George Holding

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the month of May as GBS/CIDP Awareness Month. I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting those impacted by CIDP and a related disorder, MMN, by cosponsoring H.R. 2905, the Medicare IVIG Enhancement Act.

Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP) is a rare and debilitating autoimmune disorder that affects the peripheral nerves. Multifocal Motor Neuropathy (MMN) is a related rare disorder in which one's nerves are attacked by their own immune system. Both conditions have a devastating impact on quality of life and require intensive care.

While CIDP and MMN patients may eventually develop resistance to common treatments and therapies, intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) therapy, a form of plasma therapy, has proven to be a safer and more effective alternative for treatment.

Please join me in supporting the Medicare IVIG Enhancement Act, which would provide CIDP and MMN patients the opportunity to receive IVIG therapy in their homes, which will improve quality of life for patients and caregivers alike.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Cape Fear Christian Academy Women's Softball team for winning the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association 1A state championship. Led by coach Sterling Holmes and assistant coach Craig Autry, the CFCA softball team has officially won seven state titles.

As a 4th seed road team, the Cape Fear Christian Academy Eagles had an impressive record in the Final Four. In their first game of the weekend, the Eagles challenged the No. 1 seed Lawrence Academy and beat them with a score of 7-2. Both their batting and fielding was remarkable in their later game against No. 2 seed Ridgecroft School, which they won with 11 points against Ridgecroft's zero. The final score for the state title was 9-6 against Pungo Christian Academy.

I am very proud of the Eagles on this major accomplishment. Madam Speaker, please join me in congratulating Aubree Bass, Kristen Bass, Leah Brannon, Natalia Brocious, McKenzie Burris, Gabbi Chiodo, Rebekah Ennis, Shelby Hodges, Harmony Horne, Jada Horne, Rhyleigh Horne, Trinity Olive, Paige Jeffries, Anslee McLamb, Claire Parker, Meghan Taylor, and Averi Williams, as well as their coaches, families, fans, and Cape Fear faculty who supported them on their road to victory.

Madam Speaker, this past Saturday, I had the great pleasure of addressing a number of homeschool graduates in Cary, North Carolina, 55 of them, in fact.

I was impressed by these students, and I was inspired by their parents, who have made so many sacrifices and who have dedicated immeasurable time to ensuring their kids get a good education.

Today, we were supposed to be voting on legislation that would help homeschoolers. Tens of millions of Americans choose 529 savings plans to cover K-12 expenses. This money can be used for public schools, private schools, and religious schools, but it cannot be used to cover homeschool expenses.

This bill was supposed to fix this inequity by enabling homeschool parents to use their 529 savings plans. This would help erase and ease the financial burden on homeschool parents and give homeschoolers the same opportunities and resources enjoyed by other kids who go to private and public schools.

As Chairman Neal said, Republicans and Democrats on the Ways and Means Committee came together, passed this bill out of our committee. Then it went to the Rules Committee, and Democratic leadership intervened. At the last minute, the bill was changed, and the language ending this discrimination against homeschoolers was removed.

Why would anyone object to ending the wrongful discrimination against homeschool families? There are over 130,000 homeschoolers in North Carolina and 1.6 million across the country. They deserve fairness, and their incredible parents deserve our help.

Sadly, Madam Speaker, that is not going to happen today. Otherwise, this is a good bill, but it certainly could have been a better bill.