Brian Babin

Mr. BABIN

Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2581, the Verify First Act, which will put important safeguards in place to ensure that federal tax dollars are not fraudulently used to pay for illegal immigrants to enroll in Obamacare. Right now, the federal government provides Obamacare premium tax credits to individuals before fully making sure that these individuals rightfully qualify for these benefits. For example, the federal government has wrongfully issued hundreds of millions of dollars in tax credits to individuals without first verifying their immigration status. After the money goes out the door, the Internal Revenue Service must attempt to track down these individuals to recoup the money. Last year the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs reported that more than $750 million in taxpayer dollars went to 500,000 people who did not meet the qualifications for those benefits. H.R. 2581 addresses this issue by requiring that the Social Security Administration, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services to certify that an individual is a citizen, national, or legal immigrant before they receive a health care tax credit. Given that our nation is nearly $20 trillion in debt, we cannot afford to hand out hundreds of millions of dollars in Obamacare tax credits to individuals who do not qualify. This bill is a common-sense measure that puts the interests of hardworking taxpayers first and ensures that health care dollars will be directed only at those who are eligible. I hope that the Senate will soon take up and pass this commonsense bill.

Mr. BABIN

Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, June 7, I joined the Vice- President for an important event at Johnson Space Center in my congressional district. As a result, I missed the following recorded votes: On roll call Number 288, ordering the previous question on House Resolution 374, had I been present I would have voted ``yes.'' On roll call Number 289, agreeing to House Resolution 374, had I been present I would have voted ``yes.'' On roll call Number 290, ordering the previous question on House Resolution 375, had I been present I would have voted ``yes.'' On roll call Number 291, agreeing to House Resolution 375, had I been present I would have voted ``yes.'' On roll call Number 292, the motion to table the appeal of the ruling of the chair, had I been present I would have voted ``yes.'' On roll call Number 293, passage of an amendment to H.R. 2213, had I been present I would have voted ``no.'' On roll call Number 294, passage of H.R. 2213, had I been present I would have voted ``yes.'' I am pleased that my colleagues in the House voted to pass the Anti- Border Corruption Reauthorization Act of 2017 that will enable the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to fulfill its duty to protect the American people by waiving specific pre-employment requirements for certain qualified candidates to make the hiring process more expedient. The CBP is currently understaffed below its congressionally mandated level and this bill will help alleviate this staffing shortage.

Mr. BABIN

Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, June 7, I joined the Vice President for an important event at Johnson Space Center in my congressional district. As a result, I missed the following recorded votes: On roll call Number 288, ordering the previous question on House Resolution 374, had I been present I would have voted ``yes.'' On roll call Number 289, agreeing to House Resolution 374, had I been present I would have voted ``yes.'' On roll call Number 290, ordering the previous question on House Resolution 375, had I been present I would have voted ``yes.'' On roll call Number 291, agreeing to House Resolution 375, had I been present I would have voted ``yes.'' On roll call Number 292, the motion to table the appeal of the ruling of the chair, had I been present I would have voted ``yes.'' On roll call Number 293, passage of an amendment to H.R. 2213, had I been present I would have voted ``no.'' On roll call Number 294, passage of H.R. 2213, had I been present I would have voted ``yes.'' I am pleased that my colleagues in the House voted to pass the Anti-Border Corruption Reauthorization Act of 2017 that will enable the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to fulfill its duty to protect the American people by waiving specific pre-employment requirements for certain qualified candidates to make the hiring process more expedient. The CBP is currently understaffed below its congressionally mandated level and this bill will help alleviate this staffing shortage.

Mr. BABIN

Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my deep appreciation and admiration to all of the Texas law enforcement officers who worked so diligently in getting to the bottom of the tragic and senseless murder of Harris County Precinct 3 Constable, Assistant Chief Deputy Greenwood. My hat goes off to the Baytown Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Marshals Service, Houston Police Department, Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force, Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), Texas Rangers, Harris County Sheriff's Department, Harris County Precinct 3 Constable's Office and Harris County District Attorney. These men and women showed tremendous determination and commitment in their efforts to find this evil perpetrator and deliver justice. While we continue to mourn the loss of another one of our brave Texas law enforcement officers, their hard work and tireless efforts have helped bring healing and closure to the family and the entire law enforcement community. My prayers continue to be with the family of Assistant Chief Deputy Greenwood.

Mr. BABIN

Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 390, the Iraq and Syria Genocide Emergency Relief and Accountability Act. For too long, the Middle East--the birth place of Christianity--has been the place where thousands of Christians have been led to their deaths. The Pew Research Center reports that Christians are the world's most persecuted faith community, with Middle Eastern Christians experiencing this most severely. In 2012, President Obama declared what is happening to Christians in the Middle East as ``genocide'', but not much has been done to respond to this crisis. This bill will provide the dire supports and safeguards that Christians and other religious minorities desperately need. Specifically, it gives prioritized consideration to Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East for admission into the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, while keeping standard vetting procedures in place. This is so important given that less than half of one percent of Syrians chosen for resettlement between 2011 and 2016 have been Christians. H.R. 390 also supports entities that are conducting criminal investigations into the bad actors perpetrating violence against Christians and supports groups helping victims of genocide in the region. Clearly, persecuted Christians in the Middle East desperately need our support. As a fellow Christian, I will keep working to bring attention to the failures of our current refugee program in helping these individuals, as well as promote efforts to provide resources and assistance to them in their time of need. I applaud the passage of H.R. 390 and hope that the Senate will give it timely consideration.

Mr. BABIN

Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and celebrate the 125th Anniversary of the City of La Porte, in Harris County, Texas. Located just south of where the Houston Ship Channel meets Galveston Bay, La Porte is a small Texas town, rich in history, and built on community. French for ``The Door,'' the City of La Porte was incorporated on August 10, 1892. The city founder's vision for La Porte consisted of four objectives: the establishment of a great commercial center and leading harbor on the coast of Texas; the establishment of a natural summer and winter resort area; the building of a manufacturing center for the Southwest; and the establishment of an education center second to none in the Southwest. Today, La Porte is known as a sleepy escape from the big city and is home to numerous, shipyards and petrochemical manufacturing plants which play an inviable role to our nation. Its community remains steeped in history, which still plays a vital role today. Two of Texas' most treasured historic landmarks are in present-day La Porte, the Battleship Texas and the San Jacinto Monument. La Porte sits just eight miles from the San Jacinto Battleground, where Texas gained its independence from Mexico. Mr. Speaker, it is my distinct honor to recognize and celebrate the 125th Anniversary of the City of La Porte. May God continue to bless La Porte in these next 125 years.

Mr. BABIN

Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, at this time in our Nation, protecting our local law enforcement and first responders could not be more important. Tens of thousands of law enforcement and first responders around the country put their lives on the line every single day to serve their communities. Sadly, statistics show that simply doing their jobs has become very dangerous for these individuals. In 2016, police officer shootings increased by 56 percent nationally, with ambush-style killings of law enforcement officers increasing by a staggering 167 percent. These dramatic numbers demonstrate that more protection is needed for our law enforcement officers. In my home State of Texas, 17 law enforcement officers gave their lives just last year, including five who were killed in the horrible assault that targeted police officers in Dallas, Texas. On Monday, in recognition of National Police Week, we honored fallen law enforcement officers at a memorial ceremony in Deer Park, Texas, in my district. We need the Thin Blue Line Act, which would make the killing of a local or State law enforcement officer or first responder an aggravating factor in Federal death penalty determinations. It is important that our local and State police officers and first responders have the same safeguards that Federal law enforcement officers already have. The local law enforcement and first responders that I know in my district not only serve their communities through their jobs but also give back to their communities in positions such as Little League coaches, City Council members, Sunday-school teachers, and in countless other positions of service. These individuals put their communities first, Mr. Speaker, and they deserve to be protected by much stronger laws. I rise in strong support of the Thin Blue Line Act and encourage my colleagues in the House to support its passage today.

Mr. BABIN

Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Deer Park Police Department. On May 15, 2017, the Deer Park Police Department will hold its 17th Annual Police Officer Memorial Service to recognize the 135 police officers killed in the line of duty across the nation, and specifically the 17 police officers killed in the State of Texas in 2016. We honor and memorialize 135 police officers who will never go home, see their spouses, see their children, or walk on God's earth again. The service is in recognition of National Police Week, May 14 to May 20, 2017. Established by a Joint Resolution of Congress in 1962, President John F. Kennedy proclaimed May 15th as National Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which that day falls, as National Police Week. Mr. Speaker, this is a time to honor those who form the thin blue line that protects our community and pay tribute to those who have given their life keeping us safe. I couldn't be more thankful and proud of the men and women who protect our communities. May God continue to protect our entire law enforcement community and comfort the family and comrades of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

Mr. BABIN

Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I promised the people of the Thirty-Sixth District of Texas that I would repeal Obamacare and replace it with conservative solutions. President Donald J. Trump was elected on this same platform. Last week we came together to fulfill that promise. After years of speeches, debates, elections and ``show votes'' that we knew would be vetoed or go nowhere in the Senate, last week's vote was the real deal. This was perhaps the most important and consequential domestic policy legislation any of us will ever see. To begin with, it serves as the largest entitlement reform of the Medicaid program in the program's history and eliminates the individual and employer mandate penalties. It also stops mandatory spending on large abortion businesses, such as Planned Parenthood, for one year. It isn't the exact bill I would have written, but I am proud to say that I voted YES on the AHCA. While Republicans alone provided the votes to pass this bill, it was still the product of finding common ground to provide the American people with relief from Obamacare. Members of our conference from every ideological stripe and every type of district came together to improve the bill and to secure its passage. While we could certainly write a better one that allows for insurance sales across state lines, gives consumers better choices about the plans and benefits they want, and tears down the anti-trust exemption for insurers--the absurd tightrope we must walk to comply with the Senate's reconciliation rules has forced us to write this bill with one hand tied behind our back. Like their colleagues here, Senate Democrats have made clear that preserving the failed experiment of Obamacare matters more than anything else, and that they would launch a fake, phony Filibuster if anything came to the Senate that did not comply with the Senate procedure known as the ``Byrd Rule.'' I was extremely pleased to be part of House passage of AHCA last week and now look to the Senate to move the road blocks that continue to threaten our conservative agenda.

Mr. BABIN

Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Smith Point Community Church on its dedication as a new Texas Historical Marker. There is over one hundred years of church history wrapped up in what was once known as the ``Old Smith Point Schoolhouse/Church.'' The Old Smith Point Baptist Church was established in the late 1800's by a group of pastors from the neighboring county that were concerned about the lack of a church in Chambers County. They agreed to be circuit pastors and take turns preaching under a stand of trees, where the church now stands. In 1937, the county built the building that is used as the current sanctuary, which served a multi-purpose as both a church and the first school in Chambers County. In 1948 the church reorganized and hired its first pastor, L.J. Hand who served the people of the Smith Point Community part time. In 1956, P.L. Smith was hired as the church's first full time pastor. In 1960, the county sold the building to the church for one dollar and the promise that the church would build two public restrooms. At the same time, six lots of land right next to the building were gifted to the church by E.J. Rosenquest. The building was renovated, under then pastor J.R. Gibson, with additional classrooms and the public restrooms as promised. The church wanted to build a parsonage for their pastor, but had no money or resources to do so. They prayed to God and asked him to provide everything they needed in order to get the parsonage built. Hurricane Carla occurred in 1961 literally raining wood and debris on Smith Point. Those pieces of wood from the hurricane were used to build the same parsonage that is still used today. In 2007, the church's name was changed to Smith Point Community Church and still serves the residents of Chambers County with guidance by Reverend Michael K. Graves. There is an abundant amount of local history and perseverance behind this church. I am proud to have such history in my District. Once again, I congratulate Smith Point Community Church and its dedication as a new Texas Historical Marker.

Mr. BABIN

Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my deep appreciation and admiration to all of the Texas federal law enforcement officers who worked so diligently in getting to the bottom of the tragic and senseless murder of Harris County Precinct 3 Constable, Assistant Chief Deputy Greenwood. My hat goes off to the Baytown Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Marshals Service, Houston Police Department, Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force, Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), Texas Rangers, Harris County Sheriff's Department, and Harris County District Attorney. These men and women showed tremendous determination and commitment in their efforts to find this evil perpetrator and deliver justice. While we continue to mourn the loss of another one of our brave Texas law enforcement officers, their hard work and tireless efforts have helped bring healing and closure to the family and the entire law enforcement community. My prayers continue to be with the family of Assistant Chief Deputy Greenwood.

Mr. BABIN

Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I rise today to honor the life of Harris County Precinct 3 Assistant Chief Deputy Constable Clint Greenwood. On Monday morning, Chief Deputy Greenwood was tragically murdered as he arrived to work at the Baytown, Texas, courthouse. Chief Deputy Greenwood was a respected and committed 30-year law enforcement veteran of the Houston area. My heartfelt prayers go out to Chief Deputy Greenwood, his family, and the entire law enforcement community. After yet another intentional killing of a Texas law enforcement officer, we must do more to end the continued violence and hate-filled rhetoric directed at our brave law enforcement officers. We hope for a quick apprehension of the evil perpetrators and an answer to why. I stand in strong solidarity with the law enforcement community and offer my deepest condolences to all those impacted by the senseless murder of Chief Deputy Greenwood. Rest in peace, Brother Clint Greenwood, and may God bless your family and all those who wear the uniform.

Mr. BABIN

Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to strongly urge my colleagues in the United States Senate to confirm Judge Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court. Since being nominated by President Trump, Judge Gorsuch has provided unprecedented transparency and access. He has completed three rounds of intense questioning by the Senate Judiciary Committee, which totaled nearly 20 hours and covered nearly 1,200 questions. This was the longest hearing of any nominee in the 21st century. During this time, Judge Gorsuch showed himself to be uniquely qualified and experienced to serve on our Nation's highest court. In fact, he showed the exact same qualification that previously earned him unanimous approval by the U.S. Senate in 2006 to serve on the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. Then-Senators Obama, Biden, Clinton, and Schumer were all serving in the Senate at that time and raised no objections whatsoever to Judge Gorsuch's nomination. Mr. Speaker, it is time for the Senate to put politics aside and confirm Judge Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Mr. BABIN

Mr. BABIN. That is H.R. 80.

Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I wish to thank the gentleman from Iowa, my good friend for yielding to me. I rise to express my strong support for the announced policy by Attorney General Jeff Sessions that will terminate U.S. Department of Justice grants to sanctuary cities. These are the localities that have chosen not to cooperate with the Federal Government when its seeks to deport already-detained criminal aliens. Under this Trump policy, your hard-earned tax dollars will no longer go to cities and counties that thumb their nose at the Federal immigration authorities and refuse to cooperate. In President Trump's first 2 months in office, this administration has acted to secure our borders, to encourage compliance with Federal immigration law, and to deport criminal aliens. The previous administration put out the welcome mat for criminal aliens. Thanks to Trump, the welcome mat has now been removed. A few short days ago, the national news broke on how two illegal aliens from Central America raped a 14-year-old girl in the boys bathroom of a public high school in Rockville, Maryland. These two young men, Henry Sanchez-Milian, an 18-year-old from Guatemala, and Jose Montano, a 17-year-old from El Salvador, came across our southern border last year as unaccompanied minors. The Obama administration initially targeted them for deportation proceedings, but they were later released to join relatives in Maryland. When asked about the situation, Rockville school officials said that the legal status of these two individuals did not matter, as Rockville has declared itself to be a sanctuary city. I beg to differ. It does matter. If the Federal Government had done its duty and immediately returned these illegal immigrants to their home country, this young girl would not have been brutally raped. For the sake of this young girl, we must secure our borders. This vicious crime would never have taken place had the Obama administration followed the law and secured our borders. The good news is that the new administration is working hard to secure our borders, to deport criminal aliens, and to protect the lives of American citizens. Cracking down on sanctuary cities is an important first step. In the first month of the Trump administration, ICE issued 3,083 detainers. These are orders for local authorities to keep criminal aliens in custody for 48 hours to enable U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, agents to come and get these criminal aliens for deportation. 206 of these detainees were just declined, meaning that local authorities deliberately ignored ICE's detainer requests and released these individuals back out onto American streets. This is especially concerning because 44 percent of those individuals had already been convicted of crimes in the United States. These weren't just petty crimes, folks. These include: homicide, rape, assault, domestic violence, indecent exposure with a minor, sex offense against a minor, aggravated assault with a weapon, resisting an officer, vehicle theft, kidnapping, driving under the influence, hit- and-run, and sexual assault. Thank you, Mr. President, for holding accountable these sanctuary cities that released these criminals back out onto our streets. We are also working to force foreign countries to take back their criminal alien citizens; 25-year-old Casey Chadwick was murdered by an illegal alien from Haiti, Jean Jacques. Jacques had been released 6 months earlier and ordered deported after serving a 19-year sentence for attempted murder. Haiti had refused multiple times to take back Jacques, and under the Obama administration policy, Jacques was simply released onto U.S. streets to return to his life of crime, although Haiti had gladly taken billions of U.S. aid. That is why I have introduced H.R. 82, the Criminal Alien Deportation Enforcement Act. My bill withholds foreign aid from countries that do not repatriate their criminal aliens. This commonsense step ensures that countries that benefit from the goodwill of the United States must hold up their end of the bargain and take back their criminal aliens. And through his recent executive order, President Trump declared that he would restrict the issuance of visas to certain residents of noncooperative countries. Congress should support the President by locking in this enforcement with legislation so that a future President does not reverse this enforcement. On behalf of the American people, I applaud President Trump and I call on my colleagues to cosponsor my legislation to lock in these protections for future generations of Americans and keep them safe.

Mr. BABIN. I have H.R. 82, which I just discussed, and that is the repatriation of criminal aliens.

Mr. BABIN. H.R. 80. The gentleman from Iowa, I am going to correct myself. That is H.R. 81, H.R. 81.

Mr. BABIN. You are, Mr. King. You are a sponsor. And I thank you for your cosponsorship and trying to keep our American citizens, our constituents, safe.

Mr. BABIN

Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Silsbee Bulldogs for winning the Class 4-A State Basketball Championship on March 11, 2017 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. There is no doubt it takes an incredible amount of persistence, hard work, passion and skill to accomplish this feat. These young men have shown all of these qualities and I applaud each and every one of them. I would like to personally recognize each one of them and their coaches. Players: Bruce Newton, Calvin Tyler, Michael McCain, Braelon Bush, Jordyn Adams, Trajan Harris, Willie Jones, Adonis Thomas, Jadon Bass, Landyn Tyler, Chris Martin, Chris Thomas, Decoby Jones, Kalon Barnes and Devon McCain; Superintendent: Richard Bain; Principal: Paul Trevino; Athletic Director: Randy Smith; Assistant Athletic Director: Kim Albers; Head Coach: Joe Sigler; Assistant Coaches: Ira Brooks and James Collins; Manager: Jerome Boykins; Athletic Trainer: John Williamson; Student Trainer: Brittany Stephens. I wish each one of them continued success on and off the basketball court. Go Bulldogs.

Mr. BABIN

Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Paul Lemmon, as well as the entire Lemmon family, for their incredible service and sacrifice to the United States of America. It is always an honor for me to recognize those American heroes who sacrificed so much defending and preserving our freedom in World War II. This truly was the greatest generation. The Lemmon family devoted their lives to serving this nation, and it is with great admiration that I thank United States Navy veteran Edgar Paul Lemmon for his heroic actions during World War II in the Pacific theater. Mr. Lemmon courageously answered the call to serve and defend his country at the age of 17. He was awarded the Purple Heart for injuries he suffered while his ship was sweeping the beachhead for mines to clear the way for the Marines on Iwo Jima. Mr. Lemmon and his five other brothers all served in the Armed Services. Two of his brothers were killed in action. We thank Mr. Lemmon--as well as his entire family--for their bravery and sacrifice to our great nation.

Mr. BABIN

Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, this bill is about protecting American jobs and the American economy. In math class, we were taught to show our work; and when we didn't, we got the problem counted wrong. This bill is about transparency, accountability, and holding the government to the same standard that everyone else is. According to a poll by the Institute for Energy Research, 90 percent of Americans believe that scientific data used to make government decisions should be available to the public, to the rest of us. That is nearly 100 percent. Not many issues in our current political environment enjoy that level of support. But when it does, Congress should very well listen. The HONEST Act is a commonsense legislation that I am proud to support. I include in the Record this letter of support from the American Chemistry Council. American Chemistry Council, Washington, DC, March 28, 2017. Hon. Lamar Smith, Chairman, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Smith: On behalf of the American Chemistry Council (ACC), we want to thank you for introducing H.R. 1430, the ``Honest and Open New EPA Science Treatment Act of 2017'' (or the HONEST Act) to help improve the science employed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the Agency's regulatory decision making processes. The proposed legislation would increase the transparency and public confidence in the EPA's scientific analyses. Consistency and transparency are key to the regulatory certainty our industry needs to grow and create jobs. In some instances, EPA has fallen short of employing the highest- quality, best-available science in their regulatory decision making. It is critical that the regulated community and the public have confidence that decisions reached by EPA are grounded in transparent and reproducible science, while ensuring the protection of confidential business information and competitive intelligence. By ensuring that the EPA utilizes high quality science and shares underlying data used to reach decisions, the HONEST Act can help foster a regulatory environment that will allow the U.S. business of chemistry to continue to develop safe, innovative products that Americans depend on in their everyday lives. We commend you for your leadership and commitment to advance and improve EPA science. We look forward to working with you and other bill sponsors to pass this important piece of legislation. Sincerely, Cal Dooley.

Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I applaud the tireless work that Chairman Lamar Smith has done to bring this legislation forward so that we can bring accountability and transparency to the EPA.

Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the HONEST Act. As a cosponsor of this legislation and a member of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, I am very pleased to see this bill come to the House floor. I represent the congressional district with the highest concentration of petrochemical, manufacturing, and refining facilities than any other district in the entire Nation. This means that thousands of my constituents have been or are currently employed by these industries. In fact, years ago, I spent some time as a worker in one of these very factories. With this in mind, you can understand why pushing for reform, transparency, and accountability within the EPA would be very important to me because so many of my constituents' livelihoods are affected by costly and burdensome regulations from the EPA. My constituents want to make sure that the EPA's actions, particularly those based on secret science, do not cost them their jobs or their livelihood. Time and again, the EPA has issued extensive regulations without ever showing the science to back up their claims to justify these regulations. It is like they have a little black box over there. They don't let anyone else look into it, and they just say: Trust us, we have got good science backing up our claims. I say, if your science is so good, then don't hide it in your little black box. Show us your data. The HONEST Act simply requires the EPA to open their little black box to public scrutiny. After we pass the HONEST Act, any regulations coming from the EPA must be based on data that is publicly available. What is so offensive about a little transparency? Most companies and businesses would be happy to comply with the EPA when data shows that their regulations are backed up by clear evidence. But many times, if not most of the time, this is not the case. Instead the regulations are based on secret science that no one but the regulators themselves have access to. When the Federal Government issues regulations based on secret science, this is yet another example of a Federal agency getting away with something the rest of America cannot do. American workers are fed up with overzealous regulators pushing our jobs overseas.

Mr. BABIN

Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor today to introduce the Community Empowerment for Mitigated Properties Act of 2017. When the Federal Emergency Management Authority (FEMA) buys up repeatedly flooded--and uninsurable--residential lots, the houses are demolished and these properties become permanently barred from development. The properties become open lots and give flood waters a place to be absorbed, but the strict requirements and regulations on development of the land can leave a patchwork of empty spaces and an uncertain future about their upkeep and maintenance. This legislation would ensure that FEMA provide notice to municipal land maintenance authorities that a flood mitigation purchase has been made inside their jurisdiction, and how disagreements between local government's competing land maintenance standards can be mediated. Enactment of this legislation would help communities in my district and around the country to better deal with these situations, and I look forward to advancing it through the Transportation and Infrastructure committee and this House. In conclusion, I would like to acknowledge a former member of my staff, Daniel Amico, for his hard work on this legislation. Daniel has moved on to pursue a new opportunity, but I wish him well and thank him for his efforts on my behalf preparing this bill.

Mr. BABIN

Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for holding a Special Order on a topic that could not be more relevant than at this very time: the failures of ObamaCare. As a healthcare professional myself, the elected representative of over 700,000 constituents, and the grandfather of 13, I have a duty to see that access to medical care is more affordable for the welfare of my patients, for my constituents, and for the livelihood of my children and my grandchildren. ObamaCare moved us away from the patient-centered affordable medical care--the traditional doctor-patient relationship--that we have enjoyed for well over a century. ObamaCare was designed by Washington bureaucrats who, unlike other Americans, are exempt from ObamaCare. In the last 24 hours, I have heard from nearly 1,000 of my constituents who are overwhelmingly begging me to repeal ObamaCare and replace it with a bill that restores their healthcare freedom. That is no surprise to me. I have heard from thousands of my constituents, including my own patients and my own family members, about how their premiums have skyrocketed and their deductibles have skyrocketed. They have health insurance, but they can't afford to access medical care because their deductibles are too high and their longtime family doctors are no longer accepted as providers in their new health insurance. They have to drive long distances to get to a new and different doctor in their medical plan. They have had medical care interrupted. Simply put, they want this ObamaCare nightmare to end. A truck driver from Hardin County told me how she was forced to switch plans last year from the PPO that she wanted to keep to an HMO that she did not want. This has made it significantly more difficult for her to find a doctor to accept her insurance when she gets sick out on the road even though she pays much higher in premiums than she did last year for her PPO. Melissa, who lives in Harris County, has the same story. Last January she had to switch her family to an HMO plan because of ObamaCare's limited choices in her community. This forced her family to leave their doctor of 20 years and their local pharmacy. Melissa said: I have always been a very responsible American citizen, yet ObamaCare told me what kind of plan that I had to buy. This is what ObamaCare does. It makes decisions for patients instead of the other way around. Brute Federal force. The message is clear: ObamaCare's top down, Big Government approach is leading to higher premiums, less choice, and insufficient access for people in my district and all across this great land of ours. These higher out-of-pocket costs and premiums have priced too many Americans out of the insurance market altogether. Melinda, who lives in the county next to me, had an ObamaCare plan last year and paid nearly $600 a month. She also had a $3,000 deductible. She had to spend over $10,000 before her health insurance plan paid for anything. Even with these high premiums, her insurance plan would not cover many of her asthma medicines or the cataract surgery that she desperately needs. This year, when her premiums went up another $100, she dropped coverage altogether. Under ObamaCare, now she has lost affordable coverage, and she must pay a penalty, a tax. Angela, from Harris County, actually decided to sign up for an ObamaCare plan after going uninsured for some time. Unfortunately, she soon realized that the cost vastly outweighed the benefits. So this year, she chose again to go without insurance. Now she pays the ObamaCare tax. Others in my district don't want insurance coverage or only want catastrophic coverage. Yet, they are forced to pay expensive fines. Their freedom of choice is grossly limited. Gina, a hardworking single mother and businessowner told me that she is now forced to use the little bit of money that she gets from her tax refund to pay the ObamaCare tax. Charlie from Harris County says that he wants me to vote to repeal the individual mandate, stating that ObamaCare has forced him to buy a product that he doesn't want. ObamaCare relies on force and coercion, but this is not the American way. If ObamaCare is so good, why did a larger percentage of Americans elect to pay the penalty than to take the subsidy for their coverage last year? The American people deserve much better. I have got hundreds of similar stories, including those from a college student who couldn't work more than 27 hours a week over her Christmas break to earn money for school because the ObamaCare law imposed costly mandates for her employer if she does. ObamaCare is in a death spiral and is imposing too much pain and suffering on the American people. Premiums have gone up, on average, by 25 percent across the country for enrollees this year alone. Some States, like Arizona, had a 116 percent increase in premiums. Twenty-five percent of Americans have only one health insurer to choose from, and 50 percent of Americans live in areas with only two insurance providers. Folks, that is not a choice. The complaints I am hearing now are at a fever pitch, and the American people are demanding a change now. We need a patient-centered healthcare system driven not by mandates and coercion, but by freedom and choice for my patients, for my constituents, for my family, and for all Americans.