Ryan Costello

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I thank Carlos for his service to this country, to his constituents. He has been an exemplar of what it means to be a gentleman, somebody who comes in to work here every day in the Halls of Congress, serving the people, doing his best, giving it 110 percent. What I would like to do, if I could, is just thank those residents in my congressional district residing in Chester County, Pennsylvania; Montgomery County, Pennsylvania; Berks County, Pennsylvania; and Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, for the opportunity to serve you here in Congress for 2 terms. This was always, admittedly, a dream of mine, and it is something that I took great pride in doing. It has been a very humbling experience. In some respects, it has been a very rewarding experience. In other respects, it has been challenging and frustrating at times. But when you are someone who puts your name on a sign and gets elected to this institution, you carry with yourself a certain humbleness and a certain sense of purpose that every single one of the 434 Members that I have served with--probably more since there has been resignations and reelections--but everyone who I have served with in this institution takes their job very, very seriously, and I just hope the American people realize that even as we have differences here, we have a lot more that binds us together as Americans, and everyone is here trying to do their very best. I would also like to, real briefly, just thank my parents, Sherry and Tony, for their support through the years; my wife, Christine; my children, Ryan and Caroline; and the many great members of my staff who have just done an absolutely wonderful job. I think one thing that every single Member of Congress can universally agree to is that the staff is underappreciated, undercompensated; but without them, this institution would not run, and we would not be able to be as effective as we are day in and day out. I would particularly like to recognize Lauryn Schothorst and Dante Cutrona, my chiefs of staff through the years; Kori Walter, my district director; Jason Carver, my constituent services director; and if I start naming all the other staff persons, I would probably forget one. But I just want each and every one of them to know how personally grateful I am for their service to Pennsylvania's Sixth Congressional District, this country, and myself. And for all those whom I have served with, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for being a friend and being an advocate for this country and for your constituents all across this country. This is a very special institution. It has been a real privilege to serve in it. God bless each and every one of you, and God bless America.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer my heartiest congratulations to the YWCA for 160 years of dedicated service and steadfast advocacy on behalf of women, girls, and their families in communities throughout the country. Throughout its distinguished history, YWCA has been a catalyst for expanding economic and educational opportunities, promoting civil rights and social justice, and preventing violence against women and girls. Each year YWCA faithfully serves over 2 million women, girls and their families through 210 local associations throughout 46 states and the District of Columbia. One of those local associations has been serving communities in Pennsylvania's Sixth District for 110 years. YWCA Tri-County Area in Pottstown is a tremendous community asset, providing childcare, adult education and career counseling, health and wellness programs, and a variety of community events such as the Color Run to Eliminate Racism. Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the significant contributions of YWCA in empowering women, aiding families, advancing equality and strengthening communities as well as extending sincere congratulations as YWCA commemorates this most memorable milestone.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2409, bipartisan legislation I introduced with Congressman Kilmer. I want to thank Congressman Kilmer for his work with me on this bill. I also want to recognize the very stellar leadership of Chairman Roe on the VA Committee and Ranking Member Takano, as well as all the VA staff seated behind me and those not seated behind me, but who work every day to make that a highly performing committee here in the House. When our brave servicemembers are preparing to relocate or deploy because of Active Duty orders, they should not have to navigate costly and time-consuming cancelation fees and policies. Under current law, protections are granted to servicemembers with military orders for certain civil agreements, including rental leases or cell phone contracts; but they cannot terminate their cable, satellite television, and Internet access service contracts while deployed without incurring early-termination fees. Our legislation, very simply, fixes this by updating the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to include pay TV and Internet service contracts. While some States already do provide relief for pay TV or Internet services, this legislation would update the act to enact a policy at the Federal level, ensuring servicemembers and their families receive uniform assistance no matter in which State they reside. Mr. Speaker, I would again like to thank Chairman Roe for his support and his work to pass H.R. 2409. I would also like to thank Andrew and Erica in my office for their work on this important bill as well. Mr. Speaker, it is our responsibility to help provide peace of mind to our servicemembers and their families when they prepare to deploy, so I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Finally, Mr. Speaker, untreated alcohol or drug use during pregnancy dramatically increases risk of poor birth outcomes, neonatal intensive care use and greater infant and maternal healthcare use. But treated as part of prenatal care, birth outcomes, infant and maternal health use and costs are no different from their non-substance-using peers. That is why support of this rule and support of H.R. 6082 is so important.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the rule. I want to speak specifically on my support for H.R. 6082, which allows for the flow of information among healthcare providers and health plans that is necessary to foster care coordination, provide proper treatment, promote patient safety, make payment, and, ultimately, improve the individual's health status. Without alignment for treatment, payment, and operations, the following could not happen without an authorization: Coordinating care across behavioral and medical services. Case management to provide longer-term support after a patient ends treatment. Ensuring appropriate administrative and financial interaction between providers and plans, which support the core functions of treatment and payment for HIPAA-covered entities. Also conducting quality assessment and improvement activities to better integrate behavioral and medical services. This includes, Mr. Speaker, evaluating provider performance, conducting training programs, and accreditation, certification, and credentialing activities. People with substance use disorder die, on average, decades sooner than other Americans. This is largely because of a strikingly high incidence of poorly-managed, co-occurring chronic diseases, including HIV/AIDS, cardiac conditions, lung disease, and cirrhosis. Whatever we, as a Nation, are doing to coordinate care for this highly vulnerable patient population is utterly failing by any reasonable measure. An extraordinary array of organizations, hospitals, physicians, patient advocates, and substance use treatment providers have approached our committee to clearly state that existing Federal addiction privacy law--and that is what H.R. 6082 is focused on, existing privacy law--is actively interfering with case management/care coordination efforts, and preserving a failed and deadly status quo. Blocking certain substance use providers from accessing health records from these exchanges, which the part 2 regulations do, isolates patients in these programs from powerful exchanges of health information and from the protections of HIPAA and HITECH regulations governing these exchanges. Mr. Speaker, treating patients' substance use in isolation from their medical and mental conditions, which predominated care in the 1970s, is not the current standard of good medical practice today. There is overwhelming evidence now that patients' substance use cannot be treated in isolation from other physical and mental health conditions. In the 1970s, when part 2 was written, this was not widely known, and treatment for addiction was largely separate from treatment of other illnesses. By continuing to segregate substance use disorder records for any treatment setting means that you are willing to allow those patients to receive care that is lower quality at a higher cost. Medically-ill inpatients who have alcohol or drug disorders are at greatly increased risk of rapid rehospitalization after discharge and greater healthcare use and costs. Patients who have medical illnesses such as diabetes or cardiovascular disorders and who also have a substance use disorder use healthcare services two to three times more often than their peers with just diabetes or heart problems, and cost of care is similarly much higher.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Madam Chair, I want to thank my legislative aide, Andrew Furman, for his work on this. I encourage all of my colleagues to support this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Madam Chairwoman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson).

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Madam Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Emmer).

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Chair, we all care a great deal about supporting the next generation of farmers, and my amendment would expedite the U.S. Department of Agriculture's loan application process for young farmers who are in the process of securing farmland, providing funding for the farmers market promotion and local food promotion program, and also extend the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, which awards grants to organizations for education and mentoring purposes through a competitive grant process. A constituent of mine, Frank Kurylo, the organizer at the Young Farmers Coalition of Southeastern Pennsylvania and co-owner of the community-supported Kimberton CSA in my district, said it best: Without support of this amendment, we risk losing our Nation's future farms and farmers. 100 million acres of U.S. farmland is expected to change ownership in the next 5 years. We need to be able to connect young farmers to the land and provide the resources to help make farming a viable option for the next generation. The Young and Beginning Farmers Act is critical to reaching these goals and reconnecting people to a food system built around the sustainable principles that drive our access to healthy food. Madam Chair, I would like to thank the chairman for his support, encourage my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of myself and my House 21st Century Skills Caucus co-chair, Congressman Dave Loebsack, I rise today to acknowledge Skills for Today Week. Every American student should graduate high school with the knowledge and skills required for workplace, academic, and life success. Thriving today--finding and holding a well-paying job, succeeding in higher education, and becoming part of a healthy community--requires a deep grasp of rich content knowledge and the ability to use that knowledge to address challenges and meet needs. Extraordinary schools and community programs in Pennsylvania, Iowa, and many other states across the country recognize this vitally important vision and are working hard to equip their learners with the critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity skills (the ``4Cs'') they will need after graduation. As the bipartisan co-chairs of the House 21st Century Skills Caucus, we love to highlight the innovative schools and community organizations--including high quality early learning providers and engaging community programs--that are blazing new trails to prime students for success. That is why we are pleased to acknowledge Skills for Today Week, which is scheduled from April 23-27. Skills for Today Week was created by the Partnership for 21st Century Learning to showcase how leading schools and beyond school programs are transforming teaching and learning, using a focus on the 4Cs to prepare students for economic, academic, and life success. Policymakers and practitioners alike can learn from the diverse group of education innovators featured during Skills for Today Week events. We believe federal education policies should enable and invest in similar initiatives. As a result, we continue to strongly support the Every Student Succeeds Act, which defers to state and local decision-making and sensibly invests in educational innovations through bipartisan programs like the Student Support and Academic Enrichment block grant, the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, and the Preschool Development Grants program. The stars of Skills for Today Week show that this flexible and practical approach can make a major difference for America's students as they work to become the next generation of business, community, and national leaders.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, on April 16, 2018, I missed two recorded votes on the House floor due to train travel delays. Had I been present, I would have voted yea on Roll Call 140, and yea on Roll Call 141.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr Speaker, I rise to recognize all the volunteers with the Philadelphia Program of VITAS Healthcare, who graciously give their time and talents serving neighbors in need throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania. VITAS Healthcare has been a pioneer in hospice care since 1978 and has the distinction of being the nation's largest provider of end-of- life care. The Philadelphia Program of VITAS launched in 1993 and currently operates three in-patient units serving the five-county Philadelphia region. More than 60 volunteers in the Philadelphia Program serve a vital role in helping VITAS Healthcare deliver quality care and support to more than 200 hospice patients and their families every day. Volunteers of all ages and from diverse backgrounds carry out a variety of tasks, ranging from running errands and placing reassuring phone calls to spending quality time with hospice patients in their homes, hospitals and skilled nursing facilities. VITAS will honor these outstanding volunteers during an annual luncheon on April 28, 2018. The event is part of National Volunteer Appreciation Week, which was established by President Richard Nixon in 1974 to highlight the invaluable contributions of all volunteers and the incredible difference they make in the lives of those they serve. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me today in expressing our sincere gratitude to all the volunteers with the Philadelphia Program of VITAS Healthcare for their selfless service to individuals and communities in southeastern Pennsylvania. May their exemplary dedication and generous spirit inspire all to give back to others and strengthen our communities through volunteerism.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4986, RAY BAUM'S Act of 2018, named after the late Ray Baum, who dedicated his life to public service. Mr. Speaker, this bill includes important provisions to modernize our telecommunications agencies and to craft policies that will fuel next generation services like gigabit service and 5G networks. We are going to increase access to information and services for millions of Americans with this bill, Mr. Speaker. 5G networks mean doctors can more effectively treat patients that live hours away from the closest hospital, automated vehicles can offer mobility to our Nation's most vulnerable, small or rural businesses can compete beyond their local markets, and it means that first responders can more quickly reopen critical lines of communications in the aftermath of a natural disaster. By passing this bill, we can fully realize the benefits of an interconnected and increasingly wireless world. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4986.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a true champion for students and a tireless advocate for educational excellence in the Owen J. Roberts School District. James B. ``Jamie'' Frees II graduated from Owen J. Roberts High School in 1989. He began giving back to his alma matter in December 2009, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather by becoming a third-generation member of the Owen J. Roberts School Board. With a background in banking, Jamie was instrumental in the annual budget process and served as Finance Committee Chairman. He was later selected as Board Vice President and Board President. Jamie's contributions went well beyond serving as a School Board Member. As an OJR Music Parents Organization member, Jamie spent many weekends driving the equipment truck for the Marching Band and serving as announcer at the Fall Preview and Annual Cavalcade of Bands. In addition, he founded and served as president of the Coventry Rugby Football Club, was a member of the Famous Bucktown Boosters and a member of the board of the Charlestown Playschool. Sadly, Jamie passed away unexpectedly on February 1st. His death is a profound loss for the entire community. Mr. Speaker, I join the Owen J. Roberts community in mourning Jamie's passing, expressing gratitude for the countless ways he made the entire district better during his three terms on the school board, and extending my condolences to the Frees family.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to reiterate the critical importance of stabilizing the individual health insurance market. My focus continues to be for Pennsylvanians to have access to affordable and quality healthcare. To this end, I have introduced H.R. 4666, the Premium Relief Act, legislation that would provide funding for cost-sharing reduction payments for 2017, 2019, and 2020. CSR's lower cost sharing for thousands of Pennsylvanians who purchased low- deductible, high-quality health insurance. My bill includes a patient and state stability fund. Because this fund is guaranteed by the Federal Government, it would provide certainty to insurers when they set their rates. The stability fund can result in lower premiums for my constituents and many across the country by providing funding for copayments, coinsurance, preventative care, maternity care, treatment for mental health and substance disorders, among other needs. Mr. Speaker, this temporary Federal fallback will provide States with the necessary time to implement a thoughtful, carefully tailored program that best fits the needs of each State's unique patient population. I urge my colleagues to consider adding their name as a cosponsor to my legislation.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in great frustration with the partisanship that is being shown about a bipartisan program to help children and about keeping our government open. The Children's Health Insurance Program provides affordable and comprehensive medical coverage for children under 19 whose families do not qualify for Medicaid but cannot access insurance through a private plan. Thousands of my constituents rely on this program, and we are trying to reauthorize it for 6 years, the longest in the program's history. Mr. Speaker, there is nothing controversial about CHIP. Keeping the government open is a fundamental responsibility of Congress, and a government shutdown is irresponsible and unproductive. We must provide certainty to servicemembers and Federal workers who rely on a functioning government to support their families. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues, particularly those on the other side of the aisle, to prevail upon Senate Democrats to open the government up. We can continue these important policy discussions with an open government.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize a pillar of journalistic integrity in our democracy, the Reading Eagle, a newspaper in my district in Berks County, Pennsylvania. This month, the paper celebrates its 150th anniversary. On January 28, 1868, the Reading Eagle published its first daily paper and is now one of the oldest family-owned newspapers in our country. Today, the paper operates its headquarters in downtown Reading and serves as a valuable resource for news to many of my constituents. Congratulations to the Reading Eagle and its staff on this exciting milestone; and thank you for providing community news, great local content, national news, and providing transparency and accountability of government at all levels for the betterment of our democracy. In spite of all of the competing sources of information and evolving technology of today, the Reading Eagle remains the greater Berks region's go-to source for reliable local news and information.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, we need to keep the government open, and we need to keep the government funded, and we need to reauthorize the Children's Health Insurance Program. Now, in the Energy and Commerce Committee, we passed CHIP, reauthorized for 5 years out of committee in October. We passed it out of the full House in November. We are now back to authorize it for a full 6 years. We do not need any additional pay-fors. This will help 177,000 children in Pennsylvania and millions across the country. CHIP funding will be exhausted next month in Pennsylvania. Right now, some States already face a shortfall in their funding as the program has not yet been fully reauthorized for all of fiscal year 2018. It is past time that we provide a long-term solution and stability for families who depend on this quality, affordable coverage. I have heard from so many constituents--I have heard from many Democrats-- urging us to reauthorize CHIP. Tonight, we have a vote to keep the government open and to reauthorize CHIP. The right vote on this bill is a ``yes'' vote. That is the vote I will be taking on behalf of my constituents and this country.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 630, a resolution I helped introduce that would require sexual harassment training and antidiscrimination training for Members of Congress, staff, and interns. The requirements in this resolution are long overdue, Mr. Speaker. This is an issue which the Federal Government must be a leader on. Under this legislation, training must be completed within a certain timeframe, and employees must provide proof they have completed the training to the Committee on House Administration. It is very important that we take serious steps to address harassment in Congress. I applaud Congresswoman Comstock on her leadership. I have been proud to work with Congresswoman Speier, along with the bipartisan group of my colleagues, to make sure we have a productive, safe, and professional work environment here in Congress. This resolution is part of that solution, and I will continue working and pressing for additional reforms. I urge all of my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 849, the Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act. Mr. Speaker, this bipartisan legislation would bring an end to the Independent Payment Advisory Board, also known as the IPAB. Since its creation as part of the ACA, the IPAB has threatened to put an unelected panel of 15 Washington bureaucrats at the center of the healthcare delivery model. Not only would the IPAB shift healthcare decisionmaking away from patients and physicians, it would also empower this panel with the unilateral ability to make arbitrary cuts to Medicare without proper oversight and with zero accountability to the very seniors and beneficiaries whose healthcare access they would affect. Mr. Speaker, it is time to end this unrealistic, unreasonable, and unpopular one-size-fits-all approach to healthcare delivery. It was the wrong approach from the start, and today's vote will help bring an end to this dangerous power grab once and for all. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank all those involved, and I encourage my colleagues to support this important bipartisan effort.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that I may hereafter be considered as the primary sponsor of H. Res. 428, a resolution originally introduced by Representative Murphy of Pennsylvania, for the purpose of adding cosponsors and requesting reprintings under clause 7 of rule XII.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the hard work and dedication of all employees, past and present, at PJM Interconnection, which is celebrating its 90th anniversary. The work of PJM employees is critical to ensuring homes and businesses--more than 65 million people in total in all or portions of 13 states and the District of Columbia--have a reliable and efficient source of power. In fact, PJM oversees the largest power grid in North America, employing more than 600 people at their headquarters in my district near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. PJM was founded in 1927 when three utilities determined they could provide power more efficiently by interconnecting to share their generating resources and created the world's first continuous power pool. Over the past 90 years, PJM has grown to include more than one thousand members representing transmission owners, generation owners, consumers, and residential and commercial customers. PJM earned the distinction of being the country's first fully-functioning independent system operator in 1997 and the country's first fully-functioning regional transmission organization in 2002. Mr. Speaker, PJM Interconnection has demonstrated extraordinary leadership and embraced innovation in the constantly-evolving utility industry and, therefore, I would ask my colleagues to join me in extending best wishes for continued success to all employees as they commemorate this memorable milestone.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to raise awareness of the work Ambassador Nikki Haley is doing to increase transparency and accountability at the United Nations in many ways, but particularly as it relates to the U.N.'s Interim Force in Lebanon. This Force is tasked with an important responsibility: doing everything it can to disrupt and stop the illegal activities being carried out in Lebanon by Hezbollah, a group that seeks to destroy Israel and that receives funding from Iran. Part of this responsibility is ensuring weapons are not present near Lebanon's border with Israel. Unfortunately, for too long, the Force was not doing enough to acknowledge the presence of weapons, even as Hezbollah increased its weapons and put them on display for the media. At the behest of the United States, the Security Council has now agreed to increase the accountability of this Force, an important step for the security of one of our greatest allies, Israel, and for accountability and transparency at the United Nations.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to rise in support of this en bloc amendment, specifically the amendment I offered with Congresswoman Bonamici. Our amendment would help ensure adequate funding for a grant program available to States, including my home State of Pennsylvania, to tailor assessment systems to work for teachers, parents, and students. The amendment would provide $378 million in funding for State assessment grants, the amount authorized for these grants in the Every Student Succeeds Act but, notably, $8.9 million more than that which was included in the legislation we are currently debating. Including full funding for State assessment grants is a critical way for Congress to fulfill our promise under ESSA that we would streamline testing so the high-stakes testing culture that has burdened schools and students for too long is rolled back. I thank the chairman and ranking member for the opportunity to offer this amendment, and I urge the adoption of the en bloc amendment.