Floor Statements

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues in consideration of H.R. 4840, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 567 East Franklin Street in Oviedo, Florida, as the ``Sergeant First Class Alwyn Crendall Cashe Post Office Building''.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Murphy) so that she may tell us more about Sergeant First Class Alwyn Crendall Cashe.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I strongly urge the passage of H.R. 4840, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I thank the chairman and ranking member for including my amendment in the en bloc.

My amendment would require the FAA to study the economic harm caused by excessive aircraft noise on communities and businesses near major airports.

Companies adjacent to airports, such as O'Hare International Airport in my district, see that flight paths have to contend with the economic activity in that region, and noise disrupts their customers and interferes with business, in addition to the physiological effects that constant noise has on employees.

Under my amendment, the FAA will study what happens to businesses when they are subject to excessive noise throughout the workday. This will include, but is not limited to, employee productivity and retention, workplace morale and satisfaction, and other data to help policymakers grasp the full effect of airport noise on neighborhoods.

This is a bipartisan, commonsense amendment, and again, I thank the committee for including it in the en bloc.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the opening of the M.S. Chadha Center for Global India at Princeton University. A welcome and timely addition to a world-class university, the M.S. Chadha Center will bring together scholars and students from all backgrounds to explore and understand the complex social and political forces that shape modern India.

With a population of 1.3 billion people, a vibrant and dynamic economy, a rich culture, and home to the world's largest democracy, it is no surprise that India exerts a powerful influence on world affairs. However, there is a dearth of scholarship dedicated to exploring the intricate history and traditions that inform contemporary Indian culture. Princeton University, with its long tradition of rigorous academic research and scholarship, is the perfect setting for a center dedicated to illuminating

the amazing transformation of the Indian subcontinent from an agricultural-based economy to a leader in global innovation, information technology, design, and manufacturing.

The M.S. Chadha Center for Global India was made possible in large part by a gift from the Princeton Class of 1993, spearheaded by Princeton alumnus Sumir Chadha. The center is named after Mr. Chadha's grandfather, a renowned physician and former Director General of Health Services in India. I would also like to take this opportunity to salute the other sponsors of this project for recognizing its importance, and for supporting it.

I will be traveling to Princeton University this weekend to attend the grand opening of the M.S. Chadha Center for Global India, and congratulate the generous men and women whose efforts contributed to the launch of this new and exciting endeavor at Princeton. I look forward to attending the ceremony, and salute the university's faculty, administration and board of trustees for their dedication to cultivating a deeper understanding of the Indian contribution to our world, and to our national mosaic of cultures and ideas.

Mr. Speaker, young Americans vote at the lowest rates of any age group, and this is rooted in the unique obstacles faced by college students. When students move to a new campus, often in a new State, having never voted or even registered to vote, they lack the institutional support to help them navigate the voting process.

That is why Senator Booker and I have introduced the Help Students Vote Act. Our legislation will take

three major steps in eliminating the obstacles students face in voting.

First, it requires every college and university to send voter registration information to all its students twice a year, at least 30 days before registration deadlines.

Second, it requires every school to designate a campus vote coordinator to answer students' questions about voting and to promote voting.

And third, it encourages civic engagement by authorizing grants to colleges and universities that take exemplary action to promote political participation.

The Help Students Vote Act is essential and will help our country better engage the next generations of American citizens.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor his Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, a Hindu spiritual leader and humanitarian who has devoted his life to eliminating violence and spreading compassion throughout the world.

His Holiness's teachings center on the importance of spirituality and its ability to enhance personal traits such as enthusiasm, love, and compassion. According to his teachings on spirituality, the bond that all humans share is stronger than any other characteristic that divides us, be it religion, race, or nationality.

His Holiness has also taken part in extensive humanitarian work across the world, from organizing volunteers for many natural disasters over the past twenty years, including assistance for victims of the 2004 tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, to dedicating efforts to promoting interfaith dialogue through the Board of World Religious Leaders for the Elijah Interfaith Institute.

In addition, His Holiness has played a large role in the development of social initiatives all over the world, and especially in India. He is involved in Volunteer For a Better India, an organization which promotes voter awareness and registration as well as free health camps in India. In 2009, His Holiness established Sri Sri University in Odisha; in 2017, the school was awarded a Best Innovative University Award at the 2017 Education Excellence Awards.

In recognition of his contributions to the promotion of global values, His Holiness has received the highest awards of many countries, including India, Colombia, Peru, and Paraguay. In 2016, the Government of India awarded him the ``Padma Vibhushan,'' India's second highest civilian award.

Today, I recognize his Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar for all that he has done to promote peace, empathy, and acceptance in our world. I commend him for the good work he has done through both his teachings and his humanitarian service, and I thank him for his continued efforts to make the world a better place.

Mr. Speaker, according to the Aspen Institute, from 1996 to 2008, the percentages of American workers receiving employer-sponsored training, on-the-job training, as it were, has fallen by 40 percent.

With a growing skills gap, and American businesses unable to fill 6.3 million jobs due to a lack of qualified candidates, it is imperative that Congress incentivizes investments in worker training. That is why I introduced the Investing in American Workers Act last Friday.

This forward-thinking legislation provides a 20 percent tax credit to small and midsized companies that increase their investments in worker training over a given year. Eligible programs include apprenticeships, specialized community college courses, and those offered by employers or industry associations. This is a win-win for American employers and employees, helping American companies compete globally and helping workers obtain higher wages and long-term job security.

Our workforce is the foundation of our economy, and we cannot ignore the consequences of failing, as a country, to invest in American workers.

Mr. Speaker, tonight, I rise to speak on the vital goal of seeing the Korean Peninsula and its people peacefully reunited under a commitment to the values of human rights, freedom, and democracy.

For nearly three-quarters of a century, the Korean people have been divided by armed conflict and political boundaries. Yet, despite this adversity, the fundamental unity and shared heritage of the Korean people continue to endure.

I am, therefore, heartened by the potential of May's talks between the United States, the Republic of Korea, and the People's Republic of Korea. While the road to peaceful reunification is a long one, next month's talks are an essential first step toward the reunification and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. I commend

both the American and South Korean Governments for embarking on this first step.

I also want to recognize all those who have dedicated themselves to the cause of reunification, including the wonderful Korean-American people of my district and the Chicago area, as well as the National Unification Advisory Council and its Chicago chapter. The work of these dedicated advocates and others has brought new hope to all who would see Korea peacefully reunited.

Mr. Speaker, like so many Americans, I was deeply moved by the school shooting in Parkland, Florida. The tragic loss of 17 lives to a gunman was another devastating reminder of the danger of too many guns being readily available in our culture.

In the face of the Parkland shooting, I would like to pay special recognition to Mrs. Shanthi Viswanathan, an Algebra teacher at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Known as ``Mrs. V'' to her students, Mrs. Viswanathan's quick thinking and firm and resolute actions very likely helped save the lives of her students.

As the Miami Herald reported, Mrs. Viswanathan knew something wasn't right when she heard the second fire alarm of the day sounding shortly before classes were to end on February 14th.

Mrs. Viswanathan immediately put paper over the window so no one could see inside. She then told her students to take cover and get on the floor in the corner of the room.

When the SWAT team came to the outside of Mrs. Viswanathan's classroom and told her to open the door, she opted not to take any chance that it could have been a trick by the gunman.

``Knock it down or open it with a key. I'm not opening the door,'' Mrs. Viswanathan said.

It was indeed the SWAT team, and they knocked down the door and ushered the students to safety.

When Mrs. Viswanathan knew there was danger, she exemplified the truest form of the Hindu concept of dharma, or duty, in protecting those she was responsible for. These actions were brought to my attention by the Hindu American Foundation which continues to support the victims as part of its broader commitment to Ahimsa, the Hindu concept of nonviolence.

I recently visited Broward County where I had the honor to speak at the Hindu American Foundation's annual gala. The Hindu American Foundation, or HAF, has stood up during the ongoing public debate over guns in our society and has supported legislation to, among other things, repeal the ban on allowing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from conducting research into gun violence in the United States. In taking its policy positions, HAF is guided by both public policy concerns and ethics, along with Hindu scripture.

It is my sincere hope that the days and weeks ahead, Congress shows the same commitment to dealing with gun violence that Mrs. Viswanathan and the Hindu American Foundation already have.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Mrs. Shanthi Viswanathan, a teacher at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, whose quick thinking saved lives.

As the second alarm went off that day, Mrs. Viswanathan knew something was wrong and she locked the classroom door, telling her students to take cover.

When the SWAT team arrived and asked her to let them in, she would not because she didn't want to risk falling for a gunman's trick. Instead, she told them: ``Knock it down or open it with a key.''

When Mrs. Viswanathan knew there was danger, she exemplified the truest form of the Hindu concept of dharma, of duty, in protecting those she was responsible for.

These actions were brought to my attention by the Hindu American Foundation, which continues to support the victims of the shooting as part of their broader commitment to Ahimsa, the Hindu concept of nonviolence.

They have also pursued various measures of gun control, which I wholeheartedly support. I commend them for their efforts here.

Thank you to Mrs. Viswanathan and the Hindu American Foundation for their exemplary work and for making America a better place.

Mr. Speaker, study after study has shown that employers and employees find that onsite childcare provides the greatest value of any employer-provided childcare option. Despite this, only 11 percent of all private sector workers in the U.S. receive childcare assistance through their employers. Of that 11 percent, only 7 percent have access to childcare at or near their place of work.

As childcare costs dramatically increase each year relative to family income, the time has come for new approaches that provide affordability and flexibility for working families and increased productivity for businesses. Onsite childcare accomplishes this and has been repeatedly shown to reduce absenteeism and increase staff retention.

That is why I am introducing the Child Care At Responsible Employers Act this week: to incentivize employer investment in onsite childcare by providing a small preference in government contracting to those who do so.

With childcare costs rising, we can't afford not to act, and onsite childcare helps both businesses and families.

Mr. Speaker, since the tragic events at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, leading American companies, including DICK'S Sporting Goods, Walmart, L.L.Bean, and Kroger, have taken a leadership role in combating gun violence.

Last week, all four companies announced that they would no longer sell guns to anyone under 21.

DICK'S Sporting Goods has demonstrated singular courage as the first company to establish a minimum age for gun sales and also by announcing that it would no longer sell assault-style rifles or high-capacity magazines.

When DICK'S announced these policies, it also challenged Congress to show the same commitment to commonsense gun reform. In his open letter, DICK'S Sporting Goods' CEO Ed Stack implored Congress to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, establish the age of 21 as the new minimum age to buy a firearm, and secure an effective universal background check system.

The American business community is already acting to combat gun violence. The private sector is ahead of us. Congress must follow suit.

Mr. Speaker, the city of Chicago and Chicago's airline carriers are finalizing their negotiations for an $8.5 billion expansion of Chicago O'Hare International Airport. This will provide it with a state-of-the-art global terminal. This plan will bring more tourism, more economic activity, and more jobs to the Chicago area, while making it more necessary than ever to complete the Elgin O'Hare Western Access Project.

This project has won support from every faction: Chicago and the suburbs, Republicans and Democrats, business and labor, and even Cubs and Sox fans. It is clear why. Western Access would create nearly 20,000 jobs: 7,400 in direct construction and more than 3,000 in engineering; another 6,000 indirect jobs would be created for equipment suppliers and contractors.

Once the project is completed, our region would realize 65,000 permanent jobs: 44,000 in Cook County, and nearly half that many in DuPage.

With the O'Hare of the future in development, it is time we complete Western Access and allow our region to reap the rewards.

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to acknowledge the 92nd birthday of a great American, an innovative public servant, and a person I am proud to call my friend and mentor, Newton Minow.

Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on January 17, 1926, Newt was the child of immigrant parents who stressed the virtues of hard work, integrity and public service. He went on to serve on the Indian subcontinent in the Second World War as a Sergeant in the United States Army, and then to Northwestern Law School and a clerkship for United States Supreme Court Justice Fred Vinson.

Newt's career spans a period of unparalleled transformation in the way our world shares information, and his influence on the evolution of media and broadcasting is difficult to overstate. Although he may be best known for his service as Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission and his oft-quoted ``vast wasteland'' speech, Newt had a hand in the development of the transistors that power modem computing, satellites that make global communication possible, and served as chairman of the board of governors of the Public Broadcasting Service and co-chair and vice-chair of the Commission on Presidential Debates. His intense focus on reserving broadcast spectrum to serve the public interest has shaped the development of media, public television and radio to the benefit of our democracy and our national dialogue.

Newt's service to his community extends well beyond government. In addition to his work as a successful attorney, Newt has served on the boards of business enterprises and in key leadership positions for important not-for-profit institutions including the Rand Corporation, the Carnegie Corporation, the Mayo Foundation, Northwestern University, the University of Notre Dame and the Chicago Orchestral Association.

In 2016, Newt's extraordinary service to his country was recognized by President Obama with the award of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Newt would be the first to say that his greatest achievements have been his long, happy marriage to Josephine Baskin Minow, his wife of nearly 69 years, and his daughters Nell, Martha and Mary---all highly successful women who each through their own work have added so much to the national good.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of all of Newt's countless friends and admirers, and on behalf of the United States Congress and a grateful nation, I want to say thank you to Newton N. Minow for all that he has done and continues to do for the people of the United States, and extend my best wishes for a happy, healthy and productive 93rd year. As his beloved Josephine often remarks, ``the best is yet to be.''

Mr. Speaker, today I remember and honor the life of Lewis Manilow, who passed away on December 12 of last year.

Lew was born in 1927 to immigrant parents, and adopted from an orphanage as an infant by Chicago real estate developer Nathan Manilow and his wife, Minette. He attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for one year before earning his bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago and graduating from Harvard Law School in 1951.

A gifted lawyer, Lew began his career as an assistant state's attorney in Cook County, Illinois. Lew eventually went into private practice, where he assisted in his father's development of south suburban Park Forest, and ultimately served as president of his father's company, continuing his legacy of reinvigorating neighborhoods on the south side and south suburbs of Chicago.

From an early age, Lew displayed a passion for the arts, and he devoted much of his adult life to nurturing institutions that made Chicago an international center of culture. In 1956, Lew was part of a group that launched a theater company in the Fine Arts Building, and was the visionary behind the creation of ``theater row'' in Chicago's north loop, now home to the Goodman Theater. Lew supported his vision with his generosity, co-chairing the campaign that funded the relocation of the Goodman Theater and personally donating $1,000,000 to help finance the move.

Lew's drive to make Chicago one of the world's cultural capitals did not end with the theater. As one of its founding sponsors, he was a powerhouse supporting the creation of Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art, and served as its board president for five years. Lew also donated a number of pieces from his personal collection to the museum, and endowed a curatorship to ensure future generations would continue to enjoy the best of contemporary art at the MCA.

In 2000, Lew's service to the arts was recognized when he was awarded the prestigious National Medal of Arts by President Bill Clinton.

In addition to his work supporting the cultural institutions of Chicago, Lew somehow found time to be an active participant in the civic life of our state and nation. He devoted his time and energy to organizing committees in three presidential campaigns, and was a regular advisor to the mayors of Chicago and other civic leaders.

Lew's greatest legacy, however, may be his family. Survived by his very beloved wife Susan, Lew also leaves a loving family of two sons and a daughter, two stepsons, 15 grandchildren and his biological brother (who he met for the first time in 2008 after tracing his roots from orphanage and birth records).

On behalf of all of Lew's countless friends and associates, I want to say thank you for all that Lew did for the people of Illinois and our country.

Mr. Speaker, I hope we might all keep in our thoughts and prayers the Manilow family and friends as they mourn their loss. In that spirit, I celebrate Lew's life and the impact he made on the city of Chicago, our country and all he touched with his generosity and care.

Mr. Speaker, on Monday, President Trump introduced his infrastructure plan, and while it covered many conventional infrastructure questions, it also singled out the need to modernize career, technical, and vocational education programs.

At a time when 6 million jobs across the country remain vacant because employers can't find workers with the skills they require, it is vital that we expand these programs to meet the needs of students, workers, and businesses.

The President's plan highlights the importance of modernizing career, technical, and vocational education programs to guarantee that workers have the skills necessary to succeed in their chosen career. Last month, as well, the President chose to highlight the importance of career and technical education to our economy in his State of the Union Address.

Fortunately, the House has already passed Congressman Thompson's and my bill to reauthorize Career Technical Education programs. Now, with

the President's support, I am confident that our Senate colleagues will act and move this bipartisan legislation further without undue delay.

Our students need it, our businesses need it, and our economy needs it right now.