Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of National Police Week. More than 30,000 law enforcement officers from across the country are in Washington in honor of National Police Week.

Established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1962, National Police Week pays special recognition to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others.

It is a time when we pause to remember officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice and lost their lives in the line of duty protecting and serving others.

National Police Week is a collaborative effort of many organizations dedicated to honoring America's law enforcement community. It honors the men and women in blue who gave everything to protect their country and their communities.

Our officers put on their uniforms each day knowing that they can be in harm's way at any moment. National Police Week is a time to remember the sacrifices that many officers and their families have made.

Mr. Speaker, I thank all of our officers who answer the call to serve.

Madam Speaker, I rise today during National Nurses Week to celebrate America's hardworking and professional caregivers, our nurses.

National Nurses Week is celebrated annually from May 6 through May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.

Men and women who enter the nursing profession care for bodies and minds and educate and empower patients.

This rewarding profession allows nurses to deeply impact their patients' lives. Often, nurses help those facing serious health challenges.

Nursing is a science; it is an art; and it is a profession for the most giving, caring, and compassionate individuals.

Nurses help patients and their families enter new stages of life. From the birth of a child to the challenge of an aging parent, nurses are there, providing expertise and encouragement, delivering care and compassion, and working to deliver positive outcomes.

Madam Speaker, some nurses travel the globe caring for others. Others are the well-known caregivers in their small communities.

Wherever they practice, I say thank you to our nurses for caring so deeply for all of us.

Madam Speaker, I rise today during Teacher Appreciation Week to celebrate America's hardworking, dedicated, and passionate teachers.

The National Education Association and the National PTA team up each year to recognize the contributions our teachers make every day to shape the minds of their students.

Madam Speaker, I am sure every Member of the House can think of a teacher who had a positive influence on not only their education but their life.

Our teachers push students to achieve their best, and they show students how to realize their full potential.

Teachers are some of the most powerful professionals in the entire world. They lend a caring hand and extend a loving heart. They make differences in the lives of our students academically, emotionally, and physically.

I thank every teacher in America for the job they do, for the hours they work, for the patience they show, and for the impact they have on so many lives.

Happy Teachers Appreciation Week. This Nation would be lost without them.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Bald Eagle Area High School unified bocce team, which recently brought home a State championship.

It is only the unified bocce team's second season, and they have already been crowned the best in the State.

The unified bocce team is made up of four students, four with intellectual disabilities and four without. This winter sport allows students with and without disabilities to participate in a competitive environment that promotes physical activity, sportsmanship, and socialization. Teams are made up of students with intellectual disabilities, known as athletes, and regular education students, known as partners.

I am so proud of my alma mater for adopting the unified bocce team, which operates in conjunction with Special Olympics. In fact, multiple high schools in the region have unified bocce teams, including State College and Bellefonte in Centre County and Clearfield Area High School in Clearfield County.

Bocce has become so popular at Bald Eagle Area that it started the season with two teams, a blue team and a gold team. The two met in the regional championship, with the gold advancing to states.

The gold team's eight members include Chelsea Butterworth, Alyssa Packer, Nick Zink, Josh Zink, Fay Shaheen, Emily Gardner, Jordan Bonsell, and Bridget Esenwine.

Mr. Speaker, Special Olympics Pennsylvania also hosted its third annual Unified Bocce Government Challenge on Monday in the east rotunda of the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg. The challenge paired various local organizational leaders, government officials, and legislative leaders with Special Olympics athletes for a fun, competitive, and social experience.

I am so proud of our athletes, our partners, and everyone in the community who has supported the unified bocce team and the inclusion movement.

The team had a hero's welcome home from Hershey in March when they won the State championship. About 100 teachers, parents, and students greeted the team when they arrived back at the school, with a fire truck escort leading the way.

Congratulations to our State champs, the unified bocce team. Go Eagles!

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Capitol Worship, which is a mission that is near and dear to my heart.

For the past 8 years, Pastor Dan Cummins and his wife, JoAnn Cummins, have ministered the Members of Congress, staff, and the Capitol Police. They share the love and Gospel of Jesus Christ through weekly prayer services and Bible studies.

Each year, Capitol Worship hosts and produces the Carols in the Capitol Christmas Concert and the Washington, a Man of Prayer, both of which take place in Statuary Hall. The Washington, a Man of Prayer event commemorates when President George Washington was sworn in at Federal Hall in New York City on April 30, 1789.

President Washington, accompanied by Congress, proceeded to St. Paul's Chapel, where one of his first official acts as President was to offer prayers of dedication to God on America's behalf. This is truly a remarkable event made possible by Pastor Dan and JoAnn Cummins.

Mr. Speaker, Capitol Worship fosters strong personal and bipartisan relationships between Members from both political parties, and I congratulate Pastor Dan and JoAnn Cummins on their dedication to this awesome mission.

Mr. Speaker, next week is National Skilled Nursing Care Week, and hundreds of nursing home administrators will gather at State College, Pennsylvania, for the 2019 Spring Health Care Conference.

Hosted by Central Pennsylvania Educational Resources, the conference will allow nursing home administrators the opportunity to exchange ideas and gain information from knowledgeable speakers.

This year's theme for National Skilled Nursing Care Week is ``Live Soulfully,'' which will celebrate skilled nursing centers and their residents and staff by showcasing how they achieve happy minds and healthy souls.

Whether it is planting, cooking, reading, or listening to music, these centers pay it forward by helping individuals find happiness to improve quality of life.

Mr. Speaker, before coming to Congress, I worked nearly three decades as a recreational therapist, a rehab services manager, and a licensed nursing home administrator. I know firsthand how important quality of life is and how each and every person at a nursing home can impact the lives of residents.

National Skilled Nursing Care Week thanks and celebrates caregivers for their tireless work to care for others. They truly make an impact.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize May as National Foster Care Month. This is a time to recognize more than 400,000 foster youth in America. During this month, we renew our commitment to ensuring that every child has a safe and loving home.

Mr. Speaker, I am a member of the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth, and to this day, I have a foster brother as part of my family. I know firsthand how a loving, supportive home can make all of the difference in a young person's life.

More than 200,000 children enter the foster care system every year, which translates to a child entering care every 2 minutes.

All children deserve a safe, loving, and permanent home. We have a responsibility to continue to create policies that will improve outcomes in the overall well-being of foster youth and their families.

I thank every foster parent, volunteer, and mentor who works to make sure that the needs of our children are not only being met, but giving them the opportunity to thrive in a loving home.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize former Senator Richard Lugar, who passed away Sunday at the age of 87.

Senator Lugar served the State of Indiana for 36 years in Congress and was a leading voice on issues at home and abroad.

Senator Lugar was a man of strong integrity who stood by what he believed in, and Senator Lugar always was willing to work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to reach a shared goal: bipartisanship.

In 2003, the State Department established a Kennedy-Lugar YES Abroad program, named for Senator Lugar and Senator Ted Kennedy. The program provides scholarships for students from the United States and countries with significant Muslim populations to spend 1 year in the other's country. It fosters the same goals that Senator Lugar dedicated his life to achieving: understanding, collaboration, and friendship with the rest of the world.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Senator Lugar for his legendary service. Senator Lugar leaves a long record of legislative accomplishments. I offer my condolences to his family.

May Senator Lugar rest in peace, and may we learn from the example that he set.

Madam Speaker, the USO is on Capitol Hill today for a service project where volunteers can assemble care packages for servicemembers who are currently deployed.

More than 2,000 care packages will be assembled today as part of the Force Behind the Forces campaign.

The USO strengthens America's military servicemembers by keeping them connected to family, home, and country throughout their service to the Nation.

The USO has more than 200 locations around the globe. It serves 4.9 million Active-Duty Guard, Reserve, and members of their families.

For more than 75 years, the USO has been by the side of America's military servicemembers. From the moment they join, through their assignments and deployments, and as they transition back to their communities, the USO has been there.

The USO has delivered more than 2.6 million care packages since the Care Package Program was established in 2003. In 2018, the USO delivered 120,000 care packages to servicemembers across the globe.

Madam Speaker, I thank the USO for its dedication to our servicemembers and their families. As a military family, as an individual who has visited theaters of war, I see what a difference this makes, and I thank them for their service.

Mr. Speaker, this morning I was at Penn State University, a great land grant university, for the inaugural conference of the Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse. Penn State has brought together a diverse group of stakeholders to address the largest public health crisis of our lifetime: the opioid and substance abuse epidemic.

This group will draw on the expertise of researchers, educators, and practitioners from Penn State campuses across the Commonwealth to develop and implement effective programs, policies, and practices aimed at preventing and treating addiction and its spillover effects on children, families, and our communities.

Pennsylvania has been hit hard by the opioid epidemic, especially our rural communities, though no household is immune.

On Saturday, Americans had the opportunity to protect their communities and prevent the spread of addiction by safely disposing of expired, unwanted, and unused prescription drugs, thanks to the Drug Enforcement Administration's 17th Annual National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.

It is encouraging to see communities working together to slow the spread of the opioid epidemic. It is my hope that through increased awareness and action at all levels we can eradicate it once and for all.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today, during National Volunteer Week, to acknowledge the many Americans who generously give their time and talents to help improve the lives of others.

Since the founding of the United States, Americans have always been committed to serving others and working for the common good. During National Volunteer Week, we celebrate that spirit and generosity that inspires Americans to make our communities safer, healthier, and stronger.

Mr. Speaker, right here in the House, I am proud to be working with Congressman Jim Panetta creating a caucus to empower and promote the goals of national service organizations. Soon, we will launch the National Service Organization Caucus, which will support the many organizations that are dedicated to giving back to their communities. I encourage my colleagues to join this important caucus.

The gift of time is priceless. Every day Americans are helping students, caring for seniors, working to support our veterans, aiding those impacted by natural disasters, and so much more. There is always an opportunity to volunteer, and I am grateful that so many Americans make it a part of their daily lives.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in celebration of National Library Week, which began on Sunday and runs through Saturday, April 13.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule I, I demand a vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, April is Invasive Plant Pest and Disease Awareness Month. These species, commonly known as hungry pests, begin to emerge in the warmer months and can be spread easily by the public.

They attack trees, plants, and agriculture products, and it costs the United States nearly $40 billion each year in damages and extermination efforts. The transfer of these invasive species hurts our American farmers and contributes to the destruction of forests and public lands.

In Pennsylvania the spotted lanternfly is a threat to apples, grapes, peaches, stone fruits, and various tree species--specially hardwoods-- throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Pests can be spread by human activities like moving into a new home, traveling in the U.S. or internationally, mailing plants and food, and moving untreated firewood. The USDA offers a free checklist for those moving into a new household that would help reduce the risk of spreading hungry pests into their new home.

Mr. Speaker, it is important to be mindful of these risks and utilize the great resources available to reduce the spread of invasive species.

Madam Speaker, on Tuesday, I signed the discharge petition to force a vote on the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. 193 Members, including two Democrats, have already signed it. A discharge petition has not received such overwhelming support in the first 24 hours in at least 22 years.

I applaud Congresswoman Ann Wagner for reintroducing this bill and Republican Whip Steve Scalise for filing the discharge petition.

The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act would require that a child who is born alive after an attempted abortion receives treatment and be transferred to a hospital. This legislation penalizes the intentional killing of a child who is born alive.

Unfortunately, we have seen horrific actions in New York and Virginia to allow late-term abortion. It is, essentially, the execution of a defenseless child after birth.

Madam Speaker, this isn't abortion; this is infanticide. Any doctor who would leave a child to die should face the full extent of the law.

Americans deserve to know whether their Representatives stand against infanticide or not. I urge the House to act on this bill. I urge us to choose life over murder.