Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, as a senior member of the Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees, I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 105, a resolution prohibiting the President from deploying or maintaining United States Armed Forces in sustained combat roles in Iraq unless specifically authorized by Congress by statute enacted after the date of adoption of the resolution.

The war in Iraq caused a lot of unearned suffering in Iraq and here at home. This is the same war, Madam Speaker, whose proponents misrepresented to the nation would last no more than six months and likely less than six weeks.

This same war in Iraq, we were led to believe by the Bush Administration, would cost less than $50 billion and would be paid out of

the ample revenues from Iraq's oil fields. The war in Iraq, the American people were promised, should have ended years ago with Americans troops greeted as liberators by jubilant Iraqis throwing rose petals at their feet.

As I and my colleagues in the Progressive Caucus and the Out of Iraq Caucus forecast at the time, the starry-eyed, rosy scenarios laid out by President Bush, Vice-President Cheney, and Defense Secretary Rumsfeld would come to pass in fantasy land, but not in the cold, hard world of reality which they refused to live in.

The war in Iraq lasted longer than America's involvement in World War II, the greatest conflict in all of human history. But there was a difference. The Second World War ended in complete and total victory for the United States and its allies.

But then again, in that conflict America was led by FDR, a great Commander-in-Chief, who had a plan to win the war and secure the peace, listened to his generals, and sent troops in sufficient numbers and sufficiently trained and equipped to do the job.

As a result of the colossal miscalculation in deciding to invade Iraq, the Armed Forces and the people of the United States suffered incalculable damage.

The war in Iraq claimed the lives of 4,484 brave servicemen and women. More than 24,600 Americans were wounded, many suffering the most horrific injuries. American taxpayers paid more than $800 billion to sustain this misadventure.

The depth, breadth, and scope of the misguided, mismanaged, and misrepresented war in Iraq is utterly without precedent in American history. It was a tragedy in a league all its own.

And it must never be repeated. That is why I strongly support H. Con. Res. 105 and urge all my colleagues to join me.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak about H.R. 4935, The Child Tax Credit Improvement Act of 2014.

The Child Tax Credit Improvement Act indexes the credit and the limitations to inflation to help parents keep more of their hard earned money to use for the mounting expenses of parenting. Under the bill, the amount of the child tax credit would be indexed for inflation and the marriage penalty would be eliminated by increasing the joint filing phase-out threshold to exactly double that of single filers.

A product of the 1997 Tax Act, the Child Tax Credit complements the Earned Income Tax Credit and helps to further buttress the case that the road to prosperity winds through the tax code by reducing poverty, encouraging work, and strengthening families with children.

The changes proposed earlier this year by both President Obama and Chairman Camp highlight some of the challenges that these programs face including the complexity surrounding combining work and child tax incentives, definitions of qualifying children, and some of the deficiencies these tax benefits have with respect to childless workers.

But the version of the bill reported by the Ways & Means increases the deficit by $114.9 billion. In addition, a provision was added in the Rules Committee requiring taxpayers to have a Social Security Number to claim the refundable portion of the child tax credit, reducing the value of the underlying bill by $24.5 billion.

As a result, the final version of the bill increases the deficit by $90.4 billion.

I want to continue to work on tax legislation which benefits the 18th District and enhances the Child Tax Credit, so that the working families across this great nation you have advocated for may lift themselves out of poverty, and seek the American Dream but this version is not an improvement but instead is a step back.

In fact Mr. Speaker, while I proudly serve on the Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees, in April, I hosted a briefing on the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit, which demonstrates the importance of this provision in helping to fight poverty and allowing many Americans in Texas and elsewhere to have a better shot at the American Dream.

This briefing was led by two experts, Elaine Maag from the Urban Institute and Margot Crandall-Hollick of the Congressional Research Service which was organized, along with two other briefings on International Taxation and Retirement Tax provisions, by my Economic Policy Counsel, Darrell Rico Doss. And in spite of the fact that it took place during recess and we did not serve food--my staff assures me that we had an excellent turnout and an even better briefing because of Elaine and Margot who addressed a spellbound audience of Hill staff and others on the intricacies of the two tax credits.

Why? Because the Child Tax Credit was significantly expanded by the Bush tax cuts, and further expanded, especially for low-income taxpayers, by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Many, though not all of these expansions were subsequently made permanent by the American Taxpayer Relief Act. That expansion of the credit occurred under two presidents--illustrating its bipartisan nature.

But only in this Congress--led by an intransigent GOP Majority would this critical poverty-busting tax provision be politicized to the point that I suspect the vote will largely be along party lines.

Today, as the House considers this GOP child tax credit bill which does the opposite of what is needed: it would provide permanent tax cuts to many affluent families, while letting the Child Tax Credit disappear for many low-income working families after 2017.

After 2017, H.R. 4935 would effectively eliminate the Child Tax Credit for 5 million families, while cutting it for 6 million more. A single parent with two children working full-time at minimum wage would lose her entire tax credit of $1,725.

Meanwhile, a couple with two children with income of $150,000 would receive a Child Tax Credit $2,200 larger than today. In addition, H.R. 4935 would immediately eliminate the Child Tax Credit for millions of American children whose parents immigrated to this country, including U.S. citizen children and ``Dreamers,'' and would push many of these children into or deeper into poverty.

Here are the three key features of this GOP child tax credit bill (more information about each of these features is below):

It fails to make permanent a key improvement in the Child Tax Credit enacted in 2009 that makes more low-income working families eligible for the credit and that will expire in 2017 unless Congress acts.

It indexes the current maximum credit of $1,000 per child to inflation, which benefits only those with incomes high enough to receive the maximum benefit.

It extends the Child Tax Credit up the income scale--on a permanent basis--so more families with six-figure incomes will benefit.

So, today after Rep. Paul Ryan unveiled his so-called ``antipoverty'' plan, my Republican colleagues bring up this bill that is estimated to result in pushing 12 million people--including 6 million children--into or deeper into poverty, by failing to extend the key 2009 Child Tax Credit improvement which will expire in 2017.

First, this bill hurts low-income working families by failing to make permanent the key provision enacted in 2009 that made more low- and moderate-income working families eligible for the CTC and enlarged the CTC for others who had been receiving only a partial credit. This provision expires in 2017. If this provision expires on schedule, as this GOP bill allows:

A single mother with two children in Houston who works full time throughout the year at the minimum wage and earns $14,500 would lose $1,725 in 2018, as her Child Tax Credit would be eliminated.

Mr. Speaker, about 12 million people including 6 million children in 2018 will be pushed into, or deeper into, poverty.

Again, it is hypocritical of House Republicans--who have let emergency unemployment insurance expire for more than 3 million Americans, refused to provide a permanent fix to the sustainable growth rate (SGR) for Medicare payments to doctors, and failed to replace the irrational, across-the-board spending cuts imposed by the sequester all on arguments over offsets--to bring this bill to the Floor without paying for it.

As I cast my vote this morning the fact is not lost on me--and I am sure many other Members in this body--that four months ago the Republican Leadership let emergency unemployment insurance expire for more than 1.3 million Americans--many at the end of their proverbial economic rope.

Many of these unemployed live in the 18th Congressional District of Texas, comprising Houston and outlying areas.

Mr. Speaker, this is more than irresponsible but recklessness in the guise of looking out for families.

I have to ask a burning question--what happened to deficit reduction?

However, the choice made by House Republicans to address these provisions one by one, while adding their cost to the deficit, represents an irresponsible approach that will only make fixing our broken tax system harder and put further fiscal strain on federal, state, and local programs.

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to vote for children and families--but this bill must be paid for--because if they are not--future generations will suffer because of the unsustainable debt.

Let us get back to being fiscally responsible and helping America's families by enacting smart, pragmatic tax policy.

Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, July 24, 2014, I was unavoidably detained attending to representational activities in my congressional district, including attendance at the memorial service of a distinguished educator and community leader, and thus unable to return in time for rollcall votes 442 through 450. Had I been present I would have voted as follows:

1. On rollcall No. 442 I would have voted ``no.'' (Motion on Ordering the Previous Question on the Rule providing for consideration of both H.R. 4935 and H.R. 3393.)

2. On rollcall No. 443 I would have voted ``no.'' (H. Res. 680, Rule providing for consideration of both H.R. 4935, Child Tax Credit Improvement Act and H.R. 3393 Student and Family Tax Simplification Act.)

3. On rollcall No. 444 I would have voted ``yes.'' (Kilmer/Hinojosa/ Bachus/Petri/Tsongas Amendment to H.R. 4984, Empowering Students Through Enhanced Counseling Act, ensuring each individual is aware of financial management resources provided by the Treasury Department's Financial Literacy and Education Commission.)

4. On rollcall No. 445 I would have voted ``yes.'' (Motion to Recommit H.R. 4984, Empowering Students Through Enhanced Counseling Act.)

5. On rollcall No. 446 I would have voted ``yes.'' (Final Passage of H.R. 4984, Empowering Students Through Enhanced Counseling Act, Rep. Guthrie--Education and the Workforce.)

6. On rollcall No. 447 I would have voted ``yes.'' (H.R. 5111, To improve the response to victims of child sex trafficking Rep. Beatty-- Education and the Workforce.)

7. On rollcall No. 448 I would have voted ``yes.'' (Motion to Recommit H.R. 3933, Student and Family Tax Simplification Act.)

8. On rollcall No. 449 I would have voted ``no.'' (Final Passage of H.R. 3393, Student and Family Tax Simplification Act, Rep. Black--Ways and Means.)

9. On rollcall No. 450 I would have voted ``yes.'' (Democratic Motion to Instruct Conferees on H.R. 3230, Veterans' Access to Care Through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014. Motion offered by Mr. Peters of California would instruct conferees to recede from disagreement with section 702 of the Senate Amendment, which is related to the approval of courses of education provided by public institutions of higher learning for purposes of the All-Volunteer Force Educational Assistance Program and the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Program conditional on in-State tuition rates for veterans.)

Mr. Speaker, let me add my appreciation to Ms. Brownley for her leadership on this issue and for the women that are on the floor who are members of the Veterans' Affairs Committee and members of the Armed Services Committee, who really have led this issue, which I believe all of America understands.

Let me thank Mr. Lamborn, who is from Colorado and a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, and as we debate this motion to instruct, a personal plea to Mr. Lamborn, that this is truly a reasoned response to the heinous number of women and some men in the United States military who have experienced traumatic sexual assault and trauma.

This is a simple motion to instruct. It asks us to cede to the provision in the Senate, which allows for the care, health care, under the veterans health care system, of those who have experienced sexual trauma.

As Ms. Brownley has indicated, I am a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, and we address these questions through the Judiciary Committee on issues of domestic violence and sexual assault and find ways, of course, to be able to respond to women who have been victimized.

We took a long time to pass the Violence Against Women Act, but the whole idea was to include an infrastructure to protect women who are frightened to come forward and to acknowledge the criminality of domestic violence and violence against women.

Can we do no less for the women in the United States military who put on the uniform and took an oath to swear allegiance to the United States and to extend their bodies on the front lines to be able to protect this Nation, can we not do any less than to offer to them simple health care when they come forward on sexual trauma?

Just a few years ago, I provided a PTSD center at one of my nonveteran or nonmilitary hospitals. It was overwhelmingly received by veterans who

were off campus and wanted to go to a place that was not as congested as a veterans hospital, but I will tell you that PTSD is truly a health phenomenon.

The distinctive sexual trauma that some of my colleagues have mentioned that women have hidden and never spoken about for years should not be rejected when they come forward finally because we have opened the system to be able to secure health care. They should not be, in essence, directed to a life of drug abuse and alcohol abuse because they are fearing. They should be able to get health care.

So I ask my colleagues, 26,000 and growing and others who are also involved, this is an important motion to instruct, and I congratulate, again, Ms. Brownley. My heart breaks--as she served as the ranking member on the Health Subcommittee on Veterans' Affairs--my heart breaks that when you are abused, when your face is abused, when your body is abused, that is a health crisis.

Having just come back from my community where two women and families have been killed through the violence of domestic violence, they live no more--but what about those who are soldiers who put on the uniform who are experiencing a lifelong experience of injuries and psychological trauma?

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support this motion to instruct offered by my colleague, Ms. Brownley. What more can we do or how much less can we do for women and men who put on the uniform who are suffering from sexual trauma? It must be part of the Veterans' Affairs health reform.

Mr. Speaker, today, in my district, we buried Dr. Evelyn E. Thornton, the first African American to graduate from the University of Houston with a Ph.D. in math and a leader in civic matters and education.

Because of my responsibility of speaking at this civic leader's funeral home going service, I missed the following votes. Had I been present, I would have voted as follows:

On rollcall vote No. 442, I would have voted ``no'' on the motion on ordering the previous question on H.R. 4935 and H.R. 3393;

On rollcall vote No. 443, I would have voted ``no'' on H. Res. 680, a rule providing for the consideration of H.R. 4935, Child Tax Credit Improvement Act, and H.R. 3393, Student and Family Tax Simplification Act;

On rollcall vote No. 444, I would have voted ``yes'' on an amendment to H.R. 4984, Empowering Students Through Enhanced Counseling Act, offered by Mr. Kilmer and Mr. Hinojosa;

On rollcall vote No. 445, I would have voted ``yes'' on a motion to recommit H.R. 4984, Empowering Students Through Enhanced Counseling Act;

On rollcall vote No. 446, I would have voted ``yes'' on final passage of H.R. 4984, Empowering Students Through Enhanced Counseling Act;

On rollcall vote No. 447, I would have voted ``yes'' on H.R. 5111, to improve the response to victims of sex trafficking, by Representative Beatty;

On rollcall vote No. 448, I would have voted ``yes'' on a motion to recommit on H.R. 3933, Student and Family Tax Simplification Act;

On rollcall vote No. 449, I would have voted ``no'' on H.R. 3393, Student and Family Tax Simplification Act; and

On rollcall vote No. 450, I would have voted ``yes'' on H.R. 3230, Veterans' Access to Care Through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014.

Mr. Speaker, today, I was on official business in Houston, honoring the life of Dr. Evelyn Thornton. She was a great American. Dr. Thornton was the mother of two wonderful daughters: Yvonne Denise, a trained lawyer; and Wanda, an outstanding physician honored by all.

Dr. Thornton, who lost an eye in her early twenties, went on to be the first African American to receive a Ph.D. from the University of Houston, a school that African Americans could not go to for many, many years.

She was a member of the Links and Alpha Kappa Alpha, but what she was known for is 40 years of teaching. Evelyn was an educator who lifted the lives of young people at Prairie View A&M.

She was a graduate of Texas Southern University, got married, had grandchildren, great-grandchildren, daughter-in-laws and a son-in-law, Russell, a leader in the community.

What was most noted is the simplistic style that Evelyn had of humility and her willingness to serve the people.

I would say that today we laid to rest in Houston a great American, Dr. Evelyn E. Thornton, whose contributions should continue to be remembered.

I can't thank you enough for leading this Special Order. Again, the passion that you have shown in your service here in the United States Congress really speaks to what Americans send their representatives to the Congress for, to be problem solvers.

I am going to use the word ``pray.'' I pray that there is a reformed Chairman Ryan, Congressman Ryan, because I have come from my district, you go to your district, and we see the pain. I see the pain of those who have not been able to secure an unemployment insurance extension. I live with the value of the earned income tax credit. I am going to spend a little time on that.

My son, some many years ago as a young man, volunteered with the HOPE Project. He went to New Orleans right after Hurricane Katrina and was able to work with the victims--the survivors, they like to be called, and they were--of Hurricane Katrina in applying for their earned income tax credit. It was a lifeline for people who had worked.

So I just want to end on this note by thanking you, by saying that there are people who are waiting for the Congress to act, to pass the earned income tax credit, raise the minimum wage, extend unemployment insurance, pass the middle class package of the Democrats, and work on behalf of the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on H.R. 4572, the Satellite Reauthorization Act or ``STELA Act.''

First, I would like to thank Chairman Coble and Ranking Member Nadler for holding two Judiciary Committee hearings in the past year where we have examined the laws and related issues relating to satellite television codified in Title 17 of the United States Code.

The relevant part of STELA expires at the end of the year but I am sure that those in the industry would have us do something before then, preferably before the lame duck session after November.

I would note the inclusion of a provision in this bill which some consumer groups find objectionable because it repeals the integration ban which deprives consumers of choice.

This is from the Energy and Commerce Committee--though hopefully it will be worked out before the President signs--because consumers must not be deprived of choices.

And now that the Supreme Court has decided the Aereo case, we have another set of variables on the table.

I mention the Aereo case because it is the seminal case due to its timing but it also reminds us of how ephemeral our work can be in this Committee and this Congress.

Back in 1992 and through all of the other reauthorizations of STELA and the concurrent surge of innovation from the late 1990s until present day--who could have contemplated the existence of an Aereo, HULU, Netflix, or Pandora?

In doing so we are able to take a walk down the memory lane of analog and digital television, the role of cable and satellite providers, vis- a-vis their network partners.

It is useful to note that in the 18th Congressional District of Texas my constituents are able to avail themselves of DISH, Comcast, ATT, and even Phonoscope which I believe is one of the oldest in the nation and a Houston, Texas company since 1953.

In looking at these laws, we must note the role of the Copyright Office which released a widely-read report on the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act in August 2011 as ordered by the last reauthorization, and the GAO report which focused on consumer issues.

Americans from Houston, Texas, Chicago, New York, the Bay Area, and all across this great nation benefit from a broadcast system which consists of the laws which undergird the system, buffeted by the policy and practices by which transmitters, providers, artists, writers, musicians, and other creators of all stripes benefit.

The system stands on principles of balance and fairness which allow for continued innovation while not infringing on the property rights of others.

In my state, I see satellite dishes in urban and rural areas but it seems like a higher percentage of rural homes have DISH or DIRECTV than in the cities and towns. Is that an accurate observation and if so, why?

What is the justification for a 30-foot outdoor rooftop antenna being the standard for measuring whether a home can get a broadcaster over- the-air signal?

Who has 30-foot antennas on their rooftops these days? Can folks even go out and buy those and install them easily?

Shouldn't the standard reflect the consumer realities and be changed to a regular indoor antenna that can be picked up at most electronics stores?

What are the criteria for a household to be considered ``unserved''? Does the current definition of unserved households adequately account for those homes that do not receive over-the-air signals?

This will be the 6th reauthorization of STELA but to my knowledge there has never before been a discussion of these blackouts, because they simply didn't happen in the past like they do today. We've gone from zero blackouts to 12 in 2010 and now 127 in 2013.

Viewers in my state have experienced their fair share of blackouts and I stand with them in saying: we don't like them.

We must all agree that blackouts must stop.

The statutory framework for the retransmission of broadcast television signals has been based on a distinction between local and distant signals.

The signals of significantly viewed stations and the signals of in- state, out-of-market stations in the four states that satellite operators were allowed to import into orphan counties under the exceptions in SHVERA, originate outside the market into which they are imported; in that regard, they are distant signals and they have been subject to the Section 119 distant signal statutory copyright license.

Since significantly viewed stations and the ``exception'' stations can be presumed to be providing programming of local or state-wide interest to counties in particular local markets, arguably that content could be viewed as local to the counties into which they are imported and should be treated accordingly.

STELA modified the Copyright Act to treat those signals as local, moving the relevant provisions from Section 119 to Section 122.

If a broadcaster opts to negotiate a retransmission consent agreement, cable companies are no longer required to broadcast that signal pursuant to the must-carry requirement.

Furthermore, if negotiations for retransmission consent fail, cable companies are not permitted to retransmit the broadcast signals that they have not been granted a license to retransmit. This is precisely what has happened in the dispute between Time Warner Cable and CBS Broadcasting.

My concern is that when retransmission consent negotiations fail, consumers often look to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to mediate the dispute. However, the FCC actually has very little authority over retransmission consent negotiations.

The Communications Act requires that programming be offered on a non- discriminatory basis, and that the negotiations be conducted in good faith.

The FCC has the authority to enforce both of these requirements, but does not appear to have the authority to force the companies to reach an agreement, or the ability to order the companies to continue to provide programming to consumers who have lost access while the dispute is being resolved.

Therefore, as was seen in the debacle that was the TWC-CBS negotiation, unless negotiations are not occurring in ``good faith'' the FCC has little power over retransmission consent agreements.

STELA clarified that a significantly viewed signal may only be provided in high definition format if the satellite carrier is passing through all of the high definition programming of the corresponding local station in high definition format as well; if the local station is not providing programming in high definition format, then the satellite operator is not restricted from providing the significantly viewed station's signal in high definition format.

The United States Copyright Office has proposed that Congress abolish Sections 111 and 119 of the Copyright Law, arguing that the statutory licensing systems created by these provisions result in lower payments to copyright holders than would be made if compensation were left to market negotiations.

According to the Copyright Office, the cable and satellite industries no longer are nascent entities in need of government subsidies, have substantial market power, and are able to negotiate private agreements with copyright owners for programming carried on distant broadcast signals.

Congress must have a role in the broadcasting space but whether that is doing away with compulsory licensing or becoming even more involved is what needs to be discussed.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2430, the ``Hinchliffe Stadium Heritage Act of 2013.''

I am proud to be a co-sponsor of this legislation, which makes a long overdue adjustment of the boundaries of Paterson Great Falls National Historic Park to include the historic Hinchliffe Stadium.

Hinchliffe Stadium, located in Paterson, New Jersey, was the home stadium of the ``New York Black Yankees'' and the ``New York Cubans'' of the old Negro Baseball League.

In the 1930s and 1940s, baseball, like most American institutions, was segregated by race prohibiting great players like Josh Gibson, Oscar Charleston and Judy Johnson from displaying their extraordinary talents in the major leagues.

These games featured future Baseball Hall of Famers such as Larry Doby--the first player to break the color barrier in the American

League, as well as Josh Gibson, Oscar Charleston and Judy Johnson.

In 1942, future Hall of Famer Larry Doby played at Hinchliffe Stadium as a member of the visiting Newark Eagles. Larry Doby would go on to become the first African American to play in the American League, breaking the color line in 1948 as a member of the Cleveland Indians.

In addition to being the venue for Negro League baseball games, Hinchliffe Stadium also hosted boxing matches, auto races, professional football games, and other notable events.

In 1963, Paterson Public Schools assumed ownership of Hinchliffe Stadium and utilized it for high school sports.

Over time, however, the maintenance funds diminished and the stadium fell into disrepair, ultimately closing in 1997.

Hinchliffe Stadium was recently listed as one of the country's most endangered historic places by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and would benefit greatly, as would the nation, were it included in the National Park System.

H.R. 2430 will readjust the boundaries of the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park, which overlooks the Paterson Great Falls, to include the adjacently located Hinchliffe Stadium.

By expanding the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park to include Hinchliffe Stadium, our country will retain one of the last remaining landmarks of an important chapter in the nation's history.

I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting passage of H.R. 2430.

Madam Speaker, on Monday, I joined other Houstonians to express our sympathy by greeting citizens from the Netherlands and Malaysia after the enormous tragedy that occurred just 4 days ago, or more than 4 days ago, the shooting-down of the Malaysian flight over Ukraine territory, manned by an illegitimate government that thought it was appropriate to shoot missiles where no knowledge, allegedly, was gained or understood as to what it was, and hundreds of souls lost their lives.

I hope that today, as the remains will be reaching the soil of the Netherlands, we will all take a moment to reflect on that enormous tragedy.

As a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee, I am, obviously, extraordinarily disturbed because it pierced the sanctity of the international airways, and it says that

there is no respect, dignity, or protocol as relates to the commercial flights and international airway.

That, first of all, for all countries, must be abhorrent and outrageous. And then, we must take knowledge of the atrocious behavior of Russia. And it should not be silenced; their behavior is outrageous.

It is inappropriate because Mr. Putin is a head of State. Bodies of another sovereign nation lay in a field, many sovereign nations. Mr. Putin did absolutely nothing to avoid the desecration and the insult and the indignities given to those lost souls.

I am reminded of crashes over the years when countries or airlines were able to take the family members, within days, to the site for prayer or acknowledgment, giving them added comfort.

So I think it is important to understand, and I refer my colleagues to an article, yes, in The Wall Street Journal, on why Putin is taking major risks in Ukraine. He is still living in the world of the Soviet Union.

But it is imperative to know that we have something that we can offer, besides a request of peace, reconciliation, and international investigation unfettered. We have something that we can acknowledge.

Even the Transportation Secretary indicated that energy resources, natural gas, oil and gas, natural gas, LNG, are resources that we can utilize to substitute for the despotic hold that he has over Europe.

The Secretary of Transportation indicated it is a creator of jobs. But we need to start having Europe turn to the United States to ensure the opportunity for freedom and ceasing this atrocious hold on Europe.

Let me state, just for a moment, to acknowledge a tragedy and the terrorism of Boko Haram. I will go to the Nigerian Embassy today, Madam Speaker, to acknowledge that the girls in captivity have been held for almost 100 days.

I will look to introduce legislation that will use some of the seized Nigerian assets that have been seized through criminal activity to establish a real victims funded, even though I congratulate President Jonathan for creating one, but there has been no money given to these victims.

And I will say that we need to watch this place because Boko Haram has now seized a whole town in the Northern State, the very State we were in when we went to Nigeria and spoke to the Governor. Now, a whole city, like New York or Chicago or Houston, has been seized.

We have elements that we can do something about: Russia and its misbehavior, mistreatment of lost souls, and the terrorists and terrorist activities of Boko Haram.

I implore my colleagues to work together to find a solution so that souls may be buried in dignity and never have this happen to them again and, as well, so that Boko Haram, is in essence, brought to justice.

Mr. Chair, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 3136, the ``Advancing Competency-Based Education Demonstration Project Act.''

I thank Chairman Sessions and Ranking Member Slaughter of the House Rules Committee for their management of the debate on the rule for H.R. 3136.

I thank Congressmen Polis and Salmon for their bipartisan work to draft this bill that the House is considering.

Chairman Kline and Congressman Polis, thank you for managing the debate the debate on H.R. 3136.

I appreciate and thank the bipartisan effort led by Chairman Kline, Ranking Member Miller, Ranking Member Foxx, and the sponsors of H.R. 3136.

My appreciation to the Education Committee staff who worked with my staff on the Jackson Lee Amendment and for the Education Committee's support of the Jackson Lee Amendment to H.R. 3136.

As founder and co-chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus I am committed to seeing that every child and young person has the opportunity to grow up in a stable and safe home.

The first step for a safe and healthy childhood is the stability of the lives of adults in the lives of children.

I will speak more on the Jackson Lee Amendment when it is considered by the full House later today. The Jackson Lee Amendment would direct the Secretary of Education to conduct outreach to a number of underrepresented institutions regarding the federal education pilot grant program prior to the deadline for applications to be submitted for consideration for grant funds under the pilot program.

This bill does not do everything that I would hope that a higher education bill would do, but it is a step in the right direction. It would create more opportunities for Americans to have access to more high quality education; flexible higher education opportunities that can meet their education needs--which can open up a world of opportunities for older college students or those who struggle to receive degrees while raising children and working full time jobs.

H.R. 3136, the Advancing Competency-Based Education Demonstration Project Act will support federally funded pilot programs at secondary schools for Competency-Based Education programs that work to create certainty when a student progresses through a program that they are ready for the next step in their education.

We know that not everyone learns in the same way or at the same pace, but it is important that learning occurs. Adults have added pressures when they want to pursue education to compete for better paying jobs.

These programs may offer options that are not based on the traditional semester approach to classroom work, but on the steps that must be completed to move from one level of a training or education program to another.

Competence in any subject should be the foundation of education of students. If a student is returning to the classroom after years of work experience, this approach would best prepare them for being job ready upon graduation.

Competence-Based Education plans will aid students to master the lessons learned and enhance the student's educational experience, which will result in the maximum benefit to the student.

The challenge for the United States in the coming years is the STEM challenge--we have far more jobs in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics available than people who are trained or educated to fill them.

The future of the economy is in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math careers.

The growth in STEM jobs is 3 times faster than job growth in non-STEM jobs.

Minority college students who major in STEM higher education make 25% more than minority graduates with non-STEM educations.

Minority students who take STEM jobs make 50% more than minority non- STEM graduates.

Women pursuing STEM higher education drop out of programs with higher grades than males who remain and graduate.

More than two-thirds of all STEM positions are filled by someone with a STEM degree.

Because of the current shortage of STEM workers for STEM positions and the projected need for STEM trained employees, the Federal government is in a race to attract and retain STEM employees.

According to Booze Hamilton's The Biggest Bang Theory, nearly a 25% of federal government employees are people who work STEM positions.

Stem workers earn 26% more than non-STEM graduates.

By 2018 we will need: 710,000 Computing workers, 160,000 Engineers, 70,000 Physical Scientists, 40,000 Life Science workers, and 20,000 Mathematics workers.

Mr. Chair, I ask that my colleagues vote in support of H.R. 3136.

Mr. Chairman, may I determine what time is left, please.

First of all, let me thank the managers of this legislation, who have really brought together an important concept, and I just want to call the name of the bill: the Advancing Competency- Based Education Demonstration Project.

Mr. Chairman, first of all, I am a big supporter of pilots because pilots provide information, and information generates a concrete program.

Mr. Polis, thank you so very much for bringing up my amendment, and thank you both, the chairman and the ranking member, for supporting this amendment.

Let me be very keen on what it is both to Chairman Kline and to Mr. Polis. This is to take what you have and to add to it or, I might say, to make it better. The reason is that information is a gift. If you have information, you can do a lot of things.

Mr. Chairman, I work with a lot of Historically Black Colleges, so the Jackson Lee amendment would direct the Secretary of Education, prior to any deadlines for colleges or universities to submit applications for the consideration in the pilot program, to conduct outreach to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic- serving institutions, Native American-serving, nontribal institutions, institutions serving students with special needs, and institutions located in rural areas to provide information to them on the opportunity to apply to carry out a pilot demonstration project under this bill.

It is a whole gamut of individuals and colleges that this bill is directed to engage. Yes, there is general information, but I will tell you, when information is targeted, there are great successes that occur.

In my State alone, Texas ranks 43 out of 50 in State rankings with a 61.3 percent high school graduation rate. This statistic alone shows the need for dramatic improvements in our own system. However, there are great institutions that serve Native Americans, Hispanic-serving and African American, such as Texas Southern University and A&M. This outreach to them would provide these educators with working class residents the opportunity to get the right kind of information in order to develop competency-based education.

Texas Southern University has a technology program that trains young people for the new industries of today. They have a School of Public Affairs named after Barbara Jordan and Mickey Leland, our colleagues here in the United States Congress. They have a transportation department, which is very much geared toward the new opportunities for transportation. Then, of course, they are into science, as I indicated, as well as technology and math.

We have sent out these brilliant graduates, and this pilot program in helping their faculty and helping the university would be a great start. My amendment is to give them the knowledge to be part of the solution.

Mr. Chairman, my amendment is information to be part of the solving of the problems. I want more students to graduate from high school, and I want them to have opportunities broad based.

Let me close on this note.

Many people ask about the value of Historically Black Colleges, Hispanic-serving, Native American institutions. Do you know what, Mr. Chairman? There are enough students who are not in college today who will fill all of the universities. All of these universities have a rightful place, and the history of Historically Black Colleges in their traveling through the years of postslavery is a great opportunity to continue to serve. Now, with Native American-serving institutions and Hispanic-serving institutions, I am delighted that this amendment is put before this body.

I ask my colleagues to support the Jackson Lee amendment, which will create more opportunity and more outreach.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I am pleased to offer the Jackson Lee Amendment that adds critical language to this bill.

I would like to thank Chairman Kline and Congressman Polis for their work in managing the debate on the rule for H.R. 3136.

I thank my colleague Congressman Polis for his authorship of the bill and his leadership in working in a bipartisan way with the Education Committee to provide on this legislation that would address the education needs of non-tradition College and university students.

I appreciate and thank the bipartisan work the Education Committee staff who worked with my staff on the Jackson Lee Amendment, and for the Education Committee's support of the Jackson Lee Amendment.

The Jackson Lee amendment is simple, and would further the goals of the bill.

The Jackson Lee Amendment would direct the Secretary of Education prior to any deadlines for colleges or universities to submit applications for consideration in the pilot program to conduct outreach to historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, Native American-serving, non-tribal institutions, institutions serving students with special needs, and institutions located in rural areas to provide information to them on the opportunity to apply to carry out a pilot demonstration project under this bill.

Texas ranks 43rd out of the 50 in state rankings with a 61.3 percent high school graduation rate. This statistic alone shows the need for dramatic improvements to Texas' education system.

There will be adults who will benefit from the programs supported by this bill by creating education options that consider that some adults who may want to pursue a degree may need to first receive a GED.

The Texas Southern University located in my Congressional District will benefit from the outreach in making timely information available to the institution regarding the competency-based education demonstration projects Pilot program created by the bill.

TSU is uniquely situated in the heart of a community that it has served the education needs of for decades.

Institutions like TSU provide great educations to working class residents of Houston that is affordable, which means they often do not have Washington, DC based offices and may not receive notice of this opportunity unless efforts are made to conduct outreach to them.

Because of TSU's size it is within their scope and experience to develop a competency-based education pilot program that breaks the learning process down into stages that will attract students who may be unemployed, underemployed or considering a career change from the surrounding residential community where the TSU is located.

The institutions that may benefit from the inclusion of the Jackson Lee Amendment could reach students who are late in life--but still dream of earning a degree, but think that it is far out of reach.

Education programs that support training in a trade would be strengthened through this bill by ensuring that students are job ready upon completion of a certification or education program.

Mr. Chair, I ask that my colleagues support the Jackson Lee Amendment the H.R. 3136, the Advancing Competency-Based Education Demonstration Project Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to support this day and the opportunity to be on the floor to have the Nation recognize the value of our children and the importance of protecting them. In particular, I thank Ms. Bass and Mr. Marino for their leadership of the Foster Care Caucus, work that has been so important across America, and I thank the Education Committee with Mr. Miller and Mr. Kline for aspects of this legislation.

But I remember, Mr. Speaker, walking the streets of Houston with Covenant House and finding in cubbyholes homeless children, homeless teens. Many of them had aged out, and many of them during that time when the language wasn't clear had been prostituted, they were being sex-trafficked. No one was helping. So I am excited about legislation that recognizes that this act of ignoring them is child abuse, and that we need to ensure that they are not criminals and that the child welfare system understands their needs.

I was the first to bring to Houston a Homeland Security hearing on human and sex trafficking. It was an emotional hearing. The stories that were being told through law enforcement and those who had been victimized as children and how their lives were ruined would raise the hairs on your head. So I support all of these human trafficking initiatives, particularly as they take children away from the criminal justice system, and I look forward to Homeland Security moving more toward understanding this through the international process, and our Nation recognizing that, as has been said before, that the unaccompanied children are themselves victims of sex trafficking and need due process protection.

But we start at home. Therefore, I look forward to introducing legislation dealing with the homeland security human trafficking component in that Department, but the legislation offered by Ms. Bass and Mr. Marino, again, is a program that is long overdue. And I am grateful that we will now have a system where these children will be recognized not as criminals but will be recognized through the State child welfare system to identify and help these children that have been taken by this terrible industry, Mr. Speaker, and save their lives. The bills on the floor today will save the lives of our children. I ask support for all of the bills on human trafficking today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5081, the ``Strengthening Our Child Welfare Response to Trafficking Act of 2014,'' which strengthens the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (Pub. L. 93-247) by requiring that state plans for federal grants for child abuse or neglect prevention and treatment programs include elements focused on human trafficking.

Trafficking in humans is a major problem across the globe and in our own country. As lawmakers, we have a moral responsibility to combat this scourge and protect our children, especially those without parents to care for them, from being exploited and falling through the cracks.

As the Founder and Chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus, I understand how important it is to defend those who are too young to defend themselves.

This problem is personal for me because according to the U.S. Department of Justice, my home city of Houston, Texas is the epicenter of human trafficking in the United States with over 200 active brothels in Houston and two new ones opening each month.

Houston has also surpassed Las Vegas for the dubious distinction of having the most strip clubs and illicit spas serving as fronts for sex trafficking.

Human trafficking in Texas is not limited to Houston. During the 2011 Dallas Super Bowl, 133 underage arrests for prostitution were made and during this year's massive effort ``Operation Cross Country'' led by the FBI, several pimps were arrested.

Between 1998 and 2003 more than 500 people from 18 countries were ensnared in 57 forced labor operations in almost a dozen cities throughout the State of Texas.

Currently, our state child welfare systems do not properly identify and help the children that have been taken by this horrible industry. Even more disturbing is that the protections provided by our child welfare systems often do not extend to young victims of trafficking.

Hard as it is to believe, in some states trafficked youths are not even regarded or classified as victims. Rather, they are treated as youthful offenders and consigned to the criminal justice system.

These kids are not criminals. They are victims, robbed of their innocence by adult criminals. They are boys and girls who have been taken advantage of and are unable to escape an ugly system.

I support H.R. 5081 because it is focused on helping at-risk and vulnerable children and treat them as victims rather than treating them as criminals.

Specifically, the bill requires that state plans for Federal grants for child abuse or neglect prevention and treatment:

1. provide procedures to identify and assess all reports involving children known or suspected to be victims of sex trafficking;

2. provide training for child protection service workers to appropriately respond to reports of child sex trafficking; and

3. develop and implement policies and procedures to connect child victims to public or private specialized services.

Additionally, the bill requires States to report annually the numbers of children identified as victims of sex trafficking within the already existing National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System.

H.R. 5081 also requires the Department of Health and Human Services to submit a report to Congress outlining the prevalence and type of child trafficking nationwide as well as the current barriers to serving child victims comprehensively.

I strongly support H.R. 5081 and urge my colleague to join me in voting for its passage which will help bring an end to the evil practice that is child sex trafficking.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5111, ``An Act to Improve the Response To victims Of Child Sex Trafficking.'' I would like to congratulate Representative Beatty for her work.

Youth sexual exploitation and trafficking is a major issue in this country that affects more than 293,000 young Americans.

As a Representative of Texas, this issue is close to my heart as my state is plagued by this problem. For example, multiple sporting events, conventions, and other large festivities make Houston a prime location for trafficking.

Another metric demonstrating the high level of trafficking in Houston is the high volume of calls to National Trafficking Hotline coming from Houston.

I have worked on this issue for a very long time as a member of the Anti-Human Trafficking Caucus and recognize the enormous damage that human trafficking does to its victim and to society.

There have been many efforts made to improve how our system addresses the issue of sex trafficking. However, there is still a great deal of work to be done to reframe the issue as one of abuse and exploitation of children rather than one of teenage prostitution.

The legal definition of sex trafficking states that ``any individual induced or caused to engage in commercial sex activity who is under 18 is a victim of trafficking,''

But what about those who are teenagers and voluntarily engage in this sort of activity?

We need to update the Missing Children's Assistance Act so that it better recognizes these young people as victims of a serious crime and reports the information accordingly.

Under current law, (42 U.S.C. 5773 (b)(1)(P)), the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children operates a cyber tipline to provide online users and electronic service providers a means of reporting Internet-related child sexual exploitation in many areas, including child prostitution.

Children, who are sex trafficked or sexually exploited, even if they are in their teens, are victims. They are not criminals and should not be categorized as such.

H.R. 5111 would replace the term ``child prostitution'' with ``child sex trafficking'' in order to reinforce that children who are sex trafficked or sexually exploited are victims whose situation should be taken seriously when reported on the online tipline.

I believe that this bill is a step in the right direction for recognizing the broad impact of sex trafficking in the United States and assisting those who are exploited by it.

I urge all members to join me in supporting H.R. 5111 so we can all work towards a society where we no longer have to worry about our children being exploited by the sex trade.

Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5116, ``Human Trafficking Detection Act of 2014.''

I support this bipartisan legislation which ensures that Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and other Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel the Secretary deems appropriate are trained to effectively detect, intercept, and disrupt human trafficking in a manner relevant to their professional roles and responsibilities.

As the ranking member on the House Committee on Homeland Security's Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the men and women of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency who do yeoman work on the front lines in combating human trafficking and rescuing its victims.

Mr. Speaker, worldwide there are at least 20.9 million adults and children human trafficking victims living as forced low-wage workers and exploited as objects of sexual pleasure; and 1.4 million persons are victims of national and transnational sex trafficking.

I have long advocated declaring unconditional war on human trafficking and I am pleased that the Homeland Security Committee is taking a leading role in this effort.

The legislation before us will result in a significant enhancement of DHS's capability to combat human trafficking and does so in a way that allows the department necessary flexibility in providing training.

Departmental personnel may be trained in-class or through virtual, computer-based learning programs. In either case, the training provided will include methods for:

1. identifying specific indicators of human trafficking victims and perpetrators; and

2. where appropriate, approaching victims of trafficking in a manner that is sensitive to the potential victim and includes steps to avoid alerting potential perpetrators of human trafficking.

The legislation requires the Secretary to certify to the relevant committees that all described personnel have received the training, as well as submit a report to the committees on the overall effectiveness of the program, as well as the number of reported cases by DHS personnel and which of those cases were confirmed cases of human trafficking no later than one year after enactment.

Mr. Speaker, trafficking in humans, and especially domestic child trafficking, has no place in a civilized society. Those who engage in this illicit trade should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Approximately 600,000 and 800,000 victims are moved across international borders every year and subjected to compelled service and millions more are enslaved domestically within their own countries.

Mr. Speaker, Texas has one of the longest international borders in the world, a 1254 mile border it shares with Mexico, our good neighbor to the South.

Texas also has a major federal highway Interstate I-10 which traverses the Southern United States from the state of Florida to the state of California.

Human trafficking is a problem for the United States because the U.S. State Department estimates that approximately 17,500 foreign nationals are trafficked into the United States, the largest number of people trafficked into the United States come from East Asia and the Pacific and the next highest numbers coming from Latin America and Europe.

I support H.R. 5116 because it is another important tool in the national arsenal to combat and eradicate the scourge of human trafficking.

I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting passage of H.R. 5116.

Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2283, ``Human Trafficking Prioritization Act of 2014.''

I support this bipartisan legislation which modifies the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to elevate the status of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking to that of the Bureau to Combat Trafficking in Persons, which shall be headed by an Assistant Secretary of State.

The office produces the annual Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP Report), which is Congress' primary resource for human trafficking reporting, analysis and recommendations for the United States and 186 countries around the world. The TIP Report also contains tier rankings of each country on which it reports, which are used to help protect victims, prevent trafficking and prosecute traffickers.

Mr. Speaker, I agree with many thoughtful observers that the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking would be even more effective in carrying out the duties mandated by Congress in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 if its status was elevated from that of ``Office'' to a ``Bureau'' within the department hierarchy and the title of its chief administrator elevated from ``director'' to Assistant Secretary of State.''

Human trafficking is a problem for the United States because the U.S. State Department estimates that approximately 17,500 foreign nationals are trafficked into the United States, the largest number of people trafficked into the United States come from East Asia and the Pacific and the next highest numbers coming from Latin America and Europe.

It is estimated 2.8 million children living on the streets of this nation are at risk for trafficking into the sex industry. Children who are abused or victims of molestation are most vulnerable.

If they are lured into human trafficking they are isolated from the rest of the world and start living lives controlled by pimps, escort and massage services, private dancing clubs, pornographic clubs and much worse.

Mr. Speaker, this bill requires the Secretary of State to report to Congress within 90 days of enactment on how long each assistant secretary designation has been in existence, and whether the designation was legislatively mandated or authorized.

According to a Northwestern Journal of International Human Rights Report Mexican authorities are working to address the problem of trans- border human trafficking, but the country's ``legal framework remains largely untouched and hence limited in its crime-fighting scope and effectiveness.''

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Houston, Texas is one of the nation's largest hubs for human trafficking, with over 200 active brothels in Houston and two new ones opening each month.

Houston has also surpassed Las Vegas for the dubious distinction of having the most strip clubs and illicit spas serving as fronts for sex trafficking.

Human trafficking in Texas is not limited to Houston. During the 2011 Dallas Super Bowl, 133 underage arrests for prostitution were made and during this year's massive effort ``Operation Cross Country'' led by the FBI, several pimps were arrested.

In 2006, the Department of Justice National Conference on Human Trafficking identified the I-10 corridor as one of the main routes for traffickers. Interstate I-10 links the major Texas urban areas Houston, San Antonio and El Paso and dozens of mid- and small sized towns in between.

Mr. Speaker, one of the most important things that can and must continue to be done is to raise public awareness of the continuing prevalence of modern day slavery and human trafficking.

Raising the visibility and status of the governmental entity charged with the responsibility of documenting the problems, successes, and remaining challenges confronting the United States and the international community in eradicating the scourge of human trafficking is a positive step forward in achieving this goal.

I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting passage of H.R. 2283.