Gerald Connolly

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 150th anniversary of First Baptist Church of Vienna, which has been a fixture of our Northern Virginia community since its founding. In 1867, shortly after the conclusion of the Civil War, Union Army Major O.E. Hine presented the founders of First Baptist Church with a deed to a small piece of land he owned for the purposes of building educational and religious facilities. Using lumber acquired from the Freedman's Bureau and from barracks that were being torn down, the first church building was erected on Lawyer's Road in the town of Vienna, where the congregation would remain until relocating to its current location on Orchard Street ninety years later in 1957. Throughout its 150-year history, First Baptist Church of Vienna has served as the spiritual and religious home to countless worshipers. In addition to fulfilling its religious missions, the philanthropic work of the church and its members is extensive, both locally and internationally. Working with area churches, First Baptist has raised over $28,000 for tsunami relief in Asia and Africa, contributed over $53,000 to the Community Coalition for Haiti for earthquake relief in that devastated country, and donated $5,000 to a build a new community college in Zimbabwe. The congregation has also participated in the Rise Against Hunger campaign, which raised more than $14,000 and packaged 50,000 meals for communities around the world suffering from chronic hunger. In our own Northern Virginia community, First Baptist has partnered with numerous nonprofits for a variety of charitable causes, including Habitat for Humanity, the Northern Virginia Clergy Council, OAR Fairfax, and the Shepherd's Center of Oakton-Vienna. Truly, First Baptist Church of Vienna is following the ethos of ministry and working for the betterment of all in our community. This ethos is prominent in Northern Virginia, and I am confident this is part of the reason why this congregation has remained here for as long as it has, and why it will continue to thrive. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to have been a partner with First Baptist Church of Vienna on many of these initiatives and have been fortunate to join them for worship many times. I commend Pastor Vernon C. Walton as well as former Pastor Kenny Smith for their leadership and devotion to their faith and our community. I also congratulate the entire ministry and congregation on this milestone, and ask my colleagues to join me in wishing them continued success.

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate PHILLIPS Programs for Children and Families on its 50th Anniversary. I also want to recognize the outstanding faculty, staff, and Board of Trustees for the extraordinary impact they have had on the education and lives of thousands of youth in the communities surrounding our Nation's Capital. The growth of PHILLIPS Programs from their humble beginnings is astonishing. Years before the first federal laws were enacted to require all public schools to provide a free and appropriate education for all students regardless of disabilities, in 1967 PHILLIPS began in a two-bedroom bungalow in McLean teaching four students. The PHILLIPS Programs now include special education schools on four campuses, a vibrant home-based support program (Family Partners), and its newest career and technical education initiative, Career Partners, which launched in 2016. While all of these programs teach important job skills, they also teach employability skills (general skills in the areas of applied knowledge, effective relationships, and workplace skills) that are necessary for success in the labor market at all employment levels and in all sectors. In tandem with academic and technical skills, employability skills are crucial to career readiness. At PHILLIPS Programs, the core of their philosophy and practice is the ethos that with the right support and commitment, all of its students will reach their full potential. PHILLIPS offers special education day school programs for students in elementary through high school in nationally acclaimed facilities for students for whom public or other specialized schools were not successful. PHILLIPS serves a diverse group of youth from Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. The lives of the youth served by PHILLIPS have been affected by a variety of personal and neurodevelopmental circumstances, so PHILLIPS staff tailor their approach to each unique individual. PHILLIPS provides these youths a fresh start. They address each student's needs honestly with acceptance, respect, compassion, and a creative plan to make a better tomorrow. PHILLIPS focuses on the students' behavioral health needs, their emotional needs, communication needs, and beyond that their family and community needs. PHILLIPS builds a program around each child, rather than fitting that child into a particular program. Mr. Speaker, for five decades PHILLIPS Programs have provided youth and families in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area with the opportunity to achieve their dreams through education, combined with a full menu of support services. PHILLIPS is continuing its tradition of support for youth with a focus on students transitioning from school to work through the expansion of career and technical education and workforce development, serving those others cannot. On behalf of the citizens of the 11th Congressional District, I congratulate each and every member of the PHILLIPS community on this momentous anniversary and I ask my colleagues to join me in wishing them continued success and growth.

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the 2017 MVLE Annual Award Recipients. For 46 years, MVLE has provided employment opportunities and support services to individuals with disabilities, and thereby created an environment which has allowed its clients to live in dignity and as independently as possible. MVLE has achieved this success by partnering with local businesses, as well as with government agencies and other not-for-profit organizations. MVLE, its staff, and dedicated volunteers and supporters can be proud that they are making a positive difference in someone's life every day. Each year, MVLE honors individual participants as well as business and community partners, who support MVLE's mission. I am pleased to include in the Record the names of the 2017 award recipients: The President's Award is being presented to individuals who have shown outstanding progress toward gaining independence and self- sufficiency through participation in employment and community services. The 2017 President's Award recipients are Ivana Ardinoto, Willie Anne Belleh, Brittany Davis, and Jeremy Dustin. The Chairman's Award is being presented to an outstanding business partner who has demonstrated excellence in hiring practices, creating supportive work environments, and supporting the mission of MVLE. The 2017 Chairman's Award recipient is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Office of Headquarter Operations. MVLE also presents four Community Awards for Government, Employment Partner, Advocacy, and Social Responsibility. The Government Champion Award is being presented to state Delegate Mark Sickles. MVLE presents this award to an outstanding partner who is committed to creating meaningful employment opportunities by building partnerships across government and business sectors. The Employment Partner Award is being presented to Parkway Express. MVLE presents this award to an outstanding partner who is committed to creating meaningful community employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities and military veterans. The Advocacy Champion Award is being presented to Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay. MVLE presents this award to an outstanding partner who advocates for community integration by fostering partnerships across sectors to create futures one person at a time. The Social Responsibility Award is being presented to First Virginia Community Bank. MVLE presents this award to an outstanding partner who supports MVLE through contributions and volunteer work. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in commending MVLE for its success in helping individuals with disabilities achieve independence and in congratulating the 2017 MVLE Annual Award recipients. The efforts of MVLE, its supporters, community partners, and clients are an inspiration to all and are worthy of our highest praise.

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Northern Virginia Football Hall of Fame (NVFHOF) and to congratulate the 2018 inductees and scholarship award recipients. Participation in organized sports instills many values that will serve our youth well throughout life, including sportsmanship, teamwork, honesty, and the work ethic developed by striving for success and working to achieve a common goal. For 28 years, the NVFHOF has recognized the efforts of players, coaches, officials, and cheerleaders from local youth and scholastic football programs, and has inducted a few exceptional individuals who have made significant contributions to the game. In addition, the NVFHOF presents several student-athletes with scholarships to help defray the cost of college. I commend the NVFHOF and congratulate the following students, coaches, and community leaders who are being recognized during the 28th Annual NVFHOF Awards Banquet: $1,500 Scholarship Award Recipients: Kendall Malinchock, Nathan D. Leas, Charles S. Salette, Thomas A. Beamon; Fairfax County Football Hall of Fame 2018 Inductees: Luke Bowanko (Baltimore Ravens, Jacksonville Jaguars, Centreville High School), Stephen A. Price (Coach, Westfield High School, Lake Braddock Secondary School), Ronald E. Decker (Coach, Vienna Youth Incorporated); Football Official of the Year: Charles Foster; Karl Davey Community Achievement Award: Valerie Armstrong; Tom Davis Meritorious Service Award: Hossein S. Panah; Gene Nelson Commissioner of the Year Award: Todd Casey; High School Coaches of the Year: Tom Verbanic, Kyle Simmons; High School Players of the Year: Nolan Cockrill, Spencer Alston, Dillon Spalding, Brian Cobbs, Ike Onwuka, Tyler Matheny; Youth Coaches of the Year: Jason Goldsberry, Anthony Gutowski, Michael Molinar, Adam Guild; Youth Sports Players of the Year: Miles Greer, Stacy G. Funches II, Adil Lodhi, Michael Guruli, William Warter, Duncan Bangerter, Jalen Bogues, Wyatt Singer, Chris Clark, Cody Howard, Zack Holzworth, Benjamin Hammond, Xavier Micah Butler, Blake Johnson, Calvin Van Pelt, Angelo Romero, Jackson Stroud, Vincent Ordenes, Anthony Giordano, Trenton Johnson, Allan Starks, Adrian Mejia, Veronica Paige Counts; Youth Cheerleaders of the Year: Emma Clare Holloway, Darcy Johnson, Nevada Elyse Whitfield, Hannah Rae Johnson, Winnie Gondek. Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in congratulating the Northern Virginia Hall of Fame, as well as those students, coaches, and community leaders who are being honored at the 2018 Football Hall of Fame celebration.

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Chair, I rise today in opposition to the amendment offered by my friend Mr. Cuellar and our colleagues from Texas. This amendment amends the Slot and Perimeter rules at Washington National Airport. It provides a special carve out for airports in two cities. It upends the current regime which was carefully crafted by Congress to maintain operational stability between the three DC-area airports-- National, Dulles, and BWI. As a longtime representative of the area around Dulles and as someone who fought for an extension of Metro to Dulles, I have to admit I am offended by this effort which would do harm to commercial domestic passenger volume at Dulles--Northern Virginia's premier international airport. Since Congress amended the Slot rule in 2000, passenger traffic at National has increased by 50 percent and traffic at Dulles has declined by 9 percent. I ask my colleagues to oppose this amendment and refrain from inflicting harm on the area economies of their colleagues' districts.

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, there is a word for what we are witnessing today, and that word is ``chutzpah.'' The majority is proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution of the United States just months after passing the Trump tax scheme, which the Congressional Budget Office warned would increase the deficit by $1.6 trillion over 10 years. So having broken the bank and spent their way into default, they now want a balanced budget amendment to protect all the rest of us. Like I said, chutzpah. One would think such devoted Reaganites might have learned the lesson already. The majority has once again asked the American people to stomach a massive deficit increase on the hope and the prayer that tax decreases will pay for themselves. That is the same trickle-down narrative we heard in the Reagan years and the Bush years, and it didn't work then, and it is not going to work now. The 1981 tax cuts were so disastrous, for example, for Federal deficits, that Presidents Regan and Bush, Sr., had to enact legislation to raise taxes to make up for the shortfall in 1982, 1983, 1984, 1987, and 1990. Other than that, yeah, tax cuts pay for themselves. When President Obama took office, he inherited a deficit of more than $1.5 trillion in the depths of the Great Recession that President Bush gave him. That deficit was cut by more than two-thirds in President Obama's tenure in office. By this time next year, however, the Republican tax policy and President Trump's policies will have doubled the deficit in just the first 2 years. This level of fiscal irresponsibility could rival that of the Bush years, when we went from a surplus to a deficit, from a $128 billion surplus to a deficit of $1.16 trillion. Trickle-down theories don't work. They are a bad experiment for the American people. I urge rejection on the grounds of intellectual honesty and integrity of this balanced budget amendment.

Mr. CONNOLLY

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

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, this is the final amendment to this bill, which will not kill the bill or send it back to the committee. If adopted, the bill will immediately proceed to final passage, as amended, and you are going to love it. My amendment would prohibit Federal agencies that regulate financial institutions from tailoring their regulation of the financial industry at the request of and the personal gain of the President, the President's family members, or senior executive branch officials; something that ought to concern us in light of recent headlines. This is a simple prohibition that in any other era would pass for common sense. Unfortunately, we have become inured to the daily outrages emanating from this White House, and we are learning how much our democracy depends on the morality and ethical behavior of individuals in the absence of institutional restraints. When the President calls his friend to tip him off, if that is what happened, to a major announcement about steel tariffs, and that friend dumps affected stocks, there is no mechanism to prevent that from happening. It just shouldn't happen. Morality and ethics dictate as much. When a senior White House employee repeatedly violates the Hatch Act, allegedly, we depend on the President to punish and rein in that kind of behavior. If he doesn't, nothing happens, and the message to the rest of the Federal Government is that the politicalization of government institutions is okay as long as it is the President who approves your motives. Now, of course, this institution, a coequal branch of government under our Constitution, could create consequences, but, of course, we won't. Instead, we will continue to turn a blind eye to activities and behavior that are dangerous to our democracy, Mr. Speaker. Behavior that should concern any patriotic American. In predicting inaction by this body, I am not engaging in idle speculation. This Congress has a proven track record of shirking its institutional responsibilities for basic oversight of the executive branch, irrespective of who is in the White House. Take the President's tax returns. That which was once a norm, Presidents releasing their tax returns as a credential to be examined for Presidency, was overturned by the simple refusal to do so by this President. We depended for so long on candidates and Presidents to self-govern, to self-report, that we didn't anticipate the scenario in which a President, so devoid of any sense of transparency and accountability, would simply say: No, I won't do that. And not so much as a whimper from the Congress. A year ago, one might have said Congress would never pass the President's tax plan without insisting on first seeing the President's tax returns and how he might stand to benefit or not from the actions we took. Well, we did just that. And in the process, we exploded the deficit by close to $2 trillion for good measure. This should go without saying, but the corruption that is emanating in this time, in this administration, is not normal. It is not how the government should be run. Neither President Trump, Jared Kushner, nor Ivanka Trump has divested entirely from their personal businesses. And our appreciation for divestiture as an anticorruption measure only grows in its absence. The President's son-in-law and senior White House official, Jared Kushner, has been freelancing meetings with foreign governments while also seeking financing from those countries for his distressed property at 666 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. He is taking meetings with financial institutions in his official capacity, apparently, and then turning around and securing, apparently, hundreds of millions of dollars in loans for his family business from those same institutions. This is not normal. It is not how government should be run. We should not be selling our foreign and domestic policies to the highest bidder at a real estate auction. This Congress could hold hearings, could issue subpoenas, could create real consequence for these actions, but we see and hear no evil. The Oversight and Government Reform Committee, on which I sit, is missing in action. We have requested multiple subpoenas for information from the White House on everything from General Flynn's activity while serving as National Security Advisor to Jared Kushner's conflicts of interest, or apparent conflicts of interest, and inability to obtain a security clearance. Not a single subpoena request has been granted by the majority. The majority won't even give us a vote on those requests. It may seem tedious and repetitive, but we need to get back to the basics of government oversight. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this simple, commonsense amendment to return us to regular order and to return to our duty as Members of Congress to provide vigorous oversight. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CONNOLLY. I am in its present form.

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Iowa, with whom I share a dry sense of humor. I will remind him, being Irish, that leprechauns are always on the shoulder, especially this time of year. Mr. Speaker, I like this bill. I think most taxpayers are going to like this bill. I think it is high time we acted on this kind of improvement and injected a sense of humility and humanity into our enterprise here in the United States Capitol. I urge passage of this bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. This is a sad day in the swamp, to eliminate oil paintings of men and women who consider themselves very important, to make sure that taxpayer funds are never used for such a thing; sad day for the swamp in Washington. One can come to the Capitol and look at oil paintings that bestride every corridor and wall, in hearing rooms here in the Capitol, and not know most of these people. We haven't got a clue who most of them are. We recognize John Adams, but when we go to committee hearing rooms, one or two chairmen past, we often don't know who they are. I guess it was an attempt to achieve immortality, but it really is an act of ego that is a little embarrassing, even for Washington, D.C. This is an important bill, a commonsense bill, that brings us all back to Earth; that none of us is expendable and that, frankly, we make our contribution and we move on. This bill strikes at the uncontrolled egos and, I hope, sends a message to those narcissists among us that they can stay that way if they wish, but the taxpayer is not going to pay for their oil painting. I thank my friend from Iowa for bringing up the bill. I support the bill, and urge its passage. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the bill before us is H.R. 1132, the Political Appointee Burrowing Prevention Act, as amended. I want to thank my friends on the majority for working with us to improve this bill since its consideration by the committee. Because of the improvements we have been able to make, I support moving this bill forward in the legislative process; however, I continue to believe that some further changes may be needed. The bill would make it very difficult to hire former political appointees into career positions in the Federal Government. It would prohibit hiring a former political appointee into a career position for 2 years after that individual held a political position. It would also add significant hurdles for agencies seeking to hire an applicant to a career position who separated from a political appointment in the last 5 years. The agency would be required to certify to the Office of Personnel Management that the appointment is ``necessary to the agency's ability to meet its mission.'' There are several controls already in place to ensure that the process used to hire former political appointees into career positions is fair, open, and based on merit. For example, the Office of Personnel Management must ensure, right now, that the appointment process was free from political influence and report the results of its reviews to Congress. A February 2017 report found that OPM reviewed just 16 requests by agencies to hire former political appointees from October 1, 2016, through January 20, 2017, and did not find any reason to deny any of those requests. We all want the best people in the Federal service, and there should be no undue favoritism in the hiring process. In comments on this bill, OPM suggested that certain provisions may conflict with the merit system principles that have formed the basis of the Federal civil service for over a century. That issue should be clarified before this bill becomes enacted into law. Nonetheless, we support the spirit with which the bill is offered us today, and we have no objections to the legislation in front of us. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I do support the bill in the spirit in which this bill is offered. I think we want to make sure we preserve the integrity of the civil service system that we have worked so hard to build in this country, where we build in integrity and we avoid nepotism and favoritism and political connections over merit. One caveat, though, as I mentioned: once in a while, there may be a political appointee who is the best thing since sliced bread, who brings a level of expertise that we need, and we don't want to make it harder to look at those credentials on their merits. I know that is not the intention of the bill, but it may be one of the unintended consequences, and that is what we want to just make sure we are not doing as we move forward, but with that, I support the bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, in closing, we think this is a commonsense bill. I agree with the sentiments just expressed by our friend from Florida that, in today's day and age, we can't not take cognizance of social media, and it can be a useful tool in evaluating someone's security clearance application. We also understand it could be a tool that is used to invade people's privacy, and we want to avoid that. That is why what this bill does is call for a report looking at all of the legal ramifications and the practicality of utilizing this tool to get to a better outcome in the process of security clearances. Mr. Speaker, I support the bill and commend it to our colleagues. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I think this bill is long overdue and recognizes the internet world in which we live and operate. This bill would require the Director of the Office of Personnel Management to issue a report to Congress on the use of social media checks in background investigations for security clearances. In recent years, a number of agencies have begun pilot programs to help develop the best methods of incorporating social media into those background checks. For example, the Army initiated a pilot program that found that while checking social media is a valuable tool, it can be costly and may raise some legal issues. This bill would require that OPM conduct a comprehensive study on those issues and report back to the Congress. This one-time report would describe the current uses of social media postings for investigative purposes and any legal concerns or impediments that may arise. In addition, the report would summarize the results of any pilot programs on the use of social media conducted to date and provide cost estimates for implementing their widespread use in background investigative processes. The report would greatly assist Congress, I believe, in determining whether further legislative action is needed when it comes to the Federal Government's use of social media in background investigations. This bill was approved without opposition by our committee, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, last year, and I certainly commend it to our colleagues today. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mr. DeSantis and Mr. Lynch for their leadership on what I think is a commonsense measure that will actually improve the process. Mr. Speaker, I urge every Member to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the need for this bill comes into recent focus just today with reports, maybe unconfirmed, that one of the Trump Cabinet members is engaged in a witch hunt against a whistleblower. We need this kind of protection. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4043, the Whistleblower Protection Extension Act. Representative Blum and Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Ranking Member Elijah Cummings introduced this bill to extend the pilot program that requires every inspector general's office to have a liaison dedicated to assisting whistleblowers. Under this legislation, the whistleblower protection coordinator would help educate agency employees about whistleblower protection laws. This bill would help employees who want to blow the whistle know their rights, and it would put agency management on notice that it is against the law to retaliate against whistleblowers. This bill would require whistleblower protection coordinators to provide whistleblowers who have suffered retaliation information about options available to them to have their allegations evaluated. No matter how strong we make our whistleblower protection laws, they will not help if whistleblowers do not know how to exercise their rights under those laws. I urge my colleagues to pass this bipartisan measure to strengthen whistleblower protections. I urge passage of this commonsense bill, this good government bill coming out of our committee. I thank my friend from Iowa for collaborating with the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) on this commonsense piece of legislation, and I urge its adoption. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I represent Virginia's 11th District, which has the third largest population of federal employees. Government shutdowns have a devastating effect on people's lives. It is shameful that the President and Republicans have inflicted this shutdown on the American public. This shutdown has created enormous uncertainty and anxiety for families who are trying to be good public servants. Furloughed federal employees across the country have had to deal with the stress and uncertainty of not knowing when they will be able to return to work, whether they will be paid, and how they will be able to pay their mortgage and provide for their families. While this three-week continuing resolution ensures back pay for federal employees, it does not address the timing of pay for those who have been furloughed or have had to work without pay for up to three days. I urge Federal agencies to take the necessary steps to ensure that their employees are made whole on the next regular pay date.

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an anti-human trafficking amendment to the World Bank Accountability Act. The chairman of the National Advisory Council on International Monetary and Financial Policies is already required by law to submit to the Speaker of the House, the President of the Senate, and the President of the United States an annual report on the effectiveness and operations of international financial institutions as well as other goals for development assistance and financing already specified by Congress. The base text of the World Bank Accountability Act already includes several additions to the chairman's annual report. This amendment would make one addition to that report. The amendment would require the chairman to report on the detailed actions undertaken by the World Bank to institute certain protections for G-5 nonimmigrant visa holders and inform these individuals of the rights afforded to them by the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008. That legislation was sponsored by my good friend and former chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Howard Berman. G-5 nonimmigrant visas are reserved for foreign domestic employees of diplomats and international organizations, such as the World Bank. Prior to the enactment of the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, these foreign domestic employees had very few protections. However, the bill enacted several important reforms on how we prevent abuse and trafficking of foreign domestic employees in the United States on G-5 nonimmigrant visas. The law mandated that all such visa holders have an employer-employee contract that includes, inter alia: One, an agreement by the employer to abide by all Federal, State, and local laws; Two, information on the frequency and form of payment, work duties, weekly work hours, holidays, sick days, and vacation days; and Three, have an agreement by the employer not to withhold the passport, employment contract, or other personal property and documents of the employee. Among other things, the law also permits these foreign domestic employees to remain legally and work in the United States while seeking legal redress against their employers, as required. As a Representative for Northern Virginia, I count among the residents of my district many of the hardworking and dedicated employees of the World Bank who work in offices throughout the D.C. metropolitan area. As a result, I also represent the foreign domestic employees of those who work in the World Bank and such institutions. Unfortunately, sometimes, some of these individuals have been subject to abuse by their employers. Since 2010, there have been at least five Federal civil trafficking cases in the United States involving the World Bank, and a majority of those cases were filed in the Eastern District of Virginia. All of these cases resulted in either a settlement, a default judgment for the plaintiff, or a guilty plea--all of them. According to the GAO report on household workers for foreign diplomats, ``The people who come to the United States on G-5 visas are among the most vulnerable who enter our borders legally. They are often poor, uneducated, and unfamiliar with their rights under United States law. If they find themselves in an abusive situation, their ability to hold their employers accountable can be limited, particularly if their employers hold full diplomatic immunity and inviolability.'' According to a 2017 survey, 85 percent of domestic worker trafficking survivors report having pay withheld or being paid well below minimum wage, in violation of our own domestic laws. Seventy-eight percent have had employers threaten to report them for deportation if they complained. Sixty-two percent report having their passports or other identification documents taken away or withheld illegally by their employers. We must empower all individuals who find themselves victims of abuse or human trafficking and provide them with a way out. Too often their plight is obscured by their vulnerability and their susceptibility to these kinds of threats. I hope this amendment helps shed more light on one corner of this problem and offers victims currently suffering under an abusive employer a way out of the shadows. This is a matter of human decency, human freedom, and a reaffirmation of human autonomy. Mr. Chairman, I urge its adoption. I thank the chairman and his staff and the ranking member and her staff for their cooperation fashioning this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, under H.R. 4182, the probationary period for all Federal employees is extended for an additional year, regardless of the job they are hired to do. All new employees are punished equally, and supervisors are given no new tools to improve their use of the existing probationary period. In February 2016, as I have mentioned before, the GAO reports studying the rules and trends relating to review and dismissal of employees for poor performance, suggests that the Office of Personnel Management look into whether there are certain occupations, due to the nature or complexity of the position, in which the probationary period should be extended beyond 1 year or not. We heard testimony before the Rules Committee from a number of colleagues who represent areas with big Federal concentration, Federal employee concentrations with specialized agencies, such as the weather service in Oklahoma and CDC in Atlanta where a 2-year probationary period may very well impede the ability to hire the skilled workers we need. The report goes on to say that it is something that should be looked into. It does not call for a government-wide extension of the probationary period. That is why I filed this amendment to require the GAO to conduct a study on the Department of Defense and other Federal agencies that have used this tool, a 2-year probationary period. A 2-year probationary period for civilian employees at DOD was enacted in 2016, and as the largest Federal agency, this extension would provide a good case study on the potential impacts: good, bad, and indifferent on the legislation before us. It is a study we ought to do before we adopt a bill. Some of my colleagues believe that since extending the probationary period has been working out so well, it ought to be extended across the entire Federal Government. There are a few things I need to point out for us. This policy only affected those who were hired after November 25, 2015, the day the law went into effect. Secondly, the former Under Secretary of Defense, as I mentioned in earlier statements, Peter Levine, testified before the Armed Services Committee that the Department has done little to take advantage of that legislation. That is his testimony. Therefore, there are only a small number of employees who have completed the 2-year probationary period, and it is too soon to declare it a success or failure. That is why my amendment would have the GAO give us guidance. How has it worked? Has it helped? Has it hurt? Are there some things we haven't anticipated that we need to address? The study would also look into whether extending the probationary period has any effect on the ability of an agency to recruit and retain. And, again, I pointed out 40 percent of the existing workforce is eligible for retirement now or in the next few years. That is a huge number of people. And we have got to worry about recruitment. Gathering the data is a necessary first step, not a last step or an afterthought, before deciding to change a law with such profound impact on Federal agencies. This bill, as I said to my friend from Kentucky (Mr. Comer), may yet prove to be a good idea, but we don't know. There remain a lot of questions about the efficacy of this proposal. It is risky, and it can have terrible negative consequences that we haven't even foreseen and some of which we can predict today. Two weeks ago, this body adopted a policy of evidence-based policymaking, so let's put it into implementation with this bill. Let's look for some evidence, empirical evidence, systematically done to justify the adoption of such a sweeping bill. Mr. Chairman, I call for the adoption of my amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin).

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.