Floor Statements

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Educational Opportunity and Success Act, a bill to strengthen the Federal TRIO Programs and improve their administration. Across the Nation, TRIO helps students from disadvantaged backgrounds gain access to a college education and provide many of the supports that they need to prepare for, succeed in, and graduate from higher education programs. I would very much like to thank Senator Baldwin, Senator Capito, and Senator Tester for joining me as original cosponsors.

In the State of Maine, TRIO Programs serve students from all over our State and are focused on increasing educational opportunities for first generation, low-income, and disabled students. From 2007 to 2017, TRIO has expanded from 20 programs to 28 in our State and has expanded from serving 6,690 students to nearly 7,500 students in our State. Over the course of my Senate service, I have been so inspired by the stories of countless TRIO students with whom I have talked. They have described to me firsthand the positive impact of these programs on their academic success and on their futures.

For example, Autumn Mallet from Bangor, ME, graduated from Bangor High School in 2015, unsure about whether she even wanted to pursue higher education. Neither she nor her parents had any experience with higher education. That is very typical of what I found in talking with students who are enrolled in the TRIO Programs. Autumn decided to enroll at Eastern Maine Community College, where she connected with TRIO's Student Support Services Program. Autumn called TRIO ``irreplaceable'' and her ``full support system.'' The academic advisers were her ``go-to people'' when it came to signing up for classes, finding tutors, navigating financial aid, and advocating for herself.

Autumn graduated in May 2018 with an associate's degree in liberal studies and secondary education, and she has gone on to the University of Maine where she is currently earning her bachelor's degree. At the University, she also taps into the resources of the Student Support Services Program. And, very movingly, Autumn is giving back to TRIO. She is a TRIO peer mentor at Eastern Maine Community College, helping students, just like herself, successfully navigate higher education and giving them the tools and the confidence to succeed. For Autumn, TRIO has made all the difference as she has pursued her own goals and helped other students achieve theirs.

Congress created the TRIO Programs because it recognized that low- income, first-generation students often face significant financial and societal obstacles to accessing and achieving success in higher education. The Educational Opportunity and Success Act would better serve those students by implementing key reforms.

First, and most important, our bipartisan bill would reauthorize the TRIO Programs for an additional 5 years.

Second, our bill would instruct the Department of Education to publish guidance at least 90 days before each grant competition, giving colleges and universities adequate opportunity to prepare the successful applications to secure the funding needed to offer the TRIO Programs.

Third, our bill would remove the administrative burdens in the application process for these schools, making sure that Federal funds get out the door more efficiently and to the programs and the students they are meant to serve. Under the current administrative process, many colleges and universities experience delays while the Department reviews administrative errors before making all of the grant awards. This reform would help to expedite the grant process.

Fourth, our legislation would institute commonsense guidelines at the Department of Education for TRIO grant applications.

Let me tell you what happened in 2017. In that year, the Department initially rejected dozens of applications for the Upward Bound Program based on arbitrary, nonsubstantive formatting criteria, such as line spacing and font size irregularities. This was bureaucracy at its worst. One of those applications was from the University of Maine at Presque Isle, which had been a longtime recipient of funding to provide TRIO Programs. Here is what happened with the University of Maine at Presque Isle. It submitted a 65-page application. In that application, the University of Maine of Presque Isle used 1\1/2\-line spacing instead of double spacing in the text appearing in the graphics on two of its application's 65 pages.

I am not making this up. For that reason alone, because the spacing was 1\1/2\ lines rather than 2 on just 2 of the graphs in a 65-page application, the Department of Education rejected it--based on that alone.

The Department's bureaucratic decision would have denied 960 disadvantaged Maine high school students the chance to fulfill their academic potential. Imagine that--that 960 students, who needed the support of the TRIO Program to be successful, would not have been served because of a tiny formatting error on 2 pages of a 65-page application. It was nothing substantive, just a formatting error.

After months of advocacy, I was able to work with the Department of Education and my Appropriations colleagues to reverse this ill- conceived decision, and I am very happy to report that the University of Maine of Presque Isle is today serving those students.

Our bill would prevent the Department of Education from rejecting applications simply on the basis of the formatting criteria that it suggests and instead would establish a straightforward process of correction for applications with minor formatting or budgeting errors. This is a commonsense reform that will prevent unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles in the future--obstacles that have a real impact on the lives of the students who are intended to benefit from the TRIO Programs.

Fifth, our bill would make it simpler for students who receive free and reduced-priced lunches and Pell grants to qualify for the TRIO Programs. Proving income eligibility can be a barrier to services, and this bill would make it easier to identify potential participants for the TRIO Programs.

The bill would also update TRIO eligibility criteria to reflect the most recent requirements for Federal financial aid. This would ensure that TRIO administrators would not have to consult multiple data sources and can instead use a student's most recent financial aid information to determine eligibility for the TRIO Programs rather than having them go through an additional process.

Finally, the bill would require the Department of Education to conduct additional virtual training sessions, better ensuring that all areas of the country--especially our small, rural communities--have the ability to know about and access the TRIO Programs.

As the longtime cochair of the Congressional TRIO Caucus, I have long supported the TRIO Programs. I have worked to ensure that they are reaching the students who most need them. So many students in Maine and across the country have truly had their lives changed by these wonderful programs, such as Upward Bound. They have been introduced to the world of higher education. They have been given the support they need to succeed. In my State, where so many families simply do not have experience with higher education, the TRIO Programs have made all the difference for their sons and daughters.

I urge my colleagues to support the bipartisan Educational Opportunity and Success Act.

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Educational Opportunity and Success Act, a bill to strengthen the Federal TRIO Programs and improve their administration. Across the Nation, TRIO helps students from disadvantaged backgrounds gain access to a college education and provide many of the supports that they need to prepare for, succeed in, and graduate from higher education programs. I would very much like to thank Senator Baldwin, Senator Capito, and Senator Tester for joining me as original cosponsors.

In the State of Maine, TRIO Programs serve students from all over our State and are focused on increasing educational opportunities for first generation, low-income, and disabled students. From 2007 to 2017, TRIO has expanded from 20 programs to 28 in our State and has expanded from serving 6,690 students to nearly 7,500 students in our State. Over the course of my Senate service, I have been so inspired by the stories of countless TRIO students with whom I have talked. They have described to me firsthand the positive impact of these programs on their academic success and on their futures.

For example, Autumn Mallet from Bangor, ME, graduated from Bangor High School in 2015, unsure about whether she even wanted to pursue higher education. Neither she nor her parents had any experience with higher education. That is very typical of what I found in talking with students who are enrolled in the TRIO Programs. Autumn decided to enroll at Eastern Maine Community College, where she connected with TRIO's Student Support Services Program. Autumn called TRIO ``irreplaceable'' and her ``full support system.'' The academic advisers were her ``go-to people'' when it came to signing up for classes, finding tutors, navigating financial aid, and advocating for herself.

Autumn graduated in May 2018 with an associate's degree in liberal studies and secondary education, and she has gone on to the University of Maine where she is currently earning her bachelor's degree. At the University, she also taps into the resources of the Student Support Services Program. And, very movingly, Autumn is giving back to TRIO. She is a TRIO peer mentor at Eastern Maine Community College, helping students, just like herself, successfully navigate higher education and giving them the tools and the confidence to succeed. For Autumn, TRIO has made all the difference as she has pursued her own goals and helped other students achieve theirs.

Congress created the TRIO Programs because it recognized that low- income, first-generation students often face significant financial and societal obstacles to accessing and achieving success in higher education. The Educational Opportunity and Success Act would better serve those students by implementing key reforms.

First, and most important, our bipartisan bill would reauthorize the TRIO Programs for an additional 5 years.

Second, our bill would instruct the Department of Education to publish guidance at least 90 days before each grant competition, giving colleges and universities adequate opportunity to prepare the successful applications to secure the funding needed to offer the TRIO Programs.

Third, our bill would remove the administrative burdens in the application process for these schools, making sure that Federal funds get out the door more efficiently and to the programs and the students they are meant to serve. Under the current administrative process, many colleges and universities experience delays while the Department reviews administrative errors before making all of the grant awards. This reform would help to expedite the grant process.

Fourth, our legislation would institute commonsense guidelines at the Department of Education for TRIO grant applications.

Let me tell you what happened in 2017. In that year, the Department initially rejected dozens of applications for the Upward Bound Program based on arbitrary, nonsubstantive formatting criteria, such as line spacing and font size irregularities. This was bureaucracy at its worst. One of those applications was from the University of Maine at Presque Isle, which had been a longtime recipient of funding to provide TRIO Programs. Here is what happened with the University of Maine at Presque Isle. It submitted a 65-page application. In that application, the University of Maine of Presque Isle used 1\1/2\-line spacing instead of double spacing in the text appearing in the graphics on two of its application's 65 pages.

I am not making this up. For that reason alone, because the spacing was 1\1/2\ lines rather than 2 on just 2 of the graphs in a 65-page application, the Department of Education rejected it--based on that alone.

The Department's bureaucratic decision would have denied 960 disadvantaged Maine high school students the chance to fulfill their academic potential. Imagine that--that 960 students, who needed the support of the TRIO Program to be successful, would not have been served because of a tiny formatting error on 2 pages of a 65-page application. It was nothing substantive, just a formatting error.

After months of advocacy, I was able to work with the Department of Education and my Appropriations colleagues to reverse this ill- conceived decision, and I am very happy to report that the University of Maine of Presque Isle is today serving those students.

Our bill would prevent the Department of Education from rejecting applications simply on the basis of the formatting criteria that it suggests and instead would establish a straightforward process of correction for applications with minor formatting or budgeting errors. This is a commonsense reform that will prevent unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles in the future--obstacles that have a real impact on the lives of the students who are intended to benefit from the TRIO Programs.

Fifth, our bill would make it simpler for students who receive free and reduced-priced lunches and Pell grants to qualify for the TRIO Programs. Proving income eligibility can be a barrier to services, and this bill would make it easier to identify potential participants for the TRIO Programs.

The bill would also update TRIO eligibility criteria to reflect the most recent requirements for Federal financial aid. This would ensure that TRIO administrators would not have to consult multiple data sources and can instead use a student's most recent financial aid information to determine eligibility for the TRIO Programs rather than having them go through an additional process.

Finally, the bill would require the Department of Education to conduct additional virtual training sessions, better ensuring that all areas of the country--especially our small, rural communities--have the ability to know about and access the TRIO Programs.

As the longtime cochair of the Congressional TRIO Caucus, I have long supported the TRIO Programs. I have worked to ensure that they are reaching the students who most need them. So many students in Maine and across the country have truly had their lives changed by these wonderful programs, such as Upward Bound. They have been introduced to the world of higher education. They have been given the support they need to succeed. In my State, where so many families simply do not have experience with higher education, the TRIO Programs have made all the difference for their sons and daughters.

I urge my colleagues to support the bipartisan Educational Opportunity and Success Act.

Mr. President, I have 7 requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority leaders.

Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate:

Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, June 12, 2019, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing.

Committee on Foreign Relations

The Committee on Foreign Relations is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, June 12, 2019, at 10:15 a.m., to conduct a hearing.

Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, June 12, 2019, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct a hearing on the following nominations: Chad F. Wolf, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary for Strategy, Policy, and Plans, Jeffrey Byard, of Alabama, to be Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Troy D. Edgar, of California, to be Chief Financial Officer, all of the Department of Homeland Security, John McLeod Barger, of California, to be a Governor of the United States Postal Service, and B. Chad Bungard, of Maryland, to be a Member of the Merit Systems Protection Board.

Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship

The Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, June 12, 2019, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct a hearing.

Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife

The Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife of the Committee on Environment and Public Works is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, June 12, 2019, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing.

Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global

Competitiveness

The Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness of the Committee on Finance is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, June 12, 2019, at 3 p.m., to conduct a hearing.

Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights

The Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights of the Committee on the Judiciary is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, June 12, 2019, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct a hearing.

Mr. President, along with my colleagues, Senators Jacky Rosen, Martha McSally, and Amy Klobuchar, I am introducing the Stamp Out Elder Abuse Act of 2019, a bill that seeks to help combat the abuse and financial exploitation of our Nation's seniors. Our bill would create a semipostal, or fundraising, stamp that would allow Postal Service customers to make a voluntary contribution to raise awareness and combat elder abuse by purchasing this special stamp.

The proceeds from this stamp would go to the Department of Health and Human Service's (HHS) Administration on Community Living (ACL) and the Department of Justice (DOJ). The funding would allow the ACL to further support the development and advancement of emerging practices to prevent and respond to the abuse of older adults, and would assist DOJ in improving prosecution, data collection, litigation support, and initiatives that prevent elder abuse. Notably, this bill would help to provide needed additional revenue to tackle elder abuse without costing the Federal government a single penny.

Abuse of older Americans is sadly prevalent--no matter the person's gender, race, religion, or ethnic or cultural background. Each year, hundreds of thousands of adults over the age of 60 are abused, neglected, or financially exploited. Abuse can happen in many places, including a person's home, a family member's house, an assisted living facility, or a nursing home. Just as abuse can occur in various settings, there are many types of elder abuse, including physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, abandonment, and financial exploitation, to name a few. Although there are different types of abuse, it is common for a victim to experience more than one form of abuse.

According to the National Council on Aging, approximately one in ten Americans aged 60 years old or older have experienced some form of elder abuse. According to the GAO, financial fraud targeting older Americans is a growing epidemic that costs seniors an estimated $2.9 billion annually. We know, however, that the true number is probably much higher since many of these cases are never reported because the victim is too often embarrassed to report abuse, particularly when it involves a family member. In fact, the National Center on Elder Abuse reports that only one in 14 cases are reported to the authorities.

In Maine--the State with the oldest population by median age--an estimated 33,000 seniors each year are the victims of some kind of abuse or financial fraud. Moreover, in as many as 90 percent of financial cases, the senior is victimized by someone he or she knows well. A 2017 report of financial exploitation of Maine's older adults found that in most cases, financial exploitation is perpetrated by a family member, typically the victim's own adult child.

In a recent case in Maine, police charged a pastor in York County, Maine, with exploiting an incapacitated elderly woman. They say the man befriended the woman while he was volunteering at the assisted-living community where she lived. According to police, the State determined the woman to be incapacitated and assigned her a guardian and conservator. The pastor allegedly took the woman to her bank, withdrew money to have the locks changed on her former home, which had been on the market, and he took down the ``for sale'' sign.

Police say the pastor told the woman he would help her return to her house, even though it was not equipped for the wheelchair access she required. He suggested his daughter could live with the woman to care for her. Police say his goal was to ingratiate himself and have access to this woman's financial accounts and property. Fortunately, in this case, the conservator, who was legally responsible for protecting the

woman's assets, identified and reported the suspected criminal activity to the police.

Combatting elder abuse of seniors is primarily the responsibility of State and local agencies, particularly adult protective services agencies. Prevention and response to cases of abuse require coordinated efforts, including State and local agencies, law enforcement, the social work and medical community, and financial institutions.

The Federal government also plays an important role in providing leadership to combat this problem. The Elder Justice Coordinating Council, led by HHS and DOJ, has brought other Federal agencies to the table to coordinate efforts to protect older individuals from abuse. Last year, the DOJ took a major action by directing all 94 U.S. Attorneys' offices to each designate an elder justice coordinator, who will develop strategies to protect seniors in their districts. This will promote greater cooperation between the DOJ and its law enforcement partners. While the best way to intervene in the problem of elder abuse is to prevent it from happening in the first place, when abuse does occur, it is crucial that the perpetrators of the crimes not go unpunished.

I worked closely on the Stamp Out Elder Abuse Act of 2019 with Philip C. Marshall. Philip is the founder of Beyond Brooke, a campaign named to honor Philip's late grandmother, Brooke Astor, a well known philanthropist, recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and victim of elder abuse and financial exploitation. In 2015, Mr. Marshall testified before the Senate Aging Committee about how his father mistreated his grandmother and mismanaged her assets while she suffered from Alzheimer's disease. In addition, I am pleased that the non- partisan Elder Justice Coalition, which represents more than 3,000 members, along with the National Center for Victims of Crime, the National Sheriffs Association, and the National Association on Area Agencies on Aging all support our bill.

Mr. President, I ask that letters from these organizations appear in the Record immediately following my remarks.

Preventing and combating elder abuse require law enforcement and social service agencies at all levels of government to work collaboratively with the private sector. The Stamp Out Elder Abuse Act would assist the Federal government's role to help make that happen. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

The Elder Justice Coalition,

Washington, DC, June 11, 2019.

Hon. Susan Collins,

Chairman, Special Committee on Aging,

U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Collins: On behalf of the nonpartisan Elder

Justice Coalition which represents more than 3,000 members, I

write to congratulate you and Senators Rosen, McSally, and

Klobuchar on the introduction of the Stamp Out Elder Abuse

Act of 2019, which will create a semi-postal stamp to provide

additional funding to the federal government for programs to

address elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. The EJC is

proud to have worked closely on this legislation with you,

your staff and Philip C. Marshall, founder of Beyond Brooke,

a cause-based campaign named to honor Philip's late

grandmother, Brooke Astor, who was a well-known

philanthropist, recipient of the Presidential Medal of

Freedom, and a victim of elder abuse and elder financial

exploitation.

We are pleased that the bill will direct the United States

Postal Service to develop the semipostal stamp and use the

proceeds from its sales to provide funding to augment the

elder justice initiatives at both the Administration on Aging

in the Department of Health and Human Services and at the

Department of Justice. These programs include prevention,

education, data collection, services to protect and support

victims, and demonstration projects, in addition to

initiatives to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of

elder abuse and financial exploitation. Further, the

departments will be able to use their resources to support

dissemination of the stamp.

Thank you again for your leadership on this and other elder

justice issues. Please let us know if we can be of assistance

in securing passage of the Stamp Out Elder Abuse Act of 2019.

Sincerely,

Robert B. Blancato,

National Coordinator.

Mr. President, along with my colleagues, Senators Jacky Rosen, Martha McSally, and Amy Klobuchar, I am introducing the Stamp Out Elder Abuse Act of 2019, a bill that seeks to help combat the abuse and financial exploitation of our Nation's seniors. Our bill would create a semipostal, or fundraising, stamp that would allow Postal Service customers to make a voluntary contribution to raise awareness and combat elder abuse by purchasing this special stamp.

The proceeds from this stamp would go to the Department of Health and Human Service's (HHS) Administration on Community Living (ACL) and the Department of Justice (DOJ). The funding would allow the ACL to further support the development and advancement of emerging practices to prevent and respond to the abuse of older adults, and would assist DOJ in improving prosecution, data collection, litigation support, and initiatives that prevent elder abuse. Notably, this bill would help to provide needed additional revenue to tackle elder abuse without costing the Federal government a single penny.

Abuse of older Americans is sadly prevalent--no matter the person's gender, race, religion, or ethnic or cultural background. Each year, hundreds of thousands of adults over the age of 60 are abused, neglected, or financially exploited. Abuse can happen in many places, including a person's home, a family member's house, an assisted living facility, or a nursing home. Just as abuse can occur in various settings, there are many types of elder abuse, including physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, abandonment, and financial exploitation, to name a few. Although there are different types of abuse, it is common for a victim to experience more than one form of abuse.

According to the National Council on Aging, approximately one in ten Americans aged 60 years old or older have experienced some form of elder abuse. According to the GAO, financial fraud targeting older Americans is a growing epidemic that costs seniors an estimated $2.9 billion annually. We know, however, that the true number is probably much higher since many of these cases are never reported because the victim is too often embarrassed to report abuse, particularly when it involves a family member. In fact, the National Center on Elder Abuse reports that only one in 14 cases are reported to the authorities.

In Maine--the State with the oldest population by median age--an estimated 33,000 seniors each year are the victims of some kind of abuse or financial fraud. Moreover, in as many as 90 percent of financial cases, the senior is victimized by someone he or she knows well. A 2017 report of financial exploitation of Maine's older adults found that in most cases, financial exploitation is perpetrated by a family member, typically the victim's own adult child.

In a recent case in Maine, police charged a pastor in York County, Maine, with exploiting an incapacitated elderly woman. They say the man befriended the woman while he was volunteering at the assisted-living community where she lived. According to police, the State determined the woman to be incapacitated and assigned her a guardian and conservator. The pastor allegedly took the woman to her bank, withdrew money to have the locks changed on her former home, which had been on the market, and he took down the ``for sale'' sign.

Police say the pastor told the woman he would help her return to her house, even though it was not equipped for the wheelchair access she required. He suggested his daughter could live with the woman to care for her. Police say his goal was to ingratiate himself and have access to this woman's financial accounts and property. Fortunately, in this case, the conservator, who was legally responsible for protecting the

woman's assets, identified and reported the suspected criminal activity to the police.

Combatting elder abuse of seniors is primarily the responsibility of State and local agencies, particularly adult protective services agencies. Prevention and response to cases of abuse require coordinated efforts, including State and local agencies, law enforcement, the social work and medical community, and financial institutions.

The Federal government also plays an important role in providing leadership to combat this problem. The Elder Justice Coordinating Council, led by HHS and DOJ, has brought other Federal agencies to the table to coordinate efforts to protect older individuals from abuse. Last year, the DOJ took a major action by directing all 94 U.S. Attorneys' offices to each designate an elder justice coordinator, who will develop strategies to protect seniors in their districts. This will promote greater cooperation between the DOJ and its law enforcement partners. While the best way to intervene in the problem of elder abuse is to prevent it from happening in the first place, when abuse does occur, it is crucial that the perpetrators of the crimes not go unpunished.

I worked closely on the Stamp Out Elder Abuse Act of 2019 with Philip C. Marshall. Philip is the founder of Beyond Brooke, a campaign named to honor Philip's late grandmother, Brooke Astor, a well known philanthropist, recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and victim of elder abuse and financial exploitation. In 2015, Mr. Marshall testified before the Senate Aging Committee about how his father mistreated his grandmother and mismanaged her assets while she suffered from Alzheimer's disease. In addition, I am pleased that the non- partisan Elder Justice Coalition, which represents more than 3,000 members, along with the National Center for Victims of Crime, the National Sheriffs Association, and the National Association on Area Agencies on Aging all support our bill.

Mr. President, I ask that letters from these organizations appear in the Record immediately following my remarks.

Preventing and combating elder abuse require law enforcement and social service agencies at all levels of government to work collaboratively with the private sector. The Stamp Out Elder Abuse Act would assist the Federal government's role to help make that happen. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

The Elder Justice Coalition,

Washington, DC, June 11, 2019.

Hon. Susan Collins,

Chairman, Special Committee on Aging,

U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Collins: On behalf of the nonpartisan Elder

Justice Coalition which represents more than 3,000 members, I

write to congratulate you and Senators Rosen, McSally, and

Klobuchar on the introduction of the Stamp Out Elder Abuse

Act of 2019, which will create a semi-postal stamp to provide

additional funding to the federal government for programs to

address elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. The EJC is

proud to have worked closely on this legislation with you,

your staff and Philip C. Marshall, founder of Beyond Brooke,

a cause-based campaign named to honor Philip's late

grandmother, Brooke Astor, who was a well-known

philanthropist, recipient of the Presidential Medal of

Freedom, and a victim of elder abuse and elder financial

exploitation.

We are pleased that the bill will direct the United States

Postal Service to develop the semipostal stamp and use the

proceeds from its sales to provide funding to augment the

elder justice initiatives at both the Administration on Aging

in the Department of Health and Human Services and at the

Department of Justice. These programs include prevention,

education, data collection, services to protect and support

victims, and demonstration projects, in addition to

initiatives to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of

elder abuse and financial exploitation. Further, the

departments will be able to use their resources to support

dissemination of the stamp.

Thank you again for your leadership on this and other elder

justice issues. Please let us know if we can be of assistance

in securing passage of the Stamp Out Elder Abuse Act of 2019.

Sincerely,

Robert B. Blancato,

National Coordinator.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, I rise this evening to introduce legislation with my friend and colleague from Delaware, Senator Chris Coons, called the Reach Every Mother and Child Act of 2019. I am delighted to say that we have 22 bipartisan cosponsors for our initiative. Our legislation would make it the policy of the United States to lead an effort to end preventable deaths of mothers, newborns, and young children in the developing world by the year 2030.

Due in part to American leadership and generosity, many lives have already been saved. Since 1990, the annual number of deaths of children under the age of 5 has been cut in half. Nevertheless, far too many mothers, newborns, and young children under the age of 5 still succumb to disease and malnutrition that could easily have been prevented.

Every day, approximately 800 women die from preventable causes that are related to pregnancy and childbirth. In addition, more than 15,000 children under the age of 5 die every day from treatable conditions, such as prematurity, pneumonia, and diarrhea, with malnutrition being the underlying cause in nearly half of those deaths.

Our bill aims to reach these mothers and children with simple, proven, cost-effective interventions that we know will help them survive. A concentrated effort could end preventable maternal and child deaths worldwide by the year 2030. However, continued American leadership and support from the international community are critical to success.

To achieve this ambitious goal, our bill would require the implementation of a strategy to scale up the most effective interventions to save as many lives as possible. This idea is central to our bill. We do not have to guess at what interventions will work. The reality is that more than 15,000 children die each day of conditions that we know how to treat right now. These lifesaving interventions include clean birthing practices, vaccines, nutritional supplements, handwashing with soap, and other basic needs that remain elusive for far too many women and children in developing countries. This is what must change.

In addition, our bill would establish a Maternal and Child Survival Coordinator at the USAID, who would focus on implementing the 5-year strategy and verifying that the most effective interventions are being scaled up in target countries.

The bill would improve government efficiency across several agencies that would collaborate with the Coordinator to identify and promote the most effective treatments to end preventable maternal and child deaths globally. To promote transparency and greater accountability, our bill would also require detailed public reporting on progress toward implementing this strategy.

Finally, our legislation would encourage the USAID to help pay for successful programs that are run by nongovernmental entities. The message that we want to send to all of our partners in the private sector, the nonprofit sector, the faith community, and in local and international civil society groups is this: If you can figure out an effective way to increase the likelihood that mothers and their children will survive childbirth in those first 5 vulnerable years of life, we want to acknowledge your contributions.

We realize that the government does not have all of the answers and that if we and our partners in the private sector all work together, whether they be nonprofits, foundations, the faith community, local and international government-sponsored organizations, or civil society groups, we can solve this problem.

Improving the health and well-being of mothers and children around the world have far-reaching social and economic benefits as well. The USAID estimates and identifies examples of the return on our investments in numerous priority countries. For example, in Afghanistan, Haiti, Liberia, Nepal, South Sudan, Rwanda, and Yemen, the USAID estimates that its health investments may yield a 9-to-1 return in economic and societal benefits by the year 2035.

The USAID also estimates its return on investment in the form of resources mobilized, which is a measure based on additional dollar investments that are made by country governments or local organizations or by cost savings within a health system from increased efficiencies. In Senegal, for example, the USAID estimates $204 million in resources mobilized by 2025, which is a 656-to-1 return on the USAID's investment. In India, it estimates that a $25.5 billion investment by the year 2025 is a striking nearly 3,000-to-1 return on the USAID's investment.

Other bipartisan initiatives, such as the successful President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, which was started by President George W. Bush, demonstrate that results-driven interventions can turn the tide for global health challenges. In applying lessons learned from past initiatives, our bill would provide the focus and the tools necessary to accelerate progress toward a goal that we should all be able to embrace, which is to end preventable maternal and child deaths.

I urge my colleagues to join with Senator Coons and me and our 22 cosponsors in supporting this legislation that will literally save the lives of mothers and children around the world by doing what we know works.

Mr. President, I rise this evening to introduce legislation with my friend and colleague from Delaware, Senator Chris Coons, called the Reach Every Mother and Child Act of 2019. I am delighted to say that we have 22 bipartisan cosponsors for our initiative. Our legislation would make it the policy of the United States to lead an effort to end preventable deaths of mothers, newborns, and young children in the developing world by the year 2030.

Due in part to American leadership and generosity, many lives have already been saved. Since 1990, the annual number of deaths of children under the age of 5 has been cut in half. Nevertheless, far too many mothers, newborns, and young children under the age of 5 still succumb to disease and malnutrition that could easily have been prevented.

Every day, approximately 800 women die from preventable causes that are related to pregnancy and childbirth. In addition, more than 15,000 children under the age of 5 die every day from treatable conditions, such as prematurity, pneumonia, and diarrhea, with malnutrition being the underlying cause in nearly half of those deaths.

Our bill aims to reach these mothers and children with simple, proven, cost-effective interventions that we know will help them survive. A concentrated effort could end preventable maternal and child deaths worldwide by the year 2030. However, continued American leadership and support from the international community are critical to success.

To achieve this ambitious goal, our bill would require the implementation of a strategy to scale up the most effective interventions to save as many lives as possible. This idea is central to our bill. We do not have to guess at what interventions will work. The reality is that more than 15,000 children die each day of conditions that we know how to treat right now. These lifesaving interventions include clean birthing practices, vaccines, nutritional supplements, handwashing with soap, and other basic needs that remain elusive for far too many women and children in developing countries. This is what must change.

In addition, our bill would establish a Maternal and Child Survival Coordinator at the USAID, who would focus on implementing the 5-year strategy and verifying that the most effective interventions are being scaled up in target countries.

The bill would improve government efficiency across several agencies that would collaborate with the Coordinator to identify and promote the most effective treatments to end preventable maternal and child deaths globally. To promote transparency and greater accountability, our bill would also require detailed public reporting on progress toward implementing this strategy.

Finally, our legislation would encourage the USAID to help pay for successful programs that are run by nongovernmental entities. The message that we want to send to all of our partners in the private sector, the nonprofit sector, the faith community, and in local and international civil society groups is this: If you can figure out an effective way to increase the likelihood that mothers and their children will survive childbirth in those first 5 vulnerable years of life, we want to acknowledge your contributions.

We realize that the government does not have all of the answers and that if we and our partners in the private sector all work together, whether they be nonprofits, foundations, the faith community, local and international government-sponsored organizations, or civil society groups, we can solve this problem.

Improving the health and well-being of mothers and children around the world have far-reaching social and economic benefits as well. The USAID estimates and identifies examples of the return on our investments in numerous priority countries. For example, in Afghanistan, Haiti, Liberia, Nepal, South Sudan, Rwanda, and Yemen, the USAID estimates that its health investments may yield a 9-to-1 return in economic and societal benefits by the year 2035.

The USAID also estimates its return on investment in the form of resources mobilized, which is a measure based on additional dollar investments that are made by country governments or local organizations or by cost savings within a health system from increased efficiencies. In Senegal, for example, the USAID estimates $204 million in resources mobilized by 2025, which is a 656-to-1 return on the USAID's investment. In India, it estimates that a $25.5 billion investment by the year 2025 is a striking nearly 3,000-to-1 return on the USAID's investment.

Other bipartisan initiatives, such as the successful President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, which was started by President George W. Bush, demonstrate that results-driven interventions can turn the tide for global health challenges. In applying lessons learned from past initiatives, our bill would provide the focus and the tools necessary to accelerate progress toward a goal that we should all be able to embrace, which is to end preventable maternal and child deaths.

I urge my colleagues to join with Senator Coons and me and our 22 cosponsors in supporting this legislation that will literally save the lives of mothers and children around the world by doing what we know works.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

As the senior Republican woman in the Senate today, I am pleased to begin a series of speeches, along with my good friend from California, the senior Democratic woman Senator, Mrs. Dianne Feinstein, to commemorate a significant milestone in our Nation's history. One hundred years ago today, the Senate finally passed the 19th Amendment, which affirmed the right of women to vote in elections.

All of us recall that in 1775, as the Second Continental Congress was forging a new Nation conceived in liberty, Abigail Adams admonished her husband John to ``remember the ladies.'' Despite Abigail Adam's advice, it took nearly a century and a half for women to achieve their rightful place as full U.S. citizens.

On June 4, 1919, the U.S. Senate passed the 19th Amendment to our Constitution. The courage and determination exhibited by generations of women and men were rewarded in just two sentences:

The rights of citizens of the United States to vote shall

not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any

State on account of sex. Congress shall have the power to

enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

That is it. Those are the words of the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing women the right to vote.

It is an honor today to join my 24 women Senate colleagues in cosponsoring a resolution commemorating this centennial. The yellow roses that we are wearing are a historic and enduring symbol of the victory that we celebrate today.

It has often been said, as Emerson put it, that ``there is properly no history; only biography.'' The story of women's suffrage is an anthology of remarkable biographies.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott led the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848. This marked the first time that American women formally demanded the vote. The convention produced the landmark Declaration of Sentiments. Using the Declaration of Independence as a template, it states: ``We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men and women are created equal.''

The early women's rights movement was closely linked to the abolition of slavery. Lucretia Mott made her position clear. She said:

``I have no idea of submitting tamely to injustice

inflicted either on me or on the slave. I will oppose it with

all the moral powers with which I am endowed.''

Among the most vigorous advocates of women's suffrage were those who knew too well the lash of oppression, the escaped slaves Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, and Harriet Tubman.

Another very important incident in the march of history occurred in 1872. Susan B. Anthony and 14 other women in Rochester, New York, illegally voted in that year's Presidential election. They were promptly arrested. Susan B. Anthony was put on trial, convicted, and ordered to pay a fine of $100 or face imprisonment. Imagine--for voting.

She bravely refused, saying that she would never submit to this ``high-handed outrage upon my citizen's rights.'' The authorities wisely chose not to pursue collecting the fine.

Suffrage leaders realized that nothing short of a constitutional amendment would do--one modelled after the 15th Amendment, which granted the vote to all men regardless of race.

With new leaders--such as Carrie Chapman Catt and, later, Alice Paul--stepping forward, a strategy was developed to use every peaceful instrument to change the hearts and minds of political leaders and the public. In addition to marches, rallies, and petitions, they enlisted the power of the pulpit and the press in their just cause.

It took more than four decades for this strategy to succeed, and strong Maine women played key roles. Katherine Reed Balentine, the daughter of the legendary Speaker of the House of Representatives, Thomas Brackett Reed, led the Maine Woman Suffrage Association. Author and activist Florence Brooks Whitehouse became a nationally known suffrage organizer and offered these words to opponents of this cause: ``This you must know; the world is mine, as yours.''

I am proud to report that when the 19th Amendment came to the Senate floor on that historic day, exactly 100 years ago, both of Maine's Senators, Republicans Bert Fernald and Frederick Hale, were among the 56 voting in favor. Following Senate passage, all

that remained was for 36 of the 48 States to vote for ratification.

Maine became the 19th State to ratify the 19th Amendment, but it wasn't easy. An earlier popular referendum on women's suffrage in Maine got clobbered at the polls by a margin of nearly 2 to 1. Of course, women were not allowed to vote on their own future, which obviously skewed the results.

Recognizing the inherent unfairness of the situation, Maine's Republican Governor, Carl Milliken, called an emergency session of the State legislature and ushered the measure through by a vote of 72 to 68.

By the summer of 1920, only one more State was needed to reach the magic number of 36. The Nation's eyes were on the State of Tennessee, where the amendment was before the legislature. The outlook was discouraging. After two rollcall votes, suffrage opponents, who wore red roses on their lapels, were in a dead heat with the yellow rose supporters. If the measure failed to pass in Tennessee, the 19th Amendment would not be ratified.

At the last possible moment, the youngest Tennessee lawmaker, Harry Burn, despite the red rose that he wore--which indicated you were in opposition--cast his vote in favor of ratification.

After evading an angry mob by climbing out of a third floor window in the Maine Capitol Building and hiding in the attic, Representative Burn explained that he changed his mind after he received a letter from his mother, telling him: ``Don't forget to be a good boy'' and to do the right thing.

I am sure the Presiding Officer is very familiar with this story.

One of my inspirations in public service, Maine Senator Margaret Chase Smith, once addressed the question of what is a woman's proper place. Her famous short answer was this: ``Everywhere.''

The rest of her answer describes the importance of the struggle and the success that we celebrate today. She said: ``If there is any proper place for women today, it is that of alert and responsible citizens in the fullest sense of the word.''

It is a great pleasure to join my colleagues--particularly the senior Democratic woman Senator, Dianne Feinstein of California--in saluting those great, courageous, and persistent women who, over many long decades and through much difficulty, guided our Nation to that proper place by giving women the long, overdue right to be full citizens in this country--the right to vote.

Madam President, it is now my great pleasure to yield to my friend and distinguished colleague, Senator Feinstein.

Madam President, I thank the Senator from California for her remarks and yield time now to the Senator from Illinois, Ms. Duckworth.

Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Madam President, I recognize the Senator from Alaska, Ms. Murkowski.

Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Alaska for her eloquent comments.

I now yield to Senator Murray.

Mr. President, I thank the Senator for her good remarks today.

I am very pleased to yield time to the Senator from Tennessee, Mrs. Blackburn.

Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Tennessee for giving us such a great history lesson, and I appreciate her remarks.

Next on our list of speakers is Senator Ernst followed by Senator Shaheen.

I yield to Senator Ernst of Iowa.

Mr. President, before I yield to my friend and neighbor from New Hampshire, I recognize, in the back of the Chamber, a truly extraordinary woman, an outstanding former U.S. Senator who served in this Chamber from 1987 to 2017, some 30 years, Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland. She has served on the Commission that has worked very hard to make sure we commemorate this centennial of women's suffrage, and she has been a mentor and friend to all of us who had the pleasure of serving with her.

I welcome Senator Mikulski back to the U.S. Senate, which was her home for so many years and where she still has so many friends and admirers, of whom I count myself one.

The Chair is a very wise man.

Now I yield to Senator Jeanne Shaheen.

Mr. President, I thank the Senator from New Hampshire, and it is now my pleasure to yield time to the Senator from Nebraska, Mrs. Fischer.

Mr. President, I want to thank the Senator from Nebraska for her very kind comments and her eloquent remarks, and I am now pleased to yield time to the Senator from Wisconsin, Ms. Baldwin.

Mr. President, I am now pleased to yield to the Senator from Maryland, Mr. Cardin.

Mr. President, I am pleased to yield to the Senator from Minnesota, Ms. Klobuchar.

Mr. President, I yield to the Senator from West Virginia, Mrs. Capito.

Madam President, earlier, I recognized Senator Barbara Mikulski, an outstanding leader and former colleague and member of the Women's Suffrage Centennial Commission. I also want to acknowledge that there are other members of the Commission who are here with us today. We welcome them as they observe this debate, and we thank them for their hard work to make sure this significant occasion is recognized.

It is now my great pleasure to yield time to the Senator from Washington, Senator Cantwell.

Madam President, I simply want to thank my colleagues for their participation today in bringing to the attention of the American people that this truly is a historic occasion, a date on which we celebrate the Senate's passage of the 19th Amendment granting women a long-overdue right to vote. I want to thank all of my colleagues who participated in the speeches. The history they brought from their individual States was fascinating indeed.

It is my understanding that we will now move to pass commemorative coin legislation introduced by the Senator from Tennessee.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, earlier today, the Senate overwhelmingly approved the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act, known as the TRACED Act, authored by our colleagues Senators Thune and Markey.

I am pleased to have been a cosponsor of this bill to help protect consumers from fraudulent, aggravating, and incessant robocalls.

The TRACED Act makes a number of important changes to our laws that will make it easier to fight illegal robocalls.

Most important, the TRACED Act requires telecommunications carriers to implement what is known as SHAKEN/STIR technology to verify whether caller IDs that appear on incoming calls are authentic.

When fully implemented, this technology will be a major advance against the illegal spoofing of calls that have resulted in successful scams.

Combating illegal robocalls has long been a focus of the Senate's Special Committee on Aging, which I chair, and on which the Presiding Officer serves.

Over the past 6 years, the Special Committee on Aging has held 22 hearings to examine scams that specifically target older Americans. Scams that we have highlighted include the IRS imposter scam, the Jamaican lottery scam, computer tech support schemes, grandparent scams, elder financial exploitation, identity theft, and the notorious drug mule scam.

The number and the kind of these scams are endless in their variety. The criminals are ruthless and relentless, and they will continue to come up with new ways to defraud Americans, particularly our seniors.

These scams are often initiated by robocallers who use caller ID spoofing to perpetrate their schemes. Many of us remember back in 2003 when the Do Not Call Registry was created. At that point, what we were able to do was register our phone numbers and block those unwanted, illegal robocalls. Fortunately, back then, telecommunications equipment could not easily be

used to disguise a caller ID to make it look like the call was coming from someplace other than its origin.

Unfortunately, technology today and particularly the emergence of the voice over internet protocol technology has changed all that to the point where the Do Not Call Registry has become virtually useless for most Americans. Now criminals can use VoIP to hide their identities while generating millions of robocalls from anywhere in the world at practically no cost.

We heard in the Aging Committee some heart-wrenching stories of consumers who have been ripped off because of the combination of the robocall and the disguising of the identity of the caller.

For example, in 2015, we heard from the Auburn, ME, Police Department about a woman who lost $7,400 because she got one of these calls, and it was followed by another call that appeared to be the Auburn Police Department. That is what appeared on her caller ID. Yet, of course, it was nothing of the sort. But that was sufficient to make her think she really did have to pay what turned out to be $7,400 of her retirement savings, which she could ill afford to lose.

In 2017, we heard from an 81-year-old veteran from Portland, ME, Phillip Hatch, who was a victim of the IRS imposter scam. In these scams, what happens is the robocaller pretends to be an IRS agent. He or she will tell the person who answers the phone that the consumer owes thousands of dollars in back taxes and penalties and that if they are not paid immediately, they will either be arrested or a lien will be put on their home. They manage to panic people of all ages-- particularly our seniors--into paying money they do not owe to the IRS.

Everyone should be aware that if you really do owe back taxes to the IRS, you will get a letter from the IRS. You won't be called up and threatened. But that, unfortunately, is what these con artists, these ruthless criminals, do.

Well, Mr. Hatch was induced to pay some $8,000 when he got a second call that appeared to be from the Portland Police Department telling him that if he did not pay up immediately, there was a warrant for his arrest--again, completely bogus. Mr. Hatch did not owe back taxes, much less penalties, but it was the spoofing of the call that made it look like it was from the Portland Police Department in this case--the Auburn Police Department in the previous case I described--that caused him to lose a substantial amount of money. His situation would have been even worse if his son had not intervened. He would have lost even more.

This is a problem that is getting worse every day. Oddly enough, lately on my cell phones, I have been receiving robocalls that are in Chinese, which is really bizarre. I don't know whether they are targeting a Chinese-American population in some part of the Washington, DC, area, but that is what I have been getting lately. But all of us know how frequent, how annoying, and in many cases how dangerous these robocalls can be when they are conducted by these ruthless criminals.

Last year, the Federal Trade Commission logged an incredible 3.8 billion complaints about illegal robocalls. This year, industry sources estimate that nearly half of all mobile phone calls are fraudulent-- nearly half. So this is a problem that deserves our attention. The American people are tired of having scammers ring their phones off the hook--or their cell phones--and they want these calls stopped. We have to do all we can to give the regulators the important tools to help fight these illegal robocalls.

I am very pleased that we have taken an important step today and that the Federal Communications Commission is also acting to increase the protections for consumers. We should be able to rely on the veracity of our caller ID identifications. That is why we have caller ID. But the spoofers have managed to defeat the purpose of caller ID, including being able to pretend to be the Department of Treasury, the Auburn Police Department, and other law enforcement agencies. No wonder people pick up the phone when they see the Department of Treasury, the Auburn Police Department, or the IRS is calling, but, in fact, that is not who is calling; it is a relentless criminal who is trying to steal money from the consumer.

It is my hope that this important consumer protection bill, which builds on all of the 22 hearings our Aging Committee has held, will become law shortly and provide relief to American consumers.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Mr. President, access to quality healthcare is the foundation of any community. Throughout his long and distinguished career at Stephens Memorial Hospital in Norway, ME, Dr. William Medd has helped to build that foundation in Oxford County. It is a pleasure to join his friends and neighbors in thanking him for 45 years of expert, dedicated, and compassionate service.

Healthcare is essential to the vitality, even the survival, of rural communities. In a recent interview, Dr. Medd said that, after he graduated from the University of Rochester Medical School, he had a wide choice of places to practice. He decided to practice in a place where he could make a real difference, and he certainly has. His role in starting the Maine Track program through Maine Medical Center and the Tufts University School of Medicine to recruit young physicians to rural practice will make a difference for generations to come.

When a new medical center opened in Norway 3 years ago, it was named in Dr. Medd's honor as a tribute to his many contributions to his community. Just as important is the gratitude the people throughout the Oxford Hills region have for his outstanding attentiveness to their health and well-being. I offer Dr. William Medd my congratulations upon his retirement and best wishes for the years to come.

Mr. President, I rise today with my colleague from Minnesota, Senator Tina Smith, to introduce the TICK Act. This stands for Ticks: Identify, Control, and Knockout Act. I would also like to recognize my colleague from Maine, Senator King, who is joining us as an original cosponsor.

Our bipartisan legislation would provide local communities and States with the resources needed to help prevent, detect early, and treat Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.

Tick-borne diseases like Lyme have become a major public health concern, with the incidence exploding over the past 15 years. The number of Americans with tick-borne diseases has been rising at an alarming rate. In 2003, Lyme disease infected approximately 30,000 Americans. Last year there were an estimated 450,000 cases--a staggering 1,400-percent increase.

In Maine, last year alone, there were 2,000 new cases of Lyme disease. That is a sharp increase from the 752 cases in 2010.

Other tick-borne diseases are also on the rise. Anaplasmosis, for example, has more than tripled.

Far too many Americans with Lyme disease experience a complex diagnostic odyssey that takes months or even years. One of my constituents, Paula Jackson Jones, from Damariscotta, ME, shared with me her harrowing tale that took 2 years, scores of tests, and 23 different physicians before she finally received the correct diagnosis that she had Lyme disease. Her journey started one afternoon 10 years ago after raking leaves in her backyard. A week later, unusual symptoms began to appear: anxiety attacks, pain, muscle spasms, and fatigue. These symptoms became debilitating.

Before receiving the correct diagnosis, Paula was diagnosed incorrectly with multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, and other diseases. Once she finally received the proper diagnosis and treatment, Paula founded Midcoast Lyme Disease Support & Education, a nonprofit that raises public awareness about Lyme disease.

She told me:

This has been a 10-year crusade for me with the first 5

years fighting for my life and the latter, fighting on behalf

of others.

In addition to the physical and emotional toll that Lyme disease takes, it is also expensive. Paula is still paying off more than $250,000 worth of medical bills that she has incurred. Medical costs of Lyme disease are estimated at $1.3 billion per year. When accounting for indirect medical costs, including the loss of work, the annual cost balloons to $75 billion per year.

A correct and early diagnosis can reduce costs, as well as improve the prognosis, but we have a long way to go. When HIV became a public health crisis, fortunately, a gold standard for identification and treatment was developed within 10 years. Lyme disease, by contrast, was identified more than 40 years ago; yet there still is no gold standard treatment, and existing prevention, education, and diagnostic efforts have proven to be inadequate.

The TICK Act would apply a three-pronged approach to addressing Lyme and other tick and vector-borne diseases. First, it would establish an office of oversight and coordination of vector-borne diseases at the Department of Health and Human Services. This office would develop a national strategy to prevent and treat Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. It would expand research and improve testing, treatment affordability, and public awareness. The office would also coordinate with key Federal agencies, including the CDC, the Department of Defense, USDA, and EPA to protect Americans from these diseases.

Second, our bill would reauthorize the Regional Centers for Excellence in Vector-Borne Disease, which Congress established in 2017 in response to the Zika outbreak. Since then, tick-borne diseases have accounted for three out of four vector-borne diseases in our country, and these centers have been effective in leading the scientific response. The Collins-Smith bill would reauthorize these centers for another 5 years at $10 million per year.

Finally, our bill would establish CDC grants, which would be awarded to State health departments to improve data collection and analysis, support early detection and diagnosis, improve treatment and heighten public awareness. The TICK Act takes a comprehensive approach to address tick-borne diseases.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record at the conclusion of my remarks letters of support signed by more than 2 dozen organizations supporting our bill, including the Midcoast Lyme Disease and Support Education organization, the LivLyme Foundation, the Northeast Regional Center for Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases, the National Association of County and City Health Officials, and the Entomological Society of America.

I urge all of our colleagues to support this important legislation.

Mr. President, I rise today with my colleague from Minnesota, Senator Tina Smith, to introduce the TICK Act. This stands for Ticks: Identify, Control, and Knockout Act. I would also like to recognize my colleague from Maine, Senator King, who is joining us as an original cosponsor.

Our bipartisan legislation would provide local communities and States with the resources needed to help prevent, detect early, and treat Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.

Tick-borne diseases like Lyme have become a major public health concern, with the incidence exploding over the past 15 years. The number of Americans with tick-borne diseases has been rising at an alarming rate. In 2003, Lyme disease infected approximately 30,000 Americans. Last year there were an estimated 450,000 cases--a staggering 1,400-percent increase.

In Maine, last year alone, there were 2,000 new cases of Lyme disease. That is a sharp increase from the 752 cases in 2010.

Other tick-borne diseases are also on the rise. Anaplasmosis, for example, has more than tripled.

Far too many Americans with Lyme disease experience a complex diagnostic odyssey that takes months or even years. One of my constituents, Paula Jackson Jones, from Damariscotta, ME, shared with me her harrowing tale that took 2 years, scores of tests, and 23 different physicians before she finally received the correct diagnosis that she had Lyme disease. Her journey started one afternoon 10 years ago after raking leaves in her backyard. A week later, unusual symptoms began to appear: anxiety attacks, pain, muscle spasms, and fatigue. These symptoms became debilitating.

Before receiving the correct diagnosis, Paula was diagnosed incorrectly with multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, and other diseases. Once she finally received the proper diagnosis and treatment, Paula founded Midcoast Lyme Disease Support & Education, a nonprofit that raises public awareness about Lyme disease.

She told me:

This has been a 10-year crusade for me with the first 5

years fighting for my life and the latter, fighting on behalf

of others.

In addition to the physical and emotional toll that Lyme disease takes, it is also expensive. Paula is still paying off more than $250,000 worth of medical bills that she has incurred. Medical costs of Lyme disease are estimated at $1.3 billion per year. When accounting for indirect medical costs, including the loss of work, the annual cost balloons to $75 billion per year.

A correct and early diagnosis can reduce costs, as well as improve the prognosis, but we have a long way to go. When HIV became a public health crisis, fortunately, a gold standard for identification and treatment was developed within 10 years. Lyme disease, by contrast, was identified more than 40 years ago; yet there still is no gold standard treatment, and existing prevention, education, and diagnostic efforts have proven to be inadequate.

The TICK Act would apply a three-pronged approach to addressing Lyme and other tick and vector-borne diseases. First, it would establish an office of oversight and coordination of vector-borne diseases at the Department of Health and Human Services. This office would develop a national strategy to prevent and treat Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. It would expand research and improve testing, treatment affordability, and public awareness. The office would also coordinate with key Federal agencies, including the CDC, the Department of Defense, USDA, and EPA to protect Americans from these diseases.

Second, our bill would reauthorize the Regional Centers for Excellence in Vector-Borne Disease, which Congress established in 2017 in response to the Zika outbreak. Since then, tick-borne diseases have accounted for three out of four vector-borne diseases in our country, and these centers have been effective in leading the scientific response. The Collins-Smith bill would reauthorize these centers for another 5 years at $10 million per year.

Finally, our bill would establish CDC grants, which would be awarded to State health departments to improve data collection and analysis, support early detection and diagnosis, improve treatment and heighten public awareness. The TICK Act takes a comprehensive approach to address tick-borne diseases.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record at the conclusion of my remarks letters of support signed by more than 2 dozen organizations supporting our bill, including the Midcoast Lyme Disease and Support Education organization, the LivLyme Foundation, the Northeast Regional Center for Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases, the National Association of County and City Health Officials, and the Entomological Society of America.

I urge all of our colleagues to support this important legislation.

I yield the floor.