Michael Burgess

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, today I rise to honor Tom Brymer, who is retiring from his dual leadership roles as the Town Manager of Westlake and Superintendent of Westlake Academy. Mr. Brymer has devoted more than four decades of his life to public service. Before coming to Westlake in 2008, he held leadership roles in Gilmer, Lockhart, Bryan, and College Station, Texas, as well as Olathe, Kansas. As Superintendent of Westlake Academy, Mr. Brymer has had the unique opportunity to lead Texas' only municipally-owned, open-enrollment charter school. Under his leadership, the school's enrollment has more than doubled, and it has added four additional building to its campus. Mr. Brymer, in coordination with Westlake Academy's faculty and staff, developed a renowned educational program that has earned accolades for its role in helping students thrive and prepare for the future. During his tenure as Town Manager, Mr. Brymer has overseen significant improvements to Westlake's infrastructure and economic development. For his efforts, Mr. Brymer been the recipient of multiple awards including the Texas Municipal League's 2009 Municipal Excellence Award, the TEDC 2012 Community Economic Development Award, the ICMA 2012 Community Sustainability Program Excellence Award, and the Site Selectors Guild 2017 Excellence in Economic Development Award, among many others. On behalf of the 26th District, I thank Mr. Brymer for his service to the Westlake community and wish him every success in his future endeavors.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I want to speak today in support of H.R. 1839, the Medicaid Services Investment and Accountability Act of 2019. This is a bipartisan Medicaid extenders package that moves forward House priorities with responsible offsets. In fact, this package actually saves the Federal Government $1 million. H.R. 1839 includes a new program to improve access to healthcare from medically complex children and reauthorizes important and effective programs that benefit Americans each and every day. Money Follows the Person is an important program for the State of Texas. This Medicaid demonstration, which was established in 2005, has enabled eligible individuals in States across our Nation to receive long-term care services in their homes or other community settings, rather than an institution such as a nursing home. While I am disappointed that H.R. 1839 includes only $20 million to extend this critical program through September instead of through the end of calendar year 2019, I am pleased that the funding for Money Follows the Person was ultimately included in this package. This bill also includes an extension through September of the protection for Medicaid recipients of home and community-based services against spousal impoverishment program. This program specifically protects married individuals requiring Medicaid-covered and long-term services and supports to ensure that they do not have to deplete their financial resources or bankrupt themselves in order to become or remain Medicaid-eligible to receive such services. Our seniors are among our most vulnerable citizens, and it is programs such as this that will help protect them from financial ruin. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly one in five United States adults lives with a mental illness. Programs established to help individuals who are struggling with mental health issues, including the Excellence in Mental Health program, enable States to implement community behavioral health centers to address the needs of their populations. H.R. 1839 extends the Excellence in Mental Health program funding for Oregon and Oklahoma so that they will be on the same financial cycle as other States that are participating in the program. The ACE Kids Act, which will improve care for children with complex medical needs, is also included in this package. The goal of this legislation is to improve comprehensive care for medically complex children through a State option to create a Medicaid health home specific to children. Health homes have proven effective in improving care coordination in the adult Medicaid population and hold promise for complex pediatric patients. However, I want to clarify that this legislation is not intended to limit families or their physicians from selecting the provider of choice for medical services. There is nothing in this legislation that restricts the child's family or their physician from deciding who is best qualified as a Medicare provider. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has provided assurances that current freedom of choice rules will apply to new care coordination activity. As a physician, I know that many children with chronic illnesses have a strong relationship with their physician and with other providers. I want to make certain that this new law will help families coordinate their care without affecting the relationship that families have with their current doctor or other medical care provider or other providers in their communities from whom they may wish to receive care. This package contains must-pass provisions that will improve access for Medicaid beneficiaries, which is a laudable and important goal. Not only are these provisions imperative, but they are responsibly offset. In fact, this package saves money. I would particularly like to thank the Energy and Commerce Committee staff, in particular J.P. Paluskiewicz and Caleb Graff, who have spent a significant amount of their lives negotiating this package to get it to the floor. I support this legislation, and I urge other Members to continue to support this and get the other body to take it up and pass it as well. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Walden), who is the Republican leader of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton), who is the former chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee and the author of the Cures for the 21st Century bill.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie), a valuable member of the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Republican leader of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, this is an important bill, and I urge all Members to support it. Once again, I want to single out and thank J.P. Paluskiewicz and Caleb Graff for really moving heaven and earth to get this to the floor so that these valuable programs do not lapse. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, as co-chair of the Congressional Motorcycle Caucus, I am committed to advocating for riders both on and off the road. This week, Congressman Tim Walberg and I will reintroduce a resolution highlighting motorcycle profiling. This resolution recognizes motorcyclists' importance to their communities and promotes collaboration between motorcyclists and law enforcement. We introduced this resolution in a previous Congress, and its Senate companion was passed in December of last year. Mr. Speaker, more than 27 million Americans are estimated to operate a motorcycle, annually, representing 9 percent of the population, yet motorcyclists account for a significant portion of road accidents and road injuries. That is why I co-chair the Congressional Motorcycle Caucus: to support riders through education and awareness. Together, we can make travel safer for all motorists in general and motorcyclists in particular. This first week of spring, I look forward to continued engagement on motorcycle safety and awareness. Remember: Share the road.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise in opposition to the rule providing for consideration of H. Con. Res. 24 to release the special counsel's investigation report, a report that, I may note, has not yet been issued. The resolution we are considering here today will not change the law; it will not increase transparency; and it will provide no new benefit to the American people. Quite simply, this resolution merely states current law. This resolution simply restates current Department of Justice protocol. We had a Member here in this House who was also a physician and who was a member of the other party, former Congressman McDermott of Washington State. I remember one time Republicans offered a sense of Congress resolution that had something to do with taxes. The gentleman took to the floor of the House and said, if you want to do something about taxes, do something about taxes, but a sense of Congress resolution, why you might as well be sending a get-well card to the IRS. That is the force with which we are exercising our congressional time today. Speaker Pelosi and the Democratic leadership have decided to use valuable legislative time to consider a resolution that changes nothing and does not serve the American people. In the time that we have spent debating this resolution, we could have been discussing more serious matters before this body. Let's just run through a few of them. The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act has been brought to the floor 17 times, yet the current Democratic leadership refuses to bring up this legislation for a vote. I might remind the body that this bill is not about abortion but saving the lives of children who are, in fact, born alive. You know, I don't make it a habit of watching ``60 Minutes'' on television, but last Sunday night, ``60 Minutes'' had a news story on the dramatic advances in the treatment and perhaps--perhaps--inching towards a cure for sickle cell disease. Sickle cell disease is a painful condition I witnessed many times as a resident at Parkland Hospital back in the 1970s. For years, sickle cell received very little attention. Now, I am happy to say in the last Congress, under the leadership of Danny Davis of Illinois, our subcommittee worked on and passed his bill dealing with sickle cell. It finally was passed by the Senate in October of last year, and it was signed into law by the President last December. As a consequence, the push for sickle cell research has continued. The 21st Century Cures Act, which this Congress worked on at the end of the previous administration, certainly can be given some credit for that. But, I have to tell you, it was dramatic to have the Director of the NIH interviewed on ``60 Minutes'' talking about a cure for sickle cell. So our work that we do here is important. It does impact the lives of real people, and I think that is just one dramatic example. Well, another example was the first tax reform, 31 years, that was signed into law last year, and here we are a month out from tax day. We could use this time to strengthen the progress we made on the tax reform that was passed last year. In the last Congress, we helped American people keep more of their hard-earned money. We should be working to continue that momentum, perhaps make those tax cuts permanent for the middle class. We could be discussing the Democrats' government-run, bureaucratic, top-down healthcare plan that would strip hardworking Americans of their private health insurance and offer less coverage at more expense to American taxpayers, but we are not. Today, we could be talking about patent abuse entities, so-called patent trolls, particularly troublesome in the eastern district of Texas, where most of those cases are litigated. The House could be considering the Troll Act, legislation that I have introduced for three terms of Congress to limit patent assertion entities and protect Americans' intellectual property. We could be using this time to discuss our Nation's critical need for border security to protect the American people and defend our borders. In February of 2019, the shortest month of the year, only 28 days, more than 75,000 people that we know of crossed the border without legal status, in excess of a 100 percent increase from the same period last year. People argue whether that is an emergency. I believe that it is, but we could be talking about that. In a week in which more than 150 lost their lives, we could be using this time to discuss aviation safety and does Congress need to do anything further to ensure the continued safety of the American traveling public. So time and again, we found that Members on the other side of the dais are far more interested in discrediting the President than working on policy that will help the American people, this President who, in the first 2 years and 2 months of this administration, has probably been more productive than any Presidency in the last 50 years. And, finally, Mr. Speaker, we could be using this time to address the false and misleading comments that a member of the Judiciary Committee made about the Department of Health and Human Services. Last month, a Member of this House grossly mischaracterized the work being done by the Department of Health and Human Services to care for unaccompanied alien children by stating that the Office of Refugee Resettlement created ``an environment of systemic sexual assaults by Health and Human Services staff on unaccompanied alien children.'' Mr. Speaker, that accusation is false, and it was made without that Member ever having visited an ORR facility. Those comments are a discredit to the effort by dedicated personnel of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, those employees who deal with a problem that dates back to the Obama administration when the Office of Refugee Resettlement was unprepared for the task.

Mr. BURGESS. If Democrats don't like the work that the Office of Refugee Settlement is doing, you are in the majority. You have the ability to introduce legislation and pass legislation to do something different. Instead of standing here today discussing this superfluous resolution, the Democrats could be using this time to change a law that they clearly don't like. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter from the agency's Administration for Children and Families regarding this issue. Administration for Children & Families, Washington, DC, February 28, 2019. Representative Ted Deutch, Washington, DC. Dear Representative Deutch: At the February 26th House Judiciary Committee hearing, you stated that ORR created ``an environment of systemic sexual assaults by staff on unaccompanied alien children'' and went on to conclude that you have seen ``thousands of cases of sexual assault, if not by HHS staff, then by staff HHS oversees.'' (emphasis added). However, this is unsupported by the data you provided and none of the allegations involve HHS employees. By mischaracterizing the data during a televised hearing, you impugned the integrity of hundreds of federal civil servants who, like Commander White, work tirelessly to ensure the well-being of the nearly 50,000 unaccompanied alien children who they have been charged by federal law to protect annually. On behalf of these dedicated employees of HHS assigned to the UAC program, we request that you apologize to these career civil servants for your untoward and unfounded comments. Acknowledging that you were wrong is the moral, decent and right thing to do. Child safety is our top priority in managing the UAC program. All but one of our care facilities are licensed by the authorizing state residential child care agency, and operate under intense state and federal oversight. Because ORR care facilities diligently track all allegations of a wide range of sexually inappropriate conduct, ranging from name calling or use of vulgar language to more serious claims, the data given to Congress by our agency reflects allegations much broader than just `sexual abuse' (as defined in 34 U.S.C. Sec. 20341 and in ORR regulations at 45 C.F.R. Sec. 411.6), to also include `sexual harassment' (as defined in ORR regulations at 45 C.F.R. Sec. 411.6) and `inappropriate sexual behavior' (a catch-all category for sexual behaviors that do not rise to the level of sexual abuse or sexual harassment). The total number of sexual conduct allegations reported to ORR decreased in FY2017 (1,069 total) but otherwise has generally remained relatively stable each year (FY2015: 1,000 total, FY2016: 1,226 total, FY2018 (through July): 1,261 total). The vast majority of the allegations reported to ORR are `inappropriate sexual behaviors' involving solely UAC, and not staff or any other adults. Facilities can often resolve these allegations by, for example, counseling the minors about more appropriate behaviors. More serious allegations rising to the level of `sexual abuse' are reported to both ORR and the Department of Justice (DOJ). Of these, the vast majority involve `UAC-on-UAC' allegations; the distinct minority involve adults. In FY2015, 279 allegations of sexual abuse were reported. Of these, 8.6% (24 instances) involved allegations of facility-staff-on- minor sexual abuse. These metrics fluctuated in subsequent years but remained relatively consistent. In FY2016, ORR and DOJ received 348 allegations of sexual abuse, and 16.1% (56 instances) involved facility-staff-on-minor allegations; in FY2017, ORR and DOJ received 264 allegations of sexual abuse, and 18.6% involved facility-staff-on-minor allegations (49 instances); in FY2018 (through July), ORR and DOJ received 412 allegations of sexual abuse, and 11.9% involved facility- staff-on-minor allegations (49 instances). Thus, the total number of incidents of alleged `sexual abuse' involving facility-staff-on-minor misconduct across a four-year period spanning the previous administration and this administration was 178 out of approximately 182,806 children under UAC care or about 0.10% of all children placed in ORR custody during that period. None of the allegations involved ORR or other HHS federal staff. These allegations were all fully investigated and remedial action was taken where appropriate. Your office staff requests an additional briefing from ORR program officials on these allegations. ORR will be happy to meet with you once you correct the hearing record and provide an apology to the dedicated men and women working tirelessly to protect and improve the lives of unaccompanied alien children in our care. Sincerely, Jonathan H. Hayes, Acting Director, Office of Refugee Resettlement.

Mr. BURGESS. So here is the bottom line: House Democrats do not like the President of the United States, and we know that. Less than 3 months into the 116th Congress, the Democrats have shown that they will work against President Trump to the detriment of the American people. We are here in the United States House of Representatives to serve the American people, and the legislation we are considering here today will not do that. President Trump has urged us at the State of the Union, asked all the Members present, to reject the politics of revenge, resistance, and retribution and embrace the boundless potential of cooperation, compromise, and the common good. I also believe this is possible, and I recommend we get on with the task.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, a little over 2 years ago, President Trump stood on the west front of this Capitol and pledged to dedicate his administration to taking care of the forgotten men and women of this country. This bill does not take seriously the plight of those forgotten men and women. It does take seriously the plight of protecting Democratic incumbents and candidates. This bill can't become law. It is never going to pass in the Senate. It is never going to be signed by the President. But it is important to talk about it because it reveals the agenda of the Democratic majority here in the House of Representatives. This bill, things like the Green New Deal, things like a massive single-payer healthcare system, and it is pretty clear that Democrats don't care about the economy. They don't care about the middle class. Every election I have been in, people talk about rebuilding the middle class. My gosh, Donald Trump has rebuilt the middle class, but you don't care about that. You don't care about jobs. You don't care about what people earn in those jobs, otherwise you wouldn't be opening the borders the way you are. You care about your own power. You care about maintaining your own power. It is our job to notify and magnify what is going on with the Democratic leadership of this House of Representatives. That is why I am speaking out about it today.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of Louis J. Goodman, Ph.D., CAE, as he retires after 22 years at the helm of the Texas Medical Association. In his role as Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Goodman has helped to strengthen the Texas Medical Association as it has grown more than 50 percent since 1997. Today the organization, our nation's largest state medical society, represents nearly 53,000 physician and medical student members--including myself. A committed leader, Dr. Goodman has spent more than three decades serving the Texas Medical Association and its members since he first joined the staff in 1987. He previously held positions with the American Medical Association and the former Michael Reese Medical Center in Chicago. In the span of his career, Dr. Goodman has published more than 100 professional articles and papers. Dr. Goodman also holds the appointment of Adjunct Professor of Public Health at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, is an honorary member of the American Medical Association, treasurer of the Physician Advocacy Institute and past president of The Physicians Foundation, the American Association of Medical Society Executives, and the Texas Society of Association Executives. Dr. Goodman serves on the executive committee of the Texas Civil Justice League, the TMA Insurance Trust Board of Trustees, and is chairman of The Coalition of State Medical Societies. As Dr. Goodman retires from a distinguished career, I thank my friend for his steadfast service to Texas and wish him the best of luck in the chapters to come.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I came to the floor to urge Members to vote against this ill-advised resolution to disallow the President's declaration for emergency funding on the border. In 2006, I was in Congress, and Congress voted for the Secure Fence Act. With the Secure Fence Act, under President Bush, 400 miles of border fence was built. Under President Obama, an additional little over 100 miles was built. Now President Trump has asked for a little over 200 miles to be built to provide security for America. Now, is it a national emergency? I will tell you, I had as my guest to the State of the Union someone who is referred to as an angel dad. This is an individual who went and put on the uniform and fought for his country in Iraq. While he was there, unfortunately, his wife got ill and died, and he came home. Now he is a single dad, and he is taking care of his only child, a daughter. That daughter, unfortunately, was hit by a car on the street that was driven by someone who did not have legal status to be in this country. Several months later, Chris came to me and said: Congressman, I did my job. I put on the uniform. I went and defended my country. Mr. Congressman, I did my job, and if you had been doing yours, my daughter would be here today. President Trump has taken that mantle very seriously. It is his goal, it is his requirement, to defend our country at the southern border, and the President will do just that. If you read the history of emergency declarations in the past, you will find a number of them. Some, perhaps, you might agree with; some, perhaps, you might disagree with. But since the founding of our country, it has been recognized that it has been the purview under Article II powers for the President of the United States to be able to exercise that emergency declaration. It was codified in the 1970s in a law that is now the one that brings this forward today, that brings forward this resolution of disapproval. If you don't like the law that allows the President to declare an emergency, change the law. You are the majority. You control the Rules Committee. Change the law. What is interesting about this is, last night, in the Rules Committee, when we considered Mr. Castro's resolution, we didn't consider it. We didn't have a single witness. Mr. Castro, I felt like sending Capitol Police out to find him. There was no one there to testify in favor of his resolution. The Rules Committee seemed perfectly agreeable to accepting this without any debate whatsoever. Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to vote against this ill-advised motion to disallow the President's declaration of an emergency. Allow the President to do the job he was elected to do and secure the southern border.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in tribute to my friend Texas State Senator Jane Nelson. On Tuesday, January 8, 2018, Senator Nelson gaveled in the first day of the Texas Senate, becoming the first woman to usher in the opening session. Senator Nelson is a true trailblazer. First elected in 1993, she is the highest-ranking Republican in the Texas Senate. During her tenure, Senator Nelson has led efforts to promote fiscal responsibility, strengthen education, and care for Texas veterans. She made history in 2013 when she was appointed as the first woman to chair the Texas Senate Committee on Finance, and in this role continues to oversee the creation of the Texas budget. Senator Nelson lives in Flower Mound and represents portions of Denton and Tarrant Counties. A former teacher and fellow University of North Texas alum, she previously served two terms on the State Board of Education. As a public servant and longtime North Texas fixture, Senator Nelson is deeply committed to our community. I am grateful for her many years of service, and I congratulate her on this groundbreaking achievement.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the notable achievements of Denton ISD's Carroll McMath Middle School Tiger Jazz Band. This past year, the McMath Jazz Band was named the top middle school jazz ensemble in the state by the Texas Music Educators Association. Recently, they had the honor of playing at the University of North Texas's Kenton Hall, home of the Grammy-nominated One O'Clock Lab Band. The McMath Tigers are the first middle school jazz ensemble to perform in this famed music venue alongside UNT's acclaimed faculty. In recognition of the students' music proficiency, the McMath Jazz Band will perform at the Texas Music Educators Association's annual convention in San Antonio on February 14, 2019. The ensemble musicians include: Eli Adams, Tajalli Baugher, Aaron Borges, Vahid Baugher, Jaydan Chavez, Evan Chuah, Nicole Cygan, Isaac Dean, Ethan Desjardins, Rowan Eshbaugh-Soha, Alexander Evangelopoulos, Lily Fosmire, Caleb Harold, Travis Harris III, Nicholas Iaia, Gerald Jones, Elliot Kensinger, Jake Meyering, Jesse Mumford, Kaien Oliver, Josiah Panter, Nicholas Salas, Amari Toney, Jonathan Weaver, Daniel Wen, Jeremiah Williams. These young student musicians, under the leadership of Band Director Mr. Travis Harris and Assistant Band Director Mrs. Kelsey Gaskill, have worked as a team to reach their goals. I congratulate these North Texas students on their success, and wish each of them the best in their future endeavors.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor an exemplary public servant, Police Chief Tommy Payne, upon his retirement from the Aubrey, Texas Police Department. During his more than four decades in law enforcement, Chief Payne has endeavored to provide safety and security for those he has served. Chief Payne's career began in his hometown of Dublin, Texas in 1977. He spent many years serving in various jurisdictions across Texas, including Stephenville, Llano, Brady, and Somervell County. He has been a Master Peace Officer since 1994, and was first named Police Chief in 2003 while serving the City of Brady. Chief Payne began serving the citizens and businesses covered by the Aubrey Police Department in April of 2010. For the past nine years, he has been a well-respected leader by his peers and colleagues and beloved by his community. After 42 years of dedicated service, Police Chief Tommy Payne has more than earned his retirement. He has put strangers' safety above his own, and we are indebted to him. I wish Chief Payne and his family all the best in the years to come.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from North Carolina for yielding. Let me just say, I spent the last several hours in a hearing in the Energy and Commerce Committee, a hearing called by the Democrats on the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee. The hearing was evaluating the failures of the Trump administration on the child separation policy. Let me just share with you some of the statements of the witnesses. These were pediatricians. These were ACLU lawyers. Statements like the Trump administration policy was intentionally hurtful, that it was an incredibly difficult position that people were in, that parents have a right to keep their children safe, and that this was nothing more than government-sanctioned child endangerment. Mr. Speaker, I want to share a story with you. Just like Mr. Walker, I had a guest here at the State of the Union the other night when the President was here. My guest was Chris from Keller, Texas, and he sat up in the gallery right behind us here. I met Chris probably a year and a half to 2 years ago. He came to see me one day, brought in, actually, by his mother. His mother was concerned because he had suffered an injustice in his life, and he was upset, and he couldn't get over it. He just needed to talk to someone, and a Member of Congress is the last person I can think of to talk to, but maybe it can help. So Chris told me his story. I practiced medicine for 25 years, and I heard some sad stories. I have been in Congress for 15 years, and I have heard some sad stories. But I will tell you, this was the saddest story that I can recall ever having heard. Chris was serving his country in Iraq. In fact, he was in Iraq in 2005 when they had the big election where everyone was going down the road with an ink-stained thumb, and he helped make that happen. He helped pull that off. Chris continued his service in various forms and was in Iraq when he got word that his wife was ill. His wife was, as it turns out, very, very ill, and he had to come home. He cared for her for the last few months of her life before she succumbed to breast cancer. He said he made her a promise right at the end of that illness that he would always, always, always take care of their daughter. Now Chris is a single dad. He has got an only child. The child was 12, 13 years old, the light of his life. Everything in Chris's life was wrapped up in his daughter. His daughter came home one day and said she wanted to go spend the night at a friend's house, and Chris said no. She said: Please, Daddy, you never let me do anything. Please let me go. After multiple entreaties, Chris agreed. She could go over to this friend's house and spend the night. At some point during the evening, the girls went out to a convenience store that was across the street. She drops her cellphone, goes back to retrieve it, and she was hit by a car. There were a number of cars coming down the street at that point. One was going faster than the others. All of the other cars stopped, but the car that hit Chrishia inflicted substantial injury upon her. The driver of that vehicle did stop, and the police were called. The driver of that vehicle was in the country without the benefit of citizenship. So the driver of that car was taken down to the police station. Drug and alcohol tests were administered. A search of the records revealed a previous infraction with Customs and Border Patrol or Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He had come into the country illegally before, so there was that. He had speeding tickets, and he had been arrested for driving without a license. In fact, this time the only citation that he received was driving without a license, and he was released after 35 minutes. Chris came in to see me several months later, literally at the end of his rope. I will never forget as he told me this story and he looked at me with tears in his eyes. He said: Congressman, I put on the uniform of my country. I served my country. I did my job. Mr. Congressman, if you had been doing your job, my daughter would be here today. I have to tell you, as I was walking Chris back to where he could get a cab to his hotel after the State of the Union Address--we have actually corresponded on a fairly regular basis, and he is a very likeable individual--as we walked off the Hill to get to where he could catch a cab beyond the Capitol Police barrier, he said: I really have enjoyed meeting you, Congressman. You have been great to me. I said: Chris, I would give anything if we had never met. This is not a manufactured crisis. This is a real crisis affecting our citizens and our constituents. The people on the panel today were very concerned about the Trump administration's policy from last June. But this is not a new deal. There has been a problem on our Texas border, particularly in the lower Rio Grande sector for years. The previous administration had problems. The Clinton administration had problems. The Carter administration had problems. It is a difficult problem, and it does need to be solved. President Trump has outlined a reasonable approach that, yes, includes sensors; yes, includes increased personnel; yes, includes all- weather roads in areas; and, yes, it does include a barrier. Without that, there cannot be success in securing our southern border, and as a consequence, our citizens cannot be safe and secure in their homes. I thank the gentleman for providing the time tonight and leading this hour. I hope Chris does get some measure of peace eventually, but, clearly, this is a problem that has affected a great many lives of people in our districts. I think we each can find someone in our district who has suffered from a similar loss.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Lewisville High School student leaders who have traveled to Washington, D.C. this week to study our nation's government. These twelve high school seniors, under the leadership of Principal Jeffrey Kajs, have continued Lewisville High School's strong legacy of leadership and service. More than 60 years ago, the Lewisville High School Class of 1958 traveled to the U.S. Capitol for its senior class trip. Led by Senior Class President R.L. Crawford, students met with North Texas Congressman Frank Ikard in April 1958. Last summer, I had the privilege of joining Lewisville High School students past and present as members of the Class of 1958 presented a class photo with Congressman Ikard to their alma mater. More than six decades later, their service to the school is paying dividends, particularly as the Class of 2019 follows in its footsteps. The Lewisville High School Student Body Officers of 2018-2019 include: President--Braeden Kajs Vice President--Jordan Jackman Secretary--Brooke White Treasurer--Matthew Jimenez Parliamentarian--Cecil Ehirindu Historian--Jackie Hernandez Community Service Officer--Yesenia Regalado LISD Liaison--Madison Jaegers Multicultural Officer--Par Hniang School Service Officer--Ariana Mata School Service Officer--Danny Hair Project Officer--Wesley Brewer I appreciate these students' dedication to Lewisville High School and their North Texas neighbors, and wish them the best as they graduate this spring. Whether in six years or six decades, it is my hope that the Class of 2019 will return to Lewisville High School to continue this tradition for generations to come.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the exemplary career of Mrs. Charlotte Allen, who will retire from her position as Town Secretary of Double Oak, Texas on February 1, 2019. The town has benefited immensely from her 17 years of devoted service to its citizens and Town Council. Before beginning her tenure in Double Oak on April 2, 2002, Mrs. Allen served in various public service roles, including Town Secretary for Copper Canyon and City Secretary for Denton. She is well known for her dedication, work ethic, and reliability by colleagues and those she has mentored. Thanks to her hard work, the town of Double Oak has operated efficiently and reliably--a significant benefit to its citizens. I am grateful for Charlotte Allen's contributions to the town of Double Oak, and I wish her all the best in the chapters ahead.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the achievements of Chief Perry Bynum of the Haltom City, Texas Fire Department. Chief Bynum recently retired after serving the citizens of Haltom City for nearly 30 years. Throughout his career, Chief Bynum held many positions within the fire department, rising through its ranks to become Chief. He was a charter member of the department's Honor Guard and the Haltom City Firefighters Association Local 3562, and he also is a member of the Texas Fire Chiefs Association, the Tarrant County Fire Chiefs Association, and the North East Fire Department Association. During his tenure, Chief Bynum served as Haltom City's Emergency Management Coordinator and was instrumental in establishing and strengthening the city's Emergency Management Program. In 2007, he was recognized by his peers to receive the prestigious ``Excellence in Emergency Management Award'' from the Emergency Management Association of Texas. In addition, he has served as both a member and chairman of the North Texas Council of Government's Regional Emergency Preparedness Advisory Committee and on the First Responder's Advisory Board. Throughout his career, Chief Bynum dedicated nearly three decades of his life to public service. His expertise and leadership will be sorely missed not only by the citizens of Haltom City, but also by his colleagues across Texas and beyond. He has truly been an outstanding public servant, and on behalf of the 26th District, I wish him all the best in retirement.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Denton County Commissioner Bobbie Mitchell, who will receive the 2019 Dr. Bettye Myers Humanitarian Award on January 19, 2019 after more than 30 years of dedicated service to Denton County. Commissioner Mitchell has served her fellow North Texans in a range of leadership roles since 1985, when she began her tenure on the Zoning Board of Adjustment. During the last three decades, she served on the Lewisville Planning and Zoning Commission, as Mayor Pro Tem, and on the Lewisville City Council. A resident of Lewisville since 1971, she led the city as its mayor from 1993 to 2000 before being elected as a Denton County Commissioner. During her many years as a devoted public servant, Commissioner Mitchell undoubtably has made Lewisville a better place to work and live. In addition to her official service, she has had a significant impact on more than 30 nonprofit organizations in our community. A longtime supporter of the United Way of Denton County, Commissioner Mitchell was a charter appointee to two of the organization's key initiatives: the Denton County Behavioral Health Leadership Team in 2016 and the Denton County Homelessness Leadership Team in 2017. She is the sixth recipient of the Dr. Bettye Myers Humanitarian Award, which was established by the board of directors and lifetime members of United Way of Denton County in 2014 to recognize outstanding community leadership, philanthropy, and impact. On a personal note, I have had the good fortune of knowing Commissioner Mitchell since I began my medical practice in 1981. Throughout my medical career and my time in public service, whether solicited or not, she has never hesitated to provide wise counsel and guidance. It is a privilege to recognize my friend, Commissioner Mitchell, for her dedication and commitment to her fellow North Texans, and I congratulate her on this well-earned honor.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Denton County Master Gardener Association as it celebrates 30 years of service to the people of Denton County. The Denton County Master Gardener Association completes more than 40 horticultural projects each year, working with local organizations such as the Texas Master Naturalists, the Denton Historical Association, and local 4-H clubs. Volunteers from the Denton County Master Gardener Association must work to earn the title of Master Gardener. These dedicated volunteers are required to undergo over 80 hours of training to achieve the coveted title of ``Texas Master Gardener.'' Master Gardeners volunteer on behalf of Texas A&M's AgriLife Extension, following Texas A&M University's research-based horticultural recommendations. The Denton County Master Gardener Association utilizes their specialized training to brighten the community and pass along their horticultural knowledge to future generations. Through their award winning Science with Attitude program, Master Gardeners share information through elementary school teachers in their community and distribute over 3000 seedlings annually to elementary schools in the Denton Independent School District. Additionally, this organization supports community gardens throughout Denton County and work in conjunction with the Community Garden for the Town of Flower Mound, the gardens of Fair Oaks Independent Living Center, the Good Samaritan Village, and the Lake Lewisville Environmental Learning Area. On behalf of the constituents of Texas's 26th District, I would like to thank the Denton County Master Gardener Association for 30 years of dedicated service, which has made Denton County a better place to live and work.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Let's get one thing clear from the start: the majority should not be acting like they are doing something that hasn't already been done. It is not something new. Nothing we do on title III of the rules package will change what the House has already voted on and how the court will receive it. Title III of H. Res. 6 would authorize the Speaker of the House of Representatives to intervene or take any other legal actions in cases involving the Affordable Care Act, but in particular, the Texas v. United States case, where a court recently ruled that the Affordable Care Act was unconstitutional due to the elimination of the individual mandate. If this all sounds familiar to you, it should. Last week, at the start of the 116th Congress, the House voted on title I of the rules package that included the same provisions giving the Speaker the same authority to intervene in the same case. Actually, the Speaker has already filed three motions to intervene in the Texas case the same day the rule was passed last week. The fact is, nothing has changed between last week and today, and the Speaker does not need to be given this authority again. But what are the facts? The facts are that this bill, the Affordable Care Act, was sold to the American people on a misrepresentation. If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. You may remember that. If you like your insurance, you can keep your insurance. Your premium is going to be down by $2,500. And, of course, famously: We've got to pass the bill to find out what is in it. As a practical matter, people are forced to buy insurance that they may not want; that they certainly cannot afford; and, in fact, that they are afraid to use because the deductible and the copay is so high. So, again, I am not sure how the House is intervening in the judicial process to support a failing policy while millions of Americans are functionally uninsured. I don't understand how that helps us to deliver better access to care in north Texas and across the country. Americans should see this for what it is: a facade of the Democrats who want to revive the individual mandate under the guise of protecting Americans with preexisting conditions. I think the House can be more effective in delivering on the promises of the American people. That should be the goal of this House. It is not the goal of the House today, unfortunately. I urge my fellow Members to vote ``no'' on this bill.

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I would just ask a simple question: What has happened to your insurance premium since the passage of the Affordable Care Act? They have gone up. They have gone up a lot. What has happened to the cost of prescription drugs since the passage of the Affordable Care Act? They have gone up. They have gone up a lot. All I would suggest is there was a better way to go about this. Republicans have offered ideas. It really, really would behoove us to work on behalf of the American people to solve these problems rather than to continue to push this bill that has been so unfavorable in the eyes of so many Americans.