Danny Davis

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Chairman, I include in the Record this letter of support from the American Society of Hematology and the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America. American Society of Hematology and the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, Inc. June 12, 2019. Hon. Danny Davis, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Hon. Michael Burgess, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Hon. G.K. Butterfield, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Representatives Davis, Burgess, and Butterfield: The American Society of Hematology (ASH) and the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America (SCDAA) strongly support your amendment to provide $2 million in funding for the sickle cell disease (SCD) data collection program authorized by the Sickle Cell Disease Research, Surveillance, Prevention, and Treatment Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-327). Your amendment will enable the CDC to expand its efforts to improve SCD surveillance in the United States. The Davis/Burgess/Butterfield amendment will add $2 M in funding to the National Center for Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Public Health Approach to Blood Disorders account. This program currently oversees SCD public health surveillance in the states of California and Georgia and has recently released a grant announcement for additional states to take the necessary steps to engage in SCD data collection. The amendment will enable additional high incidence states to undertake SCD surveillance. The CDC estimates that SCD affects nearly 100,000 Americans; however, absent a nationwide surveillance program, we are not confident of this estimate, nor do we know where individuals with SCD live, how they receive care or if they have access to healthcare providers with expertise in SCD. Surveillance is necessary to improve understanding of the health outcomes and health care system utilization patterns of people with SCD, increase evidence for public health programs, and establish cost effective practices to improve and extend the lives of people with SCD. SCD is an inherited, lifelong disorder that causes a person's red blood cells to become deformed and get stuck in veins, blocking oxygen flow throughout the body. This devastating disease can cause complications including severe pain, stroke, acute chest syndrome, organ damage, and in some cases premature death. The many complications of SCD can make every stage of life extremely challenging for individuals with the disease. This is compounded by the fact that many people living with SCD are unable to access quality care and are limited by a lack of effective treatment options. ASH represents more than 17,000 physicians, researchers, and medical trainees committed to the study and treatment of blood and blood-related diseases and disorders, including SCD. SCDAA's mission is to advocate for people affected by sickle cell conditions and empower community-based organizations to maximize quality of life and raise public consciousness while advancing the search for a universal cure. Thank you again for your leadership to improve ``the lives of individuals living with SCD. Expansion of CDC's work in SCD will significantly help improve our understanding of the disorder and in turn, improve healthcare outcomes for individuals with SCD. Sincerely, Roy L. Silverstein, MD, ASH President. Beverly Francis-Gibson, M.A, SCDAA President and Chief Executive Officer.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Chair, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro).

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Chairman, I simply want to commend and thank, again, Dr. Burgess for not only his passion, but the tremendous work and effort that he has put forth over the years to help make sure that this population group gets the service and attention that they deserve. Mr. Chair, I thank Representative DeLauro for her comments, especially the fact that many researchers believe that they are very close to finding a cure for sickle cell anemia, and this just moves us one step further. Mr. Chair, I urge adoption, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2940) to extend the program of block grants to States for temporary assistance for needy families and related programs through September 30, 2019.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2940 is bipartisan legislation that extends the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, TANF, and the Child Care Entitlement to States, CCES, through September 30, 2019. This legislation will allow the Department of Health and Human Services to make on-time payments to States, Tribes, and territories for the fourth quarter of the fiscal year. I thank my friend and ranking member, Mrs. Walorski, for her support of parents and grandparents and for partnering with me to ensure that there is no disruption in help for families or promised funding to States. States depend on Federal TANF and childcare funding to help struggling parents and grandparents work and to provide basic necessities for children. Without the funding we are extending today, States would likely reduce access to childcare assistance, transportation, and job training, and delay or reduce assistance families use to buy basics like food, housing, and diapers. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record this letter from the bipartisan leadership of the National Governors Association urging Congress to quickly enact H.R. 2940. National Governors Association, Washington, DC, May 30, 2019. Hon. Mitch McConnell, Majority Leader, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. Hon. Chuck Schumer, Minority Leader, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. Hon. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Hon. Kevin McCarthy, Minority Leader, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Majority Leader McConnell, Minority Leader Schumer, Speaker Pelosi, and Minority Leader McCarthy: We write to urge you to support and pass H.R. 2940, introduced by Chairman Davis and Ranking Member Walorski of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Worker and Family Support, which would extend the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program through September 30, 2019. As you know, the program funding is currently slated to expire on June 30, 2019. TANF is a critical program for states and served 3.1 million recipients, including 1.2 million families in 2018. TANF provides vital cash assistance, job training, child care, and other critical services for families and children. The program provided a total of $16.5 billion in 2018 in federal dollars for these services for the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the territories, and American Indian tribes. States also are required to contribute at least $10.3 billion in state funds per year under the maintenance-of- effort requirement. We ask that Congress act quickly and pass H.R. 2940, a clean TANF extension, and send it to the President for signature in order to avoid any lapse in funding for states and to mitigate any adverse impacts to American families. While continued short-term extensions make it challenging for states to allocate resources strategically, we look forward to working with you on a long-term reauthorization bill in the near future. Sincerely, Governor Kate Brown, Chair, National Governors Association, Health and Human Services Committee. Governor Charlie Baker, Vice Chair, National Governors Association, Health and Human Services Committee.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, in my home State of Illinois, we use more than half of TANF dollars to provide childcare to working parents and grandparents, and almost a fourth of it is for child welfare services to reduce child abuse and neglect. If the Federal Government fails to make TANF and CCES payments on time, it will affect our State budget, but it will also harm the most vulnerable families. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Judy Chu).

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Alabama (Ms. Sewell).

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore).

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the ranking member, Representative Walorski from Indiana, and all of my colleagues who have supported and who cosponsor and support this legislation. Congress can and should do far more to reduce child poverty and help hardworking families to make ends meet. For example, a recent study by the National Academy of Sciences found multiple paths to reducing child poverty by 50 percent in just 10 years using well-known evidence-based tools like the earned income tax credit, the child independent care tax credit, and the Child Care and Development Fund. Mr. Speaker, I hope to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to find new ways to support the parents and grandparents who are working so hard. But while we are looking for ways to make sure that States and the Federal Government do more, we should certainly not allow a funding lapse that would result in States having to do less. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this simple, bipartisan legislation to allow us to meet our commitments to State governments and to families in need across the country. Mr. Speaker, I urge full support, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, when only 39 percent of Americans have enough savings to cover an emergency costing $1,000 and when 67 percent of Americans say that they will outlive their retirement savings, the SECURE Act becomes a lifesaver. It becomes a lifesaver because it makes it easier for small businesses to offer retirement plans. It gives retirement benefit opportunities to home healthcare workers, more than half of whom are women of color, working for extremely low pay. And I must take note of that, because these individuals are at the low end of not only quality of life but low end of earnings. They now have an opportunity for some serious consideration of retirement. It creates a small employer automatic enrollment credit to make it easier for workers to participate in 401(k) plans. These are important changes. It is a great bill, not just a good bill. Madam Speaker, I strongly support it, and I urge all my colleagues to do so.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, the Obesity epidemic is a long-standing issue in American society with two-thirds of our population being affected by excess weight. This nation is facing the consequences of limited policies and funding to resolve this public health issue. Obesity affects all populations but some groups are disproportionately impacted such as racial and ethnic minorities. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, African American women have the highest rates of being overweight or obese with about 4 out of 5 women fitting the description. Constituents in my district are also highly affected by this phenomenon. A National Health and Nutrition Examination survey revealed that in the North Lawndale community in Chicago 46.4 percent of children aged 2-12 were considered obese. This is unacceptable especially when compared to the national average of childhood obesity which is 18.5 percent. Therefore, we must examine the factors that lead to such disparities. One primary factor in my district that contributes to this issue are food deserts. The lack of access to healthy food options is due to both the lack of food retail businesses and income within these communities. Unfortunately, high-calorie foods are less expensive and more available in neighborhoods with more corner stores than supermarkets. Additionally, there is a lack of safe, accessible places to walk, bike, and play in low-income neighborhoods, leaving residents with very few options. Health policies and programs need to be promoted in every sector from schools to local businesses to grassroots organizations. Addressing this epidemic will require us to work together to garner resources to battle obesity at the federal, state, and community levels. These resources could help communities facing health disparities fund projects such as community gardens and rebuilding playgrounds to get them on a path to healthier living. It is imperative that we address the issue of obesity to ensure the health of the country.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize and honor the life of Ms. Earnestine Rasberry who was affectionately known by her family, friends and loved-ones as ``Mommy''. Ms. Rasberry was born on December 15, 1940 in Edwards, Mississippi, to the late Genella Jones and Floyd Hopkins, Sr. She accepted Christ at an early age while living in Mississippi and later moved to Chicago while a teenager. In April of 1965 she and Mr. Moses Rasberry were united in holy matrimony. Earnestine enrolled in Malcom X College and earned and Associates of Science Degree in Nursing and began her nursing a career at Cook County Hospital where she worked for many years and then retired from Hartgrove Hospital in 2005. Her nursing career spanned for fifty years. Fifty years of looking after and caring for others. In addition to nursing, Earnestine had strong interests in traveling and cooking. A few of her favorite destinations included Alaska, Antarctica and China. The highlight of one of her many excursions was meeting Grammy Award winning Gerald Levert. Earnestine knew her way around the kitchen and hosted many holiday meals for family and friends. Cooking was one of her ways she expressed her love. Earnestine was the matriarch of her family and was instrumental. All of you should be comforted by these words. And I say ``let not your heart be troubled, you who believe in God, also believe in Earnestine. Her father's house has many rooms; if it was not so, would I not have told you so. She is gone to prepare a place for you, and where she is, you will be there also. And if she goes and prepares a place for you, she will come back and take you to be with her and you will be where she is. You know the way to the place where she is going.'' You can go where she is.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1759) to amend title III of the Social Security Act to extend reemployment services and eligibility assessments to all claimants for unemployment compensation, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. 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. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1759, the BRIDGE for Workers Act, continues our committee's bipartisan work to help Americans who are receiving earned unemployment insurance benefits to get back to work faster. Unemployment benefits are a vital lifeline for Americans who have lost their jobs, helping them keep the lights on and pay the rent while they search for work. But unemployment benefits replace less than half of a worker's paycheck, on average. Especially for lower paid workers, who may not have any savings to fall back on, the best outcome is to find a new job as quickly as possible. When you lose your job, it can be difficult to find a new one, especially if you are older, haven't looked for a job in a long time, or have made mistakes in the past. Reemployment services give people looking for help the personal help they need to overcome those barriers. For instance, States might provide assistance targeted to a claimant's needs, things like customized career and labor market information, help with application materials, or allowing them to practice for tough job interviews. Last year, we passed important legislation to improve reemployment services and eligibility assessment grants, or RESEAs. Our legislation added important worker protections, gave States incentives to improve the quality of the services being provided for workers, and ensured that sufficient funding is available in every State and territory. When I asked how RESEA grants were being used in my home State of Illinois, they told me about Tara, who struggled to find a new job after she was laid off, both because her skills weren't up to date for the current labor market and because she had a criminal record. The Illinois RESEA helped her upgrade her job skills and find a job with an employer willing to take a chance, a chance on someone who had made mistakes. She is now working and going to school to get an associate's degree in welding, so she will have better pay and benefits in the future. The BRIDGE for Workers Act would add important and needed flexibility to allow States to serve all workers who could benefit from reemployment services, not just those who are expected to run out of benefits before finding work. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter from the National Association of State Workforce Agencies endorsing the BRIDGE for Workers Act. National Association of State Workforce Agencies, Washington, DC, March 13, 2019. Hon. Stephanie Murphy, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Hon. Jackie Walorski, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Hon. Xochitl Torres Small, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Hon. Darin LaHood, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Representatives Murphy, Walorski, Torres Small and LaHood: We are writing on behalf of the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) to endorse the BRIDGE for Workers Act and express our appreciation of your bipartisan effort to authorize the Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessments (RESEA) program as part of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-245). Until the passage of the Act, RESEA had been limited to a widely-successful pilot grant program. Today, States around the nation now have the ability to accelerate unemployment insurance (UI) claimants' transition back to employment faster than non-participants, which is particularly important in an economy desperately in need of skilled workers. To enhance these efforts, we are pleased to see the proposed minor statutory fix proposed in the BRIDGE for Workers Act that reflects your intent to ensure any UI claimant, not just those most likely to exhaust their benefits, are eligible for RESEA services and assessments. The current language in Section 306 of Act needs to be modified to ensure this intent is actualized and while the Appropriations Committee made such a modification in their FY 19 Labor-HHS Appropriations bill, a permanent fix would provide clarity and stability for states actively focused on helping claimants return to work expeditiously. NASWA is the national organization representing all 50 state workforce agencies, D.C. and U.S. territories. These agencies deliver training, employment, career, and business services, in addition to administering the unemployment insurance, veteran reemployment, and labor market information programs. NASWA provides policy expertise, shares promising state practices, and promotes state innovation and leadership in workforce development. Thank you for your consideration of this request. Sincerely, Jon Pierpont, NASWA Board President, Executive Director, Utah Department of Workforce Services. Scott B. Sanders, NASWA Executive Director.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, the BRIDGE for Workers Act will ensure that more workers who need reemployment services get them. Those individuals and workers, like Tara, will get back to work faster, in better jobs, and on a path to a better future. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the BRIDGE for Workers Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Murphy), the sponsor of the bill.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Judy Chu).

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore), a member of our subcommittee

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time I have remaining.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Torres Small), a cosponsor of this bill.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Alabama (Ms. Sewell).