Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 652) to amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize a program for early detection, diagnosis, and treatment regarding deaf and hard-of-hearing newborns, infants, and young children.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material into the Record on the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Walden), chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

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

Mr. Speaker, I also want to be in strong support of S. 652, the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Act of 2017, sponsored by Senator Portman from Ohio. This legislation has been championed in the House by my friend, the vice chair of the Health Subcommittee, Representative Brett Guthrie, as H.R. 1539.

The bill does have strong bipartisan support and, in fact, passed this House unanimously in the last Congress. Federal support for early hearing detection and intervention programs across the country help identify children with hearing loss and directs them to early intervention services.

This program is a model of how government at different levels and public and private agencies can and should work together. In addition to improving upon current programs, this legislation improves the recruitment, retention, education, and training of qualified personnel and health providers to identify and assist young children with hearing loss.

This bill emphasizes the importance of the Health Resources and Services Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health partnering together to improve outcomes and strengthen the early hearing detection intervention program. I commend Representative Guthrie for spearheading this initiative on the House side.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie), the author of the bill and the vice chairman of the Health Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis).

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

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to vote in favor of this important legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 533 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only.

General Leave

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 533 provides for the consideration of two bills which were reported by the House Ways and Means Committee.

For the first bill, H.R. 2792, the Control Unlawful Fugitive Felons Act of 2017, the rule provides for 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the Committee on Ways and Means. The rule waives all points of order and makes in order no further amendments to the legislation. However, the minority is afforded the customary motion to recommit.

For H.R. 2824, the Increasing Opportunity and Success for Children and Parents through Evidence-Based Home Visiting Act, the rule provides for 1 hour of debate equally divided between the chair and ranking member of the Committee on Ways and Means. The Rules Committee made in order four amendments to H.R. 2824, one Republican amendment, two Democratic amendments, and one bipartisan amendment. Finally, the rule provides for the customary motion to recommit with or without instructions.

H.R. 2792, the Control Unlawful Fugitive Felons Act of 2017, amends the Social Security Act to give the Social Security Administration the necessary tools to prevent Federal benefits and payments from being made to persons who are actually on the run from the law.

Many people might hear this and think: Why would the government ever continue to pay someone who is actively fleeing from law enforcement?

It is a legitimate question, and it has an unfortunate answer.

In 1996, President Clinton signed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act into law. One major provision of this reform bill was a restriction on the ability of fugitive felons and probation and parole violators from receiving Social Security benefits.

Similar provisions have been included in other Federal entitlement programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. This policy was expanded in 2004, with the passage of the Social Security Protection Act.

However, subsequent to the passage of these commonsense reforms, several judges in cases from the mid-2000s ruled that the Social Security Administration's interpretation of these provisions was too broad and limited the Social Security Administration's ability to curtail payments to three narrow categories of fugitives, namely: escape, flight to avoid prosecution or confinement, and flight escape.

The bill before the House today, H.R. 2792, would restore Congress' original intent to the reforms passed under both Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush. Specifically, H.R. 2792 would prohibit an individual who is the subject of an outstanding arrest warrant for a felony or parole violation from receiving monthly Social Security income payments. This applies only to felony charges or a crime carrying a minimum term of 1 year or more in prison.

This legislation would not punish individuals convicted of a misdemeanor, such as outstanding parking tickets. In fact, some people have falsely claimed that.

Individuals who have potentially committed a felony or a parole violation should not be able to use taxpayer dollars to evade capture. Providing the Social Security Administration with the tools in H.R. 2792 is a commonsense way to show that the Federal Government is sincere in its commitment to being a good steward of Federal taxpayer dollars. The Social Security benefits can be restored once the individual resolves the outstanding issues related to his or her warrant or parole violation.

I want to thank the gentlewoman from South Dakota, Kristi Noem, for her work on this legislation, and I urge Members of the House to support this worthy bill.

The second bill in today's rule, H.R. 2824, the Increasing Opportunity Through Evidence-Based Home Visiting Act, extends funding for the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program, which is more commonly referred to as MIECHV.

The Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program is an important program that provides low-income families with opportunities to receive home-visiting services to help support a child's first years. These services range from prenatal care to early childhood services and allow for children to grow up in healthy homes.

As not only a physician but a physician who specialized in obstetrics and gynecology, I did spend 25 years working with pregnant women and families to help ensure that all mothers could deliver and raise healthy children. As an OB/GYN, I know the best way to ensure that a child succeeds is to invest in long-term services and to ensure that the child receives access to appropriate care.

Because of the Nurse-Family Partnership's work, 90 percent of all babies who are supported by the organization are born full term, 95 percent of those babies receive all their immunizations by 24 months, and nearly 89 percent of those mothers breastfeed their newborns.

These are important milestones for newborn children that can have lasting impacts on their health for the rest of their lives, and it is important that we support initiatives that support vital, lifesaving programs like these.

Furthermore, the program succeeds by not only supporting the health and well-being of children, but by supporting pregnant women and mothers as well. In my home State of Texas, the reported incidence of maternal mortality has increased in recent years, in part, as the State has collected more comprehensive data on causes of death up to a year after childbirth.

While no amount of maternal mortality is ever acceptable, the new data has shown us that the causes for maternal mortality in the State have shifted away from those traditional acute cases that I was familiar with during my residency back in the 1970s. There were illnesses such as pregnancy-induced hypertension, hemorrhage, and infection during pregnancy. Now it is different. We have cardiac disease, suicide, and opioid overdose, which oftentimes occurs in the months after childbirth.

By supporting children in their first years, MIECHV can not only help children live healthy lives, but help mothers live healthy lives as well, so that they can continue to be there for their children.

The MIECHV Program and organizations like the Nurse-Family Partnership succeed because they identify families in need that do not have readily available care and work to provide services in home settings.

Families cannot raise healthy children without access to care. When families cannot find providers in their area, MIECHV grant recipients are there to provide that support.

H.R. 2824 builds upon the successes of the MIECHV Program by tailoring the program to ensure that it can continue to help families that truly need the help.

For example, H.R. 2824 requires for States receiving MIECHV grants to conduct statewide needs assessments by 2020, in order to reaffirm which populations and communities should receive these services. The last time such an assessment was required was in 2010.

As the needs of populations of States have evolved over these past 10 years, so should the program as well. It is important to ensure that tax dollars continue to be invested efficiently, and this bill ensures that MIECHV can continue to do so.

Additionally, H.R. 2824 provides additional opportunities for States to promote quality and enhanced outcomes. The bill updates the program by allowing for States to promote models that will have greater impact on multiple sites and locations, thus expanding the reach of grants and providing States with the opportunity to reimburse grant recipients based on the quality and outcomes associated with their programs.

I certainly want to thank members of the Ways and Means Committee for the work they have put into this bill. It is a smart bill that continues a Federal program for low-income families that actually has evidence of its effectiveness and, furthermore, links future funding to the assurance of greater cost-effectiveness.

This program serves as a model for Federal programs to help low- income families and children. I want to thank Chairman Smith and Chairman Brady for their efforts on this bill.

For these reasons, I encourage everyone in this body to support this rule and the underlying bill today.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 2 minutes.

Mr. Speaker, I want to talk again just for a minute about the second bill in today's rule, H.R. 2824, the Increasing Opportunity and Success for Children and Parents through Evidence-Based Home Visiting Act, that does extend funding for the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program.

I just wanted to talk for a minute about some of the results that we have seen in these program grants and, at this point, reference my home State of Texas to see how they have performed.

The Nurse-Family Partnership is a community-based home services group that supports pregnant women and new mothers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. They have used grants from this program to support women through both the promotion of preventive and prenatal services for pregnant women, like connecting women to physicians, helping them get medications, and through the utilization of risk reduction services such as smoking cessation.

Again, I tell you this to reiterate that these are good programs. This is a good program that we are reauthorizing today and it is worthy of our attention and support.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, today's rule provides for consideration of two important pieces of legislation to restore sanity to the administration of the Social Security program and to provide critical tools for disadvantaged homes in helping families raise their children with the best possible practices.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Brady, Mrs. Noem, and Mr. Smith for the work on each of their respective pieces of legislation, and I urge Members of this body to support both bills and the rule which will provide for their consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 4 of rule XVI, I move that

when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 3 p.m. tomorrow.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the City of Denton, Texas as they dedicate a 9/11 Firefighters Memorial Bell Tower featuring an I-beam from the World Trade Center and Denton's original bronze fire bell. The Memorial was dedicated on the 16th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C., and rural Pennsylvania.

An I-beam from the World Trade Center stands at the bottom of the 30-foot bell tower structure, which protects the I-beam below and frames the entrance to the Denton Firefighters Museum and Central Fire Station. The monument provides a visual representation of New York's landmark Twin Towers and displays the number 343 in remembrance of the firefighters who were killed at Ground Zero, as well as the words courage, dedication, and service, in honor of all firefighters.

The bell tower structure also features Denton's original bronze fire bell from City Hall West, which hangs at the top of the monument. The bell once sounded three times a day and was used to alert residents of fires. Cast originally in 1884, the bell was recently refurbished and made fully operational to make the same sounds as heard in historic Denton.

The dedication of the monument occurred as part of a special memorial event featuring retired New York City firefighter Bill Spade, who was at Ground Zero on September 11, 2001. Mr. Spade is the only survivor of the twelve responding firefighters on FDNY Rescue 5, a unit of the Special Operations Command. He shared his experiences from that unforgettable day, and put into perspective the debt of gratitude each of us owes to first responders that serve their communities each day.

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the City of Denton as they honor the firefighters lost while responding to the attacks on our country in 2001, as well as the men and women currently serving Denton under the direction of Chief Paulsgrove and other leaders like him across Denton County. This recognition is well- deserved, and I am honored to represent these professionals and their families in the 26th District of Texas.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 931, the Firefighter Cancer Registry Act.

In 2015, a 5-year study of nearly 30,000 firefighters found that these individuals had a greater number of cancer diagnoses and cancer- related deaths than matched controls in the general population.

While this built upon prior studies that have examined the link between firefighting and cancer, our understanding of this connection is still limited. To improve our ability to alleviate the health risks that these public servants face, Representatives Collins and Pascrell introduced H.R. 931. This will authorize funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to create a national registry for the collection of data pertaining to cancer incidence among firefighters.

This national registry will fill the void in our understanding of the health risks that our firefighters face and better prepare us to care for them.

Yesterday did mark the 16th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. We are reminded of the firefighters' willingness to run toward danger to help anyone who is in harm's way. Across our country, firefighters answer the call whenever our families or our communities are in need. Supporting these important public health bills is one way we can give back to these heroes, and I urge all Members to join me in supporting

Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chair, tonight I am proud to introduce an amendment that will fully fund the National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting program, colloquially known as NASPER. NASPER has long provided us with an opportunity to help prevent the spread of opioids across the country; however, until now, we have not funded it.

NASPER funding supports the development and maintenance of a State- run prescription drug monitoring program. These prescription drug monitoring programs allow for doctors and pharmacists to electronically interconnect with one when prescribing opioids, allowing for the providers to confer and ensure that the patient is not receiving a duplicate opioid prescription that the patient may then divert or sell.

Prescription drug monitoring programs work because they engage providers and they successfully prevent individuals from exploiting weaknesses in the healthcare system.

During any epidemic, it is important to first help those in need and provide support to individuals and first responders who were impacted by the epidemic. Last year, the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Subcommittee on Health did exactly this.

We worked to put forth the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act to provide support for those impacted by the opioid epidemic by increasing access to those in need.

No epidemic response, however, is complete without preventative measures, and that is why NASPER is so important to this fight. We must prioritize programs like NASPER that are preventative and can ensure that errant prescribers and bad actors do not fall through the cracks. If we want to end this epidemic, we must commit resources to programs that will promote prevention and encourage safer prescribing of prescription drugs.

As the subcommittee chairman for the authorizing committee that has been tasked with the public health response to a crisis that claimed more than 60,000 American lives last year, I am committed to further working to oversee the implementation of our initial response efforts and to develop any supplemental responses that may be needed to prevent future unnecessary deaths.

I encourage my colleagues to take this opportunity to support the work of the Subcommittee on Health on the Energy and Commerce Committee in authorizing this and allow Congress to approve funding for NASPER.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, the country has stood, first, in awe of the power that was unleashed on the Texas-Louisiana coast, and then in admiration of constituents up and down the Texas and Louisiana coast as they face this difficulty and work together to get through it.

This bill today is also a product of people working together. Through at least two sessions of Congress we have now come with self-driving vehicle legislation that is going to change our economy.

This bill will allow developers room to grow, while making certain that the technology is safe for consumers. This act will create jobs and ensure that we remain the global leader in innovation. Most importantly, the self-driving vehicle legislation has the ability to save lives.

Throughout my life, I have seen the lifesaving effects of advancements in vehicle technology, starting with the seat belt, to the air bag, to antilock brakes. Self-driving vehicles are the next step in this trajectory.

The Energy and Commerce Committee has dedicated a lot to this technology and its ability to save lives, and, certainly, the last term of Congress, the Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee that Mr. Latta now chairs. I am proud to see the product of our work come to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the dedication of the Bowden Center in Keller, Texas on Sunday, August 20, 2017. This space was generously donated by Don Bowden and the late Linda Bowden, and now is operated by the Greater Keller Women's Club Foundation. The Bowden Center is an event space that will allow local charities and schools to hold functions, as well as host weddings and other social gatherings.

All profits from the Bowden Center will go to the Greater Keller Women's Club Foundation, which will direct the funds back into the community through charities the club supports. Through the generosity of the Bowdens, the Greater Keller Women's Club Foundation will have sustained opportunities to enrich the Keller community.

This building and its dedication pay tribute to Linda Bowden, a very special leader in our Keller community, who passed away in May 2017. This building honors her legacy, and furthers her life work of giving back to others. From her years at the PTA to this year, she never stopped seeking out ways to help others. The dedication of this space is a fitting tribute to thank Linda Bowden for her generosity, not just with the new Bowden Center, but all she did for the people in Keller, Texas. We are grateful to Don and Linda Bowden, and look forward to using this space to honor their spirit of generosity and further support the good work achieved by the Greater Keller Women's Club Foundation.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment to prevent the distortion of the free market by the Federal Government.

Since its passage in 2007 of the Energy Independence and Security Act, I have heard from virtually tens of thousands of constituents about the language in that act and how it will take away consumer choice when constituents are deciding which lightbulbs they will use in their homes. Mr. Chairman, they are right.

Mr. Chairman, in the interest of time, I want to point out this exact amendment has been accepted for the past 6 years by the House. Three of those years it was accepted by voice vote. It was included in the annual appropriations legislation signed into law by President Obama every year since its first inclusion in 2011, and has been a priority of the Republican Conference since its adoption into law. It allows consumers to continue to have a choice and to have a say about what type of lightbulb they will put into their homes. Congress should fight to preserve the free market. It is common sense.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I will disagree on the economics that were just presented. But apart from the economics of the lightbulb mandate, that is, in fact, only part of the story.

With the extreme expansion of Federal powers undertaken in the last administration, when the Democrats were in charge of Congress for 4 years, Americans have just now begun to see how far the Constitution's Commerce Clause has been manipulated from its original intent. The lightbulb mandate is a perfect example of this manipulation.

The Commerce Clause was intended by our Founding Fathers to be a limitation on Federal authority, not a catchall in order to allow for any topic to be regulated by Washington. Indeed, it is clear that the Founding Fathers never intended for this clause to be used to allow the Federal Government to regulate and pass mandates on consumer products that do not pose a risk to either human health or safety.

Mr. Chairman, in December of 2007, when this bill was first passed, the columnist George Will observed on television one Sunday morning that it is the job of the Federal Government to defend the borders and deliver the mail. But instead of keeping up with those two tasks, we instead decided to ban the incandescent bulb. It was wrong in 2007. It is wrong in 2017.

Mr. Chairman, I urge adoption of the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3178, the Medicare Part B Improvement Act of 2017.

This bill represents a series of bipartisan reforms from the Committees on Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means that will provide targeted reforms to improve access to care for Medicare beneficiaries.

Home infusion patients are oftentimes our Nation's sickest and most vulnerable, and maintaining access to these services in home settings has proved invaluable in ensuring that patients can continue to effectively receive the care that they need.

Under last year's 21st Century Cures Act, we took the necessary steps to ensure that taxpayers and beneficiaries were no longer overcharged on the acquisition and dispensing costs associated with home infusion. Additionally, we took complementary steps to recognize the unique education needs associated with receiving infusion in the home.

However, as my subcommittee learned in a hearing on this issue just last week, there is still more that must be done to integrate these two policies without jeopardizing access to patient care. Therefore, today's bill creates a bridge to connect these critical policies and to resolve the issue.

Additionally, H.R. 3178 takes an additional needed step to protect home health services by expanding opportunities for individuals to receive home dialysis. Access to services like home infusion and home dialysis has had a significant impact in my home State of Texas, and I am encouraged by today's bill, as it will build upon these additional successes for Texans and all Americans.

I would like to thank Chairman Brady, Chairman Tiberi, and Chairman Walden for their leadership on the bill. They rose to the challenge to address these tough policy decisions. This bill is a product of their hard work, as well as the hard work of all the staff involved at the subcommittee and full committee level, and I thank them as well.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize recent athletic victories within my district. I am proud to announce that the Argyle High School boy's golf team has claimed the title of state champions this spring.

The Argyle High School boy's golf team attained their third straight state title by thirteen strokes. The Eagles three-peat performance in the UIL Class 4A state tournament was led by Coach Brady Bell. Also of note, Luke Griggs took fifth place in individual performance at the state tournament. The team has won its local district tournament for six consecutive years, and continues to excel in this area of athletics. The team effort displayed by Argyle's High School golf team in the state tournament demonstrates the continued success and dedication in District 26.

It is my honor to represent Argyle High School boy's golf team in the U.S. House of Representatives. These dedicated student athletes and their coaches have represented the 26th District well, and our community looks forward to more successful seasons to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize recent athletic victories within my district. I am proud to announce that the Colony High School softball team claimed the title of state champions this spring.

Coach Deana Coleman led the Colony Cougars to their first appearance in the UIL Class 5A state championship, and sophomore Karlie Charles was named the game's most valuable player. Furthermore, five team members have joined the 5A 2017 All-Tournament Team. I would like to congratulate the Colony High School softball team on its successful 2017 season, capped off by this well-deserved state championship.

It is my honor to represent the Colony High School softball team in the U.S. House of Representatives. These dedicated student athletes and their coaches have represented the 26th District well, and our community looks forward to more successful seasons to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize recent athletic victories within my district. I am proud to announce that the Keller High School softball team has claimed the title of state champions this spring.

The Keller High School Indians softball team, coached by Bryan Poehler, this season earned its second consecutive UIL Class 6A state championship. Also of note, Keller's second baseman Camryn Woodall was named most valuable player of the championship game. This is the fourth title earned by the Keller Indians in school history. This team put forth great effort in securing the 6A division state title, persevering through two weather delays in their path to championship victory.

It is my honor to represent the Keller High School softball team in the U.S. House of Representatives. These dedicated student athletes and their coaches have represented the 26th District well, and our community looks forward to more successful seasons to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize recent athletic victories within my district. I am proud to announce that Krum High School Softball has claimed the title of state champions this spring.

The Krum High School softball team made its first appearance in a state championship this season, led by Coach Bryan Chaney. The Krum High School softball team put forth a great effort throughout its 4A state title run. Junior pitcher and championship game MVP, Krum's Tristan Bridges, led Krum's softball team in a narrow victory. This display of success has set a winning precedent for future teams in the 26th District of Texas.

It is my honor to represent the Krum High School in the U.S. House of Representatives. These dedicated student athletes and their coaches have represented the 26th District well, and our community looks forward to more successful seasons to come.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to speak in honor of our guest chaplain, Marshall Dunbar, of Cross Roads, Texas.

Chaplain Dunbar is the vice president of Spiritual Life and interim vice president of Programs for Christian Community Action, one of the largest private nonprofits in north Texas. He has an extensive record of service to our country and the north Texas community, including years in active military service, law enforcement, and homeland security.

Chaplain Dunbar was commissioned into the United States Army Reserve Chaplain Corps as a chaplain candidate in 2011, beginning his chaplaincy career at the VA Hospital in Dallas. In 2014, he ended his military career as a first lieutenant.

Chaplain Dunbar holds a B.S. in ministry and leadership from Dallas Christian College and a master of divinity in chaplaincy from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. He is currently working toward his doctor of ministry degree in Christian leadership and spiritual formation at Dallas Theological Seminary.

I am grateful to Chaplain Dunbar for his service to north Texans and the American people. It is a true pleasure to have him here in the House, along with his wife, Melinda, and daughter, Elle-Simone. We are grateful for his service and we welcome him to the House.