Karen Bass

Ms. BASS

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to salute His Excellency Nana Akufo-Addo and the people of Ghana on the occasion of President Akufo- Addo's visit to the United States. Ghana tops many lists of Africa's most peaceful and stable democracies, boasting an uninterrupted series of free and fair elections since 1992 that have seen power change hands between the two major parties three times. Freedom House ranks Ghana first on the continent for political and civil liberties. It was the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goal of halving the number of its people in extreme poverty, achieving this milestone well ahead of the 2015 target. The World Bank places Ghana first in its West African sub-region for ease of doing business. Since his election, economic growth has surged from 3.6 percent to 7.9 percent. The World Bank projects an additional increase of 8.3 percent in 2018, making Ghana one of the world's fastest-growing economies. At the same time, Ghana's budget deficit as a proportion of GDP has been slashed from 9.3 percent to 5.6 percent even as the government has cut taxes. That would become an international cultural landmark. The school appeared in many movies and television shows until 1971, when portions sustained damage in the Sylmar earthquake, and then were ravaged by fire while awaiting assessment and repair. Underpinned by a rich endowment of oil, gold and cocoa, Ghana's $43 billion economy is becoming increasingly diversified. Expansion outside the commodity sector and renewed confidence in the government's ability to manage its finances are seen by analysts as key drivers of the country's current performance and growing attractiveness as a destination for the U.S. and other investors. During President Akufo-Addo's American visit, he will receive an Exemplary Leadership award from: The Africa Society of the National Summit on Africa; AllAfrica Foundation; The Constituency for Africa; The Corporate Council on Africa; Invest Africa USA; The U.S. Chamber of Commerce/U.S.-Africa Business Center; Africare; and The Whitaker Group. I stand with them to honor his work as Ghana continues to be a beacon of hope, a model for democracy and a leader on the African continent.

Ms. BASS

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3445, AGOA and MCA Modernization Act. The African Growth and Opportunity Act and the Millennium Challenge Corporation have proven track records of spurring economic development. Expanding these programs advances our position as international leaders, strengthens our domestic job market and economy, while protecting our national security interests. Trade and development go hand in hand. U.S. investments around the world increases trade opportunities and opens new markets for U.S. goods and services. Africa's consumer spending is expected to reach $1 trillion. We must act now in order to solidify this important trade relationship. If we fail to act, rest assured that other nations are ready, willing, and able to fill our void. We have the opportunity through AGOA and MCA to advance stability, security, and business growth on the continent and here at home. This is in our best interest. That is why I joined my colleagues, Chairman Royce, Ranking Member Engel, and Representative Smith, to introduce H.R. 3445, the AGOA and MCA Modernization Act earlier this year. Moving developing countries away from foreign aid and towards trade also helps U.S. manufacturers, farmers, and small businesses. We are building long-term trading partners for our goods and services. By using trade, we can also address the root causes of violent extremism and terrorism. This legislation strengthens the AGOA and the MCA--key laws in the effort to promote U.S.-Africa trade. For example, AGOA and MCA gives MCC greater flexibility to promote trade, collaboration, and economic integration by allowing up to two simultaneous compacts with an eligible country. This is important because, as most of us know, African countries are still grappling with the legacy of colonialism. For example, only a few hundred miles separate Lagos, Nigeria, from Accra, Ghana. In the United States, traveling this distance would take a few hours. For traders on the continent, the same trip can take up to a full day. They have to contend with inadequate roads, arduous border checks, or high tariffs. MCC recently signed a compact with Cote d'Ivoire, an economic and cultural hub in west Africa and a longtime strategic and economic partner of the U.S. This compact will diversify the nation's economy by targeting two constraints to growth: access to a skilled workforce and the mobility of goods and people in the nation's capital, Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire's commercial capital. The Transport Project will focus on rehabilitating key roads in the capital to enable people and goods to move freely throughout the busy city and its strategic port. With 20 percent of the nation's population living in the capital, unlocking congestion will create opportunities to buy and sell products, expand businesses, improve access to key services, and open up greater trade. This compact is expected to benefit more than 11 million people. In a country where more than half of the population is under the age of 24, it will help to shape a strong, stable future for Cote d'Ivoire. This compact is all about creating opportunities and stabilities for citizens and businesses in Cote d'Ivoire, west Africa, and in the U.S. By making coordinated investments across countries, MCC could help these nations work together to grow regional markets and facilitate trade. Passage of this bill in the House is an important step toward increasing regional integration across Africa, advancing stability and security and opening new markets for trade. I believe strongly that it is in our economic and political interest to expand our economic relationships with the nations of Africa. I have said this before and I will continue to reiterate this point. I also believe that the African Growth and Opportunity Act is the key to development of stronger, mutually beneficial economic relations between this country and African nations.

Ms. BASS

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to echo the praise heaped on my friend and mentor, Janice V. Tramel, over the past weekend at a surprise ceremony held by the University of Southern California (USC) honoring her 40 years of service to her patients, to nursing and to the profession of Physician Assistant (PA). She was instrumental in my own training as a Physician Assistant, first as a professor, then as a mentor, and eventually as a close friend. A California native, Mrs. Tramel completed both a vocational nursing and registered nursing program prior to graduating from the USC Primary Care Physician Assistant Program in 1977 and joining the faculty two years later. Having learned under her, I later felt very proud to become her colleague on the PA faculty. As Director of Clinical Education from July 2013 through May 2017, she oversaw the clinical curriculum, clinical site development and student placements. She now holds PA-C Emeritus status. Her passion as an educator has benefitted generations of students, not just locally but at the state and national levels. She has served as a curriculum consultant, visiting lecturer, site visitor for the Accreditation Review Commission on Education of the Physician Assistant, and grant reviewer with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Bureau of Health Professions. She was a gubernatorial appointee to the State of California Physician Assistant Committee, now known as the PA Board, from 1982 to 1992, serving as Committee Chair from 1987. But she has always returned to work with and for the underserved communities of Los Angeles. Her specialties include family medicine, adolescent medicine, women's health, occupational health, as well as quality assurance and utilization review. Her research interests include evaluation of student performance, faculty development, learning styles, educational methodology and technology and standardized testing. In May 2012, she was inducted into the Pi Alpha National Honor Society for Physician Assistants. Not content to serve others in her professional life, she has been an active volunteer with disadvantaged young adults, community health and geriatric wellness programs. I salute Janice Tramel for her lifelong commitment to serving and uplifting others, and for four decades of working to provide outstanding health care and train succeeding generations of care providers.

Ms. BASS

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, Los Angeles has lost a great leader, a champion for accessible, affordable housing and a true community visionary: David Surmier Cunningham, Jr. Dave Cunningham made major contributions to our city, including serving on the Los Angeles City Council with distinction, honor and dignity from 1973 to 1986, succeeding Tom Bradley when he became Mayor. Dave Cunningham and Tom Bradley would remain close allies throughout their lives. Among the first African American elected leaders in the city, Mr. Cunningham represented a district that included Koreatown, the Latino neighborhood of Pico-Union, the heavily Jewish district of Fairfax, and the majority African American community of West Adams. I was proud to be a constituent, and later to represent many of the same diverse communities that he served. Mr. Cunningham had a remarkable and widely varied career. He served in the U.S. Air Force as a cartographer until 1960, the same year he says he was bitten by the political bug, when he attended the historic Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles and saw John Kennedy win the nomination for president. He earned a Bachelor's degree in economics and political science at the University of California, Riverside in 1962, and then was selected for a Coro Foundation Public Affairs internship with Assemblyman Charles Warren. The next year he moved to the private sector and spent three years in Lagos, Nigeria as West Africa regional manager for the Dukane Corporation. On return to the U.S., he managed community relations for Hughes Aircraft for a year before forming a government consulting partnership in 1968 that would be his focus for the next five years, along with earning a Master's degree in Urban Studies from Occidental College. In 1973 he won the responsibility of representing Los Angeles' 10th City Council District. As a City Councilmember, Mr. Cunningham took on pressing issues from opposing drilling in Santa Monica Bay to leading a campaign to divest the city's holdings in apartheid-era South Africa. He is perhaps best known for his fierce advocacy for improving the education of African American students in the Los Angeles Unified School District, and for pioneering policies that significantly increased affordable housing in the city, including for seniors and citizens returning after incarceration. He chaired the committee focused on housing and community development, and he called on federal housing officials to put thousands of boarded-up homes owned by the government back into use. He also used his committee role to encourage minority hiring at investment banks that sought work with the city. In the early 1980s, he was a key ally in Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky's crusade to shut down the Los Angeles Police Department's infamous Public Disorder Intelligence Division, which kept files on civil rights organizations and other activist and civic groups. After his city council service, he continued his housing focus, both in the private sector as an investment banker, and through a leadership position with the Community Housing Equity Corporation. Mr. Cunningham cultivated strong relationships with constituents, in particular asking his Chief of Staff Maxine Waters and aide Geneva Cox to work with the women of the district to develop leadership skills and harness the considerable energy and creativity of those women to improve the lives of people living in the district. The 10th Council District Women's Steering Committee continues its service to this day. In 1988 he formed the government relations consulting firm, Dave Cunningham and Associates, that would be his focus for the next three decades, serving clients from small entrepreneurs and giant corporations like Hertz. His devotion to service later in his life included his role as state president of the Black American Public Affairs Committee (BAPAC), continuing his advocacy for equity, civil rights, economic development and community empowerment. A man for all seasons, Mr. Cunningham was an accomplished jazz musician who played bass in a band, and he even appeared in a Chris Rock movie. My thoughts are with Mr. Cunningham's son, my friend Judge David S. Cunningham, III, and the rest of his loving family and friends. To those of us who were fortunate enough to cross Dave's path, he offered guidance, wisdom and insight. He will be sorely missed.

Ms. BASS

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Trinity Baptist Church. Founded on November 11, 1917 as a Sunday school group of three adults and fifteen children, Trinity Baptist has grown into an abundant congregation, housed on a church campus that includes a lovely sanctuary, built in 1962 and designed by renowned African American architect Paul Williams. Rev. Alvin Tunstill, Jr. is the ninth pastor to lead the congregation and only the fourth senior pastor in the last 80 years. Under his leadership, ten clergy members and a cadre of deacons, deaconesses and other lay leaders serve the congregation. Clergy, staff and volunteers oversee a wealth of ministries, including those that focus on women; fitness, health, and wellness; a hot lunch program; homelessness outreach; summer youth employment; and education, including college scholarships. Church programs aim to build lasting bonds of service between members of the church, and they play an important role in making resources available to the mainly African- American congregation and to the surrounding Jefferson Park neighborhood of South Los Angeles. Today, Trinity has partnerships with national organizations like the American Cancer Society, and it has sponsored sister organizations, including the Trinity Community Development Corporation, in order to tackle issues ranging from obesity to computer illiteracy and to pursue solutions like affordable housing to gang prevention. Commitment to its faith has helped to guide the Trinity Baptist community in its mission of service for a century now. I applaud the strong bonds that knit this community together, and I wish the congregation, both leaders and flock, the very best as it embarks on the church's second century.

Ms. BASS

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my dissatisfaction at the majority's failure to allow consideration of amendments I proposed to the appropriations bill that include funding for the FAA. The Rules Committee did not forward those items so my colleagues could consider and vote on them. My amendments represent beginning steps toward addressing what has become an intolerable level of noise from planes in my district. The amendments will not see debate in this body, however, despite the fact that noise affects the health, well-being, and economic livelihood of people in every part of the country, whether they are Republicans or Democrats. When Congress directed the FAA to update how we control our airways, we were promised that, by reworking the Nation's airspace and using satellite technology instead of radars, our Nation's flight system would become not only more efficient, but cleaner and quieter. Next Generation systems were supposed to allow virtually automated air traffic control, eliminate circling overhead waiting for a landing slot, and facilitate smooth gliding flight descents without noisy engine power. Plus, planes would be able to stay higher longer, and FAA's published flight procedures would specify minimum altitudes over heavily populated areas, meant to ensure that effects on the ground were minimized. That is not what we got. Eight of the country's busiest and most complex metropolitan areas, called metroplexes, have seen NextGen implementation so far. Phoenix, North Carolina, and Washington, D.C., are just a few of the metroplex victims who have decided to take legal action against the FAA. The D.C. Circuit Court recently ruled in the Phoenix case, noting that the FAA had not paid enough attention to the effects of its actions. In every case, noise that used to be spread out across a wide area became concentrated over narrowed corridors, visiting misery on those living below. The best analogy I can offer is this: Imagine that all of the traffic using a 6-lane highway was narrowed to a single lane. The concentration of that much traffic would surely cause considerable problems. Well, that is exactly what has happened in the southern California metroplex implementation. Areas that used to see planes flying overhead every 15 or 20 minutes now feel bombarded by flights as close together as every 3 minutes or less. As you can imagine, sometimes those planes and narrowed highways might get too close together. Air traffic controllers have to keep minimum separation for the safety of all involved. But in order to adhere to that narrowed lane, controllers tell the pilots to deviate from the flight path by going downward. Sometimes they fly at half, or less, of what the minimum altitude is supposed to be. So planes that are supposed to fly at 6,000 feet may fly as low as 3,000 feet at a frequency of every 3 to 5 minutes. I hope that you can appreciate that that noise is intolerable. Film production of all types, whether TV commercials, movies, or videos, is an economic driver in my district. The neighborhoods of the 37th Congressional District have been used to represent cities and towns across the continent. Though you might not know it, I am sure you have seen both Culver City and the historic West Adams district, built over 100 years ago, in some of your favorite TV shows and movies. Unfortunately, the movie studios of Culver City and the homes of West Adams are directly under the new, narrowed flight path. Studios are complaining about having to move production from their back lots because of the noise. I have elderly constituents who have lived in their neighborhoods for decades and who rely on income from location filming to help them remain in their homes. Film scouts have told them that the frequent loud plane traffic makes it impossible to film there anymore. At this point, countless American and European health studies have demonstrated the harms that come from exposure to noise--and at much lower levels than that experienced by people on the ground. The arbitrary and outdated 65 decibel day/night level that the FAA uses to determine acceptable levels of exposure is calculated at an average of sound over a 24-hour period. Parents with young children have told me that their kids' sleep patterns have been disrupted by unrelenting noise, enough to alter their academic performance. A health clinic serving the affected areas has begun to investigate whether a spike in reported health problems, including poor control of chronic conditions like hypertension, can be related to the constant exposure to excessive noise. The European Union standard for noise exposure at night is half of the U.S. level and is still cause for health concerns there. In the absence of consideration of my amendments, I invite my colleagues to join me and nearly 40 other colleagues in the House Quiet Skies Caucus, which is working to make progress on this important issue. My constituents and I know many of my colleagues' constituents are suffering under the burden of excessive airplane noise as a result of the implementation of the FAA's Next Generation project. We cannot and must not sacrifice the health of those on the ground in the name of airline efficiency.

Ms. BASS

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to honor the accomplishments of Lieutenant General Stayce D. Harris, Assistant Vice Chief of Staff in the United States Air Force. Born in Los Angeles, California, to a military family, Stayce Harris grew up with a love for traveling. In 1977 she earned an Air Force Reserve Officer's Training Corps (ROTC) Scholarship to study engineering at the University of Southern California (USC). On graduation with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering in 1981, Harris received a commission in the United States Air Force. She served on active duty until 1991 when she joined the Air Force Reserve. Her military career spanning more than 35 years has included many ground-breaking firsts. For example, in January 2001, she became the first black woman to command a flying squadron in the Air Force. She has earned a number of decorations including the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit and Aerial Achievement Medal, to name only a few. Harris has sent an example for future generations of women in aviation and STEM fields, including through her involvement with professional associations, like the Air Force Association, Reserve Officers Association, Air Force Sergeants Association, Tuskegee Airmen Inc., Women Military Aviators, and the American Legion. Not only is she a decorated member of the military, she went on to fly in the private airline industry, one of the few female commercial pilots, and one of the first women to be an airline captain. On August 19, 2016 Harris was named Lieutenant General, thereby becoming the first African-American woman to hold a three star rank in the Air Force. Her leadership and accomplishments have led her alma mater, USC, to create the Stayce D. Harris Award. Every year, the award is given to an ROTC cadet who exhibits extraordinary perseverance in the face of adversity. Today, Harris continues to serve our country with grace and dedication. I wish her many years of continued success and achievement.

Ms. BASS

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to honor the accomplishments and service of Los Angeles Police Department Detective Sha'Quana Hall- Pounders. One of the few Black women to reach the rank of Chief Master Sergeant in the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Sha'Quana Hall-Pounders delivered security and threat assessment briefings to senior Pentagon officials. As a law-enforcement officer, then-Special Agent Hall-Pounders served to protect senior White House officials at important events in our nation's capital and abroad. On returning to Los Angeles after her military service, Ms. Hall-Pounders joined the Los Angeles Police Department, where she has served on the LAPD Joint Terrorism Task Force. Residing in the Baldwin Vista neighborhood of my district, Ms. Hall- Pounders has sought out opportunities to make a difference in the lives of her fellow Angelenos. She has assisted senior citizens and first time voters with both registration and voter education. Along with her daughter, she regularly hosts tennis clinics for young men and women in the Crenshaw District. The pair also organize educational and recreational excursions for underserved and special-needs youth in Watts, aiming to help them see a world beyond the borders of their own neighborhoods. I appreciate her service to our country and to the communities of the 37th Congressional District of California, and I wish her continued success in her career as an LAPD officer and a leader in our community.

Ms. BASS

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to honor the pastoral service of Reverend Melvin Von Wade, Sr. who will retire in September from his position as senior pastor of Mount Moriah Baptist Church of Los Angeles. Born September 18, 1944 in Memphis, Tennessee, Melvin Von Wade earned a Bachelor's degree from Bishop College in Dallas, Texas, pursued graduate theological training at Perkins Theoretical Seminary in Dallas, Texas, and completed his seminary work at Faith Theological Seminary in Tacoma, Washington, where he received Master of Arts and Doctor of Ministry degrees. Over the last 42 years, Rev. Wade has led his congregation in its efforts to serve vulnerable populations in Los Angeles. Under his stewardship, Mount Moriah developed a 40-unit senior citizens' apartment complex, the Mount Moriah Senor Villa. Perhaps most significantly, he worked to foster cooperation between the four National Baptist Conventions. As former President of the National Missionary Baptist Convention of America (NMBCA), he organized an unprecedented meeting between the four National Baptist Conventions. Moreover, Reverend Wade has served as Second Vice President of the California Missionary Baptist State Convention; Board member Council of National Black Churches; and Board Member of the Baptist World Alliance. In addition to his work within his faith community, Rev. Wade is known to have worked to advocate for civil rights. He is a lifetime member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. I congratulate Rev. Wade and the Mount Moriah Baptist Church community on their fruitful partnership of over four decades. I wish the best to both Rev. Wade and the congregation, as each embarks on a new chapter of service.

Ms. BASS

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2664, the Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act, a bill to assist the U.S. Department of Labor in identifying and preventing cases of human trafficking. Human trafficking is a global and domestic threat to basic human rights and humanity as we know it. However, the injustice of human trafficking is not just a global program. Human rights abuses are happening right here in the United States every day and in every region across the country. Polaris, a nonprofit that operates the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline here in the U.S. received reports of over 8,000 cases of human trafficking in our country last year, an increase of 35 percent over the year before. Government agencies must continue to work together to identify and eradicate all cases of human trafficking. We can and must do better to prevent cases of abuse before they happen. That is the purpose of this bill, the Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act. H.R. 2664 directs the Department of Labor to train appropriate Department staff on how to detect human trafficking and ensure that all personnel at the Department of Labor are provided with regular screening tools to identify and detect trafficking activity. This bill establishes training for a clear course of action, including referring cases of suspected human trafficking to the Department of Justice and other appropriate authorities to properly investigate and prosecute offenders. This bill also requires the Department of Labor to report back to Congress within a year on the progress that is being made by such efforts. Mr. Speaker, the Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act supports current efforts to combat human trafficking by providing the Department of Labor the tools and resources it needs to identify and properly respond to human rights abuses. I ask my colleagues for a vote in favor of this bill.

Ms. BASS

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2480, the Empowering Law Enforcement to Fight Sex Trafficking Demand Act, a simple but powerful bill that will amend the Byrne JAG Grant Program to include funding initiatives aimed at disrupting and reducing the demand for sex trafficking. As we know, dismantling the multifaceted web of sex trafficking requires collaborative and comprehensive action at every level of government. I am pleased to join Representative Hartzler and so many of my colleagues as we continue to address this problem. In conjunction with a number of bills introduced this Congress to strengthen and reauthorize the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, H.R. 2480 acknowledges that a comprehensive approach to eliminate sex trafficking necessarily requires the inclusion of demand reduction efforts. Specifically, this bill provides support to State and local jurisdictions working to eliminate sex trafficking by expanding the designated use of Byrne JAG funding to include the express purpose of combating sex trafficking demand. It is important that we support concrete and effective measures in furtherance of demand reduction as a critical component of law enforcement. Yet in nearly every State across the country, especially when it comes to underage youth, the buyers of sex tend to be treated as johns. When we are looking at underage girls, anybody that is purchasing sex should be viewed as a child molester. Just as we are beginning to see the need to acknowledge the shift in how we see and respond to victims of sex trafficking--most of whom are minors, 59 percent of all reported cases in 2016 per Polaris National Hotline, and nearly all of them having involvement in the child welfare system, 86 percent as reported in the 2016 National Center for Missing & Exploited Children--there must be a paradigm shift in how we see and respond to those engaged in the illicit buying of women and children for sex. Sex trafficking reduction programs under this bill would support enhanced efforts to arrest and prosecute these offenders. This bill would further help jurisdictions implement and facilitate necessary training programs designed to help law enforcement understand, identify, and appropriately respond fundamentally to those who buy and perpetrate sex trafficking. Just as law enforcement must make critical efforts in distinguishing and identifying victims in need of services from petty criminals, so, too, must efforts be made to identify and prosecute dangerous and predatory sex offenders. Thus, State and local justice systems would be eligible to receive Byrne JAG money to support innovative advancements in developing and acquiring cutting-edge technology. For example, H.R. 2480 would support the use of programs like Spotlight, a web-based tool used by over 4,000 law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and Canada to enable them to collaborate across jurisdictions for streamlined tracking of child sex trafficking victims.

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, over the past year, reports showed that Spotlight identified, on average, five kids per day, and that law enforcement using Spotlight daily are seeing a 60 percent time savings in their investigative process. For these reasons, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill and the need to invest in comprehensive measures to prevent and attack sex trafficking demands.

Ms. BASS

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms. Gabbard).

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the author of this important legislation, Mr. Chris Smith; and I thank Chairman Royce for bringing it to the floor. I support this bill and I encourage my colleagues to do so as well. Mr. Speaker, I yield back that balance of my time.

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2200, a bill to reauthorize $130 million in currently appropriated funds in order to continue, over the next 4 years, critical and necessary work to fight sex and labor trafficking. This bill builds upon the remarkable work of the original Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, the cornerstone of Federal human trafficking legislation. I want to thank my colleagues Chairman Royce and especially Chairman Chris Smith for his pioneering leadership. Despite great strides and the tremendous progress we have made in exposing and beginning to understand the complexities and growing obstacles of human trafficking, we still have much to do. I am particularly thankful for the inclusion of my language in section 103, which provides a modification to grants for victims services in order to provide a necessary focus on young victims in the child welfare system. Specifically, this section will amend the Trafficking Victims Protection Act to address a key reason children and women have difficulty leaving their exploiter: the lack of housing. They have nowhere to go. As with all antitrafficking measures, I am particularly concerned about what we are doing to combat the devastating epidemic of young girls in the foster care system falling prey to child exploitation and sex trafficking. The average age of a girl entering into sex trafficking is 12 years old. In 2016, an estimated one out of six endangered runaways reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children were likely child sex trafficking victims. Of these reported victims, 86 percent were in the care of social services or foster care when they ran. One seasoned detective in Los Angeles recently reported during a demonstration on law enforcement technology used to identify victims that every single girl he has ever encountered through sex trafficking or commercially exploited sex activity has been in the child welfare system. It cannot be overstated that the purpose of the child welfare system is to protect children who are abused or neglected. It is our responsibility to make sure these children do not fall between the cracks. It is devastating to know that we have failed many of them. Just as if one of our own children in our family went missing, a child that is under the care of the government that goes missing demands our most aggressive response and effort to find, save, and protect them. Our most urgent priority should be disrupting the child welfare-to- trafficking pipeline and finding better, more effective ways to meet the critical needs of this vulnerable population. In particular, as we continue to tackle child sex trafficking in the United States, it is imperative that we provide a special focus on the immediate and long- term housing needs of at-risk foster youth. Young girls and disconnected youth have particular and sensitive needs as trafficking victims. Current funding for housing and shelter for victims of child sex trafficking is insufficient to meet the growing demand for youth services, especially young foster girls exploited through their emotional and financial vulnerabilities. At every level of government, we have an urgent responsibility to shut down pathways for child sex trafficking and to invest in critical housing needs for vulnerable youth and girls. This responsibility includes supporting and adopting H.R. 2200. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee), who is the ranking member on the Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations Subcommittee of the Judiciary Committee.

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Beatty).

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Frankel).

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney).

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis).

Ms. BASS

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, today I congratulate Diane Griffiths on a long career of service to the State of California, and on her retirement on June 1, 2017. Diane Griffiths served many years as chief of staff to my friend and former colleague in the California legislature, Robert Hertzberg, including during his two terms as the 64th Speaker of the California Assembly, as well as after his election to the California Senate. As a former Speaker myself, I know how vital a role the Speaker's chief of staff plays in the success of each legislative session and the legislature overall. Diane worked diligently to keep herself informed on the substance of a wide range of issues, while also handling the myriad management tasks involved in the running of an operation as complex as a legislative leadership office. She has worked in the Legislature in many different roles and handled a broad range of policy, legal and administrative issues. Senator Hertzberg describes her as ``the consummate chief of staff'' and praises her for always striving to help others to be as effective as possible. Previously, Diane served as chief of staff to the University of California Board of Regents. She was also General Counsel to California's Fair Political Practices Commission. A graduate of the Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley, she clerked for the California and Alaska Supreme Courts after graduation. Diane will be missed, but I appreciate the decades of service that she gave to the citizens of California and I wish her all the best in her new endeavors.

Ms. BASS

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to honor the life and memory of Walker Alexander Williams. Born in East Orange, New Jersey in 1940, Walker lifted his eyes well beyond our shores and developed an international reputation as a businessman and an advocate for the African and Caribbean diaspora communities. His passion for economic empowerment led him to create Alternative Marketing Access, Leadership Global (formerly Leadership Africa USA) and NiQuan Energy as platforms for development. Walker leaves behind a legacy of uplifting others and promoting the advancement of under-represented groups, especially those of African and African American descent. Walker also recognized the importance of training people to fill leadership roles and developing talent to serve in African political and economic contexts. He had a vision for developing countries in which their diverse communities and nations overall could reach their full potential. His distinguished career included testifying in Congress on ``The Future of Energy in Africa'' where he urged this body to support and encourage partnerships to improve Africa's access to energy. He also provided vital leadership around the initial passage of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), arranging several Congressional briefings for African Ambassadors, key members of Congress, and Administration officials on AGOA and its potential effect on infrastructure, energy, agriculture, health, nutrition, and security. During his long career as a businessman, advocate, and philanthropist, Walker remained committed to mentoring and empowering young people and professionals, and he always aimed to make those who worked with him feel valued. He worked with more than 100 non- governmental organizations over thirty-plus years, and he facilitated scholarship and educational opportunities in Africa and the Caribbean through the Education Africa Presidential and Premier Education Awards, Nelson Mandela Presidential Medallions, and the Walter Sisulu Scholarship and Training Fund. He encouraged Africans and Americans alike to envision and achieve personal power and a more prosperous future. Walker believed that a better Africa and Caribbean meant a better United States of America. Walker is remembered by his partner, children, and grandchildren as a humble and dedicated man. I would like to celebrate a life of service while I offer condolences to those he has left behind.

Ms. BASS

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to honor the life and memory of Walker Alexander Williams. Born in East Orange, New Jersey in 1940, Walker lifted his eyes well beyond our shores and developed an international reputation as a businessman and an advocate for the African and Caribbean diaspora communities. His passion for economic empowerment led him to create Alternative Marketing Access, Leadership Global (formerly Leadership Africa USA) and NiQuan Energy as platforms for development. Walker leaves behind a legacy of uplifting others and promoting the advancement of under-represented groups, especially those of African and African American descent. Walker also recognized the importance of training people to fill leadership roles and developing talent to serve in African political and economic contexts. He had a vision for developing countries in which their diverse communities and nations overall could reach their full potential. His distinguished career included testifying in Congress on ``The Future of Energy in Africa'' where he urged this body to support and encourage partnerships to improve Africa's access to energy. He also provided vital leadership around the initial passage of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), arranging several Congressional briefings for African Ambassadors, key members of Congress, and Administration officials on AGOA and its potential effect on infrastructure, energy, agriculture, health, nutrition, and security. During his long career as a businessman, advocate, and philanthropist, Walker remained committed to mentoring and empowering young people and professionals, and he always aimed to make those who worked with him feel valued. He worked with more than 100 non-governmental organizations over thirty- plus years, and he facilitated scholarship and educational opportunities in Africa and the Caribbean through the Education Africa Presidential and Premier Education Awards, Nelson Mandela Presidential Medallions, and the Walter Sisulu Scholarship and Training Fund. He encouraged Africans and Americans alike to envision and achieve personal power and a more prosperous future. Walker believed that a better Africa and Caribbean meant a better United States of America. Walker is remembered by his partner, children, and grandchildren as a humble and dedicated man. I would like to celebrate a life of service while I offer condolences to those he has left behind.

Ms. BASS

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my legislation, in conjunction with Representative Faso, to support the education and advancement of foster youth. I want to thank the Representative for his leadership on this issue. I also want to thank Chairman Brady and Ranking Member Neal for their leadership on behalf of the Nation's foster youth. I do think it is very remarkable, as several other speakers have said, that today we are bringing forward five bipartisan bills to improve the Nation's foster care system. Each one of the bills addresses a serious challenges or gap in that system. H.R. 2847, the Improving Services for Older Youth in Foster Care Act, allows States to expand the Chafee Grant Program to foster youth up to the age of 23. Currently, the program ends at 21. The Chafee Grant Program provides educational grants and other services to help young people transition into adulthood and become independent. In May, as part of National Foster Youth Shadow Day that is organized by the National Foster Youth Institute, I had the opportunity to meet a young woman named Doniesha Thomas. Doniesha is from Los Angeles, and spent 20 years in foster care before she aged out. She described her foster home as abusive, and eventually she had to move several times. Against tremendous odds, Doniesha has continued to persevere and is currently a college student at Los Angeles Trade Tech College, majoring in the administration of justice and minoring in paralegal studies. Doniesha is just one of a small number of foster youth who actually make it to college. This is despite nearly 70 percent of foster youth expressing a desire to attend college. Those, like Doniesha, who are accepted and attend college face another hurdle, which is graduating. Currently, only 3 percent of foster youth who attend college graduate. Programs like Chafee are designed to help foster youth advance in college, trade school, and employment. During National Foster Youth Shadow Day, I had the opportunity to speak to many other young people, and several of them described challenges that they face after--well, if they were lucky to graduate high school, where they attend college and then something happens; either they run out of resources or their housing falls through and they have to leave college, so their college is interrupted. That is why this legislation is so important, because it allows for the flexibility; if the young person is not able to complete college in 4 years, they do have a couple of other years. One of the things that many people don't realize is that when young people age out of the foster youth system--which typically is at 18, sometimes is at 21, depending on the State--that many times we literally put these young people on the street. They are 18 years old. They are in their foster home. They are given a bag, typically a large- sized trash bag, with all of their belongings, and they are put out on the street left to fend for themselves. With today's economic challenges, there are no 18-year-olds that can fend for themselves without a safety net. If we think of middle class children, transitioning into adulthood is typically what happens at college. They go to college and they have housing. But if they have any challenges, they can always call home. They can text their parents. Their parents are there to rescue them in case they run out of money or something happens with their housing or their grades. If we think of a young person out of the child welfare system who is literally put on the streets at the age of 18, you can only imagine what happens; which is why so many children in the foster care system wind up incarcerated. Many young girls wind up trafficked; and we did legislation on that a few weeks ago. So if we want to stop what happens on the other end, with many young children winding up incarcerated, or early pregnancies, or other challenges, we need to make sure that we provide support for them early on. H.R. 2847 will allow the flexibility for a student, again, who might need more time to complete their education. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, to give foster youth the same type of flexibility and support that we provide our own children.

Ms. BASS

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2866, and I want to congratulate my good friends, Representatives Sewell, Kelly, and Smucker for this legislation to reduce barriers for relative caregivers. Ironically, in the 1990s, when the crack cocaine epidemic hit, that was the first time that women started using drugs equal to men. It hadn't happened before, and so families fell apart. One of the things that happened, in the early 1990s, was in the middle of the night a grandmother might be called and three grandchildren delivered to her by Children's Protective Services. The grandmother would take the children without any support and without any knowledge of how to deal with the trauma that the children faced. During those years, we actually discriminated against relatives. We said very negative things about them such as: the apple doesn't fall far from the tree; and, if your daughter wound up on drugs, why should we give the children to you? So during those years, we would rather pay a stranger--and there can be wonderful foster parents--but a stranger to take care of children instead of families. One of the things we did in Los Angeles was we organized the grandmothers, and we trained them how to go before the board of supervisors and advocate on their own behalf. That happened all around the country. So there really was a movement of relatives who rose up and said: We want our children; we just need help. We might be on a fixed income, and we can't really support the children. It is actually more expensive to put a child in foster care. So there began a national movement for relative caregivers to fighting for their rights and for services. So over the years, we really evolved to the point where we have legislation like this where we recognize the benefit of having relatives take care of children. Ironically, the last piece of legislation we were talking about was about children aging out of the system. Before we prioritized relatives, what would happen is a young child who was aging out of foster care, we would put them on the street, and the first thing they would do would be to go look for their families because they might have family somewhere, and they would often do that. This legislation, I think, is extremely important to allow flexibility for licensing of relative caregivers. Examples of grandmothers who I worked with directly who wanted to take in their grandchildren but they were told they didn't have enough bedrooms in their house, and so we were going to put the children in more expensive foster care and break them up and send them to different foster homes instead of leaving them with the grandmother or assist her in moving. So legislation like H.R. 2866, I believe, will begin to address some of these challenges and do what every child needs, which is to be in a loving home with family.