Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I include in the Record a letter of support from Jewish Women International.

Jewish Women International,

Washington, DC, October 8th, 2021.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi,

Speaker of the House, House of Representatives, Washington,

Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my strong support for the reauthorization of the Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act. This act was the first Federal law to provide resources for survivors of domestic violence and remains the primary source of funding for shelters.

This critical legislation hasn't been reauthorized since 2010, leaving vital programs like crisis counseling and safety planning underfunded and outdated. In North Carolina, a staggering 35 percent of women and 30 percent of men experience intimate partner violence or stalking. COVID-19 has only further increased intimate partner violence rates and has put a strain on services survivors urgently need.

No individual should have to endure the trauma of domestic violence. We must ensure victims have access to the support and resources necessary for their safety and well-being. We cannot turn our backs on our neighbors in need. During this Domestic Violence Awareness Month, I urge my colleagues to join me in reauthorizing this important act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my strong support for the historic bipartisan Investment and Jobs Act. This bill will provide critical funding to rebuild our Nation's physical infrastructure and accelerate our

shift to green energy, all while creating good-paying jobs in communities like mine.

In North Carolina, more than 3,000 miles of highway and 1,400 bridges need repair. The average driver spends $500 a year on vehicle maintenance costs, thanks to this rundown infrastructure.

More than 400,000 North Carolina residents lack adequate access to internet. This bill expands broadband access, helping to ensure that everyone has the tools they need to stay connected and participate fully in school and in remote work.

All these investments create good-paying jobs, spurring economic development, and catapulting our Nation into the 21st century.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of the late Gladys Shipman, a lifelong champion of civil rights and pillar in the Greensboro community.

Gladys began her journey as a civil rights pioneer with protests at the Woolworth's lunch counter where the Greensboro Four Sit-In occurred. By the time of her passing, she was a board member on the International Civil Rights Center & Museum in that very same building.

Gladys was the first woman to lead the Greensboro NAACP, served on the city of Greensboro Human Relations Commission, and held many other influential positions.

As a businesswoman, civil rights leader, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, she approached every aspect of life with care and compassion. Her passion for social justice and equality guided her as she improved the lives of those around her and inspired future generations to carry on her legacy.

Madam Speaker, I am thankful for Gladys' steadfast commitment to bettering our community, and I am inspired by her kind and determined nature. Her memory will be a blessing for all who knew her.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Women's Health Protection Act. Congress must take action against the Republican's relentless attacks on women's reproductive freedom, including medically unnecessary restrictions and blatantly unconstitutional bans on abortions. These State bans go against 50 years of judicial precedent.

We must take action now to protect women and their freedom to make decisions about their own bodies, their own health, their own families.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this vital bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 5323, the Iron Dome Supplemental Appropriations Act.

Israel is our most important, most reliable, and only democratic ally in the Middle East. The United States has a longstanding bipartisan commitment to Israel's security, and that commitment must remain ironclad.

In May, innocent civilians in Israel, Jews, Christians, and Muslims were targeted by terrorist groups from Gaza who fired more than 4,500 rockets at schools, hospitals, and population centers. It was the Iron Dome missile defense system that intercepted those rockets, saving thousands of lives.

Now we must stand with our ally on a bipartisan basis and make sure Israel has the resources to defend her people from future terrorist attacks. We do that by passing this bill.

I am grateful to Majority Leader Hoyer and Chairwoman DeLauro for their leadership in bringing this supplemental to the floor today. We cannot play politics with Israel's security especially when lives are at risk.

Mr. Speaker, I was in a confidential briefing and we were not informed the vote was called in time to get back to vote. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 284.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act, and I urge my colleagues to support the bill and my five amendments included in the bill.

My State of North Carolina is home to eight military bases and more than 800,000 Active Duty military servicemembers and veterans.

The NDAA will give these servicemembers a 2.7 percent pay raise and add a crucial level of accountability by taking the prosecution of sexual assault and other crimes out of the chain of command.

I urge support for my amendment requiring the military to consider the benefits of using electric vehicles for students at military installations. Increased use of electric vehicles by our military will help accelerate our transition to clean energy and create good-paying jobs in districts like mine.

This bill also includes my amendments to express concern about the safety of Afghan women and girls and to require the Secretary of Defense to appoint an official to assist the State Department with continued evacuations from Afghanistan. We must do better for the people who helped our troops.

I urge my colleagues to support this act.

Mr. Speaker, my amendment, amendment No. 5, seeks to draw attention to the need to resolve the significant delays in passport services at the Department of State.

The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on international travel. According to the Department of State's Passport Services, Americans who submit new passport applications today may not receive their new passports for another 18 weeks, well into the fall.

Even customers who pay an additional fee for expedited service may not receive their passports for another 12 weeks.

In response, the State Department's Passport Services recommends Americans planning to travel internationally apply for a passport at least 6 months in advance.

These delays are simply unacceptable.

In North Carolina's Sixth Congressional District, my constituents have been unable to travel to visit family, to seek important medical care, and to conduct important business meetings.

It is essential that Congress send the message loud and clear. We must have better service on passports. We need to address passport delays so that Americans can get their passports in a timely manner.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4502. This appropriations minibus makes historic critical investments in North Carolina's Sixth District and in all of our communities.

This bill invests in new jobs and the future of our workforce with $11.6 billion for the Employment and Training Administration at the Department of Labor.

It creates greater opportunities for students to succeed with increased funding for title 1 grants, HBCUs, and primarily minority- serving colleges and universities, and an increase in Pell grants.

It provides much-needed funding for the health, equity, safety, and well-being of our communities with funds for public health infrastructure, maternal and child health, and mental health. It also takes long overdue action to defend health and reproductive rights by repealing the discriminatory Hyde and Weldon amendments.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this bill to support the needs of families and communities across the country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today, ahead of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, to recognize the Olympians from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, the largest HBCU in the Nation, located in my district in Greensboro, North Carolina.

It gives me great pride to recognize Trevor Stewart and Randolph Ross, Jr., who will represent the United States on the track and field team.

Randolph Ross, Jr., a sophomore, is competing in the men's 400-meter and the 4x400-meter relay, and Trevor Stewart, a senior, will compete in the men's 4x400-meter relay.

Two other Aggie runners will compete in the Olympic track and field events. Akeem Sirleaf will compete for Liberia, and Daniel Stokes will compete for Mexico.

With all four of these young men qualifying, the entire Aggie 4x400- meter relay team will run in the Olympics.

I also recognize NC A&T director of track and field programs, Duane Ross. Coach Ross' leadership has propelled his team forward to success.

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the athletes and coach on this tremendous achievement. On behalf of North Carolina's Sixth District, I am sending them the best of luck in Tokyo. Go, Aggies.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the Foxx amendment.

The amendment proposed by my colleague from North Carolina would weaken the essential civil rights protections that are the very purpose of the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act.

The goal of the bill we are voting on today is to treat workers who are discriminated against based on age, the very same way we treat workers who are discriminated against because of their race, gender, national origin, or religion.

In our world of rising costs, shrinking pensions and retirement savings, and longer life spans, many workers must work longer in order to be able to live out their retirement years in dignity. That, in addition to the reasons of basic fairness, is why the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act is so important.

This bill would apply the same burden of proof to age discrimination claims that are currently applied to other forms of employment discrimination and retaliation prohibited by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other statutes.

The Foxx amendment would weaken these protections by creating two different burdens of proof; one, for proving an act of discrimination, and a tougher burden of proving retaliation against a worker who has reported that discrimination.

The Foxx amendment would actually make it harder for an employee to secure relief from employer retaliation under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as well as other civil rights statutes. In other words, an employer who retaliates against an older worker for reporting discrimination would have an easier time getting away with it.

If an employer has less risk of being held accountable for retaliating against an older worker who reports discrimination, by firing or otherwise penalizing the employee, then the underlying protections of the law are weakened because people will be deterred from reporting retaliatory acts.

H.R. 2062, the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act, clarifies the standard applied to age discrimination and retaliation-- the mixed-motive standard--that was originally applied to claims under title VII of the Civil Rights Act prior to the Supreme Court's wrong- headed decisions in the 2009 Gross case. This is the same standard applied to discrimination claims under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Rehabilitation Act.

It is important to note that the changes in language proposed by the Foxx amendment would have a particularly egregious effect because the enforcement of civil rights laws rely heavily on individuals to assert their rights. That is why every civil rights law makes it a separate act of discrimination for an employer to retaliate against employees for exercising their civil rights or opposing unlawful acts. Charges of retaliation are the most filed type of charge with the EEOC.

In 2020, more than half of the charges filed involved retaliation claims. Since so many workers who report discrimination also report retaliation, it is critical that H.R. 2062 correct the legal standard set by the 2013 case, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center v. Nassar.

In that case, the Supreme Court applied the but-for standard to retaliation claims under title VII of the Civil Rights Act instead of the mixed-motive standard used for all other types of employment discrimination. It makes no sense to have separate provisions of title VII requiring different standards of causation.

The legislation before us today fixes the problem created by the Supreme Court rulings in the 2009 Gross decision and the 2013 Nassar decision by applying a mixed-motive standard to cases of age discrimination and retaliation.

The Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act establishes the use of a mixed-motive standard, settling the confusing separation of related civil rights claims and strengthening workers' rights.

We should reject the Foxx amendment because prohibitions on retaliation do not punish employers multiple times for the same offense; rather, they help to deter employers from punishing employees multiple times--first, by discriminating and denying the equal opportunity, then again by punishing employees for challenging that discrimination.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment, and I urge a ``yes'' vote on the underlying bill, H.R. 2062.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak in favor of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. As a working mother, this bill is very personal to me.

When I was pregnant with my third child, I experienced premature labor and my doctor ordered me to be on bed rest for ten weeks.

I was fortunate to work for an employer who allowed me to keep my job, work a reduced schedule from home, and continue earning my wages.

After my daughter was born, I was still able to take my full maternity leave to care for her.

Once I returned to the office, I continued to work for that same firm for many years, in part because of the accommodations that were made for me during my pregnancy.

This is an experience that should not be unique to me.

The Pregnant Workers' Fairness Act will ensure that every person who needs reasonable accommodations during pregnancy will be given those accommodations so they can continue to support their family and contribute to their workplace.

I am proud to cast my vote in favor of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and I urge my colleagues to join me.

Madam Speaker, I also include in the Record a letter from the National Education Association.

May 11, 2021.

Hon. Robert C. Scott,

House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Dear Congressman Scott: On behalf of our 3 million members

and the 50 million students they serve, we urge you to vote

YES on the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (H.R. 1065). Votes

on this issue may be included in the NEA Report Card for the

117th Congress.

More than three-quarters of women--half the American

workforce and nearly 80 percent of educators--will be

pregnant and employed at some point in their lives. Women are

important breadwinners in their families, yet all too often,

pregnant women are pushed out of their jobs or forced to risk

their health to continue earning a paycheck. The Pregnant

Workers Fairness Act of 2021 would help by:

Clarifying existing laws and creating a uniform national

standard for reasonable accommodations for pregnancy,

childbirth, and related conditions;

Providing reasonable accommodations to pregnant women to

reduce health risks to them and their babies;

Prohibiting employers from denying a pregnant worker

employment opportunities or forcing the worker to take an

accommodation that she does not want or need;

Prohibiting employers from forcing a pregnant worker to

take leave when another reasonable accommodation could keep

her on the job;

Requiring the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

to make rules implementing the law, including a list of

exemplary accommodations that should be provided unless they

pose an undue hardship to employers; and

Addressing this issue through a framework modeled after the

Americans with Disabilities Act.

Every pregnant worker should be able to support her family,

without risking the health either of herself or her unborn

child. H.R. 1065 is crucial to bringing about fairness in the

workplace for pregnant workers, and we urge you to vote YES.

Sincerely,

Marc Egan,

Director of Government Relations,

National Education Association.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in favor of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.

As a working mother, this bill is very personal to me. When I was pregnant with my third child, I experienced premature labor, and my doctor ordered me to be on bed rest for 10 weeks. I was fortunate to work for an employer who allowed me to keep my job, work a reduced schedule from home, and continue earning my wages.

After my daughter was born, I was still able to take my full maternity leave to care for her, and once I returned to the office, I continued to work for that same firm for many years in part because of the accommodations that were made for me during my pregnancy.

This experience should not be unique to me. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act will ensure that every person who needs reasonable accommodation during pregnancy will be given those accommodations so they can work to continue to support their family and contribute to their workplace.

I am proud to cast my vote in favor of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, and I urge my colleagues to join me.

Mr. Speaker, I will include in the Record a letter from the National Education Association.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in solidarity with our staunch ally, Israel. For days, Israel has been under attack by Hamas terrorists who have fired more than 1,700 rockets from Gaza, targeting civilians and targeting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Were it not for the Iron Dome missile defense system, the loss of life would be enormous.

Thousands of Israelis--Jews and Arabs alike--have taken cover in bomb shelters. I have been in Israel when rockets were fired from Gaza into Sderot. I know the terror of running for cover with sirens blaring overhead, not knowing whether I would make it in time. My heart goes out to the Israeli people.

Yesterday, I attended an IDF briefing. Unlike Hamas, the Israeli defense forces target the terrorists, their rocket launchers, weapons stocks, and command centers--not civilians. When a democratic country is attacked by terrorists, it has the right and indeed the duty to protect its people.

We must continue to stand with Israel. I pray for peace and all those who have lost loved ones.

Madam Speaker, 73 years ago, in the aftermath of the Holocaust, a courageous group of Jewish leaders declared the creation of the State of Israel. Eleven minutes later, President Truman announced the U.S. recognition of the new State.

Truman was persuaded that in an area like the Middle East, where there had never been any tradition of democratic government, it was important for the long range security of our country that a nation committed to a democratic system be established there.

Even today, Israel remains the only democracy in the Middle East with fair elections, a free press, free speech, a court system that is open to all, and protects the rights of women and minorities.

Israel has welcomed millions of immigrants fleeing persecution and war from across the globe. Its thriving economy has a vibrant, high- tech sector and medical breakthroughs that have benefited the world. Israel has literally made the desert bloom with innovative irrigation, desalinization, and agricultural techniques.

Israel is our most reliable ally in the Middle East. Our countries share military exercises and intelligence and have developed cutting- edge missile defense systems and border security technology.

Israel's brave founders created an extraordinary nation that has provided immeasurable value to our country and the world. May our countries be blessed with many more years of friendship.