Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and sacrifice of Yavapai County Sheriff Deputy Richard Lopez, who was killed in the line of duty last month.

I was incredibly humbled to attend Officer Lopez's service, and to see and feel the outpouring of love and support. I saw right away that Officer Lopez left an indelible mark on Yavapai County.

Beloved by his community, respected by those he served, and mourned deeply by his family and his colleagues, I saw right away that he was a wonderful person.

As a former police officer and homicide investigator, I know that police work is an incredibly dangerous profession. Any arrest can turn dangerous in an instant, putting officers and all involved in jeopardy in a single moment.

We must always keep our brave law enforcement officers and their families in our thoughts and in our prayers.

Today, I extend my sincerest condolences to Kimberly Lopez and their two children, and to the men and women of the Yavapai County Sheriff's Department.

Madam Speaker, unfortunately, on September 15, 2022, I was unable to vote for H.R. 302, the Preventing a Patronage System Act. I would have voted in favor of H.R. 302. I was also unable to vote on Agreeing to the Amendment by Mr. Hice on H.R. 302. I would have voted against the Amendment.

Madam Chair, I thank the gentleman from Colorado for yielding. I also thank Chairman Grijalva for the work he put in.

I rise to speak, Madam Chair, in support of the Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act. This bill includes many long-fought initiatives to address the mega-drought and year-round wildfires we see in Arizona.

Arizona's First Congressional District encompasses rural and Tribal communities, six national forests, three Tribal forests, along with the Grand Canyon. There is no longer a wildfire season in northern Arizona. Deadly wildfires happen year-round, and these fires threaten our homes, businesses, and communities.

Included within the final package are several bills that address key policy steps we can take to address wildfires, drought, and public safety in our national forests.

This legislation allows for the hiring of more Forest Service law enforcement officers, which will improve safety and oversight of our forests, especially during high-risk days when fires can start in an instant.

Another critical provision included will create a grant program to remove nonnative plant species, like salt cedars, that contribute to drought and fire conditions.

Importantly, also within this package are two Tribal water settlements that I have fought for since 2017 when I arrived in Congress, the White Mountain Apache Tribe and Hualapai Tribe water settlements. The Tribes have been waiting decades for these Federal approvals.

In addition, these settlements will provide the State of Arizona with greater surety in its water future.

Today, I am looking forward to joining my colleagues gathered here to vote to pass this critical package of bills. I also acknowledge that there is a tremendous amount of work over decades that has not been done by this Congress that it has to complete.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and sacrifice of Yavapai County Sheriff Deputy Richard Lopez, who was killed in the line of duty last month.

I was incredibly humbled to attend Officer Lopez's service, and to see and feel the outpouring of love and support. I saw right away that Officer Lopez left an indelible mark on Yavapai County.

Beloved by his community, respected by those he served, and mourned deeply by his family and his colleagues, I saw right away that he was a wonderful person.

As a former police officer and homicide investigator, I know that police work is an incredibly dangerous profession. Any arrest can turn dangerous in an instant, putting officers and all involved in jeopardy in a single moment.

We must always keep our brave law enforcement officers and their families in our thoughts and in our prayers.

Today, I extend my sincerest condolences to Lushana Lopez and their two children, and to the men and women of the Yavapai County Sheriff's Department.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7666, the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act, legislation that works to increase the accessibility of our mental health care system and breaks down the unique barriers to care for rural communities that are facing it.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of Arizonians do not receive the mental health care they need. Without access to this essential care, our families and our communities suffer.

In recent years, we have lost too many loved ones to opioid abuse, suicide, and senseless violence in our communities. It has gone on far too long. As a homicide investigator in Chicago, I can tell you of the hundreds and hundreds of these types of cases I saw day in and day out.

Affordable, accessible mental health care plays an important role in holistically addressing each one of these issues. That is why I worked with my colleagues on the Committee on Energy and Commerce, a bipartisan effort, to bring this urgently needed legislation to the House floor for a vote.

By investing in workforce education and training, and supporting critical mental health programs, the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act works to address the provider shortage millions of Americans are experiencing and expands access to the care our vulnerable and underserved communities need.

I am pleased to see the initiative to reauthorize and improve critical SAMHSA programs included in this bill. In Arizona, more than five people die every day from overdoses. This crisis is tearing entire families and communities apart.

Our legislation would assist in developing coordinated local opioid response plans, expand access to medications that reverse an opioid overdose, and improve substance use disorder and mental health treatment for homeless individuals.

Our bill also invests in mental health care for our children through programs that serve a wide range of ages and mental health needs, including suicide prevention for students.

Mr. Speaker, it is time we fill those gaps, and I urge my colleagues to vote for this bill.

Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Spanberger, along with the gentleman from Pennsylvania, for organizing this Special Order hour on the importance of rural health outcomes and the programs that support them.

Together, our bipartisan group rises today to speak in support of the 340B drug discount pricing program. The 340B program enables community health centers to purchase outpatient drugs at reduced prices, allowing them to ensure that low-income patients have access to affordable prescription drugs, along with rural hospitals.

The dollars this program saves must also be reinvested directly into the health centers themselves, creating an influx of much-needed funding that our rural-serving institutions so often lack--way too often lack.

There are eight different 340B hospitals in Arizona's First Congressional District, more than any other district in our State. In 2018, studies found that 340B program hospitals accounted for 84 percent of all hospital care provided to Medicaid patients in Arizona.

From Casa Grande all the way up to Page, these hospitals need our help now. That is because, currently, several drug manufacturers are unlawfully withholding or limiting discounts from 340B-covered entities--I personally do not understand this at all--including safety- net hospitals and community health centers.

Anybody that lives in rural Arizona knows the critical need for hospitals and community healthcare centers and that they are suffering.

Today, I am standing with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this program and in support of the PROTECT 340B Act. Our legislation would prohibit pharmaceutical entities from discriminatory practices against 340B healthcare centers and hospitals.

Last year, we sent a letter demanding HHS take immediate action against manufacturers that refuse to comply with their obligation--I repeat, ``their obligation''--to provide CHCs and rural hospital providers with discounted drugs and require manufacturers to refund the providers for months of unlawful overcharges. Today, we are speaking in support of these asks yet again.

In my district, the families that receive care at Banner Casa Grande Medical Center, Cobre Valley Medical Center, Flagstaff Medical Center, Little Colorado Medical Center, Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center, Page Hospital, Summit Healthcare Regional Medical Hospital, and White Mountain Regional Hospital are counting on us to get this done.

CMS should understand that this is required to get done. I am confident we can if we work together.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Marvin Yellowhair, a beloved Navajo community leader who passed away in March.

Throughout Marvin's life, he made immense contributions to numerous fields, and is remembered as a devoted son, brother, father, husband, uncle, nephew, grandfather, coach, author, musician, actor, storyteller, runner, carpenter, politician, Council Delegate, and School Board Member.

After graduating from Rough Rock High School and attending Mesa Community College, Dine College, Northern Arizona University, and the University of New Mexico, he dedicated his life to the advancement of Navajo language, culture, and history developing bilingual and bicultural curriculum materials and publishing several books of his own.

He continued his efforts developing Navajo language materials and books throughout his career, translating for notable artists, authors, and craftsmen. Among many accomplishments, he was the voice actor for Darth Vader from the Navajo version of the movie Star Wars, and worked with Oxford University out of New York to develop an English and Navajo picture dictionary and Rosetta Stone audio recordings to support the teaching and learning of the Navajo language.

Throughout 30 years at Rough Rock Community School, as both a teacher of Navajo language, and a beloved basketball, football, and baseball coach, Marvin was well-known by colleagues and students for his passion for Navajo culture and history, and his gift for storytelling and leadership.

A devoted advocate for Navajo self-determination in education and strong supporter of Navajo Nation veterans, his legacy in the Rough Rock and Black Mesa communities will live on for generations to come.

The Navajo Nation and the state of Arizona have lost a great leader. My wife and I are keeping his many loved ones, friends, students, and colleagues in our hearts as they mourn his passing.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of my friend, Congressman Don Young. Don passed away last week while traveling home to Alaska.

At the age of 88, he was still traversing this Nation to serve his constituents. He stood up for the needs, concerns, and families, both here on the House floor, and out in the wildlands of his beloved State.

Don was a fierce fighter for Alaska. But he was also a genuine man who worked on both sides of the aisle with Members, advocates, and people of all ideologies and backgrounds to improve the lives of the families he represented, never letting Washington politics get in his way.

During his decades in Congress, Don advocated for Alaska Native tribes,

rural communities, and the success of all of Alaska--from its economy, to its lands, and the issues everyday families talked about over dinner. Rough around the edges at times, that is the way he wanted to be. That is just who he was. Like the vast and wild State he represented, Don was never one to back down from what he believed. Again and again, he put in the work to get things done.

Beyond his words, his accomplishments, his work, Don was genuine. All you had to do was to sit down with him in his office and understand how he had a story for almost everything, from his time in the Yukon River on tugboats, to hunting, to just enjoying life and his family. He was genuine. He was real. And more than anything else, he was my friend. I will miss him deeply. We always miss good people like that, people that really have an impact on our lives personally and the lives of people that he represented and the lives of his family. He was a good, real person.

Last fall, I shook hands on a friendly wager with Don for Alaska's Katmai National Park's Fat Bear Week. I never had that type of a bet with Don before, and I didn't know much about bears. We agreed with each other that whichever Congressman chose the bear that went further in the annual competition he would win a district product from the other's home district. And when my bear won--well, obviously, I was surprised. Don told me that I would never have a chance of winning at all because I knew nothing about bears, but I got lucky. And he smiled, as only Don could do. Don was true to his word. He brought me back a jar of smoked salmon from Alaska.

Yesterday, I joined Members on both sides of the aisle as we paid our respects to his life and legacy in the Capitol. I could tell a lot of stories about Don, but when I was a freshman here, I went to him--he had this unique ability to work on Native American issues--and I said to him, I have a little bit of a problem here with some issue in trying to find some votes. We sat and talked for a while. He said, give me a few minutes. And the next thing you knew, about 5 minutes later, he came back, and he said, Well, you have got your votes. Let's get this thing passed.

As the dean of the House, Don set an example for all of us to follow: Respecting one another; honoring one another; working with one another. I was honored to work across the aisle from him to uplift the Tribal communities, our rural communities, and often-overlooked States. He was so passionate about rural America. He was so passionate about the quality of life that he had up in Alaska. He went back there each and every time, back and forth because of his love for his State.

Madam Speaker, today, my thoughts are with his wife Anne, his children, and with the State of Alaska, who have lost an advocate and a giant.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to voice my support for the America COMPETES Act, for which my amendment to this legislation was adopted.

This legislative package will make new investments in research, innovation, and American manufacturing. It will ensure that the United States can outcompete any nation in the world for the coming decades.

Importantly, our bill would address issues with our supply chain and higher prices for families at the grocery store and the gas pump. Even small price increases make a painful dent for rural and Tribal families in our district.

That is why I introduced the amendment to the legislation that will ensure these rural and Tribal families, like so many of Arizona's First District, are not overlooked.

My amendment tasks the Department of Commerce with publishing a report every 4 years on supply chain resilience and domestic manufacturing. Understanding how supply chain shocks impact rural, Tribal, and underserved communities is critical for their future growth.

I am committed to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to identify commonsense legislative solutions that continue to address these issues.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and the legacy of Lee Cook, who passed away recently at the age of 83.

After being drafted into the U.S. Army during the Korean War, Mr. Cook served our country with honor and distinction until he was honorably discharged.

Known for his sense of humor, humility, and devotion, Lee has left a lasting impact on his community.

He is survived by his wife of 65 years, eight children, twenty-two grandchildren, thirty-five great-grandchildren, and three great-great- great paternal grandchildren.

On behalf of my wife and myself, I want to commend Lee Cook's service to our nation, and offer sincere condolences to his wife, Ella R. Cook, and children, Alta James, Tommy Nodestine, Nancy Brown, Christine Cook, Sylvia Sloan, Sandy Cook, Martina Cook Johnson, and Frankie Cook.

My thoughts are with all who knew and loved Lee as they mourn his passing.

Madam Speaker, unfortunately, on November 2, 2021, I was unable to vote on H.R. 4481, the Small Business 7(a) Loan Agent Transparency Act. I would have voted in favor of H.R. 4481.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

As a former law enforcement officer, some of the very first calls I responded to involved domestic violence. During my years as a young officer, I saw firsthand the damage this uniquely heinous crime can do to survivors and their families. As a homicide investigator later, I saw it on a continual basis through the court system and the devastation that it means to families across America.

This is an issue close to my heart and one I have focused my public policy efforts on from day one of my public service. Beginning with my time as a member of the Arizona legislature, all the way to the Halls of Congress, I have advocated for survivors, their children, and the resources needed to get whole families into stable and safe situations.

That is why, as a member of the Bipartisan Task Force to End Sexual Violence, I am proud to cosponsor a resolution to recognize the month of October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month and to have championed legislation that uplifts survivors across Arizona.

Together, as a Congress, we must commit to working to do whatever is in our power to secure justice for survivors both in and out of the courtroom.

This week I will reintroduce my Help End Abusive Living Situations or HEALS Act.

My bill will assist survivors of domestic violence to rapidly secure safe housing situations by directing the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to prioritize funds for transitional housing, rapid rehousing, and permanent supportive housing for survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

No person experiencing these crimes should be forced to stay in a dangerous situation because they do not have housing elsewhere.

The horrible legacy of domestic violence affects communities across our Nation, including Tribal communities.

As the Representative of Arizona's First Congressional District, I am humbled to represent 12 Sovereign Tribal Nations. Federal data indicates that 55 percent of American Indian and Alaska Native women have experienced physical violence by an intimate partner.

However, it is estimated that less than 1 percent of the Crime Victims Fund reaches Tribes.

This Congress, I reintroduced two of my bills that address domestic violence in Tribal communities.

First, the SURVIVE Act, a bill to provide legal, medical, and counseling resources to women and children in Tribal communities who are survivors of domestic violence. This bill also corrects the Crime Victims Fund's allocation to Tribes, ensuring they receive a fair percentage of resources.

Second, my Native Youth and Tribal Officer Protection Act, bipartisan legislation that ensures children and law enforcement officials in Tribal communities are protected when present at domestic violence incidents.

Currently, Tribes can convict non-Indian perpetrators of protection order violations, domestic violence, and dating violence.

But under current law, both the children of survivors and law enforcement officers who risk their lives to save victims are not protected by these same laws. My bill extends this Tribal jurisdiction to cover kids and cops, who so often deal with dangerous domestic situations.

I am committed to continued work with my colleagues in Congress, advocates on the ground in Arizona, and brave survivors. We hear you, and we believe you.

To those experiencing domestic violence and to those who have lost a loved one to this heinous and deeply personal form of violence, let me say this: I know that we cannot ever truly know your pain, but we will keep fighting for change at every level.

Madam Speaker, this week an Arizona legend turned 101 years old. Major Fannie McClendon, known to her friends as Fran, celebrated her 101st birthday on September 22.

Fran is one of seven known survivors of the 855 all-African American 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion who served overseas during World War II.

Known as the Six Triple Eight, the women accomplished the incredible task of moving a 2-year backlog of undelivered mail to 7 million servicemembers. Working three shifts per day, they processed approximately 65,000 pieces of mail per shift.

Embracing their motto, ``no mail, low morale'', the women cleared the 2-year backlog of mail and packages in 3 months for U.S. military, civilians, and Red Cross workers throughout Europe. Their hard work and dedication brought hope and comfort to Americans around the world during some of our darkest times.

Today, join me in wishing Major McClendon a very happy 101st birthday.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Kelsey Begaye, the fifth president of the Navajo Nation, who passed away this month at the age of 70.

A Vietnam veteran, a devoted public servant, and a leader in faith, Kelsey Begaye served his country, his community, and his people for decades.

In 1969, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving in Vietnam as a specialist fourth radio operator for four years.

In the years that followed, he brought dedication and compassion to his work as a substance abuse counselor, a representative of the Kaibeto Chapter in the Navajo Nation Council, and as the fifth president of the Navajo Nation.

Through countless roles, he leaves behind a legacy of faith and a fierce desire to change the lives of those living in his community for the better.

My wife and I are keeping Mr. Begaye's family, loved ones, and the Navajo Nation in our prayers as we mourn his passing.

Madam Speaker, unfortunately, on July 29, 2021, I was unable to vote on H.R. 4300, the Alexander Lofgren Veterans in Parks (VIP) Act. I would have voted in favor of H.R. 4300.