Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, under President Obama, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was created and tasked with implementing critical protections for the American people. That work continues to be important today, and I urge the CFPB to maintain the safeguards that were put in place to ensure that Americans get a fair opportunity to succeed.

Protecting military families and others from predatory lending is not a partisan issue. Making sure that banks are not targeting students from working and middle-class backgrounds with excessive fees is not a partisan issue. Looking out for senior citizens, who are disproportionately vulnerable to scams is not a partisan issue.

Countering fraud and abuse isn't just morally right, it is also an economic imperative. We cannot forget the lessons of the Great Recession about what happens when we let fraudulent and predatory practices run rampant across our economy. We all lose.

The House recently passed H.R. 1500, which would reverse recent changes that have weakened the agency's ability to carry out its work. Now the Senate needs to hold its vote on this bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in proud support of the Stronger Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, a bill that will help protect children from abuse and neglect.

Across our country, more than 670,000 children were reported to be victims of child abuse or neglect. In 2016, almost 1,500 children in the United States died as a result of abuse or neglect.

It is past time for us to act to prevent child abuse and neglect. That is why, earlier this month, I introduced the Speak Up to Protect Every Abused Kid Act. I am proud that portions of the Speak Up Act are included in the Stronger CAPTA Act.

The Speak Up Act would take commonsense steps to increase reporting of child abuse or neglect by requiring States to implement a consistent standard for reporting suspected child abuse or neglect.

The Speak Up Act would require individuals with professional responsibilities over children to report suspected child abuse and neglect directly to State authorities. We have heard too many stories of children being abused or neglected and not getting the help they need because adults do not report it to the proper authorities.

I was proud to support the Stronger CAPTA Act in the Education and Labor Committee, and I am proud to vote for it on the floor today. I urge my colleagues to vote in support of this important bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Bob Dorough, a constituent of mine from Mt. Bethel, Pennsylvania.

Bob's music is universally known: generations of children have learned about the work that happens in this Chamber--along with their earliest lessons in math and science--from Schoolhouse Rock, which he scored.

Schoolhouse Rock is just one aspect of Bob's legacy--his legendary seven-decade career as a jazz singer led him to play with many of the greatest musicians in American history, including Miles Davis and Charlie Parker. These performances etched his recordings into our country's soundtrack forever.

A few weeks ago, Bob was posthumously honored at the Kennedy Center as a recipient of the 2019 Jazz Master Award--our nation's highest recognition for jazz musicians.

Through his family, friends, and each new generation that continues to discover the warmth of his voice and the uniquely American music that he loved, Bob's spirit will endure.

Mr. Chairman, I thank Mr. Scott for yielding.

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of H.R. 987. I am proud that we are about to follow through on key campaign promises: lowering drug costs by removing barriers to generic drugs coming to market, reversing the sabotage of the ACA, and rescinding the administration's rule to expand junk plans.

As we all know, Congress sometimes engages in hyperbole, but this is not hyperbole: These plans are truly junk. They are not required to include essential benefit coverage requirements of the ACA. They can deny consumers coverage or charge more based on age, gender, or health status. They come with no guarantees for basic benefits like maternity care, mental healthcare, prescription drug coverage, and other preventive services. They are not subject to the out-of-pocket limitations of the ACA that are designed specifically to protect consumers.

I know a bit about these junk plans because I spent time over Mother's Day weekend desperately helping my 26-year-old son find insurance coverage. In March, he turned 26 and found himself uninsured. He is in a sandwich situation between his 26th birthday and when he will again become eligible for employer-provided healthcare.

Only because I have read countless insurance policies over the years of my legal career did my son avoid the trap of paying $6,000 for a policy that would afford him almost no coverage with a $10,000 deductible. That deductible would have applied even to his prescription drugs, of which he needs one.

Just as important, my son is exactly the kind of person we need in the marketplace.

Let's encourage robust participation in marketplace plans, which was the intent of the Affordable Care Act. These junk plans lure young, healthy people away from the ACA pool of plans, resulting in more expensive premiums for the rest of Americans.

Let's pass this bill.

Madam Speaker, this week, my community and communities across our Nation are paying tribute to law enforcement officers who made the ultimate sacrifices in our defense.

National Police Week is a moment to reflect on those sacrifices and the men and women who put their lives on the line for ours.

It is a moment to recognize the families who live with this immeasurable sacrifice, and it is a moment to reaffirm our commitment to working with local and State leaders to support these families.

We owe it to the memory of fallen officers and to the majority of men and women in uniform who carry out their responsibilities with skill and professionalism every day to make sure that officers are safe.

We all need to do our part to ensure that the communities they serve are safe as well.

In this same spirit of progress, let's commit to working to shape a more secure future for officers and for the communities they serve.

Mr. Speaker, 54 years ago, President Lyndon Johnson launched Head Start as part of the War on Poverty, a historic effort to build a more just, equal America.

Today, Head Start serves children across my community, including more than 70 children in SafeStart, a program in my district designed for children of parents who struggle with substance abuse that has been recognized as a national model.

Across our country, over 30 million children have participated in Head Start since its founding. We have felt the benefits throughout our society. Study after study has shown how pivotal early childhood education is for positioning children to fulfill their potential later on.

Despite its record of success, Head Start is severely underfunded today. In my home State of Pennsylvania, only 27 percent of eligible children are able to get a slot in a Head Start program. I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will join me in pledging to fight to get increased funding for Head Start signed into law so that we renew our commitment to its promise of a future where every child in every ZIP Code can live a life of opportunity.

Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chair, I rise today to offer an amendment to H.R. 986, the Protecting Americans with Preexisting Conditions Act of 2019.

My amendment would put an end to the rising cost of premiums. It is an amendment that should be met with overwhelming bipartisan support and without opposition.

Specifically, my amendment would prohibit the administration from taking any further action that would result in higher premiums for Americans who need comprehensive coverage.

This administration has unilaterally made healthcare more expensive and less accessible for the American people by taking actions that run contrary to the spirit and purpose of the ACA. That has resulted in higher premiums and reduced enrollment.

In 2017, the administration stopped cost-sharing payments that helped reduce out-of-pocket costs for low-income Americans. This action alone increased premiums by 20 percent and raised costs for families not receiving subsidies.

In 2018, the administration issued new section 1332 guidance that allows States to raise healthcare costs for people with preexisting conditions. This 2018 guidance also gave a green light to insurance companies to expand junk plans that don't cover essential health benefits. We know that pulling people out of the pool only makes insurance premiums more expensive for those with preexisting conditions.

Also, in 2018, the administration slashed funding for consumer enrollment assistance and outreach. Their

goal: reduced healthcare enrollment; the result: higher premiums.

Just last month, the administration finalized a rule that would increase limits on total out-of-pocket costs for millions. The administration moved forward with this even though the rule itself noted that all commenters on this topic expressed opposition to or concerns about the proposed change.

This past Monday, the administration released a notice seeking comment on a proposal that would reduce eligibility for Medicaid and cut premium tax credits for millions.

It is time to say ``no'' to future attempts to sabotage working Americans' healthcare.

Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chairman, my amendment is about fairness. Patients should not face increased premiums at the whim of appointed government officials, especially for essential health benefits like emergency services, maternity, newborn, pediatric care, mental health and substance abuse treatment, prescription drugs, laboratory services, and preventive and wellness services for chronic disease management.

From malicious lawsuits aimed at striking down the ACA in its entirety and, along with it, the protections for preexisting conditions to ending the practice of public advertisement of enrollment period and educating the people about the complexities of health insurance, it has become clear that Congress must reclaim its legislative authority and ensure that this administration faithfully executes the spirit of this law.

The ACA is the law. The Constitution gives Congress the power to make laws and requires the executive branch to faithfully execute the laws that Congress passes.

We all heard Republicans on the campaign trail last year say that they would protect coverage for preexisting conditions and help drive down our premiums. This is their chance to fulfill those campaign promises with concrete action.

Action, not words, is what the American people demand, and it is what they deserve. Let's make that commitment a reality by adopting this amendment, passing this bill, and pushing the Senate to take it up so that we can get it signed into law.

In closing, Madam Chair, this is about standing up for the dignity of working families in the most basic and fundamental sense. It is about saying that every child, woman, man, and family in this country deserves the same certainty of being able to afford high-quality healthcare.

Our people deserve better. We need to stop the political gamesmanship, and we need to focus on people across our country who need good, affordable healthcare right now.

This is also our chance to remind this administration and future administrations that Congress makes the laws, and the executive branch doesn't get to fool around with the implementation just to see it fail for political reasons.

Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today for constituents with whom I recently met whose family is one among millions of Uighurs, the ethnic Muslim community from Xinjiang in northwest China being persecuted by the Chinese Government.

My constituents' parents are among the estimated 1 million Uighurs and other Muslims who are currently being held in camps because of their faith and ethnicity. The reports of what is happening to this community--mass targeting, detention, and torture based on faith and origin--echo the darkest chapters in human history.

I am heartened to see that there is bipartisan support for doing something about it. That is why I say to leadership: Move the bipartisan UIGHUR Act and the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act through committee and to the floor so that we can pass these bills in the House, push the Senate to take them up, and get them signed into law.

Only by acting in moments like this can we truly live up to the pledge ``never again.'' Let's stand together and say no to ethnic cleansing on our watch.

Madam Speaker, I am so proud to rise today as part of this wonderful, diverse, strong, and vibrant freshman class.

As we mark the 100 first days of the 116th Congress, it has been a busy time, to say the least. In our first days of this 116th Congress, I have met with more than 150 constituents. I have held five townhalls and question-and-answer events and visited 17 local businesses and 10 local schools.

I have met with educators and labor leaders, health workers, business leaders, manufacturers, students, and senior citizens.

I have heard the same messages from constituents of all backgrounds throughout Pennsylvania's Seventh District:

Build an economy that delivers for working and middle-class people;

Protect benefits like Medicare and Social Security that we have earned;

Defend the rights and dignity of all people;

Work across the aisle on urgent priorities, like protecting our communities from gun violence, combating the opioid epidemic, and protecting the environment; and

Fight to ensure that the next generation doesn't have a lower standard of living than its parents.

These messages have driven and shaped my work, particularly as a Member of the Education and Labor Committee, where we have been working on legislation to raise the minimum wage, make workplaces safer for working Pennsylvanians and all Americans, help students saddled with student loan debt, and make higher education more inclusive and affordable.

I am so proud of everything we are doing in the Education and Labor Committee to build an economy and education system that lifts all workers, all students, all Pennsylvanians, and all Americans. I am also proud that I am keeping my promises to my constituents.

My promise to work to improve our healthcare system, lower healthcare costs, and protect people with preexisting conditions led me to introduce my own bill as part of a larger effort to improve the Affordable Care Act--the Family Healthcare Affordability Act--to fix the ACA family glitch, an issue that has prevented some workers from being able to extend their employer-provided insurance to their families. My bill is a small fix to a big problem for many working families.

I also committed to my constituents that I would work to reform our government, reduce the influence of money in politics, and ensure that every American has a voice in our democracy. We kept that commitment when we passed H.R. 1, a landmark government reform package that included my bill to enact early voting across the country. In Pennsylvania, we don't have early voting, and that hurts working and lower income people who often have far less time and flexibility to get to the polls.

This has been a productive 100 days, but people in my community and across the country are counting on us to do so much more. They are also counting on the Senate and the White House to do their part so that the legislation we are passing gets signed into law.

In these next 100 days, I will continue working to bring about a more just, more equal future across our community, and I will continue doing everything I can to make the people of the Seventh District proud.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Matthew Vital, an eighth grader from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and his entire family.

Yesterday, Matthew became a national golf champion, winning the Drive, Chip & Putt national title for the boys 12 to 13 age group. He holed a difficult chip and drained a 30-foot putt at Augusta's 18th green, the same course where PGA professionals will compete at the Masters in a few days.

The Morning Call, our hometown newspaper, features a great photo of Matthew that captures the focus and determination that he demonstrated in this tournament and has demonstrated throughout his already impressive golfing career.

Mr. Speaker, I say to Matthew that the qualities that led him to this victory--a powerful work ethic and a commitment to setting goals and seeing them through--will serve him well not just on the course, but also in school and in every aspect of life: Keep working hard. Your family, your community, and your Congresswoman are proud of you. Congratulations.

Madam Chair, I thank the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania for yielding.

I rise in support of this amendment, which is being sponsored by my colleague and friend from Pennsylvania.

The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, VAWA, responds to our Nation's crisis of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. VAWA expired in September of last year, and it is long past time for Congress to reauthorize this legislation.

Representative Dean's amendment will increase interagency cooperation efforts to prevent violence and provide critical services to survivors. No one solution can stop every act of violence, but this amendment recognizes that more coordination among agencies over best practices, resources, and technology will lead to better results for those in need of urgent assistance.

As survivors transition out of crisis, they need access to housing, healthcare, and other vital resources to rebuild their lives. In my home district, organizations like Turning Point of Lehigh Valley assist survivors of abuse and their families. This amendment and VAWA overall will enable

shelters like Turning Point to better serve people in need.

Madam Chair, I am proud to stand with survivors.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to advocate for an appropriation request I have put forward to provide adequate funding to the Social Security Administration.

Social Security enables millions of Americans to make ends meet, including retired and disabled workers, and the families of deceased workers. It is a program that working folks have been paying into their entire working lives.

Despite the agency's effectiveness, funding cuts have created a massive, and in some cases life-threatening, backlog.

The national average wait time for a Social Security Disability Insurance benefits hearing is 535 days. And last year, Philadelphia, in my State, had the longest average wait time in the country: 26 months. One West Philadelphia woman with multiple sclerosis waited 878 days before getting a favorable ruling.

Given this reality, I am truly alarmed that, rather than fully funding Social Security, the President's budget is consistently hundreds of millions of dollars less than what Congress enacted the previous year.

This sums up why people are fed up with Washington: powerful politicians keeping everyday Americans from the benefits they have earned. The injustice needs to stop. We must stand with working families and help them obtain their benefits.

Madam Chair, I rise in opposition to the Byrne amendment.

Madam Chair, don't be mistaken. This amendment is a clear attempt to undermine the fundamental objectives of the Paycheck Fairness Act, which are to engender pay disparity by, in part, further clarifying congressional intent so that courts can no longer dismiss meritorious claims.

The Paycheck Fairness Act fixes current employment discrimination and pay discrimination laws, laws that have proven insufficient, given that women still earn 80 cents on the dollar compared to similarly situated White men. And, of course, the disparity for women of color is even greater.

Under the current Equal Pay Act, an employer is not liable for gender pay disparity if the disparity is due to merit, seniority, quality of production or ``a factor other than sex.'' Some courts have interpreted the ``factor other than sex'' criteria so broadly that it frustrates the codified intent of the Equal Pay Act.

For instance, some courts have found that the ``factor other than sex'' need not be business related or even related to the particular job in question. Some courts have interpreted the ``factor other than sex'' defense to include ``market forces,'' or worse, accepted the argument that pay disparity can be explained by an employer's ``random decision.''

Those interpretations are nothing more than a lifesaver for pretextual discrimination. This amendment does the same thing.

My Republican colleagues' suggestion that the Paycheck Fairness Act eliminates the ``factor other than sex'' defense is contradicted by the text of this bill. An employer may still raise a ``factor other than sex'' defense provided that the ``factor other than sex'' be bona fide, job related, and required by business necessity.

This amendment's attempt to strike section (3)(a)(3), which explains what constitutes a bona fide factor, is an attempt to create ambiguity so that courts continue to interpret the act's protection in a narrow way.

This bill provides necessary clarity that this bona fide factor defense is only available when there is a real business necessity. This bill ensures that there is a connection between the pay disparity and the specific job in question. This amendment is contrary to the congressional intent of the underlying bill, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''

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

Mr. Chairman, this bill clarifies that the ``factor other than sex'' is only available on a bona fide job-related and business necessary reason.

It clarifies that this defense is not available where the employee demonstrates that a reasonable alternative employment practice would serve the same business purpose without producing a pay disparity and that the employer refused to adopt such an alternative practice.

Carefully consider those words. This is a burden-shifting provision that would simply allow an employee to show a reasonable alternative. It adds nothing to an employer's existing burden. It only allows an employee to rebut that defense with evidence.

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

Mr. Chairman, I think it is important, given that we are having a discussion here over who understands the text of the bill, to read it directly into the Record.

``The bona fide factor defense, described in subparagraph (A)(iv) shall apply only if the employer demonstrates that such factor (i) is not based upon or derived from a sex-based differential in compensation; (ii) is job related with respect to the position in question; (iii) is consistent with business necessity; and, (iv) accounts for the entire differential in compensation at issue.''

It is very clearly set forth in the text.

Mr. Chairman, I, therefore, continue to urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the Byrne amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I think it is my colleague from Alabama who is confused about the wording of this text. His amendment would specifically eliminate the wording that I just read into the Record.

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

Mr. Chairman, this amendment eliminates clarity. It simply replaces it with the words ``bona fide,'' with no additional definition or guidance, thereby ensuring that this defense will continue to be misunderstood, misused, and incorrectly applied by the courts.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to the motion to recommit.

Madam Speaker, I am opposed to all caps on attorney's fees in this type of case.

The only criteria for the amount of attorney's fees charged should be reasonableness in the context of the case itself.

I have spent more than 30 years in courtrooms, most of that time representing the defense in civil matters, almost always for companies; in other words, against the very trial lawyers we speak of.

So I have no bias in favor of those lawyers, but let me tell you this: representing plaintiffs in employment cases is a very hard job. These lawyers work for every penny they earn. They take cases that put their own livelihood at risk.

Many employment cases take years to resolve. Often they have to go to court over and over to litigate discovery and pretrial matters, and all the while, they are not collecting a paycheck from that case, because they have taken it on a contingent fee basis.

Without an award at the end of the case, they receive nothing, and they advance out-of-pocket expenses.

But even more important, without these lawyers, low-income female employees with legitimate grievances would have no recourse. Only with a competent lawyer's help can they proceed.

This motion, if passed, would discourage lawyers from taking these cases. And if they don't take these cases, employees, workers, families lose out.

The only test for attorney's fees should be reasonableness. Courts and judges are well equipped to determine whether a fee is reasonable, far better equipped than Congress is.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New Jersey (Ms. Sherrill).

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the DiFebo family, constituents of mine from Upper Mount Bethel Township, Pennsylvania, who run Harvest Home Farms. They were recently honored with Pennsylvania's first-ever Leopold Conservation Award, named after the conservationist Aldo Leopold, for demonstrating excellence in environmentally sustainable farming practices.

Richard DiFebo; his wife, Lynn; and their sons, Dohl and Dane, work hard 7 days a week. Their days are long and, as Richard says, it is a ``family effort'' that only works because everyone pitches in.

In Richard's words: ``It all starts with the health of the soil. Less runoff means cleaner creeks and rivers, which leads to cleaner air. It benefits the whole community. You need to protect those resources or there is not going to be anything left for the next generation.''

Congratulations to the DiFebo family not just for this award, but for their dedication to being responsible stewards of the Earth and for the powerful example they are setting.

Madam Speaker, constituents, Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike, have told me that they feel that our political system is rigged against working, middle-class, and low-income Americans. And in many ways, they are right.

It is rigged by politicians who make it harder to vote, and it is rigged by massive corporations that fund candidates who will give them tax breaks and access to Washington.

H.R. 1 will move our country forward. It will ensure every American can cast a ballot, end partisan gerrymandering, and reduce the influence of the ultrawealthy, corporations, and special interests. And it will allow us to finally get to work on the issues that matter most to my constituents: creating an economy that works for all, providing healthcare to all, and combating climate change.

As part of this effort, I am proud to introduce a bill that will help working Americans make it to the voting booth. By requiring every State to hold at least 15 days of early voting, this measure will raise turnout and make our elections fairer and more representative of our people.

Let's return government to the people. Let's pass H.R. 1 right away.