Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 231.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage (AANHPI) Month 2023. Each May, the AANHPI community commemorates two historic anniversaries: the immigration of the first Japanese people to the United States on May 7, 1843, and the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869, a significant portion of which was laid by Chinese immigrants. First proposed as a ten-day celebration in 1977, this month celebrates the history, accomplishments, and contributions of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities in America. With each passing generation, members of this vibrant community continue to enrich the fabric of this great nation with their own unique talents and gifts.

Here in Georgia's Seventh Congressional District, we are well represented by a beautiful tapestry of ethnicities, nationalities, of faith traditions, and experiences. Our diversity is truly our strength--I see it in action every single day. Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders contribute significantly to our community's rich blend of cultures, experiences, and countries. Throughout American history, these men and women have played a central role in the growth and progress of the nation. The full stories of these communities have not been without pain, however. During the construction of the transcontinental railroad, thousands of Chinese immigrants worked under dangerous conditions, endured abusive labor practices, and received unfair compensation. During World War II, people of Japanese ancestry were removed from their homes, imprisoned, and held in desolate places without trial. In recent years, anti-Asian hate and discrimination began to rise during the COVID-19 pandemic due to intolerance and xenophobia. And in metro Atlanta, eight lives were stolen from us by an act of anti-Asian hatred.

As Americans, we must reject and condemn such discrimination and embrace the many differences that make this community a hub of culture and diversity. We must reflect on our responsibility to condemn racism and bigotry that fuels tragedies like the Atlanta spa shooting. We must rededicate ourselves to our responsibility to live in fellowship with our neighbors of all backgrounds and experiences. That is why, at the start of this year, I became a member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, to fight for the AANHPI communities here in Georgia and across our country. Together, we can support the hard- working Americans who bring their unique experiences to our Nation, advocate and advance our shared goals, and celebrate the many contributions that have made America a more perfect union.

This month and always, I am honored to represent the many cultures, nationalities, and spoken languages that make up Georgia's Seventh Congressional District. Happy Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the honorable Representative Cherfilus-McCormick and the honorable Representative Jackson for hosting this evening's Congressional Black Caucus Special Order hour on gun safety.

This evening we are in this Chamber just merely weeks before we commemorate the massacre of 19 children in their elementary school, and in the last few days even parents have died as human shields in Cleveland, Texas. A woman was murdered, and four others wounded even in my home State of Georgia, and a first grader lost both of his parents and his baby brother in the same shooting in Allen, Texas.

Eight people were murdered as they just simply went about their day.

What is our answer?

Every day we wake up to more dead Americans, we wake up to thoughts and prayers, and we wake up to a refusal to act.

Is this the God-given freedom endowed by our creator--the freedom to go about our day and be gunned down in our malls, in our churches, and in our schools?

Horrifically, first responders are finding little girls without faces in their first grade classrooms.

Children are now orphans, wives are widows, and communities are simply being ripped apart.

Thoughts and prayers, that is not stopping this carnage, this crisis, this ugly, horrific public health crisis. If thoughts and prayers are all that we have to offer survivors like myself and all the survivors that we continue to see day in and day out in this country, I tell you this: Faith without works is dead; our prayers without action are hollow.

God has given us the path to action. He has given us the tools to dam this river of despair that the American people are living in every single day of their lives. It is commonsense solutions that save lives; it is background checks; it is red flag laws; and it is banning assault weapons.

How long are we going to simply stand here and do nothing? How long? How long do we stand in the silence? How long do we listen to the cries of mothers like me that have lost our children and our loved ones to unnecessary gun violence?

This Nation is under siege, and we are simply without the courage to act, the courage to pass laws that the majority of the American people support, they are crying out for, they are begging this body to pass. I and hundreds of thousands of people like me are terrified that this carnage is going to continue.

My son was murdered by a man who never should have had a gun. These children and these families were murdered by those who never should have ever had access to these weapons of war. The life of my son and all those that we have lost were endowed by our Creator. My son's life was stolen from him. These children, these families had a God-given right to live free from this violence, and it was taken from them.

God has called on each and every one of us in this body to act. Only we can stop this. That truth is self-evident.

We can keep guns out of the hands of those who shouldn't have them, and we

can feel safe in our communities, free from the terror of gun violence, free from the grief and the heartbreak that our families and our communities live with every single day. We should be free to live our lives the way God intended us to live.

Mr. Speaker, I have been a part of this body, a Member of this body for 5 years now, and I have lost count of the times I have come down here and begged my Republican colleagues to act, to put public safety over their love of guns. The sad thing about it is I know deep in my spirit and my soul that this will not be the last time that I have to come down here and beg again.

First, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Honorable Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and also Jonathan Jackson on behalf of the CBC for standing on the front lines tonight for this very special hour.

I rise this evening to address the frightening assault on democracy which took place in the Tennessee legislature. In the days following the tragic shooting at The Covenant School, Representatives Justin Jones and Justin Pearson demanded action to keep their communities safe from gun violence.

In the spirit of our dear departed friend and as we have talked about John Lewis a great deal tonight, these lawmakers were doing nothing more than making good trouble. In response, the Republican Party majority in Tennessee took measures to expel Representatives Jones and Pearson from their positions undermining the will of the voters who sent them to Nashville.

This is simply unconscionable. This is not how it works. This is not how democracy works. This is an attack on the very principle of representative democracy on which our Nation was founded.

Our children are being murdered in their classrooms, and rather than work on solutions to prevent these senseless tragedies from happening again and again and again, Republican leaders in Tennessee opted to expel the lawmakers who are simply fighting for change, fighting to save lives, and fighting to save the lives of everyone in this country.

Our children are being murdered in their classrooms. We watch it day in and day out. We watch it at birthday parties, on our front doorsteps, and in their friends' cars as my son, Jordan, was murdered.

We cannot look away from the tragedies that are devastating families all across the country. Shame on us. Shame on this body to turn a blind eye to the massacre of human life.

Who have we become in this body that we have no thought for preservation of human life?

We cannot seek to silence the voices that are crying out for change because we are not powerless. We have the power. We are the body. We have solutions to put an end to gun violence that claims over 100 Americans in this country every single day; solutions that the majority of Americans support and are crying out for.

What happened in Nashville sets a very disturbing precedent. Efforts to silence duly elected representatives can happen in States all across this country. It happened right here in this very Chamber. But the will of the American people will not be overturned. The efforts of those who would rather betray trust in our democratic institutions than fight to keep kids safe in our school, those efforts will fail, and we will continue our efforts to make good on the promise that we must fulfill for America's children. A better and safer America is what they deserve. It is truly possible if we have the will and the courage to do it.

Representatives Jones and Pearson are disrupters. And, yes, for cultural change to make this community--our community--safer, it means disruption. That is how change happens.

As we talked about earlier, mentioning the sit-in with Representative John Lewis on the floor, when that happened, I was leading a rally outside the Capitol, disrupting, to make sure that people's voices were heard and to make sure that survivors and victims like me have the ability to express and ask this body to do what is right.

The time has passed. It is long overdue. Over and over and over and over again, we come before this House and this body and ask people to stand up with courage and do the right thing.

When will it happen?

Do we have the courage to act?

Mr. Speaker, I rise today, once again, and again, and again, and again, because our children are being murdered in their classrooms. This is outrageous, and it is unconscionable.

Why have we not made good on our promise to our Nation, our promise that our kids can laugh and learn and play in their schools without the fear of a shootout?

We should not need sandbags in our schools to protect our children. They should not be forced to live in a war zone where bullets may murder a classmate at a moment's notice.

What will it take? How much blood must be spilled? How many kids must be killed until we do the right thing?

We are here to protect our communities, and Congress has lost its way. We have lost our soul, and we must do better than this.

Weapons of war don't belong in our streets or our classrooms. How many children must die before we learn that?

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise in support of increased funding for screening and treatment of triple negative breast cancer. As both a mother and a two-time breast cancer survivor, this work is very personal to me.

Twice, I learned from my doctor that I had cancer. Twice, I went through a rigorous treatment plan. Twice, I've been fortunate enough to call myself a survivor. And I thank God because I am one of the lucky ones. I had access to great health insurance. I was blessed to have a health insurance plan and receive top-notch care. At no point was I forced to wonder if I could afford my treatment. I was able to focus on the strength of my family, the grace of God, and my battle with cancer.

However, women with triple-negative breast cancer often face a worse prognosis and limited treatment options. This is why we need to increase funding for screening and treatment of this disease. We need to find better ways to detect it early and to develop new treatments that will give women with triple-negative breast cancer a fighting chance.

But funding for research is not enough. We also need to ensure equity and access to treatment for all women with breast cancer, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. Women from marginalized communities often face barriers to accessing care, and we must work to break down those barriers.

No woman should have to fight breast cancer alone, and no woman should be denied the care she needs because of where she comes from or how much money she makes. We must come together as a community to ensure that all women have access to the care and treatment they need.

I urge my fellow lawmakers to join me in supporting increased funding for triple-negative breast cancer screening and ensuring equity and access to care for all women with breast cancer. Together, we can make a difference and save lives.

Madam Speaker, today I rise to commemorate a monumental milestone in the career of Mr. Eugene Harmond as part of our Black History Month celebrations. Mr. Harmond will soon celebrate 50 years of flight service with Delta Airlines.

Eugene Harmond was the first African-American male flight attendant hired by Delta Airlines in 1973 at a time when there were very few male flight attendants and even fewer men of color in the industry.

I served as a flight attendant for Delta Airlines for 30 years, and I would convey my profound gratitude and respect to Mr. Harmond as he marks 50 years of flight service this year.

Our commitment to kindness, caring, and safety instilled towards all those we serve always stays with you. I am honored to have Mr. Harmond, his wife, Loreine, and their daughter, Lokie in the House Gallery today.

From a former flight attendant and on behalf of the thousands of Americans you have served, congratulations and thank you.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Dortch is the National Chairman of 100 Black Men of America, Incorporated, and his life and career have truly been exceptional.

Whether serving our government, consulting major American businesses, or giving back through philanthropic endeavors, Thomas Dortch, Jr., has excelled at the highest levels.

As a staff member for Senator Sam Nunn, he became the first African American in history to become chief administrator for a United States Senator.

As a speaker and mentor, his voice was always in high demand, including for our very own Congressional Black Caucus.

As the founder of the National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame, he created a space for our country to celebrate the achievements of graduates of our Nation's historically Black colleges and universities and ensure that we continue to protect and invest in educational opportunities for Black Americans.

During Black History Month, it is good and proper that we celebrate the legacy of one man who has done so much for our community.

On behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus and the United States House of Representatives, we send our deepest love and appreciation for all that he has done.

Thank you, Mr. Dortch.

Mr. Speaker, there have been 40 separate mass shootings since the year began. This weekend, 18 people were murdered within hours of each other.

That is it. That is all there is to say.

What do these mass murders all have in common? Easy access to unregulated firearms. That is the problem.

It cannot get any clearer. Without easy access to unregulated firearms,

these mass murders do not happen; these families do not grieve; and this country does not live in fear.

Without easy access to unregulated firearms, we save lives. It is just that simple. It is truly that simple.

This type of bloodshed doesn't happen in other developed nations around the world, only here in the United States of America. Other nations don't allow unfettered access to unregulated firearms.

This is not who we are supposed to be as America. We should feel safe in our communities.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to recognize the retirement of Gary Yandura, Chief Emeritus of the Brookhaven Police Department. For 40 years, Chief Emeritus Yandura has served with distinction as a law enforcement officer and a leader in community policing.

Chief Emeritus Yandura began his career in policing in Lake Forest, Illinois, where he served for 24 years before retiring as deputy chief. Here in Georgia, he served as chief of police in Hiram and College Park. In College Park, he was credited with reducing crime by 30 percent during his first four years as police chief. Following a nationwide search, he was appointed the first chief of police for the newly incorporated city of Brookhaven in April of 2013. For the last decade, Chief Emeritus Yandura has put Brookhaven on the map as one of the most innovative and forward-thinking police departments in the country.

During Chief Emeritus Yandura's tenure, he has made significant contributions in law enforcement, criminal justice, and mental health. Through initiatives like the Brookhaven Police Transparency Project, the Mental Health Co-Responder Program, and the innovative use of drones in police work, Brookhaven's Police Department has put an emphasis on prioritizing safety and building trust in the community. Because of these initiatives, the Brookhaven Police Department is routinely invited by law enforcement agencies from across the country to share their work so that more communities in America can benefit from the wisdom of the standards and practices that have been fostered by Chief Emeritus Yandura.

Over the last 4 years, I have been honored to work in partnership with Chief Emeritus Yandura as I have represented the City of

Brookhaven. He and his department have gone above and beyond the call of duty in service to the residents of Brookhaven. While his presence will be sorely missed, I know his legacy will live on through the programs he has developed and implemented through the years. On behalf of my office and the United States House of Representatives, I wish Chief Yandura all the best in his retirement and thank him once again for his decades of outstanding service to our community.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to recognize the retirement of Fulton County Board President Julia Bernath. A board member since 2000, Julia has served Fulton County Schools with distinction for over 2 decades.

Julia is serving her fifth term representing Fulton County School Board District 7. Though she became Board President in 2020, she was no stranger to the role. From 2007 to 2009, she served as school board president and then as vice president from 2009 to 2010 and once again in 2019. In addition to her service on the school board, Julie has served on the Fulton County Schools Employees' Pension Fund Pension Board as both Chair and Vice Chair, and she has also represented the school board on the Fulton Education Foundation's Board of Directors. Outside of her work with Fulton County Schools, she is a deeply engaged member of our community as an active member and past president of the Georgia School Boards Association, a past Vice Chair of the Georgia Professional Standards Commission, and a staff member for the Center for Reform of School Systems. Julia is a past chair of the Sandy Springs Education Force and currently serves on the Board of Directors. She is also an Advisory Committee member of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education.

Through a global pandemic, Julia navigated unprecedented challenges during her most recent tenure as Board President and worked tirelessly in service to the students of Fulton County Schools. It has been my honor to work with Julia in partnership as we strived to provide every opportunity to our community's young people. On behalf of my office and the United States House of Representatives, I want to thank Julia for her decades of service and offer my congratulations on the occasion of her retirement.

Mr. Speaker, on Black Friday, 10 years ago, my son, Jordan, was murdered at a gas station in Jacksonville, Florida, because the man simply didn't like the loud music he and his friends were playing in their car. He called them gangbangers and thugs.

Within 3\1/2\ minutes, he pulled out a gun from the glove compartment of his car, took a shooter's stance, and fired 10 rounds at the car, hitting my son, Jordan, three times, killing my only son.

A month later, a man who should never have had access to an assault

weapon murdered 20 children and 6 staff at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

The love that a parent has for our children is different. It is unique in that our love for everyone else has a beginning, but for our children, our love has no end.

When your child is born, it is hard to understand how you are capable of feeling so much love. It is a love so precious and pure that it flows through your soul. As they grow, your love grows with them. Each day, you can't imagine loving them more, and yet every day you are proven wrong.

Oftentimes we can feel vulnerable with this love and all the fear that comes with it. Being a parent is like that. If everything goes right, if we do everything we can for our children, the very worst can still happen.

Principal Dawn Hochsprung and psychologist Mary Sherlach yelled to their colleagues: ``Shooter. Stay put'' when they investigated the first shots. They were the first killed as they alerted the others.

Janitor Rick Thorne ran through the hallways alerting classrooms of the danger. He used his master key to lock many of the doors for them. The key was so worn from use that it snapped in one of the doors.

The first graders in Lauren Rousseau's classroom were not allowed to grow. Lauren had worked at Sandy Hook for a week. She had tried to hide them in the bathroom. She had fought to keep them safe. Fifteen of her students were killed. Fifteen first graders were murdered in a bathroom by a man with an assault rifle.

One 6-year-old girl played dead among the bodies of her classmates. She was the only one to survive in that room. Covered in blood, the first thing she said was: ``Mommy, I'm okay, but all my friends are dead.''

The next room the killer entered was that of Victoria Soto, who did her best to conceal her students in a closet. Some were hiding under desks. As the gunman fired at them with his Bushmaster, he stopped to reload. Six-year-old Jesse Lewis shouted at his classmates to run for safety, and several did. Jesse was looking directly at the shooter when he was murdered.

Anne Marie Murphy, a special education teacher, was found shielding 6-year-old Dylan Hockley. The bullets took them both.

Victoria's sister, Jillian, was captured by photographers in what some call the defining photo of that horrific day. She is forever immortalized on the phone, sobbing, receiving that devastating phone call, the call that is a sucker punch to your stomach, the phone call that brings you to your knees when your desperation simply will not let you stand, that leaves you gasping for air when the agony will not let you breathe.

A decade ago, my child was murdered. The very last day I saw my son, Jordan, he was wearing red sneakers. He had khaki-colored slacks on and a black backpack slung over his shoulder as he walked out the door. He said: ``I love you, mom'' before he got on the plane to Jacksonville, Florida. Jordan talked about coming home for Thanksgiving, and that day still haunts me.

In Newtown, parents watched their children walk out the front door, and some never saw them again. We are left only with the memories of our loved ones and the lost dreams of what could have been.

Parents may move forward but never fully heal. They never fully recover.

In honor of their legacy, it is imperative we continue to fight for lifesaving policies such as universal background checks, safe storage, ghost gun regulation, an assault weapons ban, and so much more.

In the words of a well-known writer:

``To value life of others

``Is to acknowledge the sanctity of yours

``To feel for the ruin of others

``Is to respect the existence of yours

``To fight for the freedom of others

``Is to preserve the liberty of yours"

Madam Speaker, I am proud to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month 2022. Each year from September 15 to October 15, we recognize and celebrate the history and culture of Americans whose ancestry can be traced from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. First established as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson in 1968, this observation was expanded to a full month by President Ronald Reagan in 1988. This month-long period encapsulates many celebrations of independence for Latin American countries. September 15 is the anniversary of independence for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Mexico and Chile also celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18.

During this time, we uplift the stories of Latinos and celebrate their contributions to this country. Throughout history, Latinos have come to this nation in search of their own American Dream and the promise of a new life for themselves and their families. In every facet of American life, Latinos have made their mark on this country and created a more perfect union for us all. I am proud of their countless contributions to our country's story, and I would like to take this month to honor the crucial role that these Americans play in our society and in Georgia's Sixth Congressional District in particular. This year, I am honored to recognize Maritza Morelli, Belisa Urbina, and Pilar Valdez.

Maritza Morelli is the Executive Director of Los Ninos Primero, a nonprofit organization focused on empowering Latino students and their families from early childhood to college through education and leadership programs. A native of Venezuela, Maritza earned a bachelor's degree in Special Education and a master's degree in Childhood Psychology from the University of Caracas. For seven years, she conducted research with the Venezuela Department of Education to examine the ways in which children learn to read and write. Her research study would go on to change the course of the National Scholastic Curriculum. She migrated to Atlanta, Georgia where she briefly worked as an interpreter for Northside Hospital in the department of mental health. She became the lead bilingual community liaison for Fulton County Schools, assisting Latino families in navigating the public school system. In June 2001, Pastor Rick Sommers at Mt. Vernon Presbyterian Church asked her to lead a new project called Los Ninos Primera. Over the last two decades, Maritza has grown the organization's capacity from serving 17 students to serving over 300 students and their families. Over the years, more than 3,000 students have completed the Los Ninos Primero program. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Los Ninos Primera was able to expand their reach to serve over 13 counties across all programs as well as launch their LYRIC program to support Latino high school seniors in their pursuit of higher education and launch their COVID-19 Educational Campaign to equip and guide the community with bilingual materials to make educated choices for their families. They were even able to provide financial assistance to over 21 families through rental assistance.

Belisa Urbina is the Chief Executive Officer of Ser Familia, Incorporated. Belisa was born and raised in Puerto Rico where she studied Business Administration at the University of Puerto Rico. Belisa and her husband Miguel lived in Puerto Rico until 1999 when they decided to move to Atlanta, Georgia. As a young couple in a new city, Belisa and her husband witnessed the challenges that Latino couples were facing with conflict resolution and navigating married life as they adapted to a new culture. As a result, in 2001 Belisa and her husband decided to co-found Ser Familia (previously known as Renovacion Conyugal, Inc.) as a program that aimed to strengthen Latino couples and families through couples workshops. Over the years, they identified a need for additional programs to support families by taking a more holistic approach, Under Belisa's leadership, Ser Familia has developed the ``Ser Familia Model'' that focuses on delivering coordinated social and mental health services to families they serve through a multidisciplinary team led by a case manager and supported by counselors, psychiatrists, parenting educators, couples program facilitators, youth mentors, domestic violence advocates, and immigration attorneys. Ser Familia's reach has expanded to serve over 6,900 clients per year. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ser Familia was essential in addressing the mental health needs of the Latino community as they completed thousands of mental health assessments and provided rental assistance to those families who were most affected by COVID-19.

Pilar Valdez is currently the Program Director of the Early Learning Program and After School K-5 Academy at Corners Academy. Pilar is a proud Georgia native born to Mexican parents. She earned her bachelor's degree in Health Science from Georgia State University and has over 8 years of experience in childcare. She has dedicated her career to the development of these two early childhood development programs and has become an advocate for her students and their families. In fact, after successfully leading the After School K-5 Academy, Pilar developed the Early Learning Program at Corners Outreach, working to educate parents on how to become their child's best and first teacher in order to prepare these children for a successful academic life after kindergarten. During 2021, at a time when COVID placed a spotlight on education gaps in the community, Pilar was able to lead and guide the Early Learning Academy through a 26 percent increase in registration, and the Corners Academy tutoring program offered tutoring to 100 new students and offered in-person summer camp to more than 196 students.

The impact of these three women alone is tremendous, and it is my distinct honor and privilege to recognize and honor them for working so hard to make a difference in the lives of others here in Georgia's Sixth Congressional District. As we continue to celebrate the observation of Hispanic Heritage Month, may we recommit ourselves to the spirit of service demonstrated by these individuals and the many others whose stories have yet to be told. On behalf of myself, the Sixth Congressional District of Georgia, and the United States House of Representatives, I am proud to join in the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. In telling the stories of community members like Maritza, Belisa, and Pilar, we celebrate the power of our Latino community in Georgia. As a representative of our state, I will continue to champion their values of strength, service, and patriotism every day.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, the Federal Extremist Protection Order Act, a bill that would empower loved ones and law enforcement to help prevent mass shootings before they happen.

Every family in every community in our Nation deserves access to these lifesaving measures. No child, no parent deserves to live in fear of gun violence.

And we are paying for it. We are paying for this gun violence every single day. Day after day, hour after hour, we are paying for the weapons of war on our streets with the blood of our children in our schools.

We are paying for the unfettered access with mothers and fathers waiting in line for a DNA test, forced to find out if it is their child that is riddled with bullets and maimed beyond recognition; if it is their child whose blood now blankets the floor of the classroom where they should be learning math and science and English.

We are paying for this deadly gun culture with the lives of American people; with the lives of those that we in this body took an oath to protect.

The American people are absolutely exhausted. We cannot continue to be the only country in the world where we let gun violence happen again and again and again. An entire generation is growing up learning that the adults that they look up to cannot, or rather, choose not to protect them.

Now, we all agree that this status quo is unacceptable. We all understand that the murder of our children cannot continue. We need policies that will give our law enforcement the tools that they need, the tools they have asked for to help keep guns out of the hands of those who are a danger to themselves or to others.

How many more victims are we going to memorialize?

What rights do our children have as they grow in our lives and in our hearts?

Parents across the country, in every State, in every community, know the fear that accompanies the love that we have for our children. It is a primal fear, a helpless fear, a love so deep that

we worry and wonder every day where is my child? Are they safe? Are they going to make it home today?

Don't our parents have the right to send their kids off to school without the fear of them not coming home?

Don't our children have the right to live free from the trauma that only stepping over a friend covered in blood could ever bring?

How many more parents must receive the phone call that I did when I was told that my son was murdered; the phone call that confirms that fear that my child is dead and that I was unable to protect him; the phone call that leads you to cry out to God in your grief?

Was my child afraid? Did he feel pain as the bullets ripped through his skin? Did he know he was loved more than he could ever imagine?

We can do better than that. We must be better than this. We cannot be the only nation in the world where our children are torn apart on Tuesday and their deaths are gone from the news cycle by Wednesday.

And that is why, in the decade since my son was taken from me by a man with a gun, simply for playing loud music in his car, that I made a promise to Jordan and to my community, and to the American people, a promise that I would continue to fight this battle for the rest of my life, the fight to make sure that not one more parent is forced to join this ever-growing club, the club that no mother or no father ever wants to be a part of.

I promised that I would take all of the devotion as a mother that I have for my child, all the love that I poured out of my soul into my child, that I would do everything in my power to keep Jordan's community safe; yes, you, my community; that the time would come where we would be able to make a difference in the lives of our children and our children's children, and this is that time. This is that moment.

We are facing a challenge of our lifetime on the issue of our era.

This is that time. This is that moment. We are facing the challenge of our lifetime. This is the issue of our era, and today, we must vote with the majority of American people that agree with us.

We vote to provide law enforcement and family members the tools that they need to prevent these mass shootings. We vote to save lives. We vote to do what is right. We vote to stop the uniquely American horror that is ripping our families apart.

God bless us. And I ask God to cover us in doing the right thing.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Carbajal).

Madam Speaker, I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Protecting Our Kids Act, a chance for us to keep our families healthy and whole and safe.

Day after day, hour after hour, the American people have felt the pain and the horror and the despair of yet another mass shooting, another family torn apart, another community broken.

I know that feeling. You know my story. My son, Jordan, was just 17 years old when he was shot by a man who simply didn't like the loud music that he was playing in his car.

How long do we let American families in this country keep suffering this pain?

That is why we must pass this commonsense legislation, why we must take this step toward ensuring that we are creating true progress for the next generation.

Americans deserve better, and shame on us if we do not take action.