Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 1156, expressing the commitment of the House of Representatives to building on the twenty years of success of the George McGovern-Robert Dole Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program.

The McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program helps support education, child development and food security in low-income, food-deficit countries around the globe.

In 2017, there were 821 million people worldwide experiencing hunger. That is one in every nine people.

66 million children are experiencing hunger worldwide every day. One in six children are food insecure.

According to UNICEF, approximately 3.1 million children globally die from undernutrition every year. It is estimated that every 10 seconds a child around the globe dies from hunger.

Even in the United States, hunger and food insecurity are major problems. In my home of Houston, almost 725,000 people experience food insecurity, which amounts to about 23% of Houston's households.

More than 500,000 Houstonians live in food deserts. These food deserts are found mostly in areas with limited transportation, lack of aid, and high unemployment rates.

Hunger is also tragic because it reflects economic and social inequity. In Houston, for example, food deserts are more likely to occur in primarily Black communities.

Lack of food doesn't just impact a child's hunger levels. Food insecurity stunts a child's growth and development and often children fall behind in school because they are unable to focus while experiencing hunger.

Children who experience food insecurity grow into adults with health complications that emerged from the lack of food.

As former Chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus I worked to improve the lives of children not only in the United States, but globally because the children are the future, and we must do everything possible to protect them.

Global food insecurity is of great importance to me because, not only am I a longtime Member of the House Hunger Caucus, I represent the same Congressional District that had been represented by iconic leaders who fought to end hunger in the U.S. and globally.

I am proud to continue the historic legacy of Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, who was a champion for human dignity and fought for the rights of all people regardless of race, gender, heritage, or economic status, and Congressman Mickey Leland, who worked tirelessly to raise awareness of, and fight for, policies to end food insecurity around the globe and who, tragically, died in a plane crash while working to end world hunger on a relief mission in Ethiopia.

Starvation is a terrible thing. It's something that nobody should have to go through. And yet, there are people in this world who are starving right now as a consequence of natural disasters, war, and even as a tool of warfare.

In Pakistan, food deprivation is compounded by the human toll from recent floods and other natural disasters. Using drought to strategically exacerbate starvation is unacceptable.

The people of Ethiopia's Tigre Province are being subjected to a truly vile and malicious use of food deprivation in this way. The region was already suffering from drought, and when compounded by forced starvation from denial of access to food as a weapon of war, the effect is heinous and the consequences are unforgiveable.

Russia's aggression against Ukraine is a global food insecurity tragedy on multiple levels. As Putin wages his war against the people of Ukraine, he uses food as a weapon by destroying the food production and transportation capacity of the country he invaded. At the same time, since Ukraine grows grains and crops that feed much of the world, Putin's devastation of Ukraine's food production infrastructure and takeovers of Ukrainian food exports cause food insecure populations of countless countries to suffer, especially in Africa.

The McGovern-Dole program also aims to defeat malnutrition. Children across the globe are affected by malnutrition and the McGovern Dole program is working to combat this debilitating condition.

The McGovern Dole Program has been successful at saving lives all over the world for 20 years.

This program boosts school enrollment, increases attendance, and improves reading outcomes and literacy results through providing school meals, teacher training, and government capacity-building.

The McGovern Dole Program has been able to improve health, nutrition, and dietary practices through supporting Maternal and Child Nutrition (MCN). The program encourages the inclusion of health and nutrition sensitive activities, such as micronutrient-fortified products, take- home rations, treatments for illnesses, and nutrition education.

H. Res. 1156 must be passed. With bipartisan Congressional support, the United States has been able to work with other countries on hunger, specifically childhood hunger, which is a devastating condition.

It is imperative that we continue to work together to reduce hunger worldwide.

We must end this unnecessary suffering before it claims even more lives.

This bill must be important to us all. Investing in children today will only benefit the world in the future.

We must continue this program to address global food insecurity and create conditions for peace and stability.

This effort will support U.S. farmers, millers, shippers, and commodity groups that provide agricultural commodities for the program to help combat malnutrition and food insecurity worldwide.

I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting this critical bill that will build upon

the 20 years of success of the George McGovern-Robert Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program.

Mr. Speaker, why are we here this morning? We are here because dignity should be part of life in America. We are here because the Founding Fathers, imperfect as they were, said we are here to create a more perfect union.

We are specifically here because a Justice on the United States Supreme Court, Justice Clarence Thomas, appallingly stated that other cherished, fundamental rights should be subject to abrogation, writing: ``In future cases, we should reconsider all of this Court's substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell.''

It is shameful that we would have to be here today, but I proudly stand with my community, those who understand and recognize that it is crucial for the Respect for Marriage Act to pass so that respect can go for the loving relationships, the families, the daughters, the sons, the aunts and uncles, and all the husbands and wives that come as family.

Let me be very clear: I am the only Member in the Texas delegation that voted against the Defense of Marriage Act. I voted against it.

DOMA was wrong then, it is wrong now, and I continuously stand with all of you to pass H.R. 8404, the Respect for Marriage Act.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise in strong support for H.R. 8404, the ``Respect for Marriage Act'' and the collaboration in the Senate last week that enabled it to pass the Senate and return to the House for today's vote.

I am very concerned that the archaic dictum that the Supreme Court used in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization to justify overturning the well-established and reaffirmed right to abortion could be further weaponized in the future to strip away other fundamental rights, including the right to marriage equality.

Specifically, in his concurring opinion to the Dobbs decision, Clarence Thomas appallingly stated that other cherished, fundamental rights should be subject to abrogation, writing, ``. . . in future cases, we should reconsider all of this Court's substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell.''

Thomas left no doubt about his regressive, byzantine intentions, adding, ``. . . we have a duty to `correct the error' established in

Mr. Speaker, I know how hard the chairman works. I would have preferred the mark of the President's budget, but this is hard fought and hard won.

I thank the chairman for the raise that has been given to our servicemen, their housing allowances. Let me thank him for this important research stream to the historically Black colleges and for Ukraine.

Let me also thank him for what we have fought for in the name of Vanessa Guillen, and that is a new protocol for the sexual assault that occurs in our military branches. Let me not point out a particular one.

Let me also stand on this floor and say hostage Brittney Griner has come home. That is a testament to what America is all about. I thank all those who played a role and indicate that, as she has come home and her family is ecstatic, I remind everyone that former marine Paul Whelan should be brought home, as well.

I thank President Biden for working on making sure there is an authorization bill that really responds to the people of the United States military. I am delighted that the amendments dealing with breast cancer that I offered were included, $10 million for triple-negative breast cancer. I am delighted for the PTSD funding, $2.5 million, that I offered, as well, to ensure that the people of the military are taken care of. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to recognize the importance.

Brittney Griner is home.

Madam Speaker, thank you for this opportunity to express my support for the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 7776, the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2023.

Congress has the solemn duty to ensure that those who wear the uniform of the United States--and those civilians who provide logistical and operational support--have the equipment, training, and resources needed to carry out and complete their mission.

And we must never forget that a grateful nation has a sacred obligation, in the words of President Lincoln, ``to care for him who has borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan.''

This legislation rises to meet that mandate admirably in myriad ways, from providing a 4.6 percent pay raise for service members to increasing funding for housing, childcare, and improved food for service members.

Importantly, the bill provides over $131 million in funding for research at HBCUs--a 22.8 percent increase--which improves integration of HBCUs into our country's national defense research and development infrastructure.

These are important measures because, as the DoD is the largest federal agency, the wide scope of activities covered by the NDAA impact every sector of our economy and every facet of American life. The activities funded by the NDAA are, in effect, a microcosm of the activities of the United States, and, as such, they must set the tone for how these issues are to be addressed in our country's other industries and communities.

Of course, the main purpose they serve is to protect our country and strengthen our national defense. So, I am pleased that this bill reinforces our capacity to meet the challenges posed by Russia's aggression in Ukraine, China's increasing agitation in the South China Sea, non-state terrorist groups, cyber-attacks, and other threats to our country.

I am especially pleased that this bill adopts a modern yet long-term approach to our national defense by embracing innovative strategies, emerging technologies, workforce diversity and inclusion, preparation for asymmetric combat, and operational continuity and resilience.

In furtherance of these essential principles and methods, I offered amendments to the NDAA when it came to the floor of the House in July, and I am very pleased that the legislation before us today includes my amendments which I would like to summarize.

My amendment #191 authorizes a $2.5 million increase in funding to combat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and I thank my colleagues on the Armed Services Committee for adding the full $2.5 million increase into this legislation.

PTSD was first brought to public attention in relation to war veterans, but it can result from a variety of traumatic incidents, such as torture, being kidnapped or held captive, bombings, or natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes. According to the NIH, an estimated 3.6 percent of U.S. adults had PTSD in the past year.

People with PTSD may startle easily, become emotionally numb (especially in relation to people with whom they used to be close), lose interest in things they used to enjoy, have trouble feeling affectionate, be irritable, become more aggressive, or even become violent.

Most people with PTSD repeatedly relive the trauma in their thoughts during the day and in nightmares when they sleep. These are called flashbacks. A person having a flashback may lose touch with reality and believe that the traumatic incident is happening all over again.

My amendment recognizes that the soldiers afflicted with PTSD are, first and foremost, human. They carry their experiences with them. Ask a veteran of Vietnam, Iraq, or Afghanistan about the frequency of nightmares they experience, and one will realize that serving in the Armed Forces leaves a lasting impression, whether good or bad.

My amendment will help ensure that ``no soldier is left behind'' by addressing the urgent need for more outreach toward hard-to-reach veterans suffering from PTSD, especially those who are homeless or reside in underserved urban and rural areas of our country.

My amendment #194 authorizes a $10 million increase in funding for increased collaboration between the DoD Office of Health and the National Institutes of Health to research and combat Triple Negative Breast Cancer. I am very pleased that my colleagues added the full $10 million increase into the bill.

As a Member of Congress, a mother, a sister and a spouse, and a breast cancer survivor, I feel a special responsibility to do all I can to ensure that every American can defeat all types of cancer, and especially triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). We must increase our efforts to protect women in the military, and women who are spouses of service members, from this virulent and lethal illness.

The 13-25 percent of breast cancers that are triple-negative disproportionately afflict

Black women. Although the rate of all breast cancers is 10 percent lower in Black women than white women, Black women are 3 times more likely to suffer from triple negative breast cancer than are white women. In 2013, the American Cancer Society estimated that 27,000 Black women are diagnosed with the illness annually.

African American women who are diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer--an especially aggressive type of cancer which often occurs at younger ages than other breast cancers--have a five year survival rate of 78 percent after diagnosis as compared to 90 percent for white women.

The key to beating this cancer is early detection, and the DoD's health care system for women service members and women who are spouses of service members can enable early detection.

A 2007 study of more than 50,000 women with all stages of breast cancer found that 77 percent of women with triple-negative breast cancer survived at least 5 years, versus 93 percent women with other types of breast cancer. Another study of more than 1,600 women published in 2007 found that women with triple-negative breast cancer had a higher risk of death within 5 years of diagnosis.

By prioritizing this very lethal condition, the DoD can make great strides in protecting women from triple negative breast cancer's worst effects.

My amendment #199 directs the Secretary of Defense to ensure that candidates granted admission to attend a military academy undergo screening for speech disorders and be provided appropriate opportunities and supportive services.

Academy students should have the option of undergoing speech therapy to reduce speech disorders or impediments.

I am pleased that Report Language was added that cites the DoD's recent attention to this issue, and states, in part, that the DoD is now ``noting the availability of medical waivers in certain circumstances for physical or medical standards, providing the Reading Aloud Test administered to applicants,'' and very importantly, ``describing the availability of speech therapy.''

My amendment #195 directs the Secretary of Defense to audit current practices for the administration of sexual harassment claims and submit a report detailing efforts to prevent sexual harassment and protect service members, and compiling data and research on sexual harassment prevalence in the military, cases reported, legal proceedings, and convictions.

Sexual assault is endemic in our military, especially for female service members. Streamlining and auditing the process of reporting sexual assault protects victims and is a necessary step in weeding out abusers.

I am very pleased that this bill advances key reforms to the Uniform Code of Military Justice to prevent sexual harassment and abuse by:

placing sexual harassment and related sexual offenses in the jurisdiction of the Special Trial Counsel;

requiring independent trained investigators outside of the immediate chain of command to investigate claims of sexual harassment;

requiring the randomization of court-martial panels;

expanding reporting requirements on the implementation of the New Special Trial Counsel program; and

permitting the Secretary of Defense to expand restricted reporting of sexual assault for civilian employees rather than relegating them to only filing unrestricted reports with the military.

In light of these measures to reform the enforcement process against sexual offenses, I am pleased that, as a result of my amendment, Report Language has been added, stating that, ``. . . the matters addressed in this provision are routinely addressed in the Department's Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military.''

My amendment #190 requires a report to be submitted to Congress within 240 days following enactment on the risks posed by debris in low earth orbit and to make recommendations on remediation of risks and outline plans to reduce the incident of space debris.

Man-made objects in Earth's orbit that become space debris no longer serve a useful function, yet their impact can pose serious risks to personnel in orbiting spacecraft, satellites, and essential systems since they travel at speeds up to 17,500 miles per hour. Space debris includes nonfunctional spacecraft, abandoned launch vehicle stages, mission-related debris, and fragmentation debris.

I am very pleased that my amendment led to inclusion of bill language requiring the Secretary of Defense to respond to a reporting requirement regarding space debris that was included in the Joint Explanatory Statement accompanying the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 specific to defense and national security space assets.

My amendment #198 requires the National Guard Bureau, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, to submit to Congress and others in 2023, 2024, and 2025 a report identifying the personnel, training, and equipment needed by the non-federal National Guard to prevent, mitigate, respond to, and recover from natural and man-made disasters.

Hurricane Harvey's impact in Texas was so severe that it lingered for years. The storm's footprint covered over 9,000 square miles, including the city of Houston. Hurricane Harvey dropped over 52 inches of rain in the Houston area. At its peak, one-third of Houston was underwater, leaving 34,575 evacuees in shelters across Texas.

The scope and magnitude of these dueling disasters tested the National Guard and Reservists in unprecedented ways. To prepare for major natural disasters in the future, this amendment requires a readiness report by the National Guard and Reservists to make sure they have what they need to assist communities in need of disaster assistance.

My amendment will help the National Guard help communities prepare for disasters, respond to them, and rebuild from them. It will improve the ability to support the important mission of the National Guard and Reservists to engage in disaster response.

Thus, I am pleased that bill language was included to require the Chief of the National Guard Bureau to include in the National Guard Bureau unfunded priorities list any unfunded priorities related to non- Federal National Guard responsibilities in connection with natural and man-made disasters.

My amendment #197 requires the Secretary of the Navy, not later than 180 days after enactment of this Act, to submit to Congress a report on desalinization technology's application for defense and national security purposes to provide drought relief to areas impacted by sharp declines in water resources.

I am pleased my amendment resulted in Report Language stating that, ``We are aware of the importance of expeditionary desalinization capabilities to crisis scenarios, including natural disasters. Accordingly, we direct the Secretary of the Navy to provide a report to the congressional defense committees, not later than August 1, 2023, outlining the current inventory and usage of desalinization systems, planned future investments into technologies and systems, and any current and projected future needs for expeditionary water purification that may not be met by current and planned capabilities.''

My amendment #189 requires a report to be submitted within 220 days following enactment on the Capacity to Provide Disaster Survivors with Emergency Short Term Housing.

As we witnessed in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, as well as other major natural disasters, enormous swaths of the population are displaced, communities are unlivable with no prospect for near-term rebuilding or restoration, and there is an enormous unmet need for emergency housing.

Because of the need to prepare for the consequences of future major natural disasters, I thank my colleagues on the Armed Services Committee for including bill language that effectuates my amendment by directing the development and submission of a report that will help enable disaster survivors to access emergency short term housing.

My amendment #59 recognizes that Black men and women have played an integral role in our nation's defense: from the bravery of Crispus Attucks, an escaped slave, during the Boston Massacre, to today. The amendment would address the historical and current barriers to Black Americans' participation and equal treatment in the Armed Services.

The racial inequality and mistreatment of Black men and women that has historically permeated our military continues to this day, with more than 750 complaints of racial or ethnic discrimination from service members in fiscal year 2020 alone.

But discrimination doesn't exist just within the military rank-and- file, as in FY2020, civilians working in the financial, technical and support sectors of the Army, Air Force and Navy filed 900 complaints of racial discrimination and over 350 complaints of discrimination by skin color, as data from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reveals.

According to a report by the Defense Department's Diversity and Inclusion Board, while the enlisted ranks of the active and reserve military were ``slightly more racially and ethnically diverse than its U.S. civilian counterparts,'' the opposite was true for the officer corps.

We owe it to those brave men and women who have proven time and time again to be an integral part of our military to examine the Armed Services' history of discrimination and to determine the necessary steps to repair the harm caused by these inequities.

I am very pleased by the inclusion of report language acknowledging the history of inequities and stating in part, ``Therefore, we direct the Secretary of Defense to brief the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives, not later than May 1, 2023, on those current and future efforts in support of a more inclusive force. The brief

shall include resources allocated, lessons learned, how such efforts advance our strategic national security and readiness postures in support of the National Security Strategy and the Department's National Defense Strategy, and any such other information as the Secretary deems appropriate.''

My amendment #193 condemns the actions of Boko Haram and directs that the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the Attorney General, submit a report on efforts to combat Boko Haram.

I am pleased that, as a result of my amendment, report language was included stating that, ``We direct the Secretary of Defense, not later than June 1, 2023, to brief the congressional defense committees on the activities and initiatives undertaken by the Department of Defense to assist the Government of Nigeria and countries in the Lake Chad Basin to combat Boko Haram, al-Qaeda affiliates, and other terrorist organizations while respecting and protecting human rights and promoting respect for the rule of law.''

My amendment #192 requires the Secretary of Defense to report to Congress about programs and procedures that ensure students studying abroad through Department of Defense National Security Education Programs are trained to recognize, resist, and report against recruitment efforts by agents of foreign governments.

Because of the need for American students who are studying abroad to be protected from risks and dangers presented by agents of foreign governments, I am pleased that my amendment has resulted in bill language that effectuates my amendment by requiring that a report developed and submitted to Congress about the programs and procedures that are being undertaken to protect these Americans studying abroad.

My amendment #196 directs the Secretary of Defense to report to Congress in not less than 180 days the actions taken to protect U.S. armed service personnel from armed attacks conducted by militants and terrorists in pursuit of bounties and inducements the agencies, organizations, or entities aligned with the Russian Federation.

I am pleased that my amendment resulted in the inclusion of report language stating in part, ``. . . we direct the Secretary of Defense, not later than June 1, 2023, to provide a briefing to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives on actions taken to protect servicemembers and U.S. personnel from armed attacks conducted in pursuit of bounties or inducements offered by agencies, organizations, or entities aligned with Russia.''

Madam Speaker, I applaud my colleagues on the Armed Services Committee, as well as their Senate counterparts, and the committee staff in each chamber for their extraordinary work crafting this extensive, multi-faceted, visionary legislation that will strengthen our national defense both in the current fiscal year and for many years to come.

I would also like to express my appreciation to my colleagues on the committee for recognizing the value that my amendments bring to our national defense infrastructure and maintaining them in the final language that is before us today.

Mr. Speaker, this is a very historic day.

We overturned and dismissed the words of Justice Thomas that the rights of Americans should be denied.

We voted for the Respect for Marriage Act that will be signed by the President of the United States.

Then in the midst of darkness, Brittney Griner was swapped and is on her way home. Negotiations by the hostage negotiating team took months because Mr. Putin would not negotiate.

Finding our hostages and bringing them home is not a partisan issue. I love Paul Whelan and his family. We introduced legislation passed by the House that said to bring Brittney Griner home and bring Paul Whelan home.

I am happy for Cherelle, Brittney's mother and father, Houston, Phoenix, the Nation, and all the players in the WNBA, but we will continue to use the power of the sovereign United States to bring Paul Whelan home, as we did Trevor Reed and as we did those who came from Venezuela.

Let us unify together. Let us celebrate Brittney and fight to bring Paul Whelan home.

Madam Speaker, 18 days before this Nation turns its eyes toward a beautiful recognition--for those of us who practice the understanding of the birth of our Lord--Christmas--and the many other faiths that will celebrate their special days in their own way-- Brittney Griner still remains incarcerated in the most devastating, horrific, cruel, and brutal conditions. She must come home, along with Paul Whelan.

At the same time, I stand with the defenders of democracy, Ukraine, and hope that we will provide the resources necessary and be able to accept their fight for democracy while our former President asks to suspend our Constitution. Let us do the support for Ukraine and not suspend the Constitution.

Finally, ravaging floods are still plaguing the people of Pakistan. We have asked for $600 million. They deserve those dollars to be able to restore their lives--pregnant women, families, farmers suffering and starving. It is necessary, as an ally of the United States, that we try to respond in this funding cycle now--dollars needed for Pakistan.

I look forward to working with the administration to provide the relief that they need. We are a Nation of caring and humanitarianism.

Bring Brittney Griner home now.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the sponsor and proponents of this legislation. It is so startling, stunning, shocking, absurd to even be standing here discussing the deportation of men and women who have worn the uniform and have offered to sacrifice their lives for the oldest democracy in the world.

Mr. Speaker, it is clearly an effort that is long overdue, and I am stunned by my friends on the other side of the aisle--I have said that word, stunned and shocked, that there would be any opposition to this. We know that immigrants have served in the United States Armed Forces in every major conflict, and there are now 45,000 immigrants serving in the armed forces in this country.

It is important that we fix the gap, the loophole, the calls that are gotten when immigrants are deported. This legislation, I am very grateful to say, is about fixing this problem.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H.R. 7946, that would require or would have DHS create and enforce a system for identifying noncitizen veterans and require their status as a veteran to be brought into consideration in the case of removal proceedings. Their service record will also be brought into it. Any of us can believe it, they could be heroic, and that doesn't even count in today's scheme.

It would also require DHS to provide the opportunity for eligible noncitizen veterans to be granted lawful permanent residence. Identification of their veteran status would halt any removal proceedings, and there would be a final administrative decision on the veterans' eligibility.

What I like also about it is that when you come into basic training, we can then naturalize these individuals, these servants who have offered themselves for training and to be part of this government by fighting, by wearing the uniform, by fighting for democracy to become citizens.

The Veteran Service Recognition Act is offered in response to DHS' and the U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement's failure to consistently follow its own policies regarding deportation of those.

That means that we say on the floor of the House with great embarrassment that we have deported men and women who have served in uniform; and, yes, we have had challenges with the same kind of--how should I say it--detoured roads that our own veterans have had to fall to, substance abuse, or other incidences; but they have still worn the uniform.

Our veterans can get into the Veterans Court or get into services; but the other veterans, who have the same defaults, if you will, because of the conditions of war, have to be deported. That doesn't make sense.

More than 760,000 noncitizens have enlisted over the past century, with peaks in world wars and 9/11. There are approximately 45,000 immigrants, as I said, in active service.

Mr. Speaker, I want to make sure that my county knows that there are 179,000 veterans who live in Harris County, and 1,567,000 veterans who live in Texas. Some of those are our immigrant veterans, and some are not citizens.

So my point is, here today, that we must find every available way to treat them as they treated this Nation: I am willing to die for America and America's values.

Mr. Speaker, I must raise this. Languishing in a Russian prison is a veteran, Paul Whelan, with bogus charges, a hostage. Alongside of him is Brittney Griner, and it has been determined that the conditions she is living in are just atrocious.

My point is, that any time an American needs America to fix the problem, as a democratic nation, we must stand with those who have stood with us; those who are citizens and those who are immigrants who fought for us.

I ask my friends and colleagues to support H.R. 7946.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7946, the Veteran Service Recognition Act of 2022 that would address immigration-related issues pertaining to noncitizen military veterans.

By enacting H.R. 7946, the Department of Homeland Security would be required to create and enforce a system for identifying noncitizen veterans and require their status as a veteran to be brought into consideration in the case of removal proceedings.

H.R. 7946 will also require the DHS to provide the opportunity for eligible noncitizen veterans to be granted lawful permanent resident status.

Identification of their veteran status would halt any removal proceedings until there is a final administrative decision on the veteran's eligibility.

The Veteran Service Recognition Act is offered in response to the DHS's and the U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement's failure to consistently follow its own policies regarding deportation of those who served in our armed forces.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement already has policies that provides special consideration to veterans in light of their service, but has recklessly failed to follow them.

The Government Accountability Office reported that between 2013 and 2018, ICE did not consistently follow its own policies or maintain electronic data on the number of veterans placed in removal proceedings.

Investigators also found that a staggering 70 percent of cases involving the deportation of noncitizen veterans did not receive a review as required.

This means that veterans were not granted their right to due process. As a result, we do not even have an accurate measure of the number of veterans who have been unjustly deported.

As a nation, we should be ashamed and alarmed by this lack of information which reflects a lack of concern for treating them fairly.

More than 760,000 noncitizens have enlisted over the past century, with peaks during the World Wars and 9/11 attacks. Today, there are approximately 45,000 immigrants in active service.

This issue is important to me because many of our nation's veterans who are not US citizens are among the 29,000 veterans who live in my district, the 179,000 who live in Harris County, and the 1,567,000 who live in Texas, the second most of any state.

The promise of naturalization is sometimes a military recruitment strategy that targets immigrant communities. Military service is supposed to qualify veterans for naturalization as U.S. citizens because honorable service satisfies the ``good moral character'' requirements, according to the 1940 Nationality Act.

But then, in 2017, a Trump administration policy restricted access to the expedited citizenship that was promised to veterans after 9/11.

This policy exacerbated the persistent problem of immigrant veterans not being given the proper guidance on how to complete the naturalization process.

In turn, this systemic failure leads to more than half of the eligible noncitizen veterans not completing their naturalization process, leaving them in a permanent limbo.

When we needed them the most, hundreds of thousands of noncitizens stepped up to fight for our wars.

And now when they needed us, our nation failed to even recognize them, let alone protect them.

``Leave no one behind'' is a common mantra followed by the United States Armed Forces. We must abide by that principle in support of our noncitizen veterans who served our country honorably, and make sure that they, too, are never left behind again.

We must do more to help our foreign-born veterans navigate the naturalization process. It is up to Congress to act.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the Veteran's Recognition Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about the horrible and despicable plight of Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan among other hostages and United States citizens held around the world in this particular situation by a despot who wants to use Brittney as a pawn.

This wonderful young woman, 6 feet 9 inches, an Olympian, is now being taken to a labor camp with vicious conditions, food that is disgraceful, conditions that are disgraceful. It is only because of the selfish despot that wants to eliminate democracy, live in an oppressive society, and use her as a vicious pawn.

I warn Americans: When a former President suggests they want to suspend the Constitution, watch Iran that is killing people in the street simply because they want freedom and democracy, and watch Russia every day.

It has been said, oh, you made a highlight or a star out of Brittney Griner. No. It was the outcry of her family and community that said: We just want her home. We want Paul Whelan, a veteran, home.

Yet, this vicious and vile leader thinks that he has something he can dangle in front of our eyes.

I demand that we get strong-handed with him. This young woman needs to be brought home to her family, and it is a disgrace that we cannot get her home.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7158, the Long-Term Care Veterans Choice Act, to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to enter into contracts and agreements for the payment of care in non-Department of Veterans Affairs medical foster homes for certain veterans who are unable to live independently.

Medical foster homes are private homes where a trained caregiver provides services to a few individuals. These facilities serve as an alternative to nursing homes, providing residents with the comfort of home with medical attention readily available.

Medical foster homes and caregivers must meet specific criteria to ensure that veterans receive the same level of care that would be provided in traditional Veterans Affairs facilities or nursing homes.

Caregivers must demonstrate the ability to provide care and supervision 24/7, communicate significant changes in a veteran's status, and have caregiving experience, along with other requirements.

The home where a veteran would be living must go through inspection with a VA multidisciplinary team, provide a home-like environment, meet National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Life Safety Code, and more.

The medical foster care program started in 2008 and has served over 1,000 veterans nationally. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the demand for medical foster homes is highest in rural areas, where veterans want to stay in the communities in which they are comfortable.

The Department of Veterans Affairs says that the home environment enriches the lives of veterans and their caregivers. Veterans who live in this type of setting tend to have fewer hospitalizations than those in institutional care or who live alone.

This program is providing our nation's veterans with a sense of belonging and community while also providing them with the medical care they need. Many veterans that are in medical foster homes report feeling like they are part of a family and supported.

It is estimated that there are 46,000 veterans in nursing homes across the country. Nursing homes do provide patients with the medical attention they need, but many patients miss the aspect of living in their community, in a home, and with family.

This bill would provide veterans from my home of Houston, Texas with the option to stay in their communities and be part of a family while receiving 24/7 care. Instead of stripping these veterans from their communities this bill will provide them with a way to be better engrained in their communities.

The Long-Term Care Veterans Choice Act would provide veterans who want to be at home with the ability to seek care that provides that level of support and familiarity.

I urge my colleagues to join me in support of H.R. 7158, Long-Term Care Veterans Choice Act. With the passage of this bill, we can give a sense of family back to many veterans who have been longing for a sense of normalcy.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 2796) to amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to provide for the eligibility of rural community response pilot programs for funding under the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Grant Program, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on S. 2796.

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

Mr. Speaker, let me acknowledge that this legislation is from Senator Jon Ossoff. I know how important these issues are to him. At the very beginning, I thank him for his leadership. We have worked together as members of the Judiciary Committee, he in the Senate and myself in the House. I applaud him and look forward to more work on this constructive approach to drug use.

S. 2796, the Rural Opioid Abuse Prevention Act of 2022, is bipartisan legislation that would establish a pilot program for rural communities within the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Grant Program.

The pilot program would make grants to rural areas to implement community response programs in order to reduce opioid overdose deaths. These community response programs would involve collaborations between public safety, public health, and behavioral health systems. The program will seek to identify gaps in current treatment availability and establish treatment programs to reduce opioid overdoses in rural areas.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics indicates that in 2021 there were an estimated 107,622 drug overdose deaths. The data also shows overdose deaths, including opioids, increased from an estimated 70,029 in 2020 to 80,816 in 2021.

Mr. Speaker, what compounds this, as I proceed in my debate here today, is that, just this morning, I read an article that says Texas rural hospitals are closing by the dozens, impacted by the pandemic and lack of personnel. We have an emerging, surging, if you will, synergism of default: individuals who need care, can't get care, and hospitals in rural communities that are closing.

With more than 200 Americans still dying of drug overdoses each day, it is even more important that we pass this critical legislation to get in the way, if you will.

In my hometown of Houston, overdose deaths have been exacerbated by strained access to treatment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Opioid overdose deaths have increased throughout the State of Texas, rising from 4,154 deaths in 2020 to 4,831 deaths in 2021.

When we wanted to get the antidote to opioid, unfortunately, we couldn't get State funding. Police officers and recovery entities, they just couldn't get it because there was a philosophical disbelief that that had anything to do with some of the dangerous drugs out there to be able to help some of those who are in need.

S. 2796 would enable local communities and community organizations to develop and expand initiatives targeting rural and low-resource communities. Eligible applicants of the grant program would be required to have a documented history of providing services in rural communities or regions highly impacted by substance use disorder.

The programs supported by this legislation would be able to identify gaps in treatment access for rural communities, leverage Federal resources to expand treatment options, and ensure rural and remote communities are not forgotten in our effort to address the ongoing impact of opioid abuse disorder across the country. The point that should be made is that rural communities are north, south, east, and west.

Building on the successful Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Grant Program, this bipartisan bill would expand it to include a pilot program targeting rural communities.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Lamb and Senator Ossoff for introducing this important legislation. I urge all of my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Let me, first of all, again acknowledge Senator Ossoff and Congressman Lamb. This is an important piece of legislation, but my good friend knows that I am going to have to add to this discussion by saying that, again, the question of fentanyl, no one wants to see that proliferated and causing the disastrous conditions that we have.

But listen to the story of Ms. Alfaro, who was 19 years old. She lived in Appleton, Wisconsin, and ``was a recent high school graduate raising a toddler and considering joining the Army when she and a friend bought what they thought was the antianxiety drug Xanax in December 2020.''

The pills were fake and contained fentanyl, an opioid that can be 50 times more powerful.

One of the things that we should understand is fentanyl is everywhere, and it has been determined that most of the fentanyl that comes across the border is brought over by U.S. citizens.

The other aspect that is very important that doesn't specifically cover this bill, but at least this bill provides what the mother indicated, she didn't know anything about these drugs. She wished she could have helped her daughter. Yes, her daughter did lose her life.

The point this legislation is making is let's provide information to these rural communities, but also let's understand some of the techniques that some States and local communities were not providing law enforcement or anyone else. Certainly, that is the fentanyl test strips and Narcan. That

certainly was a problem and continues to be a problem in the State of Texas.

We have to look at this holistically, and I think this legislation focuses, certainly, on getting families information, particularly in the rural areas. This was Appleton, Wisconsin. At least, minimally, there would have been information about this, maybe in a broader way, because the mother of the 19-year-old said, ``Two years ago, I knew nothing about this.''

We have to do a better job of telling the facts about fentanyl that we all want to see be extinguished from causing the loss of life.

I think this legislation for rural communities is a very good start, but we need to make sure that our facts are accurate as we talk about this deadly drug, which we want to get off the streets of this Nation. We need to find ways that can be very effective, and we need to keep working.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to offer a number of articles that speak to the importance of this legislation. I thank the gentleman from Iowa for his comments in support, and I know that the gentleman from Ohio will likewise, hopefully, join us.

It is important to speak the obvious. U.S. overdose deaths in 2021 increased half as much as in 2020 but are still up. We know that we need legislation specifically in communities in rural areas that would close or identify the gaps in prevention, treatment, and recovery services for individuals who interact with the criminal justice system in rural areas and create new efforts to address the opioid crisis.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record an article from the Centers for Disease Control's National Center for Health Statistics.

[From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, May 11, 2022]

U.S. Overdose Deaths in 2021 Increased Half as Much as in 2020--But Are

Still Up 15 Percent

Provisional data from CDC's National Center for Health

Statistics indicate there were an estimated 107,622 drug

overdose deaths in the United States during 2021, an increase

of nearly 15 percent from the 93,655 deaths estimated in

2020. The 2021 increase was half of what it was a year ago,

when overdose deaths rose 30 percent from 2019 to 2020.

The data is featured in an interactive web data

visualization. The 2021 data presented in this visualization

are provisional--they are incomplete and subject to change.

The new data show overdose deaths involving opioids

increased from an estimated 70,029 in 2020 to 80,816 in 2021.

Overdose deaths from synthetic opioids (primarily fentanyl),

psychostimulants such as methamphetamine, and cocaine also

continued to increase in 2021 compared to 2020.

The biggest percentage increase in overdose deaths in 2021

occurred in Alaska, where deaths were up 75.3 percent, while

overdose deaths in Wyoming did not increase at all in 2021

and deaths in Hawaii declined 1.8 percent from the same point

in 2020. The visualization includes:

Reported and predicted (estimated) provisional counts of

deaths due to drug overdose occurring nationally and in each

jurisdiction.

U.S. map of the percentage changes in provisional drug

overdose deaths for the 12-month period ending in December

2021 compared with the 12-month period ending in December

2020, by jurisdiction.

Reported and predicted provisional counts of drug overdose

deaths involving specific drugs or drug classes occurring

nationally and in selected jurisdictions.

NCHS releases both reported and predicted provisional drug

overdose death counts each month. They represent the numbers

of these deaths due to drug overdose occurring in the 12-

month periods ending in the month indicated. These counts

include all seasons of the year and are insensitive to

variations by seasonality. Deaths are reported by the

jurisdiction in which the death occurred.

Mr. Speaker, I think it is important to emphasize that, really, treatment works, and this is an example. ``Thomas Gooch has spent more than 30 years struggling with illegal drugs. The 52- year-old Nashville, Tennessee, native grew up in extreme poverty. He was first incarcerated in 1988 and spent the next 15 years in and out of jail for using and selling narcotics. `Until 2003,' Gooch says. `That was the first time I went to treatment and the last time I used.'''

This has to also be a component, which is the treatment of individuals whose conditions put them in this way.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record ``The Opioid Epidemic Is Surging Among Black People Because of Unequal Access to Treatment.''

[From Scientific American, Dec. 1, 2022]

The Opioid Epidemic Is Surging Among Black People Because of Unequal

Access to Treatment

(By Melba Newsome and Gioncarlo Valentine)

In one way or another, Thomas Gooch has spent more than 30

years struggling with illegal drugs. The 52-year-old

Nashville, Tenn., native grew up in extreme poverty. He was

first incarcerated in 1988 and spent the next 15 years in and

out of jail for using and selling narcotics. ``Until 2003,''

Gooch says. ``That was the first time I went to treatment and

the last time I used.'' Since then, for most of 19 years,

Gooch has been trying to get others into recovery or just

keep them alive. He handed out clean needles and injection-

drug equipment--which reduce injuries, infections and

overdose deaths--in Nashville's hardest-hit communities. In

2014 he founded My Father's House, a transitional recovery

facility for fathers struggling with substance use disorder.

But despite Gooch's long experience, the opioid epidemic

recently has brought a level of devastation to the Black

community that has shocked him. ``I had never seen death the

way I've seen death when it comes to opioid addiction,'' he

says. ``There's been so many funerals, it doesn't even make

sense. I personally know at least 50 to 60 individuals who

died from overdoses in the last 10 years.'' That staggering

body count includes Gooch's recently estranged wife in 2020

and a former partner in 2019.

A million people in the U.S. have died of opioid overdoses

since the 1990s. But the face--and race--of the opioid

epidemic has changed in the past decade. Originally white and

middle class, victims are now Black and brown people

struggling with long-term addictions and too few resources.

During 10 brutal years, opioid and stimulant deaths have

increased 575 percent among Black Americans. In 2019 the

overall drug overdose death rate among Black people exceeded

that of whites for the first time: 36.8 versus 31.6 per

100,000. And with the addition of fentanyl, the synthetic

opioid that's 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine,

Black men older than 55 who survived for decades with a

heroin addiction are dying at rates four times greater than

people of other races in that age group.

The reasons for this dramatic change come down to racial

inequities. Research shows that Black people have a harder

time getting into treatment programs than white people do,

and Black people are less likely to be prescribed the gold

standard medications for substance use therapy. ``If you are

a Black person and have an opioid use disorder, you are

likely to receive treatment five years later than if you're a

white person,'' says Nora D. Volkow, director of the National

Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health.

``Treatments are extraordinarily useful in terms of

preventing overdose death so you can actually recover. Five

years can make the difference between being alive or not.''

Black people with substance use problems are afraid of being

caught up in a punitive criminal justice system and are less

likely to have insurance good enough to allow them to seek

help on their own. And the COVID pandemic disrupted many

recovery and harm-reduction services, particularly for people

of color.

Gooch blames straight-out racial discrimination in the

health-care system, too. ``When we call different places to

try to get people into treatment, the question they ask is

`What drug do they use?' '' he recounts with

exasperation. ``If you say `crack,' all of a sudden they

ain't got no bed available. If you say opioids and heroin,

they will find a bed because that's the demographic they

want. A couple of times I told patients that the only way

they're going to get help is to get drunk and turn themselves

into Vanderbilt Hospital because Vanderbilt will hold them

for five days, and that'll get them into treatment.''

Gooch is one of the people trying to improve access to

therapies for addiction and change the overall dysfunctional

dynamic. Other groups are bringing more effective addiction

treatments within prison walls, reducing the chances of

recidivism on release. A proposed federal law would make

therapy with the commonly used addiction medication methadone

less onerous for an impoverished population, as well as less

stigmatizing. And Volkow is using her platform at the NIH to

highlight the overwhelming research-based evidence for better

ways to understand and treat addiction.

Mr. Speaker, I also include in the Record the article regarding the tragic young lady who died in Appleton, Wisconsin, and even now give sympathy to that family and make sure that we have the basic facts.

``Advocates warn that some of the alarms being sounded by politicians and officials are wrong and potentially dangerous. Among those ideas: that tightening control of the U.S.-Mexico border would stop the flow of the drugs, though experts say the key to reining in the crisis is reducing drug demand.''

She was looking for Xanax. Someone made phony Xanax, and then fentanyl was in it. That is just heartbreaking. It is tragic. We have to know where to spend our resources.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record this article: ``Myths about fentanyl persist as opioid continues to cause overdose deaths.''

[From the PBS News Hour, Oct. 28, 2022]

Myths About Fentanyl Persist as Opioid Continues To Cause Overdose

Deaths

Lillianna Alfaro was a recent high school graduate raising

a toddler and considering joining the Army when she and a

friend bought what they thought was the anti-anxiety drug

Xanax in December 2020.

The pills were fake and contained fentanyl, an opioid that

can be 50 times as powerful as the same amount of heroin. It

killed them both.

``Two years ago, I knew nothing about this,'' said Holly

Groelle, the mother of 19-year-old Alfaro, who lived in

Appleton, Wisconsin. ``I felt bad because it was something I

could not have warned her about because I didn't know.''

The drug that killed her daughter was rare a decade ago,

but fentanyl and other lab-produced synthetic opioids now are

driving an overdose crisis deadlier than any the U.S. has

ever seen. Last year, overdoses from all drugs claimed more

than 100,000 lives for the first time, and the deaths this

year have remained at nearly the same level--more than gun

and auto deaths combined.

The federal government counted more accidental overdose

deaths in 2021 alone than it did in the 20-year period from

1979 through 1998. Overdoses in recent years have been many

times more frequent than they were during the black tar

heroin epidemic that led President Richard Nixon to launch

his War on Drugs or during the cocaine crisis in the 1980s.

As fentanyl gains attention, mistaken beliefs persist about

the drug, how it is trafficked and why so many people are

dying.

Experts believe deaths surged not only because the drugs

are so powerful, but also because fentanyl is laced into so

many other illicit drugs, and not because of changes in how

many people are using. In the late 2010s--the most recent

period for which federal data is available--deaths were

skyrocketing even as the number of people using opioids was

dropping.

Advocates warn that some of the alarms being sounded by

politicians and officials are wrong and potentially

dangerous. Among those ideas: that tightening control of the

U.S.-Mexico border would stop the flow of the drugs, though

experts say the key to reining in the crisis is reducing drug

demand; that fentanyl might turn up in kids' trick-or-treat

baskets this Halloween; and that merely touching the drug

briefly can be fatal--something that researchers found untrue

and that advocates worry can make first responders hesitate

about giving lifesaving treatment.

All three ideas were brought up this month in an online

video billed as a pre-Halloween public service announcement

from a dozen Republican U.S. senators.

A report this year from a bipartisan federal commission

found that fentanyl and similar drugs are being made mostly

in labs in Mexico from chemicals shipped primarily from

China.

In New England, fentanyl has largely replaced the supply of

heroin. Across the country, it's being laced into drugs such

as cocaine and methamphetamine, sometimes with deadly

results. And in cases like Alfaro's, it's being mixed in

Mexico or the U.S. with other substances and pressed into

pills meant to look like other drugs.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has warned that fentanyl

is being sold in multicolored pills and powders--sometimes

referred to as ``rainbow fentanyl''--marketed on social media

to teens and young adults.

Jon DeLena, the agency's associate special agent in charge,

said at the National Crime Prevention Council summit on

fentanyl in Washington this month that there's ``no direct

information that Halloween is specifically being targeted or

young people are being targeted for Halloween,'' but that

hasn't kept that idea from spreading.

Joel Best, an emeritus sociology professor at the

University of Delaware, said that idea falls in with a long

line of Halloween-related scares. He has examined cases since

1958 and has not found a single instance of a child dying

because of something foreign put into Halloween candy--and

few instances of that being done at all.

``If you give a dose of fentanyl to kids in elementary

school, you have an excellent chance of killing them,'' he

said. ``If you do addict them, what are you going to do, try

to take their lunch money? No one is trying to addict little

kids to fentanyl.''

In midterm election campaigns, fentanyl is not getting as

much attention as issues such as inflation and abortion. But

Republicans running for offices including governor and U.S.

Senate in Arkansas, New Mexico and Pennsylvania have framed

the fentanyl crisis as a result of Democrats being lax about

securing the Mexican border or soft on crime as part of a

broader campaign assertion that Democrats foster lawlessness.

And when Democrats highlight the overdose crisis in

campaigns this year, it has often been to tout their roles in

forging settlements to hold drugmakers and distributors

responsible.

Relying heavily on catching fentanyl at the border would be

futile, experts say, because it's easy to move in small,

hard-to-detect quantities.

``I don't think that reducing the supply is going to be the

answer because it's so easy to mail,'' said Adam Wandt, an

assistant professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Still, some more efforts are planned on the U.S.-Mexico

border, including increasing funding to search more vehicles

crossing ports of entry. The bipartisan commission found

those crossings are where most fentanyl arrives in the

country.

The commission is calling for many of the measures that

other advocates want to see, including better coordination of

the federal response, targeted enforcement, and measures to

prevent overdoses for those who use drugs.

The federal government has been funding efforts along those

lines. It also publicizes big fentanyl seizures by law

enforcement, though it's believed that even the largest busts

make small dents in the national drug supply.

The commission stopped short of calling for increased

penalties for selling fentanyl. Bryce Pardo, associate

director of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center and a

commission staff member, said such a measure would not likely

deter the drug trade. But, he said, dealers who sell the

products most likely to cause death--such as mixing

fentanyl into cocaine or pressing it into fake Xanax could be

targeted effectively.

One California father who lost his 20-year-old daughter is

pushing for prosecutors to file murder charges against those

who supply fatal doses. Matt Capelouto's daughter Alexandra

died from half a pill she bought from a dealer she found on

social media in 2019, while home in Temecula, California,

during a college break. She was told the pill was oxycodone,

Capelouto said, but it contained fentanyl.

The dealer was charged with distributing fentanyl resulting

in death, but he reached a plea deal on a lesser drug charge

and will face up to 20 years in prison.

``It's not that arresting and convicting and putting these

guys behind bars doesn't work,'' Capelouto said. ``The fact

is we don't do it enough to make a difference.''

While some people killed by fentanyl have no idea they're

taking it, others, particularly those with opioid use

disorder, know it is or could be in the mix. But they may not

know how much is in their drugs.

That was the case for Susan Ousterman's son Tyler Cordiero,

who died at 24 in 2020 from a mixture that included fentanyl

after years of using heroin and other opioids.

For nearly two years, Ousterman avoided going by the gas

station near their home in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, where her

son fatally overdosed. But in August, she went to leave two

things there: naloxone, a drug used to reverse overdoses, and

a poster advertising a hotline for people using drugs to call

so the operator could call for help if they become

unresponsive.

Ousterman is funneling her anger and sorrow into preventing

other overdoses.

``Fentanyl is everywhere,'' she said. ``You don't know

what's in an unregulated drug supply. You don't know what

you're taking. You're always taking the chance of dying every

time.''

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

I thank the gentleman from Ohio for his work on this bill and indicate that we are pleased to, likewise, support and thank Congressman Lamb and the gentleman from Georgia, Senator Ossoff, for introducing this legislation.

I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill, as well, and to ensure that we provide really deep collaboration in our rural communities to help people who don't have access either to this kind of treatment, knowledge or prevention, and then, as I indicated, to medical care because hospitals are closing.

This is an important legislative initiative. I am hoping that we will support the Rural Opioid Abuse Prevention Act because it is bipartisan legislation. It is time for our Nation to face the increased overall overdoses and deaths in everyday communities large and small.

With more than 200 Americans dying of drug overdoses each day, Congress must act to support small and rural communities in addressing this crisis.

Mr. Speaker, S. 2796, the ``Rural Opioid Abuse Prevention Act of 2022,'' is bipartisan legislation that would establish a pilot program for rural communities within the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Grant Program.

The pilot program would make grants to rural areas to implement community response programs in order to reduce opioid overdose deaths. These community response programs would involve collaborations between public safety, public health, and behavioral health systems. The pilot programs would seek to identify gaps in current treatment availability and establish treatment programs to reduce opioid overdoses in rural areas.

Data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics indicates that in 2021 there were an estimated 107,622 drug overdose deaths. The data also shows overdose deaths involving opioids increased from an estimated 70,029 in 2020 to 80,816 in 2021.

With more than 200 Americans still dying of drug overdoses each day, it is even more important that we pass this critical legislation. In my hometown of Houston, overdose deaths have been exacerbated by strained access to treatment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Opioid overdose deaths have increased throughout the state of Texas, rising from 4,154 deaths in 2020 to 4,831 deaths in 2021.

S. 2796 would enable local governments and community organizations to develop and expand initiatives targeting rural and low resourced communities. Eligible applicants of the grant program would be required to have a documented history of providing services to rural communities or regions highly impacted by substance use disorder. The programs supported by this legislation would be able to identify gaps in treatment access for rural communities, leverage federal resources to expand treatment options, and ensure rural and remote communities are not forgotten in our efforts to address the ongoing impact of opioid abuse disorder across the country.

Building on the successful Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Grant Program, this bipartisan bill would expand it to include a pilot program targeting rural communities.

I want to thank Congressman Lamb and Senator Ossoff for introducing this important legislation. I urge all of my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 4834) to reauthorize the National Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on S. 4834.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 4834, the PROTECT Our Children Act of 2022, a critical piece of bipartisan legislation that would reauthorize the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, or ICAC, which has worked tirelessly for 14 years to protect our children from online predators.

It is no exaggeration to say the internet today is one of the most dangerous places for our Nation's children, many of whom spend hours online each day. Predators use social media and other online resources to groom and entice children to commit sexual acts.

The internet makes it easy for sex and labor traffickers to gain clandestine access to children and teens, recruit them into their organization, and exploit them. The internet is also the primary vehicle for distributing child sex abuse material and committing criminal acts of extortion against minors. It also provides an open forum for cyberbullying and online harassment, which can lead victims of such conduct to withdraw, become depressed, and even commit suicide.

To combat these monstrous crimes and to protect our youth from exploitation, ICAC task forces work with Federal, State, and local law enforcement to develop an effective holistic response to cybercrimes against children. Their programs include forensic and investigative components, training and technical assistance, victim services, and community education.

This network is made up of 61 separate forces, three of which are in my home State of Texas. These task forces are created and authorized by the original PROTECT Our Children Act of 2008, which expired this past September at the end of the fiscal year.

Online threats to children and the need for ICAC task forces are only growing. Between 2008 and 2021, the number of these arrests rose from 2,500 to more than 10,000 each year. This agency's work resulted in more than 137,000 investigations and 90,300 forensic exams in 2021 alone.

Earlier this year, the southern Texas task force received significant funding, its first, authorized by the PROTECT Our Children Act allowing it to provide substantial investigative, prosecutorial, and victim services and to utilize tips from the ICAC database and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, a longstanding agency that has been fighting for missing and exploited children to identify and rescue child victims.

The work of these task forces nationwide will not be able to continue unless we fund this critical law enforcement initiative. It is, therefore, essential that we reauthorize the ICAC program by passing the bipartisan PROTECT Our Children Act of 2022. The act would extend funding for these task forces and programs through 2024.

Without this crucial legislation, our children will remain vulnerable to those who seek to exploit and hurt them in the most horrific of ways with the ease and anonymity that the internet provides.

I commend my colleague, Representative Wasserman Schultz, for her work on the PROTECT Our Children Act as far back as 2008, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record: ``Houston ICAC Task Force Records Nine Arrests for Child Exploitation'' showing that there is true evidence that this program works.

[From the Texas News, July 7, 2022]

Houston ICAC Task Force Records 9 Arrests for Child Exploitation

(By Amy Gordon)

During the weeks of June 2022, the Montgomery County

District Attorney's Office (MCDAO) Cybercrimes Against

Children (ICAC) Division, part of the Houston Metro ICAC Task

Force, conducted a multi-day interagency operation targeting

individuals who were actively children sought sexual

exploitation via the Internet in Montgomery County. Multiple

law enforcement agencies were involved in the operation

including the Montgomery County Attorney's Office, Federal

Bureau of Investigation, Texas Department of Public Safety,

Houston Police Department, Conroe Police Department,

Montgomery County Pct. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3 and pt. 5 Police

Departments, Humble Police Department, Ft. Bend County

Sheriff's Office, Missouri City Police Department and the

Spring Branch Independent School District Police Department.

The Houston Metro ICAC Taskforce is part of a national

network of 61 coordinated task forces representing over 4,500

federal, state and local law enforcement agencies dedicated

to investigating and prosecuting those who attempt to

sexually exploit children via the Internet.

During this multi-day operation, the Montgomery County

District Attorney's Office ICAC section, moderated by

Constable Ryan Gable and Montgomery County Constable's Office

Precinct 3 deputies, conducted a proactive chat operation in

southern Montgomery County. Task Force members also obtained

an arrest warrant for Thomas J. Manno of Clarion County,

Pennsylvania, and provided local authorities with essential

information to execute a search warrant on his home.

Task Force members contributed to the following arrests

during the operation:

Thomas J. Manno--39--Shippenville, Pennsylvania--Promotion

of Child Pornography (F2)

Robert Clarence Clayton--27--Channelview, Texas--Online Ad

by a Minor (F2)

Isaac Anthony Marino--30--Houston, Texas--Online

solicitation by a minor (F2)

Francisco Xavier Garza--29--Spring, Texas--Online

solicitation by a minor F2) // Possibly with intent to

supply--Methamphetamine (F1)

Elijah Charles Lewis--24--Houston, Texas--Online

Solicitation by a Minor (F2)

Ahsan Shah--36--Houston, Texas--Online solicitation by a

minor (F2)

Lawrence Clayton Hopkins--55--Baytown, Texas--Online

solicitation by a minor (F2)

Edward Stewart Geddes--42--Houston, Texas--Online

solicitation by a minor (F2) // Evidence tampering (F3)

Clinton Brian Harvey--44--Dickenson, Texas--Soliciting a

Minor Online (F3) // Unlawful Carrying of a Gun (MA)

The above accused are still under investigation and

additional charges may be brought at a later date. All

accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

During the investigation of Lawrence Clayton Hopkins,

officers learned that Hopkins may have worked as a youth

pastor in Midlothian, College Station and Baytown, Texas

prior to his arrest.

During the investigation of Clinton Brian Harvey, officers

learned that Harvey worked as an officer at the Montgomery

County Juvenile Detention Center.

As our children are more exposed to the internet than ever

before, the ICAC section of the Montgomery County District

Attorney's Office and the Houston Metro ICAC Task Force

encourage parents to be diligent in monitoring their

children's online activities and raise concerns with law

enforcement agencies and the National Center for to report

Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Concerned parents and

guardians should contact local law enforcement in the event

of an emergency by dialing 911. Parents and guardians can

also contact NCMEC at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or

through their website at CyberTipline.org for more

information and resources.

Lt. Michael Atkins, Montgomery County Constable's Office

Precinct 3, shared: ``The Internet provides criminals with an

often unsupervised avenue to exploit child sacrifice. As

parents, we need to carefully monitor our children's online

activities and talk to them about the dangers they may face

online.''

Shanna Redwine (MCDAO), Head of Special Victims Division,

stated: ``We know the internet can be a dangerous place for

children. The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and

the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office are

committed to making it legally dangerous for adults who seek

to harm them. We ask parents and carers to support us in this

effort by closely monitoring children and speaking with them

about online risks, of which there are many.''

Mr. Speaker, I am looking forward to this legislation passing. Again, I emphasize that anything to protect our children is crucial.

Mr. Speaker, there are thousands of children exploited on the internet each and every day. As the global online community continues to grow, so do the very real dangers facing our Nation's children.

I do want to state that Ms. Wasserman Schultz has really developed this legislation and worked very hard on it. We have applauded her work starting in 2008. This will be a major, if you will, addition and asset to fighting the scourge that goes against our innocent children.

So we have developed a vast and effective program that has continued to evolve and improve our fight against online child exploitation. Let's continue this program. We cannot allow this program to die. We must pass the PROTECT Our Children Act to reauthorize these task forces and to allow them to continue their brave and crucial work that keeps our children safe.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz) who has worked so hard on this legislation since 2008.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Florida.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support S. 4834, PROTECT Our Children Act of 2022.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 4834, the ``PROTECT Our Children Act of 2022,'' a critical piece of bipartisan legislation that would reauthorize the Internet Crimes Against Children task force program, or ``ICAC,'' which has worked tirelessly for 14 years to protect our children from online predators.

It is no exaggeration to say the internet is today one of the most dangerous places for our nation's children, many of whom spend hours each day online. Predators use social media and other online resources to groom and entice children to commit sexual acts. The internet makes it easy for sex and labor traffickers to gain clandestine access to children and teens, recruit them into their organizations, and exploit them.

The internet is also the primary vehicle for distributing child sex abuse material and committing criminal acts of sextortion against minors. It also provides an open forum for cyberbullying and online harassment, which can lead victims of such conduct to withdraw, become depressed, and even commit suicide.

To combat these monstrous crimes and protect our youth from exploitation, ICAC task forces work with federal, state, and local law enforcement to develop an effective, holistic response to cybercrimes against children. Their programs include forensic and investigative components, training and technical assistance, victim services, and community education.

The ICAC network is made up of 61 separate task forces--three of which are in my home state of Texas. These ICAC task forces were created and authorized by the original PROTECT Our Children Act of 2008, which expired this past September, at the end of the fiscal year.

Yet online threats to children, and the need for ICAC's tasks forces, are only growing. Between 2008 and 2021, the number of ICAC arrests rose from 2,500 to more than 10,000 each year. ICAC's work resulted in more than 137,000 investigations and 90,300 forensic exams in 2021 alone.

Earlier this year, the Southern Texas ICAC task force received significant funding--its first--authorized by the PROTECT Our Children Act, allowing it to provide substantial investigative, prosecutorial, and victim-centered services, and to utilize tips from the national ICAC database, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, to identify and rescue child victims.

But the work of the task force, and that of the other ICAC task forces nationwide, will not be able to continue unless we fund this critical law enforcement initiative. It is, therefore, essential that we reauthorize the ICAC program by passing the bipartisan PROTECT Our Children Act of 2022.

The Act would extend funding for ICAC task forces and programs through 2024. Without this crucial legislation, our children will remain vulnerable to those who seek to exploit and hurt them in the most horrific of ways, with the ease and anonymity the internet provides.

I commend my colleague, Representative Wasserman Shultz, for her work on the PROTECT Our Children Act, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 5796) to amend title 35, United States Code, to establish a competition to award certificates that can be redeemed to accelerate certain matters at the Patent and Trademark Office, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the Senate amendment to H.R. 5796.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Senate amendment to H.R. 5796 which codifies a competition at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office called Patents for Humanity. The Patents for Humanity program highlights the ways that innovation and intellectual property help solve global humanitarian challenges. I applaud Representatives Jeffries and Spartz for spearheading this bill in order to ensure that special recognition permanently extends to inventors who turn their genius toward allaying or helping the world's most needy and vulnerable.

The Senate amendment does away with the need for extra rulemaking before the competition can continue its operation, and, as such, is a welcome addition to help streamline the bill.

The operative provisions of the bill will make permanent the Patents for Humanity awards program which encourages the development and use of inventions that address humanitarian needs in the fields of medicine, nutrition, sanitation, household energy, and living standards for impoverished people. Winning inventors are recognized in a public awards ceremony and receive a certificate that can be used to accelerate certain examination proceedings at the USPTO.

Since 2012, the USPTO has recognized numerous award recipients across a wide range of technologies. The recipients have invented groundbreaking technologies that greatly improve the standard of living for so many people in need in the United States and around the world.

The bill also builds on the work of Representative McBath who successfully led a bipartisan effort to pass legislation in the last Congress strengthening the program. That law allowed the awards certificate to be transferrable if the award recipient would prefer to seek its free-market value rather than accelerate a different patent application.

Today, we are going a step further by ensuring that this program is a permanent feature of our innovation ecosystem.

In Congress, we strive to make sure that our intellectual property laws incentivize innovation to the greatest extent possible, but this category of humanitarian inventions will always deserve special recognition. H.R. 5796, as amended in the Senate, will make sure that it will.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support it, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5796 is a straightforward but important bill that will encourage additional innovations that address humanitarian needs both in the U.S. and abroad.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Senate amendment to H.R. 5796, which codifies a competition at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office called ``Patents for Humanity.'' The Patents for Humanity program highlights the ways that innovation and intellectual property help solve global humanitarian challenges.

I applaud Representatives Jeffries and Spartz for spearheading this bill in order to ensure that special recognition permanently extends to inventors who turn their genius towards helping the world's most needy and vulnerable.

The Senate amendment does away with the need for extra rulemaking before the competition can continue its operation, and as such, is a welcome addition to help streamline this bill. The operative provisions of the bill will make permanent the Patents for Humanity awards program, which encourages the development and use of inventions that address humanitarian needs in the fields of medicine, nutrition, sanitation, household energy, and living standards for impoverished people. Winning inventors are recognized in a public awards ceremony and receive a certificate that can be used to accelerate certain examination proceedings at the USPTO.

Since 2012, the USPTO has recognized numerous award recipients across a wide range of technologies. The recipients have invented ground- breaking technologies that greatly improve the standard of living for so many people in need in the United States and around the world.

This bill also builds on the work of Representative McBath, who successfully led a bipartisan effort to pass legislation in the last Congress strengthening the program. That law allowed the awards certificate to be transferable if the award recipient would prefer to seek its free market value rather than accelerate a different patent application.

Today, we are going a step further by ensuring that this program is a permanent feature of our innovation ecosystem.

In Congress, we strive to make sure that our intellectual property laws incentivize innovation to the greatest extent possible, but this

category of humanitarian inventions will always deserve special recognition. H.R. 5796, as amended in the Senate, makes sure that it will, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 8876 The Jackie Walorski Maternal and Child Home Visiting Reauthorization Act of 2022, which reauthorizes a modification and an increase in funding to the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program.

Specifically, the Act would set requirements for allocating program funds, increase the percentage of funds reserved for tribal entities, establish a publicly available dashboard that reports program outcomes, and allows for vital home visits.

Congresswoman Jackie Walorski, in whose honor this bill was named, was a champion for women, children, and families who inspired this pivotal piece of legislation.

Her dedication and commitment to the health of children, families and future mothers will live on through the passage of the Jackie Walorski Maternal and Child Home Visiting Reauthorization Act.

The Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program supports pregnant people and parents with young children who live in communities that encounter greater risks and barriers to achieving positive maternal and child health outcomes.

Home visits help communities and families through development of strong relationships and trust by meeting regularly and addressing family needs.

These home visitors encourage early language development and early learning at home, teach positive parenting skills, help families set goals for the future, connect families to other services and resources in their community, and support future mothers by teaching healthy pregnancy practices.

These tailored programs focus on empowering the wellbeing of families and children and help reduce crime and domestic violence at home, improve family economic self-sufficiency and improve maternal and newborn health.

In the U.S., two-thirds of pregnancy related deaths are preventable and for every pregnancy-related death, there are 70 pregnancy-related near-death experiences.

There is a severe gap in care that is contributing to these avoidable casualties. It's extremely important that we remove barriers in health care that may be contributing to these deaths.

In comparison to other industrialized nations, the United States has been trending downward when it comes to maternal health, and the numbers continue to get worse.

According to the World Health Organization, from 1990 to 2015 maternal mortality rates increased by 16.7 percent in the United States.

In the rest of the world maternal mortality decreased during that same period.

In 2020, 861 women died of maternal causes in the U.S. That equates to 861 women who planned on living full, healthy lives and planned on being parents to the children they carried for 9 long months.

That's 861 children who must grow up without their parent. That's 861 families that are forever altered. That's a medical system and society that has failed 861 women.

According to the American Medical Association, Black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy and childbirth than white women.

Black women across all socioeconomic statuses and education levels are more likely to experience maternal mortality than white women.

H.R. 8876, the Jackie Walorski Maternal and Child Home Visiting Reauthorization Act is a first step to closing these inequitable gaps.

Our dear friend, Congresswoman Walorski, made it her priority in Congress to fight for American women and children. Her spirit, along with those of her two dedicated aides who perished with tragically, are with us here today.

The passage of H.R. 8876 is vital to the wellbeing, health, and safety of millions of mothers, children, and families across America who live in communities that endure greater risks and barriers to achieving positive maternal and child health outcomes.

A timely five-year reauthorization before the end of this year is needed to minimize service interruption, staff losses, and disruption of local programs.

I urge all of my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 8876, the Jackie Walorski Maternal and Child Home Visiting Reauthorization Act of 2022 to help the millions of Americans who are most in need of this assistance.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank you all for being here today at the NMAC Capitol Hill Champions Reception to commemorate World AIDS Day and celebrate our progress over the years.

It is invigorating to be among a room full of leaders fighting the good fight against AIDS worldwide; and as so many here have contributed mightily to this effort, it is an honor, and quite humbling, to be this year's recipient of the John Lewis Good Trouble Award from NMAC.

I first want us to remember our deal friend and long-time colleague, Congressman John

Lewis. He was a true warrior fighting for a more just, equitable, fairer, and better world.

John Lewis earnestly believed that healthcare is a human right. Through his indefatigable leadership, he demonstrated the urgency of elevating the U.S. commitment to protect people worldwide from HIV and AIDS. He was a role model in so many respects, including his persistence in combating AIDS globally.

World AIDS Day provides us the opportunity to reflect on the AIDS epidemic and where progress has been made. This day also allows us to rededicate ourselves to eradicating the disease once and for all.

Since the first World AIDS Day in 1988, we have greatly increased our investments in HIV/AIDS prevention, care, treatment, and research.

When the HIV/AIDS epidemic started, the outlook was very grim. There wasn't an understanding of the disease, antivirals were not available, and life expectancy for those diagnosed was frighteningly short.

Today, there is a better understanding of HIV/AIDS, how it spreads, and how to treat it.

There are medications such as PrEP, which is taken daily to prevent HIV, and PEP, which is taken up to 72 hours potential HIV exposure.

Treatment has advanced tremendously to the point where many HIV patients have viral loads that are so low that they are undetectable.

The U.S. government has worked hard to combat the spread of this devastating disease.

Through legislation like the Ryan White CARE Act and the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), we have been able to improve HIV/AIDS education, quality of care, and distribution of resources to those who need them most, both domestically and globally.

The NIH provides the largest public investment in HIV/AIDS research globally. Dr. Anthony Fauci deserves credit for a large part of our country's AIDS response as Director of the Office of AIDS Research.

As we all know, racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS, both in the United States and globally.

In the U.S., African Americans account for higher proportions of HIV diagnoses and people living with HIV, in comparison to other races and ethnicities.

In my home of Houston, Texas, 6 out of every 10 diagnosed HIV infections are among African Americans. It is estimated that 1 in 90 Houstonians are living with HIV/AIDS.

Racism, HIV stigma, homophobia, poverty, and barriers to health care exacerbate disparities and pose obstacles that prevent people from proper testing and treatment that would reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS.

I am proud to fight against racism, discrimination, and other societal deformities that cause disparities in health status and keep people from seeking urgently needed health care.

I have worked to declare HIV/AIDS a state of emergency among our African American community, which faces an infection rate nearly eleven times that of white Americans.

Internationally, I have worked to support PEPFAR in all they have done and continue to do to help those who struggle to combat the brutal HIV/AIDS virus.

It is estimated that there are 38.4 million people worldwide living with HIV.

In 2021, 1.5 million individuals acquired HIV, which is a 32 percent decline in new infections since 2010. This decline shows the impact that access to testing, treatment, care, and support services have on transmission and new diagnosis.

In 2021, around 650,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses worldwide, compared to 2 million people in 2004 and 1.4 million in 2010.

Through the work of the CDC, the NIH, and the UN's World Health Organization, we have made great strides in reducing the transmission of HIV through antiretroviral therapies (ART) that reduce detectable viral loads. Those who take ART as prescribed are often able to have undetectable viral loads, live long healthy lives, and not transmit HIV to partners through sex.

In fiscal year 2021, PEPFAR provided HIV testing services for more than 50 million people and supported ART for nearly 19 million men, women and children globally. Because of PEPFAR, 2.8 million babies in 2021 were born HIV-free to parents living with HIV.

But there is still much work to be done.

The United Nations reports that progress on HIV treatment and prevention in the last three years has flatlined.

As a leader in the global fight against HIV and AIDS, the United States must continue to support HIV/AIDS prevention, care, treatment, and research.

My hope is that, through bipartisan support, Congress will continue to pass legislation that expands resources to reduce the spread of HIV/ AIDS both in the U.S. and globally.

Beyond our borders, our efforts have extended care to millions in the developing world, through increased resources for PEPFAR and the Global Fund. This collective progress reflects the heights that can be reached when all stakeholders work together to achieve common goals.

I look forward to working with my colleagues, federal agencies, foundations and philanthropists, the NGO sector, community partners, and other global leaders to put an end to this epidemic that continues to plague us.

I want to thank everyone here today for supporting this extremely important issue. This is something that impacts us all and it should be a priority for all of us.

And again, I want to thank NMAC for awarding me with this year's John Lewis Good Trouble Award. I will do my best to continually earn this award by persistently supporting efforts to eradicate HIV/AIDS and advocating for minorities in Houston, the United States, and across the globe.

May we all ``never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble''.

Madam Speaker, today is World AIDS Day, and lest we forget, it is not over yet.

In 2021, 1.5 million persons became infected with AIDS and 600,000 died; a pandemic or an epidemic. As we fought and scurried to save lives against COVID-19, let us not forget.

I rise to thank all the AIDS advocacy groups and my particular center, the Thomas Street Clinic, which will hold a World AIDS Day ceremony today, one that I never miss except when in Washington.

I remember the days of standing at the bedsides of those who were dying alone. We must continue to research, we must continue to acknowledge, and we must continue to eliminate the stigma, for all of those infected and affected AIDS must have human dignity.

I am reminded of my early engagement standing with the late Senator Orrin Hatch and, of course, the late Senator Ted Kennedy when they announced the Ryan White CARE Treatment Act, and what an amazing impact.

We have lost many souls. Many families have suffered, but as Americans, let us continue to fight against the scourge of AIDS and to embrace those who are fighting and living with AIDS.

World AIDS Day. We should never forget. It is not over yet.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1499, I call up the bill (H.R. 3372) to authorize implementation grants to community-based nonprofits to operate one-stop reentry centers, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 3372.

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

Madam Speaker, H.R. 3372, the One Stop Shop Community Reentry Program Act of 2021, is truly a public safety-minded bill that would create a grant program within the Department of Justice to support community reentry intake and coordination centers.

The centralized centers opened pursuant to this bill would offer those leaving incarceration the resources necessary to successfully rejoin and reintegrate into our communities through DOJ and community- funded reentry programs.

Now, let me be very clear: I am delighted that there are the kind of sensitive community efforts across America, spotty in different States and different cities, who believe in reentry. That is why we believe this legislation is so important, because it federalizes and increases the opportunity for all Americans facing the daunting responsibilities of what reentry is to have a lifeline.

There exists a great need for these programs envisioned in this legislation as more than 600,000 people return to their communities each year after serving time in State and Federal prisons, as do nearly 9 million people from county jails, while more than 2.5 million people complete parole and probation.

We can't deny these people an opportunity to be again contributing citizens in a positive way.

Individuals with criminal convictions face daunting challenges upon release. The overwhelming majority of those released from custody receive minimum preparation during their incarceration and inadequate assistance to get back on their feet after they are released.

Their convictions may limit employment prospects, educational and training opportunities, public housing assistance, and access to social services. They should not, but they do.

Even a minor criminal conviction can erect substantial barriers and trigger far-reaching collateral consequences, maybe even access to college education.

Due in part to the difficulty of overcoming these barriers, five out of six people who have spent time in a State prison will be arrested for a new crime within 9 years of their release.

We cannot waste human resources or talent in this way. That is why policies designed to improve reentry outcomes have broad bipartisan support, as demonstrated by the passage of our First Step Act and the Sentencing Reduction Act, which incentivizes education and recidivism reduction programs for people in Federal prisons.

While the First Step Act and Second Chance Act, first introduced by my good friend, Danny Davis, and other initiatives have been successful at the Federal level, the majority of returning citizens are exiting State and local facilities, and there is no overall and comprehensive effort to address the challenges of reentry.

An example of the type of community reentry center supported by this legislation is in Tulsa, Oklahoma,

where community organizations offer a comprehensive model of reentry services. The services offered through the Tulsa Reentry One-Stop have significantly reduced recidivism and increased employment. In 2015, 77 percent of the individuals who successfully completed their reintegration program remained employed after exiting the program. There is the proof.

H.R. 3372 would establish a grant program to support reentry centers like Tulsa and ensure support is more available for all individuals across the Nation from the moment they are released. Support would include assistance with transportation, housing, skills training, and even advanced education.

One-stop reentry centers would also assist reentering individuals in obtaining identification and applying for eligible public benefits. Those who have formal reentry plans would be able to find case management assistance and court-directed wraparound support at the reentry centers.

This, again, would be a lifeline for a new direction, not for the individual only, but for their family, their neighbors, their neighborhood, and where they live.

In addition to the one-stop reentry centers, this bill would authorize a second mechanism to assist individuals reentering communities that do not have large enough populations of reentering individuals to maintain a standalone reentry center. In these communities, H.R. 3372 would provide grants to operate free reentry hotlines that operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to assist those recently released from incarceration with reentry services near their homes.

Madam Speaker, the Judiciary Committee has a responsibility not to look only at urban crises, urban crime, and urban solutions. We must look at the hamlets, villages, suburbia, and elsewhere. Rural communities need our assistance.

We specifically thought it was important to have this hotline to be able to assist them. This element of the bill is particularly important in our smaller communities.

Some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle might argue that the funding authorized in the bill is too high, but we know that the high rates of recidivism equal this amount of money, leaving individuals coming out of incarceration as having nowhere to go.

Their actions can become more costly to Americans than our investment in changing their lives.

This bill would address a pressing nationwide need, providing individuals with the tools and support they need to successfully reenter society, ultimately making our community safer.

Now, I have had the privilege of serving alongside of Representative Karen Bass for a number of years. I take this moment to publicly, on behalf of her colleagues, congratulate her for her next step in life: Becoming the first woman to ever become mayor of the great city of LA.

I can say that because there is another great city, Houston.

But I give her my congratulations and I know her colleagues would do so, as well.

Representative Bass worked with leadership on this issue, as well as joining with bipartisan cosponsors. We know it has widespread support and, therefore, we are looking forward to introducing this important legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, my dear friend, Ranking Member Jordan, speaks to a particular point that I just have to respond.

I am so glad he cited positive examples of what a reentry program can do, but he is giving evidence, comfort, and advocacy for this legislation. Because isolated programs will not help Americans. We now give a broad-based opportunity for cities, hamlets, villages, and counties across America--rural and urban, North, South, East and West-- to look at their landscape of those reentering and accessing this one- stop program.

We have already said 600,000 are released, and we have already said that these persons want to rehabilitate themselves. Why would anybody oppose this legislation? And it is bipartisan. Let me remind my friends that these are individuals who have served their time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline), a distinguished member of the committee and the subcommittee chair.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. There lies the key element to my friends who are ignoring the fact that this one-stop legislation has bipartisan support. It means that someone who was in opposition to my party, my caucus, supports this. The work that Ms. Bass did with all of us was a bipartisan effort. And the reason is because this is an investment.

And my friends keep talking about grants. And so it is the grant that continues to be the line of argument and the--how should I say it--the bee sting. And they are wrong because grants have oversight. Grants require these organizations to apply and present the best practices, the best evidence. And so I am very glad that it is a grant. But it also gives those with broad needs across the land the fair opportunity to apply for a grant to be able to have these kinds of programs.

The one-stop model that this legislation promotes would aim to provide complete reentry services to address the critical elements of the reentry process that promote long-term reentry success, which as I said, is housing, employment, education, and healthcare.

The bill will ensure that returning citizens can effectively access the services funded through the many bills that we have tried to work on.

Now let me just be very clear. One of my good friends called off a list of offenders that really triggers fear, apprehension, and distaste. Well, those are the very individuals that we would hope that through treatment, medical care and otherwise, and getting them into a proper program, that they can be contributing, that their families do not have to be fearfully looking over their shoulder as to what have they done next. We have to try. And these programs will hire those who have a difficult time finding employment. But you can be assured that working with the program they will be screened prior to their employment; their employment will reduce their likelihood to recidivate.

Mr. Speaker, I think it is extremely important that we take the tough questions and give good answers. Tough questions about: What do you do with those who are trying to reenter? What you do is you have a good program that is tough and that it works.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, just in a moment let me indicate that you can always find just a sliver on which to oppose.

I hold in my hand a whole list of Republicans that believe the bill works and should work. So that, we should take off the table. Republicans and Democrats support this legislation.

And then I can assure you that people answering the phone will not be randomly answering the phone. They will be under a supervised program, as this program relates. We would hope and expect that they would be the kind that can listen and take the intake of those who are desperate and trying to find a way not to go back to crime.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

Mr. Speaker, I always like a words game with my good friend from Ohio, so let me clarify.

An isolated program means that a program in Tulsa and a program in Pennsylvania do not help someone in Idaho. And so what this one-stop program does is it gives the good works of the people of Pennsylvania and Tulsa, it gives Americans the opportunities in cities, hamlets, urban centers, and rural hamlets the opportunity to have the same exact program and to invest in the 600,000, those who are coming out of incarceration, give them the same opportunity for ensuring that they will have that access to this program

That is what our intent was on the Judiciary Committee, and that is what the intent was on the many individuals, if you will, who were trying to craft something that will work for all of America.

Now, let me share with you, Mr. Speaker, an article titled: ``To keep people from returning to jail, Mesa County follows other communities' reentry roadmap.'' Many people transitioning from jail or prison struggle to reenter society. So here is Mesa County's new program with housing, jobs, transportation, and mental health services.

What we simply want to do is to get this program out.

I will just share you with the story of Richard Gallegos who was locked up in the Mesa County jail for the first time at age 18. He spent the next 8 years in and out of jail--typically drug- and alcohol- related misdemeanors that sometimes led to more serious incidents, including nonviolent domestic disputes and resisting arrest. He said that at 27 he was sentenced to prison for a drug and firearms violation.

Altogether, Gallegos, was born and raised in Grand Junction and now 45 years old, has spent 5 years in State prison, and 3 years in county jail, and for the past 4 years he has been on probation. He now works at a job where he is learning masonry, a switch from the oil and gas industry work he did previously.

``I am staying honest, humble,'' he said. ``I try not to walk with too much shame. The best thing in my favor is I have been forgiven by those I have wronged. They understand my drug addiction.''

These are individuals whom we don't want to throw by the wayside. We want to make sure they get into this program.

Mr. Speaker, I include this article in the Record.

[From the Colorado Sun, Nov. 8, 2022]

To Keep People From Returning to Jail, Mesa County Follows Other

Communities' Reentry Roadmap

(By Sharon Sullivan)

Richard Gallegos was locked up in the Mesa County Jail for

the first time at age 18. He spent the next eight years in

and out of jail--typically drug and alcohol-fueled

misdemeanors that sometimes led to more serious incidents,

including (nonviolent) domestic disputes and resisting

arrest, he said. At 27, he was sentenced to prison for a drug

and firearms violation.

Altogether, Gallegos, born and raised in Grand Junction and

now 45 years old, has spent five years in state prison and

three years in county jail. For the past four years, he has

been on probation. He now works at a job where he's learning

masonry, a switch from the oil and gas industry work he did

previously.

``I'm staying honest, humble,'' he said. ``I try not to

walk with too much shame. The best thing in my favor is I

have been forgiven by those I've wronged. They understand

drug addiction.''

Gallegos shares an apartment with an adult daughter, but

many formerly incarcerated friends are not so lucky, he said.

``People are coming out of jail with no resources,''

Gallegos said. ``You better hope you have a support system.

Resources are slim to none coming out of county jail.

``You're on your own, facing what put you in there in the

first place. People's first thought is often, `I want to do

what's right--but where do I go?' ''

Mesa County officials have long recognized that many people

transitioning from jail or prison struggle with substance

abuse, mental illness or both--compounding the multiple other

challenges they face when reentering society, and often

lacking much-needed resources like Gallegos did.

The Mesa County Sheriff's Office compared names of frequent

users of the jail with frequent visitors to emergency rooms

at Grand Junction's two acute care hospitals, Community

Hospital and St. Mary's Medical Center. (To protect patient

privacy, the two hospitals did not disclose names, but

confirmed that many people appeared on both lists.) They

identified 60-90 frequent users of both the jail and

emergency rooms. Most of these frequent users face challenges

related to mental health diagnoses or substance abuse, said

Mesa County Commissioner Janet Rowland, who has led an effort

to address the issue.

In September, Mesa County launched a new multiagency

collaboration (county officials refer to it as MAC), aimed at

helping people successfully transition from incarceration.

The collaboration connects people to agencies that can assist

with employment, housing, transportation and other basic

needs, as well as access to mental health services or

rehabilitation programs to combat drug or alcohol addictions.

Reentering society

In April 2021, 50 percent of people held in the Mesa County

Jail were on mental health medications, Mesa County Sheriff

Todd Rowell said. Mental health and/or substance abuse issues

are a significant factor in recidivism rates at the jail,

said Rowell. While people can receive treatment for these

conditions while incarcerated, they often lack continuity of

care once they leave jail and, thus, can be prone to

reoffending, he said.

In 2020, when overall arrests were down due to the COVID-19

pandemic, one man was arrested 19 times, Rowell noted. A

dozen other people were arrested four to eight times each.

``I was frustrated. I felt people had almost zero chance to

succeed after jail,'' Rowell said. ``Life is hard anyways,

particularly after spending three months in jail. Finding

work is almost impossible. It's a benefit to any county to

understand those challenges to change the recidivism.''

Mesa County did not have a transition coordinator at its

jail until it hired Julie Mamo in 2019. She visited jails in

Boulder and Douglas counties to learn about their reentry

programs while creating Mesa County's program. The new

multiagency collaboration builds on the program Mamo founded.

Thus far, Mesa County has enlisted three agencies to

provide services to help people with reentry: Amos

Counseling, a Grand Junction-based counseling service;

Foundations 4 Life, an organization that provides substance

use disorder and mental health services to people involved in

the justice system; and the Freedom Institute, a nonprofit

that offers WAGEES (Work and Gain Education and Employment

Skills), a community reentry program within the Colorado

Department of Corrections.

The Freedom Institute has already been providing WAGEES

services for prison parolees in Grand Junction. Its new

county contract now allows the Freedom Institute to offer

those same services to the jail population.

Lisa Mills, Mesa County's behavioral health strategies

manager, decides which agency can best meet the specific

needs of a person leaving jail. Case managers are given no

more than 10 clients--the goal is to meet with people daily

if necessary--to ensure they are adhering to prescription

medications, able to access food assistance, acquire bus

passes, find employment and housing. Upon release, people are

met at the jail by an agency staff member for rides to where

they are staying or wherever else they need to go. The

agencies work closely with the jail's two transition

coordinators.

The county secured a $400,000 grant from the Colorado

Department of Human Services' Office of Behavioral Health to

fund the program. St. Mary's Medical Center and the Mesa

County Sheriff's Office each pitched in another $300,000 for

a total of $1 million.

``It's a long overdue program,'' said Lieutenant Henry

Stoffel of the Mesa County Sheriff's Office. ``A lot of

people leave our facility and don't have basic human needs,

and so they often reoffend. We want to get them out of that

cycle.''

Returning to prison for minor offenses

It's taken 45-year-old Gary Swenson 20 years to get out of

that cycle. His involvement with the justice system began at

age 12 when he was sentenced to a Colorado juvenile detention

center for a burglary he committed with a relative and two

friends. By age 18 he was addicted to methamphetamine. He has

spent half his life in and out of state prison.

Swenson said he found it challenging to meet his parole

obligations without a reliable source of transportation.

Public transit didn't exist in the Grand Valley when he

needed it, and he wasn't allowed to drive until he had

fulfilled parole obligations. Employers were annoyed that he

asked to leave work a couple times each week to attend

mandatory substance abuse classes. He also had to take time

off to submit weekly urine samples for drug screenings--which

he was required to pay for himself, along with the classes.

``Your employer has to be real understanding, which they're

usually not,'' Swenson said.

He said most of his time behind bars was for parole

violations, including once for receiving a speeding ticket,

or on other occasions for missing those classes--all

violations for which he'd be sent right back to prison.

``It was always a prison sentence,'' as opposed to

probation or a halfway house, Swenson said.

ProPublica (a national nonprofit media outlet that receives

funding from The Colorado Trust) recently reported on how

easy it is to be sent back to prison for minor offenses. The

number of people in Colorado who return to prison within

three years is 50 percent, one of the worst recidivism rates

in the nation, according to a 2018 Virginia Department of

Corrections report cited by ProPublica.

Douglas County's reentry program includes a jail

medication-assisted treatment program that helps people with

opioid use disorder. The county had a 42 percent recidivism

rate in 2021, which is lower than the statewide average, said

Nicole Beckett, the jail-based behavioral health services

administrator in Douglas County. Its reentry program includes

working with probation officers, pretrial officers, public

defenders and community behavioral health professionals.

``It's definitely our goal to disrupt the cycle of

incarceration,'' Beckett said. ``People with substance use

disorders face risk of relapse, making them a challenging

population to help.''

Boulder County's reentry program added a housing

coordinator, Kim Smith, in 2019 to focus specifically on

helping people find housing in the city's extremely tight

market. People on probation are prohibited from leaving

Boulder County to seek more affordable housing elsewhere.

With such a competitive housing market, landlords can easily

choose not to rent to people with criminal records, said

Smith. The reentry program has seen an 80 percent success

rate of people avoiding recidivism.

Mesa County officials say reentry programs are rare in

rural areas due to a lack of resources. County Sheriffs of

Colorado, a nonprofit that provides programs and support to

sheriffs statewide, does not track the number of counties

offering transition programs.

While Mesa County Jail offers some programs in-house, it

needs more space, and continuity of care has been an issue

once people leave jail, Stoffel said. He would like the

jail's transition program to double or triple in size, and

said he expects reentry programs to increase across Colorado.

``They're in treatment for 45 days; recovery is for life,''

Mamo said.

Readjusting to life

In July, Mamo launched a program similar to one she

witnessed in Douglas County that helps people acquire

identification cards. A Department of Motor Vehicles mobile

unit comes to the jail twice a month to issue IDs.

``Most people need two forms of ID,'' said Lory Villumsen,

a second transition coordinator hired in June. ``We process

the application to help with getting them their Social

Security card.'' The transition team is additionally working

on finding birth certificates for people.

Mamo has created partnerships with transitional sober

living spaces, reunited people with family members who reside

outside the community, and enrolled people in treatment

programs--sometimes out of town. The challenges of reentry

are similar, whether transitioning from jail or prison,

except lengthier prison sentences often means a person has

become more ``institutionalized,'' making it more difficult

to adjust to life on the outside, Mamo said.

People who are incarcerated are told when to eat, when to

sleep, what to wear and what to do; ``when people leave jail,

we need to empower them to make all these decisions,''

Stoffel noted.

Freedom Institute executive director Micah Espinoza hopes

that working with people leaving county jail will keep them

out of prison.

``Once you're convicted of a felony, and have fulfilled

your sentence, you still pay for that the rest of your

life,'' Espinoza said. As part of the multiagency

collaboration, ``we're targeting people going in and out of

jail for typically petty offenses. Why are they committing

these crimes? It's usually poverty, homelessness, substance

abuse, mental health.''

Swenson said he's learned from his mistakes; he's been out

of prison for almost two years and is on unsupervised

probation for the first time. He works as a peer specialist

for the Circle Program, a residential treatment program in

Grand Junction for men age 18 and older with concurrent

substance abuse and mental health disorders.

``There are people in this program I've been in prison

with, gotten high with,'' Swenson said. ``They see 'if Gary

can do it,' they can. It's me not forgetting where I came

from.

``Instead of locking people up for possession, give us an

opportunity first to work with them,'' he continued. ``A lot

of guys don't want to be high, live on the streets, be

homeless--it's just all they know. Being part of this program

is a chance to see an opportunity.''

My concluding remarks include programs in Boulder County that can be done.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, once you are convicted of a felony and have fulfilled your sentence, you will still pay for the rest of your life. We need to find a way where these individuals can contribute and not be those who enter out and then go in. It is important to learn from their mistakes, but we have got to help them.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support the underlying legislation. Again, I thank those who cosponsored it and the main cosponsor, Congresswoman Karen Bass.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3372, the ``One Stop Shop Community Reentry Program Act of 2021,'' is a public-safety minded bill that would create a grant program within the Department of Justice to support community reentry intake and coordination centers.

The centralized centers opened pursuant to this bill would offer those leaving incarceration the resources necessary to successfully rejoin and reintegrate into our communities through DOJ and community- funded reentry programs.

There exists a great need for the programs envisioned in this legislation, as more than 600,000 people return to their communities each year after serving time in state and federal prisons, as do nearly nine million people from county jails, while more than 2.5 million people complete parole or probation each year.

Individuals with criminal convictions face daunting challenges upon release. The overwhelming majority of those released from custody receive minimal preparation during their incarceration and inadequate assistance to get back on their feet after they are released, while their convictions may limit employment prospects, educational and training opportunities, public housing assistance, and access to social services.

Even a minor criminal conviction can erect substantial barriers and trigger far-reaching collateral consequences. Due in part to the difficulty of overcoming these barriers, five out of six people who have spent time in a state prison will be arrested for a new crime within nine years of their release.

That is why policies designed to improve reentry outcomes have broad bipartisan support, as demonstrated by passage of the First Step Act, which incentivizes education and recidivism-reduction programs for people in federal prisons.

While the First Step Act, Second Chance Act, and other initiatives have been successful at the federal level, the majority of returning citizens are exiting state and local facilities, and there is an overall need for a more comprehensive approach to address the challenges of reentry.

An example of the type of community reentry center supported by this legislation is in Tulsa, Oklahoma where community organizations offer a comprehensive model of reentry services. The services offered through the Tulsa Reentry One-Stop have significantly reduced recidivism and increased employment. In 2015, 77% of the individuals who successfully completed their reintegration program remained employed after exiting the program.

H.R. 3372 would establish a grant program to support community reentry centers like the Tulsa Reentry One-Stop and ensure support is made available for all individuals the moment they are released. Support would include assistance with transportation, housing, and skills training.

One Stop reentry centers would also assist reentering individuals in obtaining identification and applying for eligible public benefits. And those who have formal reentry plans would be able to find case management assistance and court directed, wrap-around support at the reentry centers.

In addition to the One Stop reentry centers, this bill would authorize a second mechanism to assist individuals reentering communities that do not have large enough populations of reentering individuals to maintain a standalone reentry center.

In these communities, H.R. 3372 would provide grants to operate free, reentry hotlines that operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to assist those recently released from incarceration with reentry services near their homes. This element of the bill is particularly important for rural and smaller communities.

Some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle might argue that the funding authorized in this bill is too high. But we know that the high rates of recidivism of individuals leaving incarceration are far more costly to American communities.

This bill would address a pressing nationwide need, providing individuals with the tools and support they need to successfully reenter society, ultimately, making our communities safer.

I thank our colleague, Representative Karen Bass, for her leadership on this issue, as well as her bipartisan cosponsors, for introducing this important legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Recognizing the high rates of recidivism in our communities and the lack of access to reentry resources, H.R. 3372 would establish a

new grant program within DOJ to support One Stop Community Reentry Centers.

When individuals lack access to reentry services such as housing, job training, and mental health resources, they are more like to be rearrested and reincarcerated. This bill would improve public safety by reducing recidivism.

I urge my colleagues to support it.

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

Mr. Speaker, let me rise in great enthusiasm for an important amendment that calls for an evaluation and a determination as to whether or not this is impacting positively those who are in the program.

I have already read stories about Robert and a number of others; if this program spreads across America to urban hamlets, villages, counties, and rural communities, then we need to know how effective it is.

I am almost positive it will be very effective as a worthwhile investment for the 600,000 people who are released, but this amendment will ensure that we have the right kind of amendment for best practices and best evidence.