Marsha Blackburn

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Tennessee for her work on this issue, and I also thank Chairman Chaffetz for the work that he has done on this issue. Both the gentlewoman and the chairman have mentioned the work and the comments by Mayor Gray regarding this policy and the policy by the RHNDA. You can say the reason that we are here tonight is to correct a wrong. I think you could also say that it is here to protect one of those first principles that we hold so very dear in this country and one of the reasons that our country was founded: to celebrate and enjoy religious freedom. So that is what brings us to the floor tonight. One of the things that we hear from our constituents all the time, Madam Speaker, is that we should never pass bills that are going to compromise or limit our freedoms. Now, it is important to note that what the District has done with the RHNDA would prevent organizations of faith--including schools, churches, and pro-life groups established explicitly to uphold their moral and ethical views--from making personnel decisions consistent with the mission of their very establishment. So that is a prohibition that we are addressing with this resolution that we are bringing forward tonight. I think it is important to note the resolution doesn't take away any rights and it doesn't add any new rights. What it does is to maintain what has been current law. That is something that is important for us to remember. I also think it is important to note that in 2012 the Supreme Court unanimously affirmed the rights of religious organizations, and we stand tonight with that affirmation.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Chairman, the Department of Energy has proposed new rulemaking that will eliminate the use of noncondensing natural gas home furnaces. On average, condensing furnaces cost $350 more than noncondensing furnaces and require as much as $2,200 in additional installation costs. The DOE itself has estimated that it will cost the American consumer up to $12 billion to install condensing furnaces nationwide. The upfront costs of installing a natural gas condensing furnace may force families to switch to alternative furnaces which are cheaper to install but that cost more to operate. Home furnaces fail and need to be replaced when people are most likely to use them--in the middle of the winter when it is cold outside. Families shouldn't have to face increased costs to replace their natural gas furnaces to get the heat flowing back into their homes. Furthermore, the proposed rule creates a nationwide standard that fails to take into account the different climate zones throughout the country. The Department of Energy has proposed a one-size-fits-all approach that unfairly punishes Americans living in warmer climate zones such as the Southeast. This means that the payback period for the installation of condensing furnaces in the warmer climate zones will be much longer than in the colder zones. My amendment to this appropriations bill will prevent the Department of Energy from using funds to finalize, promulgate, or enforce the proposed rule. My amendment has been supported by the American Gas Association, the American Public Gas Association, the Home Builders Association, the Indoor Environment and Energy Efficiency Coalition, the Air Condition, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute, and the heating and air-condition and refrigerating distributors. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Chairman, this is an amendment that I bring every year. I told Chairman Simpson that I knew he was delighted to see me back on the floor again this year with the amendment for the 1 percent across-the-board spending cut. I do want to thank the committee for its hard work in cutting, and it is important to note that the proposed funding levels for this appropriations bill this year is $35.4 billion, which is $633 million below the President's budget request. I have got to say, with the situation in our Nation with our debt, I think my 1 percent spending reduction, which will save taxpayers an additional $356 million, is something that is necessary, and it is a step that we need to take. I am really fully aware that some of the appropriators aren't standing in favor of the 1 percent across-the-board cuts. In fact, when I offered this amendment to last year's bill, I was told that cuts of this magnitude, quite honestly, go far too deep. Well, I think that, when you look at the fact that we need to be cutting another penny out of a dollar, that is not too deep because our debt is something that is damaging our Nation's security. Even Admiral Mullen has said that the greatest threat to our Nation's security is our growing national debt. Because of that, we need to do a little bit more every time we come to the floor for appropriations to get this $18.2 trillion debt under control. As I have said before, across-the-board spending cuts effectively control the growth and cost of the Federal Government. They not only give agencies flexibility to determine which expenses are necessary, but more importantly, they don't pick winners and losers. Not only do I support the across-the-board cuts, many of our Governors support them, Republican and Democrat. When I was in the State senate in Tennessee, we couldn't adjourn that until we balanced the budget. That is why our States are controlling their debts, reining in their expenses, and our Federal Government is not. We kick the can down the road, go print more money, run up more debt. It is time to get it under control. Saving another penny on a dollar is a necessary step. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Chairman, I am just so delighted that my friend mentioned what we need is a robust economy because I agree. The Obama economy has been abysmal and has been terrible for our country. And you are exactly right. The middle class has shrunk. Wages have been cut. All that has happened. I know the American people are sick and tired of it, and they would like to get this country moving again. And the Obama economy has caused many of the problems that are in front of us. I am so pleased, too, that she mentioned the $2.3 trillion that we have spent importing oil. If you look at who has been importing a lot of that oil, OPEC, exporting that to us. OPEC is one of the top five holders of our debt. That adds to both our energy security and our national security problems. Mr. Chairman, it is time to open up our lands and drill here and drill now. Now, quite frankly, a penny on a dollar is another way to engage rank-and-file employees. I have seen it work at the State level. I know other States have used that, as I said. Both Democrat and Republican Governors have done it. My State of Tennessee did this as we reduced the size and growth of the budget in our State. By the way, we had to do it because we were the test case for Hillary Clinton's healthcare plan, and that just threw our budget all out of whack. So yes, we found ourselves cutting about 9 cents across the board per department. Do across-the-board cuts work? Yes. Do they send the right message? Absolutely. Do they engage the rank and file? You better believe it. Are they a step toward getting out-of-control spending under control? Yes, they are, and we need to do that. Every man, woman, and child in this country, right now, has over $56,000 worth of debt that they would be responsible for. That is a per person load for our $18.2 trillion worth of debt. We have got $18.2 trillion worth of debt, and we can't cut another penny out of a dollar? The chairman has done a great job. They have the right focus. I think that what we do is give them another little push, engage the bureaucracy--which, by the way, they are not having to make the cuts that men and women and small businesses are having to make. It is the fair thing to do. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Chairman, I want to thank Mr. Dent and Mr. Rokita for their work on this issue. The Department of Energy is so determined to redesign the ceiling fan that they have released a 101-page rulemaking framework document which evaluates the potential energy savings of their new regulations. Well, what we have found is that, just like stretching their tentacles into lightbulbs and so many other areas of our home, what they are doing is pricing people out of the ceiling fan market. These new regulations would significantly impair the ability of ceiling fan manufacturers like Hunter Fans in Memphis, Tennessee, to produce reasonably priced, highly decorative fans. The regulations will not only place a higher price tag on the less- pleasing designs, but could increase homeowners' reliance on cooling systems that are less energy efficient. What we are seeing is, with ceiling fans, that many of our constituents save as much as 14 percent on their energy use to cool their home, and they can save homeowners as much as 40 percent of their air-conditioning bills by creating a breeze that makes the room feel a little bit cooler. New regulations will curb increased consumer trends in the marketplace, which currently include placing ceiling fans in laundry rooms, closets, and master bathrooms. I would encourage my colleagues to support this amendment.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I am so thrilled we are beginning our day talking about doing good things for other people. Today, I rise to recognize and to pay tribute to the General Federation of Women's Clubs. Tomorrow, April 24, is recognized as Federation Day, and it is the 125th anniversary of the Women's Club Federation. This organization has such an interesting beginning. Jane Croly, who was a journalist, was denied attendance at a dinner in New York to honor Charles Dickens, and she was denied because of her gender. So she got busy with that, and she organized a women's club convention. On April 24, 1890, 63 clubs from around the country came together to form the Federation to focus on helping our communities. They have over 90,000 members, and, last year, they did 100,000 different community service projects with 4.5 million volunteer hours. They are coming to Tennessee in June for their convention. We look forward to welcoming them and to celebrating doing good for other people.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 471) to improve enforcement efforts related to prescription drug diversion and abuse, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Costello), a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee who has worked through this issue with some veterans.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, as our colleagues have heard today, this is a bipartisan effort, and Mr. Marino has really worked diligently with his team and with all of us on this legislation to make certain that we got it right the first time and we didn't have to come back and revisit it. I thank him, the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Welch), and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Judy Chu) for the efforts that they have put into this, and also Chairman Pitts and Chairman Upton for the diligence that they have shown to the issue to make certain that we moved the bill through the process. As I said earlier, this is about access to the supply chain and making certain that those with legitimate needs for these medicines have the ability to access them in a timely manner, also bringing our pharmacists and the DEA into a collaborative process, with clarity, so that they make certain that this supply chain remains open to those that need it and that the DEA has the ability to continue to fight diversion and drug abuse. Prescription drugs kill more people than heroin. This is something we need to realize is a problem. At the same time, those that need these medicines, we need to make certain that supply chain is clear. I thank my colleagues for their diligence and their work, and I encourage an ``aye'' vote. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Jolly), one of our colleagues from the Appropriations Committee handling Commerce, Justice, Science appropriations.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I think it is so important for us to note that the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Marino) has been the primary author of this legislation and has brought to the table to work on this bill his experience of 7 years as a U.S. attorney--10 years prior to that as a district attorney--and has seen firsthand and dealt with drug diversion, drug enforcement issues, and the needs of the patient. At this time, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Marino).

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials into the Record.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support of H.R. 471, the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act of 2015. This critical legislation combats inappropriate use of prescription drugs by bringing greater clarity and transparency to the requirements for safe and secure distribution of these medicines. It accomplishes these goals by clarifying some key terminology in the Controlled Substances Act. This comprehensive approach to the legislation will result in better protections against diversion and abuse of controlled substances. What it does is it provides the DEA with the clarity to collaborate with the very people responsible for ensuring that these medications get to the patients who need them without hurting and harming that distribution chain and while clamping down on diversions and abuse. These collaborations will lead to improved policies to prevent diversion while allowing legitimate patients to have access to the medications they need. Now, like so many components and pieces and bills and parts of legislation, the best example of why this is needed is a story that comes from home. In the case of this bill, we had a constituent who called our office after one of the recent ice storms that we saw in middle Tennessee this winter. It seemed as if these storms would never stop. The ice would come, and then it would not melt. We had a constituent who has a son who has a severe seizure disorder, and he takes three different medicines to control these seizures. Although his medicines are not opioids, two of them are controlled substances. So this mother, taking care of her son, decided she better get herself to the drugstore before the storm hit, and she did just that, to refill his prescriptions. She was anticipating that the prescriptions would run out before the ice melted and she would be able to get to the store. At the drugstore, she was told that she could not refill them because it was too early. She explained the situation. The pharmacist sympathized, but the pharmacist went on to say if the prescription were to be filled early, there would be problems with the DEA and other agencies. The pharmacist was worried that his license might be lost. Our legislation is simply to ensure that patients who have a legitimate need for medications can receive them while we are battling diversion and abuse, which truly is a problem in this country. So, Madam Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to support this effort. I reserve the balance of my time. House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary, Washington, DC, April 20, 2015. Hon. Fred Upton, Chairman, Committee on Energy and Commerce, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Upton: I am writing with respect to H.R. 471, the ``Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act of 2015.'' As a result of your having consulted with us on provisions in H.R. 471 that fall within the Rule X jurisdiction of the Committee on the Judiciary, I agree to discharge our Committee from further consideration of this bill so that it may proceed expeditiously to the House floor for consideration. The Judiciary Committee takes this action with our mutual understanding that by foregoing consideration of H.R. 471 at this time, we do not waive any jurisdiction over subject matter contained in this or similar legislation, and that our Committee will be appropriately consulted and involved as this bill or similar legislation moves forward so that we may address any remaining issues in our jurisdiction. Our Committee also reserves the right to seek appointment of an appropriate number of conferees to any House-Senate conference involving this or similar legislation, and asks that you support any such request. I would appreciate a response to this letter confirming this understanding with respect to H.R. 471, and would ask that a copy of our exchange of letters on this matter be included in the Congressional Record during Floor consideration of H.R. 471. Sincerely, Bob Goodlatte, Chairman.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the recognition and the opportunity to revise and extend my remarks and to address the body of the House. Mr. Speaker, as my colleagues all know, this is the week that the American people will strike that check to the Internal Revenue Service to pay their taxes. Now, what has ended up happening through the years, as this tax that came on our books about 100 years ago and was to be a 1 percent temporary tax, has grown and grown and grown, and it continues to eat a greater share of our incomes. I hear from constituents every single day--every single day--about the unfairness and the overreach of the IRS. They are so fed up with this because what they observe is government continues to grow and the bureaucracy continues to grow, and what happens? It just takes away bits and pieces of our freedom every time that bureaucracy expands. That is the reason that this week we in the House have set aside time to make certain that we are addressing those concerns that we hear from our constituents. This is a week where we are going to talk about tax fairness, tax equity, and also about overreach, which comes from a government that refuses to live within its means and continues to take more out of the pockets of hard-working taxpayers who are fighting and working so hard to live within their means. I think there basically is something immoral about taxpayers working so hard to live within their means and sending money to a government that refuses to live within its means. Now, there are some things that we can do to address this issue and things that we ought to be doing, and we are. One is to look at a permanent repeal of the death tax. I am so pleased that Chairman Ryan and Chairman Brady are bringing these bills forward. The other that I want to talk specifically about for a few minutes is H.R. 622. This is a bill that I am the lead cosponsor on with Congressman Kevin Brady and one that is very important to my State of Tennessee, just as it is to the other States--Texas, Florida, Washington State, Nevada--that don't have a State income tax but that choose to fund their government off of other taxes, sales tax. What this legislation does is to make permanent the ability of citizens, taxpayers in those States to deduct their sales tax, their State and local sales tax from their Federal income tax filing. Now, this is an issue Congressman Brady and I have been working on since 2003, and that year we were successful in having the ability to deduct that sales tax restored to your State income tax, your Federal income tax filing. That is why you now have lines 5a and 5b on those forms. This is the reason that I became so interested in this issue. When I was a State senator in Tennessee, I led not a 4-day or 4-week or 4- month, but a 4-year battle against implementation of a State income tax in my State--4 full years. It was quite a fight. The people of the State of Tennessee worked with me to make certain that we would remain State income tax-free. Now, of course, they wanted that State income tax to pay for a health care plan. It had been the test case for HillaryCare. It was known as TennCare. That program of government-run health care exceeded the expectations of its budget by not 100 percent; it quadrupled in cost over a 5-year period of time. So Tennesseeans learned in 2000, 2001, and 2002 the message and the lesson of what a State income tax would do, how it would take more money out of their pocket. As I came to Congress in 2003, one of the very first things we did was to put attention on restoring this deductibility. It is an important bill. I congratulate Congressman Brady, Chairman Brady for his work on it. I thank him for his partnership on the issue. I encourage my colleagues to vote for H.R. 622.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Pitts for the work that he has done on this, as well as the other members of our committee. I do rise today in support of H.R. 2. I think every one of us have constituents who are Medicare enrollees who tell us the stories and the stress that comes with not being able to see a doctor because they are no longer taking Medicare patients. What this does is go to the heart of the problem, the SGR, the sustainable growth rate. It was a big part of the problem--the sword of Damocles, if you will--because doctors never knew if they were going to get paid or what they were going to get paid or if it was going to be a double-digit or a single-digit cut. Let's get that off the table and provide some certainty. H.R. 2 is finally going to eliminate the flawed SGR. It will be replaced with commonsense legislation which will provide healthcare providers with the predictability that is necessary to meet the needs of Medicare enrollees. In addition, H.R. 2 takes an important step to rein in healthcare spending, incentivizing doctors on quality, as opposed to quantity, getting at part of the problem of our entitlement programs. I congratulate all involved. I encourage a ``yes'' vote.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. I thank the gentlewoman for the time. You see, when we talk about what will be accomplished by our budget and we talk about fairness, it is imperative that the spending be brought under control. What we are bringing forward is a way for us to bring that into balance and to begin to get the agencies, even reducing the Federal workforce by 10 percent, making certain that we are rightsizing that workforce. Those are steps that should be taken. They are steps that we ought to be taking, and it is something that we all should support.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank Ms. Moore. She is still on the floor and serves on the Budget Committee with us. She is such a good, productive, and contributory member of that committee. I appreciate the perspective that she brings, and I know that she has worked diligently on the budget that the CBC is bringing before us today. I do not support that budget. I support the committee print that we have. Mr. Chairman, here is exactly why. We all know Washington does not have a revenue problem; it has a spending problem. Last year, more revenues came into our Federal coffers than ever. It is always important, as we talk about the budget, to put in perspective where this money comes from. It comes from hard- working taxpayers, and the government has not one single penny to spend until a taxpayer sends that money in. Now, the budget that we have brought out of committee does something quite significant. Number one, it will reduce Federal spending $5.5 trillion over the next 10 years. That is an important thing to do, and here is why. We are continuing to borrow somewhere around 30 cents for every dollar that we are spending. It is bouncing right now, I think, between 28 and 30 cents for every dollar. That is too much. It gets to be a fairness issue for future generations. We have got $18 trillion worth of debt, and $9 trillion worth of that debt has come on our books in the past 6 years. That is not fair to future generations. It is not fair to our Nation's security. Getting the debt under control is important. That is why a budget that saves $5.5 trillion and comes to balance--comes to balance--for our annual outlays in 9 years is significantly important.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and congratulate GraceWorks Ministries on their 20th anniversary of success. GraceWorks Ministries is a Christian non-profit that cares for struggling citizens in need in the Tennessee Seventh Congressional District. Each of us has a duty to be good stewards to our fellow citizens. Whether that means serving in Washington, on the battlefield or in our local communities and homes. Beginning in 1995, a handful of concerned residents based in Williamson County, Tennessee recognized a growing number of their fellow residents were struggling to meet basic physical, emotional and spiritual needs. These residents banded together to provide financial assistance, food, faith, friendship and relief. Twenty years later, thousands of Tennesseans continue to volunteer from community congregations, businesses and organizations to further the mission of GraceWorks Ministries, ``by God's grace, to provide immediate and long-term resources to neighbors in need.'' In 2014 alone, GraceWorks helped well over 40,000 people by providing nutritious food, holiday baskets, gifts, clothing, home goods, educational programs and family counseling. These services not only rescue those in need, but also encourage participants to gradually move toward self-sufficiency. I urge my colleagues to join me in commending Graceworks for their magnificent and generous service, which has enriched the lives of Tennesseans for the past twenty years.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, we often stand in awe of those who reach their 100th birthday. Well Brunette Crawford Nelms turns 105 this March! She is truly a glowing example of strength and a life well- lived. Her life motto has five points: live well, learn a lot, laugh often, love much, and let your life shine. She attributes her good fortune throughout her life to the goodness of God and his watchful care. ``If you are not thinking about it,'' Brunette says, ``time will slip by before you realize it.'' Brunette's legacy is one framed by American tradition and innovation, love, education, faith, patriotic duty, pride and joy. Brunette remembers days of buggies and travel on horseback. She grew up on a cotton farm in Ashland, Mississippi. She remembers gramophones, Model-T Fords, washboards, the first planes and the first radios. At the end of WWI, Brunette watched celebrations of the armistice with her twin Blondie. Brunette began teaching school in her early 20s. She taught during the year and attended summer school until she finished her degree from the University of Alabama in 1937. A short time later, Brunette married W.C. Nelms. Once WWII began, the majority of Brunette's family, including Nelms, served in the Armed Forces. As noted on one of his medals, ``Major W.C. Nelms' invaluable service and diligent devotion to duty reflect great credit to him and the Armed Forces of the United States.'' The war ended and Brunette and Nelms had two children. Brunette continued to teach elementary school for 14 more years and retired in 1974. She enjoyed 20 years of retirement with her dear husband and family in Clinton, Mississippi until his passing. In 2005, Brunette moved to the great state of Tennessee, where she now resides in Memphis with family. As we celebrate Brunette's 105th birthday, we celebrate her faith, her health and the innumerable lives touched by her thoughtful teaching, optimism and friendship. I rise today to honor Brunette Nelms and ask my colleagues to join with me in thanking her for her 105 years of patriotic contribution and service.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, as you can see, we have quite a variety of issues that we are talking about today. Whether it is the President's executive amnesty and overreach, the overreach of the DHS, or the veto of the Keystone pipeline, people are concerned about what is happening. Mr. Speaker, I want to turn our attention to another issue: the takeover of the Internet by the Federal Communications Commission. We just completed a hearing at the Energy and Commerce Committee on this issue. I tell you there is great concern about what the FCC would do with the Internet. The Internet is not broken, and it does not need the Federal Government to fix it. So people are rightfully concerned about that. The FCC, in taking control of the Internet, would do a couple of things. First of all, it would be a loss of some of our freedoms because the FCC would reclassify the Internet to title II. Now, title II of the Communications Act is the 1930s-era law that regulates telephones and telecommunications. It would thereby subject the Internet, which is an information service, to a host of taxes, regulation, and international consideration. This is not the direction we want to go with the Internet. Let's not use 1930s-era laws on an information service. Let's make certain that the FCC delays their net neutrality order and that we work together to keep the Internet open and free.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Speaker, talk about fantasy. I think that it finds its root in this comment from Jonathan Gruber, who was the architect of ObamaCare: If you had a law which said that healthy people are going to pay and sick people would get money, it would never have passed. Lack of transparency is a huge political advantage. Call it the stupidity of the American voter or whatever, but that was critical for the thing to pass. Mr. Speaker, that is the fantasy on which this was based. It does not work. It has driven up costs. Indeed, we know that 70 of our Democrat colleagues have crossed the aisle and have voted with us to repeal different provisions of this law because it does not work. It is not making insurance more affordable. It is costing more. One of my constituents is Emily. Her insurance was $57 a month before ObamaCare. After ObamaCare, with the subsidies, it was $373 a month. Another constituent, Jimmy, is saying he can't afford to offer the benefits now because of the way ObamaCare has driven up the cost of insurance. It is offer insurance or close his business. Those are the choices. That is why we are here. It does not work, and it is time to get this law off the books. Yes, there are lots of ideas. Mr. Speaker, just for my colleagues to know, at Energy and Commerce, we have over 100 bills that have been filed that would repeal different provisions of this law, and we are doing it because the American people have said, We are tired of this. It is damaging health care. It is returning us to the day of the old major medical when you had higher premiums, when you had higher out-of- pocket costs, and when you had fewer benefits. Now, our colleagues across the aisle, Mr. Speaker, may say that those are not suitable plans, but guess what? That is what ObamaCare plans are becoming. It is time to get it off the books and restore choice and option for the American people.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I am so pleased to come to the floor at the end of the Special Order hour that Mrs. Noem and Mrs. Wagner have organized to join my colleagues in talking about the bills that are before us. Human trafficking is an issue that affects every single county and community across this country--every single one. In my State of Tennessee and in the greater Nashville area, we have a wonderful organization, End Slavery Tennessee, that is doing great work to reach out, to minister, and to help. I am so pleased that this week we are going to take the time to bring to the floor legislation that will be of help in training our medical personnel, that will also empower and encourage our law enforcement organizations and our faith-based and not-for-profit organizations. This is a tragedy, modern-day slavery, that is taking place, the sex trafficking and the human trafficking, and I am so pleased that Congress is standing together to do something about it.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, I withdraw my point of order, and I claim the time in opposition to the motion.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. I want to thank the gentlewoman from North Carolina for her diligence and efforts on this issue. Madam Speaker, I think we all are pleased to have so many of our constituents in town today who are supporting life and supporting that concept of life, liberty, and freedom. It is such an honor today to come to the floor and talk about an issue that 68 percent of the American people agree on. Listening to my colleagues talking about how this is partisan and just for our base, I am glad that they think 68 percent of the American people are our base--because they do agree with us. Seventy-one percent of millennials agree with us on this issue. And the issue is simply this: there should not be taxpayer dollars used to pay for abortions. The gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) has done a tremendous amount of work on this bill. I thank him for his diligence, his attention, and for working to get H.R. 7 in the right form, ready to move forward and to bring this issue into the light. We have got three things we want to focus on in this bill. Number one, there is enormous bipartisan support--I would say near unanimous bipartisan support--for the Hyde amendment language. Title I of this bill is going to make that permanent. Madam Speaker, what that means is no longer do we have to revote this over and over and over. The Hyde amendment language will be the applied standard. Title II of this bill will apply that to ObamaCare.