Susan Wild

Mr. Speaker, I dedicate these remarks to my wonderful community in Pennsylvania-Seven and to my mother and father, who didn't live long enough to see me elected.

I grew up in a true bipartisan household, with a father who was an old-school Republican Air Force officer and a mother who was a Quaker pacifist liberal. It was an interesting childhood, as you can imagine.

You hear a lot of bad about Congress, but I am going to choose to focus on the good, what we can actually get done for the people.

My district office should, first and foremost, be thanked. My district office back home is often the closest contact that any constituent has with the Federal Government. They hear from our local voters, our local constituents, sometimes with frustration, sometimes with happiness when there is a good result, and sometimes with anger. They treat every single person in Pennsylvania-Seven as though they are family. I have been told that multiple times.

Legislatively, here in Washington, I have to speak of some of my proudest moments. I was sent to Congress with a mandate to work on reducing prescription drug prices. I heard from so many people on the campaign trail about the struggles that they had, and I am so proud to have been part of a Congress that passed the IRA, which was the first time that we have ever managed to get prescription drug prices down.

That effort continues and every year will increase. I beseech my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to please keep that intact.

I am proud of having raised awareness of mental health issues and suicide prevention. I am so proud of the work done to pass the CHIPS Act,

which has benefited my industrial and manufacturing district so very much.

I am most proud, I think, of having put the greater Lehigh Valley on the radar of folks here in D.C. because Pennsylvania is not just Pittsburgh or Philadelphia, although some would say it comes down to the Eagles and the Steelers. We in the greater Lehigh Valley are the third largest region in Pennsylvania and the fastest growing region in Pennsylvania. I am proud to say that my team and I did just that: We put Pennsylvania-Seven on the radar of people here in D.C.

I am proud to have had huge returns for the greater Lehigh Valley during the past 6 years. The bipartisan infrastructure law alone brought $395 million to my community. Our local airport has constructed a whole new TSA terminal. It was the first completed project under the bipartisan infrastructure law.

I was able to bring $50 million over the past 6 years in community project funding, ranging from funding for food pantries and grocery deserts, Head Start, wastewater treatment plants, bridges long in disrepair, and all kinds of things. There have also been countless thousands of dollars returned to the people of Pennsylvania-Seven through the work of my district office team.

There is a lot to be worked on in the future, and I hope that Congress will work on the issue of childcare. It is such an important issue. We must do something about childcare, and I hope that universal pre-K will be part of our future.

Most of all, we need to work on campaign finance reform--please. This past election, in my district alone, the race cost a total of $38 million for one congressional race. That is obscene. It wasn't even the most expensive in the country. It was the 10th most expensive in the country. Imagine that, and imagine all the good that could be done with that.

All of this work doesn't happen because of one elected official. It is the team that you have behind you. My wonderful, caring, intelligent team that never forgot that our mission was to serve the wonderful people of Pennsylvania-Seven, I thank them.

To the voters of Pennsylvania-Seven, I thank them for the greatest privilege and honor of my life in representing you.

Finally, my amazing kids, Clay and Adrienne. They are my rocks, the center of my universe. I am so glad they were here by my side for this incredible journey, and I could not have done it without them. I love them. Then there's my sidekick, Zoey, the Congress dog.

Mr. Speaker, I will miss this place.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairwoman, the ranking member, and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Moran) for bringing the Jenna Quinn act forward. It is so important.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Jenna Quinn act, a crucial piece of legislation that directly addresses the pervasive issue of child sexual abuse in our country.

Unfortunately, child sexual abuse is a silent epidemic. The CDC estimates that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 13 boys will experience sexual abuse before the age of 18.

In my home State of Pennsylvania, child abuse laws reflect the sobering reality of this crisis. Between 2019 and 2023, a period of 4 years, there were more than 32,000 individuals charged in child abuse cases, and of those charged, a striking 56 percent were between the ages of 19 and 35, and 23 percent of these defendants were charged with endangering the welfare of children, according to the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania.

These numbers highlight the widespread and deeply rooted problem in our communities. They also reinforce the need for proactive measures to prevent child abuse before it occurs, which is exactly what the Jenna Quinn act seeks to accomplish.

This bill empowers educators and school personnel, who are often on the front lines when it comes to identifying and stopping child sexual abuse, with the tools they need to recognize, report, and prevent the abuse from happening. By providing schools with trauma-informed training and helping staff to recognize, report, and ultimately prevent child sexual abuse, the Jenna Quinn act will create a safer environment for children across the country.

This training is not about turning teachers into investigators. It is about making sure that every teacher knows what to do if a child shows evidence of abuse or discloses abuse or if the teacher notices warning signs. It is about giving those children the chance to be heard and to be helped.

The bill emphasizes flexibility, allowing States to develop the right programs for their schools while ensuring that Federal support is there to back them up.

Let me be clear that this bill is a bipartisan solution to a problem that knows no political boundaries. Protecting our children is not a partisan issue, but it is a moral imperative. Our educators deserve the training and resources that they need to effectively intervene in situations of abuse, and our children deserve to feel safe in their classrooms.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in voting ``yes'' on the Jenna Quinn act.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 501.