Suzan DelBene

Ms. DelBENE

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Chairman, the bill, as it exists, doesn't require challenges to have any merit, so it opens the door to frivolous lawsuits. The Office of Management and Budget did say that this would hit the billion-dollar threshold. I do think that it is very, very important that we support my amendment so that we protect students today from harmful, unintended consequences of the REVIEW Act. I want to thank my colleague for being willing to work together on ways to improve college affordability going forward. I would ask that he support this amendment as part of that, but I would be happy to work with him on other issues as well. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. DelBENE

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Bellevue College and its great work toward educating students in my home state of Washington. Bellevue College was founded in 1966 as a small community college with fewer than 500 students. Fifty years later, it has grown into two campuses with an enrollment of nearly 33,000 students each year, becoming Washington's largest community college. Throughout its tremendous growth, Bellevue College has remained committed to providing all students with access to affordable, quality higher education. Today, the institution's students are able to take advantage of nearly 100 different professional and technical programs or pursue one of the 10 bachelor degrees offered by the college. I would like to thank all of the school's faculty, staff and administrators for their hard work and commitment to helping their students and the college succeed. Bellevue College has done a remarkable job preparing its students for the future, and I look forward to seeing what the next 50 years hold. Happy anniversary to the entire Bellevue College community.

Ms. DelBENE

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 1217, the bipartisan expanded background checks legislation, to honor the memory of Amanda Alvear, a victim of gun violence who never received a moment of action on the House floor.

Ms. DelBENE

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the Pacifica Institute in Bellevue for their work to generate interfaith dialogue and promote cross-cultural ties. Pacifica Institute has built up ties of mutual understanding and strengthened communities throughout the state of Washington. Pacifica Institute has continually engaged the community in activities to foster shared experiences. Their efforts have helped remove barriers, building confidence and trust to create a peaceful society through newfound relationships. Through their vision of promoting social justice through shared networks, Pacifica Institute has provided our district with the opportunity to foster mutual appreciation in a respectful environment. I'm pleased to join Pacifica Institute in their annual Ramadan Interfaith Friendship Iftar in Redmond this weekend. I am looking forward to coming together with members of our community to celebrate various religious backgrounds. As President John F. Kennedy said, ``If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity.'' Pacifica Institute works to do just that. Its commitment to educating communities serves as a positive voice bringing people together to combat prejudice and intolerance.

Ms. DelBENE

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, this is Pride Month, and we have much to celebrate. In the last two decades, our Nation has seen the Defense of Marriage Act overturned, an end to the criminalization of same-sex conduct, and nationwide marriage equality, all through Supreme Court decisions that were handed down on June 26. But even with these incredible strides, we cannot forget that LGBT Americans continue to face inequality and discrimination simply for who they are and who they love. That is why I have introduced legislation to designate June 26 as LGBT Equality Day, not only to celebrate how far we have come, but also to acknowledge how much work remains to be done. I urge my colleagues and all Americans to join me in celebrating the first LGBT Equality Day on June 26. As opponents of equality double down in their attempts to legalize discrimination, we must keep fighting until all Americans have equal rights and protections under the law.

Ms. DelBENE

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer a simple clarifying amendment to ensure that State, local, and tribal governments can develop and implement community-based programs that have demonstrated success in reducing recidivism and getting people the help that they need. I am hopeful everyone in this Chamber can support it. The growing epidemic of heroin use and prescription drug abuse is having a devastating effect on the health and safety of our families and our communities both in my home State of Washington and across the country. The problem has become so severe that adults in the United States are now more likely to die from a drug overdose than a car accident. With more than 120 deaths occurring from drug overdoses in this country every day--more than half of which are from prescription drugs--it is clearer than ever that Congress must take action. That is why I am so pleased to see my colleagues on both sides of the aisle coming together to combat the epidemic of addiction. This legislation represents an important first step. It authorizes much- needed funding for the opioid abuse reduction programs that will expand substance abuse prevention and intervention efforts, boost resources for law enforcement officers and first responders to administer overdose reversal drugs, improve substance abuse treatment for individuals in the criminal justice system, and help prevent the illegal distribution of opioids in our streets. Among the programs authorized under the bill are treatment alternative to incarceration programs, an important tool for law enforcement agencies in the fight against opioid abuse. My amendment simply clarifies that this provision includes a model with demonstrated success in Seattle and King County. First launched in 2011, the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion program, or LEAD, is a community-based pilot program that offers a helping hand rather than jail time for those suffering from substance abuse. According to an initial study, it successfully reduces recidivism by as much as 60 percent. Other cities have taken notice, with Santa Fe and Albany already working to implement the model in their communities. Instead of arresting and prosecuting low-level drug offenders, we should be supporting successful programs like LEAD that direct them to the community-based services and help that they need. My amendment will do just that. It will ensure resources are available to expand successful models that are already working and make a meaningful difference in addressing this crisis. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support it. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Johnson).

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

Ms. DelBENE

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to remove my name from H.R. 4651.

Ms. DelBENE

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, updating our laws to reflect the way the world works in the 21st century has been one of my top priorities in Congress. After spending two decades in the technology sector where things change at light speed, it can be hard to understand why we still have laws on the books that don't reflect how society functions in the digital age. Nowhere has this been more obvious than in our email privacy laws that date back to the 1980s. Under current law, there are more protections for a letter in a filing cabinet than an email on a server. This was never really the intent, but email's evolution has made it clear that our policies are woefully outdated. I have supported a number of different proposals to reform our electronic privacy laws, and I will continue to push for those. Today's vote on the Email Privacy Act is a great step forward for American civil liberties. I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this important legislation, and I urge our friends in the Senate to take up the bill without delay so we can send it to the President and ensure Americans are guaranteed the privacy protections most think that they already have.

Ms. DelBENE

Ms. DelBENE. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I also rise in support of H.R. 4570, the 100 Years of Women in Congress Act. This is bipartisan legislation on a topic that is critical for our country and personally important to me. This legislation would honor the first woman elected to Congress in 1916, Jeannette Rankin, by renaming USDA's Women and Minorities in STEM Fields Program as the Jeannette Rankin Women and Minorities in STEM Fields Grant Program. Jeannette Rankin graduated with a degree in biology long before it was common for women to be scientists, and she was elected to Congress before women had the right to vote. As a fellow Pacific northwesterner, she continues to be an inspiration today. There is no doubt that we need more women, especially more women leaders, in STEM fields. The year I graduated from college, women received 37 percent of the computer sciences degrees. Today it is below 20 percent. One explanation for this is that, in the early days of PCs, computers were seen as toys and were marketed heavily to boys, not girls. Eventually, young women considered computer science and showed up on college campuses and found themselves alone in computer science classrooms dominated by men. Before Congress, I had a long career in the technology sector and worked with a lot of developers in the early days of email, so I know what it is like to be the only woman in the room. Thankfully, I had a strong female role model, my mother, who showed my sisters and me that we could do anything we wanted in our careers. So I know firsthand how important it is that our kids develop the skills they need to have bright futures and help make sure the United States remains a leader in technology and innovation. Children, especially young women, need more role models like Jeannette Rankin so they can see themselves in STEM fields. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Meng), the sponsor of this legislation.

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to join me and all of us here in support of this bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. DelBENE

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, I was absent on Monday, March 21, 2016, and Tuesday, March 22, 2016. I was therefore unable to cast my vote on roll call vote numbers 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, and 135. Had I been present for these votes, I would have voted NAY on roll call votes 131 and 132. Had I been present for these votes, I would have voted YEA on roll call votes 130, 133, 134, and 135.

Ms. DelBENE

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the rule and the underlying legislation. And I call on the Speaker to stop this political game and allow the vote on comprehensive immigration reform that we should have taken 2 years ago. Everyone agrees that our immigration system is broken, but instead of voting on a solution, Congress is again wasting time on a political gimmick that does not address a single real problem. The President took lawful action to help families being torn apart by our current system. If Republicans take issue with what current law allows, they should stop obstructing meaningful debate and get serious about comprehensive immigration reform. As a member of the Judiciary Committee, I helped lead efforts last Congress to enact comprehensive immigration reform by introducing the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, H.R. 15. I believe that bill would have passed if we had been given a chance to vote on it on the floor. We had 200 cosponsors and a chance to fix this problem then. I won't blame the current Speaker for mistakes of the past, but he has a chance to lead now. For too long, Congress has failed to take meaningful action to address our broken immigration system. As a result, we have a deeply flawed system that is not working for our communities, our businesses, immigrants, or families. It will take Congressional action to truly repair our broken immigration system, so I strongly urge my colleagues to oppose this resolution and demand that Congress act.

Ms. DelBENE

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from New Jersey for yielding. Mr. Speaker, 43 years ago, the Supreme Court ruled that women have a constitutional right to decide whether and when to have a child. Americans overwhelmingly think that was the right decision, and I agree. But according to Bloomberg, at no time since 1973 has a woman's access to reproductive health care been more dependent on her income or ZIP Code. Politicians across the country are passing dangerous laws to block women from exercising their constitutionally protected right to choose, and their efforts are working. That is why the case before the Supreme Court is so important. As the Justices weigh the Whole Woman's Health case, I hope they recognize that these shameful attacks undermine Roe v. Wade, put women's health at risk, and must be struck down. A woman's right to make her own healthcare decisions means nothing without the ability to exercise that right. If the Court upholds these harmful laws, it could pave the way for similar restrictions at the Federal level, and Republicans are already trying. We cannot let that happen. Women deserve better. They deserve the freedom to make their own healthcare choices.

Ms. DelBENE

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Chair, I rise to offer this amendment to ensure the National Science Foundation can continue investing in the development of an American workforce that is globally competitive in computer science and information technology. This has been a bipartisan goal in the past, and I am hopeful everyone in this Chamber will be able to support it. Computing technology has become an integral part of our lives, transforming our society and our Nation's economy. Nowhere is this clearer than in the Puget Sound region. I have the honor of representing Washington's First District, which has some of the world's leading software companies and technology innovators. But the same can be seen across the country. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there will be roughly 10 million STEM jobs by 2020 and, of those jobs, half are expected to be in computing and information technology. That is nearly 5 million good-paying jobs. But unless we step up our game, our country won't have enough computer science graduates to fill those positions. Today, there continues to be a substantial shortage of Americans with the skills needed to fill computing jobs, and too few of our students are being given the opportunity to learn computer science, both at the K-12 level and in college. What is worse, dramatic disparities remain for girls and students of color. Last year, less than 25 percent of students taking the AP Computer Science exam were girls, while less than 15 percent were African American or Latino. To remain economically competitive, we need to make smart investments now to address these disparities and ensure we have a strong 21st century workforce in the decades to come. Thankfully, NSF supports vital research and development projects to help prepare the next generation to compete in STEM jobs, something we all agree is an important goal. My amendment simply clarifies that, under the legislation, NSF can also invest in projects aimed at developing an American workforce that is globally competitive in computing and information technology, sectors that are seeing enormous growth here at home and around the globe. If we want our students to be prepared for the digital economy, NSF must be able to fund projects that support the teaching and learning of essential computer science skills like coding, programming, designing, and debugging. My amendment will do just that. It will ensure we are looking forward and preparing students for the college degrees and careers of the future. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support it. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. DelBENE. I want to thank the chairman for his support. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Chair, I rise to offer an important amendment for scientists across the country who are engaged in ongoing research funded by the National Science Foundation. As everyone in this Chamber knows, research and innovation are central to American competitiveness and driving our national economy. Each year, investments in research through NSF help us push the boundaries of scientific knowledge, support new industries, and address the challenges facing our society. I don't think anyone would deny that funding for NSF has overwhelmingly benefited our country. It is also key to our country's economic growth. Funding new explorations in science and technology is how we stay on the cutting edge of research; it is how we continue to compete globally in the 21st century economy. That is why I have serious concerns about the implications of the underlying legislation, which needlessly inserts a layer of political review into the scientific research process. To remain a world leader, we need to ensure scientists are exploring transformative new ideas and frontiers based on the merits of their research, not the subjective opinions of politicians in Congress. Unfortunately, those subjective opinions are exactly what is being injected into the process under this legislation; and what is worse, it has the potential to put ongoing research at risk. By changing the rules about how NSF funding is awarded, scientists across the country may rightfully be concerned about how this legislation affects the important work that they are doing today. As someone who started her career in research, I can tell you firsthand it is incredibly important that you have the certainty to see a project through to the end. Starting and stopping research is highly detrimental. We should provide scientists the long-term visibility to know their ongoing research can be completed without interference from politicians, and that is precisely what my amendment does. My amendment simply clarifies that the underlying legislation does not impact any grant funding that has already been awarded by the NSF. It is critical that we pass it to ensure ongoing research is not disrupted by this unfortunate bill. Mr. Chairman, research isn't a spigot you can turn on and off. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this commonsense amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. DelBENE. I thank the chairman for his support of the amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. DelBENE

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Ms. Harriet Spanel, who recently passed away at the age of 77. Harriet served in the Washington State Legislature for more than two decades, representing Northwest Washington with immense dedication and conviction. Harriet had an intense passion for making her community a better place. She served on many local boards and committees, and took a hands on approach to what she saw as her civic responsibility. So it was no surprise that when Harriet decided to run for office and was elected to the state House, and then the Senate, she jumped in head first without hesitation. Throughout her political career, Harriet was a strong proponent for her constituents, sticking up for the local fishing economy and for the preservation of some of our state's most beautiful lands She was a constant advocate for her community, always fighting for what she believed would make a positive difference, however large or small. My heart goes out to all her family and friends. Harriet will be greatly missed by the countless lives she touched, but her presence through the work she accomplished will continue to resonate in Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties as well as throughout our state for years to come.

Ms. DelBENE

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this frivolous and wasteful exercise, which will be our sixth vote to defund the Nation's leading provider of reproductive health care. That is right. House Republicans have now voted six times to defund an organization that 2.7 million Americans rely on, even though four different Congressional committees tried and have failed to uncover any evidence of illegal activity, even though a grand jury last week cleared Planned Parenthood of all wrongdoing and, instead, indicted their anti-choice accusers, even though Republicans' taxpayer-funded Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives, which they created nearly 4 months ago, hasn't held a single meeting. Yet here we are on Groundhog Day, no less, voting for the sixth time to prevent women from choosing their own healthcare provider. It might be funny if it weren't so outrageous. Women deserve better. They deserve leaders who actually care about the facts. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no''