Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize, remember and mourn the life of a dear friend and sister, Ericka Edwards Jones of Marrero and Algiers, Louisiana.

She lived a life of service and activism throughout her 48 years of life, as a longtime employee of the parish courts, and staffer of former Congressman William J. Jefferson, and as chief deputy of 2nd City Court under the leadership of Clerk Darren Lombard. She served with compassion and honor.

She thoroughly enjoyed politics, but, most importantly, public service. She was an incredible wife, mother, daughter, and friend. We will sorely miss her incredible smile, her leadership, her compassion for service.

Ericka was a devoted elected member of OPDEC. She had a smile that would light up the room. Ericka was passionate, and compassionate, and generous to a fault. She had a strong sense of style. Ericka brought a sense of calm and ``I've got it under control'' into complex situations.

We will miss Ericka, but her fingerprints will long live in the great works that she leaves behind.

My thoughts and prayers are with her family, with all that knew her, and all that will remember her forever. I'm sending prayers especially to her son Marcus Jones, Jr., her husband Marcus Jones, Sr., and to her parents.

The entire community of New Orleans will miss her deeply. I thank Ericka, and may she rest easy.

Madam Speaker, I am grateful for the opportunity.

I stand in support of this CR. This measure will provide $28.6 billion in emergency funds for communities and Federal agencies affected by the recent hurricanes, wildfires, and other natural disasters; including $10 billion for the Agriculture Department to cover crop losses that occurred during the '20 and '21 storms. Of that amount, $750 million will be provided to livestock producers.

Madam Speaker, $5.68 billion is for the Army Corps of Engineers. Of that amount, $3 billion would be used to accelerate flood and storm risk reduction projects, and $2.08 billion would be used to repair disaster-related damages.

Madam Speaker, $5 billion would be for the Housing and Urban Development Department's community development fund for major disasters that occurred during the '20 and '21 hurricane seasons; $2.6 billion for Transportation Department reimbursements to States and territories to repair damage to roads and bridges caused by natural disasters; $1.36 billion for the U.S. Forest Service to address damage caused by natural disasters; $1.2 billion for the Small Business Administration's disaster loans programs; and $565 million for the Navy to repair facilities damaged by the storms that occurred in 2020 and 2021.

The American people deserve the security of knowing that their government will continue to function. America deserves to know that the Representatives they send to Washington will rise above politics and partisanship and fight for the American people

and make sure that at its core that we will maintain the full faith and credit of our country, that we will pay our bills, and that we will fight for the security of our people abroad. We must make sure that everywhere else understands that America is open for business, will continue to be open for business, and we will remain the superpower that we are because we are responsible.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and remember and mourn the life of a dear friend and sister, Ericka Edwards Jones of Algiers, Louisiana.

She lived a life of service and activism throughout her 48 years of life, as a longtime employee of the parish courts, and staffer of former Congressman William J. Jefferson, and as chief deputy of 2nd City Court under the leadership of clerk Darren Lombard. She served with compassion and honor.

She thoroughly enjoyed politics, but, most importantly, public service. She was an incredible wife, mother, daughter, and friend. We will sorely miss her incredible smile, her leadership, her compassion for service.

She had a smile that would light up the room. Ericka was passionate, and compassionate, and generous to a fault.

My thoughts and prayers are with her, our families, and the community on this tragic loss of a true public servant.

Ericka, we will miss you, but your fingerprints will long live in the great works that you leave behind.

My thoughts and prayers are with her family, with all that knew her, and all that will remember her forever.

We will miss you deeply.

Mr. Speaker, there were over a dozen instances in the past 10 years in which members of the Louisiana State Police ignored or concealed evidence of beatings and interfered with efforts to root out misconduct. The videos show extremely distressing scenes where primarily Black Louisianans were subject to horrifying violence by troopers.

For years, Louisiana State Police has displayed blatant disregard for the accountability practices regarding excessive use of force. It is clear that the department will not clean up its own act.

That is why I am calling on the Department of Justice to conduct a full and expedited pattern-or-practices investigation on Louisiana State Police. Only with an in-depth investigation can we ensure transparency and accountability.

While the majority of officers work hard to protect and serve, we need Federal action to root out misconduct and to get those who are violators. Congress can and must help by passing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

Madam Speaker, today, I rise to remember the life of the wonderful Gloria Smith of New Orleans.

Or as she was affectionately known, Granny.

Though we weren't related by blood, she was still family to me.

And to Granny, her family--her children, grandkids, and great- grandkids--were her world.

She was born on February 28, 1935 in New Orleans, Louisiana to the late Willie Godfrey and Genevieve Francis. Gloria was the youngest of two girls.

In 1953, Gloria married her sweetheart, the late Frank Charles Smith, II. Together, they had nine children.

My siblings and I grew up one block away from Granny, and her home was always a welcoming place bustling with people.

Granny was witty and could always make you laugh.

She brought a special type of charm and humor that was magnetic.

She pulled you in and always knew how to lift you up if you were down.

She radiated love.

Granny never turned down an opportunity to dance. She knew how to have a good time and cherish every moment.

She was a godly woman, and was very involved in church and served in her children's schools.

Holidays, birthdays, and family gatherings will not be the same without her, or without her delicious homemade fried chicken and French fries, or gumbo, gravy and rice.

Madam Speaker, please share a prayer for Granny and the entire family in this difficult time.

Her favorite Bible verse was Psalm 118:24: ``This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.''

She lived this truth every day of her eighty-six years, living life to the fullest.

Everyone who knew her is blessed to have had her in their lives.

I am lucky to count myself among them.

We love Granny.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my support for this continuing resolution, especially the disaster supplemental portion.

This bill contains crucial funding for my home State of Louisiana and for the residents of the Second Congressional District affected by Hurricane Ida. Louisianians have been through a lot, and this bill recognizes that struggle. It also helps us to begin working on those challenges.

This Congress is stepping up and funding projects that will not only repair the damage but also make our communities better and safer. The $3 billion in Army Corps funding for flood and storm damage reduction projects will change the future of the communities across my State and across this Nation. It will build projects that will make communities stronger, safer, and more resilient.

The $5 billion in CDBG funding for long-term disaster recovery will help communities affected by storms like Laura in the past year and start places affected by Ida on the road to recovery.

It is not enough to repair these things to how they were. We need a recovery that reaches beyond and prepares every community to be better, to be weather ready, and ready for the next series of storms. This Congress and the administration are taking the steps toward doing just that. I will continue to fight for more resources for the people of Louisiana and for the Second Congressional District.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this continuing resolution and to do the right thing by the people of America.

Madam Speaker, I was in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina made landfall. In the aftermath, the community came together with Federal and State partners to invest in a regional levee system to protect the New Orleans area from major flooding.

Sixteen years later, Hurricane Ida hit southeast Louisiana with roaring winds of around 150 miles per hour. Power lines snapped like popsicle sticks.

Luckily, the investments we made in flood protection largely worked. The levees held.

Sadly, other areas outside of the risk reduction zone were still heavily flooded. Sadly, we find ourselves in a situation that is all too familiar. Our power grid was destroyed, leaving around 1 million- plus people without power in the sweltering heat in southeast Louisiana.

Hurricanes are predicted to become more frequent and more intense due to climate change.

The question is: Will our infrastructure be ready?

The needed investments to save lives were made after Katrina. As the Ida recovery continues, we must future-proof our power grid and levees to build back better.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to remember Detective Everett Briscoe, a veteran of the New Orleans Police Department who was tragically shot and killed while off-duty in Houston this weekend.

Officer Briscoe served the New Orleans community for over 12 years, which included work for the department's homicide investigations division.

He was a father of two children and a friend to many. I'm lucky to have befriended him through our shared membership of the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club, a Mardi Gras organization.

I was lucky to call him my Zulu brother.

Praying for his family, his friends, and the other victim in this senseless act of violence.

Sometimes life, in all its beauty, is inexplicably tragic.

But we will always have the memories we have shared together.

Rest in Peace, Detective Briscoe.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to remember and mourn constituent, activist, public servant, lawyer, businesswoman and dear friend, Cheryl Teamer. She died this weekend at the age of 58.

A native of New Orleans, she earned her law degree at Tulane University and worked to get things done in City Hall in Mayor Marc Morial's administration.

She then worked in government relations and founded her own consultancy and advising firm.

We all knew her for her incredible ability to multitask 20 different things at the same time, and to do it with a sense of joy.

She built relationships and bridges between people of all backgrounds and walks of life.

She loved to be in the thick of it--whatever was happening.

Cheryl Teamer was accomplished, kind, big-hearted and rooted in the New Orleans community.

She will be deeply missed. Rest easy, my friend.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize a member of the Baton Rouge community.

Nurse Carla Brown has been going door to door in her ``clinic on wheels,''--her car--providing COVID vaccinations.

As of now, she and her partners have vaccinated over 2,000 people.

To Mrs. Brown, this fight is personal.

Her husband David died from COVID-19 after weeks on a ventilator.

He was a two-time cancer survivor. He survived a gunshot wound to the face.

But COVID was what took his life.

Since then, Nurse Brown has turned her grief into action, using her time off to provide vaccination house calls to underserved communities like North Baton Rouge.

Louisiana has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country, so her work is truly saving lives.

Mrs. Brown tells people, ``If there were a vaccine when my David was alive, he would be here.''

I thank Carla Brown for her service to our community.

To all Americans, please hear this brave nurse's message: Get vaccinated.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a bipartisan amendment to protect our coast in Louisiana.

I am proud to be joined by my fellow Louisianians in offering it today. They are joining me because this amendment reflects one of the most important tasks our State faces: restoring our coast.

Put simply, if we don't restore our coast, none of the other work that we do really matters. Our coast is singularly important to our culture, our food, our industry, and our way of life.

We lose a significant amount of our coast to coastal erosion. We know that our fisheries and our fishermen depend on a robust coast. We know that by protecting it, we protect our economy and we protect those things that are critically important to the State of Louisiana.

Our coast is not only an economic powerhouse and an environmental treasure, it is also physical safety of our neighbors, our neighborhoods, and our visitors.

This amendment would make sure that we have the funding to continue using dredged materials to rebuild our coast.

This beneficial use is one of the keys to creating our new wetlands and is a large part of our all-out effort to restore our coast by rebuilding and shoring up our coast.

I am proud to sponsor this funding, proud to have bipartisan support for it, and proud to ask that all Members join us in passing this incredible measure that is so important to Louisiana. This is not Republican nor Democrat, but it is good government. It is environmentally sound, it is good for Louisiana, and it is good for business.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to offer a bipartisan, commonsense amendment.

This amendment will protect America's equines from being moved across State lines then exported to Canada and Mexico to be butchered for human consumption.

Horses aren't bred for food, and Americans don't want them bought under false pretenses, forced into overcrowded trailers, tormented on a thousand-mile journey and then prodded to slaughterhouses.

However, a legal loophole still allows tens of thousands of American equines to be exported each year to Canada and Mexico for slaughter.

This is a heinous practice, and Congress should take every step and chance we have to end it for good.

I thank the chairman and all of my colleagues for working with me to make this amendment possible. I thank the amazing advocates who work to protect horses, equines, and all animals day in and day out, year in and year out. This amendment wouldn't be on the floor today without their support. I tip my hat to them. This is a huge amendment that is bipartisan.

Madam Speaker, I thank the chairwoman for her incredible leadership on this very critical and important legislation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today because I support this bill and the commonsense amendment that I have for it. I thank the chairwoman for her incredible hard work on this important issue.

Inspectors general play a key role in our government. They provide transparency and accountability into government programs and spending. They help prevent waste and fix mismanagement and abuse.

The IG Independence and Empowerment Act would ensure that they have the autonomy and the authority to do their jobs without political interference. My amendment is simple and in line with the goals of the bill. It would ensure that the inspector general is paid commensurate to their task.

Currently, IGs make less money than some of their senior advisers. I think the person with the most responsibility should be paid accordingly. If we want the best people to work these important jobs, we need to make sure that their pay matches their role. My amendment would fix an unintended consequence of current law and strengthen IG offices so that they can better carry out their essential work.

Madam Speaker, Madam Chairman Beatty, Coanchor Torres, it is indeed an honor to join you tonight with your incredible leadership, Madam Chair, with your tenacious ability to lead, direct, and command the respect of 57 Members of this august body, to fight tirelessly on behalf of the people of your district, but also all the people of our great country. I thank you for your leadership.

This week, the House will take up an important bill for our Nation's future, the INVEST Act.

Americans have grown weary, and justifiably so. We have talked about an infrastructure bill for a very long time, and we have kicked the proverbial ball down the road as far as we can.

The people deserve more. The people deserve better. They deserve an infrastructure plan now, and one that speaks to traditional infrastructure, brick and mortar, as well as human infrastructure, broadband, housing, opportunities for our communities to rebuild, to grow, to thrive.

As a Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and as a Representative of one of the largest transportation hubs in the Nation, I know this legislation will reimagine and rebuild our infrastructure in Louisiana and across America.

This is a big bill and it does big things. It steps up to the challenges we face now and prepares us for challenges to come in the future. It powers economic development, creating good-paying jobs, building and fixing our crumbling infrastructure.

It connects communities by supporting public transit and new, high- speed, low-emission railways between cities like New Orleans and Baton Rouge and the river parishes in between.

It restores communities that have been harmed by old transportation decisions, like neighborhoods and districts that were cut in half and live in the shadows of interstate overpasses.

It also invests in passenger and freight rail. Both are very important to me because my district is home to the only port served by six Class 1 railroads, and it contains a corridor that badly needs new high-speed rail from New Orleans to Baton Rouge.

Investing in and supporting freight rail would allow them to continue driving our economy and reducing greenhouse gases from shipping.

The plan to connect New Orleans and Baton Rouge was delayed by a shortsighted decision of a previous Governor. But this bill and this administration gets us back on track.

Connecting two of the biggest cities in the State with high-speed passenger rail makes all the sense in the world; tying communities together, creating jobs and opportunities throughout the State of Louisiana, providing the resources to have cleaner forms of transportation.

Infrastructure now means so much more than stop signs and sidewalks. It means access to broadband, affordable and safe housing, and support for people caring for parents or children.

This bill starts that, and the rest of our efforts must continue to move forward in the vein of including people.

We need physical infrastructure, but we also need human infrastructure. We need to invest in highways and ports, but we also need to invest in the environment and the environmental safety of our communities, because I have long said that people should not have to die for their jobs. We must invest in the corrections that will create a safer and better environment. We need to invest in our people. We need to invest in affordable housing and the opportunities for neighborhoods and communities to stand up.

I look forward to fighting for all of this, and then some. I look forward to

building back better. America deserves better. America deserves more. America deserves a robust infrastructure plan, and America deserves it now.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Chairman Scott for the time that he has put in on this incredible piece of legislation, and thank Representative Davis for the work done to put together this important work.

As my colleagues today have said, this is a bipartisan, commonsense bill. It is exactly the type of work and things that Congress should be doing. This is our system at work.

The facts are very simple: Right now, because of a court decision, the standards for age discrimination are higher than that of any other type of discrimination. This bill fixes that and returns the country to what it was intended to be; that all forms of discrimination are illegal and must be stopped; that no form of discrimination is less wrong than another form of discrimination.

This is the right thing to do and this is the right time to do it. That higher standard has made it harder to prove cases and leaves older workers exposed to discrimination.

Age discrimination is wrong, plain and simple. It is also costly. According to a study by AARP, we lose out on $850 million of GDP each year because of it.

The cost is not just in abstract dollars. It comes from Americans who were skipped over for promotions they deserved. It comes from constituents who want to switch jobs but don't get a call back. It comes from your neighbor who lost their job and can still work but can't get anyone to even look at their resume.

The standard for proving age discrimination must be fair, it must be level, and it must be treated as other forms of discrimination.

Americans of all ages deserve the chance to work and to provide for their families, and the law should recognize their ability to work.

There is no place for ageism in the workforce, and this must stop.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter of support from The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights dated June 22, 2021, asking for a yes vote on the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act, H.R. 2062.

The Leadership Conference

on Civil and Human Rights,

Washington, DC, June 22, 2021.

vote Yes on the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act

(POWADA), H.R. 2062

Dear Representative: On behalf of The Leadership Conference

on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse

membership of more than 220 national organizations to promote

and protect the civil and human rights of all persons in the

United States, we urge you to vote yes on H.R. 2062, the

Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act (POWADA),

without amendments that would limit the bill's scope or

undermine its protections. POWADA is a priority of The

Leadership Conference, and we will include your vote in our

voting record for the 117th Congress.

Despite longstanding federal prohibitions against workplace

discrimination based on age, pervasive age discrimination in

the United States continues to harm older workers--denying

working people dignity on the job and threatening their

economic security. In 2020, 78 percent of older workers

reported

having seen or experienced age discrimination in the

workplace, with Hispanic workers perceiving slightly more age

discrimination at 82 percent. These numbers reflect an

increase in age discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic

for all workers, across race and gender. Previous research on

age discrimination before the pandemic reflects that women

workers and workers of color, especially Black workers, have

been more likely to experience age discrimination, and

unemployment rates suggest that workers of color may continue

to be more vulnerable. For example, although the unemployment

rate in May 2021 for White workers ages 45-59 was 4.2

percent, for Black workers, the rate was 10.6 percent.

The ability to enjoy employment opportunities, free from

unlawful discrimination, is key to promoting economic

security for marginalized and multi-marginalized communities.

Systemic racism and decades of structural inequality in

almost every area of life, including education, health care,

housing, and employment, have resulted in economic disparties

that have severely threatened the lives and well-being of far

too many people in the United States. Women, for example, are

nearly two-thirds of all individuals aged 65 and over living

in poverty, with women of color struggling at increased

rates. LGBTQ older adults are also at increased risk of

poverty compared to non-LGBTQ older adults, and people with

disabilities are twice as likely to live in poverty than

people without disabilities. Congress must ensure that our

federal laws are able to protect all persons in the United

States from unlawful discrimination. A key step toward that

goal is to ensure that unlawful discrimination plays no role

in employment practices,

POWADA is critically needed legislation that would restore

fairness by reinstating well-established legal protections

against workplace discrimination that were undermined by the

2009 Supreme Court decision in Gross v. FBL Financial

Services, Inc, which imposed a higher burden of proof on

working people in age discrimination cases. After Gross,

working people must prove not only that age discrimination

influenced an employer's conduct but that age played a

decisive role in the employer's conduct. The burden of proof

for age discrimination is now higher than the standard of

proof for allegations of discrimination based on sex, race,

religion, or national origin, sending the signal that some

amount of age discrimination in the workplace is acceptable.

Just as troubling, though, is that the Gross decision paved

the way for the same unreasonably difficult burden of proof

in cases in which an employer retaliates against workers who

challenge workplace discrimination based on race, sex, or

other grounds. POWADA is necessary to return the law to what

it was before the Gross decision.

Simply put, no amount of unlawful discrimination in the

workplace is acceptable. We therefore urge you to vote yes on

H.R. 2062, the Protecting Older Workers Against

Discrimination Act. If you have any questions or would like

to discuss this matter further, please contact Gaylynn

Burroughs, senior policy counsel.

Sincerely,

Wade Henderson,

Interim President & CEO.

Jesselyn McCurdy,

Managing Director and Interim Executive Vice President for

Government Affairs.