Madeleine Dean

Ms. DEAN

Ms. DEAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Crow for his service, his powerful words, and his commitment. I thank Representative Wenstrup, too, for his powerful words. Our Afghan allies serve alongside U.S. troops, diplomats, and government employees. We must do right by the people who have worked to protect our country and our servicemen and -women. Mr. Speaker, I urge everyone to support them through the HOPE for Afghan SIVs Act. I support this important legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. DEAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3385) to waive the requirement to undergo a medical examination for aliens who are otherwise eligible for special immigrant status under the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009, and for other purposes, as amended.

Ms. DEAN

Ms. DEAN. Mr. Speaker, today is day 173 of this Congress and the 150th of the Biden administration. These days have been spent governing to repair our global standing, to accelerate our vaccination program, and to boost a struggling economy. With the American Rescue Plan, we have governed to build back better for red districts, for blue districts, for all districts. In my district alone, here are some of the ways we have begun to build back better: with over $87 million for our school districts, $137 million for local governments, $1.5 million for Head Start programs, and the child tax credit will send an average of $2,400 to 37,000 families. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has received $7.3 billion, a transformative amount, that must address educational and opportunity inequities. In these 100 days, we have proven we can live up to a responsibility to govern. As we begin to emerge from this pandemic, we are at a turning point where we can build on the success of the American Rescue Plan, find infrastructure investments, and look toward a stronger, more compassionate future.

Ms. DEAN

Ms. DEAN. Madam Speaker, last Saturday, we remembered the murder of 49 people at the Pulse massacre 5 years ago. Tomorrow, we will mourn 6 years since nine people were killed in their place of worship at Mother Emanuel AME Church. It sits with me every single day that in this country we lose friends and family to the tragic and avoidable scourge of gun violence. As of this weekend, we have reached 272 mass shootings in this country. It is madness. These acts of violence, sometimes motivated by hate, continue. Yet, we--and the Senate in particular--have failed to enact commonsense gun violence prevention legislation that would stem bloodshed and end this loss. I implore the Senate to hear the cries of those in their communities, our constituents, and pass the two universal background check bills that the House sent over to the Senate in March. Families should no longer have to bury their loved ones when we have the ability and the responsibility to close deadly loopholes in our system. Gun ownership is an important part of our American culture and our Constitution, and now is our chance to come together in a way that preserves this part of our heritage while protecting our constituents and saving lives.

Ms. DEAN

Ms. DEAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to remember and honor my constituent and friend, Denise Burstein. Denise passed away on May 13 due to complications related to ALS. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and community leader. She was a woman of diverse passions and talent, an avid knitter, quilter, radio operator, and I recently learned that she had a black belt in karate. She devoted her life to helping others, working as a school speech and language therapist and continuing to help children even after her retirement. She was first to volunteer, whether it was as a local committeeperson with the Boy Scouts, coaching, training therapy dogs, or, after her diagnosis, helping spread awareness of ALS. To know Denise is to know her husband, Frank. They are two parts of a single smile, wonderful hosts whose brunches are the places to be for friendship, politics, and delicious food. I join Denise's family, friends, and wider community in mourning the loss of an incredible woman. I am better for having known her.

Ms. DEAN

Ms. DEAN. Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Pallone for his support on this bill, and I urge all members to support its passage.

Ms. DEAN. Madam Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Rodgers and Chairman Pallone for their leadership on this bill. I, once again, rise in support of H.R. 1629, the Fairness in Orphan Drug Exclusivity Act. This crucial legislation would close a current loophole that is used to block competition in the pharmaceutical marketplace. The Orphan Drug Act of 1983 provided incentives for prescription drug manufacturers to develop products to treat rare diseases. This includes an exclusive 7-year marketing right for therapies that receive an orphan drug designation. For a drug to qualify, it must either be a treatment for a disease or condition that affects fewer than 200,000 people in the United States or a drug intended for diseases that there is no reasonable expectation to recoup research and development costs. It would require all drug manufacturers who obtain orphan drug status to prove that they have no reasonable expectation that they will recover R&D costs. This legislation works to prevent companies from continuing to use orphan drug exclusivity status for a newly approved drug with an identical ingredient to the former version without having to prove the inability to recoup costs. This exact circumstance, as the chairman described, happened when a manufacturer of a buprenorphine product tweaked an older product that had received orphan drug status and subsequently was given a renewed orphan drug exclusivity. Buprenorphine is used as a treatment for opioid use disorder to help those recovering from addiction. Unfortunately, at the time, the opioid epidemic was raging, as it is today, and was by no means a rare disease. And the drug was by no means a market loser. It was a moneymaker. Closing this loophole would ensure that products do not receive an unfair market advantage and will get more affordable drugs to patients. It ensures consistency with the spirit and intent of the Orphan Drug Act. Know that we want to encourage and support the development of rare disease treatments and therapeutics. It is critically important. But we cannot allow this important incentive to be co-opted to allow for unfair market competition for drugs that are not a commercial loss. This bill was supported unanimously last Congress and has broad support among patient advocates. This bill is about ensuring market competition, reducing barriers to the development of new treatments, and, ultimately, supporting patients. Madam Speaker, I include in the Record a letter from 16 patient advocacy organizations in support of this legislation. March 9, 2021. Re H.R. 1629--The Fairness in Orphan Drug Exclusivity Act. Hon. Madeleine Dean, Washington, DC. Hon. Marc Veasey, Washington, DC. Dear Representatives Dean and Veasey: Thank you for your leadership on the reintroduction of H.R. 1629, The Fairness in Orphan Drug Exclusivity Act. Our nation is in crisis. Each day, 130 Americans die from an opioid overdose, and according to recent provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between June 2019 and May 2020, the number of people who died of an opioid overdose increased by 38.4%. We have a responsibility to ensure that all treatment options are made available to those living with opioid use disorder {OUD). Last year, this important legislation was approved by the House of Representatives unanimously. Unfortunately, the Senate was unable to also act on the measure before the 116th Congress adjourned. The new Congress now has an opportunity to pass this legislation swiftly and improve access to life-saving medication assisted treatments and prevent more lives from being lost. We, the undersigned organizations, support H.R. 1629 and urge quick passage of this important bill that will help ensure the availability of vital treatment options for OUD that can save American lives. The Orphan Drug Act, enacted in 1983, allows the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to grant manufacturers Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) and Orphan Drug Exclusivity (ODE) to a product developed to treat rare diseases and conditions affecting less than 200,000 patients. In addition, a manufacturer also can qualify for ODD and ODE if more than 200,000 patients are affected, but there is ``no reasonable expectation'' of recovering development costs. Few know about this option, and as a result it is exceedingly rare with only three uses to date. In such cases, if a newly approved product has the same active ingredient as a previous product that received orphan designation and exclusivity because the FDA determined the original drug could not recoup its development costs, the newly approved product does not have to demonstrate the inability to recoup its development costs. It does not matter how much time has passed, or how much money the newly approved drug is predicted to make. This loophole creates the potential for abuses within the system, and it is not consistent with intent of the Orphan Drug Act. Enacting H.R. 1629 will: fix this loophole in a narrow and targeted manner to prevent this abuse of the Orphan Drug Act; preserve incentives for development of products treating rare diseases and conditions; and ensure new treatment options come to market to treat OUD. During this public health emergency, we need all the tools we can muster to fight this crisis. We should not tie one hand behind our back as the exploitation of this loophole would do. More than 2.1 million Americans live with OUD, making this disease far from rare. This disease is a national public health emergency, and we need to close this loophole to ensure that all safe and effective treatments are available to fight this disease. Thank you again for your leadership on this issue, and we look forward to working with you to help pass H.R. 1629. Sincerely, Advocates for Opioid Recovery, AIDS United, Aimed Alliance, Daniel's story, Center for U.S. Policy, Cover2 Resources, FORCE, Healthy Women, Maryland Heroin Awareness, Mother's Addiction Journey, No More OD's, Inc., NOPE Task Force, Prevention Action Alliance, Shatterproof, Tyler's Light, Young People in Recovery.

Ms. DEAN. Madam Speaker, I include in the Record the Statement of Administration Policy issued by the Office of Management and Budget on May 17 of this year in support of this bill. Statement of Administration Policy H.R. 1629--Fairness in Orphan Drug Exclusivity Act--Rep. Dean, D- Pennsylvania, and two cosponsors The Administration supports House passage of H.R. 1629, the Fairness in Orphan Drug Exclusivity Act. Orphan drug status is intended to encourage companies to develop promising drugs for rare diseases. Current law provides market exclusivity for drugs that treat any disease or condition which (A) affects fewer than 200,000 persons in the United States, or (B) affects more than 200,000 in the United States and for which there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing and making available in the United States a drug for such disease or condition will be recovered from that drug's sales in the United States. H.R. 1629 affects only drugs that qualify under the latter provision. Current law allows market exclusivity to be extended for a new version of the same drug without the drug developer having to show a lack of profitability for that new version as well. This legislation would close that loophole, requiring all drugs that obtain seven years of market exclusivity for conditions affecting 200,000 or more people to illustrate that they have no reasonable expectation of recovering R&D costs through U.S. sales. The Administration applauds these steps to ensure Americans have access to high quality, affordable treatments.

Ms. DEAN

Ms. DEAN. Mr. Speaker, 22 million Americans lost their jobs during the pandemic. Slowly we have begun to rebuild, restore, and get back on track. Since President Biden has taken office, 1.5 million jobs have been created--the most jobs created in the first 100 days of any Presidency. Yet, as the April jobs report showed us, we must continue to take additional steps to get Americans back to work. There are more than 8 million jobs left to go. The American Jobs Plan is vital to rebuilding our community and our economy while protecting our planet. It is a once-in-a-century investment to create millions of good-paying jobs and to lay the foundation for extensive economic growth for the following decades. In my home State of Pennsylvania, our infrastructure earned a C-minus on its infrastructure report card. There is so much we can do. We need to safely upgrade Pennsylvania's roads and bridges, mass transit, ports, rail, broadband, and water supply. We have a chance here to make a generational investment and get our Nation back on track with the American Jobs Plan.

Ms. DEAN

Ms. DEAN. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2547. First, I would like to thank and lift up Chairwoman Waters for bringing up and authoring this important package, H.R. 2547, the Comprehensive Debt Collection Improvement Act, and for including two of my bills in this legislation. We must work to ensure that debt collection is fair, transparent, and free from harassment. One of my two bills is in this package. It is the Fair Debt Collection Practices for Servicemembers Act. It will protect our heroes from unfair and aggressive debt harassment. These debt collection practices are manipulative and can interfere with soldiers' careers, like contacting their superior officers or threatening a rank reduction. Unfortunately, these practices do not stop with the servicemember. Debt collectors also target military spouses, unfairly burdening our military families who have sacrificed so much. The language in this bill would specifically prohibit debt collectors from conveying any threat to a servicemember, or his or her dependents, to have his or her rank reduced, their security clearance revoked, or prosecution occur under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. These tactics must stop; our servicemembers, men and women, make extraordinary sacrifices on our behalf. I thank all the veterans and servicemembers who work in my office, Tim, Dave, and Timmy, and my own two brothers who have fought to protect our country. I recognize and appreciate the bipartisan support for this bill. My second bill in this package was written to correct an unfair practice a constituent brought to our office's attention. A constituent reached out for help getting a private student loan discharged because her daughter had become completely and totally permanently disabled. The mother was left with the remaining balance of the daughter's private student loans as a cosigner. The lending company said it was their policy to forgive the debt for the borrower but not for the cosigner of the original agreement. Further research by my office staff revealed there was no legal operating standard for discharging private student loans for cosigners after a permanent and total disability. This is wrong. No one can anticipate permanent disability, and we should work to decrease the burden that these people and their families face, which is what the Private Loan Disability Discharge Act will accomplish. This legislation will require private student loan lenders to discharge the loan balance for both the borrower and the cosigner if the borrower becomes totally and permanently disabled. This bill does not punish private lenders; it ensures all lenders are following the same rules. Both of these bills are about fairness and respect to the lender and consumer, following the spirit of the entire Comprehensive Debt Collection Improvement Act. This bill would protect servicemembers, small and minority-owned businesses, student loan borrowers, and those with disabilities, medical debt, and more. This package will place consumers and people first. Again, I thank Chairwoman Waters for her leadership, and I urge all of our colleagues to join me in supporting this important consumer and constituent protection legislation.

Ms. DEAN

Ms. DEAN. Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Guthrie and Chairman Pallone for their support of this critical legislation. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1629, the Fairness in Orphan Drug Exclusivity Act. This crucial legislation would close a loophole in the current law that can be used to block competition in the pharmaceutical marketplace. The Orphan Drug Act of 1983 provided incentives for prescription drug manufacturers to develop products to treat rare diseases. This includes an exclusive 7-year marketing right for therapies that receive an orphan drug designation. For a drug to qualify, it must either be a treatment for a disease or a condition that affects fewer than 200,000 people in the United States, or is a drug intended for diseases that there is no reasonable expectation to recoup research and development costs. This legislation focuses on the drugs intended for diseases that there is no reasonable expectation to recoup research and development costs. It would require all drug manufacturers who obtain orphan drug status to prove that they have no reasonable expectation that they will recover their research and development costs and efforts. This legislation works to prevent companies from continuing to use orphan drug exclusivity status for a newly approved drug, with an identical ingredient to the former version, without having to prove the inability to recoup costs. This exact circumstance happened when a manufacturer of a buprenorphine product updated an older product that received orphan drug status and subsequently was given a renewed orphan drug exclusivity. Buprenorphine is used as a treatment for opioid use disorder to help those recovering from addiction. Unfortunately, at the time, the opioid epidemic was raging. It was, by no means, a rare disease, and the drug was not a market loser. Closing this loophole will ensure that products do not receive an unfair market advantage and, therefore, remains consistent with the spirit and intent of the Orphan Drug Act. We must work to ensure people can gain access to newer therapies and medically assisted treatments that are potentially blocked due to orphan designation. Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Marc Veasey for introducing this legislation along with me. I thank my colleagues in the House for passing this bill without objection on a voice vote just 6 months ago in the 116th Congress. Again, I thank Chairman Pallone for bringing this bill forward and for his leadership on substance use disorder and behavioral health issues more broadly. Madam Speaker, I urge Members to support this bill.

Ms. DEAN

Ms. DEAN. Mr. Speaker, before coming to Congress, I served as a Pennsylvania State Representative. The legislation I was most proud to be a part of was the bipartisan Act 89 infrastructure bill that helped fix some of Pennsylvania's crumbling roads and bridges. Signed into law by Governor Corbett in 2013, Act 89 was a serious investment in our infrastructure, but it is not enough. Nationwide, we know that an out-of-date infrastructure system is costly, energy inefficient, and dangerous. Today, in a moment of low interest rates and historic need and a rapidly warming planet, we have an opportunity and an obligation to invest in a stronger, greener, and better connected future. The American Jobs Plan is that chance, a chance to build back better and make a generational investment for our grandchildren's future. This includes: roads, bridges, public transportation, drinking water, broadband, and good, clean energy union jobs. I worked with a Republican legislature and a Republican Governor to help pass Pennsylvania's infrastructure bill. I hope we can get together and work across the aisle for infrastructure investment for the next generation.

Ms. DEAN

Ms. DEAN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding to me. I also thank the ranking member and the committee in its entirety for working on this bill together. It is a sign of bipartisanship, one that I can be proud of and we can all be proud of. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1491, the Fair Debt Collection Practices for Servicemembers Act. Every day, we are reminded of the significant sacrifices our troops make to protect us. As Members of Congress, I believe we have a responsibility to protect those who protect us. The Fair Debt Collection Practices for Servicemembers Act works to live up to this responsibility by addressing abusive debt collection practices specifically targeting servicemembers. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, approximately 40 percent of complaints filed by servicemembers concern debt collection, as compared to only 26 percent by nonservicemembers. These debt collection practices are manipulative and have negative career implications for soldiers, like contacting their superior officers or threatening them with rank reductions. Unfortunately, these practices do not stop with the servicemembers. Debt collectors also target military spouses, unfairly burdening our military families who have sacrificed so much. These tactics are egregious and must stop. Our servicemen and -women make extraordinary sacrifices on our behalf. The last thing they need is harassment from debt collectors who take advantage of their service, which is why I am pleased to rise in support of the bill today. Specifically, my bill amends the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and prohibits a debt collector from communicating with a servicemember's chain of command or a dependent for the purpose of threatening to have their rank reduced or threatening to revoke their security clearance. This legislation will help ensure that our military families are not unnecessarily targeted and shield them from bad practices from debt collectors. We recognize our servicemembers' spirit of service, and we must do our part to be of service to them. Madam Speaker, I urge all Members, as they did last Congress, to support the Fair Debt Collection Practices for Servicemembers Act.

Ms. DEAN

Ms. DEAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Scott for leading and for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Paycheck Fairness Act. It has been more than five decades since the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, yet a woman still earns only 82 cents on average for every dollar earned by her male counterpart. Women of color fare much worse. The Paycheck Fairness Act will ensure equal pay for equal work. It is just that simple and it is just that overdue. Gender and racial pay gaps persist, and earnings lost to these gaps are felt even more during the COVID-19 pandemic. This falls most heavily on women. The Paycheck Fairness Act will update and strengthen the Equal Pay Act to help close this gap. Pay inequities not only affect women, it affects children and their families. Though we have made strides in the past, we know the issue of equal pay persists. We must not pass this inequity on. I want my granddaughters, Aubrey and Ella, as well as my grandson, Sawyer, to live in a country where equal pay for equal work is the norm. I thank chairwoman and champion Rosa DeLauro.

Ms. DEAN

Ms. DEAN. Mr. Speaker, last week, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan. Although the bill received no Republican votes, it has bipartisan support and will have a long-lasting bipartisan impact. Many constituents in my district have already received relief checks, with as many as 90 million stimulus checks out this week. Yet, this transformative legislation goes even further. It expands funding to get shots in arms and kids safely in school, and it cuts child poverty in half with an expanded child tax credit. Additionally, we finally targeted relief to our local restaurants and eateries that have been devastated by the pandemic. Let's not forget about our State and local governments. We will finally be sending them much-needed aid. My home State of Pennsylvania will receive more than $13 billion. Montgomery and Berks Counties, where my district resides, will receive a combined $242 million. The American Rescue Plan, and all it provides, is the responsible way to fully reopen all of our communities and Build Back Better.

Ms. DEAN

Ms. DEAN. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to speak about Sleep Awareness Week, a week to remind us all of the importance of something we all need--a good night's sleep. Sleep Awareness Week and World Sleep Day are internationally recognized and bring awareness to sleep and its important impact on our health. The pandemic has taken a toll on all of us, including our sleep schedules. Increased anxiety and worries have made it harder than ever to get consistent and peaceful sleep. Despite this fact, it is important we consider the instrumental role sleep plays in keeping our bodies and minds healthy. A proper comprehensive view of good health must include the importance of rest. We all could use it. I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure all American families, including 165,000 people in our country impacted by narcolepsy, have access to the healthcare they need. Sleep, wellness, and health must go hand in hand.

Ms. DEAN

Ms. DEAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to make clear that the motions to recommit that will be offered by our colleagues on the other side of the aisle are procedural. They are not motions that are sending back the legislation with instructions. It is a procedural move. I want to be clear and read literally what the motion to recommit says. Motion to recommit H.R. 8, offered by Mr. Jordan of Ohio, moves to recommit the bill, H.R. 8, to the Committee on the Judiciary. That is it. Motion to recommit H.R. 1446, offered by Mr. Hudson of North Carolina, moves to recommit H.R. 1446 to the Committee on the Judiciary. These are fake attempts to recommit these bills and to stop them from moving forward. They are sensible pieces of legislation that will save lives.

Ms. DEAN

Ms. DEAN. Madam Speaker, yesterday, I was delighted to join my colleagues in voting in favor of the American Rescue Plan. This transformative legislation will provide: shots in arms; kids safely in schools; needed cash in pockets; support to our small businesses, including restaurants and catering that have been hit the hardest; $13 billion to my home state of Pennsylvania; and $161 million to Montgomery County and $81 million to Berks County--where my district resides. It should not be lost on us that we passed this relief in women's history month. With over 2.3 million women forced to leave the workforce--including 1 million mothers--the time to invest and reinvigorate our economy for everyone is now. As the first female Secretary of the Treasury, Janet Yellen, recently said, To avoid the long-term scarring of the economy later, the smartest thing we can do is to act big and so we did. We acted big boldly. Sending resources to the poor and working poor, we passed $1.9 trillion for the people. Help is on the way.

Ms. DEAN

Ms. DEAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I am assuming our colleague on the other side of the aisle can pass a background check, so she will have no inability to have a gun. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, because even as we manage a deadly pandemic, gun violence continues to plague our Nation. Every year, more than 130,000 people in this Nation are victims of gun violence. Some 38,000 dead, another 100,000 caught in the crossfire. In my home region in Philadelphia, 2,244 people were victims of gun violence in the year 2020. Mr. Speaker, death by guns doesn't mean only murders. Sadly, it also means death by suicide using a firearm, which was the case in 62 percent of Pennsylvania's gun deaths last year. This is a public health crisis. The Bipartisan Background Checks Act requires a background check for all gun sales, no loopholes, no backdoors, a commonsense solution supported by a majority of Americans, including 89 percent of Republicans and 87 percent of gun owners. Mr. Speaker, let's find the courage to address the crisis. Let's save lives. Let's pass the bill.

Ms. DEAN

Ms. DEAN. Madam Speaker, any man's death diminishes me. We will never forget, the world will never forget, as we watched as a police officer knelt on George Floyd's neck for more than 8 minutes. George Floyd cried out for his mother, saying ``Mama, mama, mama, mama, mama, mama, mama, I can't breathe. I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I am dead.'' As he was murdered by an officer sworn to protect and serve, Americans of all races and backgrounds flooded the streets all across this Nation, demanding long overdue accountability so that no one has to live in fear of the police. They demanded that we recognize George Floyd's death and the deaths of so many others at the hands of the police. These killings have left the Black community and, much more importantly, our entire community traumatized and scared. Wounds cannot heal without accountability. This is not an anti-police bill. The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is for Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, and so many more. Any man's death diminishes me.

Ms. DEAN

Ms. DEAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to remember a community leader, a constituent, and a friend, Ms. Valerie Ward, who passed away January 6, at the age of 80. Ms. Ward devoted her life in service to others, as president of the Willow Grove branch of the NAACP, and as an Abington PAL board member. Val had the heart of a teacher, spending her time mentoring younger generations well into her own retirement. Clipboard in hand, Val could be found most weekends spearheading community events, always leading by example. Val was a woman of great faith, leading several ministries at her beloved New Bethel AME. As a life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, she was proud to share her sisterhood with Vice President Kamala Harris. She was known for her direct, no nonsense approach and her dry sense of humor, warm smile, and infectious laugh. I join Ms. Val's family, friends, and the wider Abington community in mourning the loss of an incredible woman. The world is a better place for her life.

Ms. DEAN

Ms. DEAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank our chairman, and I thank Representative David Cicilline for his tireless leadership in leading us to this day. All Americans deserve to be treated equally regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation. I do have to wonder, Mr. Speaker, what are those on the other side who are arguing against this wise legislation afraid of? Equal treatment for their LGBTQ family and friends? Why would they make such arguments? We must continue to strive for the equality of the LGBTQ community. Voting ``yes'' on the Equality Act furthers this fight and helps us live up to the promise of this Nation. As Bayard Rustin, an openly gay Black civil rights leader, said: ``Let us be enraged about injustice, but let us not be destroyed by it.'' The Equality Act is a necessary step in addressing injustice by advancing the rights of Americans nationwide because we are all God's children. The passage of this legislation is an important step in forming a more perfect Union.

Ms. DEAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin).

Ms. DEAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Jones).

Ms. DEAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Missouri (Ms. Bush).