Charles Boustany

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Thank you. Amendment Offered by Mr. Gohmert

Mr. BOUSTANY. The base bill, right?

Mr. BOUSTANY. Right here it says ``waives all points of order against consideration of the bill.'' Can I seek a clarification on this? Clause 2(e) of rule XXI.

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Chairman, I have a parliamentary inquiry.

Mr. BOUSTANY. I would like a ruling on the point of order.

Mr. BOUSTANY. No.

Mr. BOUSTANY. I am not going to defy the point of order. I understand the rule.

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Chairman, I respect the gentleman's call on this with regard to the rules. I would just hope that the members of the subcommittee, as well as my colleagues in the House, would work with us to solve this problem once and for all. This is unacceptable. Veterans are getting hurt day in and day out. Their credit ratings are suffering. This is one more egregious example----

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Chairman, our veterans have put their lives on the line to protect this country. The very least we can do is keep our promise to take care of them when they return home. But since the passage of the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014, the VA has demonstrated little progress in addressing the emergency medical claims processing backlog hurting our veterans. When I pressured the VA for statistics on this issue last year, the VA was processing only 14 percent of the claims within 30 days in my home region--14 percent. Since that time, the VA has conveniently loosened their timely processing goal from 30 days to 45 days, making it impossible to measure real progress. Despite this change in internal procedure, not a single VISN has reached a satisfactory timely processing rate. When these claims are not paid on time by the VA, the bill often gets passed onto the veteran--in many cases, threatening their personal credit rating. This is just unacceptable. While the VA wants to claim it is making progress by changing internal metrics to cook the numbers, it has taken constant pressure from my office, providers, and veterans groups just to get this agency to pay attention and try to do their job. American veterans should never have to worry about calling an ambulance or taking a trip to the emergency room and wondering whether this will hurt their finances. They should be focused on their health and their recovery. My amendment is very simple. It prevents the VA from granting bonuses to its emergency medical care claims processing staff until the percentage of claims processed within 30 days reaches 90 percent. Mr. Chairman, no business in my home State of Louisiana, or anywhere in this country, would ever think about rewarding its employees for such a poor performance. It has to change. We must demand the highest standard for America's veterans. I encourage my colleagues to hold the VA accountable and support this amendment. I reserve the balance of my time. Point of Order

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 184, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, planning for retirement can be a difficult and often bewildering task. Consumers have to choose from a complex web of plans, including traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, Qualified Plans, 403(b) accounts, or 529 plans. Let's face it, the average American oftentimes has a difficult time understanding what these types of plans do, which is why it is necessary to have licensed, professional retirement advisers and financial advisers to help navigate the system. Today, baby boomers are retiring at a rate of 10,000 a day. In 2014, an estimated $325 billion was withdrawn from 401(k) plans in the United States for retirement purposes. This is a big deal. But the Obama administration is now proposing new rules that will make it so costly to use a retirement adviser, most low- and medium-income families will be locked out. This is just not right. The heavy burdens imposed by the administration's fiduciary rule could result in fewer Americans saving for retirement using private- sector vehicles such as 401(k)s or IRAs. Don't take it just from me. Take it from a licensed financial adviser from my hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana, who said the following in comments to the Department of Labor: ``This proposed regulation could force some investors into a fee-based account arrangement which could actually be to their detriment. Just as in most things in life, a one-size-fits-all solution would most certainly not be best for all.'' Ultimately, this will stifle individual choice and empower government bureaucrats to make decisions on behalf of those saving for retirement instead of professional retirement advisers with the knowledge and qualifications to provide advice for their clients. I ask this question: How can a regulation that could disqualify up to 7 million IRA holders from investment advice and potentially reduce the number of IRAs opened annually between 300,000 and 400,000 be a good idea? That just defies common sense. I believe policymakers should do everything they can to help Americans prepare for retirement and not create red tape that makes saving for retirement more difficult. That is why I urge passage of this bill.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Tammy Grace Barnett of Robeline, Louisiana, for being the first female recruit to enlist with the United States Army infantry. I am tremendously proud of Tammy, a Louisianian who has stepped forward and answered the call to serve our nation. Prior to enlisting with the Army, Tammy has been serving her community in Louisiana as a law enforcement officer. On April 7, she gave up her Louisiana law enforcement badge and courageously took the Oath of Enlistment to become the first female recruit to enlist in the United States Army infantry division. Ms. Barnett truly reflects the spirit of Louisiana by living a life of service. We are forever indebted to these brave men and women. To commemorate this fact, I submit an article, written by Troy Washington of KSLA News. Louisiana Woman Makes U.S. Army History (By Troy Washington) Robeline, LA.--A Robeline native is making armed forces history as the first woman to enlist in the infantry in the United States Army. Women in combat has been a topic of controversy for years, but now progress is being made. Tammy Barnett was a police officer but traded in her badge to make history. She's looking forward to seeing action on the front lines and making gains for women in the military. Thursday, Barnett proudly raised her hand to take the Oath of Enlistment. Dressed in tennis shoes, jeans and a t-shirt, 25-year-old Tammy Barnett stepped into the history books. Barnett has been meeting with a recruiter since November and this week, at the military processing unit in Shreveport, she took a leap that's never been made before, she joined the infantry in the U.S. Army. ``They told me that I would be the first female in history to go infantry in the military,'' said Barnett. Recently, the Defense Department lifted gender-based restrictions on military service. The historic change cleared the way for women like Barnett who want to serve on the front lines. On April 4, the processing center received word that women would be allowed to sign up for combat jobs. Now, Barnett is hoping that others will follow her lead. ``I hope that I give them the courage, because I'm a small female, if I can do it, they can do it too, this could give them the courage to step out of their comfort zone,'' explained Barnett. Barnett isn't fond of the limelight, but she has no problem stepping forward when it comes to service. ``I was going to go military police, but infantry is similar, and they are more on the front lines, like law enforcement here and I said that's what I want to do,'' said Barnett. With her mind made up, Barnett isn't looking back, only forward to a future full of possibilities and breaking barriers for women in the military. Barnett will head to Fort Benning, Georgia to start training. In the meantime, she says she's going to celebrate her history-making moment by going fishing this weekend.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mourn the passing of Ellen Lewis Stovall, but more importantly, to celebrate the life of a cancer advocate and pioneer. During a 44 year period, Ellen defeated cancer on 3 separate occasions and advocated for improved cancer treatment for more than 30 years. At 24 years old, just weeks after giving birth to her son, Ellen was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma and told she had less than a 20 percent chance of survival. Against the odds, Ellen beat cancer and went on to found a support group for young cancer survivors at Georgetown University Hospital. During this time is when she became a strong advocate for the term cancer ``survivor'' as opposed to ``victim,'' as the key to a new way of thinking about the disease. In 1988, she was elected to the board of the National Coalition of Cancer Survivorship, where she later served as President and CEO. Ellen's contributions to the cancer treatment community are too numerous to count. Among various positions with the National Cancer Institute, American Association for Cancer Research, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology, she was appointed to the NCI's National Cancer Advisory Board by President Clinton in 1992. She later served as Vice President of the Institute of Medicine's National Cancer Policy Board and went on to become a founding member of the board's successor--the National Cancer Policy Forum. As a doctor, I recognize the countless contributions Ellen made to the cancer treatment community. Her relentless advocacy of a more patient-centered approach to cancer survivors made her a pioneering figure in cancer treatment. I had the privilege of working with Ellen and Representative Lois Capps (D-CA) to introduce the PATH Act providing a cancer treatment roadmap for patients. Ellen will be missed, not only by those of us who were fortunate enough to call her a friend, but also by the countless cancer survivors whose lives she has positively impacted. I ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing her many years of dedication to improving the lives of her fellow cancer survivors.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 90th birthday of Braxton Isham Moody, or B.I. as we call him in Cajun Country. B.I. was born in the small town of Eunice in Southwest Louisiana on February 4, 1926. He graduated from Rayne High School in 1942 and enlisted in the United States Navy, where he served aboard the USS Randolph in the Pacific theater. After the war, B.I. graduated from Southwestern Louisiana Institute, now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, in 1949. B.I.'s keen business sense led him on many successful ventures, founding the public accounting firm Moody, Broussard, Poche, and Guidry in Crowley, and serving as President and CEO of national restaurant group Chart House Inc., and as Chairman of the Board of First National Bank of Lafayette. Today, the University of Lafayette has named the College of Business Administration in B.I.'s honor thanks to his business success and his heart for the future of South Louisiana. I know B.I. as a pillar of our community, someone who worked hard to build successful businesses but never forgot where he came from. B.I. has always been generous with his time and resources to help others succeed, and to help build a better state of Louisiana. As B.I. celebrates 90 years, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing him for his many contributions to our country and wishing him many years of health and happiness to come.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. I thank Chairman Price for yielding time. Mr. Speaker, this is an important day in the House of Representatives because the House is preparing to send a package directly to the President. There will be no Senate filibuster. We have gotten around that issue. This bill goes to the President directly, and he can either sign it or veto it. But this bill repeals the very foundation of ObamaCare, and it stops Planned Parenthood funding. It is as simple as that. This package is also important to me because I have a provision in there that I authored that repeals this employer mandate. This has been a really bad piece of legislation that was in place, this employer mandate, because it has forced small businesses to limit hiring or to resort to part-time employees. This is just a terrible thing, at a time when unemployment has been high and people are looking for work. This bill will help undermine and get rid of the foundation of ObamaCare which, I know as a physician, has accelerated the negative trends in health care, of which there are many. I can't get into all of them now, but that is not the affordable, patient-centered health care that the American people deserve. We can do much better. We will do much better. This is the first step. Let's put this on the President's desk. Let's call his hand, and let's either force him to veto this, which we will try to override it, or sign it.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. I thank the chairman for the fine work he and his staff have done in negotiating this package. Mr. Speaker, Speaker Ryan has talked about restoring confidence in America, which is something I think we can all agree on. Things we need to do to achieve that involve restoring American leadership abroad, protecting our American values, and, very importantly, restoring American prosperity. We can't do that until we reform the Tax Code. That is at the center of all of the efforts to restore American prosperity through economic growth. I rise in rigorous support of this bill as it stops the cycle of just extending these provisions without vetting them year after year and in the last hours of the year. It is time to stop that, and we are doing that. We are making some of these provisions permanent. We are creating certainty for American families and for American businesses at a time of economic uncertainty. This is real tax relief that sets the stage for tax reform. There are a number of important provisions in this. Mr. Paulsen has worked very hard to repeal the device tax, which stifles American innovation, and we are going to put this on hold for 2 years. We are going to stop the health insurance tax for 1 year, which is causing health insurance premium hikes for American families. By some estimates, it is $350 to $400 a year for American families, and this is wrong. The R&D tax credit is made permanent. American innovation is what we want to see to get growth. It also has a whole bunch of other provisions that help small businesses and families. We do work very hard to create program integrity in our EITC and child tax credit, something that is very much needed. I believe this is a very important step forward for tax reform. It sets the stage. We have broken that disastrous cycle of just a knee- jerk extension of these provisions, and we have, actually, vetted a lot of these tax provisions to be made permanent--we have run them through committee; we have had hearings; we have had markups; we have taken them to the floor. We are trying to restore regular order. Ladies and gentlemen, this will be seen as a first step in restoring American confidence. I am confident of that. Let's pass this package and move on.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. I thank Chairman Brady, Chairman Tiberi, Chairman Reichert, Congressman Jason Smith, and others on the committee, as well as staff, for helping make this legislation--finally, this conference report--a reality that will become law. Mr. Speaker, today, Louisiana's seafood industry is being severely injured by illegal foreign imports. Right now, the fundamental issue is economic growth. How do we empower our seafood producers, our farmers, and our manufacturers to grow their businesses? to create opportunity? to grow this economy? The legislation before us today is important because, as we seek to expand market access for all of our businesses and our farmers, we need seamless trade facilitation and strong enforcement if we are going to achieve that economic growth. This bill contains language from my PROTECT Act, providing new tools for the relevant Federal agencies, for legitimate importers and distributors, and for trade-affected domestic industries to prevent and combat fraud at our border, not after the fact. That is a key distinction and a key piece of this legislation. It will allow our seafood producers, our farmers, and our manufacturers to compete on a fair playing field here in our American domestic market as we seek open market access abroad for them as well. Additionally, crawfish processors in my State of Louisiana have suffered for 15 years because of the unfair dumping of crawfish from China and other illegal sources. In effect, the administration punished domestic crawfish producers by forcing them to pay for the delays caused by Chinese dumpers, by the U.S. insurance companies that posted bond for the duties, and, in some cases, by the Customs and Border Patrol, itself. This bill contains an important fix that will make sure that our crawfish producers are paid what they are owed. Mr. Speaker, this legislation, this Customs reauthorization conference report, will make necessary improvements, not only to ensure fraud is prevented at our border, but so that our American industries are treated fairly. I urge its support.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Robert ``Bob'' Lowe, a United States Marine and active philanthropist of Lafayette, Louisiana. A friend to everyone he met, Lowe was not just known for his military service and business savvy, but he was also recognized and cherished for his passion to give back to his community. He passed away at his home on August 6, 2015 at the age of 93. Bob was a hard-worker from a young age. Born in Hutton, LA in 1922, he spent time working in the fields of his family's farm and developing his strong work ethic. After finishing high school, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served his country proudly in the First Defense Battalion stationed at Pearl Harbor. He was among the last remaining survivors of the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. Lowe was honorably discharged in 1945. Following his distinguished military career, Bob moved to Lafayette, LA in 1952. He became highly-regarded in the business community as a founder of Central Industries, Gulfgate Marine and the All American Development Company. In addition to his business successes, Lowe was constantly thinking of ways to serve others. In 1965, his wife of forty years, Jewell, founded 232-HELP, an information, education, and referral service geared toward assisting and providing resources to those in need. Lowe dedicated time as a founding board member, and eventual President of the agency. He also founded LARC, an organization dedicated to supporting members of the community with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In 2011, Lowe was awarded the Lafayette Civic Cup for his extraordinary record of community involvement. Bob was extremely devoted to and active in the veteran community in Louisiana. He served as Commander and Senior Vice Commander at the historic American Legion Post 69, an Executive Board member of the Veterans Action Coalition of South Louisiana and a life member of the Marine Corps League, Acadiana Detachment # 488. A special memory many veterans hold of Lowe is that each December, he enthusiastically hosted a Christmas reunion of Pearl Harbor survivors at the Petroleum Club of Lafayette. Before his passing, Lowe made arrangements to ensure this annual gathering would continue for years to come. To say Lowe will be missed does not even begin to express the lasting, positive impact he had on so many lives. He was a pillar of our community, and the good works to which he so thoroughly dedicated his life will be remembered for generations to come. Lowe is survived by his sons, Casey Lowe and Cody Lowe, his stepson, James Parkerson Roy, Sr., and his wife Ginger Roy, grandchildren Bonnie Lowe Martens, Olivia Lowe, and Valerie Lowe, and step-grandchildren John Parkerson Roy, James Parkerson Roy, Jr., Christopher Malin Roy and Elizabeth Caswell, as well as several great-grandchildren. Lowe was preceded in death by his wife, Jewell Parkerson Lowe, a daughter, Kathleen Paulette Lowe, and his parents, Robert Lee Lowe and Emma Bergeron Lowe.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. I thank the Speaker, and I thank my friend from Texas for yielding time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this reconciliation package because it hits right at the financing of ObamaCare. As a physician, I know what the impact of this health law has done. It is devastating and causing serious disruptions in access to care, quality of care, and, really, eroding the doctor-patient relationship. Secondly, it puts a halt to the funding of Planned Parenthood. We all know, based on those videos and other information we have had, the practices of Planned Parenthood. It is time to stop it. As a pro-life physician, it is time to stop it. Finally, this forces the President to explain the support of these horrible, failed policies. Conservatives across the spectrum are standing strong in support of this package, and that is because it contains important provisions like one that I authored repealing the employer mandate, which is hurting job creation in this country. It is an onerous provision, and it is choking small business growth. I only wish we could have done more in this package, but we are limited by the Senate rules and the Senate Parliamentarian. I would have liked full repeal of ObamaCare. I would have liked to have seen the inclusion of my bill repealing the health insurance tax, which has been very costly, running up premium costs. We couldn't do that because of constraints. We will continue to fight these fights, but let's pass this package. It is really important. It will get job creation going, and it will help roll back the onerous effects of ObamaCare. If signed into law, there is no question in my mind that this reconciliation package will cause an implosion of ObamaCare and force us to get to real healthcare reform based on high quality and a high- quality doctor-patient relationship built on trust. At the very least, we will accomplish putting this on the President's desk and have him account for his failed policies. He will have to account for the policies that are killing jobs, adding mountains of debt to this country, and continuing a legacy of failed policy. Mr. Speaker, support this package. It is a very important step.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, this will then move us in a position of dominating energy strategy globally, putting OPEC and Russia on the defense. They cannot keep up with American energy producers. They don't have the innovation; they don't have the technology; and they are running budget deficits that are harmful to their countries. They will have to change, and we will dominate the energy sector. Further, if we integrate this with our trade policies, we then start to eliminate the abusive practices that national oil companies perpetrate and put American open-market companies, multinational companies, back in the driver's seat. But we also help American producers and producers in my home State of Louisiana, small companies that are suppliers, small companies that provide the services: the boat companies, the maritime companies that help facilitate all of this. This is about job creation. This is about American energy production; it is about American energy security; and it is about having leverage in our foreign policy. That is why I support this first step of lifting this ban on crude exports.

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, let's look at the facts. I support this rule and I support the underlying legislation, H.R. 702, which would lift the ban on oil exports for this country. The United States is the only oil-producing country that has a self- imposed ban, and it makes no sense. It doesn't fit within our own views of open trade, open energy markets. Why did this come about? It came about because in the 1970s we moved into an age of scarcity with regard to energy. Our producers could not keep up with demand. American innovation, American technology, has solved that. Now we have moved into an era of abundance. This is a time where we can actually change the entire landscape of energy security not only for the United States, but also for our allies, and reap major economic benefit by lifting the ban. When we came out of the recession, energy jobs helped lift us out of that recession. The shale revolution was a major factor. What we are seeing now with slack demand and the abundance and a lot of oil sitting that is not being used in refineries has caused slacking in prices and job loss. We can reverse that by lifting the ban and giving American producers access to the market, just like everybody else that produces oil. Why should the Iranians be able to sell oil on the open market and we have a self-imposed ban on American energy producers? It makes no sense at all. Secondly, if we lift the ban, this is a first and necessary step, I believe, in building out a whole new energy strategy for the United States that leads to an American view, an American imprint, on energy security, not a Russian and not an OPEC view of this. Why? Because we embrace open markets, we embrace diversity of sources, we embrace transparency and pricing. That is what we want. Lifting the ban is that first step. Thirdly, if we couple this with building out more pipelines that help us integrate the Mexican energy market and the Canadian, the North American area can clearly take care of all of our domestic demands collectively and have plenty to export.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Lafayette, Louisiana, for being recognized as the Happiest City in America. Lafayette is my home. I was raised there, attended elementary and high school there, obtained my undergraduate degree from the University of Southwest Louisiana there, and began a family there. Anyone who has spent time in our city can tell you it is a place filled with joie de vivre--where friends and neighbors become family, our unique Cajun food, music, and culture abound, and everyone knows how to have a good time. This designation was awarded by the National Bureau of Economic Research based on a 2014 study conducted by Edward Glaeser of Harvard University, Joshua Gottlieb of the Vancouver School of Economics, and Oren Ziv, a Harvard University doctoral student. Amazingly, every city in the top five hail from Louisiana, with Houma, Shreveport-Bossier City, Baton Rouge, and Alexandria following Lafayette in the study's findings. Accordingly, Louisiana was found to be the happiest state in the country. This is just another reason I am proud to call Lafayette, Louisiana, my home. I'm honored to represent this beautiful and diverse city in Congress, and am grateful to be able to recognize its distinction as the Happiest City in America.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support S. 139, the Ensuring Access to Clinical Trials Act of 2015. This bill will ensure current Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Medicaid recipients can maintain those benefits while participating in clinical trials. Keeping their benefits will help them, but as a doctor I know that their participation in such trials stands to benefit countless others as well who suffer from rare conditions, both in the U.S. and abroad. We should ensure that public policy encourages that whenever we can, and that's what this bill does. Under current law, the Social Security Administration excludes up to $2,000 annually in compensation received by individuals participating in rare disease clinical trials when determining their SSI and Medicaid eligibility and benefits. But this provision, put in place by bipartisan legislation in 2010, is set to expire on October 5, 2015. After that date, all payments for participating in such clinical trials would be counted as income for SSI and Medicaid recipients, reducing or even ending their eligibility for those benefits. A number of people with rare diseases like Cystic Fibrosis receive SSI benefits. If this policy is not made permanent, an individual participating in a clinical trial for a new treatment for Cystic Fibrosis could see a reduction or even the complete elimination of those important benefits. The reality is, most simply won't take that risk, and will avoid participating in such trials. As GAO found in a 2014 report, ``some stakeholders noted that compensation decreased participation in clinical trials in the past because individuals were concerned about its impact on their SSI eligibility and benefits.'' On the other hand, ``financial incentives to participate in clinical trials have generally been found to encourage participation in trials. This is likely because of the time, inconvenience, and expense that may be involved.'' Ultimately, not continuing this policy could actually prevent clinical trials from occurring, since it would restrict the already small number of people able to participate in the trial in the first place. That's why the passage of S. 139 is so important, as it will remove the sunset date for current law--October 5, 2015. Failing to do so would force individuals to once again choose between maintaining their current health and disability benefits and the chance to participate in a clinical trial that could improve or even cure their condition, as well as help others like them in the future. This bill is simple and consistent with current SSI program exemptions. S. 139 strikes the October 5, 2015 sunset date on current policy, permitting SSI and Medicaid recipients with rare diseases to participate in such trials that help to advance research into finding cures. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that S. 139 will result in insignificant costs to the Federal government over the next 10 years, meaning no offset for this legislation is required. But its true value to people with rare diseases--and those who in the future might benefit by their participation in clinical trials permitted under this legislation--could be enormous. Let's pass this important legislation.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Madam Speaker, as a newly minted physician fresh out of medical school, I took an oath to protect life. As a cardiovascular surgeon, I worked day and night performing thousands of cardiovascular operations on premature infants, all the way up to the elderly. Now, in Congress, I intend to uphold that oath that I took to save life. The practices we have seen described recently released in the undercover videos of top Planned Parenthood executives detailing the methods they employ to harvest tissues and organs during abortions performed at these clinics is nothing short of atrocious. After the release of the first video in July, I joined my pro-life colleagues to call immediately for thorough investigations into this activity, and now, these investigations are underway. The American people deserve and they need to know the truth. While these investigations are ongoing, it is important that we take action to prevent taxpayer dollars from going to this type of activity. I have long supported legislation to end funding for Planned Parenthood and am proud to be an original cosponsor of this bill. It is a very important bill. I urge my colleagues to defend the culture of life in this country, and let's vote in favor of this bill.