Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to recognize today's guest chaplain, Pastor Ryan Hodges of Rocky Face Baptist Church in Hiddenite, North Carolina.

In 2005, Pastor Hodges earned his theology degree from Cherry Grove Baptist Bible College in Wilkesboro. He has since served in four churches in our State, wherever God has called him to use his gift of preaching and zeal for souls. He is also a loving husband and father.

Mr. Speaker, the surest way to make a positive change in our country is to follow God's will for our lives, which is itself a lifetime's work.

North Carolina's Fifth District is blessed to have a faithful servant in Pastor Hodges, dedicated to helping others recognize God's love and plan for them. We are blessed to have his prayers and service today, as is everyone that God places in his life.

Madam Chairwoman, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Madam Chairwoman, this amendment is about preventing harm to communities and supporting local control. The Youth PROMISE program was enacted as a part of the broader and very bipartisan Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act reauthorization.

These reforms were focused on giving States and local authorities the ability to help prevent delinquency and put these young people on a path to success. Delinquency prevention is the key to helping local communities thrive, and the Youth PROMISE program will be a critical tool in their work.

I particularly like this program because it is not a one-size-fits- all approach, as Washington so often wants to do. Rather, this program is a complete toolbox of options for State and local officials to determine what is needed to help them address the problems they may be facing, or, even better, help young people before there is real trouble. That is what prevention is all about.

I also like this program because it is the essence of true bipartisanship, and it was the authorizing committee coming together to evaluate the need, consider the evidence, and develop a better plan to help people in need.

I should not be surprised, but I was when I saw the Appropriations Committee continued to fund their projects rather than building off of the hard, bipartisan work of the authorizing committee. If we want Washington to work, we need to start by having the appropriators work more closely with the authorizers.

While this amendment will not address all of these issues, it is a start. These funds will help make this a program that we will be able to assess and, hopefully, see some real success.

I was pleased Mr. Scott and I were able to come to an agreement on positive reforms that will help young people in all of our communities last Congress, and I appreciate working with him now on this continued priority for our committee. I urge support of the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition.

Mr. Chairman, Job Corps is meant to be an outlet to help disadvantaged youth gain the skills necessary to achieve a good education and the skills needed for the workforce, but the failures of the program do a disservice to students, staff, and the American taxpayers who pay for the programs.

For years this federally funded program has struggled to ensure the safety and security of students. There is ample documentation about the systemic deficiencies in Job Corps, and over 30 different government reports and audits have raised concerns over the safety and security of participants.

The administration's proposed changes to Job Corps are an important first step in reforming the program so that it actually works for students and efficiently utilizes taxpayer funds.

The Department of Labor's mission of preparing at-risk youth for meaningful participation in the workforce and skills development for career success makes them a better choice for running the 25 Job Corps Centers that have previously been operated by USDA. The transition of these Civilian Conservation Centers, or CCCs, will allow USDA to strengthen its focus on improving our Nation's forests and grasslands while also remaining a key partner in the DOL-run Job Corps centers going forward.

In short, the administration's efforts would allow more students to participate in the Job Corps program at high performing centers and in doing so protect taxpayer money.

I urge my colleagues to support a Job Corps program that actually protects and serves students and to vote ``no'' on this amendment.

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

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

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

Mr. Chair, could I inquire as to how much time I have remaining.

Mr. Chair, au contraire, to the gentleman from Oregon. Not only have I visited one of these programs but when I was president of the Mayland Community College, we had a program very close by. I am very well aware of these programs.

I doubt the gentleman from Oregon has ever read the report, which talks about the ineptness, the lack of safety, and the danger in these programs.

The dangerous place that these programs are, the number of deaths that have occurred in Job Corps programs, yes, there are phenomenal results. There are phenomenally bad results in these programs.

Mr. Chair, we have 7 million jobs unfilled in this country right now. If Job Corps, along with our colleges and universities, were doing their jobs in this country, we wouldn't have 7 million jobs vacant in the country. We would have more people prepared with the skills they need to fill those jobs.

The recommendation made by the administration will allow more students to get the skills they need at a lower cost for the American taxpayers and in higher-performing centers. We need to spend the scarce dollars that we have as wisely as possible.

These programs are more in line with the mission of DOL than in line with the mission of the Department of Agriculture. We need to allow the Department of Agriculture to focus on its mission and the Department of Labor to focus on its mission.

I have all the sympathy in the world for young, disadvantaged people who do not have skills to get jobs, Mr. Chair. I have worked directly with those people. I have helped many of them. This is not the way to go. If we truly want to help them, we will have effective programs, not dangerous programs and not ineffective programs.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise to applaud the Trump administration for its proactive steps to ban fetal tissue research.

Last week, HHS terminated the NIH's $13 million contract with the University of California, San Francisco for research involving human fetal tissue from elective abortions.

Madam Speaker, we should not use aborted babies for research, period. Furthermore, we don't need to because there are scientifically credible alternatives, and this administration is expanding them.

Just last December, NIH announced $20 million for finding ethical alternatives to fetal tissue research. Yet the Democratic Party supports research with aborted baby parts, refuses to protect babies born alive after an attempted abortion, and even decries the Hyde amendment, the most basic of protections for taxpayer money.

Thankfully, our pro-life President will ensure that only forward steps will be taken to protect all human life.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Gerald Gwaltney.

An Alexander County native, Sergeant Gwaltney was sent on four major landings in the Pacific during World War II, including Iwo Jima, where he witnessed the iconic American flag raising there.

In the line of duty, Sergeant Gwaltney sacrificed himself for his men, costing him the use of his right hand. Even after brushing with death and experiencing the horrors of combat, this selfless patriot said he would do it all over again.

This year, President Trump signed a law directing the Secretary of Defense to conduct a commemorative program for the 75th anniversary of World War II. It is important to take such opportunities like this week's commemoration of the 75th anniversary of D-day to highlight heroes like Sergeant Gwaltney and remember the brave Americans who fought and died for our country in World War II to preserve our freedom.

Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the centennial of the passage of the 19th Amendment in the House of Representatives.

Women's right to vote was won by the brave work of suffragettes, many of whom were from North Carolina.

In 1917, the National American Women Suffrage Association held a 4- day suffrage school in Raleigh to advance the movement in our State. Instructor Halsey Wilson said, ``We have a government of men, by men, and for the people, instead of a realization of the hopes of Abraham Lincoln of a government of the people, by the people, for the people.''

Today, I am grateful to be serving among the largest group of women ever elected in this body. When the 19th Amendment was ratified, 10 million women joined the electorate, but the suffragettes' work also laid the foundation for women in public offices and the House of Representatives we have today.

Madam Speaker, I rise to congratulate Samaritan's Purse, an international Christian relief organization headquartered in Boone, North Carolina, on its expansion in North Wilkesboro.

This inspiring organization has been providing spiritual and physical aid to impoverished victims of war, disease, famine, and natural disaster since 1970.

The new North Wilkesboro Ministry Center will serve as a lifeline to remote missions in developing countries. It will house inventory from World Medical Mission, including lifesaving medical supplies and an emergency field hospital.

This expansion and the wide-reaching vision of Samaritan's Purse would not be possible without the hardworking and dedicated staff behind it. These great humanitarians are an honor to represent, and I know that they are wonderful ambassadors of North Carolina's Fifth District around the world.

Congratulating North Wilkes and West Wilkes Middle Schools on

Lighthouse Certification

Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize North Wilkes Middle School and West Wilkes Middle School in North Carolina's Fifth District on their recent achievement of Lighthouse certification for implementing the Leader in Me program. Lighthouse certification is the highest recognition awarded by the FranklinCovey institute, and these are the first schools to receive this distinction in our State.

I commend the schools' administration, staff, and students for embracing new paradigms of leadership and undertaking the comprehensive school improvement model put forth by the Leadership in Me program. The program aims to provide a holistic education that encompasses leadership, a culture of student empowerment, and academic achievement.

Congratulations to North Wilkes Middle School and West Wilkes Middle School for their demonstrated success. The high-achieving students are evidence of how effectively local leaders in Wilkes County foster positive results with innovation in education.

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Kentucky for yielding, and for handling this bill today. I also commend my friend, Representative Comer, for his outstanding leadership of the Republicans on the Civil Rights and Human Services Subcommittee, and for his leadership on this bill.

I have served on the committee under its different names for a long time. It was a great honor to serve as the Committee's chairwoman during the last Congress, and as Republican leader during this Congress because, from this perspective, I have seen just how much we are able to get done together that doesn't always capture the attention of the rest of this body or the public.

It should be a great encouragement to all of us that when it comes to serving the most vulnerable Americans, children and youth, Republicans and Democrats on the Education and Labor Committee have been able to come together on numerous occasions and produce bipartisan legislation that is forward-looking and aims at prevention first.

We did this last Congress with the Juvenile Justice Reform Act and with the reauthorization of the Missing Children's Assistance Act.

In a perfect world, we would not need laws addressing child abuse. We certainly would not need stronger laws addressing child abuse. But this world is far from perfect.

Today, members of the Education and Labor Committee have brought before the House an update to the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act which, since 1974, has helped States combat child abuse and neglect. This bill, aptly named Stronger CAPTA, looks to those who spend their professional and personal lives fulfilling what can only be described as a deep calling to stand between children and abuse, to lead us forward in our efforts to serve families.

Last year, we saw a House-wide effort to address the scourge of opioid abuse in communities across the country. As our committee met for hearings and worked to determine our own contributions to that effort, the impact opioid abuse and addiction is having on innocent children came in to sharper focus. In many ways, today's legislation has its roots in those informative proceedings.

This bill recognizes the power of community in supporting at-risk families. Leaders in Washington and in State capitals, more than anything, want to protect children in danger. But it is friends, neighbors, fellow church members, and community volunteers who can spot real trouble, hopefully, before it will start.

This legislation strengthens and expands coordination among local agencies to help ensure families have access to physical and mental health services, domestic violence prevention programs, disability supports, and substance abuse treatment, when necessary.

As opioid addiction continues its hold in communities in every single congressional district represented here, we must look at Stronger CAPTA as another way we can fight back.

This bill puts families and children before bureaucracies and paperwork. I am proud of the members of the Education and Labor Committee on both sides of the aisle who worked together to bring this bill to the floor.

I urge all Members to support the Stronger Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for yielding and for his tireless work exposing the deep flaws in this bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise as the leader of the Republicans on the Education and Labor Committee, which should have had an opportunity to consider this legislation fully, considering its vast implications for educational institutions and employers.

We did not have that opportunity. Instead, we had a single subcommittee hearing.

As a fierce advocate for the Education and Labor Committee, I would never deem any subcommittee unimportant, but it was the subcommittee with the smallest membership.

On top of that, somehow the decision was made to bring this bill to the floor under a closed rule with no amendments. So, I commend my colleagues on the Judiciary Committee for their work on behalf of all of us.

This bill may have ``equality'' in its title, but it does not serve all people.

Its mandates for specific accommodations in shared facilities puts job creators, particularly those in small businesses, schools, and other community-serving facilities on the hook for Washington's half- baked ideas.

Its vague and circular definitions of gender identity will lead only to uncertainty, litigation, and harm to individuals and organizations that will be forced to comply with a law the authors don't even seem to understand.

This is a classic example of passing something now and figuring out what it actually means later.

We have been here before. If the Devil is in the details, we are in for a lot of devilish surprises.

This is no small price for some greater good, as the bill's proponents have argued.

Opening schools and workplaces to expanded liability based on, as the bill states, a ``perception or belief, even if inaccurate,'' of suspected discrimination.

Madam Speaker, I am going to repeat those words, because they are so unbelievable: ``a perception or belief, even if inaccurate,'' of suspected discrimination.

How can we write legislation like this? It would have untold chilling effects on hiring, career advancement, and one could easily see discourse in the classroom.

Where the bill is alarmingly clear, however, is in its meticulous and intentional destruction of religious freedom protections.

American employers and educators have grown accustomed to clumsy and misguided mandates coming down from Washington shrouded in good intentions. Other laws under the jurisdiction of the Education and Labor Committee are littered with them, but this time something is different.

The provision in H.R. 5 that guts the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 is clear in its intent. This bill is a brazen attempt to replace timeless, inherent religious liberties with the identity politics of the moment.

My colleagues on the other side of the aisle could have been given the benefit of the doubt on the rest of this bill.

Careless and shortsighted legislation is what they have done best for many years, but this fevered grasping, this hysterical clawing at individual Americans who hold personal religious convictions, represents a major departure from where the debate in this Chamber has been before.

I sincerely hope it is temporary, for the sake of this body, and more importantly, for the sake of the people we represent.

I hope this bill, which faces certain failure in the Senate, will be remembered as a failed experiment in oppressive legislating and not the first-time move in a new, sustained attack on religious freedom.

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise as leader of the Republicans on the committee of jurisdiction over employer-sponsored healthcare, the House Committee on Education and Labor.

We have a vital stake in this debate because that is how most Americans get their healthcare, through their employer. Our focus should be on improving those options. Instead, we are here so our Democratic colleagues can grind an ax against the few remaining healthcare options they don't get to control.

Among its many choice-eliminating, freedom-limiting provisions, this legislation would eliminate short-term, limited-duration insurance plans. These plans are an obvious potential solution for millions of Americans, working or not, who may find themselves between jobs or unable to afford rising premiums in the already expensive individual market.

If any of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle claim to be champions for hardworking Americans or the unemployed, their support for this provision is proof that those claims are empty.

It is worth noting for the Record that short-term, limited-duration plans were legal under the Obama administration and that States still have the authority to regulate these plans both under the Obama administration and under the current rules. If States choose to limit or prohibit the sale of these plans, they are free to do so.

By considering this bill, House Democrats are once again defaulting to their standard uncreative, blind support for one-size-fits-all Federal mandates instead of respecting the judgment of State lawmakers and authorities, as well as individuals, to act in their States' and their own best interests.

Republicans on the Education and Labor Committee have been and remain fully dedicated to protecting Americans with preexisting conditions and unleashing new customizable, affordable, workable healthcare options that take into account the changing needs of all Americans at all stages of life.

The bill before the House today will not lower drug prices, will not protect anyone from surprise billings, will not lower premiums, will not cut any out-of-pocket costs, and will not provide one cent of tax relief.

Its failure to achieve any of those objectives makes it simply unacceptable for us as Republicans.

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cline).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. David P. Roe), the distinguished ranking member of the Veterans Affairs' Committee.

Mr. Chairman, may I inquire as to the amount of time left.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg), the distinguished Republican leader on the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Fulcher).

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

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

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

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

Mr. Chairman, Republicans predicted all the bad things that have resulted from the so-called Affordable Care Act. It has not been affordable and has actually increased the cost of health insurance and care.

Unfortunately, our colleagues are so invested in supporting this legislation that they blame Republicans for its failure.

The legislation has failed because it is hopelessly flawed and cannot be fixed.

Mr. Chairman, the piece of legislation before us, as I said earlier, is a choice-limited, freedom-limiting bill, and should not pass.

I would also like to make one more observation.

My colleagues have made repeated references to junk plans. Every time they do that, they are insulting the person who has chosen that plan for one reason or another due to individual circumstances or preferences.

Just because a product isn't something I would buy, or you would buy, does that make it junk? No.

Dismissing less expensive and more flexible health plans as junk isn't taking up for anyone, it is actually putting them down.

That is not the way we should be in this country.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize Ron Wellman, Athletics Director at Wake Forest University, who is retiring in May 2019. He leaves as the longest-tenured athletics director in the country at the NCAA Division I level, having been named to the position at Wake Forest in 1992.

He has overseen the most successful period in athletics history at Wake Forest, which ranks first in the Directors Cup in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), while achieving a student-athlete graduation rate of 94 percent.

Under Mr. Wellman, Wake Forest has thrived and has become a national powerhouse in men's tennis, men's soccer, and women's field hockey. The football program has seen the most successful stretch in school history recently as well.

Wake Forest's accomplishments under Wellman's leadership include five team and seven individual national titles, 22 ACC championships, 171 first team All-Americans and the renaissance of athletics facilities. During his tenure, Wake Forest has raised over $400 million in philanthropic support for athletics.

Wellman has also played a significant role in shaping intercollegiate athletics on a regional and national level. He served on multiple committees, including the NCAA Division I Management Council and was chairman of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Committee. Additionally, as former president of the Division I-A Athletic Directors' Association, Wellman served on the NCAA Diversity Leadership Strategic Planning Committee.

Wellman's efforts leading Wake Forest have not gone unnoticed. In 2007-08, he was honored by two organizations: Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal named him College Athletic Director of the Year and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) selected him as its AstroTurf AD of the Year for the Southeast Region-- the second time in his career he received that honor.

Off the playing fields, Wellman helped enhance the overall development of the student-athlete. He stressed academics and instituted programs to assist and develop student-athletes in ways outside of competition. Most recently, Wake Forest athletics launched its Deacon Leader program, a comprehensive leadership development system designed to identify and develop student-athlete leaders from their arrival on campus through their senior year and beyond graduation.

Wellman earned his undergraduate degree from Bowling Green State University, where he was a pitcher on the baseball team. After receiving a master's from Bowling Green, he joined the faculty and coaching staff at Elmhurst (IL) College in 1971, serving as head baseball coach, assistant basketball and football coach and associate professor of health and physical education. Wellman was the athletics director during his last five years at Elmhurst.

I ask the House to join me in recognizing Mr. Ron Wellman, a leader of extraordinary conscience and character.

Madam Speaker, as the national conversation revolves around infrastructure this week, I would like to highlight H.R. 300, the Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act, or UMITA, which I introduced with my Democratic colleague, Representative Cuellar.

UMITA will further our goal of renewing our country's infrastructure by making sure that overly burdensome Federal regulations don't hinder progress on State and local levels.

State and local governments shoulder the greatest cost of infrastructure projects, and any Federal legislation to assist their efforts must account for costs of regulatory compliance. Every dollar spent on compliance with burdensome mandates is less money for the projects States and localities need.

UMITA passed with a bipartisan vote in the last four Congresses, and I call for it to be included in any comprehensive infrastructure legislation considered in this body.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize May 12 through 18 as National Police Week.

We are blessed to live in a country founded on the rule of law, and it could not be preserved without our Nation's courageous police.

This week, we show gratitude to the 800,000 sworn law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line daily for our safety.

We also honor those who have given their lives in the line of duty. This year, 371 fallen heroes were added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, including Trooper Samuel Newton Bullard, who died serving Surry County in North Carolina's Fifth District.

These brave officers' sacrifices will not be forgotten, and their families are in my prayers. This Police Week, and every week, let's show our support for those who risk so much to keep us safe.

Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the inauguration of the Borealis, Borouge plant in Taylorsville, North Carolina. It is the first of the company's North American facilities dedicated to automotive materials production and is well positioned to source suppliers and original equipment manufacturers in the Southeast United States.

It is exciting to see another way that progrowth policies adopted by the North Carolina State Legislature and this body last Congress are attracting capital and creating new jobs.

The investment by Borealis also says much about the high caliber of people in Taylorsville. They are entrepreneurial-minded and working hard to grow their business community. Beginning with 30 new full-time jobs, Borealis aims to expand in the region through local relationships and by developing a new generation of talent.

I am very proud to represent the Taylorsville community and to see new opportunities taking off in its economy.

Mr. Speaker, April is National Internship Awareness Month, and I rise to highlight the wonderful educational opportunities internships provide.

They promote experiential learning that helps people make career choices amid a wide range of potential professional tracks. Employers increasingly prefer to hire people with relevant work experience, and internships are a great way to gain this asset.

Congress mirrors this trend and financial means should not be a limiting factor in one's participation in a congressional internship. That is why I, in past years, set aside part of my annual office budget to offer paid internships, and I am pleased that appropriations passed into law last year provide funding for all House offices to do the same.

I encourage more employers to consider offering internships, and I encourage people to explore those opportunities in Congress and all fields to help them inform their career paths.