David Cicilline

Mr. CICILLINE

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

Mr. CICILLINE. I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 3311, the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019, is legislation that I introduced with the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cline), to make a series of reforms to current bankruptcy law, which would streamline the financial reorganization of small businesses. Small, locally-owned businesses are the economic lifeblood of our communities. But according to the Small Business Administration, only about 20 percent of small businesses survive after their first year. It is essential that our bankruptcy system does not punish entrepreneurship and investment by foreclosing opportunities for small businesses to financially reorganize. This gap in the Bankruptcy Code is primarily due to the fact that this process was designed with large, complex corporations in mind, and does not include adequate protections or safeguards for small businesses. H.R. 3311 addresses this shortcoming by requiring the appointment of a trustee to monitor these cases and giving cases greater flexibility to approve small business reorganization plans in a fair and equitable manner. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3311, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I am proud to have introduced H.R. 3311, the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019 with the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cline), and I thank him for his strong leadership on this issue, as well as the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Collins). This bipartisan legislation was unanimously approved by the Judiciary Committee and will address gaps in our bankruptcy system to provide financial relief to small businesses. This legislation is supported by the nonpartisan National Bankruptcy Conference, as well as the American Bankruptcy Institute. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass H.R. 3311. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CICILLINE

Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I rise in strong support of H.R. 582, the Raise the Wage Act. It has been more than a decade since working people got a raise in this country. Americans are working harder than ever, and labor productivity is overperforming expectations. However, the profit of this increased productivity is not being felt in the checkbooks of working people. In fact, American workers have experienced a 20 percent pay cut in real income due to inflation and the government's failure to raise wages. It is unconscionable that people working full time in the wealthiest nation in the history of the world are unable to afford basic essentials or live in poverty. That is why it is critical that we pass the Raise the Wage Act. Here are the facts: The bill will increase wages for nearly 34 million American workers. About 28 percent of workers in my district in Rhode Island will get a raise of about $2,100 a year. It will lift 3.1 million Americans out of poverty, including 600,000 children, and it will stimulate economic growth. And we know that when workers earn more, they spend more money. While the top 1 percent of Americans continue to amass Gilded Age amounts of wealth, working men and women have been left behind. It is time to reaffirm our commitment to hardworking Americans and pass this critical legislation. Americans deserve a raise, and that is what this bill does. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter signed by many LGBTQ organizations and human rights organizations in strong support of this legislation. July 16, 2019. Dear Member of Congress: We, the undersigned organizations, write to express our strong support for the Raise the Wage Act (H.R. 582). As lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) and allied organizations, we believe raising the minimum wage is a critical LGBTQ issue. Raising the federal minimum wage would benefit LGBTQ people by helping to reduce poverty and increase stability and economic security for LGBTQ people and their families. Because of discrimination in employment, housing, education, and other areas, LGBTQ individuals are more likely to be jobless, homeless, and poor than the general population. Nearly 40 million workers, including LGBTQ people, would receive increased wages from the Act. In light of the disproportionate rates of poverty among LGBTQ people, passing this measure is a critical priority for our community. The Raise the Wage Act would raise the federal minimum wage to $8.55 this year and increase it gradually over the next six years until it reaches $15 an hour in 2025. After 2025, the minimum wage would be adjusted annually to keep pace with growth in the typical worker's wages. In addition, the Act would phase out the outdated subminimum wage for tipped workers, which has been stagnant at $2.13 since 1991. It would also sunset the ability for employers to pay a subminimum wage to workers with disabilities and phase out the subminimum wage for workers under the age of 20. An increase in the federal minimum wage would help the LGBTQ community, especially its most marginalized members. Incomes would rise above poverty level for nearly 30,000 people in same-sex relationships. Raising the minimum wage to $15 would decrease poverty by almost 50% among female same- sex couples and by 35% among male same-sex couples. Transgender people would be particularly impacted by this bill. Almost one-third of transgender people live in poverty, which is more than twice the rate of the U.S. general population. The bill would also have a profound impact on LGBTQ youth, who make up between 30% and 40% of homeless youth. 47% of these LGBTQ homeless youth are persons of color. Since 55% of homeless LGBTQ youth were forced out by their parents or ran away because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, more than 50% of LGBTQ homeless youth remain homeless for longer periods of time than non-LGBTQ homeless youth. Raising the wage and phasing out the subminimum wage for workers under age 20 will help reduce homelessness among LGBTQ youth by helping them afford housing and achieve economic security independent of their families. Additionally, the Act will have enormous impacts on LGBTQ people of color and LGBTQ women. 37% of the LGBTQ community identify as people of color. Under the Act, 40% of Black workers and 34% of Latino/a workers will benefit. Women account for nearly 56% of the workers benefiting from an increased minimum wage. Women also account for \2/3\ of the country's tipped workers, who are more than twice as likely to live in poverty than the rest of the workforce. LBTQ women are more likely than their non-LBTQ counterparts to receive public assistance, be unemployed, and be near or under the poverty level. Critics of the bill have argued against raising the federal minimum wage, proposing instead that minimum wages should be established by region. However, a minimum wage of $15 by 2025 is not unrealistic in any part of the U.S. In addition, rural communities have a strong incentive to support the Act because they are experiencing a housing affordability crisis in part due to flat incomes for low- and moderate-income workers in those communities. Additionally, the Act's plan to phase in the $15 wage over six years allows for lower-wage states and regions to adjust to the new wage. Opponents of the bill also contend that small businesses do not benefit from raising the wage. However, 61% of American small business owners support raising the minimum wage. For these reasons, we support the Raise the Wage Act and urge you to consider the enormous benefits the bill will bring to the LGBTQ community. LGBTQ workers need jobs that allow them to have security and take care of themselves and their families. Sincerely, 9to5, A Better Balance, AIDS Action Baltimore, AIDS Alabama, AIDS Foundation of Chicago, AIDS Legal Referral Panel, AIDS United, Alaskans Together For Equality, Albany Damien Center, American Association of University Women (AAUW), Americans for Democratic Action (ADA), Athlete Ally, Black AIDS Institute, Cascade AIDS Project, Center for American Progress, Center for Black Equity, Center for Disability Rights, CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers, Coalition on Human Needs, DC Fights Back. Equality California, Equality Federation, Equality Illinois, Equality North Carolina, Equality Utah, Fair Wisconsin, Family Equality, Family Values @ Work, Howard Brown Health, In Our Own Voice: National Black Women's Reproductive Justice Agenda, Interfaith Worker Justice, Lambda Legal, Latinos Salud, LGBTQ Allyship, Modem Military Association of America, MomsRising, Movement Advancement Project, National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF), National Center for Lesbian Rights, National Center for Transgender Equality. National Coalition for the Homeless, National Council on Independent Living (NCIL), National Employment Law Project, National Equality Action Team (NEAT) National LGBT Cancer Network, National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund, National LGBTQ Workers Center, National Women's Law Center, National Working Positive Coalition, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, New York City Anti-Violence Project, Oasis Legal Services, Open Health Care Clinic, Oxfam America, PathWays PA, People For the American Way, PFLAG National, Positive Women's Network-USA, Poz Military Veterans USA INTL, Pride at Work. PROMO, Reframe Health and Justice, Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS), Shelter Resources, Inc., Shriver Center on Poverty Law, Silver State Equality-Nevada, Southerners On New Ground, The DC Center for the LGBT Community, The National LGBTQ Workers Center, The Well Project, Thrive Alabama, TRANScending Barriers, Transgender Law Center, Treatment Action Group (TAG), UCHAPS, United States People Living with HIV Caucus, United We Dream, US People Living with HIV Caucus, Voices for Progress, Workplace Fairness.

Mr. CICILLINE

Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support S.J. Res. 36 and the other measures related to arms sales being considered this afternoon, which will prevent three sets of arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE without undergoing the proper congressional notification process. We are here today because rather than come and make their case to Congress, the administration invented a phony emergency to bypass the legal process for approving arms sales. There is no justification for this decision, other than the administration knew that these sales would be met with scrutiny from Congress and didn't want to deal with it. Well, they were right. Congress is concerned about these proposed sales, and we should not sit back and allow the administration to continue with the charade of claiming an emergency exemption for them. I am glad that these measures of disapproval have bipartisan support and have already passed the Republican-led Senate. I urge all of my colleagues to support them today. The administration briefed this body on Iran just days before the supposed emergency was declared and never mentioned an emergency. We are supposed to believe that, within a matter of days, the situation escalated so quickly that they were forced to bypass Congress. Most of the weapons included in the emergency sales are offensive weapons, and much of the sale will be delivered months or years from now, further evidence that no emergency exists. The egregious and legally questionable move to put more weapons into the hands of regimes who are responsible for perpetrating horrific civilian casualties in Yemen comes as no surprise from an administration that has cozied up to the Saudi Crown Prince, even as we have credible evidence that he and his government are responsible for the cold-blooded murder of an American resident and journalist. Just because you don't like the process doesn't mean you get to ignore it. This action has implications far beyond the current sale. If Congress doesn't reassert our proper role in the process, we risk giving up the authority in the arms sale process entirely. This isn't and shouldn't be a partisan issue. It is our job, as Congress, to represent the American people in matters of war. If we let this action go without a strong congressional response, the repercussions will be wide-ranging and longstanding. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support these resolutions of disapproval and block these arms sales once and for all.

Mr. CICILLINE

Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for yielding and rise in strong support of the Lieu amendment. I am proud to be a cosponsor of this amendment, which will prevent the sale of weapons to the Gulf without undergoing the proper congressional notification process. This administration invented an emergency in the Middle East in order to circumvent the process of congressional review over arms sales, an egregious and legally questionable move, to put more weapons in the hands of regimes who are responsible for perpetrating horrific civilian casualties in Yemen, often with U.S. weapons. The administration briefed this body on Iran just days before the supposed emergency was declared, yet never mentioned anything at the time about an emergency. The administration claims that Iran poses such an imminent threat to our allies that emergency assistance is needed for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to defend themselves, yet most of these weapons are offensive weapons and much of the sale will be delivered months or years from now. The logic doesn't make sense because there is no logic. This is an administration that has cozied up to Riyadh, sweeping aside gross human rights abuses, turning a blind eye to the Saudis taking a buzz saw to a Washington Post reporter, and supporting an intervention in Yemen that is causing famine, destruction, and mounting loss of life. Just because you don't like the process doesn't mean you get to ignore it. This action has implications far beyond this current sale, and if Congress doesn't reassert our proper role in the process, we risk giving up our authority in the arms sale process entirely. Mr. Chair, I strongly encourage my colleagues to support this excellent amendment.

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

Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Chairman, the Republic of Cyprus is a strategic partner of the United States and has played a critical role in combating terrorism and nuclear proliferation in the Eastern Mediterranean region. The United States regularly participates in joint exercises with Cyprus, including annual multinational search and rescue and crisis management exercises, and we coordinate training programs for Cyprus in explosives management and disposal, cybersecurity, counterterrorism, and maritime safety and security. Through information sharing, training programs, and other international and regional security initiatives, the United States and Cyprus work hand in hand to combat terrorist activity in Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean region. The United States also works closely with Cyprus to stop the spread of weapons of mass destruction, and Cyprus has helped foster an effective international nonproliferation regime. In 2015, the U.S. joined Cyprus, as members of the Proliferation Security Initiative, in cohosting a regional nonproliferation workshop focusing on inspecting and identifying proliferation material. Yet despite the critical security partnership between our two countries, the United States has had an arms embargo in place against Cyprus since 1987. This policy was initially intended to prevent Turkey from using American weapons to occupy Cyprus and to provide space for reunification talks after Turkey's 1974 invasion of Cyprus and its subsequent occupation of the northern territory. However, more than 3 years since the embargo was first implemented, Turkey still has more than 30,000 troops occupying the northern territory of Cyprus, reunification talks have not produced intended results, and the U.S. is unable to maintain a full security relationship with a key partner in combating terrorism. Even today, Turkey continues to use its U.S.-backed military might to threaten Cyprus' energy exploration by continually harassing drilling vessels in its exclusive economic zone. And Turkey is not merely threatening the Republic of Cyprus, but significant American investments by ExxonMobil and Noble Energy and the interests of key U.S. allies in Greece, Egypt, and Israel, all of whom are partners with Cyprus on energy developments. The outdated and ineffective arms embargo forces Cyprus, an EU member, and one of only three countries with a status of forces agreement with Israel, to obtain defense articles from countries like Russia that seek to undermine U.S. interests in the region. We need to enact policies that strengthen our relationship with Cyprus and counteract dangerous elements in the region which threaten our national security interests and the interests of our allies and partners in the Eastern Mediterranean. Our inability to provide Cyprus with necessary equipment needed to defend its sovereignty and its economic interests threatens our own national security. Lifting the arms embargo will allow Cyprus to better establish itself as a frontline state for Western security interests, defend itself from external threats, and will ensure that Cyprus is no longer forced to seek assistance for its defense from countries like Russia. It will also make regional security cooperation smoother for the United States by making sure our partners can obtain compatible defense systems and training from the U.S. military. My bipartisan amendment would repeal the ineffective embargo and ensure that Cyprus has the equipment necessary to continue to help the U.S. combat terrorism and international crime, and protect significant natural gas finds and the infrastructure that can bring this energy source to Europe. The Senate has already taken up this issue and passed language to repeal the embargo with bipartisan support during its consideration of the NDAA. The House should follow suit and support passage of my bipartisan amendment. Mr. Chairman, Cyprus is a vital and strategic international partner, and we need to make sure we are treating it as such. I urge adoption of the amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for his thoughts. I would only say that the best way to assist Cyprus in weaning itself from the reliance of Russian weaponry is to lift the arms embargo, and this is something that both Cyprus and the United States have studied for a very long time. The best way to strengthen this partnership and alliance is to repeal this embargo. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my colleague, Congressman Gus Bilirakis, for cosponsoring this amendment and for his leadership on this issue. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. CICILLINE

Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of the en bloc package, and I thank Chairman Smith and Ranking Member Thornberry for their support of two amendments that I have offered, particularly my amendment clarifying the statutory rights of servicemembers and their families under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. For too long, forced arbitration clauses buried deep within the fine print of everyday contracts have eroded workplace discrimination protections for servicemembers and blocked them from having their day in court to hold corporations accountable. Under these agreements, a servicemember can be called up for Active Duty, express to his or her employer a desire to return to his job following deployment, and then be fired on his last day at work before he deploys. This actually happened. The servicemember would then learn that he or she has waived the right to due process because of the contract he or she signed, removing the procedures and safeguards afforded to individuals in our justice system. These forced arbitration clauses allow corporations to choose their arbiter and their venue and to deny servicemembers the right to press their claims for unjust termination. This bipartisan amendment would end this shameful practice by clarifying that arbitration clauses are only enforceable if agreed to by the servicemember or their family after a dispute arises, thereby protecting their rights under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. I thank my colleagues, Congressman Guy Reschenthaler and Veterans Affairs' Committee Chairman Mark Takano, for their strong, bipartisan support for this amendment to protect our men and women in uniform. I thank the chairman and the ranking member for their support of this amendment.

Mr. CICILLINE

Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Speaker, last week the Department of Justice tried to argue in Federal Court that the United States Government did not have to provide detained children with soap, toothbrushes, or even beds. The department refused to answer whether or not the children's ability to go to sleep was a requirement of providing safe and sanitary conditions. This is another despicable example of this administration's harmful policies that are meant to do nothing more than strike fear in the hearts of those who come to our border. They continue to try to hide this from the American people. They told Congress that there was no family separation policy. That was a lie. Now, they are trying to explain away the inhumane treatment of the very children they have chosen to separate from their families. I have been to the border. I have seen the cages and the foil blankets. I have talked to the children and the parents they have been separated from. This is a crisis. Yesterday, thankfully, the House passed $4.5 billion in emergency funds to strengthen health and safety requirements for migrants of all ages, to protect parents from unnecessary separation or prolonged detention, and to help address the root causes that are forcing people to flee their own countries. America is the greatest country in the world. There is no reason that children should be in cages or people should be dying in the custody of our government. Mitch McConnell needs to do his job, pass this bill, and send it to the President's desk to be signed into law immediately.

Mr. CICILLINE

Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support the en bloc amendment which includes my amendment to prevent funding for the proposed Commission on Unalienable Rights at the Department of State which has been proposed by Secretary Pompeo in order to promote natural law and natural rights. Now, I would wholeheartedly support a concerted focus on human rights by this administration. Instead of any really coordinated human rights policy, this President and the Secretary of State have cozied up to dictators and made excuses for flagrant human rights violations, even by some of our supposed allies. No, unfortunately, it is clear that this proposed commission is an attempt by the administration to co-opt American policy on human rights to give preference to an ideology that has been associated with discrimination against marginalized communities, including the LGBT community, women, and religious minorities. The State Department already has an entire bureau--the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor--dedicated to defending human rights, yet the Secretary is proposing to bypass the official structure of the diplomatic corps to create an ideologically motivated commission, without congressional approval or oversight, to promote natural rights based on natural law. These terms have no legal meaning and have deep associations with homophobic and discriminatory movements. There should be no place for this at our Department of State, which should be a leading voice in the protection and promotion of human rights for all. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support the en bloc amendment, and I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Mr. CICILLINE

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

Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, a recent study found that only about 36 percent of Americans would be able to pass a multiple choice test with questions from the U.S. citizenship test on it, while another study found that only 26 percent of Americans are able to name all three branches of government. These numbers are not only startling on their own, but they also correspond with historically low opinions of the Federal Government and record low voter turnout rates. Currently, only nine States in this country require students to complete 1 year of education in civics or government, while 10 States have no civics education requirement at all. Across the country, school districts are expressing concern over the need for greater civics education. Last year, 74 percent of superintendents expressed that preparing students to become engaged citizens was a challenge. In African American and Hispanic communities, students are twice as likely to score low on national civics assessment tests as White students. And a similar gap exists between wealthy and poor communities as well. These are all signs that point to a growing crisis in civic and political engagement in younger Americans, and unless action is taken against students engaged in their government, disenchantment with the electoral process and disinterest in the issues that will increasingly shape their future and the future of our Nation will continue to grow. Congress needs to show a commitment to strengthening civics education programs throughout our country in order to reverse the trend. My amendment would provide an additional $500,000 for national activities in civics and history education under title 2 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Evidence demonstrates that effective civics education can have a significant impact on young people. Students who receive effective civics education develop strong critical thinking skills, are more likely to take an active role in their government, and are much more likely to volunteer or become more involved in their communities. According to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, students who participate in civics education during high school are significantly more likely to graduate from college. I am hopeful that this modest increase will show that we are ready to move in the direction of preparing young people in this country to be more engaged with the world around them and ensure that they are invested in strengthening our democracy. I urge my colleagues to adopt the amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield the balance of my time to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee).

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

Mr. CICILLINE

Mr. CICILLINE. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. I rise in strong support of H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act. This legislation will protect 2.5 million people as American as everyone in this Chamber but for a piece of paper, young people who came here as children, brought by their families to pursue the American Dream. That is why we call them Dreamers. They did what we would expect of any other good American. They worked hard. They served in our communities. They served in our military. They studied at our schools. They strengthened our communities. We had a hearing of examples of Dreamers, these young people who did extraordinary things, who enriched the lives of their own communities, who are scholars, community activists, teachers, doctors, and lawyers, people making incredible contributions. I have met with Dreamers in my home State, where 6,000 people will be protected by this legislation. They are valued and productive members of our community. There is also protection in here for TPS designees. In the State of Rhode Island, we have the largest Liberian community, who make unbelievable contributions and live with such uncertainty. We, of course, need comprehensive immigration reform, but protecting Dreamers is first. We have heard a lot of arguments about other problems with our immigration system. We agree, but I haven't heard anyone say that these young people don't deserve protection in this debate today. This bill doesn't solve all the problems, but it solves three specific problems: TPS, DED, and Dreamers. It is voting to give protections to these young people. This is a very powerful symbol of our patriotism and our love of our country because we are a stronger and better America because of these young people and because of the magnificent contributions of these Dreamers. There is nothing more American than passing the Dream Act and ending the uncertainty in the lives of these young people and acknowledging they represent the best of America. I wish everyone in this country could have watched that hearing of just some examples of the differences these young people have made in the lives of their communities. Let's do the right thing. Let's pass this in a bipartisan way and give certainty to the lives of these young people who know no other country but this great country.

Mr. CICILLINE

Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Her Eminence Robiamny Balcacer, the Dominican Republic's first female Minister of Youth in the nation's history. Since a young age, Minister Balcacer has been critical in youth political and social welfare activities within her community of Las Guaranas. After graduating college with a bachelor's degree in business administration and a master's degree in public management and modern public administration techniques, she was elected councilwoman in 2006 and, eventually, elected president of the Councilmembers Board, becoming the youngest woman in history to lead it. As Minister of Youth, she has quickly garnered praise for her work in low-income communities throughout the Dominican Republic. She has invested in social and workforce development programs intended to reduce crime and strengthen community relationships, including constructing brand-new community computing centers and playgrounds. Her work has attracted the attention of Dominican American community leaders in my district and all across the country, and I had the honor of meeting Minister Balcacer this morning. I am glad that she is joining us today in the gallery as her work is being recognized here on the House floor. Mr. Speaker, I welcome Minister Balcacer.

Mr. CICILLINE

Mr. CICILLINE. Madam Speaker, I rise to support H.R. 5, the Equality Act. I have to stop for a second and take in this momentous occasion, for I have the honor of being on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, speaking in favor of a bill that I have worked on for the past 5 years that will finally give full legal equality to the LGBTQ community here in America. This is truly historic. I want to thank Chairman Nadler, who has been an unwavering ally in support of LGBTQ rights throughout his career, and thank Speaker Pelosi, Leader Hoyer, and our whip, James Clyburn, who have all showed tremendous leadership in helping to get this bill to the floor. I want to acknowledge and thank my LGBTQ Equality Caucus co-chairs, who have shown extraordinary leadership, not just in blazing a trail for future LGBTQ leaders, but in being friends and partners in this fight to get where we are today. I also want to thank our colleagues in the Senate for their extraordinary leadership. And, most importantly, we wouldn't be here today without the determined efforts of the advocates and allies in the civil rights and LGBTQ rights community who banded together to fight for the common values of dignity and equality under the law. Throughout my life, I have seen, firsthand, the struggles that many in my community have faced in achieving the American Dream. The right to live freely, without fear of persecution or discrimination, is one many in the LGBTQ community felt was an impossibility for so long. The fact that we are here today about to vote on this legislation, which has the bipartisan support of 241 Members of the House is, in and of itself, an achievement. It was not easy to get here. It was only 4 short years ago that the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, finally allowing members of the LGBTQ community to marry in every State. Don't Ask, Don't Tell was the law of the land until 6 years ago, and today, the Trump administration is forcing the men and women in our Armed Forces back into the closet and taking steps to target the LGBTQ community in a variety of ways. The forces working against progress are strong, but together, we are stronger. We have made great strides in fighting for LGBTQ rights under the law, but make no mistake, there are many people in this country, including in this administration, who are actively working to undermine our hard-fought gains. That is why it is so significant that we have such strong and diverse support for the Equality Act. And I don't just mean 241 bipartisan cosponsors in the House. Look at the 47 bipartisan sponsors in the Senate, the more than 200 businesses in every State in the country who have endorsed the bill, and the dozens of associations, advocacy groups, civil rights groups, and faith groups that back it. The Equality Act has the support of a majority of the American people in every State. Let that sink in. In every single State in the country, the American people think it is time to protect the LGBTQ community. There is nothing more central to the idea of America, nothing that has contributed more to the exceptionalism of our country and the prosperity of America than the guarantee of equal protection of the law for every single American. They support this bill all across this country because it makes sense, it is common sense. It adds sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes through existing civil rights law, ensuring that the LGBTQ community enjoys the same protections as everyone else, nothing more and nothing less.

Mr. CICILLINE. Madam Speaker, I want to take a moment to talk about what the Equality Act doesn't do. There has been a lot of misinformation about this bill floating around, and I want to ensure that my colleagues and the American people understand the facts. The Equality Act doesn't force priests or other clergy to perform same sex marriages or any other religious ceremony against their beliefs. It doesn't eliminate women's colleges, fraternities, or sororities, or other nondiscriminatory sex-segregated program. The Equality Act doesn't prevent parents from having control of their children's medical decisions or force doctors to provide treatment against their best judgment or religious beliefs. And the Equality Act doesn't eliminate women's sports. The Equality Act doesn't force churches to act as public accommodations or eliminate the ability of religious institutions to accept Federal money. Here is what the Equality Act does. It ensures that every child of an LGBTQ parent will not be turned away from the pediatrician's office. It ensures that transgender teenagers can attend school without fear for their safety. And it ensures that LGBTQ employees can't get married on Saturday, post pictures on social media on Sunday, and they get fired on Monday. The Equality Act is quite literally a life-saving bill that addresses some of the fundamental inequalities that still exist in the American legal system. The time is now. The moment is here. Future generations will look back on this day as the moment where our elected leaders showed what side of history they are on. We are on the right side of history. Let's pass the Equality Act today with overwhelming bipartisan support. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me the additional time.

Mr. CICILLINE. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. CICILLINE. Yes, I would be happy to engage my colleague from Utah.

Mr. CICILLINE. Yes, that is correct. H.R. 5 adds protected classes to title II of the Civil Rights Act but does not revise the exception for private establishments not open to the public, meaning houses of worship can continue their practices as before, including limiting admission or attendance to members of their faith.

Mr. CICILLINE. Yes. H.R. 5 does not, nor could any legislation, supersede the First Amendment. H.R. 5 allows the standard set by prior civil rights law to not interfere with worship and religious practices by religious organizations.

Mr. CICILLINE

Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Chairman, every day in kitchens and living rooms all across America, working men and women sit down and try to figure out how to pay for their prescription drugs. That is because 25 percent of the people in this country can't afford the medicine they have been prescribed. Seniors are choosing between COPD and their the groceries. People with cancer are being forced to delay their treatment, cut pills in half, or even forgo treatment altogether. This is happening in the richest, most powerful nation in the history of the world. It is a disgrace. If government is going to work for the people, then the people who serve in government need to end this crisis, and Democrats are committed to doing just that. We are taking on the big pharmaceutical companies and their lobbyists, and we are going to get the job done. That is why I am proud that my legislation, the CREATES Act, is included in this legislative package. The CREATES Act will save taxpayers $3.9 billion, according to the CBO, and bring down the cost of some prescription drugs by as much as 85 percent. The CREATES Act does this by directly addressing the abusive delay tactics that big drug companies use to block or delay generic competitors from entering the market. Over the past decade, some of the biggest drug companies have abused regulatory protocols so they can prevent the sale of affordable drugs. This lets them maintain their control of the marketplace, pull in monopoly profits, and keep their prices at inflated levels. If it is signed into law, the CREATES Act will create a tailored path for generic drug competitors to obtain the samples that are necessary for regulatory approval of their lower cost formulations. I am proud that this bill is not only backed by many of our colleagues, but it also has the support of a diverse coalition of healthcare providers, patient groups, and public interest organizations, including AARP and Public Citizen. And I am proud it is included in this package today. The majority leader in the Senate likes to describe himself as the grim reaper for Democratic legislative proposals. I hope that won't be the case here. He needs to put the interests of the American people ahead of his obsession with fighting Democrats every step of the way. The CREATES Act and these other proposals that are contained in this package deserve an up-or-down vote in the United States Senate. The American people deserve relief from these outrageous prescription drug prices, and this legislation will achieve that.