Colin Allred

Mr. ALLRED

Mr. ALLRED. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the outgoing mayor of Dallas, Mike Rawlings, for his 8 years of exceptional service to our great city. Under the mayor's leadership, Dallas saw incredible economic growth. Unemployment has outperformed the State and national rate for 51 consecutive months. There is no better advocate for Dallas, as the mayor traveled all over the world working to bring investment to our city and help every part of the city succeed. He helped to improve the quality of life by adding 215 of parklands and 40 miles of trails. He has worked to close the gaps in opportunity in our city. Maya Angelou said: ``You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.'' Mayor Rawlings showed incredible leadership in times of crisis, and there is no better example than the grace and leadership he showed in handling the July 7, 2016, attacks on Dallas police officers. He has been a unifying voice for our city. As a son of Dallas, I want to thank Mayor Rawlings for his service.

Mr. ALLRED

Mr. ALLRED. Madam Speaker, I rise today to oppose the newly announced tariffs on Mexico by this administration. Hardworking Texans cannot be asked to bear the brunt of a costly and unnecessary trade war that would not solve our problems or address our broken immigration system. Our economy in Texas is powered by trade with Mexico. Texas is the number one State in the Nation for trade with Mexico. Last year alone, we imported $107 billion in goods from Mexico; and these tariffs, if taken to their natural end, could cost us $27 billion in Texas alone. I have met with Lennox, a heating and air-conditioning company, headquartered in my district in Richardson, Texas. They employ 8,000 Americans, and they rely on subcomponents made in Mexico to manufacture products here in the U.S. Their business is put at risk by these tariffs. Toyota, another great company that is headquartered in north Texas, has said that these tariffs will cost them and their suppliers as much as $1 billion. I have heard from countless constituents about their concerns about what this will do to the Texas economy. This is unacceptable. I commend my colleagues in the Senate for contemplating action to stop these tariffs and plan to join them and support them in the House.

Mr. ALLRED

Mr. ALLRED. Mr. Speaker, I received a letter recently from Paul Rozinsky of Richardson, Texas. Paul is 81 and uses Medicare Advantage. He has type 2 diabetes. In his letter, he says that there are two identical versions of insulin; one is $140 and the other is $24.88, made on a special contract for Walmart. Paul can't get access to the cheaper drug because it isn't on the insurer's drug list. He wrote to his insurer about an exception to his tiered pricing so that he could qualify for the cheaper version. They rejected it with a note, saying: ``We apologize for the inconvenience.'' That is unacceptable and far too common. In fact, one in four patients with diabetes are rationing their insulin because of higher costs. We must do better for Paul and millions like him who need access to cheaper medicines. This Congress must act and sign into legislation law that lowers costs and simplifies the process so it is easy to use. Access to healthcare shouldn't be a partisan issue. I call on my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to come together and get something done this year to address the cost of prescription drugs.

Mr. ALLRED

Mr. ALLRED. Madam Speaker, this new freshman class has made history as the youngest and most diverse ever, and I am incredibly proud to be a Member of this class and of this Congress and to serve with my friend, Representative Stevens, as freshman class co-president of the Democratic class. We truly do represent our Nation's slogan of E pluribus unum--out of many, one. And though we have much more work to do as the end of our first 100 days approaches, we have made real progress in fulfilling our efforts to make the lives of ordinary Americans a little bit better. As freshman class co-president, I can tell you that this class came here with a mandate to end the sabotage of Americans' healthcare and to work to lower costs. I was proud to lead the effort, on our very first day in Congress, as we placed the United States House back on the side of the people by intervening to defend the Affordable Care Act in court and with it its protections for people with preexisting conditions. This resolution, that I was proud to lead, passed with bipartisan support, sending a strong message that the United States House will not stand idly by while this administration tries to take us back to the bad old days when people were denied care because they had a preexisting condition or ran into lifetime caps on their coverage. We have also introduced bold legislation that will stop the sabotage, stabilize healthcare markets, and lower costs for regular folks, that I hope will pass with bipartisan support. After all, that is what the American people want us to do, to work together. We have also passed commonsense gun safety measures that will keep our communities safe by closing loopholes in the background check system. We passed the Paycheck Fairness Act, which helps guarantee that, no matter who you are, everyone gets equal pay for equal work. We passed the most historic anticorruption and pro-democracy bill in a generation, H.R. 1, the For the People Act, which will reduce the influence of big money and special interests in Washington and return power to the people by expanding voting rights and ending voter suppression. From my post on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, we are laying the groundwork for a much-needed and long overdue infrastructure bill. In my district in north Texas, we are rapidly growing, and I know that I am not alone in hearing from folks who are stuck in traffic and tired of congestion on their commutes, and we can and must do more to repair our roads and bridges and to diversify the transportation options available to all Americans. In closing, I issue this challenge to my colleagues in both parties, in the House and in the Senate. The American people are counting on us. Let's put aside partisan politics and let's work together. From prescription drugs to infrastructure, there is so much that we agree on. Let's deliver in the next 100 days for the American people.

Mr. ALLRED

Mr. ALLRED. Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Pallone for his leadership, and I am proud to lead the charge on this resolution condemning the administration's attacks on American's healthcare in Federal court. With the support of so many of my colleagues, this resolution puts the United States Congress on the record as being on the side of the people. As this administration seeks to tear down our healthcare system, this Congress will not stand by while cynical and partisan interests attack our healthcare system and that of hardworking Americans. Whether it is allowing young people to stay on their parent's insurance until they are 26, or protecting people from lifetime caps, or ensuring that folks with preexisting conditions get the care that they need, this should not be a partisan issue. The fight to protect preexisting conditions is personal for me. My mother is a breast cancer survivor and my wife Aly and I just celebrated the birth of our son. Both of those are preexisting conditions. And concern about healthcare is, by far, the number one issue that my constituents talk to me about back home. That brings me to Natalie, a lawyer with young children, Hugo and Mia, who is married to Nathan, a law professor at Southern Methodist University. Nathan recently attended the State of the Union here with me in Washington. I met Natalie on the same day that the House voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act. I learned that she had stage IV cancer and that she had come to my event from her chemotherapy treatment. She explained to me that her goal was to fight her cancer for as long as she could so that her two children would know her. Natalie came to my event that day because she was worried about future moms who would lose their care if the Affordable Care Act was repealed. She was concerned about a return to the bad old days with lifetime caps and discrimination against people with preexisting conditions. Sadly, Natalie passed away last year, but her fight goes on, a fight that I am honored to carry forward on behalf of north Texans here in Washington. My home State of Texas has the highest uninsured rate in the country. One in five people in Dallas County, where I live, do not have health insurance. We can and must do better. I urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle in the House and the Senate to join us in condemning these attacks on our healthcare system. We must make sure that we don't go back to the bad old days where people can get thrown off their healthcare just because they got sick. This resolution is a good first step, but we must come together to help our constituents by working together to pass legislation that will stabilize our system and lower costs for everyone.

Mr. ALLRED

Mr. ALLRED. Madam Speaker, I am honored to commemorate a milestone for the community of Rowlett, Texas, the grand opening of the Life Message Veterans Resource & Outreach Center. This facility is already making a difference in veterans' lives in this community, but Friday, March 29, 2019 will mark the ground- breaking and official opening ceremony of the center. We owe a great debt to our veterans and their families, and I thank the people of Rowlett for their work on this effort. This is a great example of a community coming together to support those who have sacrificed so much for our nation. It is an honor to represent them in Congress, and I know that I am deeply dedicated to being a strong and reliable partner for this new center as it works to become a source of long-term support and solutions for our veterans.

Mr. ALLRED

Mr. ALLRED. Mr. Speaker, as I am back home in Dallas, Texas, on paternity leave with my family, I submit the following vote explanation. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 85, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 86, and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 87.

Mr. ALLRED

Mr. ALLRED. Mr. Speaker, as I am back home in Dallas, Texas on paternity leave with my family, I submit the following vote explanation. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 78, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 79, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 80, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 81, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 82, and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 83.

Mr. ALLRED

Mr. ALLRED. Mr. Speaker, as I am back home in Dallas, Texas, on paternity leave with my family, I submit the following vote explanation. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 84.

Mr. ALLRED

Mr. ALLRED. Mr. Speaker, as I am back home in Dallas, Texas, on paternity leave with my family, I submit the following vote explanation. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 76 and YEA on Roll Call No. 77.

Mr. ALLRED

Mr. ALLRED. Mr. Speaker, as I am back home in Dallas, Texas, on paternity leave with my family, I submit the following vote explanation. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 72, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 73, ``nay'' on rollcall No. 74, and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 75.

Mr. ALLRED

Mr. ALLRED. Mr. Speaker, I am back home in Dallas, Texas, on paternity leave with my family, I submit the following vote explanation. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 68, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 69, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 70, and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 71.

Mr. ALLRED

Mr. ALLRED. Madam Speaker, today I include in the Record the life, the story and the legacy of Ressie Davis English. The grandmother of my colleague, friend and fellow Texan, Congressman Marc Veasey. Mrs. English passed on January 18, 2019, after 106 years of life. Throughout her life, she was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, gardener and student of scripture. On July 29, 1912, in the small town of Rice, Mr. William and Mrs. Mary Hart Davis completed their family of six with a newborn girl they named Ressie Davis. Mr. Davis, like most black citizens of Navarro County at the time, was a farmer. Mr. Davis's father, a well-educated and regarded Baptist minister was resolute in his belief that to do well, his children needed to be well educated and passed this belief onto his children. To be black and well educated required that the Davis family find schools beyond the small, rural, operations for black children that existed at the time. Ressie attended high school at Jackson in Corsicana. Jackson was the designated school in town for black students during the era of segregation in Texas. Ressie 's family left Rice and moved to where she met the love of her life, Robert March English. She and Dr. English, `Bob', married in the spring of 1939, and a few years later had their first child, a daughter named, Mary LlaBetta. By the time a second daughter, Lizzie Elizabeth Janet arrived, the family was living in the bustling town of Mineral Wells, Texas, and Dr. English had become an established young and dynamic Baptist minister working in Jacksboro, Texas. Dr. English soon became vice-moderator and later moderator of the West Texas District Baptist Association. His ministry flourished, but the need for better medical resources dictated a return to Corsicana. They later added to the family daughters Doris Theresa, ``SanDei'', and Eva Carolyn and their two sons, Robert James and Joseph Hart-Davis English. Ressie settled into her role of minister's wife working as a homemaker and running her household with great diligence. She agreed to move to Fort Worth with the caveat that if the church was to be in Lake Como, housing had to be found within walking distance to Como elementary school. Her last three children, Constance Grace, John Moses and Rubye DeiGratia were born in Lake Como. Fully settled in Fort Worth, all nine of the children graduated from or attended Como senior high school. The English's were well regarded in the Lake Como community, unwavering in their commitment to the church, and steadfast in overseeing the activities of their nine children. The children participated in everything the school had to offer. Ressie made sure her children became fixtures in the recreational and academic setting in the Como community; from piano lessons to track and football, to the PTA, Drama and Debate Club to the National Honors Society, they did it all. After the establishment of the first church commissioned by the West Texas Baptist Association, Ressie became ``First Lady'' of another church, independently established by her husband. They named it Mount Moriah Baptist Church. Dr. English guided this church until his death in 1987. Ressie always put God and family first, and in her spare time, she enjoyed gardening and harvesting fruit and vegetables at her Lake Como home. Trips to the now obsolete retailers, Handy Dan and Sutherland's, were her favorite places to buy outdoor and home improvement items. While she did enjoy fresh food; she never turned down a good Breakfast Jack or a two-piece meal from Churches on Lackland and Camp Bowie. In addition to gardening, Ressie was also very handy at sewing; and always kept a machine, which she was very proud of, nestled near a corner window in her dining room. But most importantly Ressie enjoyed studying the Bible, and for most of her 106 years, she could quote scripture and the words of Jesus Christ with remarkable accuracy and clarity. She oftentimes hummed churched hymns while knitting, reading, or working outdoors. And her memory allowed her to be a master storyteller of days long gone. The summer of 2018 marked 106 years in the life of Ressie Davis English. On January 18, 2019, she went home to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We celebrate her life today with these words forever enshrined into the Congressional Record of the United States House of Representatives, where her grandson Marc Veasey serves. She was preceded in death by her husband Dr. Robert English and three children Mary LlaBetta Sowels, Robert James English and Joseph Hart English, and two granddaughters. Her legacy continues through her children, Elizabeth English Burky, Doris Theresa English, Eva Carolyn English-Clay, Constance English Cash, John Moses English and Charley Rubye English-Carter. She is also survived by many grandchildren, and great-grandchildren and great- great-grandchildren. Her kids and grandchildren have gone on to work in broadcasting, higher education, politics, the food and beverage industry, and many other endeavors of hard work and accomplishment of which Mrs. English was very proud. I wish Mrs. English peace and my deepest condolences to Congressman Veasey and his family.

Mr. ALLRED

Mr. ALLRED. Madam Speaker, I rise to support the resolution against white nationalism and against white supremacy.

Mr. ALLRED

Mr. ALLRED. Madam Speaker, I am honored to commemorate a historic achievement by the young student athletes at Highland Park High School. The Highland Park High School varsity football team won the 5A state championship for the third year in a row, and the Highland Park tennis teams also won state titles this very school year. On Saturday, January 12, 2019, at Goar Park, the Highland Park Independent School District and the cities of Highland Park and University Park will host a well deserved Parade of Champions. As their Congressman, I am excited to celebrate these hard fought victories with them. Achievements such as this don't happen overnight and they take the support of families, friends, teachers, coaches, faculty, staff and volunteers. It really does take a community. And this community should be proud. As a former student athlete myself, I know the hard work it takes, day in and day out, to practice and work to win as a team. All while prioritizing work in the classroom and studying hard. They have shown that North Texans are champions, and we couldn't be prouder of what they all have accomplished together.

Mr. ALLRED

Mr. ALLRED. Madam Speaker, I rise today to correct an injustice and to urge passage of this resolution that will put the United States House back on the side of the people and protecting their healthcare. For far too long, seeking to fulfill empty partisan promises at the expense of the American people, politicians in Congress have sought to tear apart the Affordable Care Act and its protections for people with preexisting conditions. That ends today. When the American people chose this new Congress, they said: Enough with the sabotage and the kowtowing to special interests seeking to divide us. Too many times this very body has voted against the American people to repeal the Affordable Care Act and, with it, the protections for people with preexisting conditions. Now, a Federal court has put at risk those same protections. That brings me to the story of Natalie. As I traveled around my district, which I am now truly honored to represent, I met Natalie. She told me her story. She was a lawyer with young children, Hugo and Mia, and was married to a law professor at Southern Methodist University. I met with her on the same day that the House had voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act. I learned that Natalie had stage IV cancer and that she had come to my event from her chemotherapy treatment. She explained to me that her goal was to fight her cancer as long as possible so that her children would know her. Natalie came to my event that day because she was worried about future moms like her who would lose their care if the Affordable Care Act was repealed. Natalie was worried about a return to the bad old days, with lifetime caps and discrimination against people with preexisting conditions. She knew that, because of her treatment, she would have blown through any lifetime cap in a matter of weeks. Stories like Natalie's are all too common across America. Tomorrow will be 1 year, to the day, since we lost Natalie, and she is still an inspiration to me and to many other north Texans and Americans across the country. You see, Madam Speaker, Natalie spent her final days, while she was in pain, while she was saying her good-byes, emailing and posting on social media an talking to her community about the need to protect the Affordable Care Act so that other moms could get the care that they need. That is who we are as north Texans, and that is who we are as Americans. We believe in something larger than ourselves. We believe in protecting 130 million Americans and more than 320,000 people in my district in north Texas who have a preexisting condition. Let me be clear. The Affordable Care Act is not perfect, and this resolution does not solve all the healthcare problems facing our country. But, as one of our first acts, I hope that this measure tells the American people that we are on their side. I know I speak for many of my colleagues when I say that this Congress will not stop working for the American people. We will not relent to the special interests and the forces of cynicism. The American people now, more than ever, need us to work together to address the rising cost of healthcare. Americans like Natalie and her family deserve no less. Madam Speaker, it is truly an honor to address this body for the first time, and it is my first act to lead this resolution to defend the Affordable Care Act.