Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of Stronger CAPTA, which includes provisions from the Safe Home Act, which is bipartisan legislation I introduced with Representative Don Bacon.

These provisions address unregulated custody transfers. This is the frightening practice of transferring a child, usually an adopted child, to a stranger outside the safeguards of the child welfare system.

Known as rehoming, this phenomenon occurs when parents lack the supports to meet their children's needs and, instead, place them with individuals who haven't undergone background checks, home studies or supervision, where they are at risk of further abuse.

Unregulated custody transfers are a form of child abuse and neglect, and Stronger CAPTA removes any ambiguity that might prevent child welfare agencies from being able to investigate these cases. So it will give States the tools to prevent, identify, and respond to such dangers so that they can safeguard our most vulnerable youth.

Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Schrier for her leadership, and I urge my colleagues to support Stronger CAPTA.

Mr. Speaker, as a proud member of the LGBTQ Equality Caucus, I rise in strong support of the Equality Act, a bill championed by my good friend and fellow Rhode Islander, Congressman David Cicilline.

Mr. Speaker, every person deserves to be treated equally, no matter who they are or whom they choose to love. But the simple fact of the matter is that LGBT Americans face discrimination in this country every day, whether it is in the workplace, the foster care system or the housing market.

Mr. Speaker, discrimination is never justified, and we cannot let it stand. As a person who lives with a disability, I know what discrimination feels like. I have experienced discrimination many times in my life. I don't like it when it happens to me, and I don't want it to be experienced by anyone else. It is just plain wrong.

So, Mr. Speaker, let's celebrate our diversity by promoting a culture of tolerance, inclusion, and acceptance, instead of one of fear and hate. Let's treat LGBT people with the dignity and respect that they deserve. Let's honor the strength and the courage of the LGBT people throughout history, and let's pass the Equality Act to forever secure the civil rights of members of the LGBT community.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, Congressman Cicilline, for his leadership on this issue.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I hope that I won't take the whole 3 minutes.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 312, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Reservation Reaffirmation Act.

This bill will have enormous impacts on my home State of Rhode Island. The

intent of this bill is to allow for the construction of a new casino resort near the State line between Rhode Island and Massachusetts, which would rival the existing casinos in our State.

The Twin River Casino Hotel and the Tiverton Casino Hotel of Rhode Island generate $300 million each year, representing the State's third largest source of funding. These dollars support vital education and infrastructure programs in Rhode Island. Rhode Island would suffer tremendously if H.R. 312 became law.

Beyond the economic damage that would occur to Rhode Island, the precedent that would be set by this bill is fundamentally unfair. The bill would overturn a 2018 decision by the U.S. Department of the Interior, and it would reverse a 2016 ruling by the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

If Congress grants the Mashpee Tribe this exception, then other Native American Tribes would seek individual relief. Congress would be creating an unbalanced patchwork process for Tribes to put land into trust. Such a system would be based on lobbying, not on firm principles or deliberative rulemaking.

The process to take Tribal lands into trust is complex and requires careful consideration of the interests of our indigenous peoples in conjunction with local communities. We know this complexity firsthand in Rhode Island, as the Supreme Court decision Carcieri v. Salazar directly concerned our State.

But the solution is to create a uniform standard for the whole country, not a haphazard process wherein Congress chooses winners and losers, again, based on lobbying. This is why I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill. The bill creates evident harms to our State revenues in Rhode Island, but it also represents a slipshod way of addressing the very real issues of how Tribes have land taken into trust.

My friends in the Massachusetts delegation insist that this issue be handled with alacrity. I respectfully disagree. The urgency they express is grounded in the dollars and cents of gaming development, money loaned on the promise of casino riches. Those loans may have been imprudently granted, but we cannot allow imprudent financial dealings to force our hand.

Rather than rush a Tribe-specific loophole, I ask my colleagues to vote ``no'' on H.R. 312 and to, instead, update the Indian Reorganization Act to make this process more transparent and fair. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise during National Infrastructure Week to highlight the importance of investing in a skilled infrastructure workforce.

Rebuilding our Nation's infrastructure will require more than investments in bridges, roads, and waterways. It will require a workforce that can design, build, and maintain them.

The Brookings Institution estimates that 3 million more workers will be needed to support our infrastructure over the next decade.

This is a great opportunity for millions of Americans who are out of work or underemployed. However, without adequate training, these workers won't be prepared to fill open jobs and carry out high-priority infrastructure projects.

That is why my Career and Technical Education Caucus co-chair, Congressman G.T. Thompson, and I are urging congressional leadership to prioritize workforce development in any infrastructure investment package that comes to this House.

CTE and apprenticeships are absolutely proven strategies that provide workers with the skills and training that they need for in-demand jobs, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to advance them in the coming months.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

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

Mr. Chairman, Americans with disabilities have always faced significant barriers to healthcare. A decade ago, an insurer could charge a family an exorbitant amount to cover a child, merely because the child had asthma. An insurer could tell an amputee that they would cover her medical equipment except for treatment related to her amputated limb. Or an insurer could flat-out deny coverage to the victim of an accidental shooting at the age of 16 simply because he had a spinal cord injury.

Essentially, insurers could legally discriminate against individuals with disabilities and face no consequences. That is absolutely outrageous, Mr. Chairman.

Then Congress finally passed the Affordable Care Act and started to bring those barriers down. For the first time, people with preexisting health conditions, including the one in four Americans living with a disability, no longer had to worry about whether they would be denied comprehensive health insurance.

Coverage of essential health benefits meant a mother with a traumatic brain injury could obtain rehabilitative services and learn how to walk, a man with Parkinson's could access medication to control his tremors, or a child with a vision impairment could visit an eye doctor to prevent further vision loss.

This access to healthcare is vital because, when Americans with disabilities are healthy, they can stay active with their families, pursue fulfilling careers, and engage in their communities.

Unfortunately, the Trump administration is, once again, working to raise barriers to health coverage instead of working to eliminate them. The administration's October 2018 guidance encourages States to allow insurers to offer short-term, limited-duration plans that do not have to provide coverage of preexisting conditions or essential health benefits.

This means insurers offering these junk plans can discriminate against disabled individuals by charging astronomical prices, excluding necessary treatments from coverage, or denying an individual health insurance altogether.

This is outrageous. If you are having deja vu, it is because this is exactly what was happening to Americans with disabilities before the passage of the Affordable Care Act.

The amendment that I am offering today makes clear exactly what people with disabilities have to lose if States act on the administration's guidance.

I have spent my near two decades in Congress championing efforts to eliminate barriers to access and integration for people with disabilities and helping my fellow Americans understand their great potential.

But, fundamentally, none of that matters if people with disabilities are not healthy because insurers deny them coverage to treat their conditions.

The damage from the administration's guidance would be borne disproportionately by the disabled community, my community, and my amendment makes that clear.

Whether someone is born with a disability, develops a disability, or becomes disabled due to an accident, that disability--I assure you-- happened by chance, not by choice.

Even the healthiest 30-year-old today could be in a car accident tonight and wake up with a lifelong disability tomorrow; and, if that 30-year-old had one of these junk plans, much of the cost of that care would fall on his or her own shoulders, and they would be on their own.

I had hoped that, 9 years after the passage of the Affordable Care Act, I would no longer have to come here and defend the idea that quality, affordable healthcare is a right and not a privilege. But, once again, here we are.

Mr. Chairman, I support my friend Congresswoman Kuster's underlying legislation, and I ask my colleagues to support my amendment to make clear the damage the Trump administration's guidance would cause to people with disabilities.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I just want to, in reference to the gentleman from Oregon's comments, state that the plans under the Obama administration were supposed to be very short in duration, for a 3- month period, while individuals sought more comprehensive, appropriate health coverage according to their needs.

It wasn't supposed to be a replacement for a good quality, affordable healthcare plan that would cover preexisting conditions and essential health benefits to identify problems early on, a potential lifelong or a very serious illness with long-term health consequences that could potentially even lead to losing one's life.

They took what was supposed to be a stopgap, and now they are trying to make that a permanent plan. That is just wrong.

Mr. Speaker, as co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth, I rise to recognize May as National Foster Care Month.

Mr. Speaker, it is time to bring front and center the more than 400,000 youth in our foster care system across the country. These young people are courageous, and they face and overcome many challenges.

Let's raise up their voices because they deserve to be heard, and they deserve a seat at the policymaking table.

May is also a time to recognize the foster care professionals, advocates, and families who devote themselves to supporting foster youth every day. These individuals deserve our utmost respect and our gratitude.

I am proud to cosponsor Representative Karen Bass' resolution recognizing Foster Care Month.

To the foster youth and those who support them in Rhode Island and across the country, you matter, and I am here to be your advocate in Congress. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 9, the Climate Action Now Act.

The simple fact of the matter is that climate change is real, and it is creating enormous consequences for the United States. It is a threat to coastlines and property values, to public health, and to our economy.

But it is also affecting our military readiness, our national security, and it is changing the strategic environment in which our country and our troops operate. That is why I added language to the fiscal year 2018 National Defense Authorization Act making it clear that Congress acknowledges climate change is a threat to our national security.

My amendment also requires the Department of Defense to assess the military bases most threatened by climate change, including an analysis of future costs of how to deal with and mitigate

those challenges. Only through sober and rigorous analysis can we recognize the true cost of climate change to American strength and capabilities.

Madam Speaker, it is absolutely imperative that we address the impacts of climate change now, and we have more work to do. This year, on the Armed Services Committee, we will continue to require the Pentagon to better assess and report on the climate threat.

Madam Speaker, the Climate Action Now Act is about honoring our global commitments. As Americans, we rise to meet our challenges; we do not hide from them. We solve problems. We develop new technologies, and we innovate to create a more sustainable world. That is our Nation's proud heritage, and that is the spirit that we should bring toward engaging this climate threat.

The Paris Agreement was crafted through the work of American negotiators with other countries around the world. It was signed by an overwhelming 174 countries, plus the European Union. This agreement represents a clear consensus to get serious and combat climate change.

Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill. The threat is real. Time is of the essence. The time to act is now.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the decision by the Corporation for National and Community Service, or CNCS, to close all State and territorial offices and replace them with eight regional offices.

If this plan is implemented, just by way of example, the office in my home State of Rhode Island will close. If this happens, we will lose the local experts who understand the histories and cultures of the communities they serve, and with them, the years-long relationships that they have built up in our communities.

The closures will particularly harm smaller organizations that rely on CNCS, like New Urban Arts, the Rhode Island Free Clinic, Federal Hill House, and Riverzedge Arts.

That is why I have joined my colleagues in sending a letter to CEO Barbara Stewart opposing the plan, and why I am cosponsoring Representative

McCollum's Keep Community Service Local Act.

At a time when Americans, particularly our young people, report feeling evermore disconnected from their government, programs like national service and civics education are crucial in helping to repair the fabric of our democracy.

Let's not let this decision stand. Let's see it turned around. Keep these offices open.

Madam Speaker, this year marks the 160th anniversary of the founding of the Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Providence, Rhode Island. St. Michael's parish reflects the vibrancy and diversity of Rhode Island, and its social programs continue to make a positive impact in the community.

In 1859, St. Bernard's Parish, which would become St. Michael's, was founded in Rhode Island. Within a year, it became the home of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, serving Irish immigrants who fled the Great Famine. This was the start of St. Michael's dedication to community service, a tradition that has continued for 160 years.

Since its founding, St. Michael's has provided a welcoming and inclusive community for the successive waves of immigrants who have arrived in Rhode Island. Beginning with Irish, Italian, Portuguese, and other Western European immigrant populations, the St. Michael's community has expanded to include members of more than 40 nationalities or countries of origin, with mass celebrated in five different languages. The multicultural, multilingual community exemplifies Rhode Island's founding principles of inclusion, acceptance, respect, religious tolerance, and the celebration of our common humanity.

St. Michael's mission of service has long brought parishioners together to meet the needs of its members and of the broader community. Through their tireless advocacy, commitment to service, and partnerships with local nonprofits and other faith-based organizations, the people of St. Michael's have helped countless individuals and made an indelible mark on the state.

St. Michael's 160th anniversary is an incredible milestone for one of the spiritual and charitable pillars of Rhode Island, and I look forward to congratulating the parish on many more anniversaries to come.

Mr. Chair, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 164.

Amendment No. 12 Offered by Mr. McAdams

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. I would also like to thank her, Chairman Thompson, Congressman Sarbanes, and the many Democratic Members who helped craft this important legislation.

H.R. 1, Mr. Chairman, among many things, will make our elections more ethical and will make them more secure.

As a former Rhode Island secretary of state and member of the Congressional Task Force on Election Security, I absolutely believe that we must actively address our elections systems' vulnerabilities, or our enemies certainly will.

H.R. 1 provides States with funding, guidance, and threat intelligence to secure election systems by purchasing voting machines that provide auditable paper ballots, securing voter registration databases, and training election officials.

Now, these suggestions came from the task force, and they reflect guidance we heard from leaders like Rhode Island Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea, who is implementing one of the Nation's first risk- limiting audits. They also reflect the wisdom of the cybersecurity researchers who have so much to offer in identifying vulnerabilities and helping us to close them.

Mr. Chairman, with the 2020 elections around the corner, I am proud to support this legislation, because we must act now to protect our democracy.

Mr. Chair, I would like to thank Ms. Lofgren, Chairman Thompson, Congressman Sarbanes, and the many House Democratic members who helped craft this vital legislation. The For the People Act will not only make our elections more ethical and accessible, it will also help secure them from outside interference.

As a former Secretary of State of Rhode Island and member of the Congressional Task Force on Election Security, I believe we must actively address the vulnerabilities in our election systems.

We know that Russia interfered with our 2016 elections, targeting political organizations and the election infrastructure of at least 21 states. They sought to undermine public confidence in our elections, and despite no evidence of ballot tampering, millions of Americans now question whether their votes are counted properly.

While state and local governments must retain control of elections, they cannot be expected to confront a nation state like Russia on their own. We owe it to our state partners to provide the resources they need to protect these vital systems at the heart of our democracy.

H.R. 1 ensures states have the funding, guidance, and threat intelligence they need to address the risks and vulnerabilities in their systems, whether by purchasing voting machines that provide auditable paper ballots, securing voter registration databases, or training election officials in cybersecurity best practices.

These are all suggestions that came from the Task Force, and they reflect guidance we heard from local election leaders like Rhode Island's current Secretary of State, Nellie Gorbea, who is implementing one of the first risk-limiting audits in the nation. They also reflect the wisdom of the cybersecurity research community that has so much to offer when it comes to shoring up our systems and networks.

With the 2020 elections right around the corner, I'm proud to support this legislation--it's more important than ever that we act swiftly to protect the integrity of our democracy.

Madam Speaker, we often hear about the immunotherapy revolution, medicine's next frontier, which is right now, for extending or even saving lives. Dr. Sadhak Sengupta and his wife, Sudarshana, two talented scientists from Rhode Island, are on the cutting edge of this research.

Dr. Sengupta is the director of brain tumor immunotherapy research at Rhode Island Hospital and an assistant professor at Brown University. He has been working as a scientist in the United States since 2002, and he holds numerous patents.

Despite these achievements, Dr. Sengupta has been unable to get a green card simply due to the country of his birth, India. For years, we have reached the per-country cap on employment-based green cards for India, and the current backlog is, right now, measured in decades.

Sadhak and Sudarshana dream of launching a startup, but 17 years after moving to this country, they still live in uncertainty. Madam Speaker, that is why I support the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act, a bill to remove per-country green card caps and treat all immigrants equally.

It is the right thing to do for the Senguptas and for all Americans and their families who will benefit from their research and their greatness of spirit.

Mr. Speaker, I rise as co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Career and Technical Education Caucus to recognize February as National CTE Month. Today, my good friend and caucus co- chair, Representative Thompson, and I introduced a resolution supporting the goals and ideals of CTE Month.

This resolution is particularly important because many Americans still hold an outdated view of CTE as a plan B. In fact, today it is quite the opposite. The CTE programs are academic pathways that allow students to explore careers in high demand, high-paying industries that are relevant in today's society from healthcare to advanced manufacturing to IT.

CTE Month is a time not only to celebrate the achievements of CTE students, like the bright and motivated SkillsUSA students from Rhode Island who visit my office each year, but to spread awareness of today's CTE and its potential to help students and businesses succeed.

Mr. Speaker, society needs workers with these skills that are in demand today, and I want to thank Representative Thompson for his partnership and urge my colleagues to join us in supporting CTE programs across the country.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia for yielding me time. I hope I won't use all 5 minutes. I first want to say I support the bill under debate right now and certainly support criminal justice reform. One of the best ways, of course, we can prevent people from hopefully going down the path of crimes is to make sure they have a good education, so hence I am here to speak on H.R. 439.

Mr. Speaker, as co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Career and Technical Education Caucus, I am pleased to rise with my good friend and fellow co-chair, Representative G.T. Thompson, in support of H.R. 439, the National FFA Organization's Federal Charter Amendments Act. I would like to thank my friend from Pennsylvania for his partnership on this bill which modernizes the FFA congressional charter to better serve the organization's 669,000 student members across the country.

Since 1928 the FFA, formerly known as Future Farmers of America, has been an integral part of our Nation's agricultural education system. Its mission is to prepare the next generation of farmers who form the backbone of our Nation's food supply system. Congress recognized the FFA's importance in 1950 when it granted the organization a Federal charter. But today, nearly 70 years later, that charter is overdue for an update.

Of the 100 nonprofit organizations that have charters with the Federal Government, from the Girl Scouts of America to the National Academy of Sciences, only six require government agencies to appoint members to the NGO's board of directors. Of those six, the FFA is the only federally chartered organization that requires a majority of its board members to be chosen by its partner agency, the Department of Education.

The bill that had been considered this afternoon and that passed brings the role of the Department of Education in line with other congressionally chartered organizations while maintaining the long relationship between the department and the FFA. In doing so, it gives the FFA more autonomy to deliver its integrated system of agricultural career and technical education, or CTE, to the 8,000 chapters located across all 50 States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

H.R. 439 allows the FFA to be more independent, but it retains its ability to collaborate with the Department of Education in agriculture. It also allows the FFA to move its headquarters from Washington, D.C. and provide online publications for its chapters around the country. The FFA needs to adapt to the 21st century economy, and modernizing this charter is a necessary step in that process.

Today the FFA helps train more than future farmers. It prepares the next generation of scientists, veterinarians, and business owners through classroom and work-based learning. As a strong advocate for CTE, I am thrilled to support the skills-based education model on behalf of the FFA and its many teachers and students. Our bill aligns the FFA's charter with this focus on CTE, specifically the Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources Career Cluster which gives students the opportunity to explore exciting careers and be prepared for future challenges.

Our country faces daunting tasks in agricultural policy, from addressing food shortages to containing animal-borne diseases and stopping the pollution of our waterways.

Mr. Speaker, we can count on our Nation's FFA students to not only grow our economy but to become the next community of world leaders, ready to tackle these 21st century challenges.

In my home State of Rhode Island, I am continually impressed by the hardworking, motivated, bright FFA students and the dedicated teachers who instruct them. Through the FFA, these students are developing the academic and technical skills to succeed in agricultural fields and the leadership skills to make a real difference.

This bill, the National FFA Organization's Federal Charter Amendments Act, will allow the FFA to continue its mission with more autonomy.

Mr. Speaker, I thank, again, my colleague G.T. Thompson from the great State of Pennsylvania, along with Chairman Nadler and Ranking Member Collins, for their support, as well as my esteemed colleague Senator Todd Young of Indiana for leading this bipartisan effort in the Senate.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for supporting this bill, and I thank the gentleman from Georgia for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the career of Stephen McCartney, Chief of Police of the City of Warwick, Rhode Island, my hometown. Chief McCartney retired on December 21, 2018, concluding decades of unwavering dedication to his community and to his country.

In 1969, the same year that he graduated from Providence College with a degree in history, Chief McCartney joined the United States Marine Corps. Over his thirty years of service in the armed forces, he fought in Vietnam and in the Gulf War, and he even assisted in training Rwandan law enforcement as the country rebuilt from unspeakable tragedy. He held every infantry position from the platoon up to the regimental level before transitioning to reserve service, and he received numerous military distinctions, including the Naval and Marine Corps Medal for heroism.

Soon after his return from Vietnam, Chief McCartney joined the Providence Police Department, serving for nearly 26 years in many roles. He directed the department's first mounted unit, spent several years as the director of training, and commanded the Neighborhood Response Unit. After 15 years with the patrol bureau, he moved to the detective bureau--eventually overseeing more than 150 major investigations as its director.

Chief McCartney transitioned to the Warwick Police Department in 1999, where he served nearly 20 years as the Chief of Police with distinction, honor, and dedication. His tenure was marked by his humility, his professionalism, and his commitment not only to the safety of the community, but also to each officer under his command. Countless individuals within the department have considered him a mentor, and countless others both inside and outside of the department have considered him a true friend, myself included. Warwick has been tremendously fortunate to have had such an exemplary public servant.

Although his leadership will certainly be missed at the department, I am sure he will continue to find ways to make a difference, and I wish him well.