Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary work done by Pastor Ken and Wanda Swett of Modesto, California. For decades, the Swetts have been pillars of Modesto's community and have touched countless lives through their work at Foursquare Church.

For the past 43 years, Pastor Ken has been involved in Foursquare Church's ministry. From working as a youth pastor in San Jose and Santa Fe Springs to spending the last 32 years as a senior pastor in Modesto, Ken has been a constant and inspirational figure in the Central Valley. Pastor Ken has never been one to back away from a challenge as exemplified through his work in Mexico, Costa Rica, the Philippines, and Thailand. Throughout these adventures, Wanda has been by Ken's side and has, through her work in education and women's ministries, positively impacted the community in her own right.

In addition to their remarkable work in the community and around the world, the Swetts have also built an incredible family. Their 45 years of marriage have led to three daughters, ten grandchildren, and countless memories with their loved ones. Today, Ken and Wanda relish their downtime by being in the company of their family, rooting for their beloved Green Bay Packers and watching their grandson Zachariah compete in local rodeos.

Individuals like the Swetts exemplify how, through dedicated service to others, each and every one of us can have a profound impact on our communities. I commend the lifelong work done by Pastor Ken and Wanda Swett and congratulate them on their extraordinary careers.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Riverbank, California's incorporation, Riverbank is a beautiful town located along the Stanislaus River and in the heart of the Central Valley. For a century now, Riverbank has continued to grow and thrive by living up to their motto: ``The City of Action.''

Riverbank traces its roots back to a small ferry that, before there were roads and bridges in the area, would take people across San Joaquin County and into Stanislaus County. The town truly expanded and began to take shape thanks to the Santa Fe Railroad, which quickly turned Riverbank into a transportation hub.

Today, Riverbank is a diverse, tight-knit community with a vibrant and expansive economy. Like much of the Central Valley, Riverbank has a strong history of farming that remains to this day. The town's trademark warmth is on constant display at events like the annual Riverbank Wine and Cheese Festival, which celebrates the city's diverse population and agricultural roots. Riverbank has also seen economic growth through a variety of industries. The Riverbank industrial complex reflects the broad reach of the town's economy, as it is home to over 40 different businesses that specialize in fields ranging from security systems and recycling to traditional manufacturing.

Riverbank's growth and success are the direct products of the hard work, dedication, and fearless spirit that reverberate throughout the city. Rather than sit and wait idly by, Riverbank has been aggressive and seized every opportunity available. I am immensely proud to represent this extraordinary town and am certain that its best days still lay ahead.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of Escalon, California's Park Fete. The Park Fete is a remarkable, multi-day celebration that brings the community together and further forges the bonds that are at the heart of Escalon's character.

What began in 1922 as a lawn party to celebrate and raise funds for the town's Main Street Park has blossomed into an annual event that residents look forward to all year long. Produced from a community of just 7,000 people, the Park Fete includes carnival rides, live entertainment, food booths, pageants, and a 10k run among numerous other events. It is a wonderful occasion wherein neighbors socialize, children enjoy the bliss of summer vacation, and the whole town feels a sense of unity.

More than just a celebration, the Park Fete is a direct reflection of Escalon and its residents. An idyllic small town with safe streets, superb schools, and a welcoming environment, Escalon's ethos has been cultivated through generations of community service. The sentiment that reverberates throughout the town can best be summed by Escalon's mission statement: ``Taking pride in our community through quality service.'' Nowhere else is this pride more profoundly depicted than through the Park Fete, which is only made possible by generous donations from local business leaders, countless volunteers, and organizers who plan months in advance.

It is precisely events like the Park Fete that truly represent the best in us. I am immensely proud of the people of Escalon who, through their hard work, selflessness, and commitment to one another, have kept the Park Fete alive and well for a century.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the McHenry Museum & Historical Society. Through its work over the last five decades, the McHenry Museum & Historical Society has served as a center for cultural enrichment, learning, and inspiration for our community in the Central Valley.

Located in the heart of downtown Modesto, the McHenry Museum welcomes thousands of visitors annually and works to preserve our local history. It's the continuation of a long tradition of public servants and committed community members working together to make sure that our community has a place to gather and celebrate its history. Modesto's first museum was opened in 1968 by the Citizens' Cultural Committee. By 1971, The City of Modesto recognized the success these efforts to chronicle early Modesto. It was then, that the vacated McHenry Public Library building converted into the McHenry Museum and Art Center.

The Museum was dedicated on July 4, 1972, when it took residence in the McHenry Public Library. One room became the changing exhibit room, another to display historic paintings, and the third was devoted to ``permanent'' displays. The auditorium was also part of the museum and was used for a variety of events from musical presentations to city council meetings.

To this day, the McHenry Museum & Historical Society continues to preserve our history and uplift the arts in a way that inspires our community. I thank the McHenry Museum & Historical Society volunteers, employees, generous donors, Board of Directors, Committee members, and public servants who give their time and energy to ensure that this incredible landmark will be around for decades to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today frustrated, and to be honest, just plain tired.

For months now, my community has been paying over $6 a gallon for gas and $5 for a jug of milk. Prices are out of control, and it is crushing us. I talked to a neighbor the other day and she told me she is going to have to choose between picking her kids up from school and driving herself to work, if gas prices stay this high.

Families in my neighborhood don't have the luxury of sitting around while politicians do nothing. Today, we have a chance to actually help by passing our Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act.

This package includes my bill, which provides funding for farmers to implement nutrient management programs. These programs will help lower the cost of growing food for our farmers, so prices go back to normal at the grocery store.

Helping farmers lower costs while cutting gas prices for our families is common sense. It is beyond time that Congress put politics aside and actually listen to what our communities need. This isn't rocket science. They are asking for the government to do its job and bring these prices back down to Earth.

Mr. Speaker, I hope common sense prevails today, and let's pass this bill.

Madam Chair, during rollcall Vote number 462 on the Turner Amendment No. 386, I mistakenly recorded my vote as ``yes'' when I should have voted ``no''.

Amendment No. 423 Offered by Mr. Khanna

Madam Chair, during Roll Call Vote number 375 on H.R. Banks Amendment No. 99, I mistakenly recorded my vote as yes when I should have voted no.

Amendment No. 105 Offered by Mr. Pence

Madam Speaker, I demand that the Senate take action with respect to the Dream Act.

Madam Speaker, Dr. Bishop dedicated the past fourteen years to serving those who served our country. As a Lead Physician at the Modesto VA, he served more than a thousand veterans in the Modesto area, delivering world-class care and helping fulfill our nation's promise to support everyone who serves.

Dr. Bishop went above and beyond the job description of a physician, bringing hope to his patients and building trust in the VA system. According to one of his patients, ``Dr. Bishop is one of those incredible providers who can bring an incredibly disgruntled patient into his exam room who is upset at the VA and the world, and two minutes later have the same person laughing and with a better outlook on life.'' His lifetime of dedication made an enormous impact on his patients and his community, and there are many in the Modesto community whose lives would not be the same without him.

Even as he caps off his career, he will still be serving Modesto veterans as a home-based primary care physician. I commend his commitment to Central Valley veterans, and I wish him a happy retirement.

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

Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of my amendment to the Strengthening Health Care and Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Act.

Families in my district, in the California Central Valley, need prescription drugs to go down in cost now, and they need access to care for every condition, including mental health and treatment for substance use disorders.

That is exactly what my amendment is going to help with. The navigators that help folks understand healthcare through the exchanges are great, but they need additional tools to make sure folks struggling with opioid addiction get the coverage that they need. My amendment gives them just that.

In most communities I visit, I hear from someone who has been touched by the opioid epidemic, and I am no exception. When I was in high school, I had a friend who was in a tough family situation, so I drove him to school every day for 2 years. He was one of the best golfers I ever met, had an amazing sense of humor. But, after graduating, he developed an addiction to opiates, and about 5 years ago we lost him to an overdose.

Stories like my friend's are far too common. About 130 Americans die every single day from opiate overdose. Folks with substance use disorder deserve access to care just like everyone else, and every person in this country deserves prescription drugs that they can actually afford.

It is for my friend and for our loved ones all across the country who have struggled with this that I urge my colleagues to vote for this amendment.

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

Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of my amendment. My legislation would simply require the Federal Government to issue an expert analysis of the impact of junk plans on mental healthcare access. People deserve access to mental healthcare, and we don't know how many people will lose that access if these junk plans become used more widely.

That is exactly what my amendment would tell us.

People who are struggling with depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, or substance use disorder deserve coverage. We are talking about real people in our communities who need help, and they should get it.

That is especially true because of the stigma surrounding mental health issues. If you tell your friends that you have cancer, they tell you to get help. If you tell your friends you have depression, they tell you to tough it out or go to the gym.

Without access to mental healthcare, a lot of people end up self- medicating. That is why we have to make sure that they are covered with real insurance, not junk plans.

These plans are a scam.

I heard a horror story from a woman in Stanislaus County about her family's experience with a junk plan before the Affordable Care Act. Her daughter went off to school and got cheap, university-sponsored insurance.

After a couple of years, she had a mental health issue present, but she was completely denied coverage for the treatment that she needed. Even though she paid premiums for years, she wasn't covered, and her family had to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket. Years later, they are still paying it off today, more than 10 years after her mental health episode.

That is a common story because only about half of these plans cover mental healthcare, and only about one-third cover substance use disorder, and that is a huge problem in the Central Valley, especially for young people.

It is in people's twenties that they start showing signs of a lot of mental health problems, and this often coincides with the development of substance use disorders. People who turn 26 have to get off their parents' insurance. They pick the cheapest thing they can find.

If we don't pass this amendment, millions of people who have similar stories will be denied coverage for mental health issues when they need it most.

That is a scam. That is what my amendment demands.

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

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of my amendment.

As I stated in my previous remarks, my amendment would simply require the Federal Government to issue an expert analysis of the impact of junk plans on mental health access.

People deserve access to mental healthcare, and we need to know how many people will lose that access if these junk plans become used more widely.

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

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

Madam Speaker, I rise to encourage the Speaker of the House to let us vote on H.R. 962, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. It is more than common sense; it is common decency legislation being put forth to end the barbaric act of infanticide.

Every day, Kansans watching from back home assume this must already be law. There is no way that, in America, it is legal to murder a child who already has been born.

Sadly, in some parts of this country, it isn't common sense; it isn't common decency. In some parts of the country, it isn't something inherently wrong to kill a child who was born alive.

This is murder. It is appalling that it is being protected. This is murder.

Madam Speaker, let us vote.

Madam Speaker, I rise today because it is absolutely absurd that in the year 2019, women are still paid less than men, 77 cents on the dollar compared to men, but it is even worse for women of color. Latina women make only 53 cents on the dollar.

That is why I was so proud to support the Paycheck Fairness Act, which included our amendment to specifically support women of color.

There are thousands of Latina women in my district who work hard day in, day out, only to be paid half what their male counterparts get. It hurts them, it hurts their families, and it hurts our Central Valley community.

This is an equality issue, but it is also an economic issue. In fact, almost a quarter of the families in the Central Valley have a woman as their breadwinner.

It is 2019. It is time that women, especially Latina women, are not left behind.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues in the Senate to take up this bill and make sure we are lifting up everyone in our communities.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to wish the Assyrian community in the Central Valley and across the world a Happy New Year.

One of my fondest memories growing up in Turlock was spending afternoons with my Assyrian neighbor, who was like a grandmother to me. Her name was Nana Bitpera.

Every day, she would pick grape leaves in her backyard while she made rice, so my brother and I could enjoy fresh, homemade dolmas after school.

She would tell me stories about the incredible contributions of the Assyrian culture to art and literature: how Assyrians built the first human cities, were the first to domesticate crops, and how they literally invented the wheel.

She also told me about the centuries of persecution that Assyrians faced that caused so many to come for a new future in America.

Madam Speaker, as we celebrate the year 6769, I want to tell the Assyrian community how grateful I am to be their neighbor, and may this new year bring their families joy and happiness.

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.