Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Pennsylvania for yielding to me.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about an all-too-familiar topic, and that is gun violence in America, mass shootings in the United States of America.

A few days ago, I purchased a card of sympathy for the family of a young man who died way too soon. The card that I finally chose read: ``I hardly know what to say.''

When I think about yet another mass shooting in a country where, through ingenuity and determination, we have solved some of the world's toughest problems and challenges but yet we have chosen to do nothing about mass shootings, I hardly know what to say.

Mr. Speaker, you know last week a man used a semiautomatic rifle to brutally murder 17 children and educators in Parkland, Florida. Unlike past shootings, we have not just moved on. This is because of the survivors--not our generation doing something, but the children. It is because of them.

You see, this generation believes that they can change the world. I mean, isn't that exactly what we as parents taught them, that they can change the world? They believe in what President Obama called the audacity of hope. Not our generation, but the generation of our children and grandchildren.

And they have stood up to declare what should be obvious to all of us: that every American should have the right to go to school, to go to church,

to go to a mall, to go to a movie theater or a nightclub without being brutally murdered by someone with a gun, no less an assault rifle, which greatly diminishes their chances of survival.

Sure, high school is tough for some children, but the worst our children should have to fear is whether they can make a friend in a new school or whether they will make the track team or whether the boy or girl they like will notice them in the hallway or in class.

150,000 American children have experienced a school shooting. That is not something a great society tolerates. That is something we change.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud of the strength, the courage, and the passion of these young people in Florida. Not our generation, but the teenagers. And I am also proud of previous survivors and activists who laid the groundwork for the movement that is growing across America.

Survivors of the Pulse nightclub shooting have joined Parkland survivors to work for change. That shooting, which took place in my congressional district, was the second worst mass shooting in U.S. history, after Las Vegas.

That is not the only mass shooting to torment Florida. In 2017, a man shot and killed five people at the Ft. Lauderdale airport. In 2013, a man shot and killed six people at an apartment complex in Miami-Dade County. In 1990, a man shot and killed nine people in Jacksonville. According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been at least 113 mass shootings, defined as four or more persons injured or killed, in Florida since 2013.

Instead of simply waiting and responding to mass shootings, we should work to prevent them. We should work to prevent them. We should work to prevent them.

As Orlando, Florida's, former chief of police, my goal was to not merely save lives of those who experienced violence, but we tried to stop the violence from occurring in the first place. When we know better, we are supposed to do better.

Some proposals may need more debate, some less, but let us have that debate.

As a former law enforcement officer, our job was to enforce the laws and to protect the innocent. As a Member of Congress, our job is to create laws that protect the innocent. Well, Congress is failing at that job.

The best gift, Mr. Speaker, we can give to our teachers and our students and to every American is to pass legislation that keeps deadly guns out of the hands of bad people. Thoughts and prayers are good. God will order our steps, but we have to move our feet.

Mr. Speaker, one of my biggest fears as a 27-year law enforcement officer was that my officers, the officers who worked for me, the officers who swore that they would protect and serve, would find themselves in an active shooter situation where they would be outgunned.

As I indicated earlier, the AR-15 and other weapons like it, if you are shot with one, your chances of survival are greatly diminished. As my colleague from Mississippi indicated earlier, the weapon is designed to create mass devastation. It was designed for the battlefield.

And you are right; on the battlefield, we want our soldiers to take the enemy down as quickly as possible. But those weapons were not designed for our streets, for our neighborhoods where our children play, for our schools. If we are a great society, if we want to be the great Nation that we always talk about, then let's do what is within our power as one of the most powerful bodies in the world.

My 5-year-old granddaughter's kindergarten class had a moment of silence. I believe, as Members of Congress, we can do better than that.

Mr. Speaker, on the evening of Wednesday, February 7, 2018, I had the honor and privilege of addressing the Southeast Regional Welcome Dinner in connection with this year's National Prayer Breakfast. My arrival at that event was prior to the issuance of notice that votes were about to be held, and I was unfortunately unable to return to the House Chamber before they concluded.

Had I been present, I would have voted yea on Roll Call votes 61, 62, and 63.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Mayor Bruce Mount, Sr. of the Historic Town of Eatonville, who passed away on Monday, January 29, 2018.

As we honor the life of Bruce Mount, Sr., we celebrate in particular the outstanding work he accomplished in the Town of Eatonville.

We all know Mayor Mount loved God, his family, and the citizens of Eatonville, Florida. Mayor Mount consistently put people first, believing that his service to humankind was an expression of his service to God.

Mayor Mount's accomplishments made a real difference in the lives of Eatonville's residents, and gained him much-deserved local, state and national recognition.

He believed in empowering the Town of Eatonville through economic development and housing rehabilitation. We are all proud of the Eatonville ``Rebuilding Together'' project, which restored dozens of unsafe homes for low-income families.

Under Mayor Mount's leadership, four million dollars was awarded for Phase II of the Kennedy Boulevard Streetscape project. This iconic Gateway was designed as a powerful symbol of the residents' compassion and determination through the years.

Mayor Mount was a public servant who loved children and invested in their well-being and future opportunities by leading the effort to bring the Boys & Girls Club and community gym to the Town of Eatonville.

Mayor Mount put people first, evidenced by his unwavering commitment to improving the lives of his constituents. He expanded access to diabetes treatment for senior citizens, and was a founder of the Historic Black Towns and Settlements Alliance. Mayor Mount worked to keep residents and business owners safe by securing much-needed equipment for Eatonville's first responders.

Mayor Bruce Mount, Sr. will be missed, but his positive contributions to Central Florida, the nation, and especially the Town of Eatonville will never leave us. He will always serve as an inspiration.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Georgia (Mr. David Scott) for his leadership on this very critical issue.

Mr. Speaker, America is a great nation, and tonight we continue to celebrate that fact. But we do know that great things don't just happen on their own. If we take a serious look through the pages of history, we will see the blood, the sweat, and the tears of many people. Some of those people came on cruise ships, and some came on slave ships. But regardless of the foundation on which our journey in America began, many were there helping to build what we now know as a great nation.

Mr. Speaker, the American worker is intertwined in the moral fabric of our great society. As America began to grow as an industrialized society, so did its workforce and the need to develop fair and equitable workplace standards.

I joined the Orlando Police Department in 1984, and on my first day of orientation, I joined the union. I joined a great department, and I wanted to do my part to keep it a great department. I proudly joined the union, and I clearly understood--and it appeared at that time that those in management also understood--that the union was working hard to ensure that employees, both sworn and civilian, worked in a safe work environment, were paid fair wages, and were fairly compensated in the event of death on the job.

I was an active member of the union, and when I moved to the management ranks, I met regularly with union leadership to ensure we continued to have a healthy work environment, fair wages, meaningful benefits, and safe working conditions. That has been and continues to be the work of American unions.

Mr. Speaker, as a former police chief, I have seen the effects of good government and I have seen the effects of bad government, and what we have seen over the last few days is bad government.

As the party in charge of the Senate, the House, and the White House, the Republican majority has a responsibility to pass a budget that sustains critical services for the American people.

Instead, they passed a $1.5 trillion tax giveaway, chose to ignore critical concerns, and push an anti-immigrant agenda.

I have seen the horrible outcomes of trying to make one group of people afraid of another. I have seen the results of ignoring the real dangers to America, like racism, gun violence, poverty, and lack of opportunity.

We are a nation of immigrants.

As leaders of a pluralistic society, we have a responsibility to build a nation with compassion for people. But this shutdown was about more than immigration. It was about our military, our veterans, our seniors, our children, and adequate disaster relief.

Mr. Speaker, I will not support a complete absence of leadership. I will continue to fight for real solutions.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the lives of Lieutenant Debra Clayton of the Orlando Police Department and Deputy Norm Lewis of the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

Lieutenant Clayton was an outstanding officer, a loving wife, mother, and friend. One year ago today, she was shot and killed while attempting to apprehend a murder suspect.

Deputy Lewis was killed the same day while searching for Lieutenant Clayton's killer. Deputy Lewis was deeply admired by all of his colleagues: a man described as a ``gentle giant,'' who played for the UCF Knights and went on to be a true public servant.

Mr. Speaker, it has been said that when a law enforcement officer falls, a part of America dies.

Today we recognize these two public servants and pay tribute to them for paying the ultimate sacrifice. Today we also take a moment on Law Enforcement Appreciation Day to thank law enforcement officers throughout our Nation who serve and protect us and our families.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Maryland. I thank him for his leadership on this issue and shining a light on this very important issue tonight.

Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to speak about the promise of America: that

every person living in this country, a country that we say is the greatest country in the world, where every person can have an opportunity, where every person can have a right to life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and the pursuit of justice.

The promise of America, though, relies on the police officer who walks his beat, come rain or shine. Mr. Speaker, either we enforce our laws, or, if we do not, they are just words on a piece of paper. The promise of America is fulfilled every time a person receives a fair trial. For you see, without a fair-minded search for the truth, we have no society. Or, Mr. Speaker, put it another way, the truth will, indeed, set us free.

The special counsel is a decorated veteran. You have heard my colleague say it, a registered Republican appointed by a Republican President, President Bush. I have personally met Mr. Mueller. After serving 27 years in law enforcement, working very closely with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, I know him to be a person of honor and integrity.

Mr. Mueller has been praised for his integrity by every Republican leader. You see, he is, Mr. Speaker, a man searching for the truth, and the truth does matter. Without truth, life becomes death, liberty becomes slavery, and the pursuit of happiness becomes impossible.

If a President can shut down an investigation into his activities and deny our right to the truth, then the promise of the America that we love to celebrate is broken. Over the past year, our institutions--law enforcement, the judiciary--have come under daily assault, so persistent, so relentless, that we, on occasion, have tuned it out or brushed it aside. But these assaults, Mr. Speaker, undermine what is essential to our country and our society.

If President Trump chooses to fire the special counsel or otherwise interfere with the legal and appropriate investigation into himself and his staff, it would be a deliberate act to dismantle the fundamental institutions that preserve American democracy and liberty.

Mr. Speaker, we cannot allow that, and I hope that my Republican colleagues will remember why they came to Congress in the first place. You see, Mr. Speaker, as Members of Congress, we are truth seekers, and we know that the special counsel will go only where the evidence leads him. That is the man President Bush appointed, and that is the same person leading this investigation at this very time.

Mr. Speaker, we must let the special counsel finish his work. Failure to do so leaves us with only one question: What is the administration afraid of?

Mr. Speaker, I thank the congressman.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Representative Gianforte and Representative Connolly for their work on this bipartisan bill to extend the authority for agencies to conduct telework pilot programs for travel expenses. The current authority for this program expired on December 9 of this year, so passage of this bill is urgently needed. The bill extends the program until December 13 of 2020.

In February of 2012, the United States Patent and Trademark Office used this authority to initiate the Telework Enhancement Act Pilot Program. This program allows USPTO employees to work throughout the country and waives the requirement that the agency pay their travel costs for mandatory trips back to its headquarters.

According to the USPTO, the program significantly expanded the agency's teleworking workforce and allowed it to hire and retain a highly skilled workforce. The USPTO also estimates that this program has saved the agency more than $77 million in fiscal year 2016, including $17 million in avoided real estate costs and nearly $32 million in reduced recruitment expenses.

The agency also cites increased productivity, work hours, employee morale, and decreased environmental impacts as benefits of the pilot. Given its benefits, it makes sense to authorize an extension of this pilot program.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter that the Oversight Committee received from The National Treasury Employees Union yesterday supporting the bill.

The National Treasury

Employees Union,

December 11, 2017.

Dear Representative: As National President of the National

Treasury Employees Union, representing over 150,000 federal

employees in 31 different agencies, I am writing to express

NTEU's views on HR 4171, a bill to amend title 5, United

States Code, to extend the authority to conduct telework

travel expenses test programs, which is scheduled to be

considered by the House tomorrow.

NTEU represents the trademark attorneys at the U.S. Patent

and Trademark Office (PTO). The enhanced telework program has

allowed employees to work and live in various communities

across the nation, saving PTO office property costs and

reducing employee turnover. We support the bipartisan

legislation for a short-term extension of the pilot, which we

believe has been a success for both the PTO and employees. We

believe, with the expiration of this new extension, that the

agency will have the experience to be able to allow national

telework while covering employee travel costs.

Sincerely,

Anthony M. Reardon,

National President.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues in consideration of H.R. 1208, a bill to designate the facility of the United States Post Office located at 9155 Schaefer Road in Converse, Texas, as the Converse Veterans Post Office Building.

Every day, brave men and women in our military make great sacrifices to defend this Nation and protect our freedom. While we can never repay them for their service, naming the Converse Post Office in their honor is the least we can do.

Mr. Speaker, we should pass this bill and name this post office so that we might recognize the selfless service of

our veterans and honor the sacrifices they have made for this Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I, too, urge the passage of H.R. 1208, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cuellar).

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to join my colleagues in consideration of H.R. 2815, a bill to designate the facility of the United States Post Office located at 30 East Somerset Street in Raritan, New Jersey, as the Sergeant Basilone Post Office.

We have already heard he was born in 1916 and enlisted in the United States Army at the young age of 18. While serving in the Philippines, Sergeant Basilone developed a reputation as a championship boxer.

He returned to the United States in 1937 to begin work as a truck driver, but we have heard that that was not enough. He reenlisted in the Marines in 1940.

Sergeant Basilone earned the reputation as the marine who proved that the opposition was not invincible. Sergeant Basilone was a hero. As stated, upon his death, he was awarded a Navy Cross, the Navy's highest decoration.

Mr. Speaker, we must pass this bill to name the post office in Raritan, New Jersey, after their hometown hero so that future generations might continue to be inspired by his selfless and heroic service.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the passage of H.R. 2815, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell), my colleague.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues in consideration of H.R. 3638, a bill to designate the facility of the United States Post Office located at 1100 Kings Road in Jacksonville, Florida, as the Rutledge Pearson Post Office Building.

Born in 1929, Rutledge Pearson graduated from New Stanton High School in 1947, before attending Tillatson College on a baseball scholarship. Following his graduation, he began playing for the Negro League's Birmingham Black Barons, but because of his race, the Jacksonville Beach Seabirds refused to allow Mr. Pearson to play on their team, deciding they would rather close the park.

His rejection, however, inspired him, and he went on to become an influential member of Jacksonville's education system and civil rights movements. He served at every level in the NAACP, and he continued to energize and inspire young people around his community, as he did in the classroom every day.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be a cosponsor of this legislation to honor Mr. Rutledge Pearson. I urge the passage of H.R. 3638, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Lawson).

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues, particularly my colleague from central Florida, in consideration of H.R. 4042, a bill to designate the facility of the United States Post Office located in Kissimmee, Florida, as the Borinqueneers Post Office Building.

Originating in 1899, as part of the Puerto Rican Regiment of the Volunteer Army, the 65th Regiment became a part of the U.S. Army in 1908. The unit distinguished itself throughout Europe in World War II.

The 65th Regiment rapidly gained a reputation as one of the bravest and most reliable regiments and, by November 1950, had become the leading regiment by the 3rd Infantry Division.

In June of 2014, the Borinqueneers became just the second Hispanic Americans to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, as they were honored for the bravery and distinguished service for which they broke down racial barriers in defense of our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to cosponsor this bill, and I look forward to passing this legislation in honor of the 65th Regiment for their service, their sacrifice, and lasting contributions to our country.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the passage of H.R. 4042, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Soto).

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues in consideration of H.R. 3655, a bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1300 Main Street in Belmar, New Jersey, as the Dr. Walter S. McAfee Post Office Building.

Dr. McAfee was born in Texas in 1914 and earned degrees in mathematics and physics before receiving a Ph.D. in nuclear physics from Cornell University in 1949.

You have already heard that Dr. McAfee launched this country into the space age. Dr. McAfee also made important contributions, as you have heard, to this country as an adviser to the U.S. Army during the Vietnam war.

Mr. Speaker, we should pass this bill to commemorate the illustrious career of Dr. McAfee and the legacy he leaves behind through his impressive scientific accomplishments.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the passage of H.R. 3655.

I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues in consideration of H.R. 4285, a bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located in Mullica Hill, New Jersey, as the James C. ``Billy'' Johnson Post Office Building.

You have heard he was a native of Richwood, New Jersey. He attended elementary school at Mullica Hill and graduated from Glassboro High School before attending Benedict College. In 1941, he began his military service in the United States Army.

You have heard he was assigned to the Canon Company, the 370th Infantry Regiment, 92nd Division. Regretfully, he made the ultimate sacrifice in 1944, when he was tragically killed. But his legacy lives on. He serves as an inspiration to those who have benefited from his sacrifice.

Mr. Speaker, we should pass this bill to commemorate the sacrifice that Second Lieutenant Johnson made to his country. I urge the passage of H.R. 4285.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I echo the comments I have heard from other colleagues to thank my colleague from Illinois, Representative Kelly, for her unwavering commitment to this issue.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak for those who have died in the United States as a result of senseless gun violence. I want to reflect this evening on where we have been, where we are now, and where we must go from here.

When I took office 1 year ago, I was so excited to give my first speech on the House floor. But I never dreamed my first speech would be a tribute to a former friend and colleague.

My first floor speech was to honor Sergeant Debra Clayton, a law enforcement officer who was shot and killed while trying to apprehend a murder suspect, a person who should have never had a gun in his possession in the first place.

Since then, two more law enforcement officers from central Florida, Officer Matthew Scott Baxter and Sergeant Richard Samuel Howard, have been shot and killed, both officers of the Kissimmee Police Department.

I was sworn into Congress just 6 months after the mass shooting in Orlando at the Pulse nightclub where 49 people who were involved in what my bishop likes to call a late-night fellowship--not doing anything wrong, not in the wrong place--were killed by a lone gunman.

At that time, it was the worst mass shooting in modern American history. But in the short time since then, the number 49 has been surpassed as 59 people were killed in Las Vegas just a few months ago.

What this says is things are not getting better, and Congress has failed to take responsible action. Since the Newtown shooting, Congress has held at least 50 moments of silence for the victims of gun violence. But, Mr. Speaker, please tell me: How does a moment of silence protect the next victim?

I join my colleagues in honoring the victims who have died tragically of gun violence in our Nation. The victims deserve to be remembered. Their families deserve recognition, and the victims and their families deserve action.

John 13:17 says: ``Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.'' Well, we now know these things. In other words, when you know better, Mr. Speaker, you are supposed to do better.

We also know that the vast majority of the American people across the Nation want action.

As a former law enforcement officer, I had a duty to enforce the laws to protect the innocent; and, Mr. Speaker, as Members of Congress, we have a duty to enact laws that protect the innocent. We need to stand up to the gun lobby and take on their indiscriminate sales of bump stocks and other modifications that make weapons deadlier or more suited for criminal violence. We need to strengthen programs that work, such as the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, and drastically improve mental health screening and treatment.

And I continue to oppose concealed carry reciprocity, as I did last week on the floor, because it would allow persons from outside your State to bring their firearms anywhere in your State, making the job of law enforcement officers on the street who have the responsibility of sorting it all out more difficult and, potentially, more dangerous.

Mr. Speaker, the men, women, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, brothers, and sisters gunned down in our country deserve remembrance. They also deserve courage from their leaders. They deserve action from their leaders. I once again call on this body to provide some.

Debra Clayton, Matthew Baxter, and Sam Howard.

Again, I thank my colleague from Illinois for her unwavering commitment and leadership on this issue.