Alma Adams

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Madam Speaker, I was with the Speaker at her press conference. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 105. members recorded pursuant to house resolution 8, 117th congress Allred (Wexton) Babin (Fallon) Cardenas (Gonzalez, Vicente) Crenshaw (Fallon) Greene (GA) (Gosar) Grijalva (Garcia (IL)) Jayapal (Raskin) Johnson (TX) (Jeffries) Keating (Clark (MA)) Lawson (FL) (Evans) Lieu (Beyer) Lowenthal (Beyer) Mfume (Raskin) Moore (WI) (Beyer) Moulton (Underwood) Napolitano (Correa) Neal (Lynch) Nehls (Fallon) Norcross (Pallone) Omar (Pressley) Payne (Pallone) Porter (Wexton) Rush (Underwood) Sewell (DelBene) Slotkin (Stevens) Stefanik (Tenney) Steube (Timmons) Trahan (Lynch) Wasserman Schultz (Soto) Watson Coleman (Pallone) Wilson (FL) (Hayes) Wilson (SC) (Timmons)

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from Michigan and all of the chairs and the co-chairs of this committee. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the women of the United States House of Representatives for Women's History Month. This Women's History Month marks the 101st year of women's suffrage in the United States. Despite the fact that women have had the right to vote for 101 years, we still don't have equal justice under the law. That is why earlier today, we passed a resolution to remove the arbitrary deadline for the ratification of the equal rights amendment, because there is no expiration date on equality. Yet, to this day, women are still paid less for our work, face workplace harassment, and are discriminated against, simply because of who we are. Women who work full-time, year-round, still make 82 cents on the dollar for men's earnings. Fighting against these disparities and ensuring our Federal Government and policies are reflective of the whole country is why having women at every level of government is so important, in our House, State houses, and, yes, even in the White House. So this month, in particular, we draw strength and inspiration from those who came before us and those remarkable women working among us today, from Shirley Chisolm, the first Black woman to serve in Congress; to Nancy Pelosi, the first and only woman Speaker of the House; to Kamala Harris, the first female, first African American, and first South Asian American Vice President in United States history. She was sworn in by the first Latina Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor. A hundred years ago, only one woman, Alice Mary Robertson, was elected to serve in Congress. Currently, a record 144 women were elected to this Congress, with 120 women in the House of Representatives alone. I am proud to say that when I was elected and sworn in in 2013, I became the 100th woman. However, there is still a lot of work to be done; 144 out of 535 Members is just 25 percent. That is just not what our country looks like. Women make up over 50 percent of this Nation. Women's History Month is a reminder of the importance and the urgency of that work and the need for us to continue breaking those glass ceilings.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 842, the Protecting the Right to Organize Act. Workers, especially people of color, built this country, and they have kept it afloat. Never has that truth been more evident than now, as we grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite their essential roles in our society, though, we have seen workers' rights systematically suppressed for decades, including the fundamental right to ban together to organize and to advocate for fair treatment, for fair pay, and benefits for safe and healthy work environments, and for the respect and dignity they are due as working people, let alone the backbone of our economy. But, Mr. Speaker and colleagues, let's be clear. This is not just about fairness. It is about justice, economic justice. Workers, especially women and people of color, have driven economic growth in this country, but have seen the fruit of their labor concentrating and accumulating in the hands of the wealthiest. In other words, their work, their sacrifice has not trickled down. Enough is enough. Workers deserve their share. They deserve justice. I strongly support this bill. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter from the Laborers' International Union of North America. LiUNA!, Washington, DC, March 8, 2021. House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Representative: On behalf of the 500,000 members of the Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA), I write to ask you to support H.R. 842, the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, when it comes to the House floor for a vote. The right to join a union is critical to ensure that workers receive fair pay and benefits and safe jobsites. The PRO Act will expand the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to ensure that workers and unions have real, enforceable protections under the law. One of the most significant problems with the NLRA is the absence of effective remedies for workers against employers who break the law. Often, employers fire union supporters to defeat union organizing efforts, knowing that the penalty is low, only lost wages, and even that is reduced by the amount the worker earns on any other work that he or she finds after getting fired. H.R. 842 will address this serious problem by authorizing the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to impose penalties of up to $50,000 for unfair labor practices. The PRO Act strengthens enforcement of the NLRA in other important ways. For example, the PRO Act allows workers to exercise First Amendment rights to free speech against so- called secondary employers. It strengthens workers' and unions' representational rights and protects immigrants' labor rights. Significantly, it adopts the so-called ABC test for distinguishing employees from independent contractors. Under the Bill, a person is an independent contractor only if the individual is free from the employer's control and direction, the service is outside the normal course of the employer's business, and the individual is customarily engaged in an independently established trade or business. H.R. 842 will also prevent employers from misclassifying workers as supervisors and will establish that employers with control over employees are held responsible for their actions in the workplace, including users of temp agencies. This addresses an important circumstance, since three million people are employed daily by temp agencies. The PRO Act would also ban captive audience meetings, giving workers the power and freedom to decide for themselves if union representation is right for them. Importantly, the PRO Act would push back on the recent so-called right to work laws, which harm unions and our members, by allowing unions to recover fair share fees covering the costs of collective bargaining and representation. For these reasons, and for the many other improvements to labor law in the Bill, LIUNA supports the PRO Act and asks you to vote yes when it comes to the House floor. With kind regards, I am Sincerely yours, Terry O'Sullivan, General President.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Texas and our co-anchors. I want to thank our Chairwoman, Congresswoman Beatty; Congresswoman Sewell, as well; and to all who have participated tonight. Thank you, Brother Torres, as well. Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor of my colleague and friend, my hero, a hero to all of us, John Lewis, and to mark the anniversary of the Bloody Sunday march. When our country was founded almost 250 years ago, African Americans were denied full access and participation in society, and we have been fighting to rectify these wrongs ever since. Among the most important influential agents of this mission was John Lewis, the conscience of this Congress; a mastermind of good, good, good trouble; a courageous and compassionate man who gave everything, including his blood and his body, to the civil rights movement. From Selma to the U.S. House, John wasn't afraid to put everything on the line for what he believed in. Fifty-six years ago, he marched so that people who look like me could be full participants in our society. Fifty-six years later, we are still fighting to be seen, to be heard, to be counted in our democracy, a democracy that we helped to build. For centuries, this country has made promises to marginalized communities that have gone mostly unmet, promises of freedom, equality, and access to opportunity. In my home State of North Carolina, discriminatory voter regulations plague our past and even our present. Most recently, we have experienced a decade of voter suppression laws that target minority voters with surgical precision and illegally gerrymandered maps that have thrown our election into chaos. Voting in North Carolina has never been treated as it should be, as a fundamental right for all citizens. The For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act will address this by cleaning up corruption in Washington and returning us to a government of, by, and for the people. H.R. 1 will protect and expand voting rights, restore integrity to government, and put the priorities of the American people ahead of special interests. The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act provides the tools to address discriminatory election practices and will protect all Americans' right to vote. These important bills are critical first steps toward healing our democracy. I won't allow voter suppression to continue to be the norm in North Carolina or in our Nation. That is why we must honor our friend John's legacy by passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and sending both of these bills to the President's desk. Our power, our message.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I raise my voice today to add my support for the steps taken by the House Agriculture Committee under the leadership of Chairman David Scott to include provisions in H.R. 1319, the American Rescue Plan Act, to begin to correct the long and documented history of USDA discrimination against producers of color. The existence of this longstanding discrimination cannot be disputed. Every year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture spends billions of dollars in programmatic and direct support for American producers and we know that those resources have, unfortunately, not been equitably distributed due to discrimination. The provisions included in sections 1005 and 1006 of the American Rescue Plan Act are a tailored approach towards correcting the wrongs felt by too many. I am not alone in raising my voice and support for these provisions. In addition to the support of many Members of the House Agriculture Committee and of the 117th Congress, more than 200 organizations have voiced their support for this language. Among those who have spoken out in support of these provisions are: Advance Carolina, Raleigh, NC; Advancing Collective Equity, Portland, OR; African Alliance of Rhode Island, RI; Agri-Cultura Cooperative Network, Albuquerque, NM; Agricultural Missions, Inc., New York, NY; Agroecology Research-Action Collective, Oakland, CA; Alabama Rivers Alliance, Birmingham, AL; Alabama State Association of Cooperatives, Epes, AL; Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, Oxnard, CA; Alliance for the Great Lakes, Chicago, IL; Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley, New Market, VA; American Farmland Trust; American Federation of Government Employees, Local 3354, Saint Louis, MO; American Sustainable Business Council, Washington, DC; Amy's Kitchen; Atrisco Valley Farm LLC, Albuquerque, NM; Bayer; Ben & Jerry's Homemade, Inc.; Black Family Land Trust, Inc., Durham, NC; Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association, Tillery, NC; Black Farmers and Ranchers New Mexico, Jerales, NM; Bolthouse Farms; Boulder County Farmers Markets, Boulder, CO. Cabot Creamery; Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment; Cargill; Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, Pittsboro, NC; Center for Agriculture and Food Systems; Center for Biological Diversity, St. Petersburg, FL; Center for Community Self-Help, Durham, NC; Center for Science in the Public Interest, Washington, DC; Chef Danielle Leoni; Chef Judy Ni; Chef Keema Johnson; Chef Mark Bittman; Chobani; Church Women United in New York State, Rochester NY; City Love, Philadelphia, PA; Clean Water Action, Washington, DC; Clif Bar & Company; Coastal Enterprises, Inc., Brunswick, ME; Colorado CoBank; Community Alliance with Family Farmers, Davis, California; Community Food and Justice Coalition, Oakland, California; Concerned Citizens of Tillery, Tillery, NC; Cooperative Food Empowerment Directive, Santa Rosa, CA; Cottage House, Inc., Ariton, AL; Cultivate Charlottesville, Charlottesville, Virginia; Cumberland County Food Security Council, Portland, Maine. Dakota Rural Action, Brookings, SD; Danone North America; Darden's Farm Health Services, Littleton, NC; DelMonte Foods, Inc.; Democracy Green, Morganton, NC; Earth Action, Inc., Pensacola, FL; Earthjustice, New York, NY; Ecological Farming Association, Soquel, CA; Ecotrust; Ekar Farm, Denver, CO; Equity Advocates, Harrison, NY; Environmental Working Group; Experimental Farm Network, Philadelphia, PA; Factory Farming Awareness Coalition; Fair Farms, Takoma Park, MD; Fair Food Network, Ann Arbor, MI; Family Farm Action, Mexico, MO; Family Farm Defenders, Madison, WI; Farm Aid; Farm and Food Alliance, Paonia, CO; Farmers Market Coalition, Albany, CA Farms to Grow, Inc., Oakland, CA; Farmworker Association of Florida, Apopka, FL; Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund; Feed the Truth, Washington, DC; Feeding America. Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried; Food & Nutrition Innovation Institute at Tufts University, Boston, MA; Food & Water Watch, Washington, DC; Food Animal Concerns Trust, Chicago, IL; Food Law and Policy Clinic, Harvard Law School, Boston, MA; FoodCorps, Washington, DC; FoodPrint; Friends of Family Farmers, Walterville, Oregon; Friends of the Earth; Georgia Organics, Atlanta, Georgia; GMO/ Toxin Free USA, Unionville, CT; GoFarm, Golden, CO; Golden Ponds Farm, Franklin, AR; Green State Solutions, Iowa City; Happy Family Organics; Hazon, Falls Village, CT; Health Environment Agriculture Labor Food Alliance, Chicago, IL; Healthy Gulf, New Orleans, LA; Heartwood, Tell City, IN; Heifer USA, Little Rock, AR; Hempstead Project Heart, WI; High Desert Food and Farm Alliance; Hmong American Farmers Association, St. Paul, MN Illinois; Hunger Free America Inc., New York, NY; Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Minneapolis, MN. Intertribal Agriculture Council; Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, Des Moines, IA; Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, Baltimore, MD; Johnson's Farm, Wichita, KS; Kansas Black Farmers, Nicodemus, KS; Kansas Rural Center, Wichita, Kansas; Kellogg Company; KIND Healthy Snacks; King Arthur Baking, White River Junction, VT; Knoxville Knox County Food Policy Council, Knoxville, TN; La Semilla Food Center, Anthony, NM; Land For Good, Keene, NH; Land Stewardship Action Fund, Minneapolis, MN; Land Stewardship Project, Minneapolis, MN; Latino Farmers of the Southeast, Crescent City, FL; LEAD for Pollinators, Inc., Akron, OH; Lundberg Family Farms; Lyon County Food and Farm Council, Emporia, KS; Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, Unity, ME; Mars; Mercy for Animals; Missouri Rural Crisis Center, Columbia, MO; Montana Organic Association, Missoula, MT; National Black Farmers Association; National Black Growers Council. National Council of Farmer Cooperatives; National Family Farm Coalition, Washington, D.C.; National Farm to School Network; National Farmers Union; National Latino Farmers and Ranchers Trade Association; National Latino Farmers and Ranchers Trade Association, Washington, D.C.; National Milk Producers Federation; National Organic Coalition, Arlington, MA; Natural Resources Defense Council; National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition; National Wildlife Federation, Washington, D.C.; National Young Farmers Coalition; Native Farm Bill Coalition; Nature's Path; NCBA-CLUSA; Nestle USA; New Entry Sustainable Farming Project, Beverly, MA; New Mexico Hemp Company, LLC, Albuquerque, NM; North Carolina Association of Black Lawyers Land Loss Prevention Project, Durham, NC; Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York, Syracuse, NY; Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont, Richmond, VT; Northeast Organic Farming Association-Interstate Council, Stillwater, NY; Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group, Kingston, NY; Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance, Gloucester, MA; Nourish Colorado, Denver, CO; Now You Know New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM; Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts, Oklahoma City, OK; Oklahoma Black Historical Research Project, Inc., Oklahoma City, OK; One Country Project; Oregon Food Bank, Portland, OR; Organic Advocacy, Felton, CA; Organic Farmers Association, Spirit Lake, IA. Organic Seed Alliance, Port Townsend, WA; Organic Trade Association; Organic Valley; OrganicEye, Washington, D.C.; Pasa Sustainable Agriculture, Harrisburg, PA; Patagonia Provisions; Pennsylvania Council of Churches, Harrisburg, PA; PepsiCo, Inc.; Pesticide Action Network, Berkeley, CA; Pete and Gerry's Organics; Pinnacle Prevention, Chandler, Arizona; Prairie Rivers Network, Champaign, IL; Public Justice Food Project; Recirculating Farms; ROCUNITED, New York, NY; Roots of Change, Oakland, CA; Rural Advancement Foundation International; Rural Advancement Fund of the National Sharecroppers Fund, Inc. Orangeburg, SC; Rural America Chamber of Commerce, Callicoon, NY; Rural Coalition, Washington, D.C.; Rural Development Leadership Network, New York, NY; Sanarte Healing Culture Clinic, San Antonio, TX; San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition, Alamosa, CO; Slow Food USA, Brooklyn, NY; Solar Wind Works, Wellington, NV. Sow True Seed; Stewardship Alliance, Springfield, IL; Stonyfield Organic; Sustainable Food Center, Austin, TX; Syngenta; Texas Mexico Border Coalition Community Based Organization, San Isidro, TX; The Center for Environmental Transformation, Camden, NJ; The Coca-Cola Company; The Common Market, Philadelphia, PA; The Marion Institute, Southcoast Food Policy Council, Marion, MA; Unilever United States; Union of Concerned Scientists, Washington, D.C.; WATCH, Inc., Charlevoix, MI, USA; Western Organization of Resource Councils, Billings, MT; Winston County Self Help Cooperative, Jackson, MS; World Farmers Inc., Lancaster, MA; 100 Ranchers; 21st Century Youth Leadership Movement, Eutaw AL.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Leger Fernandez for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to give voice to the millions of Americans who are calling on us to raise the wage. Our minimum wage workers, many of whom we have come to call essential workers, have a base pay of $15,080 a year. It doesn't take a Ph.D. to know that you can't survive on $7.25. Yet, we expect millions of our neighbors to do it, even during a pandemic and an economic crisis. From the North Carolina General Assembly to the U.S. House of Representatives, raising the wage has been part of my life's work. I know how a couple of dollars an hour can be the difference between prosperity and poverty. I know it because I have lived it. You see, my mom was a domestic worker. She cleaned other people's houses so I wouldn't have to, so I could focus on going to school and getting a good education. Day in and day out, I saw that no matter how hard she worked, her earnings were barely enough to get us by. Colleagues, this is not because she didn't work hard enough. It is because she didn't make enough. Now, decades later, that reality has only gotten starker and the need to address it more pressing. The minimum wage has been at $7.25 for over a decade, the longest stretch in U.S. history. Mr. Speaker, it is simply impossible to pay the rent and feed your family when you are only making $1,250 a month. That is not far off from the average monthly rent of an apartment in Charlotte, North Carolina. Make no mistake about it, $7.25 is a poverty wage. That is why it is time to raise the wage to $15 an hour. A $15 minimum wage would give 27 million low-wage workers a raise and lift nearly 1 million people out of poverty. In my district, in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, it would mean giving a raise to 80,000 working women. 146,000 workers in the 12th District would see an average pay increase of over $4,000 a year. In this moment of crisis, as we grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, a $15 minimum wage is more important than ever. It is also important to note that essential and frontline workers make up a majority of those who would benefit from this wage increase. I believe in essential wages for essential workers. That is why we can't pay an essential worker or any worker a poverty wage. We must take action to deliver on our Nation's promise of equal opportunity for all. In the strongest possible terms, I urge support for increasing the Federal minimum wage to $15. If it can't happen in tomorrow's package, I urge our committee and this body to take it up next week because America cannot wait.

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, the gentlewoman is exactly right. We have to do it, and we have to do it now. Essential workers need essential opportunities to get a decent wage so that they can take care of their families. Working hard is not enough if you don't make enough. Right now, folks who are making this $7.25 do not make enough to make ends meet.

Ms. ADAMS. That is right.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the National Apprenticeship Act of 2021. By creating nearly 1 million new apprenticeship opportunities and yielding over $10 billion in net benefits, this legislation is a lifeline for our economy and for countless Americans, including those in my home State of North Carolina. With a proven track record of success, we know this is a safe and smart investment, something our country desperately needs right now. I am also pleased that this legislation includes a bill which I led with Representative Mondaire Jones, the Apprenticeship Access for All Act, language that will advance programs that promote the recruitment, employment, and retention of people of color, individuals with disabilities, and individuals facing barriers to employment, especially in high-skill, high-wage, and in-demand sectors and occupations. After all, we must be sure that everyone has access to opportunity. This vote is about ensuring our workforce gets the investment it needs and the support it deserves. This vote is about showing the American people that they are seen, that they are heard, and that we deeply care about providing them pathways to a stable future. This vote is also about upholding Congress' commitment and obligation to serve every American. I urge support.

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to include in the Record the following letter from the Center for Law and Social Policy in support of the National Apprenticeship Act of 2021.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Madam Speaker, last Wednesday, domestic terrorists breached the security of our Capitol, desecrated the temple of our democratic republic, and disrupted one of our most sacred duties: counting the people's votes for president. This mob acted on baseless conspiracy theories under the direction and encouragement of Donald Trump. While they did not stop us from fulfilling our constitutional duty, six people died, including two Capitol Police Officers. Today, we gather to deliver accountability; and it starts with the President, whose actions and words led directly to the insurrection on January 6th. Make no mistake, the choice is clear: we either stand as guardians of justice and democracy, or as appeasers of fascism, autocracy, and white supremacy. We have an obligation to defend the sanctity of our Constitution and lead our country toward healing and unity. That does not happen by brushing the President's actions under the rug. It requires speaking the truth and doing the right thing. If my colleagues are supporters and champions of American democracy and the rule of law, they should vote YES on this resolution, and show that attacks against our most sacred institutions will not stand.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 461) to strengthen the capacity and competitiveness of historically Black colleges and universities through robust public-sector, private- sector, and community partnerships and engagement, and for other purposes, as amended.

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on S. 461, the HBCU PARTNERS Act.

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of S. 461, the HBCU PARTNERS Act, as amended. Mr. Speaker, today is a special day for bipartisanship and for equity, access, and inclusion. For centuries, this country has made promises to the African-American community that have gone largely unmet: promises of freedom, promises of justice, and promises of equal opportunity. So, today, we vote for a fighting chance to rectify this history and the impacts it has had on the Black community. Today, we vote to give HBCUs and the communities they serve a real permanent seat at the table with the President of the United States and our Nation's Federal agencies. You see, like the people of color they serve, HBCUs are embedded in the fabric of this Nation and they play a vital role in its prosperity. While countless other institutions have often fallen short, HBCUs have long been the means of delivering on our Nation's promise of freedom and opportunity for all, especially for communities of color. For generations, these schools have fought to deliver for African Americans what is owed to them, a first-class education and a fair shot at pursuing happiness. While only representing roughly 3 percent of all 4-year colleges and universities, HBCUs produce upwards of 17 percent of all bachelor's degrees awarded to African Americans. HBCU graduates account for 42 percent of all Black engineers and 47 percent of all Black female engineers. What is more, these institutions produce 27 percent of all African- American STEM graduates, 50 percent of all African-American lawyers, 50 percent of all African-American public schoolteachers, and 80 percent of all African-American judges. Further, research has found that HBCUs are more successful at boosting students out of the lowest income distributions than other institutions of higher education. In fact, nearly 70 percent of students of HBCUs attain at least middle class incomes after graduation, including nearly 70 percent of low-income students. On an annual basis, HBCUs contribute nearly $15 billion to the economy, produce 134,000 jobs, and create $46.8 billion in alumni career earnings that can be directly attributed to their degrees. HBCUs are clearly centers of advancement and excellence in this country. It is important to note that this incredible success has been achieved despite over a century of systemic underfunding at both the State and Federal levels. That is why my bill, the HBCU PARTNERS Act, is so very crucial. This legislation will require every administration and the Federal agencies it manages to plan and coordinate, on an annual basis, their efforts to strategically engage in investing in HBCUs. This bill also strengthens the rigor and transparency requirements of existing law, requiring that agencies track their progress toward goals concerning HBCUs and share their plans to advance them with Congress. In addition, it codifies the President's Board of Advisors on HBCUs, ensuring an ongoing avenue for HBCU priorities and policy concerns to be raised and addressed. In other words, this legislation provides us with an opportunity to commit to HBCUs in the same way they have committed to the well-being and prosperity of our country. And in a very real way, it provides us with a chance to try to honor our Nation's promises. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Smucker) for his kind remarks and support. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott), the chairman of the Committee on Education & Labor and a tremendous supporter of education.

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have remaining?

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I would like to thank both of the gentlemen for their support of this bill. Clearly, I have to put on the record, as I continue to do, that I am a proud two-time graduate of an HBCU, North Carolina A&T State University, and I spent 40 years teaching at an HBCU in Greensboro, North Carolina, Bennett College. It was an HBCU that made a committed investment in me as I prepared to come to college and molded and shaped me into what they knew I could become. Mr. Speaker, despite limited means, HBCUs have always generously served their communities because they understand the critical role that they play in advancing equity and access. They build on the philosophy of W.E.B. DuBois, who talked about education and said: ``Of all the civil rights for which the world has struggled and fought for 5,000 years, the right to learn is undoubtedly the most fundamental.'' The HBCU PARTNERS Act recognizes these fundamental rights and these contributions in the most important way possible, by affording these institutions the ongoing support and investment needed to deepen their transformational work. Advancing the mission of HBCUs and the prosperity of the communities they serve must be on the minds of our country's leaders. More importantly, it must be part of their agendas. If America wants to deliver on its promises of equal opportunity for all, investing in HBCUs is certainly one of the most important ways to do so. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott), our distinguished Education and Labor Committee chair, as well as the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Investment chair, Mrs. Davis, for this bill and for all of their support. I rise today in strong support of the National Apprenticeship Reauthorization Act. By creating 1 million new apprenticeship opportunities and yielding over $10 billion in net benefits, this legislation is a lifeline for our economy and for countless Americans, including those in my home State of North Carolina. With a proven track record of success, we know this is a safe and smart investment. I am also pleased that this legislation includes my bill, the Apprenticeship Access for All Act. This language will advance programs that promote the recruitment, employment, and retention of people of color, individuals with disabilities, and individuals facing barriers to employment, especially in high-skill, high-wage, and in-demand sectors and occupations. After all, we must be sure that everyone has access to opportunity.

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, to my colleagues, especially those on the other side of the aisle, I want to be clear about what we are voting to do here. We are voting to ensure our workforce gets the investment it needs and the support it deserves. We are voting to show the American people that they are seen, that they are heard, and that we care deeply about providing them pathways to a stable future. And we are voting to uphold Congress' commitment and obligation to serve every American.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding and for her leadership. I thank, as well, the Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus for getting us together tonight. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as the founder and co-chair of the Black Maternal Health Caucus. I want to take this time to speak briefly about the impact of COVID- 19 on the Black community, communities of color, and pregnant women. For the past 8 months, our country has been battling this incredibly deadly virus. It is a national public health crisis unlike any we have experienced. And it has highlighted the existing racial health disparities that our communities were already facing. The data does not lie. We know that people of color are experiencing significantly higher rates of infections and deaths compared to White individuals. Black people are more than twice as likely to die from COVID-19 as White people, and the mortality rate for Native Americans is nearly two times that of White persons. Researchers have also found that Black and Hispanic people are nearly three times as likely to contract COVID-19 and nearly two times as likely to die from COVID-19. This month, a CDC morbidity and mortality weekly report found that pregnant women are at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19. Since January 22, more than 38,000 pregnant women have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the United States, of which 51 have died. The study found that pregnant women are more likely to be admitted to the intensive care unit, receive invasive ventilation, and are at increased risk of death compared to White, nonpregnant women. But much remains unknown. But what we do know is that before the pandemic Black and Brown mothers were already dying at alarming and unacceptable rates. In particular, Black women from all walks of life were three and four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than White women. According to the CDC data, Latina women account for nearly 50 percent of COVID-19 cases among pregnant women. And these numbers indicate the devastating effects of the pandemic on the minority community. A recent study also showed that Black and Latina women in Philadelphia who are pregnant were five times more likely to be exposed to the new coronavirus than White pregnant women. Physicians in Washington, DC, said that anecdotally they were also seeing similar patterns, according to an August report in the Washington Post. As Congresswoman Lee and I have continued to say since the start of the pandemic, we are facing a crisis within a crisis. And that is why I have been working closely with healthcare providers, stakeholders, to provide a comprehensive plan for eliminating these racial health disparities, especially during the pandemic. We must improve access to screening and treatment for women at risk for preterm birth; Ensure that all women have access to high quality maternity care, no matter where they live; And provide access to midwives or doulas that can advocate for families' needs throughout pregnancy, labor, and delivery. This summer I introduced the COVID-19 Bias and Anti-Racism Training Act to provide grants for hospitals and healthcare providers for implicit bias training, particularly in light of COVID-19. We all have our unconscious bias, and it is important for our healthcare providers to be more aware of those issues as they are providing care to patients during the pandemic. We need to invest in programs that help families meet their basic needs, including nutrition assistance, housing assistance, and other social supports. Last, but certainly not least, we must improve the quality of the data being collected and ensure diversity among stakeholders that serve on mortality review committees. If we don't stand together to address these inequities, Black and Brown mothers, our families, our friends, and our communities will continue to suffer. I hope this Congress will stand together to ensure that our communities, our mothers, our babies have the resources they need--not only to survive this pandemic, but to thrive and truly build back stronger. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California for her leadership.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the conscience of the Court and one of the greatest fighters American women have ever had. Justice Ginsburg's dissents spoke for all of us--with a righteous anger, a moral clarity, and an eye to equality. Her lifetime of advocacy for women extended far beyond her service on the bench. Though she is irreplaceable, Justice Ginsburg will have a successor. But Americans deserve better than an impeached President's last-minute nomination just weeks before the election. We must honor Justice Ginsburg's dying wish that she not be replaced until the next President is installed. This nominee will shape the future of our country, and the American people deserve a say.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to honor two exceptional North Carolina women who left us this year, former Senator Dr. Katie Dorsett and former Representative Mary McAllister. I admired and was friends with both of them. They were both educators who went into public service, proud products of historically Black colleges and universities. Both advocates on behalf of African Americans, they founded and led organizations to combat sickle cell anemia. They both knew the highs of winning elected office and doing exceptional work for their constituents and the lows of personal tragedy. Both women were predeceased by a child they loved like a best friend. They were both county commissioners and State legislators and, most of all, trailblazers. Katie Dorsett was the first Black woman on the Greensboro City Council, and I was proud to follow in her footsteps. After serving on the city council, she was elected to the county board of commissioners and went on to serve in Governor Hunt's administration and the North Carolina State Senate. We served together in the General Assembly, and Katie was a longtime friend and mentor whose friendship I cherished. When the Greensboro News and Record remembered her in July, they wrote: ``She carried herself with dignity and always spoke her mind.'' That was Katie. She was a great leader and a strong advocate for her community, and the State of North Carolina is poorer without her. Mary McAllister was also a legislator, a county commissioner who broke barriers for Black women. She was the first Black woman to win a countywide election in Cumberland County, North Carolina. She changed the way the county commission elected commissioners so she wouldn't be the last. A fountain of confidence, Mary had a sense of humor, and she could build relationships with anyone. She wasn't afraid to stand up to the good ol' boys club in the legislature, and we became fast friends. It is no surprise that her first campaign slogan was ``Mary Has Moxie.'' I am humbled to have the opportunity to honor these strong, phenomenal women on the floor today. Thank you, Mary, and thank you, Katie, for opening doors for the next generation of Black women leaders. I am here on the floor of the U.S. House today because you crossed the threshold first.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his incredible support as chair of the Education and Labor Committee. Madam Speaker, over 40 years ago, after the Pregnancy Discrimination Act provided civil rights protections to pregnant people, it is shameful that we still must address this issue today. Every year, roughly 250,000 people in America are denied basic accommodations to continue their work once pregnant; and when these simple temporary adjustments in their work activities are denied, many face being fired or are forced to take unpaid leave simply to protect their health and the health of their pregnancy. This discrimination can take many forms, but its impacts can be deadly. And, of course, these burdens fall disproportionately on people and women of color who are overrepresented in low-wage jobs that are physically demanding, lack adequate workforce protections, or both. This is also one of the key reasons why I founded the Black Maternal Health Caucus with Congresswoman Lauren Underwood last year. I am pleased that the House is taking up the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act today, which will create a clear set of rules for employers to follow that requires them to provide accommodations for pregnant workers to continue to work and support their families. So today we are sending the message that nowhere in America--nowhere in America--should you have to worry about the health of your pregnancy because your employer won't accommodate you. Today we will tell millions of Americans that pregnancy won't prevent them from taking their dreams as far as they can take them. Madam Speaker, I include in the Record a letter from the Maternal Health Coalition, a group of public health professionals, clinicians, and maternal health organizations outlining their support for this legislation. September 11, 2020. Re Support the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. Dear Representative: As organizations dedicated to ending racial injustice and systemic racism, including dismantling the racism that contributes to this country's Black maternal health crisis, we write in strong support of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (H.R. 2694). Congress must do all it can to end the prejudice Black pregnant workers and pregnant workers of color continue to face in the workplace. This includes making sure when pregnant workers voice a need for reasonable accommodations that those needs are met rather than penalized and that the workplace is an environment where pregnant workers of color do not fear asking for accommodations. The Black Maternal Health crisis remains frighteningly persistent and requires immediate attention and multi-faceted solutions. Black women experience maternal mortality rates three to four times higher than white women. The circumstances surrounding this alarming statistic can often be attributed to a lack of access to care, including due to inflexible workplaces, and deep biases in racial understanding. Various social determinants such as health, education, and economic status drastically influence the outcomes of pregnancy for Black women leading to severe pregnancy-related complications. As the Black Mamas Matter Alliance has pointed out ``Health is determined in part by our access to social and economic opportunities, the resources and supports that are available in the places where we live, and the safety of our workplaces . . . however, disparities in these conditions of daily life give some people better opportunities to be healthy than others.'' Black pregnant workers along with Latinx and immigrant women are disproportionately likely to work in physically demanding jobs that may lead to workers needing modest accommodations to ensure a healthy pregnancy. Too often, however, those requests are refused or ignored, forcing pregnant workers of color to disproportionately contend with unsafe working conditions. Black mothers have among the highest labor force participation rates in the country and 80 percent of Black mothers are their family's primary breadwinner,'' Yet, historically, Black women have been exploited in the workplace, and that exploitation continues to this day. Though Black women only comprise 14.3 percent of the population, nearly thirty percent of pregnancy discrimination complaints are filed by Black women.'' This is because of the multiple forms of discrimination Black workers and other workers of color too often face in the workplace. As scholar Nina Banks has noted, ``The legacy of black women's employment in industries that lack worker protections has continued today since black women are concentrated in low- paying, inflexible service occupations ...'' Black women in low wage jobs working during pregnancy face little support from employers when safeguards do not address pregnancy related accommodations. Faced with the threat of termination, loss of health insurance, or other benefits, Black pregnant people are often forced to keep working which can compromise their health and the health of their pregnancy. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act will positively impact Black women's health and economic security. When Black pregnant people must continue working without accommodations, they risk miscarriage, excessive bleeding, and other devastating health consequences. Black women have the highest incidence of preterm birth and yet we know that workplace accommodations such as reducing heavy lifting, bending, or excessive standing can help prevent preterm birth, the leading cause of infant mortality in this country. Black women are also at higher risk of preeclampsia, which is one of the leading causes of maternal mortality. We are still learning about how to prevent this dangerous medical condition, yet we know that simply allowing workers to take bathroom breaks can prevent urinary tract infections which are ``strongly associated with preeclampsia.'' Similarly, ensuring pregnant workers can drink a sufficient amount of water can also help pregnant workers maintain their blood pressure, which is critically important since hypertensive disorders (high blood pressure) are also a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. By putting a national pregnancy accommodation standard in place, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act has the potential to improve some of the most serious health consequences Black pregnant people experience. Furthermore, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act will help remove one of the many barriers Black pregnant people face at work by ensuring they are afforded immediate relief under the law, and not thrown into financial dire straits for needing pregnancy accommodations. Congress has the opportunity to pass legislation to support rather than subjugate Black pregnant workers and workers of color. We urge every member of the House of Representatives to support the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and by extension, the health and economic wellbeing of Black pregnant workers and pregnant workers of color. Thank you for your time and attention. Sincerely, Black Mamas Matter Alliance, A Better Balance, American Civil Liberties Union, American College of Nurse-Midwives, Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs, Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses, California WIC Association, California Breastfeeding Coalition, Children's HealthWatch, Center for American Progress, Center for Reproductive Rights, Community Catalyst, Families USA, Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia, Healthy Women, Human Rights Watch, In Our Own Voice: National Black Women's Reproductive Justice Agenda, Majaica, LLC, March for Moms, March of Dimes, National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF), National Black Nurses Association, National Birth Equity Collaborative, National Institute for Reproductive Health, National Network of Abortion Funds. National Partnership for Women & Families, National Women's Health Network, National Women's Law Center, Nurse-Family Partnership, Nutrition First--WIC Association of Washington State, National WIC Association, Ohio Black Maternal Health Caucus, Pennsylvania WIC Association, Perinatal Health Equity Foundation, Physicians for Reproductive Health, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Raising Women's Voices for the Health Care We Need, Shriver Center on Poverty Law, SisterLove Inc., Sister Reach, Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Tara Hansen Foundation, The Afiya Center, URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity, U.S. Breastfeeding Committee, WIC Association of NYS, Inc., Wisconsin WIC Association, YWCA of Greater Atlanta, ZERO TO THREE.