Alma Adams

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Founded in 1912, the CIAA is our Nation's first historically Black collegiate athletic conference and one of our country's oldest athletic conferences. The CIAA is being held in Charlotte, North Carolina, this week, which I have the pleasure of representing. As co-chair of the Bipartisan Congressional HBCU Caucus, I am proud of the mission of the CIAA, which encourages educational advancements for student athletes, promotes positive competitive sportsmanship, and highlights HBCUs and other member institutions. The Queen City has hosted this conference for more than 10 years, and the CIAA has had a positive impact on Charlotte's economy over the last decade, generating more than $325 million. It continues to generate more than $55 million annually. CIAA's sponsors, along with the city of Charlotte, have also provided $1.5 million annually in scholarship funding for member schools. I thank CIAA for being such a positive force in the Charlotte area, and for students, families, and supporters across the country. I wish the best to all of the male and female athletes competing for titles this week.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the NFC Champion North Carolina Panthers. I have the privilege of representing North Carolina's 12th Congressional District in Congress, home to the beloved Panthers. Week after week, the Panthers gave their game their all and breezed through the season nearly undefeated. With each game came new rounds of support as the Carolina fan base swarmed to uncharted numbers. I am certain the Carolina Panthers put in long and hard hours of practice which led them to Super Bowl 50. The Panthers have had an amazing season. I know I speak for all North Carolina fans when I say the Panthers did an amazing job making North Carolina proud to call them their home team. What a phenomenal trek to the Super Bowl. To Carolina's own NFL MVP, Cam Newton, thanks for leading the charge and inspiring so many fans, young and old. Based off this season's performance, I know that next year the Panthers will keep pounding all the way to Super Bowl LI and bring home the Lombardi Trophy. Keep pounding.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Madam Speaker, I rise today during Black History Month to recognize my mentor and friend, fellow artist and teacher, the late Eva Hamlin Miller. Eva Miller dedicated her life to her art and her students, encouraging us to pursue our artistic goals. From the 1930s Harlem street scenes to stained glass windows in North Carolina, Mrs. Miller's artistic talents, range, and precision were phenomenal. She was a pioneering voice for African American art, curating one of the first regional shows of African American art in the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh and founding the African American Atelier with me 25 years ago, an art gallery focusing on African American art and artists located in Greensboro, North Carolina. Eva Miller possessed an unwavering dedication to students, as a teacher at Tuskegee Institute, Bennett College, Winston-Salem State University, and North Carolina A&T. Her legacy continues to live on, not only through her work but through the many students she taught and inspired.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, yesterday marked the anniversary of the Greensboro Four sit-ins. Fifty-six years ago four North Carolina A&T freshmen decided to peacefully challenge racial segregation in my hometown of Greensboro and the community I'm proud to serve in Congress. Joseph McNeil, Jibreel Khazan, Franklin McCain, and David Richmond sat at a whites-only lunch counter inside a Greensboro Woolworth store. These young men sparked a wave of peaceful protests that spanned the State and Nation, helping to put an end to racial segregation. I remember traveling through North Carolina as a young girl and going to the back door of restaurants because I couldn't sit inside. Because of the Greensboro Four, my children, my grandchildren, and future generations won't have to share in my experience. My bipartisan resolution, H. Res. 128, honors these four courageous men and recognizes their impact. It has the support of 62 Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle. Today I am calling on my colleagues to support and pass this resolution in honor of the Greensboro Four and all of the students who stood up for equality by sitting down to end racial segregation.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Today, we find ourselves rereading the same chapter from a Republican extremist book that seems to have no end. Today's vote represents the 63rd time the GOP has tried to repeal or undermine the Affordable Care Act and the 12th time the GOP has voted to attack women's health care in the 114th Congress alone. Partisan games and divisions are transgressions on our communities. We must work together to seize the opportunity that exists in our great Nation. We can't do that by wasting time and energy on radical agendas. Attacking Planned Parenthood is part of a ploy to roll back women's rights. No one should control a woman's right to make decisions about her own body. I won't stop advocating for women's comprehensive health care or a woman's right to control her own body. This war on women must stop.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, it has been said before and it needs to be said again: It is time to get serious about gun violence in America. Every day, 88 people die because of gun violence. It happens in schools, at work, in our movie theaters, and even in our churches. Making matters worse, in the wake of recent attacks in Paris and here on our own soil, we still have an age-old loophole that allows terrorists to legally get their hands on guns. More than 2,000 suspects on the FBI's terrorist watch list have purchased guns over the last decade. My colleagues, we have an obligation to protect our communities by keeping guns out of the wrong hands. There are many changes that need to be made, but let's start by closing the gun-buying loophole for terrorists. We have a bipartisan solution in Representative Peter King's and Representative Mike Thompson's bill to close the loophole. How many lives must we lose? Let's take a step in the right direction, and let's make sure terrorists can't slip through the cracks and purchase guns. Let's pass Representative King's and Representative Thompson's bill.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, this week marks the 60th anniversary of the AFL-CIO. The AFL-CIO serves as the voice for more than 12 million working Americans throughout our Nation. Through negotiating with employers, the AFL-CIO has fought and won better wages, fair hours, and more friendly family policies for millions of Americans. I fought alongside AFL-CIO for decades, and I will continue to stand with them and our workers. Thank you to the president of the North Carolina AFL-CIO, James Andrews, to Timothy Rorie with the Central Labor Council, Charlie Hines with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, Essie Hogue with the Union for Government Employees, and more than 30 other members of the North Carolina AFL-CIO executive board. Thank you. These leaders pour everything they have into fighting for workers in our communities. For more than 60 years, the AFL-CIO has represented the best in our unions and has given our workers the support they need to stand up for themselves. On this 60th anniversary of the AFL-CIO, let's continue to support our workers by making sure that they have wages that they can live on, fair hours, retirement protections they deserve, and access to health care they need.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. I thank the gentleman from Virginia for yielding. Mr. Speaker, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 played a major role in ensuring all students have access to quality education. Because of this legislation, over the past 50 years, we have made remarkable progress in closing the achievement gap that plagues many low-income students. However, we still have a lot of work to do. The last reauthorization, No Child Left Behind, was signed into law in 2002 and hasn't been updated since. In that time, we have seen many changes in our education system and the needs of our students and educators, in addition to the unintended consequences of No Child Left Behind. So I am proud today that we are finally moving forward with a bipartisan bill that keeps the best interests of American students and educators in mind. The Every Student Succeeds Act is a true embodiment of what a stronger reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act should look like. This legislation upholds the key principles of equal access to education for all, rich or poor, and upholds accountability systems that ensure success. From promoting access to early education to supporting our neediest students and our teachers and investing in STEM education, this legislation puts our students first and helps to close achievement gaps. Our children are our future. Educating them shouldn't be a Democrat or a Republican issue. So I urge all of my colleagues to support our students by supporting this critical bipartisan legislation.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to shed light on the hundreds of Chibok schoolgirls who were abducted by Boko Haram nearly 600 days ago. Some girls have been recovered, but many more are still missing. Boko Haram is now the most dangerous terrorist organization in the world, killing more than 6,000 people in 2014 alone. While our Nation and the world are reeling from the death and destruction ISIS has caused in recent weeks, we must not forget the terror that Boko Haram brings every single day. Mr. Speaker, I applaud our government's efforts in helping provide Nigeria with the support they need to fight these militants. But there is more to be done. We cannot turn a blind eye to the destruction and bloodshed they have caused. We must continue to dedicate resources and support to wipe out the world's deadliest terror organizations. There also needs to be a continuous effort to save so many lives from falling into Boko Haram's hands. I thank Representative Wilson of Florida for leading the charge on this issue here in Congress. I am proud to stand with you in the fight to Bring Back Our Girls and stop Boko Haram.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor former Congressman Howard Coble, who passed away last night. Howard Coble was the epitome of a public servant. He served in the U.S. Coast Guard, the North Carolina State House, and as the Congressman for North Carolina's Sixth Congressional District for more than 30 years. Howard Coble dedicated his life to serving, and it was exemplified in the way he ran his office. As a freshman Member of Congress, I looked to him in serving my constituents. He was steadfast, attentive, and always put his constituents first. Some say he offered the best constituent services of any Member. I will never forget the night Howard Coble welcomed me to Congress the day I was sworn in. He later wished me well on my new journey as a Member. My thoughts and prayers are with his family, his friends, and his former colleagues during this difficult time. He will be missed but never forgotten. Howard Coble's legacy will remain in the Greensboro community and throughout North Carolina as a man who served selflessly.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I rise today in support of this package of amendments that includes my amendment, which clarifies minority groups to be targeted in human resources outreach efforts by the Department of Transportation. My amendment would expand the bill's use of the term ``minority'' and specify the inclusion of underrepresented minority groups. Oftentimes, when policies are put in place to create diversity, they are not implemented with special attention to communities that are historically underrepresented. This is a special burden for underrepresented minorities who have higher than average unemployment rates. Furthermore, we all know investments in infrastructure means jobs for our constituents and opportunities for our businesses back home. As we work to pass this legislation, I believe we must make a concerted effort to diversify the people who are able to take advantage of these opportunities. I should note that particular areas of the transportation industry, such as public transportation service providers see better levels of diversity, but it is time to expand these opportunities to include engineering, contracting, project development, and other components of the process. Our transportation industry should reflect the diversity of our country at every level.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, next Wednesday is Veterans Day, a day when we honor the brave men and women who served our great Nation. North Carolina is home to more than 800,000 veterans, and I have the privilege of representing more than 37,000 of them who live in the 12th Congressional District. I am the proud daughter, granddaughter, niece, and sister of veterans, so I understand the sacrifices that our veterans and their families make. No veteran should have to jump unnecessary hurdles to receive the benefits promised to them. That is why I introduced the Veterans Benefits Network Act. In the coming days, I will also be introducing legislation to help veterans get closer to achieving the American Dream of entrepreneurship. Our veterans risk their lives to protect our freedom and our democracy, and we must all remain committed to make sure that they have the resources needed to make a successful transition into civilian life. Access to quality health care, affordable education, and good-paying jobs should be guaranteed to all who serve honorably in our Armed Forces. This Veterans Day and every day, we honor the selfless service and sacrifices made by our veterans. It is my honor to be a voice for veterans in this Congress.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, August 6 marked the 50th anniversary of the passage of the bipartisan Voting Rights Act of 1965, historic legislation that prevented State and local governments from denying any citizen the right to vote based on his race, ensuring equal voting rights for all. In 2013, the Supreme Court struck down a major provision of this law, severely limiting the Federal oversight of State voting laws. My home State of North Carolina passed the most egregious voting law in the Nation immediately after that decision, which slashed early voting, implemented strict voter I.D. requirements, and ended pre voter registration programs. Other States across the country followed suit and also implemented election laws that disenfranchised voters. All voters should be able to make their voices heard and elect leaders of their choice, and I am proud to join my colleagues today in renewing our call to repair America's broken election system. I cosponsored the Voting Rights Advancement Act to help restore Federal oversight to jurisdictions which have a recent history of voter discrimination. This bill updates the coverage formula to ensure that States like North Carolina are required to obtain preclearance for changes to voting practices and procedures. It reaffirms our commitment to voter equality, and it creates additional pathways for voter access. Simply put, this bill protects the right to vote. I urge my colleagues to support this important piece of legislation because every American deserves to have his voice heard. Every American deserves equal access to the ballot box, and every American deserves the right to vote.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. One in three women report experiencing domestic violence throughout their lifetimes. In North Carolina alone, 108 people died because of domestic violence in 2013. Earlier today Ron Kimble, deputy city manager of Charlotte, who resides in my district, spoke at the new Members meeting about the severity of domestic violence. Mr. Kimble and his wife, Jan, lost their daughter Jamie, an only child, to domestic violence in 2012. Jamie, a 31-year-old graduate of the University of North Carolina and rising star at Coca-Cola Consolidated, worked up the courage to leave her boyfriend, who was controlling and emotionally abusive. Just 3 months after leaving him, he took her life and then he took his own in a murder-suicide. While Jamie can no longer share her story, her parents--Mr. and Mrs. Kimble--wanted me to share it with you today to shed light on the tragedy that often emerges from domestic violence. I am a proud cosponsor of the Teach Safe Relationships Act because I believe including safe relationship behavior curriculum in sex education will help combat domestic violence. This Domestic Violence Awareness Month, I urge this Congress to pass the Teach Safe Relationships Act and support other critical domestic violence legislation.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, it is time to get real about gun violence in America. As the entrusted voices for millions of Americans, we have a responsibility to address gun violence. In our schools, in our movie theaters, and even in our churches the threat is ever present. Most recently a dangerous individual went on the campus of a community college in Roseburg, Oregon, and opened fire, taking nine lives and injuring seven. My thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends as they mourn. Chris Mintz, a veteran from Randleman, North Carolina, was among those injured while rushing into the crossfire in an effort to defuse the situation. I am honored by his bravery, and I wish him a speedy and full recovery. From Newtown to Blacksburg, to Aurora, to Charleston, these senseless shootings are becoming far too common. It is not just mass shootings that are bothersome because every day 88 people die because of gun violence. That is more than 30,000 Americans killed every year. How many lives must be lost before we say that now is the right time to pass commonsense legislation to keep guns out of the wrong hands? We can make a difference. We must, but we must take action now.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Harvey B. Gantt. Mr. Gantt has dedicated his life to being an advocate and fearless voice for the voiceless. When he was a teenager during the civil rights movement, he participated in sit-ins. Even in the face of adversity, Mr. Gantt persevered. In 1961, he sued to enter then racially segregated Clemson University. He won, and he went on to become Clemson University's first African American student graduating with honors. In later years, he took on leadership roles, serving for 9 years on the Charlotte City Council. In 1983, Harvey Gantt made history as the first African American mayor of Charlotte, serving two terms. During his terms, he focused on preserving and sustaining Charlotte's neighborhoods and the City Center. Throughout his life, he has used his background as an architect to evoke positive change in urban communities. In the coming days, Mr. Gantt will be honored with the North Carolina Humanities Council's highest award, the John Tyler Caldwell award, for his outstanding lifelong achievements. Mr. Gantt never ran away from challenges. He always put his community and its people first. For that, I thank him. I congratulate him on receiving this award.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss a topic near and dear to my heart: sickle cell anemia. Sickle cell is an inherited blood disease where red blood cells are abnormally shaped, making it hard to deliver oxygen throughout the body, often causing extreme pain, damaging vital organs, and possible stroke. I have seen these effects firsthand. My sister died from sickle cell just 2 weeks before her 27th birthday. I will never forget the many night trips to the emergency room to get care for her, since we didn't have health insurance. Back then we didn't know much about sickle cell disease. Today medical treatment and research for sickle cell has evolved. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, more people now have health insurance, but we must still support Federal efforts to fund additional research and treatment opportunities. That is why I am proud to cosponsor H.R. 1807, the Sickle Cell Research Surveillance, Prevention, and Treatment Act, which supports funding for advanced medical treatment and research. My colleagues, please join me in recognizing September as Sickle Cell Awareness Month by supporting legislation to treat this disease and by keeping our government running so critical sickle cell research and treatment can continue at the National Institutes of Health.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a woman who is angry. These attacks on Planned Parenthood aren't about some deceptive videos. It is about a woman's right to make decisions about her own body. Women's reproductive rights are decisions she should make. It should be between a woman, her doctor, and her family, not a male-dominated Congress. So let's be clear. Attacking Planned Parenthood is part of a ploy to roll back women's rights. What hypocrisy. I wish my colleagues on the other side of the aisle cared this much about the millions of women and children who go hungry every day or the educational inequities that exist in our most vulnerable communities. I stand with Planned Parenthood for the services they provide. Last year, they served more than 2.7 million across our Nation, and more than 31,000 in North Carolina just through nine centers. More than 21,000 patients received safe contraception; more than 18,000 STI tests were conducted, and more than 3,500 Pap tests and more than 2,500 breast exams. Real women getting real preventive care. I will continue to advocate for women's comprehensive health care and their right to control their own body. The war on women must stop.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today during Hunger Action Month to discuss an issue that demands our immediate attention: hunger. My district--North Carolina's 12th--ranks ninth in the Nation and first in the State for hunger. My hometown of Greensboro and High Point are first in the Nation for food insecurity. In May, I launched the Adams Hunger Initiative to draw greater attention to this issue and to foster bipartisan solutions. This week I am introducing a resolution to highlight the severity of the hunger crisis across our Nation and to recognize the role critical programs like SNAP and others play in helping families put food on the table and to call on Congress to strengthen these programs and streamline requirements for afterschool and summer meals programs. Mr. Speaker, if the government shuts down on Thursday, the SNAP program won't have enough to cover October benefits, impacting more than 65,000 people in my district and millions across the Nation. During Hunger Action Month, a time when we should be elevating and addressing this crisis, we are taking steps back. I call on my colleagues to stand with our most vulnerable and keep our government running.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, once again, Republicans are threatening to shut down our government. Instead of passing a sensible funding bill or a long-term transportation bill that will create jobs, Republicans have chosen to put jobs at risk. They have chosen to weaken security at our airports. They have chosen to close our national parks. They pretty much have chosen not to serve their constituents back home. And it is for what reason? It is because they are so determined to regulate women's bodies and block women's right to access preventive and lifesaving health care that they would rather throw Americans under the bus. Last year alone, in my State of North Carolina, Planned Parenthood served more than 31,000 patients, providing mammograms, pap smears, cancer screenings, contraceptive services, and STD testing. Why would we want to deny women, many who are low income, of these necessary health benefits? Women's access to health care has always been important to me, and that is why I am a consistent advocate for the work that Planned Parenthood does. More importantly, I refuse to put jobs and our country's safety at risk over partisan grandstanding. Only 7 days left--it is time to do what we were sent here to do and end this senseless shutdown talk.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today because I am disgusted and ashamed. Instead of working to address our most pressing issues like jobs, the economy, long-term highway transportation funding, and a responsible budget, my Republican colleagues are meeting behind closed doors, scheming up plans that delay our work here--putting our economy and our constituents' jobs at risk. It is past time that Republicans put the needs of the Americans before partisan politics. American businesses that have what it takes to compete globally are being left behind because of the Republicans' refusal to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank. The uncertainty placed on State and local governments by the Republicans' refusal to put forth a long-term highway funding bill is unconscionable. Let's not forget that we have yet to produce and pass a responsible budget. We cannot have a repeat of 2013 with our people out of work. I urge my colleagues to put partisan politics aside, and let's do what we have been called here to do. Based on the latest antics, I can't tell if I am a freshman in high school or a freshman in Congress.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Chairman, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone).

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Chairman, my amendment provides strong and consistent safeguards to inform communities about coal ash contaminants in their drinking water supply wells. We have heard a lot of talk about regulatory certainty, certainty for utilities, certainty for coal ash recyclers. But what about certainty for children and families who live near coal ash sites, certainty of transparency for their parents who rely on well water to prepare their children's meals and to bathe them at night? These parents have the right to know if their water is safe to consume, and they have a right to access that information immediately. And what about certainty of accountability to ensure that these families can expect an alternate water supply if it has been compromised by coal ash pollution? North Carolina can give the Nation a lesson about what poor management of coal ash looks like. It took a disastrous spill of coal ash into the Dan River to make it clear that the protection of our communities and waterways could not rely on the goodwill of powerful utilities. North Carolina learned the hard way that, when State regulators stick their heads in the sand to allow the unfettered disposal of coal ash, spills happen. I would like to share with my colleagues the most recent update on well testing from North Carolina's Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Out of 285 wells tested, 265 show contamination. That is more than 90 percent of the drinking water wells showing contamination. This information is made possible to communities because of S. 729, a bill that the North Carolina General Assembly passed last year while I served in the legislature. Following the Dan River spill, North Carolina now requires owners and operators of coal ash dams to identify all drinking water supply wells within one-half mile downgradient from the impoundments. If sampling indicates high levels of contamination, the owner or operator must replace the contaminated drinking water with an alternate supply of water that is safe. My amendment seeks to provide rural communities across the Nation with the same requirements that citizens in North Carolina now enjoy, requirements that will give them the certainty that their water is safe. Americans in North Carolina and across the Nation have the right to access safe drinking water, especially rural communities who rely overwhelmingly on private wells as their main source of drinking water. Finally, coal ash pollution often affects low-income communities who don't have the resources to go up against big utilities. Passing this amendment will give these communities the resources they deserve to protect themselves. I urge my colleagues to join me in standing with the people of North Carolina and rural communities across the Nation who deserve transparency and nothing less. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

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