Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I proudly, over the last 2 days, voted for a temporary extension of the small business tax exemption and the food inventory charitable exemption because I realize that America has many needs that have to be addressed, food stamps that have been denied to many people with a $40 billion cut in the last Congress by my friends on the other side of the aisle. I realize that if we continue in the mode of a permanent tax exemption, where will the funding come from? Social Security? Medicare? Medicaid?--a variety of needs that our community has.

So today I want to make sure that the $1.5 trillion debt that we have, that is now $440 billion, that we continue to be responsible and be concerned about our children's education and about health care and about many other things. So today we must stand, considering all the needs of Americans.

Finally, let me say that I represent an area that is trying to protect Freedmen's Town bricks laid or bought for by freed slaves. I believe we should come together in the city of Houston with our Freedmen's Town coalition and those citizens in that area and let's resolve this. Let's do trenching, preserve the bricks, and provide a quality infrastructure program that I have helped fund by Federal dollars.

Congressman, thank you so very much. And, again, my greatest appreciation for your annual tribute to the NAACP. We are reminded of its great history. You are the carrier of this dream and this celebration. We are appreciative that you have come to this Congress and done many things, but you brought us to a moment every year to be able to honor this storied organization 106 years old. So let me thank my good friend Congressman Green, my next-door neighbor in Houston, and a friend of many of the same friends.

We know the work of the NAACP local chapter in Houston, Texas. Now, the leading President is, as I call him, Dean James Douglas. Many presidents before, of course, have ably served our local chapter, but we come today to acknowledge the grandness of the NAACP. And as my colleague, Congressman Rangel, just mentioned, it is an organization that is everywhere in all ways.

It is well to note that many of the successes that we have had in freedom, justice, and liberty have come about through the NAACP. President Truman was the first President in 1948 to speak to the NAACP. But it was not just an oration, if you will. The NAACP seeks to work, collaborate, and get things done. It was that close relationship with President Truman that generated a commission that in the late 1940s, after World War II, where soldiers came home to a second-class citizenship.

Soldiers who left the hills and valleys of America, the farms, and the urban centers of America, African Americans, colored boys, who went into World War II came out as a second-class citizen. You will hear stories of soldiers coming back home being forced off trains or in the back of the train or the back of the bus, not being offered food at a train station, even with the uniform on.

So heroes that had fought in the war and managed to survive and come home still came to a segregated America. It was in that backdrop that President Truman spoke to the NAACP, and they called for a commission to address the question of civil rights in America. Out of that came the--because it was in the realm of World War II, out of that came an important announcement that really, I think, was the predecessor to desegregating America. That, of course, was the executive order that desegregated the United States military. That is the clout of the

Mr. Speaker, the President has issued an AUMF, which is the authority to determine the questions of war and peace, particularly in light of the dangers we face with ISIS. In spite of that, we are holding hostage the funding of the armor of security for this Nation, the Department of Homeland Security, the committee upon which I have sat since the horrible, heinous act of 9/11.

We take our work very seriously. We know that we oversee the national security of this Nation, along with the very important aspect and leadership of our Defense Department. Every day, we are mindful of the roles that individuals play who are a part of the Department of Homeland Security.

Rather than looking to be concerned about the dangers of unaccompanied children, as our Republican friends seem to be, challenging the President's thoughtful executive actions within the context of his constitutional authority, we are now using those reasons for holding hostage the very armor of domestic security.

Mr. Speaker, let me tell you, the TSA officers that I see as I travel around this country are front liners. I speak to them all the time. They have protected this Nation from various attacks--or potential attacks, might I say--stopping threats that many of us are not even aware of. These very faithful workers, along with border security workers, will have to work without pay. There will have to be a reordering of the strategies of the Secretary of Homeland Security.

Mr. Speaker, 40,000 Border Patrol agents; 50,000 TSA personnel; 13,000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, officers; 40,000 Coast Guard; and 4,000 Secret Service officers will be threatened by this.

And so, Mr. Speaker, I demand that we do the right thing, with 8 legislative days left. Fund the Department of Homeland Security. Speak in a tone that is that of America. Defend our Nation. Protect our Nation. Stop this politicizing of the funding of the Department of Homeland Security.

I ask the Republicans to join me in an important patriotic effort. Fund the Department of Homeland Security.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Alabama, and I thank her particularly for her persistent leadership and for her generosity with inviting so many Members to her district. We have enjoyed meeting her local officials, and we have enjoyed meeting the leadership of that great city and its great history.

We make a personal commitment to her that as we travel through Selma--and it captures the essence of a town of great history--that we recognize that there is a need to invest many dollars to preserve this great city and to preserve its history. We thank her for her leadership.

To the manager, the gentleman from Michigan, let me thank you very much for your eloquent statements. Isn't it important, Mr. Speaker, to see the number of leaders of our leadership--the majority leader, the minority leader, the whip, and the minority whip--here on the floor of the House joining us in this momentous occasion?

Mr. Speaker, I had the privilege of working for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, obviously at a very, very young age. It was in that atmosphere, out of their office on Auburn Avenue in Georgia, that I got the sense and the feeling of the moment of the history of Selma.

In the fictional yet truthful movie ``Selma,'' we are reminded of the song ``Glory.'' Today is an example of ``Glory.'' It is an example of the coming together of peoples around what is right, and it is a recognition that foot soldiers, though unknown even some 50 years later, are deserving of being pulled from the ashes of their last words to be able to say to them, ``Thank you.''

That is what this Congressional Gold Medal means to me and means to so many who were among the 600-plus that could be called the foot soldiers. Obviously, by working for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, I knew at that time Ambassador Andrew Young, Hosea Williams, James Orange, and a litany of others.

Certainly, as our Congresswoman from Selma has done, we pay tribute to our leader John Lewis who, himself, was brutalized as he attempted to exercise a simple right protected by the Bill of Rights, and that is the right to freedom of speech, freedom of access, and freedom of movement.

Today, Mr. Speaker, I join in the words of President Johnson on March 15, 1965, looking back over Bloody Sunday. He said:

I speak tonight for the dignity of man and the destiny of

democracy . . . At times, history and fate meet at a single

time in a single place to shape a turning point in man's

unending search for freedom. So it was at Lexington and

Concord. So it was a century ago at Appomattox. So it was

last week in Selma, Alabama.

Yes, it was simply just last week in the thinking of so many of us as we stand on the floor of the House.

I thank the gentlewoman.

Might I say, as we vote on this, we vote together. Might I say, as much as we vote, can we do it in action and vote to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act by simply restoring section 5, giving the Supreme Court what it needs, but recognizing the importance of protecting the right to vote?

In the name of Jimmie Lee Jackson who died trying to protect his mother and grandmother, in the name of Viola Liuzzo, and in the name of Reverend James Reeb, I ask that we stand here today and vote for this legislation to honor them, but vote for reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today not only as a proud supporter, but as a cosponsor, of H.R. 431, a bill authorizing the award of the Congressional Gold Medal to the ``foot soldiers of Selma,'' those heroic souls who risked their lives for freedom and to secure the right to vote for all Americans by their participation in marches for voting rights on ``Bloody Sunday,'' ``Turnaround Tuesday,'' or the final, completed march from Selma to Montgomery in March 1965.

I thank my colleague, Congresswoman Terri Sewell of Alabama, for introducing this legislation paying fitting, and long overdue, tribute to those brave and determined men and women, boys and girls, persons of all races and creeds, who loved their country so much that they were willing to risk their lives to make it better, to bring it even closer to its founding ideals that all persons have dignity and the right to equal treatment under the law, and in the making of the laws, which is the fundamental essence of the right to vote. I also want to thank Congresswoman Martha Roby.

Mr. Speaker, on March 15, 1965, before a joint session of the Congress and the eyes of the nation, President Lyndon Johnson explained to the nation the significance of ``Bloody Sunday'':

``I speak tonight for the dignity of man and the destiny of

democracy. . . .

``At times history and fate meet at a single time in a

single place to shape a turning point in man's unending

search for freedom.

``So it was at Lexington and Concord.

``So it was a century ago at Appomattox.

``So it was last week in Selma, Alabama.''

The previous Sunday, March 7, 1965, more than 600 civil rights demonstrators, including our beloved colleague, Congressman John Lewis of Georgia, were brutally attacked by state and local police at the Edmund Pettus Bridge as they marched from Selma to Montgomery in support of the right to vote.

``Bloody Sunday'' was one of the defining moments in American history because it crystallized for the nation the necessity of enacting a strong and effective federal law to protect the right to vote of every American.

No one who witnessed the violence and brutally suffered by the foot soldiers for justice who gathered at the Edmund Pettus Bridge will ever forget it; the images are deeply seared in the American memory and experience.

Mr. Speaker, what is so moving, heroic, and awe-inspiring is that the foot soldiers we honor today faced their heavily armed oppressors fortified only by their love for their country and each other and the audacious faith that their cause was just.

The example set by the foot soldiers of Selma showed everyone, here in America and around the world, that there is no force on earth as powerful as an idea whose time has come.

So it is fitting and proper, Mr. Speaker, that we honor today the heroes--the foot soldiers--who won the Bathe of Selma and helped redeem the greatest nation on earth.

But we should not forget that this victory came at great cost and that many good and dear persons lost their lives to win for others the right to vote.

Men like Jimmy Lee Jackson, who was shot by Alabama state trooper as he tried to protect his mother and grandmother from being beaten for participating in a peaceful voting rights march in Marion, Alabama.

Women like Viola Liuzzo, a housewife and mother of five, who had journeyed to Selma from Detroit to join the protests after witnessing on television the events at Edmund Pettus Bridge on ``Bloody Sunday'' and who was shot and killed by Klansmen while driving back from a trip shuttling fellow voting rights marchers to the Montgomery airport.

Persons of faith, goodwill, and non-violence like the Reverend James Reeb of Boston, a minister from Boston who heeded the call of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to come to Selma and who succumbed to the head injuries he suffered at the hands of his white supremacists attackers on March 9, two days after Bloody Sunday.

Mr. Speaker, in the face of all this hostility, violence, brutality, and hatred, the foot soldiers of Selma would not be deterred--would not be moved--would not be turned around.

They kept their eyes on the prize and held on.

And help came the very next week when President Johnson announced to the nation that he would send to Congress for immediate action a law designed to eliminate illegal barriers to the right to vote by striking down ``restrictions to voting in all elections--Federal, State, and local--which have been used to deny Negroes the right to vote.''

On August 6, 1965, that legislation--the Voting Rights Act of 1965-- was signed into law by President Johnson and for the next 48 years did more to expand our democracy and empower racial and language minorities than any act of government since the Emancipation Proclamation and adoption of the Civil War Amendments.

But our work is not done; the dreams of Dr. King and of all those who gave their lives in the struggle for justice are not behind us but still before us.

In the wake of the Supreme Court's 2013 ruling in Shelby County v. Holder, which severely crippled the Voting Rights Act, we have seen many states across our nation move to enact legislation designed to limit the ability of women, the elderly, racial and language minorities to exercise their right to vote.

In Texas alone, new voter ID laws are estimated to have prevented or deterred as many as 600,000 citizens from registering to vote in 2014.

To honor the memory of the foot soldiers of Selma, we must rededicate ourselves to a great task remaining before us--to repair the damage done to the Voting Rights Act by working to pass the Voting Rights Amendments Act of 2015, which I am proud to be one of the original cosponsors.

Mr. Speaker, as I have stated many times, the 1965 Voting Rights Act is no ordinary piece of legislation.

For millions of Americans, and for many in Congress, it is sacred treasure, earned by the sweat and toil and tears and blood of ordinary Americans who showed the world it was possible to accomplish extraordinary things.

As we honor the foot soldiers of Selma by voting to pass H.R. 431 awarding them the Congressional Gold Medal, let us resolve also to restore the Voting Rights Act of 1965, so that it remains a lasting monument to their heroism and devotion to the country they loved.

Mr. Speaker, over the last 24 hours, we have heard that a wonderful young woman from Arizona, whose family is now mourning, lost her life somewhere in Syria at the hands of a violent and barbaric group by the name of ISIS. I hope that it brings all Americans together around the importance of eliminating this dastardly group, and to begin to look inwardly to make sure that we attack this cancer at its beginning and to be able to stop the radicalization that comes about through the Internet and many of the young people in this country.

I introduced earlier this year the No Fly Foreign Soldiers Act to ensure that those who may leave this country and then attempt to fly back are, in fact, detected. There are many things we can do on the end of passing law, but we must also respond that we not attack any religion for just its beliefs and begin to educate people about the values of many different religions.

That is what this young American sought to do. She went to save the vulnerable. And so we must isolate ISIS as it is and stand with those who recognize the greatness of America and the diversity of our religions and the diversity of the people.

I sadly offer my sympathy for the Muslims that were killed at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. We must fight those who are here attempting to do harm and must recognize that we have a goodness in our country and emphasize the fact that we live and can live in harmony. But ISIS must be our target, not those whose faith may be considered a faith that we do not understand or maybe even disagree with.

Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee and a former member of the Science Committee I am in strong support of, H.R. 810, The NASA Authorization Act of 2015.''

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Smith and Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson for their work to bring the NASA Authorization Act of 2015 before the House for consideration.

There is historic congressional support for NASA in Congress, and I am at the forefront of that support.

I served on the House Science Committee for 12 years; and I am in strong support of the NASA Authorization Act of 2015, as the best way forward to strengthen NASA into the future and to avoid dismantling the manned space program.

This legislation will protect American and Texan jobs, saving more than while, driving innovation, and ensure our Nation's youth are encouraged to pursue careers in science, exploration, engineering, technology, and math.

The United States space program has existed for over half a century and my commitment to providing NASA with the resources to carry the agency forward with its ambitious agenda of research, exploration, and discovery is unwavering.

It is our job as members of Congress to make sure that NASA continues to push the boundaries of what is possible, keeping our Nation on the forefront of innovation and exploration.

This bill authorizes programs and projects at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for Fiscal Year 2015 (FY15).

This authorization bill's funding is consistent with the funding $18,010,200,000 In appropriations for NASA in the Consolidated and Further Appropriations Act, 2015 bill passed at the end of the 113th Congress.

NASA continues to be the world's premier space organization.

This bill seeks to maintain sustainability of purpose and budget for NASA programs, continuing the congressional commitment provided in previous reauthorizations in 2005, 2008, and 2010 to space exploration, both human and robotic.

This legislation makes clear that a human mission to Mars is the goal for NASA's human spaceflight program and requires the development of a roadmap to achieve that goal, as well as biennial updates.

In the near-term, the primary tasks for NASA human spaceflight include:

Realizing the research potential of the International Space Station (ISS) with an Office of Science & Technology Policy-led strategic plan for all science agencies to conduct research on the Station.

Continued commitment to develop the Space Launch System and Orion Crew Vehicle to serve as a backup system to support the ISS if necessary.

NASA will be able to engage in the educational and outreach activities necessary to support science, technology, engineering, and mathematics curriculum and inspire the next generation of explorers.

The authorization will assist in building at least one Commercial Crew system (with NASA funds) to carry American astronauts on American rockets safely, reliably, and affordably to and from the International Space Station so that we are no longer reliant on Russia for crew access.

The bill emphasizes the importance of maintaining a steady cadence of science missions, including a Europa mission with a goal of launching by 2021.

The bill directs NASA and the NASA to provide Congress with a report assessing the long-term goals of NASA's Mars Exploration Program, which includes the Mars 2020 rover.

To reflect the increase in the number of newly discovered planets outside our solar system, the legislation also directs NASA and the NAS to provide an exoplanet exploration strategy.

This bill stresses the importance of completing and expanding the Congressionally mandated near-Earth object survey to detect, track, catalogue, and characterize near-Earth objects 140 meters in diameter or larger.

This authorization addresses an issue of great importance to a sustained and healthy space program.

The bill provides NASA with the agility to develop a plan to better position the agency to have the facilities and infrastructure necessary to meet future requirements including those set forth in the human exploration roadmap.

It is the responsibility of this Congress to ensure that the future of NASA is one of continued progress and that space exploration remains a part of our national destiny.

NASA inspires our children to look to the stars and dream of what they too may achieve one day.

Space exploration allows us to push the bounds of our scientific knowledge, as we carry out research projects not possible within the constraints of planet Earth.

I look forward to the reintroduction of the REAL Space Act this Congress and ask that my colleagues support this important measure.

In recent years, we have seen other nations joining in the space race with varying levels of success.

We applaud these efforts, which include:

The European Space Agency's success in landing a vehicle on a comet that was speeding through deep space; and

China's landing its first rover ``Jade Rabbit'' on the surface of the moon.

Exploration of space remains critical to United States leadership and economic trendsetting position in the global economy.

The future is space, and I support NASA's continued progress to ensure the United States retains its leadership in this vital area of human exploration.

I ask that my colleagues join me in voting for H.R. 810.

Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee and a former chair of the Transportation Security Subcommittee, I rise in support of H.R. 719, the ``TSA Office of Inspection Accountability Act of 2015.''

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman McCaul and Ranking Member Thompson for their leadership in bringing this legislation to the floor.

H.R. 719 will save the taxpayers hundreds of thousands dollars annually by requiring the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to conform its personnel classification practices to existing Federal law and regulations regarding criminal investigator positions.

According to a report by the Homeland Security Department's Inspector General (IG), about half of the employees in the Office of Inspection (OII) are classified as criminal investigators even though their duties do not involve responsibilities that can be characterized as criminal investigation activities.

Instead, the responsibilities of these employees primarily consist of administrative duties such as investigating cases of TSA employee misconduct and conducting internal reviews.

Classifying these employees as ``law enforcement'' personnel, however, makes them eligible for premium pay and other significant economic benefits.

If TSA fails to reclassify criminal investigator positions as noncriminal investigator positions or non-law-enforcement positions, this will cost taxpayers as much as $17,000,000 over 5 years.

This money could be utilized to ensure that law enforcement agencies, which identify, apprehend, and prosecute criminals, have the tools, resources, and training necessary to do their job efficiently, effectively, and economically.

Mr. Speaker, I have always strongly supported providing the resources needed by law enforcement and first responders and will continue to do so in future.

But we have an obligation to the American people to be responsible stewards of the public trust and it is not responsible to provide premium pay and benefits intended for law enforcement personnel to employees who do not perform the dangerous duties of law enforcement officers.

This bill will obligate the Assistant Secretary of TSA to reclassify criminal investigator positions in the Office of Inspection as noncriminal investigator positions or non-law enforcement positions if the individuals in those positions do not, or are not expected to, spend an average of at least 50 percent of their time performing criminal investigative duties.

This is an important step to bring transparency to the office of inspector with regards to the work of TSA personnel and law enforcement investigative task.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 719, which directs the Office of Inspection to reclassify its current criminal investigator positions to conform to the requirements of applicable law and save the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. R. 720, The Gerardo Hernandez Airport Security Act of 2015, which improves intergovernmental planning and communication during security incidents at domestic airports.

As a former chair and ranking member of the Homeland Security Committee Transportation Security Subcommittee, I understand how important this bill will be in enhancing safety and protection in the air transit industry, not just for our citizens but for our Transportation Security Officers working in the line of duty.

This legislation, which requires the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to devote more resources for planning and communication during and in case of threats or emergencies, is prompted by the tragic death of Gerardo I. Hernandez, a Transportation Security Officer who was killed in the line of duty at Los Angeles International Airport on November 1, 2013.

At just 39 years old, Gerardo Hernandez was the first TSA officer to lose his life in the line of duty in the 12 year history of the agency.

He died from several gunshot wounds inflicted by an assailant while on duty at the Los Angeles International Airport

Gerardo Hernandez was among those thousands of TSA employs carrying out their mission to keep the airways safe for traveling citizens, and their work across the nation cannot be understated.

Seven victims were treated at the scene of the attack and three victims who were wounded by gunfire, including two TSA officers, identified as 54-year-old James Speer and 36-year-old Tony Grigsby needed hospital treatment.

On average, TSA officers screen 1.7 million air passengers at more than 450 airports across the nation, which averaged over 637.5 million passengers in 2012.

H.R. 720 will help ensure that all screening personnel have received training in how to handle potential shooting threats.

The bill also requires TSA to verify that all airports have plans in place to respond to any security threats, and provide technical assistance as necessary to improve those plans.

The bill also directs the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Office of Cybersecurity and Communication to report to Congress the capacity of law enforcement, fire, and medical response teams' communication and response to security threats at airports.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates the implementation of H.R. 720 would cost about $2.5 million in 2015. Of the $2.5 million, an estimated $1.5 million would serve to provide additional technical assistance to airports, and the remaining $1 million would be used to evaluate the interoperability of communication systems used by emergency response teams.

Mr. Speaker, it has been almost 14 years since our country suffered the tragedy of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

We will never forget how that day changed our lives, and the lives of every American generation to follow.

Security measures in airports across the country have been enhanced dramatically, and the resulting inconvenience is a small price to pay for the protective measures needed to keep the travelling public safe.

It is people like Gerardo Hernandez who do their best to make the necessary screening as least intrusive and burdensome as possible, consistent with the mission of ensuring the security of all members of the flying public.

TSA officers willingly risk their lives to make sure the job gets done, and for that we owe these men and women a debt of gratitude.

In honor of Gerardo Hernandez's contribution to his country, I strongly support this bill and urge all my colleagues to join me in voting for its passage.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 710, the Essential Transportation Worker Identification Credential Assessment Act, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my good friend from Georgia for his concern and for his commitment and thank him for his service on the Homeland Security Committee. I also want to acknowledge our chairman and our ranking member of the full committee and Mrs. Miller who now serves as the chairwoman of the Border and Maritime Security, on which I served as the ranking member in the last Congress.

The bill passed the House unanimously in the 113th Congress, and I am pleased it is being considered by the House again today. Mr. Speaker, might I add my appreciation to the House leadership, in particular the Speaker; majority leader; and, of course, our leader and minority whip.

The SAFE Port Act of 2006 directed the Secretary of Homeland Security to implement a biometric credential program, now known as the TWIC program, to ensure that individuals with unescorted access to secure areas of ports and vessels were vetted and carrying proper credentials.

Mr. Speaker, I had a TWIC card. I remember being there as the TWIC card was being implemented and watching various workers come to a central point and sign up for the TWIC card. We had great hope and inspiration on that TWIC card.

Establishment of this program was viewed as critical to ensuring protection of our ports from a so-called insider security threat; however, in the years since it was established, the Department of Homeland Security struggled to realize the security benefits that Congress envisioned.

I know that the former director of the Transportation Security Administration, Mr. Pistole, was very concerned. It should be noted their efforts are an important part of their work, along with others.

In fact, the Government Accountability Office has examined the program and identified serious shortcomings that may undermine the program's intended purpose and make it difficult to justify the program's costs and particularly the costs to workers. I saw that firsthand. I also saw the challenges of workers who had many unique scheduling for their work hours to be able to get a TWIC card.

In response, I introduced H.R. 710 and its predecessor last Congress with the support of Subcommittee Chairman Miller as an original cosponsor to ensure that Congress receives an independent, scientific assessment of the program and to require the Secretary to issue a corrective action plan in response to the assessment.

Ranking Member Thompson is also a cosponsor, but this is bipartisan legislation. The required assessment should give Congress the information it needs to determine how best to proceed with the TWIC program.

The bill has been refined over time to ensure that the long overdue rulemaking for TWIC card readers would not be affected by the bill and to refine the scope of the assessment we are seeking.

There is great interest in that final rule; particularly, there is interest in how many ports and vessels will be required to install readers for biometric cards. If the final rule requires only a limited number of vessels and ports to have biometric readers, as has been previously proposed by the Department, we will still--we will still-- certainly need to have a discussion about what this means for the approximately 2 million truckers, longshoremen, and port workers who today carry TWICs as part of their jobs.

For those of us who live around and near our ports, such as the Houston port, we know that this will have a great impact.

In closing, I again thank my friend for his concern and presence here on the floor today and in support of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I just want to make the point that this bill was generated by the GAO report which found a number of concerns, and I just want to mention one or two. The reliability of data collection retention was done in an incomplete and inconsistent manner, this report wanted to inform us of--this was a GAO TWIC report--and it commented on some of the illnesses or ailments of this process.

It reported that transaction data did not match underlying documentation, installed TWIC readers and access control systems could not collect required data on TWIC reader use, and TSA and the independent test agent did not employ effective compensating data collection measures.

Also, pilot participants did not document instances of denied access. Finally, TSA and the independent test agent did not collect complete data on malfunctioning TWIC cards.

This legislation, the underlying legislation, H.R. 710, is to be a helper. It is to help correct our path to make the document, the TWIC card that all of us are quite familiar with, the best effective data- collecting document and system that it can possibly be.

I am very grateful that, again, my colleagues on the Homeland Security Committee have supported this legislation, and I ask my colleagues to join us in making what is good much better and best to be able to secure the Nation and provide for the homeland.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of my bill, H.R. 710, the ``Essential Transportation Worker Identification Credential Assessment Act.''

This bill passed the House unanimously in the 113th Congress and I am pleased it is being considered by the House again today.

The SAFE Port Act of 2006 directed the Secretary of Homeland Security to implement a biometric credential program, now known as the TWIC program, to ensure that individuals with unescorted access to secure areas of

ports and vessels were vetted and carrying proper credentials.

Establishment of this program was viewed as critical to ensuring the protection of our ports from a so-called ``insider security threat.''

However, in the years since it was established, the Department of Homeland Security struggled to realize the security benefits that Congress envisioned.

In fact, the Government Accountability Office has examined the program and identified serious shortcomings that may undermine the program's intended purpose and make it difficult to justify program costs, and particularly the costs to workers.

In response, I introduced H.R. 710 and its predecessor last Congress, with the support of Subcommittee Chairman Miller as an original cosponsor, to ensure that Congress receives an independent scientific assessment of the program and to require the Secretary to issue a corrective action plan in response to the assessment.

The required assessment should give Congress the information it needs to determine how best to proceed with the TWIC program.

The bill has been refined over time to ensure that the long-overdue rulemaking for TWIC card readers would not be affected by the bill and to refine the scope of the assessment we are seeking.

There is great interest in that final rule, particularly there is interest in how many ports and vessels will be required to install readers for biometric cards.

If the final rule requires only a limited number of vessels and ports to have biometric readers, as has been previously proposed by the Department, we will certainly need to have a discussion about what this means for the approximately 2 million truckers, longshoremen and port workers who today carry TWICs as part of their jobs.

In closing, I want to express my appreciation to Chairman Miller for the bipartisan nature of the work on this bill and express my appreciation to her staff for their cooperation.

I am proud to represent a portion of the Port of Houston and know firsthand the importance of this issue to the maritime workers, truckers, and others who access our Nation's ports every day. It is imperative that we get this right on their behalf.

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 710, a bipartisan bill that is essential to ensuring that the Department of Homeland Security has an effective program in place to help secure our ports.

Identical legislation that I authored was approved unanimously last Congress. Today, with this legislation, we have the opportunity to send another strong message to the Department.

Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee, the Ranking Member of the Border and Maritime Security Subcommittee, and the author of the legislation, I rise in strong and enthusiastic support of H.R. 710, the ``Essential Transportation Worker Identification Credential Assessment Act.''

H.R. 710 is identical in all substantive respects to H.R. 3202, which passed the House during the 113th Congress on July 28, 2014.

The Essential Transportation Worker Identification Credential Assessment Act directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to submit to Congress and the Comptroller General (GAO) a comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of the transportation security card program at enhancing security or reducing security risks for maritime facilities and vessels.

I reintroduced H.R. 710, in response to this GAO TWIC Report on the Weaknesses in the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) Reader Pilot program that impacted the accuracy, and reliability of the system.

The GAO report stated that data collection and retention was done in an incomplete and inconsistent manner during the pilot, further undermining the completeness, accuracy, and reliability of the data collected at pilot sites.

Problems identified included by the GAO report included:

1. Installed TWIC readers and access control systems could not collect required data on TWIC reader use, and TSA and the independent test agent did not employ effective compensating data collection measures.

2. Reported transaction data did not match underlying documentation.

3. Pilot documentation did not contain complete TWIC reader and access control system characteristics.

4. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the independent test agent did not record clear baseline data for comparing operational performance at access points with TWIC readers.

5. TSA and the independent test agent did not collect complete data on malfunctioning TWIC cards.

6. Pilot participants did not document instances of denied access.

7. TSA and the independent test agent did not collect consistent data on the operational impact of using TWIC cards with readers.

8. Pilot site reports did not contain complete information about installed TWIC readers' and access control systems' design.

H.R. 710 addresses the problems outlined in the GAO report by directing the Secretary to issue a corrective action plan based on the assessment that responds to the findings of a cost-benefit analysis of the program and enhances security or reduces security risk for such facilities and vessels.

Following the assessment the Comptroller General, within 120 days must review the extent to which the submissions implement certain recommendations issued by the Comptroller General, and inform Congress as to the responsiveness of the submission.

The bill also prohibits the Secretary from issuing a final rule requiring the use of transportation security card readers until the Comptroller General informs Congress that the submission is substantially responsive to the GAO recommendations, and the Secretary issues an updated list of transportation security card readers that are compatible with active transportation security cards.

Mr. Speaker, my congressional district is located in Houston, Texas, which is home to the Port of Houston, one of the world's busiest ports, and one of its most critical infrastructure projects.

According to the Department of Commerce in 2012, Texas exports totaled $265 billion.

The Port of Houston is a 25-mile-long complex of diversified public and private facilities located just a few hours' sailing time from the Gulf of Mexico.

In 2012, ship channel-related businesses contribute 1,026,820 jobs and generate more than $178.5 billion in statewide economic impact.

For the past 11 consecutive years, Texas has outpaced the rest of the nation's ports in exports and ranked: 1. 1st in foreign tonnage; 2. 2nd in total tonnage; and 3. 7th in container ports by total TEUs in 2012.

The Port of Houston is the largest Texas port with 46% of market share by tonnage and the largest Texas container port with 96% market share in containers by total TEUs in 2012.

It is the largest Gulf Coast container port, handling 67% of Gulf Coast container traffic in 2012 and ranked 2nd in terms of cargo value (based on CBP Customs port definitions).

The Government Accountability Office (GAO), reports that the Port of Houston, its waterways, and vessels are part of an economic engine handling more than $700 billion in merchandise annually.

The Port of Houston houses approximately 100 steamship lines offering services that link Houston with 1,053 ports in 203 countries.

The Port of Houston hosts a $15 billion petrochemical complex, the largest in the nation and second largest worldwide.

The Port of Houston petrochemical complex supplies over 40 percent of the nation's base petrochemical manufacturing capacity.

What happens at the Port of Houston affects the entire nation.

When Congress enacted the SAFE Ports Act in 2006, we directed the Secretary of Homeland Security to implement a biometric credential program to ensure that individuals with unescorted access to sensitive areas in ports and vessels were vetted and known.

However, under the Homeland Security Committee's oversight responsibilities we learned that, as implemented by TSA and the Coast Guard, there are weaknesses in the program.

For this reason, I introduced H.R. 710, with the support of Mr. Thompson, the Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member, and Mrs. Miller, Chair of the Border and Maritime Security Subcommittee as original cosponsors, to ensure that Congress receives an independent scientific assessment of the program and to require the Secretary to issue a corrective action plan in response to the assessment.

The required assessment should give Congress the information it needs to determine how best to proceed with the program.

I want to point out that in the last Congress when this bill was marked up in Committee, language was integrated to ensure that clarified that pending rulemaking would not be impacted by the bill and refined the scope of the assessment we are seeking.

H.R. 710 retains this language.

The Department has said that the final rule for biometric readers will be published in January 2015.

There is great interest in the Department's final rule for biometric readers, particularly as it relates to the number of ports and vessels that will be required to install readers for biometric cards.

If the final rule requires only a limited number of vessels and ports to have biometric readers, as has been previously proposed by the Department, we will certainly need to have a discussion about what this means for the approximately 2 million truckers, longshoremen and port workers who today are required to carry biometric cards to do their jobs.

I want to express my appreciation to Chairman Miller for the bipartisan nature of the

work on this and all the bills that originate in her Subcommittee and thank her and the Committee staff for their cooperation and assistance in shepherding this vital legislation to the floor.

I ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to strongly support this bipartisan bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, just yesterday I joined my public school system, my director of the city health department, and a number of health professionals to again remind parents and others around the Nation, and really to remind now, as I speak, my colleagues, vaccines save; and to be able to emphasize in the backdrop of this outbreak of measles, starting first with 7 States and 114 cases coming out of the case in Disney, and then now 17 States with 121 cases, to recognize the importance of research and responding to infectious disease.

We understand measles. We understand the science of it. We know that we can protect people against it. We know when they should get a booster and what age a child should begin their first shots, certainly after 1 year old. We understand that an 8-month-old is in jeopardy if he or she is exposed, as is someone with low immunity. We also know that the measles vaccine has worked, and it has been effective.

I want to thank the Centers for Disease Control. In a conference call, they indicated that they are going to make new efforts to work with various health facilities and health entities

across the Nation to establish protocols to talk to parents about vaccines. We can save lives, and we must do so together.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 596 a bill to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

This is the 56th attempt by House Republicans to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

After 55 attempts it was my hope that this new Congress would begin its work in a more productive manner. We should be addressing the need to eliminate sequestration, the importance of raising the minimum wage, provide universal access to child care, and the passage of a jobs bill that rebuilds our nation's infrastructure.

Instead we continue to waste precious legislative time on fighting this effort to hurting Americans who need affordable, assessable and available healthcare.

The Affordable Care Act is the law of the land. Instead of attempting to repeal and undermine this law, we should use our time to work together to make improvements where necessary and ensure its smooth implementation.

Many of those most in need of the healthcare coverage provided by the Affordable Care Act live in the Districts of many members on both sides of this argument. Texas, my own state, leads the list of states with the highest percentages of uninsured residents.

Those states with the highest percentage of uninsured base on a report by the Bureau of the Census ``Health Insurance Coverage in the United States:

Texas with 22.1 percent, Florida with 20.0 percent, Nevada with 20.7 percent, Georgia with 18.8 percent, Alaska with 18.5 percent, Oklahoma with 17.7 percent, and Arizona with 17.1 percent.

The highest concentration of the uninsured is the poor. The Affordable Care Act provides to states at no cost options for residents to enroll in healthcare programs through Medicaid. Unfortunately, some states like my state of Texas has rejected this important component of the Affordable Care Act for those in the state in most need of healthcare.

Other states that have not adopted the provisions of the law that expand Medicaid include Texas, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Louisiana, Alaska, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Kansas, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Missouri, Virginia, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming and Maine.

Instead of focusing on protecting and caring for the health of our constituents, we are allowing partisan games to interfere with serving the best interest of our Districts.

There are 20 days before enrollment in the online Marketplaces will begin, the House majority is bringing this bill to deter the implementation of this key provision of the Affordable Care Act.

This latest attempt to prevent implementation of Obamacare would stop any premium tax credits from being provided until the HHS Inspector General Office certifies there is a program in place that ``successfully and consistently verifies'' household income and coverage requirements for those applying for these credits.

Conveniently, there is no way that this new requirement would be met in a timely fashion because the HHS IG office does not have the resources, staff or expertise to undertake such a certification. Therefore, since the new requirement will likely not be met, the Affordable Care Act will be drastically inhibited.

The impact of the enactment of this GOP bill would be to delay millions of qualified Americans from getting health coverage. The new requirement would deny millions of our hard-working constituents from getting the premium tax credits they are clearly eligible for beginning on January 1, 2014.

This is how the income verification program under the HHS regulations works to hinder the Affordable Care Act.

To get tax credits to make their health insurance affordable, individuals will have to submit their projected annual household income.

All income data submitted through the Marketplaces will be checked with IRS data, Social Security data, and current wage information.

If there is an inconsistency between income projection claims and proven past income, the Marketplaces will require additional documentation from applicants.

In addition, Marketplaces will check employer coverage information from the applicant and their employer against data from the: Office of Personnel Management and the SHOP Marketplaces (where available) as well as other data sources approved by HHS to verify eligibility for the tax credits.

If applicant information and other data do not match, the Marketplaces will ask for further supporting documentation.

Furthermore, all payments of premium tax credits are reconciled by IRS the following year. The income data submitted is reconciled against the actual wages and health coverage information on the individual's income tax return. If there is an inconsistency, the applicant pays back the excess, subject to statutory limit. There is l00% income verification and reconciliation on this back-end.

I cannot understand the continuous rejection by the Republicans against the Affordable Care act when the idea of everyone paying something towards their healthcare was a Republican idea put into practice in the State of Massachusetts by the former Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney.

Instead of focusing on the issues that the American people want addressed--we are having the same discussion to repeal the Affordable Care Act in efforts of my colleagues to repeal, obstruct and undermine this law. What is even more frustrating is that while there is so much energy in trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act, there has been no plan or suggestions posed on how to replace it.

I want to once again highlight the benefits of the Affordable Care Act so we can once in for all end the attempts to try and repeal this law that benefits so many Americans. Because of the Affordable Care Act, Americans are already seeing lower costs, better coverage, and patient protections that Republicans want to repeal:

13 million Americans benefited from $1.1 billion in rebates sent to them from their health insurance companies last year.

105 million Americans have access to free preventive services, including 71 million Americans in private plans and 34 million seniors on Medicare.

Millions of women began receiving free coverage for comprehensive women's preventive services in August 2012.

100 million Americans no longer have a life-time limit on healthcare coverage.

Nearly 17 million children with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied coverage by insurers.

6.6 million young-adults up to age 26 have health insurance through their parents' plan, half of whom would be uninsured without this coverage.

6.3 million Seniors in the `donut hole' have already saved $6.1 billion on their prescription drugs.

3.2 million Seniors have access to free annual wellness visits under Medicare, and

360,000 small employers have already taken advantage of the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit to provide health insurance to 2 million workers.

Because of the Affordable Care Act 3.8 million people in Texas-- including 2.2 million seniors on Medicare now receive preventative care services. Over 7 million Texans no longer have to fear lifetime limits on their healthcare insurance. Texas parents of 300,731 young adults can sleep easier at night knowing that their children can remain on their health insurance until age 26.

The protection provided by this law is a guarantee to 5 million Texas residents that their insurance companies will spend 80 percent of their premium dollars on healthcare, or customers will get a rebate from their insurance company.

In my state, there are 4,029 people who had no insurance because of pre-existing conditions, but today the Affordable Care Act has provided them with access to coverage. The Affordable Care Act means that many Texans are free of worry about having access to healthcare insurance.

However, the list of benefits from the Affordable Care Act is not completed. In 2014, the Affordable Care Act's final provisions will become available to our citizens. Insurance companies will be banned from: discriminating against anyone with a pre-existing condition, charging higher rates based on gender or health status, enforcing lifetime dollar limits, enforcing annual dollar limits on health benefits.

In 2014, access to affordable healthcare for the self employed or those who decide to purchase their own coverage will be easier because of Affordable Insurance Exchanges. There will be a one stop marketplace where consumers can do what Federal employees have done for decades-- purchase insurance at reasonable rates from an insurer of their choice. This will assure that health care consumers can get the care that they need from the medical professionals they trust.

This Congress has work that needs to be done, and it has work that should be taken up to restore workers, their families and communities to sound economic health, not play partisan political games.

I urge my Colleagues to put partisan politics aside and join me in voting no on the passage of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey, Congressman Donald Payne, Jr., and the gentlewoman from Illinois, Congresswoman Robin

Kelly, for organizing this important Special Order on the legacy of the events at Selma, Alabama.

As Ava DuVarney's Oscar-nominated film ``Selma'' continues to foster discussion about the history of the Civil Rights Movement and bring the horrific events of ``Bloody Sunday'' to life for a new generation, I believe there is no better time to reflect on our journey, both past and ahead.

The march from Selma to Montgomery stands out as one of the defining moments of the Civil Rights Movement in the 20th century. The images are seared into the minds of Americans, and serve as a constant reminder of the violence and injustice that our predecessors faced as they strove for equal representation.

Violence that claimed the life of Jimmy Lee Jackson, beaten by state troopers as he tried to protect his mother and grandmother. His death was a catalyst that ignited the community and inspired the march.

Violence that claimed the lives of Reverend James Reeb of Boston and Viola Liuzzo of Detroit, who had journeyed to Selma to join the protests after the events at Edmund Pettus Bridge on ``Bloody Sunday'' had been broadcast across America.

In spite of all the violence, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his fellow protestors held their heads high and remained committed to their cause, a cause which touched people across the nation, so that when they reached Montgomery the crowd had swelled to 25,000 strong.

The actions of those brave men and women were a shout to the world that injustice and oppression would no longer be tolerated. Their struggles ensured that the blood that was shed, the lives that were lost were not in vain.

The very next week, President Lyndon Johnson announced to the nation that he would put legislation before Congress to eliminate barriers to the right to vote.

We have made great strides towards equality and towards justice since those tumultuous events in Selma, Alabama.

We are honored today to serve alongside Rep. John Lewis, who experienced firsthand that fight for rights and representation.

This congress counts 44 black members among its number, and thanks to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, millions of African-Americans can proudly cast their votes and make their voices heard.

But our work is far from done. The dreams of Dr. King and of all those who gave their lives in the struggle for civil rights are not behind us. They are ahead.

In the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling which severely crippled the Voting Rights Act, states across our nation enacted legislation designed to limit the ability of women, the elderly, African-Americans to exercise their right to vote.

In Texas alone, new voter ID laws are estimated to have prevented or deterred as many as 600,000 citizens from registering to vote in 2014.

Such an act is a direct affront to all those who participated in the march to Montgomery, as well as anyone who values the principles of true democracy.

It was exactly these principles that motivated 13 students from Texas Southern University to stage a sit-in in Houston 55 years ago in pursuit of desegregation.

Their actions remind us of that guiding ideal that no action is too small, too local to affect change in our society.

The Voting Rights Act is one of the most important pieces of legislation in American history, and it represents not only the hope, but also the blood and tears of millions of Americans.

We must work, through legislation like the Voting Rights Amendments Act of 2014, to strengthen it and protect the achievements of Dr. King, Ralph Abernathy, Andrew Young, Hosea Williams, and all those who made securing the right to vote for African-Americans their life's work.

The freedom to vote is not the only freedom for which we must continue to fight. Across America, our communities struggle for their economic freedom, for the right to opportunity and to financial security.

In 2014, black unemployment was twice that of white Americans, and they are more than twice as likely to live in poverty.

Median income for a black household was $33,764, a mere 60% of median income for a white household.

For these reasons, I will continue to advocate for legislation to benefit the working class, to benefit those members of our community who continue to struggle with unemployment and underemployment.

We need legislation that creates new jobs, and legislation that provides our citizens with the training that they need to break the cycle of unemployment.

We must understand that the minimum wage is not a living wage, and that, without action, we are condemning those with minimum wage jobs to a lifetime of hardship.

Thank you again for this opportunity to speak, and for bringing these issues to the forefront of the conversation.

As we move forward with our work, let us remember the lessons of Selma, of the past. Let them serve as our inspiration and strengthen our resolve as we look to the future and continue our efforts to protect the freedoms and opportunities of the American people.

Tonight I call upon all people of good will, those who Dr. King called the Beloved Community, to join hands and march toward an agenda of healing, justice and equality in commemoration of those historic events.

We march to preserve equality at the voting booth. We march to bring an end to systemic poverty and disenfranchisement. We march because we believe that all lives matter, and that this truth makes our country great.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride and deep appreciation for the opportunities this great nation affords to its citizens that I rise to announce that joined by more than 65 co- sponsors, I have today introduced H. Res. 92, a resolution commemorating the 50th anniversary of Project Head Start, one of the signal achievements of the Great Society and boldest initiatives launched by the nation in the War on Poverty.

Launched in the White House Rose Garden on May 18, 1965, by President Lyndon Baines

Johnson, the aim of Project Head Start was bold and audacious in its scope and design.

As President Johnson stated in announcing the opening of a new front in the War on Poverty with the launch of Project Head Start:

``We set out to make certain that poverty's children would not be forevermore poverty's captives. . . .

``This means that nearly half the preschool children of poverty will get a head start on their future. . . .

``These children will receive preschool training to prepare them for regular school in September. . . .

``They will get medical and dental attention that they badly need, and parents will receive counseling on improving the home environment.''

Conceived as an eight-week summer program designed to provide pre- school training not just to prepare 5 and 6 year-olds to enter regular school the following September, but also to give nearly half the preschool children living in poverty ``a head start on their future.''

At its launch, the Head Start Program, administered by the Office of Economic Opportunity and wonderfully and skillfully led by its Director, Sargent Shriver, consisted of 2,500 projects, covering 11,000 Child Development Centers, serving about 530,000 poor children in every state of the Union.

Mr. Speaker, President Johnson recognized that the bleak future waiting for children trapped in poverty was not a phenomenon concentrated in the inner-cities of the large urban cities of the North but could be found in every region in every state in the nation.

That is why the Head Start Program was launched not as a mere demonstration project limited to a handful of counties, but as a program national in scope serving every city, suburb, and rural area in the United States.

Mr. Speaker, in addition to providing pre-school training to prepare poor children to enter regular school and help put them on an even footing with their classmates as they enter school, the Head Start Program had an even higher aim and nobler purpose: to assist children prepare for the challenges they will face in life and to combat poverty's great weapons--hunger and malnutrition; illness and poor health; ignorance and cultural deprivation.

Project Head Start was from the start a national undertaking, utilizing the services of 41,000 professionals, including teachers, doctors, dentists, nurses, nutritionists, employing more than 47,000 persons, who were assisted by more than 500,000 volunteers.

Based on its initial success as a summer program, the following year, in 1966, Head Start was funded as a primarily part day, 9 month program, largely through existing community action programs.

In later years, the Head Start Program would be expanded to serve children with disabilities, Native Americans, homeless children, and to provide bilingual and bicultural migrant and seasonal programs serving 6,000 children in 21 states.

Today, the Head Start Program serves nearly a million poor children, including:

160,829 enrolled in Early Head Start for 3-year olds;

910,833 enrolled in Head Start;

20,627 American Indian/Alaska Native children enrolled in Head Start;

4,722 American Indian/Alaska Native children enrolled in Early Head Start;

32,082 children of migrant or seasonal workers enrolled in Head Start; and

40,853 homeless children enrolled in Head Start.

Additionally, Head Start Program serves 136,120 children with disabilities, 15,632 pregnant women, and provides services to 771,840 families.

In my home state of Texas, the Head Start Program serves 661,000 poor children under the age of 5, including 2,471 homeless children, 8,370 children with disabilities, and provides services to 53,333 families.

And in my home city of Houston, a remarkable organization called AVANCE has been serving the needs of low-income children and families since its founding in 1973.

AVANCE offers Head Start, Early Head Start, Parenting, Healthy Marriage, Fatherhood, and other programs designed to prepare and help low-income children, students, and families reach their potential.

Mr. Speaker, not only has the Head Start Program been a great benefit to its direct beneficiaries, it has provided substantial economic and social benefits to the nation as a whole.

Research studies have shown that for each dollar invested, the Head Start program yields a rate of return on investment (ROI) of 7-9 percent and the program is responsible for the direct creation of 236,591 jobs, with an average annual salary of about $31,000 for Head Start teachers with baccalaureate degrees.

Mr. Speaker, another societal benefit of the Head Start Program is the improved health of the children and families it serves.

Research has shown that the mortality rates for 5- to 9-year-old children who had attended Head Start are 33-50% lower than the rates for comparable children not enrolled in Head Start.

Moreover, Head Start children are less likely to fall victim to childhood obesity and are at least 8% more likely to have had their immunizations than children who did not attend preschool.

Mr. Speaker, the Head Start Program has been an unqualified success for the more than 31 million children and parents it has served since its inception in 1965.

And so it is that we can look back with pride on the 50 year record of this bold and innovative program.

But we cannot yet be satisfied because our work is not done and will not be done until every eligible child is afforded the opportunity to get a head start in life the program provides.

Today, only 42 percent of eligible low-income preschoolers are actually served by Head Start and less than 4 percent are in Early Head Start.

But we should not let the fact that we have more work to do to strengthen the Head Start Program detract from the joy and happiness we are justified in deriving from its half century of success and its vindication of our optimistic belief in the capacity of Americans to solve pressing national problems when people of goodwill work together in the spirit of cooperation rather than conflict.

The record of the Head Start Program shows that it can be done and that President Johnson was right--the Head Start Program was and is ``one of the most constructive, and one of the most sensible, and also one of the most exciting programs that this Nation has ever undertaken.''

And its reward for this bold act is the collective service and contributions to the betterment of society made by the 31 million children that have been served by the program over the past 50 years.

I invite all Members of the House to join me in sponsoring the resolution celebrating the 50 year record of success of the Head Start Program and urge the Speaker to schedule H. Res. 92 for floor debate and vote at the earliest possible time so that the House may have the opportunity to pass the resolution on or before the May 18, 2015 anniversary date.

I thank all of my colleagues who joined me as original cosponsors of H. Res. 92, and I also wish to express my thanks and appreciation to Chelsea Ukoha and Gregory Berry of my staff for their exceptional efforts and work on this wonderful tribute to a program that has contributed so much to the richness and vitality of our country.

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

Mr. Chairman, let me thank the chairman; thank the mover of this legislation; my ranking member, Mr. Johnson; and my ranking member of the full committee, Mr. Conyers, for their leadership and for bringing us together around a universal concept.

We all are promoting jobs, Mr. Chairman. Not one of us on this floor wants to in any way undermine jobs. We want people to work, and we want small businesses to have the opportunity to thrive.

What I am talking about is the reality of protecting the American people when it comes to unique issues of health care. I am not going to cite the name of this individual, but what I am going to do is to read just a paragraph from Al Kamen, K-a-m-e-n, ``In the Loop'':

``As a matter of fact, I think this is one where I think I

can illustrate the point,'' he recalled telling her. ``I

don't have any problem with Starbucks if they choose to opt

out of this policy as long as they post a sign that says, `We

don't require our employees to wash their hands after leaving

the restroom.' The market will take care of this. It is one

example.''

Now, I have a different perspective, and so my amendment under this legislation asks to make an exception for rules that are dealing with consumer safety, saving lives.

My amendment makes an exception for rules from the Food and Drug Administration, commonly known as the FDA. This bill, H.R. 527, seeks to reform the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980 and 1996 which attempted to require agencies to account better for the impact of proposed regulations on small businesses, other small entities, and to tailor final regulations to minimize adverse impacts on these entities like the Food and Drug Administration.

Yes, small business can be a single franchise of a McDonald's or Burger King or Starbucks, many of them doing quite well. It could be a number of them under one businessowner. But, in fact, they do deal with the public.

This bill continues to expand the reach and scope of the Regulatory Flexibility Act and would only add to already unnecessary and lengthy regulatory delays, increased meddling by regulated industries, and encourage gratuitous court challenges.

The Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Act adds a host of new analytical requirements for agency policy actions, including rulemakings and guidance documents, that might affect a large number of small businesses, even if that is indirect.

Because the bill defines indirect effects broadly, it would mandate costly and wasteful new analyses that could be applied to virtually any action and agency attempt to make a better life

for Americans, no matter how tenuous the connection to business interests.

Again, can we imagine not being able to regulate or interfere with some small business that says you do not have to wash your hands in a restaurant? It is shocking to me.

Mr. Chairman, when I wrote this amendment, I had in mind one of the new issues that we have been facing, and that is the story of CRE, which is a disease that is being found on endoscopes, that has been found in a particular hospital in the far West.

This disease, this rare bacteria, was likely spread through specialized endoscopes that have been cleaned according to manufacturer's directions but still had some form of deadly germs. Are we suggesting that it is not an emergency to regulate or to keep or to be able to suggest that there needs to be a better cleaning process?

This is just the latest example of a life-threatening disease which is calling out for action from the government, and the CDC and the FDA should not have their hands tied.

In fact, the Houston Chronicle reported last week that these problems of dirty endoscopes have been tied to superbug infections in cities like Chicago and Pittsburgh in recent years. Although the bacteria weren't exactly the same, the situation raises new questions about the design, this infection, and regulation of the devices.

Mr. Chairman, let me tell you that our economy is doing fine, not for every single American, but it has a marked improvement. Jobs are increasing, and unemployment is under 5 percent.

I would only say that this legislation needs an addition from this amendment, and I hope my colleagues will accept the Jackson Lee amendment. It is a commonsense amendment that speaks to the health and care of the American public.

Mr. Chairman, I ask for support of the Jackson Lee amendment.

Mr. Chair, thank you for this opportunity to briefly explain my amendment. My amendment makes an exception for rules from the Food and Drug Administration, commonly known as the FDA.

This bill, H.R. 527, seek to reform the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980 and the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996, which attempted to require agencies to account better for the impacts of proposed regulations on small businesses and other small entities and to tailor final regulations to minimize adverse impacts on these entities like the Food and Drug Administration.

In reality, the Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Act expands the reach and scope of the Regulatory Flexibility Act and would only add to already unnecessary and lengthy regulatory delays, increase meddling by regulated industries, and encourage gratuitous court challenges.

The Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Act adds a host of new analytical requirements for agency policy actions--including rulemakings and guidance documents--that might affect a large number of small businesses, even if that effect is ``indirect.''

And because the bill defines ``indirect effects'' broadly, it would mandate costly and wasteful new analyses that could be applied to virtually any action an agency attempts to undertake, no matter how tenuous the connection to small business interests.

And according to the American Sustainable Business Council, this bill would open the door for regulated industries to manipulate the regulatory process in their favor.

This undue influence would paralyze the regulatory process, creating uncertainty in the marketplace and stifling competition and innovation from small- and medium-sized entities.

When I wrote this amendment I had in mind the rare bacteria like that known as carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, commonly known as CRE. This rare bacteria is being transmitted to patients even though the tools had been cleaned according to manufacturers' directions but still harbored the potentially deadly germs.

This is just the latest example of a life-threatening disease which is calling out for action from the government--and the CDC and the FDA should not have their hands tied.

The Houston Chronicle reported in a story last week:

The Seattle outbreak appears to be among the worst so far

in the U.S., where problems with dirty endoscopes have been

tied to superbug infections in Chicago and Pittsburgh in

recent years. Although the bacteria weren't exactly the same,

the situation raises new questions about the design,

disinfection and REGULATION of the devices, critics charge.

The bill reforms the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980 and the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996, which attempted to require agencies to account better for the impacts of proposed regulations on small businesses and other small entities and to tailor final regulations to minimize adverse impacts on these entities like the Food and Drug Administration.

Mr. Chair, the economy is doing fine now, not for every single American but it has seen a marked improvement from 2008. A bill like H.R. 527 only serves to gum-up the wheels of government and business collaboration by creating new and confusing rules.

When added to the existing gauntlet of procedural and analytical requirements that agencies must already navigate in order implement laws, SBRFIA's new requirements would serve only to further ``ossify'' rulemaking and make it nearly impossible for agencies to fulfill their congressionally mandated mission of protecting the public and responding to emerging health and environmental dangers.

The Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act also ties the hands of agencies like the FDA by forcing them to delay actions until new analyses are completed. Under current law, an agency can continue to promulgate a regulation before it has finished the regulatory flexibility analysis, if the agency head believes its mission or the law calls for more immediate action.

The SBRFIA would eliminate these commonsense procedures. Imagine if emergency regulations to protect miners had to be delayed until the agency could finish this onerous and highly speculative analysis-lives could be lost and people could be needlessly injured. Or the FDA needed to issue a rule impacting the safety of dairy products. Lives are at stake.

Let me be quick to add that I specifically I oppose H.R. 527 because: (1) it is based on a faulty study; (2) taken as a whole, it will severely undermine Federal agency rulemaking, thereby threatening public health and safety; (3) it fails to address shortcomings in current law; (4) it offers no real assistance to small businesses in complying with regulations; and (5) it imposes additional duties on agencies while failing to provide any additional resources to agencies.

I urge an aye vote for the Jackson Lee amendment exempting FDA rules and add common sense to this legislation.

[From the Houston Chronicle, Jan. 22, 2015]

Seattle (AP).--A multidrug-resistant superbug has sickened

dozens of people at a Seattle hospital, spread from patient-

to-patient through contaminated equipment.

The Seattle Times reports (http://is.gd/m4JVhK )

investigators found the rare bacteria known as CRE--

carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae--was likely spread

through specialized endoscopes that had been cleaned

according to manufacturers' directions but still had some of

the deadly germs.

Virginia Mason Medical Center officials say they've changed

their cleaning protocol for the devices, even though federal

officials found no problem with their infection-control

practices.

Doctors say 11 of the at least 35 patients infected at the

hospital died, but it's not clear what role, if any, the

infection played in their deaths.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, because I was detained on congressional business yesterday, I inadvertently missed a vote on rollcall No. 62, the amendment offered by Mr. Connolly. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on that.