Karen Bass

Ms. BASS

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Pocan).

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, it is essential that we update our statutes when necessary. H.R. 677 does exactly that. It simply amends current law so that it is more inclusive and reflective of our society. I thank the gentleman from Wisconsin, Representative Mark Pocan, for identifying this problem in the law and for introducing this bill to rectify it. H.R. 677 will indeed take this law into the 21st century, as the title suggests. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. BASS

Ms. BASS. Madam Speaker, I rise to take special note of the passing of a long-time constituent, Dr. Patricia E. Bath, an ophthalmologist whose career included a special focus on combating preventable blindness in underserved populations. Among many remarkable accomplishments, she was the first black female doctor to patent a medical invention, a laser device for treating cataracts. Just two months ago, on April 3, 2019, Dr. Bath testified before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property in a hearing entitled ``Trailblazers and Lost Einsteins: Women Inventors and the Future of American Innovation.'' There she noted gender disparities that result in fewer women inventors and made recommendations to improve the barriers she saw as holding back American innovation. Right out of medical school, she was struck by discrepancies in vision problems between the primarily Black patient population she saw for her internship at Harlem Hospital and the largely white population she saw at an eye clinic at Columbia University. Her findings that blindness was twice as prevalent among Black people as among white people would drive her lifelong commitment to bringing quality eye care to underserved people around the globe. An educator and researcher, in 1974 she joined the faculties of the University of California, Los Angeles, and the nearby Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science. In 1976 she founded the nonprofit American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness, to promote what Dr. Bath called ``community ophthalmology,'' which advances optic health through grass-roots screenings, treatments and education. Her research and her work with cataract patients in the early 1980s led her to envision the device that became known as the laserphaco probe, which uses laser technology to remove the cataracts that cloud the lens of the eye. The United States Patent and Trademark Office, which has singled out Dr. Bath's achievement several times, said in 2014 that the device had ``helped restore or improve vision to millions of patients worldwide. Dr. Bath's dedication, insight and brilliance repeatedly overcame challenges from prevailing attitudes about women and African Americans in medicine. The recipient of numerous awards and accolades, Dr. Bath described her ``personal best moment'' as using an implant procedure called keratoprosthesis to restore the sight of a woman in North Africa who had been blind for 30 years. Forty years ago, Dr. Bath wrote in the Journal of the National Medical Association that ``Disproportionate numbers of blacks are blinded by preventable causes. However, thus far, no national strategies exist for reducing the excessive rates of blindness among the black population.'' As we honor her memory and her contributions, her challenge to us remains.

Ms. BASS

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, May was National Foster Care Month, a time for our country to come together to acknowledge the half million people in our child welfare system, the hundreds of thousands who work within the system day in and day out, and the millions of adults who have exited the system and are no longer in care. No one knows the child welfare system like the foster youth who have grown up in the system. Today, the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth and the National Foster Youth Institute have brought more than 100 young people from every corner of the country here to Washington, D.C., to shadow their Member of Congress. I would like to take a second to thank the nearly 100 Members of Congress who are spending this morning learning from a constituent and delegate of this program about their personal experiences and ideas to make impactful change in the child welfare system. The delegates of this program have been in town since Saturday and have been learning about community activism and successful movement building. Yesterday, we held a forum right here in the Capitol where our delegates were able to ask Members of the leadership of Congress questions about changes to the child welfare system. I can't wait for the participants of this program to be up here serving in Congress, making their voices even louder than they are now. Each year, our participants have a real hand in making change. From the Chafee Grant extensions to the passage of the Family First Prevention Services Act just last year, this group's voices have changed our child welfare system forever. The reality is this: When the government removes children from their parents, the government becomes that child's parent. Too often, the government forgets this commitment and life goes on for those not in the child welfare system; but for those in it, they come to feel trapped and forgotten. These young people here today have traveled thousands of miles to share their stories of their challenges with abuse, trafficking, overmedication, or homelessness. In addition, they are sharing their successes with mentorship, adoption, family reunification, community activism, and independent living. Their goal is to leave Congress with a better understanding of the reality faced day in and day out by our Nation's youth in care. Today, Mr. Speaker, I would like to share the stories of four former foster youth who are here shadowing me today. Yeshi Vaughan graduated in the top 10 of her high school class. In May 2019, she graduated with honors from Saint Martin's University with a bachelor's in social work and a minor in sociology. She hopes that as a social worker she can share her story to encourage other youth. Fonda Williams is a former foster youth from California, born and raised in the city of Watts. She is 27 years old and the sixth child of eight. Her current occupation is a public safety dispatcher. She attended UCLA and is currently attending El Camino College. Racquell Perry is a Florida barred attorney and is the statewide outreach for Keys to Independence at Educate Tomorrow. The Keys to Independence program is designed to help youth in out-of-home care overcome barriers to driving. Racquell is a proud two-time graduate of Florida A&M University, earning a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and a JD from its college of law. Toni Criner, while attending Howard University, had the opportunity to be an intern in my office, where she experienced child welfare and foster care policy issues from a different viewpoint. After Toni's time on the Hill, she went on to pioneer a White House initiative and was given the opportunity to work with Washington, D.C.'s most vulnerable transitioning-aged youth. In 2019, Toni founded her own company, T.C. Mentoring and Consulting LLC. The company's mission is to help at-risk youth and young adults find their path in life. Mr. Speaker, our country is the richest country in the history of the world, and there is no excuse for us not to take care of the half million youth who are in the child welfare system. When the government removes them, we are the ones responsible, and we should never be in a situation where anyone would accuse the government of abuse and neglect. This is why we need to transform the Nation's child welfare system to make sure that all of the children in our country have everything they need to be successful adults.

Ms. BASS

Ms. BASS. Madam Speaker, Bishop Clark born in Norfolk, VA, came to Aliquippa in 1959 from Stanton, Va., where he was pastor of a Church of God in Christ. He took over the then-First Church of God in Christ in Aliquippa, PA and led the effort to build the landmark Church in the Round, which was finished in 1970. Before the term Mega church was coined, The Church in the Round boasted attendance and membership exceeding 3,500. Over the ensuing decades, Clark created groundbreaking community outreach initiatives, Evangelistic Conferences, Pastoral Leadership Symposiums, Holy Ghost Conferences, Church Planning and Church Planting across the nation. His visionary interdisciplinary--community development initiatives include: Multi-unit housing, Prison Reform / Ministries, Financial Literacy Classes, Bethesda Home, a group home for troubled boys, the Family Life Center, scholarship funds, food initiatives, recreation programs, and medical- and health-awareness endeavors and more. The Very Reverend Bishop Clark spread the gospel to millions via his widespread multi state radio ministry, ``Across the Pastor's Desk,'' which lasted three decades and drew people to his church, and to Christ. The message: ``May I Present Jesus to YOU!!'' Bishop Melvin E. Clark, Sr., the founding visionary of the Family Life Center, was appointed to the Pastorate of the First Church of God in Christ, Inc. and subsequently its successor, the legendary Church in the Round in 1960. He oversees a church legacy that spans 97-years, making the enterprise one of the oldest institutions in the Beaver County region. Bishop Clark's achievements as a pastor, and community leader resulted in his consecration to the Bishopric and Jurisdictional Prelate of the Second Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of the national Churches of God in Christ. His leadership abilities and deep concern for people has brought him before many national and international leaders including four U.S. Presidents. On several occasions he served as an advisor to President Bill Clinton. While serving as a delegate to the World Pentecostal Conference, Bishop Clark visited Jerusalem and Switzerland, and at the request of the President of Sierra Leone, West Africa, was called to preach during a special celebration at the President's church. The Presiding Bishop of the Church of God In Christ Worldwide also called upon Bishop Clark to minister to congregants in South Korea. He has ministered in Greece, the City of Corinth, London, England, the Vatican, and Rome, Italy. He serves as an advisor, counselor, and member of the Joint College of African-American Bishops and its Pentecostal Congress where he was awarded a Doctorate of Divinity degree. Bishop Clark also holds two Master's Degrees and an earned Doctorate of Philosophy. He has received many awards including the Humanitarian Award of the NAACP, of which he is a lifetime member, the Church of God in Christ Presiding Bishop's Award, and the Man of the Year of the Greater Aliquippa Chamber of Commerce for honorable and unselfish service. Bishop Clark is honored to serve on the national Saints Center Board and the National Task Force of the Church of God In Christ.

Ms. BASS

Ms. BASS. Madam Speaker, may this entry serve as enduring recognition of the legacy lived and left by Ermias Joseph Asghedom, known to his community and the neighborhoods of South Los Angeles and beyond, as Nipsey Hussle. Nipsey Hussle was born in the Hyde Park neighborhood of South Los Angeles in 1985. His father was the only member of his own family in Eritrea to move to the United States, where he met Nipsey Hussle's mother. As a teen, Nipsey attended Alexander Hamilton High School, as did I, as did many in South Los Angeles. He went on to pursue a music career that would touch millions, culminating in national recognition for his studio album ``Victory Lap''. An innovator, entrepreneur and community investor, Nipsey Hussle used the platform he created with his music to further demonstrate not only his business savvy, but his love and pride for where he came from in addition to showing the importance of community ownership and reinvestment. In the same way he went from selling mixtapes on the corner of Crenshaw and Slauson to owning the masters of his GRAMMY- nominated album, Nipsey Hussle went from trademarking his clothing line, to owning the stores selling his trademarked clothing line, to owning the shopping plaza where the store selling his clothing line was located. Marathon Clothing is a technologically ground-breaking store that could have been opened anywhere. Nipsey Hussle opened it on Slauson and Crenshaw. South Los Angeles was where he invested; opening a barbershop and two restaurants in that same intersection, reopening the World on Wheels skating rink in Mid-City, and partnering with Vector 90, one of the first work spaces and incubators in South L.A. designed to support black and brown entrepreneurship locally. He also worked with the Los Angeles City Council on Destination Crenshaw, a project to be built for, by, and in honor of our community in celebration of the historical and contemporary contributions of Black L.A. and the Crenshaw community. Throughout his projects, Nipsey Hussle brought the neighborhood with him. In working to ensure that the community was knowledgeable about their economic power, Nipsey Hussle made sure to give jobs to residents in the neighborhood who were struggling, some of which were homeless and formerly incarcerated. He once provided a pair of shoes to every student at 59th Street Elementary School and also donated to renovate the school's playground and basketball courts. He inspired many others in the entertainment industry to actively invest in South Los Angeles neighborhoods as well. A humble visionary, Nipsey Hussle initiated peace in a community where experiences of systematic injustices appear in the form of police brutality and gang violence. He saw the overlooked and welcomed the dismissed. He was an activist working to reduce gun violence in the community, hosting demonstrations and symposiums over the years. He was slated to meet with the Los Angeles Police Department about reducing gun violence in the community the day after he was murdered. He taught and reminded our community that the power we hold is the power we come from and that awareness of our power is something no one can take from us. Nipsey Hussle will be remembered as a visionary, as a protector, as an inspiration, as a philanthropist, as a father, as a brother and as an unabashed son of South Los Angeles. For all he was given, he gave back. And for that legacy, South Los Angeles has been changed forever.

Ms. BASS

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on the floor of the House of Representatives to formally recognize and honor the legacy of Ermias Asghedom, known to his community and the neighborhoods of south Los Angeles and beyond as Nipsey Hussle. As noted in the record I will be submitting shortly, Nipsey Hussle used the platform he created with his music to lift our community as he climbed. In his business ventures, his investments, his philanthropy, his community engagement, every step of the way, he had a sole purpose of bettering the community he came from. A humble visionary, he saw the overlooked and welcomed the dismissed. He reminded our community that the power we hold is the power of where we come from and that awareness of that power can never be taken from us. He will be remembered by south Los Angeles as a protector, an inspirator, a father, a brother, and an unabashed son of south Los Angeles. For all he was given, he gave back. And for that legacy, south Los Angeles has been changed forever. Mr. Speaker, I will now be submitting this record honoring his legacy.

Ms. BASS

Ms. BASS. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of H.R. 1585, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019. This bipartisan measure was introduced by myself and my colleague, Mr. Fitzpatrick, the gentleman from Pennsylvania. Several other Members have supported this effort and were inadvertently left off the sponsor list due to a clerical error. To remedy that, I will furnish a separate statement for the Record that includes those names, respectively. H.R. 1585 will reauthorize the VAWA of 1994, a landmark piece of legislation first enacted and signed into law by President Clinton in 1994. This was a direct response to the epidemic of violence against women that plagued our country at that time. While we have made significant progress, we still have much to do. It is estimated that more than 2 million adults and more than 15 million children are exposed to domestic violence annually. These alarming figures make it imperative that we reauthorize VAWA now. We concluded our celebration of Women's History Month in March, but our job to protect women is not complete. Movements like #MeToo across this country demand Congress' attention to better deal with the gaping holes left unfilled in current law around the issues of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, harassment, and stalking. The VAWA efforts will have the same profound effect on a victim survivor and their families no matter one's party affiliation. Hence, these are human problems, period. This is our opportunity to respond to the basic needs of victims and survivors everywhere, absent discrimination based on their race, sex, religion, or nationality. That is why this law has been reauthorized three times since enactment, in 2000, 2005, and 2013, with strong bipartisan approval and overwhelming support from Congress, States, and local communities. H.R. 1585 continues that tradition, which reflects a reasonable and compromised approach to reauthorize grant programs under VAWA. For example, this bill includes various pieces of bipartisan legislation, Republican amendments from our committee markup, and Republican amendments through the rules process. H.R. 1585 is intended to make modifications, as Congress has done in the past to all previous reauthorizations of VAWA. For example, in South Los Angeles, part of my district, the Jenesse Center helps hundreds of people every year. VAWA funding has supported the growth of Jenesse's legal department, which provides direct legal services that not only assist survivors in securing immediate safety, but also helps them achieve long-term goals of stability and self- sufficiency. VAWA funding is integral to Jenesse's transitional, or bridge, housing program for survivors. After overcoming the initial crisis phase, people need space and time to rebuild family bonds, secure education and vocational training, and receive the mental health counseling needed to heal from trauma. H.R. 1585 is inclusive, sensible, and responsive.

Ms. BASS. Mr. Chair, this bill is about preventing and responding to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. That is why I urge my colleagues to exert courage and stand with victims by supporting this bill.

Ms. BASS. Mr. Chair, a number of my colleagues who requested to be added as a cosponsor to H.R. 1585, the ``Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019'' were not listed as cosponsors due to a clerical error. I wish to thank all my colleagues for their enduring support of VAWA. The reauthorization of VAWA is vital for domestic violence survivors. VAWA is a landmark piece of legislation first enacted in 1994 and signed into law by President Bill Clinton as part of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. This legislation was enacted in response to the prevalence of domestic and sexual violence, and the significant impact of such violence on the lives of women. It is estimated that more than two million adults and more than 15 million children are exposed to domestic violence annually. VAWA provides essential resources to those who need it most, which is why this piece of legislation is so essential. For the record, the following Members have expressed their support for H.R. 1585, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019'' and would have been added as a cosponsor to H.R. 1585 but for a clerical error. Colin Allred Ami Bera Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. G.K. Butterfield Andre Carson Matt Cartwright Joaquin Castro Emanuel Cleaver Gerald Connolly Jim Costa TJ Cox Charlie Crist Sharice Davids Danny K. Davis Rosa DeLauro Mark DeSaulnier Theodore E. Deutch Michael F. Doyle Eliot Engel Dwight Evans Abby Finkenauer Jimmy Gomez Alcee L. Hastings Jahana Hayes Kendra S. Horn Hakeem Jeffries Henry C. ``Hank'' Johnson, Jr. Marcy Kaptur Daniel T. Kildee John Larson Al Lawson Barbara Lee Mike Levin John Lewis Ted Lieu Nita M. Lowey Ben Ray Lujan Elaine G. Luria Tom Malinowski Stephanie N. Murphy Richard E. Neal Joe Neguse Michael San Nicolas Donald Norcross Bill Pascrell, Jr. Ed Perlmutter Scott Peters Dean Phillips Mark Pocan David E. Price Harley Rouda Raul Ruiz Bobby Rush Mary Gay Scanlon Robert C. ``Bobby'' Scott Brad Sherman Mikie Sherrill Darren Soto Abigail Davis Spanberger Mark Takano Bennie G. Thompson Rashida Tlaib Norma J. Torres Xochitl Torres Small Marc A. Veasey

Ms. BASS

Ms. BASS. Madam Speaker, this past January Los Angeles lost a legendary educator, Dr. Genevieve A. Shepherd. She championed educational equity for African-American students, especially boys, and believed passionately that it is better to raise a child than to mend an adult. Dr. Shepherd decided she wanted to be a teacher at the age of three, when the kindness and support of a Sunday school teacher made an indelible impression on her. She loved seeing a child work to understand something, and then light up when the concept was mastered. She only left the classroom when she realized that she could have a multiplier effect on students by nurturing teachers, who could go on to support even more students. She spent three decades of her half-century career as principal at the same school, Dublin Avenue Elementary, which was later re-named Tom Bradley Global Awareness Magnet. She always looked for innovative ways to address the challenges she saw her students face, including by pioneering an academy for African-American boys at Bradley to tackle achievement gaps. Her signature hats made her unmistakable on school grounds. For years, before class could begin, her students would gather on the playground to enthusiastically recite the mantra: ``With passion and persistence we will perpetually pursue excellence, for learning is our top priority.'' She had the privilege of seeing her first students grow to send her their own children as students, then their grandchildren and even their great-grandchildren over the course of an award-winning, 56-year career in education. A product of Los Angeles through and through, she grew up in the LAUSD, attended Los Angeles City College and then California State University, Los Angeles. She went on to earn a Master of Science degree from Pepperdine University and a Doctorate of Philosophy from Golden State University. She married and raised her family in LA, and was a faithful member of Bethlehem Temple Church (and served as Sunday School Superintendent, of course). Her service extended to playing leadership roles in many civic and professional organizations, as well, including the Council of Black Administrators and the YMCA Metro LA. She also believed in lifelong education and was a long-time president of the pioneering Our Authors Study Club, founded to pursue Carter G. Woodson's vision of creating and disseminating knowledge about Black history across the nation.

Ms. BASS

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, the Congressional Black Caucus condemns all forms of white supremacy, anti-Semitism, and Islamophobia in the strongest terms possible. This could have been an issue that sowed further division among the country, but, instead, has united everyone around our shared values, condemning all forms of bigotry and hatred. The Congressional Black Caucus stands firmly against all expressions of hate, and is concerned by the recent uptick in hateful rhetoric and crimes targeting minority communities. For example, a white nationalist murdered nine African American worshipers at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, on the evening of June 15, 2015, in hopes of igniting a nationwide race war; or the perpetrator of the deadliest attack on Jewish people in the United States' history at the Tree of Life synagogue building in Pittsburgh that killed 11 worshippers. It is unfortunate that the President of the United States has shown a complete lack of leadership on these issues and has, in fact, fanned the flames. As chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, the CBC remains committed to building a more perfect union by engaging in constructive dialogue that affirms America as a nation welcoming to all.

Ms. BASS

Ms. BASS. Madam Chair, I support H.R. 1112, the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2019 as a commonsense measure to improve the current firearms background check system and to save lives. Twenty-five years ago today, we began implementation of the Brady Background Checks Act. The system it employs to run background checks on those seeking to purchase firearms from licensed gun dealers has made us safer. Now it is time to address the circumstances in which the FBI needs additional time to investigate information relating to a prospective purchaser when the records may not be immediately clear as to whether someone is legally allowed to purchase a firearm. Under current law, after 3 days, a gun dealer has the discretion to sell a gun to a purchaser, if the system has not given a green light to the sale after 3 business days have passed without a denial being issued by the system. In these circumstances, it is the choice of the dealer as to whether to proceed with the sale, which we call a default proceed, or whether to wait for the check to be implemented. The results of such a choice were tragic in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015, when a young man filled with hate shot and killed nine worshippers at the Emanuel AME Church. The gun used in this murder had been transferred by a gun dealer to the shooter even though the check had not been completed by the FBI, but would have resulted in a denial had the check been finished. This is not an isolated incident. Since 1994, gun sellers proceeded with between 3,000 and 4,000 default proceed sales per year. Analyzing data provided by the Department of Justice, one study found that such sales are eight times more likely to involve a prohibited purchaser than other background checks. In 2017 alone, default proceed sales accounted for more than 4,800 transfers to purchasers who were prohibited from owning firearms. The FBI reported that, in 2007 and 2008, in cases a licensed seller sold a firearm through default proceed transfers----

Ms. BASS. The FBI reported that, in 2007 and 2008, in cases where a licensed seller sold a firearm through default proceed transfers, approximately 22 percent of the individuals investigated were legally prohibited from purchasing or possessing a firearm. The additional time provided by H.R. 1112 is not too much to ask so that we may help prevent tragedies such as the Charleston shooting from happening. This is why I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill today.

Ms. BASS

Ms. BASS. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong support of H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, which will extend the current Federal background check requirement to unlicensed sellers of guns. It is about time that Congress takes this issue seriously, and I am pleased that this bipartisan bill has been brought to the House floor with the urgency this issue deserves. In recent years, our Nation has experienced an increase in mass shootings, and our Nation is appropriately horrified. However, mass shootings are just one symptom of our gun violence epidemic. The daily toll of shootings occurs in communities across our country, on our streets, in our schools, and even in our houses of worship. As Aalayah Eastmond testified before the Judiciary Committee earlier this month, 1 year after the terrible shooting that took the lives of 17 students and staff and injured 17 others at her high school in Parkland, Florida: ``Minority communities bear the heaviest burden of gun violence in this country.'' The impact on our young people is simply unacceptable. Every day, 47 children and teens are shot in this country. Eight of these young people die, and 39 are shot and survive. Citizens across this country such as Diane Latiker, who also testified before the committee, are taking it upon themselves to organize and engage in community-based efforts to reduce gun violence and to assist the young people it affects. We in Congress must match their courage and commitment with action of our own. I support H.R. 8 because it will reduce gun violence by narrowing the avenues for criminals and other prohibited persons from obtaining guns. Certainly, there is no single change to our gun laws that will prevent every shooting, but enacting measures that will help prevent some of them is clearly the right thing to do. Mr. Chair, that is why I support this bill, and I ask my colleagues to do the same.

Ms. BASS

Ms. BASS. Madam Speaker, I would like to honor the life and memory of a pioneer in the field of health policy, my long-time friend, colleague and fellow organizer, Dr. Loretta Jones, who passed away on November 22. She was a founding member of the Community Coalition for substance abuse Prevention and Treatment. In fact, she was the first staff person hired and developed the Coalition's Prevention Network. That network brought together social service providers from South LA to address substance abuse in the community. Loretta had a towering passion for justice and a caregiver's attention to detail. She founded Healthy African American Families (HAAF) in the wake of the 1992 Los Angeles uprising to engage universities, think tanks, and community members together to seek solutions to longstanding health problems, including the scourge of pre-term births in the African American community. For this work she received two honorary doctorates and, last year, she received the UCLA Medal, the university's highest honor, for her career of working to address inequalities in health and health outcomes. She is best known for co-developing methods that give underserved communities a greater role in planning and implementing academic research. Community-Partnered Participatory Research (CPPR) calls for transparency, accountability and equal power-sharing between academics and communities. In 2007, with UCLA professor Kenneth Wells, she published the CCPR model in the Journal of the American Medical Association. In doing so, she demonstrated another tenet of CPPR--that community members co-author research publications alongside academics. Loretta had that rare ability to serve as a bridge between the worlds of policy and research, and the everyday lives of the people she cared about most. She mentored hundreds of physicians, nurses, public health practitioners, social scientists and community members to do the same. Those people went on to become tenured faculty members at medical schools, state officials and senior advisers in Congress and the White House. A native of Massachusetts, she earned a BA in psychology in 1963 and Master's degree in criminal justice in 1972, both from Northeastern University in Boston. She had been community faculty member at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science since 2010. A former foster youth herself, she fostered 20 children in addition to raising her daughter. She made a real difference in the world during her 77 years. Loretta always insisted that ``Everyone deserves the right to live, everyone deserves good health care, and we are all responsible for making it happen.'' I mourn her passing with all of those who loved her. I am grateful for her compassion, her dedication, and the work to which she dedicated her life: to empower families to lead truly healthy lives.

Ms. BASS

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 450) to amend title 18, United States Code, to provide an additional tool to prevent certain frauds against veterans, and for other purposes, as amended.

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support H.R. 450, the Preventing Crimes Against Veterans Act of 2019, as amended, which would make it a crime to knowingly engage in any scheme to defraud a veteran of his or her veterans benefits. This legislation provides an important, additional tool for Federal prosecutors to use to combat veterans benefits fraud. Because we honor their service and because of the sacrifices our veterans have made for us, it is particularly important that we protect them from fraud and ensure the integrity of the system of benefits we provide for them. Currently, there are about 21 million veterans of the U.S. military, men and women who selfishly serve our Nation. Unfortunately, many of our veterans, as a result of their service, have been scarred, whether physically, mentally, or both. Often, it is the scars that we cannot visually see that are the hardest to address. There are well over 1 million American veterans with service- connected disabilities. The suicide rate among veterans is 300 percent above the national average, and it is estimated that about 30 percent of all Vietnam veterans and 20 percent of veterans of the recent Middle East conflicts suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder in a given year. In addition, veterans are more likely than nonveterans to become homeless. They comprise 17 percent of our homeless population. On any given night, an estimated 50,000 veterans are sleeping on American streets. That is just not right. In recognition of the extreme sacrifice by our veterans and the hardships many of them continue to face after their military service, it is our duty to provide, to the best of our ability, an appropriate measure of compensation for them, particularly those in need. This is the least we can do, and it is still not enough. There continue to be issues with the medical care we provide our veterans and problems about some benefits never being processed and paid because of the loss of claims by the Veterans Benefits Administration. That is why we must prohibit any schemes that would defraud a veteran of their benefits. Under H.R. 450, anyone convicted of such crime could be fined, imprisoned, or subject to both penalties. This bill is important because it fills in a gap in enforcement for the protection of veterans. Under current law, the VA allows agents or attorneys to assess a nominal fee to assist claimants who are appealing different aspects of their benefits. It is illegal for a nonattorney or a person not registered as an agent to assist such claimants. However, if an unauthorized individual offers a veteran assistance in person, they cannot be prosecuted under current Federal law. The wire fraud statutes do not extend to such in- person contact. Because of this, fraudsters routinely take advantage of this loophole. I am aware of at least one specific instance in which a bad actor visited an assisted living facility in Florida and asked the staff to round up all veterans for a seminar. He could not be prosecuted under the law as it stands today. This is unconscionable. We need this bill, because the example I just gave is not an isolated incident. More broadly, those who defraud veterans or their surviving spouses or dependents endanger our system of veterans benefits not only by harming the victims, but also by diminishing resources required to pay the claims and fund the programs that are needed to help those who have served our country. Mr. Speaker, I commend the bill's sponsors, Mr. Deutch and Mr. Meadows, for their hard work and bipartisan efforts to address this critical problem. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Deutch).

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, we should do everything we can to protect our veterans who have given so much of themselves to our Nation. Our veterans have laid their lives on the line. We owe them much, and we should repay our gratitude whenever we can. Certainly, helping to ensure that their veterans benefits are protected against fraud, as H.R. 450 would do, is one way of expressing our appreciation, and it is the right and the just thing to do. For these reasons, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Ms. BASS

Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 507) to direct the Attorney General to study issues relating to human trafficking, and for other purposes.