Wm. Clay

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I urge the passage of H.R. 1209, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues in consideration of H.R. 1209, a bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 901 North Francisco Avenue, Mission, Texas, as the Mission Veterans Post Office Building. At this time, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cuellar) so that he may tell us more about the honorable veterans from Mission, Texas.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, just in closing, let me offer some clarification. In the fall of 2014, the CFPB finalized a rule allowing financial institutions to post their annual privacy notices online instead of delivering them individually if they met a series of conditions, including not sharing the customer's nonpublic information with unaffiliated third parties. In December of 2015, Congress went further by enacting an outright exemption from the mailing requirement for financial institutions that, one, do not share nonpublic personal information about a consumer with unaffiliated third parties; and, two, have not changed its disclosure policy and practices since the most recent disclosure was sent to consumers. Institutions that provide financing for vehicle purchases or leases do not meet the criteria set forth by Congress and are, therefore, required to continue issuing paper privacy notices to consumers. Mr. Speaker, this amendment helps to improve this bill. It modernizes this requirement. I just urge the body to adopt the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, the amendment offered makes important changes to our bill, H.R. 2396, which is a straightforward, commonsense measure that seeks to streamline the privacy information consumers get from financial institutions and makes the information available much more frequently via electronic delivery. We have been working on what I consider to be a simple but necessary fix to a 20-year-old law throughout this year, and I believe the amendment we have presented for your consideration will undoubtedly benefit consumers. We have worked with our colleagues on the Financial Services Committee to modify and strengthen the underlying bill, and I appreciate everyone's efforts. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to thank the committee's ranking member, Ms. Waters, for her and her staff's efforts to improve our bill. I consider this amendment to be an effort to improve the underlying legislation. While Ms. Waters still has some outstanding concerns, I do appreciate her working with us. The amendment clarifies the process by which consumers can opt out of having their information shared with unaffiliated third parties. It limits the application of the alternative delivery mechanism to vehicle financial companies--that is simply what the amendment does--rather than all financial institutions, as defined under the Gramm-Leach- Bliley Act and other technical and conforming changes. Mr. Speaker, we believe these changes make our bill stronger and we urge the adoption of the amendment. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Instead, this shameful GOP tax scam will ensure that the haves will have more, and everyone else will pay for it.

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Massachusetts for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer a special welcome to the President of the United States as he visits my home State of Missouri, which has a great need for brownfield remediation. I understand that President Trump's visit will focus on the indefensible, reckless Republican tax scam that will raise taxes on millions of middle class families. It will rob seniors, punish students, weaken higher education, strip healthcare coverage away from 13 million Americans, and explode the debt by charging an additional $1.4 trillion on the national credit card. Mr. Speaker, the majority likes to talk about family values, and there is no doubt that extremely wealthy families, like President Trump's, will reap millions from your GOP tax scam. But what about real Americans who will pay more and get less? I would like President Trump to show me why he wants to raise taxes on over 320,000 middle class families in Missouri. I would like President Trump to show me why he wants to bury 255,000 Missouri students, who hold student loans, even deeper in debt by eliminating the deduction for student loan interest. I would like President Trump to show me why he wants to harm 165,000 seriously ill Missouri taxpayers, who will no longer be able to deduct medical expenses. And I would like him to show me why, when asked about the State level impact of the Trump-GOP tax scam, even the Republican chairman of the Missouri House Budget Committee, State Representative Scott Fitzpatrick of Shell Knob, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on November 9: ``We cannot have a billion-dollar hole blown in the budget. We cannot afford that.'' I would like President Trump to show me why he wants to impose double taxation on every Missouri taxpayer, who will no longer be able to deduct State and local income taxes. And I would like him to show me why he wants to weaken Medicare by robbing it of over $25 billion over the next 10 years to help pay for tax cuts for billionaires. And, finally, I would like President Trump to show me how he intends to ever look middle class families in the face again when he promised to lower taxes for every American.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, along with my distinguished colleague from Arkansas, Mr. French Hill, to honor the memory of a great public servant, beloved husband, father, and grandfather; A distinguished educator, who inspired thousands of students; A dedicated public servant who served in the Arkansas Department of Human Services for three decades; A member of the Little Rock, Arkansas City Board and the Pulaski County Quorum Court; And a former Arkansas State Representative who founded the Democratic Black Caucus in the Arkansas legislature; My late father-in-law, the Honorable John M. Lewellen, who died last week at the age of 87. State Representative Lewellen was married to the love of his life, Wilhelmina Epps Lewellen for 61-years. A loving father and grandfather, Mr. Lewellen is also survived by two wonderful daughters, Cornelia Lewellen Biddle of Little Rock, Arkansas; and Ivie Lewellen Clay of St. Louis, Missouri; four grandchildren; and three cherished sisters. Mr. Speaker, John Lewellen was a champion for minority-owned and women-owned businesses across the State of Arkansas. He was also a passionate defender of the Right to Vote. He saw the value of saving our history, particularly the historic Mosaic Templars Cultural Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. His entire life was spent serving others, and his legacy will endure. Our family has suffered a great loss, but we are strengthened by our faith which entrusts his spirit to a loving God who promises that we shall see him again. We give thanks for his remarkable life, and I ask for prayers for his widow, our family, and all his many friends who are mourning the loss of this good and decent man. May God grant him perfect peace, and may he send us courage and healing as we remember John Lewellen's exceptional life.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, let me see if I can inject some truth into this. Mr. Speaker, I rise to oppose the deficit-exploding Republican tax plan that rewards billionaires first, and then asks hardworking Americans to pay for it. The Trump Republican tax scam will raise taxes for millions of working families. It will kill jobs in the home construction industry. It will punish student loan borrowers. This reckless plan will repeal the deduction for State and local income and sales tax. I would remind my colleagues in the majority: If you vote ``yes,'' you are voting for a $900 billion tax increase on American families. This bill is not conservative. It is not pro-family. It is not pro- worker. It will kill jobs and reward the wealthy and corporations at the expense of everyone else. Vote ``no'' on the GOP tax scam, and let's pass a real tax reform bill that puts middle class families first.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would like to commend my colleague, Mrs. Love from Utah. And it goes to show you that we can reach across the aisle and find common ground. I appreciate her support of this legislation, as well as I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of the bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the African American Civil Rights Network Act of 2017, updated and bipartisan legislation that I was proud to introduce along with my distinguished colleague from Missouri's Eighth Congressional District, Congressman Jason Smith. I appreciate his leadership and true friendship as well. Our legislation, which has already earned 72 cosponsors, would authorize the National Park Service to establish a program to preserve and protect the memory of the people and places that were significant in the struggle to securing equal rights for African Americans during the 20th century's civil rights era between 1939 and 1968. The purpose of this legislation is to recognize, protect, and share the remarkable American story of the modern struggle for civil rights, a unique national experience that touches every American regardless of their age, region, or heritage, and yet this very American story is often left untold, without the level of honesty and accuracy that it surely deserves. In fact, the generation now coming of age has only scant knowledge of the history of the civil rights struggle. Young Americans find it difficult to believe that racial segregation was once considered normal and necessary in the United States. I truly believe that the healing potential for this legislation is essential to bringing our Nation together. The historic network that H.R. 1927 would create would offer tremendous educational opportunities by recognizing those brave souls from all walks of life who fought to make the promises enshrined in our Constitution finally ring true for every American regardless of the color of their skin. Across this great country, precious historic waypoints along the routes of that still largely untold story are at risk of being lost forever. My hope is that the historic civil rights trails and the programs that will grow from this act will honestly tell the truth, the full and sometimes painful story of the struggle for civil rights, not just for African Americans, but to foster healing, tolerance, and understanding among all Americans. This bill is similar to legislation that created the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act of 1998, which is currently administered by the National Park Service. It directs the Secretary of the Interior to identify and create a national network of historic sites, stories, research facilities, and educational programs connected to the modern African-American civil rights movement. This legislation has also earned the strong support of the National Urban League, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Parks Conservation Association, and the NAACP. Mr. Speaker, let me also commend the gentleman from California for his support of this legislation that came out of his subcommittee. I appreciate his help and strong support of it. I look at this opportunity as something that we should all want to embrace the transformative power of the real American story. We should seize it. This bill advances that worthy goal for our Nation, and I urge my colleagues to support this important act. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I appreciate my friend from California for that explanation. Hopefully, my colleague, Representative Gaetz, will try to strike a balance between protecting our environment, protecting the pristine nature of that island, as well as looking out for the best interests of his constituents when this bill gets to the Senate. So, therefore, we will not oppose it. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2370, introduced by Representative Gaetz, settles a longstanding land management issue in his Florida district. Specifically, the bill transfers land associated with the former Santa Rosa Island National Monument to Escambia County. Once it is transferred to Escambia County, the bill authorizes a second transfer to Santa Rosa County, without any conditions or further restrictions. The land in question was provided to the county by the Federal Government in 1947 under the condition it remain in use for a public purpose. In 1956, the county decided a 100-year lease to neighboring Santa Rosa County was in the public interest. In the 61 years since, the counties have grown and prospered, but due to the terms of the original conveyance and subsequent lease, there is some confusion about Santa Rosa County's power to tax. This bill will clear up some administrative challenges that have arisen out of this unusual arrangement, a goal that we support. However, it will also allow for developments that conflict with the terms of the original conveyance. As drafted, this bill authorizes activities that will do significant environmental damage to a fragile coastal barrier island and potentially lead to the privatization of land on Santa Rosa Island. Neither of these results is in the public interest or consistent with congressional intent. Congress granted Escambia County this land with one condition, which this bill completely ignores. We understand how important this bill is for Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties, but honoring the original intent of this land grant is as important as well. It is our hope that we can work with our colleagues in the Senate to make improvements to this legislation that will continue to protect the interests of the American taxpayers in this land deal. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, the article continues on: The problem with human trafficking is that, of course, the victims are silenced. We don't have good data about it. You don't know how many slaves there are around the world. Traffickers also play into the narrative by telling victims who are exploited for sex that they are offenders, threatening to call the police and report them for prostitution if they push back. This makes sex trafficking particularly challenging because victims might be fearful of going to law enforcement and being charged with a crime. Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to support this legislation.

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Texas for yielding. I rise today as an original cosponsor of H.R. 2480, the Empowering Law Enforcement to Fight Sex Trafficking Demand Act, along with my friend and distinguished colleague from Missouri, Congresswoman Hartzler, and other colleagues. This bipartisan act aims to provide local law enforcement with additional tools to fight the heinous epidemic of sex trafficking by expanding the authority of the vital Byrne Justice Assistance Grant act to enable law enforcement agencies to compete for Federal funding, specifically to develop and implement sex trafficking demand reduction programs. Our legislation would also add an additional provision for Byrne JAG funding to allow State and local agencies more flexibility in prioritizing precious resources to combat domestic sex trafficking. The trafficking of mostly young people for the purposes of sexual exploitation is a form of 21st century slavery that is pervasive around the world, around this country, and even in my home State of Missouri, as we heard earlier. Sadly, because of my district's central location and easy access to cross-country interstates and modes of transportation, the St. Louis area is one of the top 20 markets for the horrific and inhuman crime. Most of the victims are minor children, and some of them have been kidnapped, beaten, and deceived by organized criminal enterprises who are exploiting their bodies for profit. But the sick and the inhuman practice could not continue without steady demand, and reducing that market is exactly the purpose of this important bill. According to a recent report by the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, this multibillion dollar slavery system victimizes over 20 million young people worldwide, with at least 1\1/2\ million of those victims in North America. Yet, last year in the United States, only about 5,000 cases were actually reported, leaving tens of thousands of other victims in the shadows with no protection, no help, and no hope. As reported in the February 23, 2016 edition of The Atlantic magazine: According to the United Nations' Office on Drugs and Crime, sexual exploitation is the most commonly identified form of forced labor worldwide. And as a whole, human trafficking is a lucrative industry that, around the globe, rakes in at least $150 billion. But it is unclear whether the numbers are an accurate representation of the problem, because many cases are not reported, according to Monique Villa, the CEO of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, which works to combat human trafficking.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mourn the death of my former constituent, Philando Castile, whose shocking and completely unnecessary death has now been seen by millions around the world via video. I mourn not only his death but also the complete failure of local law enforcement and the criminal justice system to protect his most precious right, the right to life. Philando, like so many other young African Americans before him, interacted with local law enforcement, responded peacefully, did exactly what he was supposed to do, yet he wound up dead, shot six times at pointblank range by an officer who saw him as something less than human. He is dead for no good reason except for the color of his skin and the fact that his ethnicity fed into an implicit, sick, and deadly bias held by some police officers that Black people present an imminent threat simply by virtue of who we are. That bias is pervasive, not just among some police officers, but also throughout our criminal justice system. Anyone who views the video of Philando's police shooting can see that he should not be dead and that the officer who killed him should have been held accountable. But as in far too many other cases, the justice system failed Philando and his family in the most outrageous way. The sad truth is that, in 2017, we continue to suffer under a justice system that provides justice for some but not for all. As I join with Philando's family and millions of other Americans who were outraged by the complete lack of accountability for his death, I cannot but help remember another tragic case, the death of my 18-year- old constituent, Mike Brown, almost 3 years ago in Ferguson, Missouri. As I watched Philando's family screaming out for justice, they reminded me of something that Mike Brown's mother, Lezley McSpadden, told me. She said: Congressman, I want them to know that he mattered to me. Well, he mattered to me, too, as well as Philando. So did Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Freddie Gray, and so many others who have died at the hands of local police for no good reason and without any consequences. Mr. Speaker, I have supported local law enforcement for over 30 years, and I continue to have no doubt that the vast majority of police officers perform a difficult, dangerous, and essential job with honor, bravery, and integrity. But I also know that too many other officers clearly lack the temperament and training to deescalate interactions before they become deadly, and that continues to cost many innocent lives. That is why I have introduced, along with my good friends, Congressman Steve Cohen of Tennessee and Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, the Police Training and Independent Review Act of 2017. This legislation has already earned almost 100 cosponsors. My bill would protect both police officers and the citizens they serve. It would require sensitivity training in the areas of race, ethnic bias, disabilities, and interactions with new immigrants. It would also establish incentives to encourage States to adopt new laws to require an independent prosecutor in all cases when police use deadly force. This legislation deserves a fair hearing and an up-or- down vote in this House. I will close with this: a brief teaching from the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on the occasion of another needless tragedy, the police killing of civil rights worker Jimmie Lee Jackson by an Alabama State trooper in 1965. In his eulogy, King said: ``A State trooper pointed the gun, but he did not act alone. He was murdered by the brutality of every sheriff who practices lawlessness in the name of the law.''

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Chair, I thank the ranking member. I rise today to oppose H.R. 10, a dangerous assault on American consumers that would gut the landmark Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act. If the ``Wrong'' CHOICE Act is allowed to be inflicted on working families, the reckless financial speculators who sold out the American people on Wall Street would be given a free pass to perpetrate future financial abuses that will reap billions for them and rob average Americans of their financial security again. The ``Wrong'' CHOICE Act would take us back to the pre-2008 era of unchecked reckless financial abuses that resulted in the worst recession since the Great Depression. Let me remind Members of the crushing cost of that national economic emergency: over 8 million jobs lost, 10 percent unemployment, 7 million home foreclosures, and trillions of dollars of personal institutional wealth wiped out. No proponent of this bill can look the American people in the face and tell them that this is better for consumers, because it is not.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, more than ever before, we need leaders from across the Nation to raise our voices, elevate our awareness, and come to Washington, as stated in the First Amendment, to petition the government for a redress of our grievances. Now, more than ever, we need the people most affected by the decisions that are being made in this hallowed place, the people's House, and at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to make sure that this representative government is indeed being held accountable for both its actions and inactions. On this special day, I am proud of my brothers in Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, and I am honored to welcome them back to Washington for their annual visit. I stand with my brothers to ensure that we never forget how our decisions on issues like health care, education, housing, jobs, voting rights, and even the use of military force are more than just political or policy judgments. They have life-and-death consequences for real people in the communities that we represent and across this great country as well. I thank my Kappa brothers for their steadfast friendship, support, and devotion to advancing freedom and equality for every American.

Mr. CLAY

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

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Ms. Plaskett). This amendment simply makes clear that the application of FOIA to Fannie and Freddie will not limit disclosures regarding the loans to which Fannie and Freddie offer any type of guarantee or support. I agree that Americans have the right to know what loans and other agreements Fannie and Freddie are backing. Earlier this year, Fannie Mae created a ``pilot program'' under which Fannie has backed a large investor's purchase of foreclosed homes that the investor will then lease. The public certainly has a right to information about such programs. As Ms. Plaskett's amendment makes clear, such disclosures should occur before any loans are purchased or backed so that Congress can assess the potential effects on all stockholders, including taxpayers, home buyers, and renters. I appreciate the gentlewoman's thoughtful amendment, and I urge all Members to support it. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Chairman, as the designee of the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Ms. Plaskett), I offer amendment No. 3.

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this amendment, which would make improvements that address concerns raised by FHFA. The manager's amendment would make several important improvements to the underlying bill. This amendment would provide Fannie and Freddie 6 months to implement the bill. This time is important to ensure they have staff and procedures in place to process FOIA requests. This amendment would also clarify that Fannie and Freddie could use exemption 4 of FOIA in the same way that FHFA can currently use it to protect trade secrets and commercial or financial information generated by Fannie and Freddie. Exemption 4 protects ``trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a person and privileged or confidential.'' Exemption 4 requires that that information can only be protected if it comes from an outside source rather than being generated by an agency itself. Without the language added by this amendment, there would have been uncertainty as to whether confidential business information that would have been protected if Fannie or Freddie sent it to FHFA would have been protected when those entities were, themselves, responding to FOIA requests. I appreciate Chairman Chaffetz' willingness to work with us in addressing these concerns, and I urge all Members to support this manager's amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, but I am not opposed to the amendment.