Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 499.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I want to first speak, in general, in support of this tax package overall, which includes some very, very good tax policy. But I want to highlight and specifically draw attention to one very important provision, a bipartisan provision, and that is a further delay of the medical device tax for a 5-year period.

My preference, Mr. Speaker, would have been to have a permanent repeal of the device tax, but I understand you have to compromise on things, and that is a good compromise, so 5 years is what we get.

And look, during a period of time when there are very few issues that a lot of policymakers, unfortunately, in Congress can agree upon, there is no doubt that there has been strong, bipartisan, broad-based support to repeal and eliminate a very bad policy that was put in place as a part of ObamaCare and repealing this device tax.

This is about making sure that our Nation, our country, America, continues to lead the world in this important ecosystem that is central to improving patient care and also creating high-quality jobs.

We all know the medical device industry in America is truly an American success story. It is a Minnesota success story. I can speak to the 400,000 people around the country who are directly employed. I can speak to the 35,000 folks who are employed in Minnesota in this industry.

And these are hundreds and hundreds of companies, by the way, Mr. Speaker, that I have had the chance to visit and tour, companies you may have never heard of. They may have 5 employees or 10 employees, but every single one of them has that doctor, that engineer, that entrepreneur who is working to improve or help save lives for patients.

The device tax, however, unfortunately, caused the loss of about 29,000 jobs as it was put in place. Back this last July, Members will recall that the House voted, overwhelmingly--bipartisan support--to permanently repeal this device tax with historic levels of support, both Republicans and Democrats. Nearly 300 Members voted together to get rid of it.

It is really about protecting innovation, and it is about protecting small businesses. Eighty percent of medical device companies have less than 50 employees, and 93 percent of these companies have less than 500 employees who have good, high-paying jobs.

We are also a net exporter, exporting around the world in this industry. The Affordable Care Act, Mr. Speaker, imposed a new 2.3 percent excise tax on all medical devices.

It doesn't sound like much, but keep in mind, this is not a tax on profits. It is a tax on your sales; it is a tax on your revenue; and that is where we saw the negative impact, because it already takes 8 to 10 years for these companies to become profitable in the first place. They deal with FDA regulation, and they deal with reimbursement issues. This raised the bar. This raised the hurdle. It made it much more difficult for these companies to become profitable in the first place.

It is about giving predictability and giving certainty for these companies so that they can continue to help innovate and help patients. That is what it is really about, making sure that new, life-improving and lifesaving products are coming to market.

I visited and met with engineers, technicians, owners, and entrepreneurs of these companies who work day in and day out coming up with the ideas for the innovation that really makes America the forefront leader.

Mr. Speaker, I would encourage support for this bill. It is a good compromise, and it makes sense.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Edina Boys Cross Country running team for winning the High School state championship. After a long season, these runners ran through the finish line to bring Edina its first ever state title.

With runners in all third through seventh place finishes, Edina destroyed the competition. The team ended with only 88 points, 11 points less than the runner up.

Mr. Speaker, we all know that being a cross country runner takes strength, perseverance, endurance, commitment to training, and raw athletic talent.

Congrats.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Minnetonka Girls Soccer Team on winning the Minnesota state high school championship. After narrowly the state championship game last year, the Skippers redeemed themselves with a 1-0 victory over Wayzata to finish the season and take home the state title. Minnetonka scored a goal in the first minute of play and held the lead for the remainder of the game.

Soccer requires teamwork, cohesiveness, agility and physical rigor. While the Skippers' girls mastered these skills to capture their third state title, it's also important to point out that these student athletes excel in other areas off the field. Keeping up with their studies and being involved in other community activities is also a hallmark of their success.

Congratulations to the players, coaches, parents and fans on being high school champs.

Madam Speaker, I want to congratulate the Champlin Park Rebels girls volleyball team on winning the Minnesota State High School Championship, the first team in school history to bring a championship trophy back to Champlin Park.

Their victory came after outlasting a very talented Eagan team, playing in its sixth consecutive state final. But the Rebels were just too much for them, starting strong and then never looking back.

The pressure was on for the Rebels to win their school's first ever state title, and they delivered every step of the way. They showed the kind of true determination that makes them champions both on and off the court.

So, Madam Speaker, congratulations to these student athletes, the coaches, their parents, and all of the fans, and the entire Champlin Park community on a well-deserved, hard fought win becoming state champions.

Mr. Speaker, I am excited to support this legislation. It is bipartisan.

Minnesotans and those who are on the front lines of the opioid crisis will be helped, and it will aid the millions of American families who are affected by this epidemic.

It includes a bipartisan measure that I authored that will help prevent opioid addiction among seniors by educating them on alternative pain management treatments, and the proper, safe disposal of prescription painkillers. It will help more than 90,000 at-risk seniors from descending into a deadly spiral of addiction.

The end result will be less addiction, fewer overdoses, and safer Minnesota communities.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding time.

Mr. Speaker, September is National Suicide Prevention Month, reminding us that we lose too many to suicide each and every day. Unfortunately, suicide is all too common among the men and women who have served our Nation in uniform, a population that is particularly at risk of suicide.

In fact, the VA estimates that 20 veterans and servicemembers lose their lives each and every day, and veterans are 22 percent more likely to commit suicide than nonvets. Among female veterans, the risk of suicide is a staggering 250 percent higher.

Veterans are just 10 percent of the U.S. population but constitute 20 percent of suicides. Measures like the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention Act, which we have already passed into law, are already making a difference, but even one veteran suicide is too many.

We should always remind our veterans, Mr. Speaker, and those who are in need, that there are always ways to get help. Veterans can always call the VA's crisis hotline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Mr. Speaker, thousands of unnecessary amputations are conducted each and every year as a treatment for those who have peripheral artery disease.

PAD patients suffer from poor blood circulation, which often results in amputation, higher mortality rates, and the other complications that come with it. It doesn't have to be this way.

Minnesota is the epicenter for groundbreaking innovation in new PAD treatments. Dr. Osama Ibrahim of Minneapolis' North Memorial Hospital is helping spread the word about revascularizations instead of amputations. The University of Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic are also at the forefront of these new procedures.

I am working now with Congressman Donald Payne to raise PAD awareness, increase screening for at-risk patients, and improve access to care to different therapies so patients don't have to undergo unnecessary amputations. This means better healthcare outcomes, as well as a higher quality of life for thousands of Americans coping with PAD every year.

Support the American Innovation Act

Mr. Speaker, I speak in favor of H.R. 6756, the American Innovation Act, which will spur innovation by helping startups survive the first few years of their existence and access the capital they need to grow and expand.

This bill also includes a key provision that I authored to help entrepreneurs not only survive, but thrive. Entrepreneurs and startups are a key source of innovation and job creation, particularly in Minnesota.

But the tax code today puts them at a disadvantage. It makes it harder for them to access new capital, and it disadvantages them as they struggle through the hardest part of their existence, which is the very first few years of profitability. This bill changes that. It brings tax regulations for governing startups now into the 21st century so that entrepreneurs and capital intensive sectors, like medical devices, can make the necessary investments in research, development, and manufacturing to grow and hire more people.

Ultimately, this means more jobs and more flexibility for Minnesota entrepreneurs to not just come up with the next big idea, but to actually make it a reality. I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this legislation.

Support the Family Savings Act

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6757, the Family Savings Act, which includes a provision that I authored that improves 529 college savings plans.

Now, we all know that 529 college savings plans are a popular saving tool to help families save for college costs tax free. But today, student loan payments are not a qualified expense. Withdrawing any funds from the 529 for any other reason results in those funds being taxed as ordinary income, as well as a 10 percent penalty.

That is why I authored legislation to solve and address this problem, and it was included in the Family Savings Act. By expanding the list of 529 qualified expenses to also include student loan payments, this will allow a 529 savings plan to be used to pay up to $10,000 in student loans. It will certainly help make it easier now to pay off loans and mitigate the anxiety that comes for a new graduate who is starting a career.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to act to reauthorize and extend the Violence Against Women Act.

Enacted back in 1994, the Violence Against Women Act has provided invaluable support and resources to women impacted by domestic violence across Minnesota and across our country. It has funded hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants to groups like the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault, and Cornerstone Advocacy Services, which provides counseling and therapy services to victims.

The Violence Against Women Act, Mr. Speaker, is critical to preventing domestic violence and sexual assault and helping victims get the treatment and justice they deserve.

I have authored a provision that has been included in past reauthorizations.

For decades the Violence Against Women Act has been reauthorized with strong bipartisan support, but it expires at the end of this month, and I urge my colleagues in joining me in calling for its extension, because victims of domestic violence are counting on it.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6662) to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend the special election period under part C of the Medicare program for certain deemed individuals enrolled in a reasonable cost reimbursement contract to certain nondeemed individuals enrolled in such contract, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 6662, currently under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, our seniors deserve to have adequate time to choose the Medicare plan that best fits their healthcare needs. This is especially important today for seniors who are currently enrolled in a Medicare cost plan that will be impacted by a mandatory transition date starting on January 1 of next year.

That is why I authored and introduced this legislation, H.R. 6662, the Empowering Seniors' Enrollment Decision Act, to ensure that cost plan enrollees have extra enrollment time when choosing a Medicare plan later this fall.

I want to thank my colleague, Congressman Kind, for his work on this legislation, as well and his bipartisan support.

It is recognized there are more than 630,000 cost plan enrollees nationwide. Approximately 400,000 of those enrollees are actually in my State in Minnesota. Now some cost plan beneficiaries will be allowed to stay with their current cost plan, and others will be deemed, or automatically enrolled, later at the end of this year to a new Medicare Advantage plan. Nondeemed beneficiaries, however, will be forced to shop for new Medicare coverage.

This bipartisan bill we have before us today extends and moves the special enrollment period for all cost plan enrollees from December 8 until the end of February of next year, 2019. So the bill would essentially fix current law to allow cost plans to deem existing enrollees into new Medicare Advantage plans in future years. H.R. 6662 provides much-needed certainty for our seniors.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the committee and Congressman Kind for their work on partnering with this effort, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, just to remind our Members, I want to thank Mr. Levin for his comments on the bipartisan components of this bill as well.

The bill does provide and ensure that there is certainty for our seniors who may need a little bit of extra time as they navigate their Medicare choices and they decide which choices and options are best for them. This can be a cumbersome and confusing process.

I want to thank, again, Representative Kind, my colleague, for his work on this bill. We look forward to having a strong bipartisan vote in the House as it moves forward.

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

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 388.

Mr. Speaker, I want to recognize the service of Eden Prairie Police Chief Jim DeMann, who will retire at the end of September after a career of dedication to the safety of Eden Prairie and Minnesota families.

Chief DeMann spent his entire career in law enforcement serving our community in Eden Prairie. In fact, his 31 years of service began back in 1983, as a Police Department intern. But by 1987 he was a sworn officer, and he served for almost a decade as a canine officer.

I have known Jim for years, and his leadership will surely be missed because he led by example and has seen a lot of growth in our community. But incoming Chief Greg Weber now will surely be up to the task.

On behalf of our entire Eden Prairie community, I want to thank Chief DeMann for his service to the entire Eden Prairie community, and I wish him all the best in his retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I want to speak in support of H.R. 4318, the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill Act.

The tariff relief that is included in this bill will help lower input costs for American manufacturers that support thousands of good-paying jobs. This cost savings can be used to invest in new facilities and equipment, expand into new markets, and hire more employees. It will also make the products these manufacturers make more affordable for our consumers here at home.

This is a concrete measure to create jobs, Mr. Speaker, and help make our workers more competitive. I am proud of the broad bipartisan support that this bill had when it passed earlier this year, and I am pleased to see that same bipartisan support as we take it up once again on the House floor.

Efficient Infrastructure to Fight Against Alzheimer's

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act, bipartisan legislation that overhauls America's effort to combat a condition that affects more than 5 million Americans. That number is expected to triple, Mr. Speaker, by 2050.

Not only is there a human cost to Alzheimer's, there is an economic cost as well. Alzheimer's costs Americans more than $259 billion each year.

This bipartisan legislation will help the Federal Government take a very comprehensive approach to the fight against Alzheimer's. It establishes Alzheimer's Centers of Excellence that will educate healthcare professionals and the public on Alzheimer's and brain health. By creating a modern, efficient infrastructure for prevention and treatment, it will improve caregiving for patients.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairwoman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, as an advocate for giving consumers more choice in healthcare and lowering costs, I support this bill, which also gives more flexibility for those who have healthcare savings accounts, as well as some of the other provisions that were already just previously mentioned.

I want to highlight my support for one of the provisions in this bill that will allow people to use their healthcare savings account to pay for direct primary care and those arrangements.

The concept of direct primary care is simple, and it is supported by a lot of family doctors, a lot of primary care doctors. People pay a monthly fee to see their physician in this area anytime they choose, over the phone, through telemedicine, or in person, and then they get a whole host of services. It is really important for strengthening the doctor-patient relationship, and it means that more people will have access to primary care services instead of just going to the emergency room in order to get care.

But, unfortunately, the IRS has stated that direct primary care arrangements are essentially health insurance, and they categorize them in this way so you cannot use your HSAs and those funds to pay for direct primary care. That is why Congressman Blumenauer and I authored legislation to fix this and to allow HSAs, health savings accounts, to be used for direct primary care, and I am pleased that it is included in this bill.

Another important reform will allow employers to offer direct primary care arrangements to employees that have an HSA, also. This will let more people have access to direct primary care through their healthcare savings accounts, allowing family practice doctors like Dr. Julie Anderson in Minnesota to expand their practice without having to worry about the headache of filling out mountains of paperwork and excessive insurance forms, because direct primary care let's the doctor work directly with the patient and you don't have to go through extensive billing services and insurance.

Healthcare savings accounts, Mr. Speaker, have already been proven to help lower healthcare costs; and expanding them, giving consumers more flexibility and more choices, will mean families are also going to be better off.

So let's allow healthcare savings accounts to be used for direct primary care and support the underlying bill.

Mr. Speaker, just to follow up, there are too many families that continue to suffocate under the high premiums and high deductibles that we have from the Affordable Care Act.

In contrast to the top-down, one-size-fits-all approach of ObamaCare, healthcare savings accounts put consumers in charge of their own healthcare. It is no wonder they are gaining in popularity.

Today, nearly 22 million Americans have health savings accounts. That is twice as many as was mentioned earlier, twice as many as the number of people who are getting plans through the ObamaCare exchanges. That is not even close. In Minnesota alone, more than a million, 1.2 million, people and families are eligible for HSA plans.

Now, the bill before us today supports the continued growth of healthcare savings accounts and includes a couple of provisions that I helped author, including allowing working seniors to contribute to an HSA, increasing the limits that individuals and families can contribute to their HSAs, and allowing married couples the opportunity to make larger catch-up contributions to their own healthcare savings accounts. Then it also creates a grace period to help pay for medical expenses that someone may have incurred before they actually set up their healthcare savings accounts.

These are all important improvements that will help provide value in healthcare and help lower prices.

So let's let people purchase the type of coverage that they want and that they can afford. I am really pleased that the bill before us makes these very smart, strategic, calculated reforms, and I ask my colleagues for their support.