Nanette Barragán

Ms. BARRAGAN

Ms. BARRAGAN. Madam Speaker, in every generation, there are people whose names may not make the paper every day, but whose actions and legacy make an immeasurable impact felt by the entire community. Dan Maldonado is one of those people. In honoring him, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute is recognizing his lifelong dedication to public service and his trailblazing record, and ensuring that his contributions are remembered for generations to come. If there's one word that can describe Dan, ``vision'' comes to mind. He was one of the first--if not the first--Latino Chiefs of Staff in the U.S. House of Representatives. He also helped create the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) and the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO). These groups have grown from their humble roots to become leaders in amplifying the organized voices of Latino public officials and cementing the Latino community's place in the public sphere. In large part, we have Dan to thank for that. Dan's service didn't end with Capitol Hill. He also worked in the Carter Administration as the Director of Legislation for ACTION/Peace Corps, helping to promote America's image abroad and cultivate our country's next generation of leaders. There is one story in particular that highlights the kind of person Dan is. In 1982, he served as the Chief of Staff for Latino Congressman Edward Roybal from Los Angeles. That term, the AIDS epidemic began taking hold in Southern California. While many were fearful and even dismissive, Congressman Roybal knew that a public health response was required. Working with Dan, he offered an amendment to procure Congressional funding for AIDS research at the National Institute of Health. Through controversy and criticism, Dan stood behind Congressman Roybal's amendment, which passed and proved critical to addressing the disease. Proposing and standing behind the amendment was neither the obvious nor the popular thing to do. It was just the right thing to do, and Dan did it. That's the kind of person and leader he is. Our country is a better place because of his contributions. I Congratulate Dan on this wonderful and well-deserved honor.

Ms. BARRAGAN

Ms. BARRAGAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. I join my colleagues today in calling for Congress to pass President Biden's entire Build Back Better agenda. This is a plan that takes on the climate crisis and fights for environmental justice at a time when we have seen record heat waves, wildfires, and drought in California and across the country. It invests in things like the climate smart ports to invest in zero emissions technology that will reduce toxic air pollution in neighborhoods near our ports, like the communities of color that surround the Port of Los Angeles in my Congressional District. The Build Back Better agenda we know will also invest in things like the construction of more than 2 million affordable homes to address the rising housing costs that have hit Los Angeles so hard and across the country, with more than 41,000 suffering from homelessness. It is going to do things like lowering health insurance cost; invest in higher education to lower tuition for students at minority-serving institutions. It is going to cut taxes for families with children by extending the child tax credit and cutting poverty. How do we not invest in that? But today I want to focus more on climate because this is a crisis, and this is a threat that is happening as we speak. It is urgent. It is urgent that we act boldly to respond to the threat of climate change and the climate investments in the Build Back Better Act which are critical to maintain, not cut. For example, there are two investments in the bill I have led on that are important for climate and environmental justice, climate smart ports. This includes a critical $3.5 billion investment to reduce air pollution at ports by providing grants and rebates for the purchase and installation of zero emissions technology. Nearly 40 percent of Americans live within 3 miles of a port and will benefit from these investments in clean air. In my district, the Port of Los Angeles is a major economic engine but it is also a major source of pollution. We have some of the worst air quality in the country and it disproportionately impacts communities of color in South Los Angeles. For decades, my constituents have advocated for zero emission solutions. This $3.5 billion ports investment in the Build Back Better Act will deliver. It is a long-overdue investment in environmental justice, in climate action, in jobs. So I want to urge us to fight to keep these long-overdue investments in clean air for our port communities. Environmental justice and climate justice grants, that is also in the Build Back Better agenda. There is a $5 billion investment in environmental and climate justice grants, by far the largest-ever amount that we have invested in this. Now, with this investment, we will empower environmental justice communities to lead projects that reduce pollution and bring climate justice solutions to communities hit first and worst by the climate crisis. This will mean climate-resilient solutions such as clean energy microgrids to keep the power on during extreme weather events like heat waves and hurricanes. It means the community solar projects that create local jobs and save money on electricity bills, like the recent solar project in my district at the Wilmington Senior Center. It means green infrastructure to prevent flooding and to protect communities from extreme heat. These long overdue investments will give environmental justice communities the resources to fight for a safe climate and clean environment. Of course, there are other investments, such as in-home care that will help provide care for our older Americans and those with disabilities so they could stay in their homes and get the care that they need. It will provide for things like paid family and medical leave. Imagine you are a nurse at a hospital and you help deliver babies and all of a sudden you get cancer and you have no paid leave. How are you to go home and fight cancer, so that you can focus on that cancer fight instead of worrying about how you are going to pay the bills. That very thing happened to my sister just last November. She delivers babies at a military hospital, a Federal worker. You would think these are people we take care of, but this is happening across the country day in and day out. People have to go ask their colleagues and their coworkers to donate their leave and their time, and that is wrong. We need to invest in these and we have to fight to keep these priorities in the Build Back Better agenda. And it is time that these investments should be paid for by ensuring the wealthy and the corporations finally pay their fair share of taxes. Now is the time to make these once-in-a-generation investments in problems that have long been neglected. Now is the time to stand strong and deliver the promises we made to the American people. Let's stand up for the people and the planet. Let's meet the moment and pass the entire Build Back Better agenda. I want to thank the gentlewoman for leading this effort and thank the Progressive Caucus for being at the forefront of making sure that we are fighting for the people.

Ms. BARRAGAN

Ms. BARRAGAN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. I am here to talk about the Build Back Better agenda and two specific aspects that I want to highlight, some of which have been covered today, and to share some of my personal story. The investments in home care and paid family and medical leave are personal to me, to my constituents, and to the American people. Not just American workers get paid family medical leave benefits from their jobs. My sister, a Federal worker, is a nurse. She helps deliver babies at a military hospital in Colorado. Last November she was diagnosed with cancer. We are about the same age. She is a couple years older than I am. All of a sudden, we learned there is no paid family medical leave. So what do people have to do? They either have to leave their job, or go without pay, or in this case ask co-workers to donate their leave and their time so that somebody who is fighting cancer can actually focus on fighting cancer and getting better. And that is just wrong. In America we need to take care of our workers. That is why I think it is so critically important that we include in reconciliation the paid family and medical leave. Unfortunately, most workers are forced to give up their wages and leave work to deal with health crises for themselves or loved ones. And this is true especially for women and women of color. My sister's story is not unique. It is happening to workers across the country. So I am committed to making sure that we fight to keep these provisions in the Build Back Better agenda. Secondly, caregivers, the home- and community-based care system is so critically important, especially for those on Medicaid and the disabled. This very year my own mother was able to qualify and get it after being on a waiting list for 8 months. It's not easy though, when you need that in-home care. This is a program that helps patients stay in their homes, as many older Americans wish to do and can't, so this program will be expanded. But we also need to increase wages for those who are providing the care, because the wages just don't cut it. We know there is a shortage of healthcare workers now and providers. I have been dealing with this every day. Just last night I had to get on a red-eye. Why? To help provide some of that care. So we need this human investment in people and to provide that care in home. We saw what happened with COVID and what it did to those in institutions and nursing homes. If we can avoid that and have people in their homes, then we should expand this program and support it. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the American economy has lost more than 500,000 jobs in the caregiving industry, and we are seeing firsthand how hard it is to hire. So investing in this is going to expand that. It is going to make this available to more Americans and those in need, whether you are an older American, Madam Speaker, or you are disabled. In conclusion, by investing in families and our care economy, we will show compassion to those in need, improve care, and help women get back into the workforce. The investments in the Build Back Better package will be meaningful for our families and transformational for our economy. Let's keep them--not cut them--for people like my mother who has severe Alzheimer's and for the rest of Americans who need that care.

Ms. BARRAGAN

Ms. BARRAGAN. Mr. Speaker, as a young college student, I remember coming to Washington, D.C., to work at the White House. I was so inspired that, in 1999, I returned to D.C. through UCLA's Quarter in Washington Program. It was known as the CAPPP program, which stands for the Center of American Politics and Public Policy. This time, my internship experience was very different. The UCLA's CAPPP program offered something unique, setting it apart from most programs that focus only on internships. It had a required research seminar that introduced me to serious original social research and writing. There is no doubt that this program honed my skill set and challenged me with a major research project. At UCLA, the classes were so big that I did not have a similar opportunity on campus. The program engaged and encouraged me to seriously explore policy questions of interest to me in a disciplined way. In fact, my research was on the issue of racial disparities in public health, a top priority of mine in Congress today. The rewards I derived from UCLA's CAPPP Quarter in Washington program have been shared by many others who have benefited. I have learned that since my time in the program, CAPPP has brought ever more diverse cohorts of students, especially women and students of color. CAPPP demonstrated that top universities like UCLA can be competitive, excellent, and diverse at the same time. Every May, UCLA hosts Undergraduate Research Week in its famed Pauley Pavilion. Over the past several years, CAPPP Quarter in Washington students have distinguished themselves, winning awards such as Dean's Prizes and UCLA's coveted Library Prize. The recent director, a former UCLA professor of mine, Professor James Desveaux, said that more students from this program--2,500 miles from Westwood--have participated in UCLA's Undergraduate Research Conference than from any other program or department in the social sciences or humanities. After graduation, CAPPP's alumni have gone on to remarkable accomplishments. Just a few examples of CAPPP alumni: The top applicant to Yale Law School in 2018, now an editor at the Yale Law Journal. The daughter of Nigerian immigrants who grew up in low-income housing in Los Angeles was an English major at UCLA with zero training in the social sciences until the CAPPP program in Washington. Because of her research in Washington, she gained admission to the prestigious Ph.D. program at Harvard's Chan School of Public Health in 2020. Zachary Baron, oversight counsel for the House Committee on Ways and Means in this very Chamber. Addar Levi, the Deputy General Counsel for the U.S. Treasury Department. The former deputy city attorney for San Francisco. And the list goes on and on. This program taught us critical thinking and research skills that have transformed our lives and set us up to make a real difference in the world. As an alumna, I join the UCLA CAPPP alumni group on Facebook. A few weeks ago, as I was reading my news feed, I got some stunning news: UCLA's CAPPP program has been dismantled. I read the former director's farewell letter. The decision had nothing to do with COVID or funding shortages. The decision was made by a handful of administrators who believe that having a research requirement as part of UCLA's internship program in Washington is unnecessary. Students can do research on the campus, they insisted. For 31 years, UCLA's CAPPP program demonstrated success. There was always high demand from its students wanting to engage in research while interning in Washington. Why deny them this opportunity? After all, aren't research universities supposed to be about teaching and research? As a product of UCLA's CAPPP program, I know its value firsthand. I believe the skills I learned and the research I conducted had a role in getting me where I am today. It truly saddens me to learn the program is coming to an end. This seems contrary to the mission of the number one public research university. I hope that UCLA will reconsider and give students the opportunity to grow from this unique undergraduate opportunity.

Ms. BARRAGAN

Ms. BARRAGAN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1893) to direct the Transportation Security Administration to develop a transportation security preparedness plan in the event of a communicable disease outbreak, and for other purposes.

Ms. BARRAGAN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure.

Ms. BARRAGAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1893, the Transportation Security Preparedness Act of 2021. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 8,200 TSA employees have contracted coronavirus. Tragically, 17 hardworking frontline workers have lost their lives. While TSA has taken steps to shield its workers and adjust security operations during the pandemic, its COVID-19 response was ranked low in employee surveys. More must be done to make sure TSA is adequately prepared for future disease outbreaks. H.R. 1893 directs TSA to apply the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic to protect its workforce and the traveling public during future disease outbreaks. To do so, TSA is required to survey its workforce in more detail regarding pandemic response to ascertain areas for improvement that can be integrated into a transportation security preparedness plan for future pandemics. Specifically, the survey will examine TSA's efforts to communicate clearly with its workforce, protect employees with personal protective equipment, adjust workplace policies, engage in contact tracing, and facilitate COVID-19 vaccinations for workers. TSA is then directed to integrate the information it collects into a transportation security preparedness plan that sets forth how TSA will respond to future pandemics, including how it will protect its workforce, communicate and collaborate with public and private entities, and adjust checkpoint operations to maintain security without compromising health and safety. TSA is also required to assess what barriers remain to its ability to respond to the next disease outbreak. H.R. 1893 will ensure that TSA will be able to respond quickly and effectively to prevent the next disease outbreak. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BARRAGAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, as the American people return to air travel in greater numbers, it is essential that TSA plan for the future and use the lessons we have learned during COVID-19 to ensure that TSA responds more quickly and effectively to the next major public health crisis. H.R. 1893 will allow TSA to reflect on the successes and the missteps of the past year and a half and create a concrete plan of action to protect workers and passengers. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1893, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. BARRAGAN

Ms. BARRAGAN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on this measure.

Ms. BARRAGAN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1877) to require the Transportation Security Administration to issue a plan to improve security screening procedures at airports during the COVID-19 national emergency, and for other purposes, as amended.

Ms. BARRAGAN

Ms. BARRAGAN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1871) to improve the understanding and clarity of Transportation Security Administration policies, and for other purposes.

Ms. BARRAGAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. The Transportation Security Transparency Improvement Act is a bipartisan and commonsense bill that will improve TSA's operations. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1871, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. BARRAGAN

Ms. BARRAGAN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2795) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to enhance the Blue Campaign of the Department of Homeland Security, and for other purposes, as amended.

Ms. BARRAGAN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on this measure.

Ms. BARRAGAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, the Department of Homeland Security's Blue Campaign is dedicated to raising awareness about the often-concealed crime of human trafficking. Each year, there are thousands of victims of human trafficking in the U.S. with numbers steadily increasing over the last 20 years. Traffickers subject their victims to forced labor, debt bondage, or sexual exploitation by using violence, manipulation, or false promises. The DHS Blue Campaign works to combat this crime by educating law enforcement and the public on how to recognize the signs of human trafficking. Through outreach to local communities, industry partners, and law enforcement authorities, the Blue Campaign seeks to build on a foundation of human trafficking prevention and protection. The tactics and techniques that human traffickers use are evolving. It is crucial for the Federal Government to foster awareness in a sustained way and educate Americans on the indicators of human trafficking to identify victims. H.R. 2795, the DHS Blue Campaign Enhancement Act, would build upon the existing Blue Campaign by focusing on enhancing human trafficking prevention training opportunities and improving the development of such trainings and material. Specifically, H.R. 2795 would create an advisory board which brings together representatives throughout DHS to provide guidance on recruitment tactics used by human traffickers and inform the development of awareness tools. It would also require the Blue Campaign to create web-based training videos to reach the widest possible audience of law enforcement officers and correction system personnel, among others. H.R. 2795 has bipartisan support and was reported out of committee by unanimous consent. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time. House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary, Washington, DC, May 18, 2021. Hon. Bennie G. Thompson, Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Thompson: This letter is to advise you that the Committee on the Judiciary has now had an opportunity to review the provisions in H.R. 2795, the ``DHS Blue Campaign Enhancement Act,'' that fall within our Rule X jurisdiction. I appreciate your consulting with us on those provisions. The Judiciary Committee has no objection to your including them in the bill for consideration on the House floor, and to expedite that consideration is willing to forgo action on H.R. 2795, with the understanding that we do not thereby waive any future jurisdictional claim over those provisions or their subject matters. In the event a House-Senate conference on this or similar legislation is convened, the Judiciary Committee reserves the right to request an appropriate number of conferees to address any concerns with these or similar provisions that may arise in conference. Please place this letter into the Congressional Record during consideration of the measure on the House floor. Thank you for the cooperative spirit in which you have worked regarding this matter and others between our committees. Sincerely, Jerrold Nadler, Chairman.

Ms. BARRAGAN

Ms. BARRAGAN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1870) to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to prioritize strengthening of local transportation security capabilities by assigning certain officers and intelligence analysts to State, local, and regional fusion centers in jurisdictions with a high-risk surface transportation asset and improving the timely sharing of information regarding threats of terrorism and other threats, including targeted violence, and for other purposes, as amended.

Ms. BARRAGAN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

Ms. BARRAGAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1870, the Strengthening Local Transportation Security Capabilities Act of 2021. This legislation I introduced seeks to improve information sharing between the Department of Homeland Security and State and local law enforcement in areas with high-risk surface transportation assets. This bill will enhance security in two key ways. First, it requires DHS to prioritize the assignment of officers and intelligence analysts to State, local, and regional fusion centers in jurisdictions with a high-risk surface transportation asset. To mitigate threats to our critical surface transportation assets, we must ensure that intelligence regarding threats to surface transportation are shared with appropriate stakeholders in a timely manner. This important provision meets that mission, improving the chances of preventing the next attack. Second, the bill authorizes DHS to develop a training program to enhance the protection, preparedness, and response capabilities of law enforcement agencies that operate at surface transportation assets. Surface transportation systems are unique in their layouts and use, and this training would improve law enforcement capabilities in these settings in a manner that protects civil rights and liberties. Considering the increase in terrorist attacks in recent years against mass transit systems, bus stations, and passenger rail systems, it is crucial that timely information be shared with local law enforcement and security personnel at transit centers. These surface transportation systems are critical to our way of life, and an attack against one could be devastating. Enactment of H.R. 1870 would be a significant step toward ensuring we are prepared to mitigate such risk by supplying DHS and State and local law enforcement with the resources they need to meet this homeland security challenge. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BARRAGAN. Madam Speaker, I have no more speakers, and I am prepared to close after the gentleman from New York closes. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BARRAGAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, H.R. 1870 is a timely measure, as attackers remain intent on targeting surface transportation systems at this time of heightened threat. Enacting H.R. 1870 will improve information sharing among DHS and State and local law enforcement agencies, increasing our ability to stop or significantly decrease the harm caused by such attacks. Madam Speaker, for this reason, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1870, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. BARRAGAN

Ms. BARRAGAN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on this measure.

Ms. BARRAGAN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1895) to enhance the preparedness of the Transportation Security Administration for public health threats to the transportation security system of the United States, and for other purposes.

Ms. BARRAGAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1895, the Transportation Security Public Health Threat Preparedness Act of 2021. Protecting our Nation's transportation workforce and the traveling public is front of mind as we attempt to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic with the looming threat of new variants of the virus. H.R. 1895 seeks to ensure U.S. transportation systems are better prepared for public health threats by having TSA conduct a study on public health risks in concert with other agencies within the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Health and Human Services, and industry stakeholders. Specifically, this bill enhances these efforts, requiring TSA to assess the risk of public health threats to the Nation's transportation security systems and analyze the agency's preparedness to respond to them. The bill also allows TSA to reassign personnel not engaged in frontline transportation security efforts to other government agencies to improve intergovernmental coordination and response efforts. I applaud my colleague from Florida (Mr. Gimenez) for this timely legislation that prioritizes the health and safety of the traveling public and frontline transportation workers, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BARRAGAN. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BARRAGAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, enactment of H.R. 1895 will support our efforts to mitigate future public health threats to our Nation's transportation systems. We have witnessed the daunting effects of the pandemic over the past year and must be prepared for future public health threats to avoid repeating the same tragedies again. Ensuring TSA is equipped with the right information on public health threats and prepared to combat them with interagency coordination will be essential to protecting our transportation system, transportation workers, and the traveling public. This bill furthers that effort. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1895, and I yield back the balance of my time.