most federal employees could potentially lose the same right to an independent review of an agency's decision because of a rule by the Office of Personnel Management and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence that permits agency heads to designate most jobs in the federal government as noncritical sensitive, which went into effect in July 2015.

The Kaplan decision undercuts Title 5, section 7701 of the Civil Service Act, which ensures due process rights for federal workers required by the U.S. Constitution. Stripping employees whose work does not involve classified matters of the right of review of an agency decision that removes them from their jobs opens entirely new avenues for unreviewable, arbitrary action or retaliation by an agency head and, in addition, makes a mockery of whistleblower protections enacted in the 112th Congress. This bill would stop the use of ``national security'' to undo a vital component of civil service protection and of due process.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the District of Columbia Courts and Public Defender Service Employment Non- Discrimination Act, which would apply the District of Columbia Human Rights Act of 1977 (DCHRA) to employees of the local D.C. courts and of the D.C. Public Defender Service (PDS). In February, the D.C. Court of Appeals held in Robertson v. District of Columbia that the DCHRA, which protects employees of the D.C. government and of private employers from discrimination, does not apply to employees of the local D.C. courts. The court has not ruled on the applicability of the DCHRA to PDS employees.

The local D.C. courts and PDS are unique entities, and they sometimes fall through the regulatory cracks. They are neither federal nor D.C. government entities, though both were created and are funded by Congress, and their employees are treated as federal employees for some employee benefits. This bill

would ensure that their employees have comprehensive protections from and remedies for employment discrimination.

While employees of the local D.C. courts and of PDS are protected by federal anti-discrimination laws, the DCHRA provides much broader protections and remedies for employees than federal anti-discrimination laws.

While the D.C. Council may have the authority to pass such a bill itself, only Congress has the clear authority to do so, given the express limitations in the D.C. Home Rule Act on the Council's authority to legislate on matters affecting the local D.C. courts, and given that Congress has generally served as the legislative body for

Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Breastfeeding Mothers Jury Duty Exclusion Act of 2022, which would allow breastfeeding mothers summoned for jury service in federal court or in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to be excused from service for the period they are breastfeeding upon the individual's request. The benefits of breastfeeding are well-documented, and breastfeeding mothers should not be deterred from breastfeeding by jury service.

The District of Columbia Home Rule Act prohibits the D.C. Council from enacting any law relating to title 11 of the D.C. Code. Title 11 governs jury service. Therefore, this bill is necessary to provide this exclusion for both the federal and D.C. courts.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Madam Speaker, I introduce the Department of the Treasury Officer Protection Act of 2022. This bill would help ensure the safety of Treasury Department police officers by allowing them, including those who work at the Mint and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP), to carry their government firearms home.

BEP officers were among the first responders when a gunman opened fire at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2009. However, BEP officers also can be targets because they wear uniforms to and from work. Many BEP officers carry personal firearms to and from work because they are not allowed to take their government firearms home, and some are forced to leave those personal firearms in their cars while they are on duty, creating a possibly dangerous situation.

Allowing BEP officers to carry their government firearms home will put them in the same position as Mint officers. Although both agencies are under the Treasury Department, under Treasury Department rules, Mint officers are allowed to carry their government firearms

home, while BEP officers are not. There is no meaningful distinction between officers for these two agencies. They should be treated equally.

This bill would allow all uniformed officers in the Treasury Department to carry their government firearms home to protect officers and the public and so that the Treasury Department does not have separate rules for different law enforcement agencies under its umbrella.

I ask my colleagues to support this bill.

Madam Speaker, on the anniversary of the week of the start of the Civil War, I introduce the Civil War Defenses of Washington National Historical Park Act, which would recognize and preserve the Civil War Defenses of Washington located in the District of Columbia, Virginia and Maryland. The Defenses of Washington, including forts, unarmed batteries and rifle trenches, created a ring of protection for the nation's capital during the Civil War. This bill would redesignate the 22 Civil War Defenses of Washington currently under National Park Service jurisdiction as a national historical park, and allow other sites associated with the Defenses of Washington that are owned by the District or a unit of state governments to be affiliated with the national historical park through cooperative agreements. This bill would also require the Secretary of the Interior to facilitate the storied history of the Civil War for both the North and the South, including the history of the Defenses of Washington and the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864, being assembled, arrayed and conveyed for the benefit of the public for the knowledge, education and inspiration of this and future generations. In 2018, the House Natural Resources Committee Subcommittee on Federal Lands held a hearing on this bill. Although the Department of the Interior opposed this bill, I feel strongly that the Defenses of Washington need additional recognition and should be redesignated as a national historical park.

The Defenses of Washington were constructed at the beginning of the war, in 1861, as a ring of protection for the nation's capital and for President Abraham Lincoln. By the end of the war, these defenses included 68 forts, 93 unarmed batteries, 807 mounted cannons, 13 miles of rifle trenches and 32 miles of military roads. The major test of the Defenses of Washington came with the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864, when Confederate Lieutenant General Jubal Early, directed by General Robert E. Lee, sought to attack the nation's capital from the north, causing Union forces threatening to attack Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy, to be withdrawn. General Early was delayed by Union Major General Lew Wallace at the Battle of Monocacy on July 9, 1864, and was stopped at the northern edge of Washington at the Battle of Fort Stevens on July 11-12, 1864. The Shenandoah Valley Campaign ended when Union Lieutenant General Philip Sheridan defeated General Early at the Battle of Cedar Creek, Virginia, on October 19, 1864.

Nearly all the individual forts in the Defenses of Washington--on both sides of the Potomac and Anacostia rivers--were involved in stopping General Early's attack, and the Battle of Fort Stevens was the second and last attempt by the Confederate Army to attack Washington.

Taken together, these battles were pivotal to the outcome of the war and the freedom and democracy that the war represented for this country. It is therefore fitting that we recognize the Defenses of Washington by redesignating them as a national historical park.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the Reducing Helicopter Noise in the District of Columbia Act, which would require all helicopters and rotocraft in the District of Columbia to fly at the maximum altitude permitted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in D.C., with limited exceptions. The exceptions would include active law enforcement and rescue operations, transporting the president and vice president and safety.

I hear from D.C. residents almost daily about helicopter noise. Helicopter noise can harm health, quality of life and the structural integrity of homes. In 2019, I led members of the National Capital Region (NCR) in requesting that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) study helicopter noise in the NCR. Last year, GAO issued its report. GAO found that there had been nearly 90,000 helicopter flights in the NCR from 2017 to 2019. GAO recommended that the FAA develop a mechanism to exchange helicopter noise information with operators in the NCR. The FAA indicated that it would implement such a mechanism, and I also introduced the Washington, DC Area Helicopter Noise Information Exchange Act of 2021 to require the FAA to implement such a mechanism.

I urge my colleagues to support the Reducing Helicopter Noise in the District of Columbia Act.

Madam Speaker, I rise to ask the House of Representatives to join me in celebrating Constellation Theatre Company on its 15th anniversary, which is today, April 4, 2022.

Constellation Theatre Company was created to tell big, powerful stories in intimate spaces. Constellation Theatre Company showcases diverse stories that reflect the vast range of human experience using visual spectacle, dynamic movement, live music and passionate acting ensembles. These plays and musicals spark the curiosity and imagination of audiences in the District of Columbia metropolitan area.

Constellation Theatre Company believes that the communal experience of live theater promotes compassion, understanding, healing and connection--and that we need it now more than ever. Constellation Theatre Company ``brings a global perspective different from what every other theatre company in the DMV explores.'' Constellation Theatre Company has brought to life 45 diverse stories from 16 countries. Many of these stories highlight philosophies of religions that are underrepresented in the Western theatrical canon.

Constellation Theatre Company has received some of the top theater awards in the Mid-Atlantic region, including winning 17 Helen Hayes Awards and receiving 81 nominations. Constellation Theatre Company was voted ``Best Small Theatre Company'' by The Washington Post in 2016 and 2018, was voted ``Best Theatre Company'' by the Washington City Paper in 2016, won the American Theatre Wing, National Theatre Company Award in 2013 and received the John Aniello Award for Outstanding Emerging Theatre Company in 2009.

More than 100,000 people have attended Constellation Theatre Company productions. Constellation Theatre Company has hired 1,650 artists, the majority of whom are from the District of Columbia. Ninety-three percent of Constellation Theatre Company shows have been directed by women, and many of the actors and artists have come from diverse backgrounds.

Constellation Theatre Company has partnered with top theater professionals from around the world and with national and regional groups to engage audiences and to create change. These groups include: American Red Cross, Humane Society, Whitman Walker Health. Barcelona Wine Bar, Room & Board, Art of Living, Freer-Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Journeys and Thornton Wilder Society.

Madam Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in congratulating Constellation Theatre Company founders Allison Arkell Stockman and A.J. Guban and the Chair of Constellation Theatre Company's Board of Directors, Scott Chatham, on 15 years of service to the District of Columbia and the country.

Madam Speaker, today, I introduce a bill that would permit commercial filming and photography on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol Complex, beyond east of Union Square, the only area where such filming and photography is currently authorized. This bill would allow commercial filming and photography outside of the Capitol and congressional office buildings by permit, so long as neither the House nor Senate is in session. In many countries, freedom of expression is limited, and while the January 6th insurrection was one of the greatest threats to American democracy in history, the Capitol and the United States remain beacons of democracy for the world. We should encourage commercial filming and photography at the Capitol to share this symbol of democracy with the world. Movies and television shows that involve the Capitol should not have to go to other cities or use fake capitol buildings for filming.

The current policy allowing commercial filming and photography near the U.S. Botanic Garden shows that the Capitol Police can handle commercial filming and photography at the Capitol Complex, especially when Congress is not in session. However, that vantage point captures the least familiar view of the Capitol. Preventing commercial filmmakers and photographers from shooting in front of the Capitol is neither business-friendly nor true to the nation's democratic traditions. Encouraging commercial filming and photography at the Capitol would help spread the story of our national legislature around the world.

There is no good reason why commercial filming and photography should be confined to Union Square. Specifically, my bill would give the Capitol Police complete discretion to issue a permit for commercial filming and photography at the Capitol Complex under the same terms and conditions as those for commercial filming and photography in Union Square. No policy or security reasons exist to justify limiting commercial filming and photography at the Capitol Complex to only one location, Union Square, especially considering that permits are necessary. Visitors are regularly seen on East Capitol Street (east of 2nd Street) taking pictures, where they get a full view of the Capitol, demonstrating the arbitrary nature of limiting commercial filming and photography to Union Square.

This bill would provide the Capitol Police authority to charge fees to cover any costs incurred by the Architect of the Capitol from permit approval. The fees would be deposited into the Capitol Trust Account, which was established to accept fees collected for commercial filming and photography permits for Union Square. Amounts in the Capitol Trust Account would be available without fiscal year limitation for maintenance, improvements and projects the Architect of the Capitol considers appropriate, subject to the approval of the Appropriations Committees.

Views of the Capitol are among America's most iconic. Limiting commercial filming and photography of the Capitol, an important vehicle for telling the nation's story, does not serve the American people. Indeed, most of the world reveres our system of government largely through commercial films and photos of the Capitol, a symbol of our democracy at work. Commercial films and photographs of the Capitol, the seat of our democracy, are perhaps the best modem vehicles for telling the nation's story and showcasing its democratic system of government. Republicans and Democrats alike revere the image of the Capitol as a symbol of democracy. My bill would enable appropriate, permitted commercial filming and photography of the Capitol, and would create economic benefits for the nation, the District of Columbia and private businesses.

I strongly urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise to introduce the Service Academies District of Columbia Equality Act, which would give the District of Columbia the same number of appointments and nominations to the U.S. service academies as states. Currently, each Member of the House and each senator is allocated five appointments to each service academy-- the U.S. Military Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy and the U.S. Air Force Academy--and each Member of the House and each senator is allowed 10 nominations for each appointment. Therefore, since D.C. has no senators, D.C. is deprived of 10 appointments and, assuming all appointments are vacant, 100 nominations to each service academy.

This bill would provide equality for D.C. residents who choose to serve their country by applying to a service academy. It is remarkable that D.C. residents volunteer to serve a country that denies them statehood, congressional voting rights and full home rule. District residents have fought in every American war, and our residents, who pay all federal taxes, including paying more federal taxes per capita than the residents of any state, deserve to have the same opportunity to attend our prestigious service academies as residents of the states.

The District's population (690,000) is larger than that of two states and is in line with the six states that have a population under one million. D.C. servicemembers have helped secure voting rights for people throughout the world, yet have always been denied those same rights when they returned home. District residents deserve equality at the service academies.

I urge my colleagues to support this important bill.

Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the Federal Government Advertising Equity Accountability Act, which would require all federal agencies to include in their annual budget requests to Congress the amount they spend on advertising contracts with small disadvantaged businesses (SDBs) and businesses owned by minorities and women. Federal agencies would be required to provide prior and projected total expenditures for such contracts. The Committee on Appropriations, at my and Representative Barbara Lee's request, has been requiring such information from many agencies for the last several years, but my bill would codify this requirement and apply it to all federal agencies.

In 2007, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) examined spending on advertising contracts with minority-owned businesses by five agencies--the Department of Defense, the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of the Interior and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration--and found that only five percent of the $4.3 billion available for advertising contracts went to minority businesses. In light of these concerning findings, several Members of Congress and I sent a letter to GAO in April 2016 requesting updated information on the amount of federal advertising dollars spent with SDBs and businesses owned by minorities and women. That GAO report, released in July 2018, showed that in fiscal year 2017, only 16 percent of the federal government's advertising contract obligations went to SDBs and businesses owned by minorities and women.

The federal government is the largest advertiser in the United States, and it has an obligation to ensure equitable access to its contracts for SDBs and businesses owned by minorities and women. The GAO's findings demonstrate that there is still much progress to be made.

The regular collection of information on federal advertising contracts with SDBs and businesses owned by women and minorities, along with the provision of this information to legislators and stakeholders, is essential to bridging the gap between what current statistics show and a more inclusive advertising landscape. This bill would achieve these goals while also promoting transparency and encouraging federal agencies to strive to reach minorities, who often receive the news from smaller media outlets that serve communities of color. The requirement that agencies submit prior and projected information regarding the amount of advertising dollars spent with SDBs and businesses owned by minorities and women would allow federal agencies to evaluate their progress over time. The regular collection of this information would also demonstrate that the promotion of equity in advertising, and in all areas of government, should be a continuous effort that is important to the mission of every agency.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Madam Speaker, today, I rise to introduce the Federal Gift Shop Tax Act, which would allow state and local governments to impose a sales tax at gift shops on federal property. These governments would be able to generate millions of dollars in new tax revenue.

When the federal government engages in activity that is not inherently governmental, such as operating a gift shop, there is no reason to exempt customer purchases from a sales tax. The items sold at federal gift shops, such as jewelry, apparel, accessories, games and books, would be subject to sales tax if sold on private property. Customers are often unaware of the exemption from sales tax at gift shops on federal property, so the introduction of a sales tax is unlikely to have a significant impact on gift shop sales. It would, however, create a valuable revenue stream for state and local governments. In addition, state and local governments often provide uncompensated services for federal property, such as fire service, and allowing them to impose a sales tax at gift shops on federal property would allow them to recoup some of these costs.

This bill is of particular importance to the District of Columbia, which is home to a number of gift shops on federal property, such as at the Smithsonian Institution, the National Gallery of Art and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

I strongly urge my colleagues to support this bill.