Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I send to the desk a resolution and ask unanimous consent for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. Speaker, imagine this: You are 17 years old. You have worked hard, and you are the valedictorian of your high school class, the quarterback on the football team. You go down to apply for your driver's license, and you find out for the first time that you were actually not born in the United States and that you are undocumented.

There is no possibility for you to get right with the law, but you did nothing wrong. You don't even remember the place that you were born.

That is the circumstance that tens of thousands of young people find themselves in, and this bill allows those young people to get right with the law--they have done nothing wrong--and go on to become the full Americans that they are except for their paperwork.

It does something else that is important, which is it recognizes that there is a group of people who are here under visas, but because the Senate messed up--that is a term of art--the per country cap bill that this House passed by 365 votes in the last Congress, there is a huge backlog from large countries so long that the dependents of lawful temporary visa holders age out. They have no remedy, just as the other Dreamers. They can't go back to the country they were born in because their parents are legally here. They have no capacity to become the full Americans that they are. This also resolves that problem.

It is distressing to hear the rhetoric about the border. In fact, the uptick at the southern border began last April, and it relates to hurricanes and disorder in three Central American countries.

We need to pay attention to what is going on in those three countries, and that is something the Biden administration is taking steps to do to solve that problem where it starts. I will just note that nobody is escaping from Costa Rica. It is the disorder in three countries that needs to be resolved.

Mr. Speaker, vote ``yes'' on this bill.

Madam Speaker, our country has come through a pandemic, and many of us have suffered, but there is one thing that we can be grateful for, and that is that the food chain was never disrupted.

Throughout the pandemic, we could go to the grocery store and there would be food in that store. For that, we need to thank the farmers of this country. But we also need to thank the farmworkers of this country, a majority of whom are undocumented and a majority of whom have been here more than 10 years.

What this bill does and how it was formed is important. I want to thank Representatives Dan Newhouse, Mike Simpson, Doug LaMalfa, and many others on the Republican side of the aisle. I worked with Jim Costa, Jimmy Panetta, and many others to try to see if we could come together to come up with solutions for the challenges that we face in farm country.

We pulled together growers and the farmworkers union to talk together for solutions. It took us almost a year of growers and the farmworkers union, and Republicans and Democrats, sitting around a table to come up with this bill.

It has basically three provisions.

The first recognizes that we have had undocumented farmworkers in our

fields for decades. It allows them to get a certified agricultural worker card so that they can work without fear. That is a temporary worker status. They can renew it, travel, pay taxes, and continue forever in that status. After working for a long period of time, they and their families have the option of applying for legal permanent residence if they choose.

The second provision streamlines an existing program, the H-2A program, so that we will have a legal supply of farmworkers in the future. Both labor and employers agreed to those streamlines.

The final provision says that if we have a system that works, then we need to enforce that system. We are going to have the E-Verify system used in agriculture after this bill is fully implemented.

Who is in favor of this? The Arizona Nursery Association, California Farm Bureau Federation, Georgia Milk Producers, Michigan Greenhouse Growers Council, Minnesota Milk Producers Association, Ohio Produce Growers Marketing Association, Texas Association of Dairymen, and hundreds of other growers.

Madam Speaker, I include in the Record a list of Farmers and Producers Associations supporting H.R. 1603.

[From the House Committee on the Judiciary]

Over 250 Farmers and Producers Associations Support H.R. 1603

African-American Farmers of California; Ag Valley

Cooperative, Non-Stock; AgCountry Farm Credit Services;

Agribusiness Henderson County (NC); Agricultural Council of

California; Agri-Mark, Inc.; Alabama Farmers Cooperative,

Inc.; Alabama Nursery and Landscape Association; Almond

Alliance; Amalgamated Sugar Company; American AgCredit;

American AgriWomen; American Beekeeping Federation; American

Honey Producers Association; American Mushroom Institute;

American Pistachio Growers; American Seed Trade Association;

American Sheep Industry Association (ASI); AmericanHort;

Arizona Dairy Producers Trade Association; Arizona Nursery

Association; Associated Milk Producers Inc.; Aurora Organic

Dairy; Bluebird Bonanza Farms; Bongards' Creameries;

CalChamber.

California Apple Commission; California Association of Food

Banks; California Association of Wheat Growers; California

Avocado Commission; California Blueberry Association;

California Blueberry Commission; California Canning Peach

Association; California Cherry Growers and Industry

Association; California Citrus Mutual; California Dairies,

Inc.; California Date Commission; California Dried Plum

Board; California Farm Bureau Federation; California Fig

Advisory Board; California Fresh Fruit Association;

California Pear Growers Association; California Seed

Association; California State Floral Association; California

Strawberry Commission; California Sweet Potato Council;

California Tomato Growers Association; California Walnut

Commission; California Warehouse Association.

California Women for Agriculture; Cayuga Milk Ingredients;

Center for Dairy Excellence (Pennsylvania); Central Valley Ag

Coop; Certified American Grown; Chobani; CHS Inc.; Co-

Alliance Cooperative, Inc.; CoBank; Colorado Dairy Farmers;

Colorado Nursery and Greenhouse Association; Colorado Potato

Legislative Association; Cooperative Milk Producers

Association; Cooperative Producers, Inc.; Costa Farms; Dairy

Farmers of America, Inc.; Dairy Producers of New Mexico;

Dairy Producers of Utah; Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative;

Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery; Empire State Potato Growers;

Far West Agribusiness Association; Farm Credit East; Farmers

Cooperative.

FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative; Federation of Employers and

Workers of America; First District Association; Florida Agri-

Women; Florida Citrus Mutual; Florida Fruit and Vegetable

Association; Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape

Association; Florida Strawberry Growers Association; Florida

Tomato Exchange; Food Northwest; Food Producers of Idaho;

Foremost Farms USA; Frenchman Valley Farmers Cooperative

Inc.; Fresh Harvest/Steve Scaroni (CA); Fresno County Farm

Bureau (CA); Georgia Green Industry Association; Georgia Milk

Producers, Inc.; Georgia Urban Ag Council; Glanbia

Nutritionals; Idaho Alfalfa/Clover Seed Commission; Idaho

Alfalfa/Clover Seed Growers Association; Idaho Apple

Commission; Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry; Idaho

Bankers Association; Idaho Cattleman's Association.

Idaho Dairymen's Association; Idaho Grain Producers

Association; Idaho Grower Shippers Association; Idaho

Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Idaho Hop Growers Association;

Idaho Horticulture Society; Idaho Milk Products; Idaho Mint

Growers Association; Idaho Nursery and Landscape Association;

Idaho Onion Growers Association; Idaho Potato Commission;

Idaho Sugarbeet Growers; Idaho-Oregon Fruit & Vegetable

Association; Illinois Green Industry Association; Indiana

Nursery and Landscape Association; Indiana Outdoor

Maintenance Alliance; International Dairy Foods Association;

Iowa Institute for Cooperatives; Iowa Nursery & Landscape

Association; Iowa State Dairy Association; Kansas Dairy

Association; Land O'Lakes, Inc.; Laurel Springs Nursery, LLC

(NC); Leitz Farms LLC/Fred Leitz (MI); Lone Star Milk

Producers; Madera County Farm Bureau (CA); Maine Landscape &

Nursery Association; Maine Potato Board.

Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association;

Maryland Nursery, Landscape, and Greenhouse Association,

Inc.; Massachusetts Nursery and Landscape Association, Inc.;

MBG Marketing; McCain USA Inc.; Michigan Apple Association;

Michigan Greenhouse Growers Council; Michigan Milk Producers

Association; Michigan Nursery and Landscape Association; Mid

Kansas Cooperative; Midwest Apple Improvement Association;

Midwest Dairy Coalition; Milk Producers Council; Milk

Producers of Idaho; Minnesota Milk Producers Association;

Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association; Missouri Green

Industry Alliance; Montana Nursery and Landscape Association;

Monterey County Farm Bureau (CA); Mount Joy Farmers

Cooperative Association; Napa Vinters Association; National

All-Jersey Inc.; National Council of Agricultural Employers;

National Council of Farmer Cooperatives; National Farmers

Union; National Grange; National Milk Producers Federation.

National Onion Association; National Potato Council;

National Young Farmers Coalition; Nebraska Cooperative

Council; Nebraska State Dairy Association; New England Apple

Council; New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association; New

Jersey Nursery & Landscape Association; New Mexico Chapter,

Colorado Nursery and Greenhouse Association; New York Apple

Association; New York Farm Bureau; New York State Flower

Industries; New York State Vegetable Growers Association;

Nezperce Prairie Grass Growers Association; Nisei Farmers

League; North American Blueberry Council; North Carolina

Dairy Producers Association; North Carolina Nursery &

Landscape Association; North Carolina Potato Association;

Northeast Dairy Farmers Cooperatives; Northeast Dairy

Producers Association, Inc.; Northern Family Farms LLP,

Merrillan, WI; Northern Plains Potato Growers Association;

Northwest Ag Cooperatives Council; Northwest Dairy

Association/Darigold; Northwest Horticultural Council.

Ohio Apple Marketing Program; Ohio Dairy Producers

Association; Ohio Fruit Growers Marketing Association; Ohio

Landscape Association; Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association;

Ohio Produce Growers Marketing Assocation; Oklahoma Nursery &

Landscape Association; Olive Growers Council of California;

Oneida-Madison Milk Producers Cooperative Association; Oregon

Association of Nurseries; Oregon Dairy Farmers Association;

Oregon Potato Commission; Pacific Northwest Christmas Tree

Association; PennAg Industries Association; Pennsylvania

Cooperative Potato Growers; Pennsylvania Landscape and

Nursery Association; Plant California Alliance; Potato

Growers of Michigan, Inc; Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc.;

Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania; Reiter

Affiliated Companies; Rhode Island Nursery and Landscape

Association; San Diego County Farm Bureau (CA); Scioto

Cooperative Milk Producers' Association; Select Milk

Producers, Inc.; Simplot; South Dakota Association of

Cooperatives; South Dakota Dairy Producers; Southeast Milk

Inc.; Southern States Cooperative; Stanislaus County Farm

Bureau (CA).

Sunkist Growers, Inc.; Sunmaid Growers of California;

Sunsweet Growers Inc.; Tennessee Farmers Cooperative; Texas

Agricultural Cooperative Council; Texas Association of

Dairymen; Texas Citrus Mutual; Texas Nursery & Landscape

Association; Tillamook County Creamery Association; Tree Top;

Tulare County Farm Bureau (CA); Turfgrass Producers

International; U.S. Apple Association; U.S. Durum Growers

Association; United Dairymen of Arizona; United Fresh Produce

Association; United Potato Growers of America; Upstate

Niagara Cooperative, Inc.; Utah Apple Marketing Board; Utah

Horticulture Association; Utah Nursery & Landscape

Association; Utah Tart Cherry Marketing Board.

Valley Fig Growers; Valley Vision (CA); Ventura County

Agricultural Association (CA); Vermont Dairy Producers

Alliance; Virginia Apple Growers Association; Virginia

Nursery & Landscape Association; Virginia State Dairymen's

Association; Washington Growers League; Washington State

Dairy Federation; Washington State Nursery & Landscape

Association; Washington State Potato Commission; Washington

State Tree Fruit Association; West Virginia Nursery &

Landscape Association; Western Growers Association; Western

Plant Health Association; Western States Dairy Producers

Association; Western United Dairies; Wine Institute;

WineAmerica; Wisconsin Landscape Contractors Association;

Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association; Yuma Fresh

Vegetable Association.

Madam Speaker, we have many others, including labor. We have the National Association of Counties, United Farm Workers, Service Employees International Union, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Madam Speaker, I include in the Record a list of organizations supporting H.R. 1603.

[From the House Committee on the Judiciary]

More Than 100 Organizations, Representing Labor Unions, Immigrants' Rights, and Business Interests Have Expressed Their Support for H.R.

1603

Labor Unions and Immigrant Rights Advocates

United Farm Workers (UFW); UFW Foundation; Farmworker

Justice; African Communities Together; America's Voice;

American Immigration Lawyers Association; Association of

Farmworker Opportunity Programs; Bend the Arc: Jewish Action;

Bipartisan Policy Center Action; Bridges Faith Initiative;

Carbondale Branch NAACP; CASA; Center for American Progress;

Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP); Central American

Resource Center of Northern CA--CARECEN SF; Centro de los

Derechos del Migrante, Inc.; Child Labor Coalition;

Children's Defense Fund; Church World Service; El Colectivo

NC; Faith in Public Life; Farmworker and Landscaper Advocacy

Project--FLAP--FWD.us; Greater New York Labor-Religion

Coalition; Health Outreach Partners; Hispanic Federation;

Immigrant Worker Project--Centro San Jose; Immigration Hub.

Justice for Migrant Women; Justice in Motion; La Union del

Pueblo Entero; Latino Service Center; Leadership Conference

of Women Religious; Legal Aid Society of Metropolitan Family

Services; LIUNA; LULAC; MI Familia Vota; Migrant Legal Aid

(Michigan); MomsRising/MamasConPoder; NAACP; National

Consumers League; National Domestic Workers Alliance;

National Immigration Forum; NC Justice Center; NETWORK Lobby

For Catholic Social Justice; New American Economy; Ohio

Immigrant Alliance; Oxfam America; PCUN; Service Employees

International Union (SEIU); The Advocates for Human Rights;

The Foundation for Farmworkers; The LIBRE Initiative; U.S.

Hispanic Leadership Institute; UndocuBlack Network; USHLI.

Business, Community, and Other Organizations

Americans for Prosperity; National Association of Counties

(NACo); National Association of State Departments of

Agriculture (NASDA); National Education Association (NEA);

Maryland Pesticide Education Network; PhDTrekkers; Rochelle

Township High School; South Central Idaho Hispanic Chamber of

Commerce; Union for Reform Judaism; U.S. Chamber of Commerce;

U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; U.S. Hispanic Chamber of

Commerce.

Madam Speaker, I ask that we come together and pass this bill. America will be stronger and better if we do.

Madam Speaker, may I inquire how much time remains on both sides?

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cuellar).

No, I do not.

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

There has been a lot of rhetoric today about the border, and I think it is important to address some of it.

First, let's get the facts straight. The uptick in apprehensions at the southern border began in April 2020, last year, long before we knew President Biden was even going to become the Democratic nominee, much less the President.

During the pandemic, the Trump administration did something that troubled me a great deal and that I objected to. They ignored the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. That was a bipartisan bill. Congressman Chris Smith from New Jersey was the lead on the Republican side. I worked on it on our side along with others. It had a very precise protocol for what to do when an unaccompanied child presented at the border, a potential trafficking victim.

Instead of following that protocol, the prior administration would simply take that child, an 11- or 12-year-old little girl, and turn her back into Mexico, not knowing what would happen to her.

Now, those children who have been in squalid camps for the last year are being addressed pursuant to the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. It is correct that we have had more children present than we were prepared to deal with, and there was a scramble to take care of those children properly. But it has nothing to do with the Farm Work Modernization Act.

I listened with some interest to the suggestion that there needs to be a change in the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act provisions of this bill. Currently, H-2A employers must comply with the H-2A program requirements, which largely meet or exceed MSPA. The primary difference is that the DOL stands in the place of the foreign farmworker in bringing forward cases of alleged violation of the H-2A program.

The Fair Labor Standards Act and a number of other Federal and State laws apply to the H-2A program, but it is worth noting that any H-2A employer that employs one or more domestic workers who perform seasonal or temporary agricultural work is already covered under MSPA, and that would be close to like all employers. This bill would formally place all employers of H-2A workers under MSPA, impacting only those who hire no domestic employees.

The idea that there needs to be a right to cure has merit, except it is already addressed in this bill because it requires mandatory mediation. If there is a problem that can be fixed, it will be fixed in the mediation system. That is quite new.

The other thing to point out is that there are no attorney's fees provided for in the bill or in MSPA, so the idea that somehow this is a windfall for the trial bar is simply incorrect.

There is a great Q&A truth setting in a publication called Hoard's Dairyman, ``What the Farm Workforce Act could mean.'' I include the article in the Record.

[From Hoard's Dairyman, Mar. 15, 2021]

What the Farm Workforce Act Could Mean

(By Bob Gray)

The Farm Workforce Modernization Act, bipartisan bill H.R.

1603, was reintroduced this week by Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren

(D-Calif.) and Congressman Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.). It could

be taken up by the full House this week.

Here are some additional details about the bill. Most of

this information came from the four Republican leads--

Representatives Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), Mike Simpson (R-

ldaho), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.), and Doug LaMalfa (R-

Calif.). Before reading further, I want to reiterate,

however, that this is a bipartisan bill with support from

both sides of the aisle.

The Farm Workforce Modernization Act (FWMA) expands the

current H-2A seasonal worker program to include full-time,

year-round workers for dairy and other agricultural

businesses.

The bill is not perfect, but it is a very good start in

providing an extremely important piece of the legislative

reform needed by dairy farmers. Right now, as you all know,

we have no program. We have never had an immigration worker

program in the past.

When the bill goes before the House next week, you will

hear various pros and cons about it in the press. Therefore,

I thought it would be useful to include a ``Facts and Myths''

sheet about the legislation so you can fully understand its

provisions and not be misled by information that is

incorrect.

This is what the Farm Workforce Modernization Act does

Simplifies H-2A by reducing duplicative paperwork--only one

filing needed instead of three.

Bureaucracy is reduced even further for many farmers with

staggered labor needs. Farmers can file one petition for the

entire season, allowing for staggered entry of H-2A workers.

Modernizes recruitment by allowing employers to post job

openings on an online job registry. No classified ads are

required.

Reduces labor costs by freezing wages for one year and

capping wage growth thereafter. The adverse effect wage rate

is replaced in later years.

Makes available 60,000 year-round H-2A visas over the first

three years, growing annually by 12.5%. Dairy is guaranteed

at least half of these visas, and any unused visas are

available for other agriculture industries.

Stabilizes the existing workforce by giving legitimate

farmworkers a chance to get a five-year Certified Agriculture

Worker (CAW) visa to work in U.S. agriculture. As long as the

worker continues to meet minimum days in agriculture

annually, the worker can continue to work in the U.S. with

unlimited five-year renewals. CAWs can cross the border as

they need without restriction.

CAWs can earn the opportunity to apply for a green card by

paying a penalty and continuing to work in agriculture for at

least eight years. If a CAW can prove 10 years of prior work

in agriculture, they can apply for a green card after four

years.

Myths and facts

MYTH: This bill will codify wage surveys into law and

result in multiple wage classes. Under this bill, wages will

be much higher than the current Adverse Effect Wage Rate

(AEWR).

FACT: This bill provides for greater certainty and

granularity in wages. First, this bill applies a one-year

freeze of wages across all categories at the current year's

rate. After the one-year freeze, all wage rates are then

limited in any increases year over year to 3.25% with the

ability to decrease 1.5%. (Exception: If the resulting wage

is less than 110% of the federal or state minimum wage, then

the wage could increase an additional percentage point to

4.25%.) After year 10, the AEWR requirement ends, and the

Secretaries of Agriculture and Labor must develop a new wage

standard with input from stakeholders. If Congress fails to

act to control and reform AEWR, some estimates have shown

AEWR rates could rise 7% to 8% annually in the coming years.

MYTH: Adjusted workers are treated immediately as U.S.

workers, thus requiring employers to hire them. This

displaces previous H-2A workers.

FACT: This bill includes a provision that allows employers

to prioritize their longtime H-2A workers over new Certified

Agriculture Workers (CAWs). CAWs have a requirement to work

in agriculture that no domestic worker has. Because of that

requirement and proven experience in agriculture work, CAWs

do receive preference over new foreign agriculture workers.

There is no expansion of the current workforce; CAW workers

are already here and working in agriculture. The bill

eliminates the legal chaos farmers and workers face today.

MYTH: This bill does not allow agricultural associations to

file as agents on behalf of their members.

FACT: This bill does not affect the ability of associations

to file as agents. The bill allows associations to file as

agents, or as a joint or sole employer of workers.

MYTH: This bill provides no relief for dairies or year-

round agriculture.

FACT: This bill creates year-round access to the H-2A

program for dairy and other agricultural sectors that

desperately need workers but have previously been unable to

utilize the program. Without this bill, year-round

agriculture has no access to a legal foreign workforce.

MYTH: This bill would create new funding for the Legal

Services Corporation.

FACT: There is no new funding in this bill for the Legal

Services Corporation.

MYTH: This bill requires farmworker housing to meet

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

standards.

FACT: Farmworker housing is already required to meet OSHA

standards, and DOL requires annual approved inspections

before approving a certification. The bill makes no changes

to that requirement, and in fact, reduces the inspection to

every two years. The bill provides $11 billion in additional

funds to

offset costs for grower-provided and other farmworker

housing.

MYTH: This bill establishes a new bureaucratic complaint/

investigation process that allows anyone to file a complaint.

FACT: There is no new process established in this bill. It

simply codifies existing regulations.

MYTH: The bill requires more reporting on employer

recruitment efforts.

FACT: There are no additional reporting requirements in

this bill, and requirements for recruitment efforts have been

simplified and modernized.

MYTH: This bill creates a new private right of action for

H-2A workers under the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural

Worker Protection Act (MSPA).

FACT: Currently, H-2A employers must comply with the H-2A

program requirements, which largely meet or exceed MSPA. The

primary difference is that DOL stands in the place of the

foreign farmworker in bringing forward cases of alleged

violations of the H-2A program, the Fair Labor Standards Act

(FLSA), and a number of other federal and state laws. In

addition, any H-2A employer that employs one or more domestic

worker who performs seasonal or temporary agricultural work

is also currently covered under MSPA. The bill would formally

place all employers of H-2A workers under MSPA (impacting

only those who currently hire no domestic employees for

seasonal or temporary work) while creating a new mandatory

mediation requirement for any claim not just filed under MSPA

but extended it to claims under the H-2A program and FLSA.

Mandatory mediation could help reduce litigation costs and

attorney fees for growers, in part by resolving frivolous

claims before reaching the court room.

MYTH: This bill gives workers up to two years to file a

legal claim against an employer, even after the worker has

returned to their home country.

FACT: Under current statue, H-2A workers already get this.

There is nothing new in this bill. Many state-based claims

have longer statute of limitations.

MYTH: This bill gives the Department of Labor (DOL) a new

ability to sue on behalf of employees.

FACT: Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), DOL

already has this ability. There is nothing new in this bill.

MYTH: To overcome a denial of labor certification, this

legislation places the burden of proof on employers to show

that domestic workers were turned away for lawful reasons.

FACT: Nothing new is in this bill. This provision already

exists under current law.

MYTH: This bill permits very limited appeals and does not

grant de novo appeals of denials or Notice of Disagreement

(NOD).

FACT: This bill allows employers to quickly fix application

deficiencies, as with current law. The bill, however,

improves this process by creating a new emergency procedure

for farmers so issues are fixed faster and workers are not

delayed. It also allows for post-certification modifications.

MYTH: This bill establishes a new requirement for employers

to provide housing for domestic workers outside of a 50-mile

distance.

FACT: The bill does not change any current housing

requirements. As with current law, the requirement to provide

housing applies only to U.S. workers who live outside of the

normal commuting distance for the area.

MYTH: The bill makes no meaningful reform to the high

housing costs in the H-2A program.

FACT: The bill makes historic investments in farmworker

housing while reducing employer costs in providing such

housing, including to H-2A workers. The bill provides $1

billion to rehabilitate existing housing, triples federal

funding for USDA Section 514/516 rural housing and grant

programs, and doubles funding for the Section 521 rental

assistance program. The bill also reduces the cost of

providing housing to H-2A workers by making operating

assistance subsidies available to 514/516 property owners who

house H-2A workers.

MYTH: Mandatory E-Verify just for agriculture means

thousands of year-round employers will have no access to

labor whatsoever.

FACT: This bill provides a way for the current workforce to

get right with the law, which means they would be compliant

with E-Verify. As noted above, the bill provides employers

with two avenues for hiring new year-round workers. The E-

Verify requirement would only apply to new hires and is

phased in, beginning three years after enactment.

MYTH: Illegal farmworkers, their spouses, and all their

dependents are provided a special, expedited path to legal,

permanent residence and will move out of agriculture and into

other jobs in the economy.

FACT: This bill does not create an immediate path to

permanent residence. First, it creates a temporary legal

status that can only be renewed with significant agricultural

work. Second, the bill provides the option of earning

permanent residence through continued agricultural work, but

it would take at a minimum five to 10 years to earn such

status, depending on the amount of past agricultural work the

worker could demonstrate. These significant past and future

work commitments would ensure the stability of American

agriculture for years to come. Spouses and dependents receive

the same protections that currently exist in the H-2A

program.

MYTH: The bill puts AEWR into law after 2029 with no

increase or decrease in caps. Keeping the AEWR for another 10

years and preserving it in statute means employers will see

no relief.

FACT: After year 10, the AEWR requirement ends, and the

Secretaries of Agriculture and Labor must develop a new wage

standard with input from stakeholders.

MYTH: The bill provides new authority for the DOL to award

back wages, penalties, and damages and/or to debar employers

from the program for five years or permanently.

FACT: The DOL already has authority to temporarily debar

bad actors. This bill would give the DOL new authority to

permanently debar individuals who have previously been

debarred and are habitual violators of the program's

requirements.

We have labored long and hard, those of us in our bipartisan group that worked to solve a problem that our country has, which is we need a stable workforce in the agricultural sector.

I thank last year's chairman of the Agriculture Committee, Collin Peterson, for the work that he did on this bill; this year's chair who also supports this bill, Mr. Scott; as well as the ranking member who said that he would vote for it even though there are some things he would like to change. It is a compromise, and it was worked on for almost over a year to get to this point.

We believe that having a legal workforce in agriculture that will give stability is not only good for those workers, but it is good for their employers, and it is good for America.

We believe that making sure that there is a future flow of a legal workforce not only into farms but now into dairy is good for America because we think immigration ought to be legal. It ought to be regularized. It ought to be orderly. That is what this bill would accomplish.

Finally, there has been a lot of talk about enforcement. This bill has enforcement in it. When the bill is implemented, we will have a strategy in a legal way to meet the needs of agriculture in America. If we have that as law, we ought to enforce that law. That is why, on a bipartisan basis, we agreed that E-Verify ought to be applied to this whole sector.

This is a package that will make America stronger. It is fair to farmworkers. It is fair to farmers. And it is good for America. I hope that people will vote for it on both sides of the aisle. So many of us worked together to bring it to this point.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise to include in the Record the following letters of support from religious organizations for H.R. 1, as amended.

Faithful Democracy,

December 4, 2020.

Hon. Nancy Pelosi,

Speaker of the House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Hon. Kevin McCarthy,

Minority Leader, House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Hon. Mitch McConnell,

Majority Leader, U.S. Senate,

Washington, DC.

Hon. Charles E. ``Chuck'' Schumer,

Minority Leader, U.S. Senate,

Washington, DC.

Dear Speaker Pelosi, Leader McConnell, Leader Schumer and

Leader McCarthy: The Faithful Democracy interfaith coalition

writes in support of the For the People Act, the

transformational democracy reform bill that would help return

power to everyday Americans. While we represent a diversity

of beliefs and traditions, we unite around the common goal of

creating a healthier, thriving democracy. The thirty national

faith-based organizations and congregations below urge

Congress to prioritize passage of this pro-voter, anti-

corruption legislation in the 117th Congress to advance the

nation towards that goal.

We recognize that, on a practical level, only a healthy,

well-functioning democracy has the capacity to attend to the

pressing needs that our faith calls us to address: the COVID

pandemic, systemic racism, climate change, hunger, violence,

poverty, healthcare and more. The challenges that face our

nation are serious and deeply concerning--and include

partisan gridlock among policy-makers. Faithful Democracy

partners are committed to structural democracy reforms that

lay a solid foundation for rebuilding our nation.

Democratic governance is the best existing system to

peacefully hold a diversity of ideas, to enable healthy

compromise among competing interests and to instill a sense

of belonging among all its members. However, ours falls short

since our democratic systems are open to manipulation by

those seeking to amass power or undercut the common good for

special interests.

The 2020 election has underscored the urgent need for

transformational democracy reform. Across the nation,

Americans experienced unprecedented voter suppression,

historic levels of dark money spent to drown out the voices

of everyday Americans, and rampant ethical abuses by special

interests. The comprehensive For the People Act addresses

many of these problems, opening the door for legislative

solutions. The bill has three overarching goals: protect and

strengthen the sacred right to vote, end the dominance of big

money in politics, and implement anti-corruption, pro-ethics

measures to clean up government.

This historic legislation passed the House of

Representatives by a wide margin in March 2019 and was

cosponsored by 46 members of the Senate. President-elect Joe

Biden has stated that a ``first priority'' of his

administration will be to lead on a comprehensive set of

democracy solutions like those reflected in the For the

People Act. House and Senate Democratic leaders have

similarly said they will prioritize this once-in-a-generation

legislation. The undersigned organizations with the Faithful

Democracy coalition urge Congress to take bipartisan action

on the election reform, anti-corruption and voting rights

provisions encompassed in the For The People Act as a first

priority in the new Congressional session.

Alliance of Baptists; American Friends Service Committee;

Church World Service; Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of

the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces; Congregation of Sisters of

St. Agnes; Creation Justice

Ministries; Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Faith in

Public Life; Faithful America; Franciscan Action Network;

Friends Committee on National Legislation; Islamic Society of

North America (ISNA); Hindus for Human Rights; Leadership

Conference of Women Religious; Mormon Women for Ethical

Government.

National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good

Shepherd; National Council of Churches; National Council of

Jewish Women; NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice; Pax

Christi USA; Poligon Education Fund; Presbyterian Church

(U.S.A.), Office of Public Witness; Religious Coalition for

Reproductive Choice; Sadhana: Coalition of Progressive

Hindus; Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Justice Team;

Society of the Sacred Heart United States Canada Province;

The United Methodist Church--General Board of Church and

Society; Union for Reform Judaism; Unitarian Universalists

for Social Justice; United Church of Christ, Justice and

Witness Ministries.

Madam Speaker, as Chairperson of the Committee on House Administration and pursuant to section 3 of Committee Resolution 117- 10, a Resolution to Establish Procedures in Contested Election Cases Properly Filed Under the Federal Contested Election Act, I am hereby including in the Record a copy of the Committee Resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I disagree with this amendment. It would strike section 4208 of H.R. 1 which requires online platforms to retain records of certain online political advertisements. According to Forbes magazine, political advertisers spent $1.6 billion online in the 2020 election--almost 10 times what they spent in 2012.

At a time when Americans are increasingly bombarded with political ads online, striking this provision is not useful and would harm the efforts of this bill to provide increased transparency in political advertising. Fundamentally, Americans deserve to know who is paying for online political ads to ensure that they are informed voters.

Digital advertising can also have a far greater reach than broadcast advertising. Online political ads are relatively inexpensive to produce and can be disseminated instantly to vast audiences across great distances without regard to geographic boundaries. It is time for our disclosure and disclaimer laws and regulations to be updated to reflect how campaigns are run in the 21st century and how to keep pace with changing technology.

The online platform records requirements in this section are key to the Honest Ads Act, which is a part of H.R. 1, designed to improve transparency in political advertising. By requiring online platforms to retain copies of political ads, everyday Americans at home will be able to see who is paying for what. These requirements are narrowly drawn and only apply to online platforms with over 50 million monthly unique visitors and to advertisers who run over $500 a year in political advertisements.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the measure and protect this important reform.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Clark).

Mr. Speaker, I would just note that the late Justice Scalia, who was not exactly one of our liberal beacons on the Court, said this: ``Requiring people to stand up in public for their political acts fosters civic courage, without which democracy is doomed.''

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin).

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz) for the purpose of a colloquy.

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to work with the gentlewoman as this bill advances towards enactment.

Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I would urge a ``no'' vote on the Lesko amendment.

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

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 179, I rise to offer amendments en bloc.

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

Mr. Speaker, this bloc of amendments provides important additions to H.R. 1 that strengthen the bill and enhance voter access.

Among the amendments in the bloc is an amendment from the gentlewoman from Virginia that would require foreign agent disclaimers to be included on social media content. This increases transparency by requiring disclaimers to be embedded on the face of a social media post itself, and those disclaimers must remain whenever the post is subsequently shared.

There are four amendments from the gentlewoman from California, including one that addresses longstanding privacy concerns of survivors of domestic and sexual abuse who want to register to vote but do not want their personal information to be publicly accessible; and a second that requires all in-person voting locations to have a sufficient number of accessible voting machines for their voters.

There is an amendment from the gentleman from California that clarifies prohibitions on polling places or ballot drop boxes that falsely purport to be an official location established for an election.

I would note that, in California, the Republican Party in southern California established drop boxes that purported to be from the registrar of voters. That was deceptive. An agreement was reached with the secretary of state that they could have the boxes, but they couldn't hold themselves out to be the registrar of voters.

H.R. 1 calls for all States to provide same-day voter registration. The gentlewoman from Michigan's amendment makes an important addition that will help ensure the successful carrying out of this requirement: States must ensure that they have adequate copies of registration forms and other relevant voter registration at polling places.

There is an amendment from the gentleman from New York that requires the GAO to conduct a study on voter turnout rates, broken down by age in States and localities that permit voters to participate in elections before the age of 18. This is an issue that merits examination, and this amendment will ensure that Congress is fully equipped to debate the issue.

There is an amendment from the gentlewoman from Illinois that would require the GAO to review small-donor campaign financing to study the extent to which the program increases opportunities for candidates of diverse racial, gender, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

There is an amendment from the gentlewoman from Georgia that would require the Director of the CFPB to work with the EAC to develop a statement providing certain individuals with information regarding voter registration and their voting rights. This commonsense reform ensures that tenants and homeowners will have easy access to voter registration and other voter-related information.

Finally, there is an amendment from the gentlewoman from California that would ensure that the bill's prohibitions against election disinformation cover false claims that voters will face civil and other legal penalties for voting.

I support these amendments, and I urge their adoption.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Underwood).

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee), my colleague on the Committee on the Judiciary.

Madam Speaker, may I inquire how much time each side has remaining?

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Virginia (Ms. Spanberger).

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Georgia (Ms. Williams), who serves in the seat of our late, beloved John Lewis.

Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close if the gentleman is ready to yield back or use the rest of his time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I include in the Record a letter from the secretary of state of Colorado, with a number of other secretary of states, urging support for this bill; and a letter from former leaders of the American Civil Liberties Union and concerned first amendment scholars urging support.

Jena Griswold,

Colorado Secretary of State,

March 2, 2021.

Hon. Nancy Pelosi,

Speaker, House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Hon. Kevin McCarthy,

Minority Leader, House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Hon. Chuck Schumer,

Majority Leader, U.S. Senate,

Washington, DC.

Hon. Mitch McConnell,

Minority Leader, U.S. Senate,

Washington, DC.

Dear Leader Schumer, Speaker Pelosi, Leader McConnell, and

Leader McCarthy: It's no accident that the 2020 elections

were the most secure in American history. A monumental effort

by election administrators--from board of elections

officials, to county clerks, to poll workers--ensured our

country's democratic process was stronger than ever, even

with the unique challenge posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the 2020 elections proved that our democracy is

resilient, the elections also showed us that they cannot be

taken for granted. Our elections were safe, secure, and

successful because countless patriotic Americans took action

to protect them. The policies that gave voters better options

to safely

register to vote and cast a ballot in the face of the

pandemic were a resounding success and must now be made

permanent.

Modernizing elections meant that eligible voters did not

have to choose between casting a ballot and risking their

health. It also resulted in record turnout for both parties.

Policies like vote-by mail for all and early voting saw

resounding success in states and municipalities across the

country. Now, only Congress can ensure that every eligible

voter across America has access to these voting options in

the future. That's why we need to immediately enact the For

The People Act (H.R. 1) into law.

The For The People Act offers a comprehensive path to

securing and modernizing American democracy for generations

to come. The bill provides clear guidance for all 50 states

and the District of Columbia to implement election processes

that work for administrators and voters alike, and its

adoption into law is critical to the future of American

elections. Proven policies such as automatic and same-day

voter registration will remove administrative obstacles for

eligible voters while maintaining up-to-date and accurate

voter rolls. Voter-verified paper ballots will ensure every

vote is accurately recorded and allow administrators to run

key audits to verify election results. Other provisions, such

as independent redistricting commissions to combat

gerrymandering and shining light on dark money, will further

strengthen the integrity of our elections.

As the chief elections officials in our respective states,

and as the administrators who will be tasked with executing

many of the policies proposed in H.R. 1, we can confidently

state that this bill is designed to make our democracy

stronger and safer than ever. We proudly and firmly support

the For The People Act, and we strongly recommend its passage

in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate.

Sincerely,

Katie Hobbs, Arizona Secretary of State; Shirley Weber,

California Secretary of State; Jena Griswold, Colorado

Secretary of State; Denise Merrill, Connecticut Secretary of

State; Kimberly Bassett, Secretary of the District of

Columbia; Shenna Bellows, Maine Secretary of State; Jocelyn

Benson, Michigan Secretary of State; Steve Simon, Minnesota

Secretary of State; Maggie Toulouse Oliver, New Mexico

Secretary of State; Shemia Fagan, Oregon Secretary of State;

Nellie Gorbea, Rhode Island Secretary of State; Jim Condos,

Vermont Secretary of State.

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

I appreciate that the ranking member has shown us this chart because he has proven that all of the Republican Members claiming that there was tax money funding the pilot project for the small matching donors were wrong.

This is a pilot project that is funded by an additional fine on corporate wrongdoing. It doesn't take money away from anything else. It is an additional fine that, if H.R. 1 doesn't pass, will not be imposed.

I was interested to hear our colleague from New Jersey say it is your money that will be used. Well, it is only your money if you are a corporate malfeasance individual, a corporate wrongdoer that gets fined; and I don't think very many of us have sympathy for that crew.

I would like to just give some perspective here because all over the United States, because of the pandemic, efforts were made to allow for people to vote and not have to endanger their health. So absentee voting became more of the norm. There were more early voting efforts, a lot of things of that nature, because of the pandemic.

And what happened?

There was a huge increase in turnout, both among Republicans and Democrats. It was a safe and secure election, the most safe and secure election in modern history. There wasn't a bunch of fraud.

Some of my colleagues said that people don't trust our system.

Why is that?

Because there are politicians in this country that are misleading the American public about that election. And I would say the former President is first among them, telling things that are not true and convincing people of that.

So now that we have had this huge turnout because of the pandemic, we are seeing States--Republicans, I must say, unfortunately, all over the United States trying to cut off access to the ballot.

In Georgia, they just passed a whole slew of voter restriction measures to try and tamp down turnout, and we see hundreds of bills being introduced to do that.

I urge a ``yes'' vote on this en bloc and on the underlying bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that in the engrossment of H.R. 1, the Clerk be authorized to correct section numbers, punctuation, spelling, and cross-references and to make such other technical and conforming changes as may be necessary to reflect the actions of the House.

Madam Speaker, I rise to acknowledge the 90th anniversary of the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (``NLS''). Established by a 1931 Act of Congress, the NLS administers a free national library program that provides braille and recorded materials to people who cannot see or handle traditional print materials through a national network of cooperating libraries. Since its establishment, the NLS has remained a leading force in the national effort to increase the access of those with low vision, blindness, or other print disabilities to reading materials and a shining example for similar programs around the world.

Initially established as a program to serve only blind adults, the NLS was expanded in 1952 to include children, in 1966 to include individuals with other physical disabilities that prevent reading traditional print materials, and in 2016 to permit NLS to provide refreshable braille displays. Under a special provision of the U.S. Copyright Law, and with the permission of authors and publishers of works not covered by that provision, NLS selects books and magazines for full-length publication in braille, e-braille, and digital audio format. These materials (along with free playback equipment needed to ready audiobooks and magazines) are circulated to patrons within the United States and its territories and to American citizens living abroad. The program continues to expand in both its reach and capabilities, now allowing for instantly downloadable digital audio and e-braille materials via the NLS mobile applications and allowing patrons to request accessible materials in a wide range of languages from libraries around the world.

The banner atop the NLS webpage announces the service's noble mission: ``That All May Read.'' Over the past 90 years, the NLS, which updated its name from the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped in 2019, has been steadfast in its efforts to accomplish this mission, ensuring that no person be denied the joy of literature and reading because of blindness or disability. The impact of the NLS over the past 90 years has been vast and far-reaching and I look forward to witnessing what the NLS will accomplish with another 90 years. On behalf of all of us in this House, congratulations to the National Library Service and to those who work tirelessly to make the NLS's outstanding mission a reality. Many thanks for all their good work.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 179, I call up the bill (H.R. 1) to expand Americans' access to the ballot box, reduce the influence of big money in politics, strengthen ethics rules for public servants, and implement other anti-corruption measures for the purpose of fortifying our democracy, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on H.R. 1 into the Record.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1, the For the People Act of 2021. Today, we can deliver this to the American people. We can deliver the gold standard of reforms to protect the right of Americans to vote. We can take a huge step to fulfill that promise in our Constitution of a more perfect Union.

More voters cast a ballot in the 2020 election than in history, in an election that has been called the most secure in American history by election security experts.

The last election, conducted during a once-in-a-generation pandemic, saw changes that made it easier for many Americans to vote, with reforms like absentee voting and early voting. It also put into stark focus what many of us already knew: deep inequities persist in our democratic system.

Now comes the backlash to the increase in voter participation. That record turnout, with no credible instances of election irregularity, stimulated hundreds of bills in State legislatures to make it harder for Americans to vote in the future.

We should protect access to the ballot, not restrict it. H.R. 1 gives voters choices for how to cast their ballot. They want and need that.

The bill has a minimum of 15 days of early voting, minimum standards for the number and location of ballot drop boxes, and a national standard for no-excuse absentee voting. It improves access for voters with disabilities, addresses challenges faced by Native American voters living on Tribal lands, and improves access for uniformed and overseas voters.

H.R. 1 ends the practice of disenfranchising Americans with a prior felony conviction who are no longer incarcerated. It unrigs the drawing of congressional district lines by requiring independent redistricting commissions, removing politics from the process and creating fairer maps.

H.R. 1 begins to remove the advantages of dark money and secret donors and lets our neighbors and communities regain their voice to fully participate in our political system.

H.R. 1 will amplify the voices of small donors with an alternative, voluntary matching system for financing campaigns by empowering small- dollar contributors, without any taxpayer funds.

The bill will save money and bolster the integrity of election administration. It makes improvements to our election security and requires States to use individual, durable, voter-verified paper ballots, a simple safeguard from cybersecurity threats that ensures an auditable paper trail.

H.R. 1 will also strengthen congressional and executive branch ethical standards.

Democracy is resilient, but the falsehoods spread in the lead-up to and following the 2020 election, as well as the shocking events right here on January 6, showed us all that democracy requires us to defend it.

I urge all my colleagues to support H.R. 1 and ensure all Americans have an equal voice in our democracy.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline).

Madam Speaker, I would just note for the record that I am not worried about the administrators in Georgia. I am worried about the legislature in Georgia that just passed restrictions cutting Sunday early voting and absentee voting and restricting the use of drop boxes to suppress the vote.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Georgia (Mrs. McBath).

Madam Speaker, I am delighted to yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Georgia (Ms. Bourdeaux), a new member of our House.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett).

Madam Speaker, I yield the gentleman from Texas an additional 30 seconds.

Madam Speaker, I am happy to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Levin).

Madam Speaker, I am honored to yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. Craig).

Madam Speaker, may I inquire as to the time remaining?

Madam Speaker, I am delighted to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Jones), who is a new Member from New York and an expert in election law.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Leger Fernandez). It is an honor to recognize her as a member of the Committee on House Administration and one of the newest Members in the House, but an accomplished attorney.

Madam Speaker, it is interesting to listen to some of the comments that are made here this morning. We have talked a lot about Article I, Section 4, that says that the Congress may at any time regulate these elections. But what is the basis for that? It is really Article IV, Section 4, which says, ``The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government.''

If a majority of voters vote and their votes are not powerful, they are not counted. Or if Americans are prohibited from voting, even though they should be able to cast their vote, that is not a Republican form of government. So what we are doing here is the most important thing we could do, which is to preserve our American democracy.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer).

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen), chairman of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Mrs. Trahan).

Madam Speaker, I just received word that the legendary civil rights leader Vernon Jordan has passed. In addition to our beloved John Lewis, I feel we are considering this bill in his memory and also to honor those who came before us who worked so hard to preserve our American democracy.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the Speaker of the House.

Madam Speaker, I include in the Record a number of letters, the first from more than 150 groups urging support for the For the People Act, including the American Friends Service Committee, the Center for Disability Rights, Common Cause, Franciscan Action Network, the League of Conservation Voters, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice and the Sierra Club.

Declaration for American

Democracy,

February 5, 2021.

Re More than one hundred and fifty Groups urge support for

the For the People Act (H.R. 1/S. 1).

Dear Member of Congress: On behalf of the below

organizations representing tens of millions of Americans, we

write in strong support of H.R. 1/S. 1, the For the People

Act. This transformational democracy reform package would

help return power to everyday American families and amplify

the voices of communities that have historically been

marginalized in our democracy.

For far too long, special interests, wealthy donors, and

vote suppressors have dominated our politics and attempted to

silence the voices of everyday Americans, especially in Black

and Brown communities. The For the People Act would help

shift power away from bad actors and transfer it to ``we the

people.''

The 2020 election has underscored the urgent need for

transformational democracy reform. Across the nation,

Americans experienced unprecedented voter suppression,

historic levels of dark money spent to drown out the voices

of everyday Americans, and rampant ethical abuses. One bill,

the For the People Act, addresses many of these problems.

Therefore, we are urging Congress to make this pro-voter,

anti-corruption legislation a first priority in the 117th

Congress.

Common-sense reforms in the For the People Act, most of

which are deeply popular across the political spectrum and

have passed in many states and localities, aim to accomplish

three overarching goals: (1) protecting and strengthening the

sacred right to vote, (2) ending the dominance of big money

in politics, and (3) implementing anti-corruption, pro-ethics

measures to clean up government.

Many of the critical issues that our nation faces--ensuring

quality, affordable health care, creating good paying jobs,

combating climate change, and achieving racial justice, to

name just a few--cannot be fully solved until we fix our

broken democracy. Wealthy special interests have too strong

of a grip on the status quo, and we need to first unlock this

stranglehold that they have on our political system.

We therefore urge you to support and vote for H.R. 1/S. 1,

the For the People Act, early in the 117th Congress to help

put the people back in charge of our democracy.

Sincerely,

Declaration for American Democracy (DFAD), African American

Ministers In Action, American Federation of Teachers (AFT),

American Friends Service Committee, American Promise,

Americans for Financial Reform, Americans for Tax Fairness,

Bend The Arc, Brady United Against Gun Violence, Brennan

Center for Justice, Center for American Progress, Center for

Disability Rights, Center for Media and Democracy, Center for

Popular Democracy, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in

Washington (CREW), Clean Water Action, Climate Law & Policy

Project, Climate Reality Project, Coalition to Stop Gun

Violence, Common Cause.

Communications Workers of America, Congregation of Our Lady

of Charity of the Good

Shepherd, U.S. Provinces; DC Vote, Defend Democracy, DemCast

USA, Democracy 21, Democracy Initiative, Democracy Matters,

Democratic Policy Center, Earthjustice, Earthworks,

Endangered Species Coalition, End Citizens United // Let

America Vote Action Fund, Equal Citizens, Faith in Public

Life, Faithful America, Fix Democracy First, Franciscan

Action Network, Free Speech For People, Friends of the Earth

U.S., Government Accountability Project.

Green Latinos, Greenpeace USA, Herd on the Hill, Hispanic

Federation, JPIC Committee of USA/Haiti Province of Religious

of Jesus and Mary, Ladies Who Launch, Lawyers for Good

Government (L4GG), Leadership Conference of Women Religious,

League of Conservation Voters, League of Women Voters of the

United States, Main Street Alliance, March for Our Lives,

Maryknoll Sisters, Mi Familia Vota, Moms Demand Action,

MomsRising, NARAL Pro-Choice America, National Advocacy

Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, National

Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities,

National Association of Social Workers.

National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC),

National Council of Jewish Women, Natural Resources Defense

Council, Network for Responsible Public Policy, NETWORK Lobby

for Catholic Social Justice, New American Leaders/New

American Leaders Action Fund, Oil Change U.S., Pax Christi

USA, People Demanding Action, People For the American Way,

People's Action, Poligon Education Fund, Population

Connection, Pride at Work, Progressive Turnout Project,

Protect Democracy, Public Citizen, Public Wise, Publish What

You Pay-US, Reclaim Our Democracy, Rock the Vote, Service

Employees International Union (SEIU).

Sierra Club, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Justice Team,

Small Planet Institute, Stand Up America, Stand for Children,

The Loyal Opposition, The Workers Circle, Transparency

International U.S. Office, Unitarian Universalist

Association, Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice,

United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, URGE:

Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity, Vote.org, We Are

Casa, Woman's National Democratic Club, #VOTEPROCHOICE, 20/20

Vision.

Selected State/Local Organizations

Arizona

Arizona Advocacy Network

Chispa Arizona

Fuerte Arts Movement

Living United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA)

National Council of Jewish Women Arizona

Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona

Progress Arizona

Rural Arizona Action

Sierra Club--Grand Canyon (Arizona) Chapter

Nevada

Chispa Nevada

MPower 360

Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada

Silver State Equality-Nevada

New Hampshire

Coalition for Open Democracy and Open Democracy Action

Indivisible New Hampshire

New Hampshire Independent Voters

NH Ranked Choice Voting

New Hampshire Voters Restoring Democracy

New Hampshire Youth Movement

NH Sierra Club

350 New Hampshire

603 Forward

Virginia

Activate Virginia

Arlington Young Democrats

Indivisible Below the Beltway

Madison County Democratic Committee

Network NOVA

Persist Fairfax

RepresentUS Virginia--The Clean Money Squad

RISE for Youth

SW Poor People's Campaign

Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington Virginia

Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of Virginia

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax

Virginia Coalition of Human Rights

Virginia Democracy Forward (VADF)

Virginia Justice Democrats

Virginia Political Cooperative

Winchester Frederick County Democratic Committee

West Virginia

Catholic Committee of Appalachia

Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action

National Association of Social Workers West Virginia

Chapter

National Rural Social Work Caucus (WV)

OVEC-Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition

Our Future West Virginia

RiseUpWV

West Virginia Environmental Council

West Virginia Poor People's Campaign

Women's March West Virginia

WV Citizens for Clean Elections

WV Citizen Action Group

WV Working Families Party

Madam Speaker, I will include in the Record more letters in support of this legislation, H.R. 1. I also include letters from the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and a letter from attorneys general around the United States: the attorneys general of Maryland, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington. The attorneys general of all of these States have written in support of H.R. 1.

The Leadership Conference

on Civil and Human Rights,

January 19, 2021.

Support H.R. 1, the For the People Act

Dear Representative: On behalf of The Leadership Conference

on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition of more than 220

national organizations committed to promoting and protecting

the civil and human rights of all persons in the United

States, and the 82 undersigned organizations, we write in

strong support of H.R. 1, the For the People Act. We are

pleased that the incoming Senate leadership has today

announced it intends to introduce this critical bill as S. 1.

The For the People Act represents a transformative vision

for American democracy. It would create a democracy that

welcomes every eligible voter's chance to participate in

civic life and a democracy that demands integrity, fairness,

and transparency in our nation's elections. For far too long,

voter suppression has been a shameful reality in our

country--undercutting the power and representation of African

Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders,

Native Americans, people with disabilities, Arab Americans,

and other communities historically excluded from our

political process. The ability to meaningfully participate in

our democracy is a racial justice issue. It is a civil rights

issue. And the need for legislative action is urgent. The

U.S. House of Representatives passed the For the People Act

in March 20 I 9, and we are pleased that Speaker Pelosi has

committed to making this bill a top priority in the new

Congress.

The recent and deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol by far-

right extremists attempting to overturn the free, fair, and

secure 2020 presidential election was a catastrophic reminder

of the fragility of our democracy. This violent insurrection

did not happen in a vacuum. It was paired with numerous

hurdles that voters faced during the pandemic-plagued 2020

election cycle and exacerbated by the relentless efforts by

President Trump to undermine election integrity, impose

barriers to the ballot box, and discount the votes of

communities of color. These experiences reinforce the urgent

need to repair our democratic system. The historic voter

turnout in the November election despite these challenges

demonstrated the determination and resilience of the American

people.

Not every flaw in our democracy can be easily fixed, but

there are strong and ready solutions to many of the most

significant voting rights problems. H.R. 1 would enhance and

ensure democracy in America by establishing many critical

reforms in federal elections, including:

Ensuring early voting and polling place notice: H.R. 1

would require at least 15 consecutive days of in-person early

voting including weekends, for a minimum of 10 hours each

day, and ensure that early voting polling places are

accessible by public transportation. The bill would also

require that voters be given a minimum of seven days' notice

if their polling place location is changed.

Safeguarding the right to vote by mail: Sixteen states

require voters to provide an excuse as to why they are unable

to vote in person on election day in order to receive an

absentee ballot. This practice is designed to impede the vote

and was particularly galling during the COVID-19 pandemic.

H.R. I would eliminate such restrictions on the right to vote

by mail. The bill would require the prepayment of postage by

the government on return envelopes for absentee ballots or

voter registration forms.

Reforming voter registration: Nearly 20 percent of people

who are eligible but do not vote cite registration hurdles as

the main reason for not voting. H.R. 1 would modernize

America's voter registration system and improve access to the

ballot box by requiring states to establish automatic voter

registration (``AVR''), same day registration (``SDR''), and

online voter registration for voters across the country, and

by ensuring that all voter registration systems are inclusive

and accessible for people with disabilities. A YR alone could

add an estimated 50 million people to the voter rolls, and

SDR increases voter turnout by roughly 10 percent.

Ensuring reasonable wait times to vote: Voters in some

states last year were forced to stand in line for more than

10 hours to vote, and recent studies have shown that such

barriers occur more frequently in communities of color. H.R.

I would require states to ensure that voters do not have to

wait longer than 30 minutes to cast their ballot at a polling

place.

Permitting voting without a photo ID: Between 2010 and

2020, 16 states enacted strict voter identification laws.

H.R. I requires states to allow registered voters in states

with a photo ID requirement to sign a sworn affidavit to vote

if they lack a photo ID.

Requiring access to drop boxes: During the 2020 election

cycle, some states politicized and limited the use of drop

boxes. H.R. 1 would require states to provide secure drop

boxes as an option for voters casting absentee ballots.

Restoring voting rights for formerly incarcerated people:

H.R. I would restore voting rights for people with felony

convictions who have finished their sentence, a necessary

repudiation of our nation's discriminatory and racially

violent past. This would re-enfranchise approximately 4.7

million voters nationwide. Reforming felony

disenfranchisement has strong bipartisan support; in 2018, 65

percent of Florida voters cast their ballots to restore the

right to vote for over 1.4 million people.

Combating voter purging: H.R. 1 would overturn the Supreme

Court's troubling 2018 decision in Husted v. A. Philip

Randolph Institute that allowed Ohio to conduct massive

purges from its voter rolls based on non-voting in past

elections. Such practices disproportionately target and

remove traditionally marginalized people from registration

rolls. Voting should not be a ``use it or lose it'' right.

Prohibiting deceptive practices and voter intimidation:

H.R. 1 would ban the distribution of false information about

elections to hinder or discourage voting. This provision is

particularly important in an era in which Facebook, Twitter,

and other digital platforms have been readily manipulated to

spread misinformation about elections and voting rights to

vulnerable communities. The bill would also increase the

criminal penalties for intimidating a voter for the purpose

of interfering with their right to vote or causing them to

vote for or against a candidate.

Reforming redistricting: H.R. 1 would be a milestone in the

battle against the extreme partisan gerrymandering our

country has witnessed in recent years, by requiring states to

draw congressional districts using independent redistricting

commissions that are bipartisan and reflect the demographic

diversity of the region. It would establish fair

redistricting criteria and safeguard voting rights for

communities of color.

Modernizing election administration: H.R. 1 would

reauthorize the Election Assistance Commission--an

independent, bipartisan commission that plays a vital role in

ensuring the reliability and security of voting equipment

used in our nation's elections. It would also promote

election reliability and security by requiring voter-verified

permanent paper ballots and enhanced poll worker recruitment

and training. And H.R. 1 would prohibit state election

administrators from taking an active part in a political

campaign over which they have supervisory authority.

Committing to restoring the Voting Rights Act (``VRA''):

H.R. 1 contains a commitment to restoring the landmark VRA

and updating its preclearance provision, which is crucial to

prevent racial discrimination in the voting process. VRA

restoration is being pursued on a separate legislative track

that will involve investigatory and evidentiary hearings,

thus enabling Congress to update the preclearance coverage

formula and develop a full record on the continuing problem

of racial discrimination in voting. In 2006, the VRA was

reauthorized on a unanimous vote in the Senate and a near-

unanimous vote in the House. We need the same type of broad

and bipartisan support for restoring the VRA today.

H.R. 1 would also make significant advances in the areas of

campaign finance and ethics reform. It would correct the

rampant corruption flowing from the corrosive power of money

in our elections. It would replace the current campaign

finance system that empowers the super-rich and big

corporations with one that relies on small donors and public

matching funds. It would end secret election spending and

force disclosure of all election-related spending. And it

would call for a constitutional amendment to overturn the

disturbing Citizens United decision that made it

impossible to restrict outside spending by corporations or

billionaires. In addition, H.R. 1 addresses our government

ethics crisis by, among other things, requiring the

development of a code of conduct for Supreme Court

Justices to enhance accountability on ethics and recusal

issues; overhauling the Office of Government Ethics to

strengthen federal ethics oversight; establishing more

robust conflict of interest requirements for government

officials; prohibiting members of Congress from using

taxpayer dollars to settle allegations of employment

discrimination; and requiring presidents to disclose their

tax returns.

The For the People Act provides a North Star for the

democracy reform agenda. It is a bold, comprehensive reform

package that offers solutions to a broken democracy.

Repairing and modernizing our voting system goes hand in hand

with reforms that address the rampant corruption flowing from

the corrosive power of money in our elections, and reforms

that address the myriad ethical problems that plague all

three branches of the federal government. The reforms in the

For the People Act are necessary to advance racial justice

and ensure that our government works for all people, not just

a powerful few.

Congress must also pass two other essential racial justice

and democracy reform bills: the John Lewis Voting Rights

Advancement Act--which would restore a critical provision of

the Voting Rights Act gutted by the Supreme Court's infamous

2013 Shelby County v. Holder decision--and the Washington,

D.C. Admission Act, which would grant long overdue statehood

status to the nation's capital.

Shortly before his death last year, Representative Lewis

remarked: ``In our country, the right to vote is precious--

almost sacred. Countless people marched and protested for

this right. Some gave a little blood, and far too many lost

their lives. Around the globe, generations of U.S. officials

boasted of this legacy and progress. Today, the world is

horrified in watching Americans--especially people of color--

once again stand in immovable lines and experience

undeniable, targeted, systematic barriers to democracy . . .

. Time is of the essence to preserve the integrity and

promises of our democracy.''

Congress and the Biden-Harris administration must heed this

call. As the 2020 election cycle and the recent violent

assault on the U.S. Capitol made abundantly clear, our

democracy is vulnerable and is in dire need of protection. We

must enact transformational change to build a democracy that

works for everyone. The civil and human rights coalition is

strongly committed to expanding the franchise and fixing our

democracy, and we urge both chambers of Congress to pass the

For the People Act as early as possible in the 117th

Congress.

Sincerely,

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights,

American Federation of State; County, and Municipal

Employees, American Federation of Teachers, American-Arab

Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), Americans for Democratic

Action (ADA), Andrew Goodman Foundation, Appleseed Network,

Arab American Institute, Association of People Supporting

Employment First (APSE), Autistic Self Advocacy Network, Blue

Future, BOLD ReThink, Brennan Center for Justice at NYU

School of Law, Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP),

Clearinghouse on Women's Issues, Common Cause, Communications

Workers of America, Daily Kos, Declaration for American

Democracy, DemCast USA, Democracy 21.

Demos, End Citizens United/Let America Vote Action Fund,

Equal Justice Society, Equality California, Faith In Public

Life, Family Equality, Feminist Majority Foundation, GLSEN,

Government Accountability Project, Impact Fund, In Our Own

Voice: National Black Women's Reproductive Justice Agenda,

Iota Phi Lambda Sorority Inc., Psi Chapter, Iota Phi Lambda

Sorority-Epsilon Phi, Iota Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc., Iowa

Citizens for Community Improvement, Japanese American

Citizens League, Justice for Migrant Women, Justice in Aging,

Kansas Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, Lambda Legal,

Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

League of Women Voters of the US, Missouri Voter Protection

Coalition, MomsRising, NAACP, National Action Network,

National Association of Human Rights Workers, National

Association of Social Workers, National CAPACD--National

Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development,

National Center for Law and Economic Justice, National Center

for Lesbian Rights, National Council of Jewish Women,

National Education Association, National Employment Law

Project, National Equality Action Team (NEAT), National

Homelessness Law Center, National Organization for Women,

National Partnership for Women & Families, National Women Of

Achievement, Incorporated National Workrights Institute.

Oxfam America, Patriotic Millionaires, People For the

American Way, People's Parity Project, PFLAG National, Prison

Policy Initiative, Progressive Turnout Project, Public

Citizen, Public Justice, Rock the Vote, SC Appleseed Legal

Justice Center, Service Employees International Union (SEIU),

Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF),

Silver State Equality-Nevada, Texas Progressive Action

Network, The United Methodist Church--General Board of Church

and Society, True North Research, UnidosUS, URGE: Unite for

Reproductive & Gender Equity, When We All Vote, Wisconsin

Faith Voices for Justice, Women Lawyers On Guard Action

Network, Inc.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Sarbanes), who is the author of H.R. 1.

Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland.

Madam Speaker, may I ask how much time is remaining on each side?

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Scanlon), who is a member of the House Judiciary Committee.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time is remaining?

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

Madam Speaker, there have been a number of statements made on the floor today that were hair-on-fire inaccurate, and 5 minutes would not be enough to actually correct the mistakes and the incorrect comments that have been made, but let me just address a couple of them.

I keep hearing ``speech czar.'' I must confess, when I first heard that, I thought, what the heck are they talking about? Then I looked at the rhetoric, and it appears that there is an objection to section 603 of the bill, which allows the chair of the FEC and other commissioners to take certain actions.

Now, it has nothing to do with being a speech czar. There is no connection with that. To suggest that the FEC doing its job is somehow becoming a speech czar is just not correct.

I have heard a lot of comments about the voucher program. People have objected to our tax dollars being spent. Well, here is the good news: There are no tax dollars being spent in this program. It is a pilot project that allows for a matching system to see whether small donors can actually empower more diversity and empower the voices of ordinary Americans as compared to the big interests.

It is not funded by taxpayer funds, and it is not funded from a source that

could be used for anything else in the government. It is an additional penalty to corporations that have done wrong and are fined. There will be an additional fine to fund this pilot project.

I have heard that somehow H.R. 1 would allow the IRS to go after conservative groups. That is not true. Section 4501 simply repeals the prohibition that prevents the IRS from examining the meaning of social welfare in the context of 501(c)(4) organizations. That is about any group that misuses the Tax Code for politics, pretending to be a social welfare group, whatever their ideology. It never made sense to preclude the IRS from doing this job. That would be like prohibiting the FEC from administering the Federal elections code.

Voter ID: Members act as if that is just a piece of cake. Well, 11 percent of eligible voters in the United States don't have an ID, and they can't get it because they don't have the money to pay for the underlying documents that would be necessary to get that ID. And those 11 percent are disproportionately senior citizens, young people, people with disabilities, low-income voters. So what is the alternative? They sign under penalty of perjury. They can be prosecuted for a felony if they are lying.

Ballot harvesting: There is no such thing as harvesting ballots. It is about getting someone you trust to turn in your ballot for you if you can't do it yourself. We have had that in California for many years. I will note that Republican candidates used that extensively in California this year. There was no evidence of fraud when they did it, and there was no evidence of fraud when Democrats did it. You give your ballot to your neighbor, if you wish. The neighbor has to sign, and they turn it in for you. That is not fraud, and it is not a problem.

Finally, I just want to address the issue of so-called Federal overreach. The Constitution of the United States, Article I, Section 4 says this: ``The times, places, and manner of holding elections for Senators and Representatives shall be prescribed in each State by the legislature thereof,'' but here is the important next section, ``but the Congress may at any time by law make or alter such regulations.'' And that is what we are doing in H.R. 1.

I think it is interesting that earlier this year the Republican Study Committee endorsed the Save Democracy Act. That legislation would establish national standards for prohibiting automatic voter registration, to make it hard to cast a ballot, to impose restrictive rules on vote tabulation. So, I guess that overreach only matters to my colleagues if it empowers voters, not if it restricts voters.

For too long, this Chamber has been silent, and this silence has harmed the people. We need to stop that silence and vote ``yes'' on

Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 179, I offer amendments en bloc.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, this bloc of amendments provides important additions to H.R. 1 that strengthen the bill and enhance voter access.

This bloc includes, for example, an amendment from the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania that requires States to ensure that there are polling places during the early voting period on college campuses. This will help young people to engage in our elections and will likely help boost youth turnout.

It also includes an amendment from the gentlewoman from North Carolina that will help ensure the timely delivery of absentee ballots by the Postal Service. It calls for the Postal Service to perform same- day processing of ballots when they are received at a postal facility.

Also included is an amendment from the gentlewoman from Georgia that supports access to the franchise. It implements voter protections by ensuring that States cannot prohibit access to voting materials provided by third parties, such as get-out-the-vote organizations.

There is also an amendment from the gentleman from Pennsylvania that allows for voter education information at naturalization ceremonies for newly sworn-in citizens. That will help educate and inform new citizens about the opportunities to register to vote.

Finally, there is an amendment from the gentlewoman from Texas that exempts cybersecurity assistance, including assistance in responding to threats or harassment online, from limits on coordinated political party expenditures.

Madam Speaker, I support these amendments. I urge their adoption, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Auchincloss), a new member of the House who has two amendments encompassed in this en bloc amendment.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Missouri (Ms. Bush), a new Member of Congress and a member of the House Judiciary Committee, who I serve with.

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

Just a few points. As I am sure the gentleman from Illinois knows, we had a markup last year on H.R. 1, and one of the issues raised was the propriety of having taxpayer dollars fund the pilot program, the matching program.

And we agreed--we agreed with that observation. So we changed it. We made an amendment to address that concern.

It is not an additional--an existing fund. If a corporation does wrong and is assessed a fine, there is an additional fine hit on that bad-doing corporation that would fund the pilot project. And if there aren't enough bad-doers to actually fully fund the program, the program is scaled back. There is no taxpayer money in this program.

These amendments in this bill address things that are important. And let me just reference the letter from the attorneys general that I included in the Record earlier. We are talking about what is happening right now, and this is what they state:

``. . . State legislators have seized upon former President Trump's baseless voter fraud allegations to curtail mail-in voting options, impose stringent voter ID requirements, limit voter registration opportunities, and allow even more aggressive purging of voter rolls. In the wake of a safe and secure election, which enabled greater levels of voter participation than in over a century, we should be building on this progress, not dismantling it.''

And that is what this act would do. They go on to say:

``The act includes several measures that would neutralize these cynical efforts at voter suppression. . . .''

Madam Speaker, I think we should recognize that what is going on in State legislatures around the United States right now is, in fact, what the attorneys general have said, a cynical effort to suppress the vote, because we have the greatest voter turnout in American history with the new tools that the pandemic actually led us to: a broader opportunity to cast your vote by absentee, a broader opportunity to vote early.

We had great turnout. And I don't know in the end which party will benefit when more Americans vote.

Could it be the Republicans? Could it be the Democrats?

I don't know. But I do know this: Who will win is America. America wins when all Americans have a chance to cast their vote.

So, once again, I would like to thank the attorneys general of Maryland, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, and Washington for standing up for the rule of law, for pointing out that H.R. 1 will lead to clean elections, and that American democracy needs repairing, and this bill will repair it.

Madam Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the en bloc amendments, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 179, I rise to offer amendments en bloc No. 2.

Madam Speaker, my Republican colleagues are the authors of all of the amendments included in this en bloc, and I think these amendments represent a number of thoughtful amendments that will improve the bill.

Included is an amendment that exempts any State that does not utilize voter registration on the enactment date of this act and continuously thereafter from complying with voter registration requirements in the act.

This is reasonable, as North Dakota does not have voter registration. As the State does not require voter registration, it is reasonable not to force them to begin doing so now.

There is also an amendment in this en bloc that requires a report to Congress on the impact of widespread mail-in voting on the suffrage of Active Duty military servicemembers, how quickly their votes are counted and whether the high volumes of mail-in votes makes it harder for those individuals to vote.

Republicans and Democrats alike, can agree that insights into how to better secure our election infrastructure are needed to protect our democracy.

Included in this en bloc is an amendment to require a report to Congress on the data collection practices; the required necessary security resources; and the impact of a potential data breach of local, State, or Federal online voter registration systems.

Additionally, there is an amendment directing the Election Assistance Commission to study the use of blockchain technology to enhance election security. I hope that study will include the use of electricity in the creation of blockchain technology.

Much of H.R. 1's provisions are aimed at restoring the American public's faith in the government by improving ethics standards imposed on public officials.

An amendment included in this en bloc would require ethics waivers granted by Congress to the executive branch officials to be disclosed, and require members of the Presidential transition team to disclose nongovernmental positions they have held in the year prior to starting their service on the transition team.

I thank my colleagues on the other side of the aisle for putting forward these amendments, and I believe it will gather bipartisan support.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, as I said in my opening remarks, we believe these amendments are reasonable ones. I support them, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Missouri (Ms. Bush) for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I would just like to note that the underlying bill provides that once individuals are re-enfranchised, they may vote. And H.R. 1 also ends the practice of so-called prison gerrymandering, where persons who are incarcerated are counted where they are incarcerated not in their home districts, even though they cannot vote there.

Now, I know different people have different viewpoints on this amendment. The committee Democrats have no official position, but speaking just personally, I feel there is merit to this amendment. If you are going to count the individuals for redistricting purposes in their prisons, then I think they have to be allowed to vote there, or else that entire scheme is completely wrong.

Madam Speaker, further, it occurs to me that those who oppose it think that denying a vote would somehow be a deterrent to criminal conduct. In fact,

empowering people to be full citizens encourages rehabilitation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to oppose the amendment.

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

Mr. Speaker, this amendment would strike subtitle C of title III, the election security title in H.R. 1, which requires the President to produce a national strategy for protecting U.S. democratic institutions. It also creates a national commission to protect United States democratic institutions to counter threats.

In light of the evidence of foreign interference in the 2016, 2018, and 2020 Federal elections, the Federal Government needs a coordinated approach to protect and secure our democracy. While our election infrastructure officials have said that the 2020 election was the most secure in history, we know it is not because our foreign adversaries are no longer attempting to interfere in our elections. They will continue their efforts, and we must take steps to ensure our elections continue to be secure.

This provision in H.R. 1 is important to that endeavor. The national strategy will provide guidance on how to protect against cyberattacks, influence operations, disinformation campaigns, and other activities that could undermine the security and integrity of United States democratic institutions.

The purpose of the national commission to protect the United States democratic institutions is to counter efforts to undermine democratic institutions within the United States. The national strategy and commission will be important to protecting the integrity of our elections and preventing foreign interference in our democracy.

Mr. Speaker, we must stay vigilant. Our enemies are not resting, and neither are we. This provision is an important part of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the amendment from the gentleman from Illinois. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I will just note that I oppose this amendment. I will wait until the next amendment to go into the underlying bill. I think much of what has been said this morning and this afternoon is simply incorrect.

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

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered.

Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this question are postponed.

Amendments En Bloc No. 3 Offered by Ms. Lofgren of California

Pursuant to House Resolution 179, I rise to offer amendments en bloc.

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

Mr. Speaker, this bloc of amendments provides important additions to the bill.

Among the amendments in the bloc is an amendment from the gentleman from Arizona that promotes language accessibility for voting and ensures that notices at polling locations take into consideration factors including the languages spoken in the jurisdiction.

An amendment from the gentleman from Arizona and the gentlewoman from New Mexico improves voting access for individuals with disabilities in the Four Corners region of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah by making technical fixes to the Protection and Advocacy for Voting Access provisions.

An amendment from the gentlemen from Rhode Island and Wisconsin implements a recommendation of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission to ensure the security of our elections and resilience of our democracy by creating the position of a senior cyber policy adviser at the Election Assistance Commission.

An amendment from the gentlewomen from Virginia and Florida prohibits taxpayer funds from being added into the freedom from influence fund.

During the 2020 election, Postmaster General DeJoy implemented sudden operational changes that disrupted timely mail services and the delivery of absentee ballots. An amendment in this bloc from the gentlewoman from Michigan ensures that can never happen again by prohibiting operational changes at the Postal Service for 120 days before a Federal election.

This bloc of amendments also includes an amendment from the gentleman and gentlewoman from Minnesota that requires State election officials to undertake accessible public education campaigns to inform voters of any changes to election processes made in response to public emergencies.

Finally, it includes four amendments from the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands. One of these amendments applies Federal voter protection laws to the territories, including protection against voter intimidation, interference, and voting by aliens in Federal elections in the territory; that would be noncitizens.

Another of these amendments permits each of the territories to provide and furnish statues in Statuary Hall. That is an important amendment that allows each of the territories representation among the statues in the Halls of Congress. These amendments represent long, overdue recognition of important contributions of the territories.

Mr. Speaker, I support these amendments, and I urge their adoption, and I reserve the balance of my time,

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee), my colleague in the Judiciary Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Levin).

Mr. Speaker, may I ask how much time is remaining?

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Manning).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Phillips).

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I just want to say that this amendment is worth supporting. It makes improvements to the underlying bill. I was really stunned to hear a comparison between Members of Congress going through metal detectors--because some Members have, in violation of the rules, carried weapons on to the House floor--and voters having to wait 8 hours to get to the polling booth, which actually happened last November.

It is important that American voters have access to the polls to cast their vote and to have that lawfully cast vote counted as cast. That is what this is about.

I listened to my colleague and my friend, Mr. Davis, complain about the constitutional basis for H.R. 1. But he has also introduced bills like H.R. 6882, H.R. 3412, and H.R. 7905, which would all require States to do certain things with respect to how they conduct elections.

I might disagree with the policies in those bills, but they all cite Article I, Section 4 of the Constitution as the basis for their legitimacy. So to say that we cannot improve the elections in America under Article I, Section 4 simply is not correct.

So we will have more debate as these proceedings on H.R. 1 conclude, but I will close with this: Please do support the en bloc amendments. It improves the bill, and we will, hopefully, be passing H.R. 1 to make America an even greater place in the near future.

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

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Our democracy is in urgent need of repair. The American people deserve a transparent, inclusive, and healthy democracy, and H.R. 1 will get us there.

It is transformational, a once-in-a-generation, pro-democracy, anticorruption reform package. It is composed of comprehensive policies for eliminating structural and legal barriers to voting, ending the dominance of big money in our campaign finance reforms, and implementing real government ethics and accountability reforms.

With this landmark bill, we take a giant leap toward ensuring our Republic is an authentic and inclusive representative democracy, and ensuring the voices of everyday Americans are no longer drowned out by those of wealthy special interests.

Article I, Section 4 says this:

``The times, places and manner of holding elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by law make or alter such regulations.''

Mr. Speaker, that is what we are doing here. As the gentleman has said, we had a huge turnout in the 2020 election, despite efforts by some to suppress turnout. Now, we see legislatures all over the country trying to put barriers in place so the American people will not be able to exercise their franchise. That is simply wrong. We should look to our constitutional obligation to make sure that every American has the capacity to vote.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor the principles of non-violence practiced by Mahatma Gandhi in light of recent vandalism of a Gandhi statue in Davis, California.

As we continue to debate and settle our differences, we must continue to embody the principles of Gandhi, who not only brought independence to his own people, but inspired generations of civil rights activists, including the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. Violence and vandalism are never the answer and I call on all my colleagues to join me in condemning the desecration of the Gandhi Statue of Peace.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge and thank Ms. Lisbeth (Liz) McBride-Chambers for thirty years of dedicated and compassionate service as a member of the Office of Employee Assistance (OEA) at the United States House of Representatives.

In an institution where Members are Constitutionally bound to serve terms in two-year increments, it is remarkable to note that Liz is only the second individual to serve as the OEA Director in the organization's thirty-year history.

Liz joined the OEA team in May 1991 when the office was in the early stages of development. She was one of the first OEA employees hired by the beloved first Director, Bern Seidel. Through love, passion, and commitment to their profession, Bern and Liz skillfully developed the OEA into a preeminent employee assistance program.

After Bern's passing in February 2017, Liz was promoted to serve as the Director of our OEA team. Through her skillful guidance and direction, Liz's office delivers comprehensive confidential services covering an array of personal and work-related issues to positively impact employee performance, productivity, and well-being.

The OEA team also facilitates staff retreats for Member offices and conducts seminars on a variety of topics, including employee well- being, understanding stress and trauma, enhancing communication skills, and managing career transitions.

In 2018, the OEA's scope expanded when Liz was entrusted to launch the House Wellness Center. Through her tireless efforts and close partnership with key stakeholders, the House community now has a comprehensive wellness program that provides assistance, information, and training on all aspects of well-being.

While each of the OEA's program areas are important to the office's overall success, none can surpass the impact that Liz and her team have had in response to critical incidents involving the House community. Whether it was the aftermath of September 11, 2001, the tragic Congressional baseball shooting on June 14, 2017, the horrific siege on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, or any other critical incident, Liz's commitment and care provided comfort to those experiencing profound grief and distress. In addition to her outstanding contributions to the House community, Liz's impact has inspired countless waves of professionals in the field of employee assistance, As a member of the Employee Assistance Professionals Association (EAPA) for well over thirty years, Liz regularly attends and contributes to the organization's world conference, which includes serving as a chair and member of the annual conference program planning committee.

Liz also served as Commissioner and Chair of the Employee Assistance Certification Commission. In this role, she established, maintained, and oversaw the development and stewardship of the Certified Employee Assistance Professional (CEAP) examination and credentialing processes.

After completing her tenure in these vital roles, Liz continued serving as a volunteer trainer for EAPA's CEAP Exam Preparation Course. While it would be impossible to count all the lives Liz influenced and touched during this process, it goes without saying that her impact stretches beyond the counselors she helped through these endeavors.

Every counselor who passed the rigorous credentialing and examination process with Liz's guidance and tutelage was granted the greatest gift of all; her knowledge and insights, which they in turn could pass along to the employees, organizations, and communities they serve across the globe.

Based on these outstanding contributions, it should come as no surprise that Liz has been recognized by her peers both inside and outside of the House community. In 2007, Liz was the recipient of the CAO's Achieving Excellence Award. She was recognized as the EAPA Member of the Year in 2015. One year later, Liz received the Employee Excellence Award from the House Officers and Inspector General. Finally, in 2020, Liz had the high honor of receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Congressional Management Foundation.

Madam Speaker, I am honored to join those who have recognized Liz for her outstanding contributions and overall impact to the House of Representatives and to the greater employee assistance community. I also want to acknowledge Liz's entire team: Tiara Anderson, Breanna Becker, Daniel Coleman, Briana Cragwell, Georgeanna Goldstein, Margot Hawkins-Green, Rhonda Kaalund, Malia Klee, Jon Murphy, Paul Tewksbury, Emily Swartz, and Brian Weiss. This is a very special group of employees and they are all commended for their commitment, dedication, and professionalism.

Madam Speaker, it is my distinct pleasure to recognize and thank Liz McBride for her unparalleled service to this great institution.

Madam Speaker, over the last few months, we have all come to appreciate the quiet competence of our dedicated public servants, without whom none of our democratic institutions would work. One such public servant, Lyle Green, will be retiring at the end of January from his position as the managing director of the Official Journals of Government (OJG) at the Government Publishing Office (GPO). In that role, Lyle has been responsible for publication of the Federal Register, along with every publication from Congress, including the Congressional Record, the House and Senate calendars, bills, hearings, reports, and even the phone directory.

Lyle began his career at GPO in 1991 as a proofreader, where his colleagues soon recognized his talent and work ethic. Throughout his career, he was at the center of GPO's transition from a print-centric institution to one that leads on the digitization of public information, a transformation that has dramatically expanded the accessibility of key public documents to the American people. When GPO talks about its mission of ``Keeping America Informed,'' they are talking about many of the products produced by Lyle's team.

Lyle has served as Managing Director since January of 2012 and prior to that he headed OJG's Congressional Publishing Services for five years. In those capacities, he spearheaded the production of the official materials for presidential inaugurations in 2009, 2013, and 2017, and led GPO's team through several blizzards, an earthquake, a pandemic, and now, regrettably, an attack by insurrectionists. Throughout it all, Lyle and his team got it done. Ensuring the timely production of the Federal Register and the Congressional Record is like having to produce two big-city newspapers every day. In addition, Lyle led his team through the production of thousand-page bills for immediate floor consideration, or the production of last-minute credentials for important, historic public events. In each case, Congress got what it needed--on time and accurate.

There are generations of staff who always knew that if they ran into a problem, they could call Lyle at the Congressional Desk at GPO and he'd get it straightened out. And he always did it with grace and humility. As Lyle wraps up work on his fourth presidential inauguration, he deserves to be proud of his 30 years of service to GPO, Congress, and American democracy. As chairperson of GPO's oversight committee, the Joint Committee on Printing, I want to express Congress' gratitude for Lyle's tireless work on behalf of our constituents, most of whom will never know Lyle's continuing contributions.

I wish Lyle lots of time with his family and his beloved Washington Nationals secure in the knowledge that he made a great and lasting contribution to his country. With his retirement at the end of this month, he will leave the agency he loves stronger than when he found it.

Madam Speaker, I am the only Member of Congress who has been involved in all three of the last Presidential impeachments. Those were long proceedings.

Today, we don't need a long investigation to know the President incited right-wing terrorists to attack the Congress to try to overturn constitutional government. The actions were in public, plain as day.

His actions are the most serious offense against our Constitution and our country. They are impeachable acts.

The Founders devised the Impeachment Clause to protect against a President who would threaten constitutional order. If we don't act now, the Impeachment Clause would essentially be meaningless.

Faced with these facts, if we don't impeach to protect our country, we will fail our own oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and, yes, domestic.

We have no choice. We must impeach.

God bless America.

Mr. Speaker, last week, as we counted electoral college votes, I said this day marks a crossroads for our American democracy. We didn't know then what an ominous statement that was. We do now.

Congress was attacked by a violent mob, incited by the President, to stop us from doing our constitutional job. The President not only encouraged the mob; he said he loved them and made no serious effort to stop them.

Lives were lost and put in danger. Constitutional government was urgently threatened. The President's actions were not only wrong; they were dangerous.

He lives in an alternate reality. He is a continuing threat to America.

Vice President Pence should invoke the 25th Amendment, assume Presidential duties until the inauguration next week, and save us from a President who is unable to function, unable to protect our country.

I urge all, including my Republican colleagues, to put politics aside. Act to secure the safety of our country. We truly are at a crossroads for our American democracy.