Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, the bill before us today is a wolf in sheep's clothing. It is a dangerous attack on the power of knowledge.

Supposedly, this bill prevents the Environmental Protection Agency from using secret science to issue regulations. Supposedly, by requiring the EPA to only consider publicly available data when drafting regulations, this bill will make the EPA more transparent.

Mr. Chairman, nothing could be further from the truth. Science has shown over and over that air pollution causes health problems, such as asthma. This is not a disputable fact.

Scientists have spent years comparing data on air pollution with data on health problems. Those results are very clear. They have been replicated, they have been peer-reviewed, and the EPA has issued regulations accordingly.

But the data in these studies cannot be made public without risking the violation of the privacy of Americans who voluntarily participated in them by releasing their personal health information. Rather than argue with the indisputable facts on air pollution--a losing bet--this bill attempts to discredit the science as ``secret,'' when in fact there is nothing secret about it.

The only secret here is the true intent of this bill, a dangerous attack on science itself. For this reason, I have cosponsored an amendment proposed by Mr. Kennedy. The amendment clarifies that nothing in this bill will prevent the EPA from using sound peer-reviewed science to issue regulations. One cannot oppose that without opposing science itself.

Science has brought us to the Moon, it has brought us the electric lightbulb, and yes, it demonstrates a link between air pollution and asthma. The American people rely on us to make decisions based on facts, not to legislate away facts that are politically inconvenient.

Mr. Speaker, 3 weeks ago I held a policy panel on Women's Economic Equality in my district, and when the audience was asked how many of you have worried about the cost of child care, nearly every hand shot up in the air.

While the skyrocketing cost of quality child care in Massachusetts is among the most expensive in the country, with an average annual cost above $16,000, the problem is not limited to my home State. Across our country, millions of American families report child care as their highest expense--higher than rent or a college education for their children. Without a doubt, the cost of quality child care is now one of the biggest barriers to economic success facing women and families.

Knowing how critical child care is to American families, I am so heartened to see the House take action to reauthorize the Child Care Development Block Grant program, which provides grants to States to offer quality child care that is accessible to low- and moderate-income families. I am grateful that the quality child care provisions of my bill, the Infant and Toddler Care Improvement Act, have been incorporated into this reauthorization.

As a working mom of three, I understand that parents want nothing more than when their children are in child care they are happy, learning, safe, and healthy. Millions of moms and dads across the country, however, are faced with impossible choices because of the lack of access to quality child care. More than 6 million children under the age of 3 are in care of someone other than their parents each week, and 46 percent of the children under 3 live in low-income families.

The Child Care and Development Block Grant and the quality provisions of the Infant and Toddler Care Improvement Act offer a vital lifeline and a path to the middle class for millions of families across the Nation. It is a necessary step towards true economic equality for women, and it gives our kids a great start.

Today's compromised bill is a strong first step, and I look forward to working together to strengthen access to quality child care. This vote is not controversial, nor is it partisan. It is a win for American families. I urge my colleagues to support the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014, S. 1086, as amended, and I submit for the Record some support letters.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 15, a bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform bill to properly address the humanitarian crisis at the border.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to bring up H.R. 377, the Paycheck Fairness Act, to jump-start the middle class, instead of this partisan lawsuit attacking the President.

Mr. Speaker, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Justice Elena Kagan, our three women Justices stood unanimously against the Court's decision in the Hobby Lobby case.

They sit on the highest court in the Nation, and by no coincidence, the three women's dissent is representative of what I heard from the women I talked to in my district.

I asked women at home to send me in three words how they feel about the Court's decision. This is what they shared with me: Jennifer from Melrose, sad, disappointing, disturbing; Anna from Framingham, backwards, scary, hurtful; Jeanine from Waltham, disgusted, wrong, outraged; Susan from Cambridge, need more Ginsburgs.

The Court's decision to strike down women's access to basic health care is only the latest in systemic efforts to unwind the progress women have made.

Why aren't we demanding equal pay for women from our employers, rather than giving a woman's boss the right to make the most personal health care decisions for her and her family?

Congress has an obligation to correct this course. The amendment and the Protect Women's Health From Corporate Interference Act makes certain that a woman's boss does not interfere in her basic health care. It simply affirms that when the law provides for insurance companies to cover basic health care for all, all people are entitled to that health care, period.

Mr. Speaker, Harry Truman famously said that if you want a friend in Washington, get a dog, and I can tell you that many of our Nation's animal shelters and rescue groups would be more than happy to introduce you to a new friend.

Between 5 and 7 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year, and the hardworking individuals at these shelters and rescues try to make sure that each of these animals makes its way to a forever home.

I have been so fortunate that my entire life I have had rescue dogs as part of my family. As a girl, it was Scotty Daisy. As a newlywed, my husband and I adopted Samantha and Walter, and as a family, with my three sons, we welcomed Bison into our family.

I want to honor the hard work of volunteers and staff at animal shelters and rescue groups across the Nation, and I encourage my colleagues to join me today at this year's Paws for Celebration event on Capitol Hill.

This event, sponsored by the ASPCA and hosted by the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus, will feature adoptable dogs and cats from shelters and rescues from around the Washington, D.C., area.

It will be a great opportunity for Members of Congress to take a moment and thank the shelter and rescue community for their hard work and dedication to our Nation's homeless pets.

Who knows? You might even find that friend in Washington you have been looking for.

Mr. Speaker, in my home State of Massachusetts, and in many other States across the country, we are battling a crisis that is blind to income, race, gender, and politics. That crisis is opiate addiction. It is happening at a deadly rate across the country, increasing by nearly 60 percent over the last decade.

Today, I want to focus on the youngest of those affected by this epidemic.

Every hour, a baby is born in the United States addicted to opiates. In Massachusetts, the number of babies born with this condition has risen to five times the national rate. In Kentucky, the rate has increased thirtyfold; in Ohio, sixfold; and in Colorado, as many as 6 percent of the babies born will experience these addiction symptoms.

Babies born with the condition known as Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, or NAS, are born into the pain of opiate withdrawal, which adults report as the worst pain they have experienced in their lives. These babies may suffer from seizures, breathing problems, fevers, tremors, or difficulty feeding. These symptoms can last for months and lead to weeks of hospitalization. One boy suffering from NAS in my district experienced such severe seizures that he suffered a detached retina.

In an urgent response to the surge of NAS diagnoses, hospitals across the country have begun piecing together the best methods to diagnose and treat NAS. But incomplete and uncoordinated data collection hampers a State's ability to identify the scope of the problem and apply solutions and treatment effectively.

I am asking my colleagues to join me in taking a critically important first step in caring for these newborns by supporting the Coordinated Recovery Initiative for Babies Act, known as the CRIB Act.

I have partnered with my good colleague from Ohio (Mr. Stivers) to introduce this bipartisan legislation.

The CRIB Act is the first proposed bill to take proactive steps to help hospitals diagnose and treat newborns suffering from opiate dependency. It will give the Department of Health and Human Services 1 year to collect the data necessary to assemble a portfolio of the best practices.

The final product will be based on the most successful models in the country and will be accessible to every State and the medical community. In addition to being the right thing to do for newborns, this bill will save us money.

NAS births are five times more expensive than healthy births, and Medicaid has been paying for 75 percent of these costs. This bill will help us identify the best ways to diagnose and treat these newborns, and it provides an important tool for addressing the opiate epidemic.

I urge my colleagues to join national medical groups, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and support the CRIB Act.

Mr. Speaker, 22 years ago, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor stated:

The ability of women to participate equally in the economic

and social life of the Nation has been facilitated by their

ability to control their reproductive lives.

Over the past week, that fact has not only been lost by the Supreme Court, it has been under attack. The Court's decisions undermine women's ability to pursue economic opportunity and equality.

Tonight, thousands of people are rallying in Boston to protect these basic rights. I stand in solidarity with them. We will not back down and will not accept anything less than full equality in our access to health care, the workplace, and the ability to determine the trajectory of our own lives.

This esteemed body would do well to heed Justice O'Connor's words, because the women of America will settle for no less.

Mr. Speaker, today, as a country, we face many economic challenges: income disparity, stagnant wages, and an alarming rise of children living in poverty. Luckily, all available research points to a solution. High-quality early childhood education and care is as close to a silver bullet as we are going to find. It supports working families, creates economic opportunities for women, and provides a great start for our youngest learners.

But today, hardworking families spend an extraordinary percentage of their income on child care. Even then, they are not always sure it meets the needs of their kids. Mr. Speaker, that is why I am introducing a bill today to help ensure quality care for infants and toddlers. As a mother of three, I understand that parents want nothing more than to make sure their kids are healthy, safe, and thriving.

More than 6 million children under the age of 3 will spend time in child care this week. At this tender age, when brain development is at its peak, when neuropathways are being formed every second by the millions, that is when quality child care matters most.

Today I encourage my colleagues to help these children and their families succeed by supporting the Infant and Toddler Care Improvement Act.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to commemorate the Week of the Young Child, which is celebrated this year from April 6 to April 12. I also rise to recognize the tireless work of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, which was instrumental in launching this week in 1971, and which works every day to create a brighter future for our nation's youngest learners.

Mr. Speaker, the evidence is clear: strong investments in early education are vital to America's future. Young children experience astonishing brain growth, forming more neural pathways from birth to age five than at any other point in their lives. Investment in this phase of life pays serious dividends--not just individually, but societally as well. Studies have consistently shown that each dollar invested in quality preschool yields $7 over the life of a child; and the urgent need for support in this area has never been greater.

Today, one in five American children begins their life in poverty. Among these children are the world's future doctors, scientists, teachers, astronauts, CEOs, innovators and outstanding citizens. As we observe the Week of the Young Child, these facts should give reflective pause to every member of this House. If we fail to provide each American child with a fair opportunity to succeed, we as a society will fail to reach our full potential. The stakes are high, it is incumbent upon each of us to step up and do what's unquestionably right for America's future.

I would also like to note that when paired with quality child care, early education yields immediate and long-term economic dividends. Too often, American parents are forced to choose between joining the workforce and ensuring the healthy development of their child. The Child Care Development Block Grant reduces this gap by providing a modest subsidy to eligible working parents, allowing them to purchase quality child care for their children, join the work force, and contribute to our nation's economic prosperity. Last month, I was proud to lead 111 of my House colleagues in a letter to House Appropriators supporting this critical program.

In today's day in age, Mr. Speaker, I find it unacceptable that any child's zip code would determine whether they, or their parents, have a fair chance to reach for the American Dream. I look forward to the day when true equality of access to early education is finally achieved, and I'm proud to stand with the National Association for the Education of Young Children, as well as the Massachusetts Association for the Education of Young Children, in working to make this future a reality.

Mr. Speaker, a few weeks ago, I stood here to advocate for better economic policies for women because what this Congress takes up week after week doesn't reflect the priorities of the women I talk to at home.

When I talk to the women in my district, the common thread is clear. Women just want a fair shot. They want to know, if they work hard and play by the rules, they will succeed and their families will succeed.

Unfortunately, there are some that just don't get it. Just last month, we had to fight against an unconscionable bill attacking a woman's right to choose her own health care decisions. The Hobby Lobby case the Supreme Court will hear in a few weeks will decide if a woman's boss can choose what type of care and medicine she can access.

When it comes to ensuring that women get a fair shot, we have to protect a woman's right to make her own health care decisions and her ability to plan for her family and her future.

That is why I am proud to stand with my colleagues from the Pro- Choice Caucus in signing the amicus brief to ask our Supreme Court to protect this critical right for women and their families.

Thank you, Mr. Pocan, for your leadership on

this critical issue. I also want to thank the gentleman from Illinois for all he has done to try and bring this vote to the floor.

A majority of Americans support renewing unemployment insurance, but the majority here in the House continue to show that they are out of step with American families by refusing to extend unemployment insurance for the 2 million Americans who need it, and the families of my home district in Massachusetts are left to suffer because of it.

This out-of-touch majority has invested billions of dollars in tax breaks for the ultra-rich and for wealthy corporations that have often shipped our jobs overseas. Yet, they are refusing to help those who are looking for work, our job-seekers who are struggling to care for their families and put food on the table.

I cringe when I hear some of the Members of the majority blame poverty on the poor, and then vote to give tax breaks for the wealthy. It is the same majority that looks to slash the budget and put that burden on the backs of our children and seniors.

Some have said that Democrats want to give children a full stomach and an empty soul, but I would say, people who would deny a hungry child lunch, they are the ones who need to worry about the condition of their soul.

In Massachusetts, more than $100 million has been taken out of our economy as Congress has failed to act on this issue. I signed the discharge petition to force a vote on unemployment insurance on behalf of the nearly 80,000 workers in Massachusetts who have lost their unemployment benefits. They cannot afford to wait for the majority to catch up with the rest of the country, who know this is the right thing to do.

Again, I thank the gentleman from Wisconsin for this opportunity, and I thank you for your work.

Mr. Speaker, today, on the 26th observation of unspeakable violence in Sumgait, Azerbaijan, I proudly stand with the Armenian community of Massachusetts in remembrance and mourning of the loss of innocent lives.

Anti-Armenian aggression in Sumgait in the early months of 1988 gave way to violent death and destruction. Thousands of Armenians were forced to flee their homes as refugees.

Today, the families of those who lost their lives, or were displaced by this violence, still seek resolution and justice.

Over decades, many displaced Armenian families have sought refuge in America, and are now making vital contributions in the Fifth District of Massachusetts. Proudly, our diverse district is home to one of the largest Armenian communities in the nation. Together, our community is a thriving example of strength and perseverance in the face of extreme adversity.

Like the persecution of too many other peoples before it, the lessons of Sumgait must not be forgotten.

As diverse families of the Commonwealth, and as Americans, we have a moral obligation to promote tolerance and justice, and we have a duty to recognize the atrocities that have kept us from our common goal.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert my statement into the Record in support of extending unemployment insurance for 1.6 million Americans instead of this radical Republican assault on women's health care rights.

Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 7, which effectively bans insurance coverage for family planning and allows the government to step between a woman and her doctor even when there are risks of serious medical complications.

Madam Speaker, the women of America are watching. Dictating women's personal health care decisions should not be on the table today.

What should be on the table?

How about the many policies that ensure the economic success of women, such as pay equity, paid sick leave, and raising the minimum wage? How about making sure that millions of American job seekers have the vital safety net that unemployment insurance provides and allows them to put food on the table? How about instead of dictating women's health care decisions, we focus on making child care and education more accessible and affordable?

This bill does not move us forward. It moves us backward and inserts the government into the most personal decisions a woman and a family can make.

I urge my colleagues to vote against H.R. 7.

Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

I am.

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

This is the final amendment to the bill. This amendment will not kill the bill; and should it pass, the House will immediately take up the bill, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, having just been sworn in a month ago, may I first say, it is an honor to serve the Fifth District of Massachusetts. My district is looking to us to focus on jobs, rebuild the economy, and extend unemployment benefits. Instead, Republicans have scheduled the 48th vote to undermine the Affordable Care Act.

We have a job to do. We have to ensure that the hardworking families we serve are able to navigate the health care law and are able to make informed decisions about their health care coverage. Our job is to ensure that should problems arise, we are able to direct resources toward a timely fix.

Some of my colleagues believe that an increase in transparency will help us achieve those goals. So why not do that? Why not let Americans know exactly what has been going on since this law has been implemented? Why not let people understand all facets of this law? I support transparency and making the law the best it can be for millions of families and children who will benefit from it.

I know firsthand how good this reform will be for the American people because I watched it happen in my own State. In 2006, Massachusetts implemented health care reform which today is benefiting hundreds of thousands of families. It took hard work, and it meant lawmakers who didn't always agree on everything had to work together to do right by those they served. Today, 98 percent of the people in Massachusetts are benefiting from some form of health care coverage.

Because I was not yet elected last fall, like millions of Americans, I watched from home as the destructive and irresponsible fight against the ACA shut our government down. It is time to stop the obstruction over this issue and get back to work for the American people.

If our goal is truly transparency--not just harassment to make sure the law never works--why not give the full picture? Let's give families and businesses all of the information they need regarding what is available to them, as well as what we are going to do to make the law work better.

My motion to recommit will better inform those we serve with facts about the benefits which millions of American families are seeking. My amendment will provide the full picture, not just data handpicked to support a partisan argument.

This includes information regarding how many families and individuals have received tax credits. It will include disclosures on the number of Americans who are no longer subject to discrimination based on preexisting conditions. Families at home will know how many people are no longer subject to annual and lifetime limits on coverage. They will know how many people who were previously uninsured are now able to access health care and plan for the future.

If we are to do right by those we serve--do what we were elected to do, which is to make health care reform work for the American people-- then we should spare the partisan agendas and pass this commonsense amendment.

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

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.