Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague and friend from Florida for yielding the time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the rule and the two very important bills the House of Representatives will consider.

The first is H.R. 986 by my colleague, Representative Kuster from New Hampshire, that will work to protect our neighbors who have preexisting health conditions, like cancer or heart disease.

Unfortunately, the Trump administration is trying to weaken those protections. They are doing so in the courts and through Congress. So it is very important that the House of Representatives pass into law protections for our neighbors with preexisting conditions.

In fact, the name of the bill is ``Protecting Americans with Preexisting Conditions Act.'' Passing this bill will help keep healthcare accessible and affordable for all Americans.

The second bill is also very important, H.R. 2157. It provides about $17 billion in disaster relief to Americans who need it, who have suffered through horrendous natural disasters.

It was October 10, 2018, when Florida took a direct hit from Hurricane Michael. It was one of the most powerful storms to make landfall in the United States. It slammed into the panhandle and caused tremendous damage and destruction.

To help meet disaster needs, the House of Representatives, the Democratic-led House, one of the first bills we passed was a disaster relief package on January 16, 2019. It passed by a wide margin with a bipartisan vote. Unfortunately, it ran into opposition from the Senate and the White House.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues now to come back together in a bipartisan way and use this bill to break the logjam in the Senate and keep the focus on our fellow Americans who need disaster assistance.

Disaster relief used to be bipartisan. We need to return to those days and pass it in a timely manner.

Mr. Chair, I rise today to stand up for my neighbors--including those with preexisting conditions--by supporting H.R. 986, the Protecting Americans with Preexisting Conditions Act. Health care in American should be affordable and accessible to all. Passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010 ensured that our neighbors with a preexisting condition, like asthma, heart disease or cancer, would no longer be denied insurance.

It is unfortunate that the President and Republicans in Congress have made it their mission to sabotage the affordable health care of hardworking families, including gutting protections for people with preexisting conditions and take away affordable, quality health care from millions of Americans. I am cosponsoring the Protecting Americans with Preexisting Conditions Act to safeguard Americans from the Trump administration's efforts to undo the affordability and comprehensiveness of our

health care. H.R. 986 will overturn the Trump administration's expansion of Section 1332 waivers that were originally included in the Affordable Care Act to give states flexibility to experiment with insurance reforms that could improve the health and well-being of citizens. Unfortunately, the administration would instead use those waivers to weaken standards put in place to protect the health of Americans--especially our neighbors with preexisting conditions.

H.R. 986 would end the administration's push of Americans into sub- par and deceptive junk plans that many times exclude coverage for preexisting conditions. These plans do not provide basic benefits or financial protection standard and would return patients to the days when they would discover only when they get sick or God forbid get a cancer diagnosis that their plan imposes unreasonable limits on coverage and excludes vital benefits. They discriminate based on age, health status and gender.

Democrats will not allow the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans to drive premiums higher in the individual market and rip coverage away from those that need it the most. I want to thank my colleague Rep. Kuster for helping lead this charge and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 986 and support our neighbors with preexisting conditions.

Mr. Chair, I thank Chairman Engel of the Foreign Affairs Committee for yielding the time.

Mr. Chairman, I rise humbly as a Representative of my home State of Florida and as a patriotic American but, especially today, as a mother of two daughters and future generations because I feel the weight of our moral responsibility to address climate change.

This is a historic day here in the House of Representatives. This is the first time in 10 years that major climate legislation is being heard in the people's House.

H.R. 9, the Climate Action Now Act, is where we will start by honoring America's commitment to address the climate crisis, and it is a crisis. The last time global monthly temperatures were below average was in February of 1985. That means everyone who is 34 years of age or younger has grown up in a world that has been forever altered by the change in climate.

How severe the impacts of climate change will be to us personally over time depends on the actions that we take now.

Based on the latest science from the administration's own National Climate Assessment, we have reason to worry. Seas are rising. America's heartland and farms have suffered unprecedented floods. Snowpack is shrinking, and that is bad for clean water supplies. Droughts are getting worse. Hot, humid heat waves are becoming more intense, with more days where people cannot safely work or play outside. Higher temperatures mean that pollutants, like ground-level ozone from car exhaust, will become more damaging to our health.

One-and-a-half years ago, I had to pack up my home, board up the windows and doors, pack up my most cherished belongings, and flee as Hurricane Irma, that monster hurricane, threatened the State of Florida. We were scared of a huge storm surge coming up from the Gulf of Mexico and into Tampa Bay. We were petrified.

Fortunately, we had time to get out of the way, but that isn't true for so many Americans who have suffered floods, fires, and more. They haven't been as lucky. And the risks and costs going forward are likely to be more severe.

What is necessary to combat the climate crisis is to stop carbon pollution from accumulating in the atmosphere. That requires action, urgent action, ambitious action.

Fortunately, we have made some progress in recent years in cutting carbon pollution. Thousands of businesses, houses of worship, States, and communities are taking action. Now they are demanding that we do the same.

A few years ago, there was also good news. After years of finger- pointing, the United States, China, India, Europe, and other countries, all of the countries around the world, came together and agreed to cut carbon pollution. With America's leadership and engagement, the U.S. led other nations in committing to take climate action in an international agreement called the Paris climate accord. The agreement was a breakthrough.

After years of playing the blame game, nearly every other country said, here is our plan, and each country developed its own individual plan, and America has done just that. That plan has incredible upsides.

We are creating millions of clean energy jobs right now, and they are good-paying jobs. We are saving billions of dollars on home energy bills, and businesses are saving huge amounts of money through energy efficiency. We can finally address climate injustice.

And despite what the Trump administration says, America is still in the international agreement. We have not formally withdrawn. If this bill becomes law, we never will, because America does not cut and run, America keeps its commitments, and we will recommit to doing so when we pass this bill.

My Climate Action Now bill is straightforward. It would block the administration from spending any money on withdrawal, and it would require the Trump administration to release its plan to cut carbon pollution.

Americans overwhelmingly support U.S. leadership on the climate crisis because they understand that when America leads, we win. Ask the 23 States, 300 cities, and more than 2,000 businesses who have pledged to honor the Paris goals. Now they will be joined by the House of Representatives.

Some of the fastest growing jobs in America are clean energy, engineering, green building, solar installers, and wind turbine technicians. This is just the beginning, but we have to stay on course.

In addition to sending an important signal to clean energy, job-creating businesses, this will send an important signal to our allies across the world. We expect ambitious action from them.

I have heard my friends on the other side of the aisle say, but China. Well, if the President forces a retreat here, other countries will retreat, as well. A vote against H.R. 9 is a vote to let China off the hook. This is a patriotic vote. Vote for America, vote for our future, and keep us in the climate Paris Agreement. I thank the hundreds of my colleagues who have joined this, and I thank the brave Republicans who will join us in this patriotic vote for Climate Action Now.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague and friend, Dr. Ruiz, for yielding the time.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of families of children with complex medical needs--and there are many families like this all across America--I rise to urge approval of H.R. 1839, which includes a bill I have been working on for a number of years with my colleagues, including former Representative Joe Barton. It is called the ACE Kids Act.

We drafted the Advancing Care for Exceptional Kids Act a few years ago with a simple but important goal of putting children and their families first. The bill authorizes the creation of cost-saving and time-saving health homes where specialized care is coordinated in a high-quality setting.

Mr. Speaker, the children with complex medical conditions and their families are heroic, like Caroline West in my hometown of Tampa. She has a rare genetic condition, cerebral palsy, and a seizure disorder. She can't walk, and it is very difficult for her to speak, but she attends school part time and enjoys the life of a typical teenager, in many respects.

Lucy Ferlita is the only living person in the United States with early onset myopathy with areflexia, respiratory distress, and dysphagia. Very little is known about this disease, but we know that it is very difficult for her to eat. She has to have a feeding tube, a ventilator to breathe, and nursing care 24 hours a day.

Jaden Velasquez has a congenital heart defect.

Lakota Lockhart has a central nervous system disorder that causes him to not be able to breathe while he sleeps.

I met all of these kids back home in Tampa at St. Joseph's Children's Hospital. St. Joe's has a world-renown Chronic-Complex Clinic that was started 16 years ago by a compassionate pediatrician, Dr. Daniel Plasencia. This ACE Kids Act is modeled upon their work and the other good work being done at children's hospitals across this country.

The bill provides an incentive for States to establish health homes to

better coordinate care for kids with medical complexities. It also directs HHS to provide guidance to States on best practices.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to adopt this bill with the ACE Kids Act included.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter from a whole host of organizations thanking us for our leadership and for introducing this bipartisan legislation to improve care for children with complex medical conditions.

March 25, 2019.

Hon. Chuck Grassley,

Washington, DC.

Hon. Michael Bennet,

Washington, DC.

Hon. Kathy Castor,

Washington, DC.

Hon. Gus Bilirakis,

Washington, DC.

Hon. Anna Eshoo,

Washington, DC.

Hon. Jaime Herrera Beutler,

Washington, DC.

Dear Sens. Grassley and Bennet, and Reps. Castor,

Bilirakis, Eshoo, and Herrera Beutler: As national

organizations committed to children's health, we write in

strong support of the ``Advancing Care for Exceptional Kids

Act of 2019'' (ACE Kids Act, S. 317/H.R. 1226), which has

been incorporated into the Medicaid Services Investment and

Accountability Act of 2019 (H.R. 1839). We thank you for your

leadership in introducing this bipartisan legislation to

improve care for children with complex medical conditions in

the Medicaid program.

Children with complex medical conditions have chronic life-

limiting illnesses and disabilities, and often see six or

more specialists and a dozen or more physicians. Under the

current Medicaid system, parents of children with multiple,

life-threatening disabilities struggle to coordinate the

complex care of their kids, which often requires travelling

to out-of-state providers. The ACE Kids Act works to create a

patient-centered, pediatric-focused delivery system for this

unique population of children. It is an important step in

fixing the current fragmented system for children with

complex medical conditions, ensuring ready access to care and

reducing the burden on their families.

Under the ACE Kids Act, specially-designed health homes

created for children with complex medical conditions will

employ national quality standards and coordinate care--both

essential to improving overall quality of care. These health

homes will include the full range of acute, post-acute and

primary care providers, and will focus on outpatient care to

ensure children get the care that they need in the most

appropriate setting closest to home while reducing

unnecessary hospitalizations and emergency room visits. The

ACE Kids Act--which is voluntary for states, families and

providers--will also help families access the array of

outpatient and community services and supports needed by

these children.

Providing children with complex medical conditions enrolled

in Medicaid the best possible care is a national challenge,

and the ACE Kids Act will bring us closer to ensuring these

vulnerable children receive the care they need. We are proud

to support the ACE Kids Act, and we look forward to working

with you to advance this critical legislation this year.

Sincerely,

American Academy of Pediatrics; American Association for

Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social Work; American Association

of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry; The American Board of

Pediatrics; American College of Cardiology; American College

of Surgeons; American Heart Association; American Physical

Therapy Association; American Psychological Association;

American Society of Echocardiography; American Thoracic

Society; America's Essential Hospitals; Association of

American Medical Colleges; Association of Medical School

Pediatric Department Chairs; Autism Society of America;

Autism Speaks.

Children's Cause for Cancer Advocacy; Children's Hospital

Association; ChildServe; Epilepsy Foundation; Family Voices;

March of Dimes; Maxim Healthcare Services; Mended Little

Hearts; Moms Rising; National Association for Children's

Behavioral Health; National Association of Pediatric Nurse

Practitioners; National Board for Certified Counselors;

National Down Syndrome Society; Pediatric Congenital Heart

Association; Tricare for Kids Coalition; Vizient.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor a third- generation servant leader from my community of Tampa, Florida, Harold A. Jackson, Jr. who was born at Tampa Negro Hospital to the late Jacqueline Haynes Jackson and the late Harold A. Jackson, Sr. Jackson learned about service at a young age as his father served in the U.S. Army during World War II and returned to Tampa to become one of our hometown's pioneering African American civil rights attorneys and led local desegregation efforts. His mother was a beloved educator and retired after 33 years as an elementary school teacher in Tampa.

Mr. Jackson followed in his parents' footsteps of service and dedicated his professional life to the health and well-being of our community. In 1978, Mr. Jackson started a 30-year plus career with the Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department. He rose through the ranks to become a Recreation Area Supervisor during a time of tremendous growth and change for this county. He planned, organized and directed the overall operations of community-based recreation programs, which are critical in promoting healthy, prosperous and connected communities as well as building social equity and support for working families. During his tenure with Hillsborough County, he continued to build on his legacy of community service. For 27 years, he served on the board of directors for Tampa Family Health Centers, a federally qualified health center. He was elected chair and vice chair of the board of directors on several occasions. During this time, Tampa Family Health Centers grew from one clinic to 14 and greatly expanded access to comprehensive health care services for hundreds of thousands of our neighbors, especially uninsured or underinsured individuals.

After retiring from the Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department, Mr. Jackson began a leadership role for Tampa Family Health Centers as Community Relations Liaison. He truly extends himself to help meet the needs of the medically underserved, whoever and wherever they are. His efforts while serving on my 14th Congressional District of Florida Puerto Rico Recovery and Assistance Task Force were nothing short of extraordinary and very meaningful at a time when displaced Puerto Rican families faced significant challenges in re-establishing their lives following the devastating landfall of Hurricane Maria in 2017. Mr. Jackson ensured families who relocated to Tampa had access without barriers to the services of Tampa Family Health Centers, facilitating their medical appointments to cut down on wait times with scheduling and transportation challenges.

He is a graduate of St. Peter Claver Catholic School in Tampa, a 125- year old historically black school that today proudly continues to provide families and students excellence in education. Mr. Jackson returned to St. Peter Claver to serve on the school's board of directors and in 1994, as president of the school's development council, he launched a $2 million capital campaign to establish a state-of-the-art learning environment. Mr. Jackson also graduated from Tampa Catholic High School in 1974 and went on to complete his criminal justice degree from the University of Tampa.

Mr. Jackson strongly exhibits the unequivocal mark of a servant leader, one who quietly aspires and inspires leadership by consummately doing good--going the extra mile. His contributions to community initiatives are numerous--helping to launch the University Area Community Development Corporation, cofounding a youth council in our community that has now grown to be one of its largest and serving as organizer for Tampa's largest Veterans Day Parade.

Madam Speaker, on behalf of a grateful Tampa Bay community, I am proud to recognize Mr. Harold A. Jackson, Jr. for his servant's heart and carrying forth his family's legacy of community service across the Tampa Bay Area.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor beloved community leader, Florida State Representative Betty Reed. She was raised in Thomasville, Georgia, in a close-knit family of hardworking sharecroppers and with 12 other siblings Representative Reed and her husband, James, moved to Tampa after he was discharged from the military to raise a family of their own.

Representative Reed was an active parent while her children attended school, and her involvement grew over time in the Parent Teacher Student Association, then the Hillsborough County Council of PTSA and all the way to the Florida State PTA.

As her children became older, she was prompted to complete her own high school diploma by attending night and weekend classes. Her pursuits only grew over time--she earned an associate's degree from Hillsborough Community College, then her bachelor's degree in behavioral science from National Louis University.

Representative Reed's commitment to access to education grew as a financial aid assistant for Education America (which eventually became Remington College) and then as its director of financial aid. All the while, she was active in her own community, becoming president of the Lucy Dell Civic Association. But advocating for her community didn't stop there. She was elected as a Florida State Representative for the 59th District, a seat she held until she was elected to represent the 61th District in 2012.

During her tenure as a Florida State Representative, she passed meaningful legislation, including the Black Health Practice Initiative (BIHPI, pronounced ``Bippy''), which passed both chambers of the Florida Legislature without a single dissenting vote. With stark disparities between the infant mortality rates of different races--in some areas, the rate of black infant mortality was more than four times the rate for whites--the legislation funded state grants to local Healthy Start coalitions that served counties with significant disparities: Hillsborough, Gadsden, Palm Beach, Orange, Broward, Duval, Putnam and Miami-Dade. The University of South Florida and Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University were selected to provide technical assistance and scientific guidance. BIHPI produced positive outcomes and was particularly meaningful due to the relationships built in communities with the greatest needs. She also championed and helped to secure state funding to help open numerous Tampa Family Health Centers and expand the robust safety net of comprehensive health services to medically underserved communities. Representative Reed passed legislation to end shackling incarcerated pregnant women during labor, delivery as well as postpartum, and legislation to provide additional funds to combat homelessness throughout the state of Florida. In her final two years, she served as the Democratic Ranking member of the Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee.

Representative Reed is a compassionate leader, who immersed herself in the challenges of her neighbors, and that allowed her to serve as a strong advocate. Madam Speaker, on behalf of a grateful Tampa Bay community, I am proud to recognize Representative Betty Reed for her drive for meaningful progress on behalf of our children, students, women, families and communities across the State of Florida.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the living legacy of Dr. Juel Smith. Her story starts in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, where she was born and graduated from Sapulpa High School in 1960. She married and became a mother of five children. Tragedy struck her and her family when her husband suddenly passed away, and Dr. Smith became a widow. She realized that pursuing higher education was her best shot for her to secure a better future for her family. Dr. Smith persevered and earned her degree in elementary education in 1972 from Langston University, Oklahoma's only historically Black college. Dr. Smith relocated to Tampa and received her master's degree and education specialist degree with a thesis on ``Women Who Combine Career and Family,'' a field of study in which she was personally invested. In 1987, she received her doctorate in counselor education from the University of South Florida (USF).

Always fueled by her faith and perseverance, Dr. Smith has been driven to serve others and find solutions. As a counselor at USF, she started her life's work helping and guiding students, particularly African American students who could not afford to continue their education. She engaged Tampa's African American community to ``give more, do more and help more'' to recruit and retain students. She created the Institute on Black Life in 1986 and the Center for Africa and the Diaspora, with a mission to bridge USF's resources with the needs of the Black community and Africa as well as provide support for Black students and faculty. The Institute on Black Life produced an annual Black family conference, the campus Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday celebrations each year and a weekly television show titled ``The Bridge.'' The Institute also sponsored nationally renowned guest speakers and artists. As a partner with the Urban League, they established an African American advisory board and inner-city office to plan strategies and share problems. Student enrichment programs, scholarships, graduate fellowships, faculty research, community service and fundraising activities resulted. The African center sponsored international faculty research travel to Gabon that resulted in a USF and International Center for Bantu Civilization collaboration. Dr. Smith's effectiveness in community relations, organizing special campus initiatives and philanthropic fundraising were unmatched at other Florida colleges and universities.

In the early 2000s, motivated by research regarding the desire of professional women to support female students, Dr. Smith and USF leaders launched a vision and plan to establish the USF Women in Leadership and Philanthropy program. Dr. Smith served as WLP's founding executive director. The initiative raised an extraordinary amount of money in the first 18 months to create scholarships and programmatic initiatives for women faculty and students. In addition, Dr. Smith became the first African American woman to serve as president of the Tampa Athena Society. She is a trustee of the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay, Inc. and a life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. In addition to her local involvement, she served as international director of The LINKS, Inc., building more than 50 schools in South Africa and Nigeria, and served with President Jimmy Carter on the International Habitat for Humanity Board.

Her beloved husband, Professor John Smith, ensured her living legacy by establishing the Dr. Juel Hickman Shannon Smith Endowed Scholarship. The scholarship is designed to support full-time undergraduate students pursuing a major in Africana studies or elementary education.

Dr. Smith's legacy of enhancing student, faculty and community opportunities, passionate endeavors that are now part of USF's fabric, will live on through the students and educators who have more opportunities due to her leadership. Madam Speaker, on behalf of a grateful Tampa Bay community, I am proud to recognize Dr. Juel Smith for her lifelong exemplary service to education, students, women and leaders in education everywhere.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from the Rules Committee for yielding the time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the For the People Act, H.R. 1, and the rule.

We promised the American people, and our neighbors back home have urged us on, to strengthen America's ethics laws, to fix our broken campaign finance system, and to empower American voters.

I represent the State of Florida, and you better believe that we have to protect access to the ballot box, ensure the voting rights of everyone, and count every vote.

I thank the Rules Committee for including a bipartisan amendment that I have worked on to address the abuse of zombie campaigns. Many folks don't understand this, but sometimes Members who retire from Congress keep their campaign accounts, and they live on for decades, hence the title ``zombie campaigns.'' Oftentimes, they will misuse the unspent campaign funds. It is wrong for campaign accounts to live on forever, and we are going to address that abuse as well.

This bill has important reforms that strengthen American democracy, root out corruption, and ensure that our government here in the United States of America works for the people.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a strong bipartisan vote.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Raskin of the Rules Committee for yielding the time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this rule and H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019. I am proud to be a cosponsor, and I thank Congressman Thompson for his leadership.

Our bill is intended to ensure that individuals who are prohibited from owning a firearm are not able to possess one.

Representative Raskin is right. America is in the midst of a gun violence emergency. Each year, 120,000 Americans are injured by a firearm; 35,000 Americans die; and of those, 17,000 who are injured and killed are children.

No other country in the world suffers the ravages of gun violence, and I am afraid we have become numb to it. But we don't have to accept it, and we are not, because we are going to finally pass legislation here today.

Mass shootings are on the rise. Military-style assault weapons are deadlier than ever. People are being gunned down in churches, schools, movie theaters, nightclubs, and synagogues.

For so many years, the Republican-led Congress blocked action on commonsense gun safety laws. But, finally, to the American people: We heard you; to the students who marched for their lives: We are finally going to act.

It is time now. I urge adoption of this bipartisan bill, the rule. It is a vote for the safety of our communities and our families.

Madam Speaker, the House will vote again today to immediately reopen the U.S. government and end President Trump's government shutdown. It is unwananted and wrong to force our Coast Guard, our Customs and Border, TSA officers, air traffic controllers and others to work without getting paid. I have heard from many Tampa area government public servants, contractors and their family members who have shared with me how the shutdown is affecting them.

One of my Tampa neighbors who runs a small business in her retirement years to help support her son with mental disabilities advised me that ``[As a] tax preparer--I cannot get responses from the IRS that affect [my] clients.''

Another neighbor who hoped to retire by years end is also running out of hope says, ``We are told there is no more funding after January 18 for the courts, and our colleagues in the U.S. Attorney's office failed to be paid [today], although they stay on the job prosecuting criminals.''

Another wrote to me after learning about what his own customers are going through: ``I was touched by [the story of] a young woman who I gave an estimate to. She is engaged to a young man who works for the Federal Bureau of Prisons. As she explained it, he is required to work without being paid, as they try to begin their lives together.''

Another neighbor is not a government employee, but is still affected by the shutdown: ``My wife and I are in the process of starting a new business and are dependent on an SBA loan,'' he wrote me. ``We've spent months looking for a location in this very tight commercial real estate market and finally found one. We don't want to lose the opportunity to secure the location, start our new business and begin hiring employees just because the president makes demands that our representative legislature and our voters do not agree with.''

Still another: ``I am extremely upset about this government shutdown. I am a private contractor working on a government contract. I have been unemployed for weeks because of this. I can't pay my bills.''

Our TSA officers, Customs officers and air traffic controllers at Tampa International Airport are outstanding. TSA Officer Luis Mendoza advised me that ``I've been with TSA for 12 years. I have experienced previous shutdowns and close calls, but I really feel that this one is going to be a tough one to get through. The officers in Tampa are trying to hang in there because as they shared, `We do believe in the Oath we took to protect the flying public and guard against threats.' But many are trying to figure out how to pay for gas, child care services, and groceries before rent, bills and medical care.''

I also spoke with Admiral Karl Schultz who leads the Coast Guard this morning regarding our shared deep concern that our frontline Coast Guard service members are not being paid. In fact, one Coast Guard mother wrote me, ``I have a son in the Coast Guard in Tampa, Florida that due to the government shut down will not be paid . . . I first hand know how this affects an individual and it take(s) several if not a life time to recover from this. These people should not have to suffer for others just trying to make a vote.''

I urge the White House and GOP Senators to take up the bills to reopen America's government along with the detailed plan we have negotiated for modern border security--and do it today.

Otherwise there will be more headlines like the one on the front page of my hometown newspaper that says ``Federal workers' new need: food assistance''. Thanks to Tampa International Airport, Feeding Tampa Bay, United Way Suncoast, USAA, the Crisis Center and others who are supporting our neighbors caught in Pres. Trump's government shutdown, but this is no substitute for the government of the United States of America to function and provide the services all of our constituents need, for public servants to get paid and to fulfill the oath to protect and defend America.

Madam Speaker, the House will vote again today to reopen the United States Government and end President Trump's government shutdown.

It is unwarranted and wrong to force our Coast Guard, TSA, Customs and Border officers, air traffic controllers, and others to work without pay.

One of my neighbors who runs a small business in Tampa in her retirement years to support her son with mental disabilities advised me that: As a tax preparer, I cannot get responses from the IRS that affect my clients.

Another neighbor, who hoped to retire by year's end and is also running out of hope, says: We are told there is no more funding after January 18 for the courts, and our colleagues in the U.S. Attorney's Office were not paid today, although they stay on the job prosecuting criminals.

Our TSA officers, Customs and Border officers, and air traffic controllers at Tampa International Airport are outstanding. Twelve-year Officer Luis Mendoza advised me that: I have experienced previous shutdowns and close calls, but I really feel that this one is going to be a tough one to get through. The officers in Tampa are trying to hang in there because we do believe in the oath we took to protect the flying public and guard against threats. But many are trying to figure out how to get through this.

Madam Speaker, I urge our Senate colleagues and President Trump to take up our bipartisan bill and reopen this government.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Green for being an outspoken advocate for his constituents, but especially for affordable healthcare for all Americans, especially children. It has been a privilege serving with him.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the families with children with complex medical needs all across America, I rise to urge approval of the IMPROVE Act, which includes a bill that I have been working on for a number of years with Representative Joe Barton called the ACE Kids Act.

We drafted the Advancing Care for Exceptional Kids Act a few years ago with the simple but important goal of putting families and children first. The bill authorizes the creation of cost-saving and time-saving health homes where specialized care is coordinated in a high-quality setting.

Mr. Speaker, the children with complex medical conditions and their families are heroic.

Caroline West in Tampa, Florida, has a rare genetic condition, also cerebral palsy and a seizure disorder. She can't walk. It is very difficult for her to speak, but she is able to attend school part-time and enjoys the life of a typical teenager, in many respects.

Lucy Ferlita is the only living person in the United States with early onset myopathy with areflexia, respiratory distress, and dysphagia. Very little is known about this disease, but what we know is that it is very difficult for her to eat. She has to have a feeding tube, a ventilator to breath, and nursing care 24 hours a day, and yet she is a bright and social 6-year-old.

Jaden Velasquez has a congenital heart defect. He was born with it. The left side of his heart is severely underdeveloped. He has undergone numerous surgeries, yet he is a loving and happy 10-year-old, loves swimming, and is enjoying life.

Lakota Lockhart, with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome, a central nervous system disorder, causes him to not be able to breathe every time he tries to sleep.

I met these children in Tampa, Florida, at St. Joseph's Children's Hospital. They have the world-renowned Chronic-Complex Clinic that was started 16 years ago by a passionate pediatric doctor named Dr. Daniel Plasencia. The ACE Kids Act is modeled after the work being done at St. Joe's by the professionals at the Chronic-Complex Clinic and the 700 kids and families they currently serve and other children's hospitals all across the country.

The families have shared with us how difficult it is to get quality healthcare. It is oftentimes so fragmented and uncoordinated that they have to go from one office to another, and maybe the specialist is in another State. That is why we put together the ACE Kids Act, to help coordinate care in a single setting to help give these kids a better quality of life, and the ACE Kids Act will do just that.

The bill provides an incentive to States to establish health homes to better coordinate care for kids with medical complexities. It also directs HHS to provide guidance to States on best practices relating to providing care across State lines.

As so many of these families know all too well, coordinating care across State lines can be burdensome, so that is the aim of the ACE Kids Act: to lift that burden.

In addition to Congressman Joe Barton, who has worked diligently for so many years to get this over the finish line, I thank all of the families with children with complex medical challenges. They deserve credit for moving this bill forward, coming to Congress, and helping to explain the importance of coordinating care.

I also thank Chairman Walden, Ranking Member Pallone, Chairman Burgess, and Ranking Member Green for their support, and our stalwart partners: Representatives Herrera Beutler, Eshoo, and Reichert.

Thank you to America's children's hospitals, the March of Dimes, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and thanks to the professional staff at the committee for your dedication to these families, especially Rachel Pryor, Samantha Satchell, Tiffany Guarascio, and Josh Trent and Caleb Graff on the Republican side.

Additionally, this bill would not be where it is without the stellar work of Representative Barton's staffers: Krista Rosenthall, Gable Brady, Sophie Trainor, and Jeannine Bender, and my LD, Elizabeth Brown.

Passage of this bill will be a gift to so many families during this holiday season and beyond, so I urge my colleagues here in the House and then over in the Senate to pass the ACE Kids Act contained within the IMPROVE Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life of a true champion for justice, Barry Cohen. His remarkable work fighting passionately for all the people of the Tampa Bay community is worthy of recognition.

Mr. Cohen graduated from Tampa's own Plant High School, earned his bachelor's from Florida State University, served in the U.S. Coast Guard and earned his law degree from one of America's oldest and distinguished institutions, the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University.

Mr. Cohen served his entire legal career on behalf of communities and individuals he felt were not treated fairly. His desire to help balance the scales and serve those that some would describe as in the lowliest stations stemmed from a childhood experience where he witnessed his father being mistreated by a cook at work. He successfully waged countless civil and criminal battles on behalf of those he felt needed help confronting the powerful. He never hesitated to go up against anyone if he believed a larger principle was at

stake. He fought passionately for what he believed in, regularly taking a large number of cases pro bono, and sometimes putting his own money into cases he was defending, simply because he believed that an injustice had been done. Mr. Cohen was one of the pioneers in fighting his clients' cases outside the courtroom, especially when odds seemed stacked against them. For example, when Steven and Marlene Aisenberg were the only suspects in the disappearance of their 5-month-old baby, Mr. Cohen's defense included an appearance on Larry King Live. Charges were later dropped, and Mr. Cohen won the couple $3 million in legal fees.

Mr. Cohen dedicated his expertise and resources to make a difference in the lives of so many in our community and by doing so enlightened our community and challenged us all to do better. It is no wonder so many put themselves in his hands to defend their life, liberty or protect the financial future of their family. He was a man who would work tirelessly--weekends, nights and holidays--whatever it took, to provide a voice to the voiceless. He believed that no one, regardless of position or wealth, was more entitled to justice than anyone else. His selfless service earned him a special place in our community and he will be greatly missed. Mr. Cohen is survived by his wife, Barbara, and their son, Barry Alexander Cohen, children, Geena Zaslavsky, Steven Cohen, Kevin Cohen; and his sister, Cynthia Cohen Wright, his brothers by marriage, Stanley Wright and Les Barnett. He was recently predeceased by his sister, Hope Barnett.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Tampa Bay community, we thank Barry Cohen for his lifelong respect and dignity leveling the playing field. He will always be remembered as a true champion for justice and the working people of Tampa Bay.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate a fellow Tampanian, Bruce Weiner, on his tenure as the national president of the prestigious American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) and honor his commitment to safe, quality anesthesia care for my neighbors and patients nationwide.

Bruce received his bachelor's degree in Nursing from the University of Delaware, a master's degree in Nurse Anesthesiology from the Medical College of Virginia and a Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of South Florida in our hometown of Tampa. He has long been an active advocate for nurse anesthetists and the patients they serve. He has shared his expertise and passion by serving on professional associations in many capacities at the state and national levels, while continuing to provide clinical anesthesia services in Tampa Bay. Bruce participated as a guest lecturer at the University of South Florida, and as a clinical instructor at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa and served on AANA's Board of Directors.

During his AANA presidency, Bruce has been a prominent advocate for patients and the practice of nurse anesthesia before federal agencies and members of Congress. He has worked efficiently to promote anesthesia patient safety and the value of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) to our health care system, especially when it comes to dealing with chronic pain and the opioid crisis. Bruce has worked to have CRNAs recognized as full practice providers in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to maintain provider non- discrimination and to achieve full scope of practice for CRNAs.

On behalf of the citizens of Florida, my neighbors across Tampa Bay and CRNAs everywhere, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Bruce Weiner for 34 years of service facilitating access to care to all patients.

Mr. Speaker, for personal reasons, I cannot be present for the vote on H. Res. 990. If present I would point out that if Republicans were really serious about assessing the efficiency of ICE, they would have heeded the multiple calls from me and my Democratic colleagues to hold hearings on President Trump's dreadful family separation policy that has resulted in thousands of families being ripped apart, including the isolation of children and babies. As to the resolution's language that states ``supports the efforts of all Federal agencies, State law enforcement, and military personnel who bring law and order . . .'', I strongly support that and the important agency missions including of money laundering, narcotics investigations, cyber crimes, terrorism prevention, and customs enforcement. If present, I would have inquired of my Republican colleagues if they could get the same statement of support of Federal law enforcement agencies from President Trump, given his behavior and statements in Helsinki and the same disdain he has expressed for Federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies.