Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Major Jacob D. McElwee for his service in the Kansas Army

National Guard and his recent role in sending out troops to Topeka and Washington, D.C. this month to provide additional security support for the inauguration.

A resident of the Third District in Shawnee, Major McElwee became a commissioned Judge Advocate General Corps Officer in the Kansas Army National Guard in September 2010. During his service as a Judge Advocate General Corps Officer, Major McElwee deployed to Kosovo in 2014 through 2015 and then again to Kuwait and Iraq in 2018 through 2019.

Major McElwee is currently the legal advisor to the Adjutant General Major General David Weishaar. As a fulltime Kansas Army National Guard Judge Advocate General, Major McElwee handles a non-stop flow of requests and questions, while ensuring the highest quality work product possible. He dropped everything to travel to Salina with another officer and two paralegals to help with the rolling out of troops to protect our state and national capitols.

One of the most rewarding parts of representing the Third District is hearing about the exemplary service and accomplishments of my constituents. Major McElwee is certainly no exception and I commend him for his dedication to our state and country.

Madam Speaker, today, during Building Safety Month, I am pleased to recognize the importance of safety in the built environment and the dedication of the members of the International Code Council (ICC) for their roles in protecting our communities.

With natural disasters only expected to increase in frequency and severity, building codes include important safeguards to protect the public from tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, snowstorms, wildland fires, and earthquakes. In January 2019, the congressionally-established National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) released a study finding that adopting modern model building codes save $11 for every $1 invested through earthquake, flood, and wind mitigation benefits, with a $4 to $1 wildfire mitigation benefit. These benefits represent avoided casualties, property damage, business interruptions, and insurance costs, and are enjoyed by all building stakeholders--from developers, titleholders, and lenders, to tenants and communities.

Vulnerable and underserved populations are most effected by increases in utility costs. And they often have the most to lose in the event of a disaster or health emergency. Building codes establish minimum requirements that ensure safe, resilient, and energy efficient schools, childcare and healthcare facilities, housing, and places of employment, regardless of the income or background of the facility's ownership and occupants. These protections are required by law for public safety, and enforced by code officials to ensure everyone enjoys the same protections and plays by the same rules.

Year round, building safety and fire prevention officials, architects, engineers, builders, tradespeople, laborers, and others in the construction industry work to ensure the safe construction of buildings though the use of model building codes. The dedicated members of the International Code Council, a national standards developing organization, come together with local, state and federal officials to develop voluntary consensus codes that protect Americans in the buildings where we worship, live, work, learn, and play. The International Codes, the most widely adopted building safety and fire prevention codes in the nation, are used by most U.S. cities and counties and in all 50 states, including the State of Kansas. I commend the city of Lenexa in my district for adopting the 2018 International Codes and the other cities in my district that are undertaking efforts to update their building codes.

Building Safety Month is sponsored by the International Code Council to remind the public about the critical role of our communities' code officials in assuring us safe, efficient, and livable buildings. ``No Code. No Confidence,'' the theme for Building Safety Month 2019, encourages all Americans to raise awareness of the importance of safe and resilient construction, fire prevention, disaster mitigation, and new technologies in the construction industry.

I am honored to recognize International Code Council Board President William R. Bryant, ICC's Chief Executive Officer Dominic Sims, the International Code Council leadership, and ICC's Members and staff as they celebrate Building Safety Month.

Madam Speaker, today we come together to celebrate 100 years since the United States House passed the 19th Amendment prohibiting the government from denying the right to vote on the basis of sex.

It was a milestone in the evolution of women's suffrage, but the hard work of making sure that all women could vote continued long after its passage.

Women still had to fight to build a system where Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans and all women of color could not only register to vote but could actually cast their ballot.

In 1924, when Native Americans were granted U.S. citizenship, we took a big step toward Native American women's suffrage. And in 1964 when the Voting Rights Act was passed, we took another step in breaking down obstacles that prevented Black women and other women of color from voting.

The history of women's suffrage, like the history of our Nation, is complex, but it is a history that we must acknowledge and that we absolutely need to reckon with, because we know that people all over this country today still face voter suppression.

So let's take this opportunity to celebrate this historic day but let us also recognize the full movement for women's suffrage has continued long after, and let's recommit to making sure that every citizen in this country can exercise their constitutional right to vote and participate in our democracy.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this bill. I have heard a lot of rhetoric today about the role of Congress and the role of the administration in recognizing or not recognizing Tribal lands, Tribal governments, reservations, and the ability of Tribes to participate in whatever kind of economic development they so desire.

I have also heard a lot of talk and discussion. I am pleased to hear talk and discussion on this House floor about the need to make sure that Tribes are recognized, that Tribal sovereignty is recognized, and that this government needs to do right by Native people and indigenous people to this land.

But the basis for support of this bill today is not necessarily rooted in whether or not we are doing the ``right thing.'' Congress has a duty to properly exercise our plenary power over interactions with Tribal people and with Tribal governments. The Constitution gives Congress plenary power over interactions with Indian Tribes. What is at stake here today is how Congress and the Federal Government are going to continue to interact with Indian Tribes.

Tribes don't need Congress Members' sympathy. What Tribes need is for us to properly exercise our duty. This bill does that. This bill exercises Congress' proper power to recognize a Tribe, to recognize Tribal reservation lands, and it has nothing to do with what happens afterwards.

This bill wouldn't abrogate or alter the application of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act or any other piece of legislation. This bill would simply do exactly what Congress' job is to do: recognize the Federal-Tribal relationship that exists and the Tribal lands that are properly held in trust and should be held in trust for an Indian Tribe. That is what we are doing right now.

All the talk and discussion about other pieces of legislation that might be called into question after this bill is passed should be debated later. That has nothing to do with what this specific bill applies to.

Our role here is very simple. We have got to recognize the Mashpee Tribe's reservation. We have got to recognize their sovereignty and their self-determination.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to voice my support for H.R. 1044, the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act, introduced by Congresswoman Lofgren. This bipartisan legislation will help ease green card backlogs for those facing the longest wait times and help our businesses retain the high-skilled staff they need to be competitive.

Last month, I sat down with Sunayana Dumala, who shared her story with me.

It was only 2 years ago that our community was devastated when Sunayana's husband, Srinivas, was murdered in a hate crime in Olathe, Kansas. My predecessor helped her obtain a temporary visa, but she still faces a potentially decades-long wait to gain citizenship. This is because, with him gone, her status was at risk.

These green card backlogs need to be resolved. Sunayana is not alone. Many people have applied for permanent residency and are stuck in long backlogs for green cards.

H.R. 1044 creates a fair and equitable first-come, first-served system, helping to even out green card lines and helping to prevent excessive backlogs for folks like Sunayana. It allows U.S. companies to focus on what they do best: hiring people with the right skills to create products, services, and jobs.

This is a piece of a larger, more comprehensive reform needed to fix our broken immigration system.

Mr. Chair, I rise today to offer an amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment to the Save the Internet Act that helps the American consumer.

This amendment requires the Government Accountability Office to produce a report examining the FCC's efforts to assess competition in the wireline and wireless broadband internet access markets, and to tell us how the FCC can better assess competition in the future.

Driving competition in the telecommunications industry is good for innovation, consumer pricing, and availability of service. It only makes sense then that we should receive an accurate assessment of the FCC's current efforts to promote that competition and to ask the GAO how they might do it better.

I urge support for this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Michael F. Doyle).

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

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleagues, Representatives Cleaver, Watkins, and Larsen, for cosponsoring this bipartisan piece of legislation to designate the Quindaro Townsite in Kansas City, Kansas, as a national commemorative site. I would also like to thank Senator Pat Roberts for his important leadership on this issue.

The bill that passed this week honors the significant history of Quindaro, which served as a key stop on the Underground Railroad and helps preserve the site for future generations.

Quindaro is an important part of United States and Kansas history in the fight for freedom and equality. It serves as a reminder of a dark chapter in our Nation's history.

Sadly, for too long, the Quindaro Townsite has lacked proper investments needed to preserve it as a historic site. But the community leaders in Kansas never gave up on fighting for Quindaro, people like Marvin Robinson a Kansas City, Kansas, native who spent over 30 years working for this legislation to pass.

He now plans to use the site to improve racial relations in the community and to educate people about our shared history.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to protect Quindaro's history and keep its stories alive for future generations.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to voice my support for this amendment to H.R. 8 introduced by Representatives Horn and Murphy.

This amendment protects people facing the threat of domestic violence, dating partner violence, sexual assault, stalking, and domestic abuse.

I am the daughter of a military veteran, and like most Kansans, I respect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens. But also, like most Kansans, I am tired of politicians doing nothing to stop senseless killings.

That is why I support commonsense solutions to keep our communities safe, like expanding background checks and closing dangerous loopholes in our laws.

In our effort to ensure the safety of our communities, however, we can't forget the needs of those at risk of domestic violence to protect themselves from abuse.

According to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, in 2017 a domestic violence incident was reported every 23 minutes and a domestic violence murder occurred every 9 days in the State of Kansas.

In the United States, more than 12 million people experience some form of domestic violence by a current or former domestic partner every year.

These women and men deserve our support, which means we also need to reauthorize and strengthen the Violence Against Women Act.

These men and women deserve to be protected. I cannot emphasize that enough.

Mr. Chair, I am proud to support H.R. 8. It is a critical piece of legislation that will save lives, and I urge my fellow colleagues to stand up for survivors and those at risk and support this amendment.