Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Rep. Clay for hosting this important special order hour, and thank him for all his hard work on this very important issue over the past few months.

As co-chair of the Congressional Arts Caucus, I wanted to share my appreciation this evening for David Pulphus and his artwork ``Untitled #1'' which won the Congressional Art Competition in Missouri's 1st Congressional District, home to the city of St. Louis.

David's painting is a wonderful piece of artwork, a contribution that we will not soon forget, and should still be hanging in the Capitol.

As the great poet Langston Hughes once said ``An artist must be free to choose what he does, certainly, but he must also never be afraid to do what he might choose.''

David's artwork strikes at the core of our nation. He bravely chose his subject and expressed it in a beautiful and moving painting and it is my hope that he continue to express himself and his artwork without fear.

In February I sent David a letter expressing my apologies that his painting was unfairly taken down from the halls of the Capitol. It is my sincere hope that this experience does not deter him, or other aspiring young artists, from future endeavors in the arts.

Thank you Rep. Clay for allowing me to speak tonight.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained and missed Roll Call vote numbers 229, 230, 231, 232, 233, 234. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on vote 231, 232 and 233. I would have voted ``nay'' on votes 229, 230 and 234.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained and missed rollcall vote Nos. 235 and 236. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on vote 236. I would have voted ``nay'' on vote 235.

personal explanation

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained and missed Roll Call vote numbers 224, 225, 226, 227 and 228. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on votes 226 and 227. I would have voted ``nay'' on votes 224, 225, and 228.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained and missed Roll Call vote numbers 222 and 223. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on both.

Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably detained and missed rollcall vote Nos. 217, 218, 219, 220, 221, and 222. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on votes 220 and 221. I would have voted ``nay'' on votes 217, 218, 219, and 222.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained and missed Roll Call vote numbers 209, 210, 211, 212, 213 and 214. Had I been present, I would have voted aye on votes 209, 210, 215 and 216. I would have voted nay on votes 211, 212, 213, and 214.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize April 9-22, 2017 as National Young Audiences Arts-for-Learning Week. Young Audiences (YA) Arts for Learning was established in 1952 and is the nation's largest arts-in-education learning network. Young Audiences currently serves over 5 million children and youth each year in 8,300 schools and community centers across the country, through its diversified network of 30 local affiliates. This year, Young Audiences, and its affiliates, will be celebrating ``Young Audiences Week'' with numerous community events, educational programs, and initiatives across the country, culminating on April 21st and 22nd, at the Digital Transformation National Arts-in-Education Conference.

Young Audiences empowers our nation's next generation of scientists, mathematicians, entrepreneurs, artists, writers, parents, and community leaders, to be innovative, creative and critical thinkers. YA partners with nearly 9,000 local and national organizations, corporations, foundations, and government agencies, to create community-wide collaborations on behalf of arts-in-education. These partnerships enable YA to extend their work and reach more children year by year.

Young Audience's network strives to connect 4,600 teaching artists with over 80,000 educators to provide in-depth arts-in-education opportunities that raise academic and artistic achievement, while enhancing and developing learning skills that translate across curricula.

In my district, Young Audiences of Rochester, established in 1962, is upstate New York's oldest and most comprehensive arts-in-education organization, having worked with over 186,000 students in the past year.

As co-chair of the Congressional Arts Caucus, I understand firsthand the benefits that comprehensive arts education has on our nation's youth. Students engaged in arts learning have higher GPAs, standardized test scores, stronger critical thinking skills, better decision making skills, and lower drop-out rates. Participating in the arts can have incredible benefits on our nation's students.

I encourage all of my colleagues to join me in recognizing National Young Audiences Arts-for-Learning Week.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained and missed rollcall vote Nos. 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, and 208. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on votes 205 and 207. I would have voted ``nay'' on votes 203, 204, 206, and 208.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained and missed Roll Call vote numbers 197, 198, 199, 200, 201, and 202. Had I been present, I would have voted nay each of these votes.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained and missed Roll Call vote Nos. 195 and 196. Had I been present, I would have voted aye on both.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained and missed Roll Call vote numbers 182, 183, 184, 185, 186 and 187. Had I been present, I would have voted Aye on votes 183, 184, 185 and 187. I would have voted Nay on votes 182 and 186.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained and missed Roll Call vote numbers 176, 177, 178, 179, 180 and 181. Had I been present, I would have voted Aye on votes 178 and 181. I would have voted Nay on votes 176, 177, 179 and 180.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained and missed Roll Call vote

numbers 173, 174, and 175. Had I been present, I would have voted Aye on all of these measures.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained and missed Roll Call vote numbers 165, 166, 167, 168, and 169. Had I been present, I would have voted Aye on roll call votes number 165, 166, 167. I would have voted Nay on roll call votes 168 and 169.