Renee L. Ellmers

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for this very important discussion that we are having today.

Yes, I rise in support of H.R. 596, which aims to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as ObamaCare. ObamaCare has been a costly disaster to my constituents in the Second District of North Carolina and across this country.

I have heard numerous stories, ranging from young women to senior citizens, and they all touch on the same underlying problem: ObamaCare is unaffordable and results in severe consequences.

As a nurse, I know that repeal alone is not enough because the American people need high-quality, patient-centered health care. I am so proud to be standing with my Republican colleagues and many of the Democrats that we serve with who are now going to say to the American people, not only are we against this awful law, but we are for good, patient-centered health care, and we are going to provide that plan of action for the American people to see.

We need to stand with the American people, who overwhelmingly disapprove of ObamaCare.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 398) to provide for the development and dissemination of evidence-based best practices for health care professionals to recognize victims of a severe form of trafficking and respond to such individuals appropriately, and for other purposes.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the ongoing domestic problem with human trafficking. H.R. 398, the Trafficking Awareness Training for Health Care Act, will create a program dedicated to training our Nation's health care professionals in order to identify the early warning signs for the act of human trafficking.

Oftentimes, members of the medical community encounter these individuals while they are still being trafficked. By training health care professionals and equipping them with the right knowledge, we are enabling them to identify hallmark signs of this despicable act for early intervention.

This pilot program will test and examine the best practices needed for determining the protocol used for implementing human trafficking awareness within the medical community.

As a nurse, I know that our country's medical professionals already play a significant role in caring for victims of human trafficking. This legislation will better prepare those on the front lines, so that they can identify and care for those being trafficked.

Most Americans are unaware as to how prevalent and pervasive human trafficking is within our own borders, but it is time we acknowledge this fact and stand up against this heinous crime.

Our medical base is in a position to help these victims break free, and I am proud to push forth legislation further empowering them. This legislation trains health care workers to recognize the hallmark signs of human trafficking, thus allowing professionals to intervene on the patient's behalf.

I would like to thank my colleague, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz from Florida, for helping me introduce H.R. 398 in Congress.

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.

I would like to say again to my good friend and colleague from Florida, thank you for putting forward this effort to work with us.

To my colleague, Mr. Pallone, I, too, believe that we need to work together. So just know that my door is open, that we will continue to work on these issues together, and I am just so glad that in a bipartisan effort today we are all coming together to stand up for victims of human trafficking and again get them on a path to recovery.

At this point, Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), my good friend, who has been a tireless and passionate advocate for women and families and children who are affected by human trafficking really long before many of us were even aware that it was an issue here in this country.

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

In closing, I just want to say again how proud I am of our Congress and our colleagues on both sides of the aisle coming together to work on very, very important legislation dealing with those who have been trafficked. Human trafficking is a travesty, it is a heinous crime, and it is today's modern-day slavery.

This is something that we must eradicate in this country. This is what the American people need for us to be a part of and work on.

I am just so happy that we are dealing with an issue that is going to affect so many out there in this country who do not have a voice right now. We have the opportunity now to stand up for what is right. We have the opportunity to do what is right, and by us working together and having legislation that will be sponsored in the Senate, as many of us do, we feel very strongly that this will become law, and we will be able to enact it and help those victims so that they can be looking towards recovery and empowering their lives.

Mr. Speaker, this is a very important day with 12 different bills that we are addressing. I am just so proud to be a part of it.

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

Thank you to my colleague from North Carolina for, once again, being such a strong defender of life.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to offer my support for H.R. 7. I believe in the sanctity of human life and that life begins at conception and ends at death. My life's experiences as a mom, as a nurse, and as a Christian have helped me to form these core beliefs.

I have held the hands of newborn infants, and I have held the hands of elderly patients in the last moments of their lives. I have been blessed to have had such special moments, and because of them, I know that every life is precious and is a gift from God and that it is not for us to judge its worth.

Madam Speaker, the unborn need us to stand up for them and to be the voice that they do not have. I support this legislation, and I encourage my colleagues to do so as well.