Lois Frankel

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida. Madam Speaker, a Supreme Court, out of touch with the American people, says that State legislatures can ban abortions and give our most important personal decisions to politicians, and Republicans are on a mission to do just that. Madam Speaker, my, my, my, their plans are getting crazier and more extreme by the minute. Listen to this: National anti-abortion groups and their allies, Republican allies in State legislatures, are scheming to stop people in States where abortions are banned from seeking the procedure elsewhere. As we speak, there is a proposal in Missouri, a State that bans abortion, that would allow private citizens to sue anyone that helps a Missouri resident have an abortion in another State. They are going to punish doctors, Uber drivers, spouses, and the rest just for helping a woman who is getting the healthcare that she needs. We stop that today.

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Sergeant Thomas H. Corey, a decorated Vietnam War Veteran and beloved advocate for veteran's rights. Sergeant Corey passed away at the age of 77, on June 6, 2022, in Jupiter, Florida, due to complications from injuries sustained during the Vietnam War. Sergeant Corey served as a U.S. Army combat infantryman and squad leader in Vietnam. In January 1968, in Quang Tri Province, he was shot in his spinal cord while engaging the enemy, leaving him paralyzed and quadriplegic. For his service and heroism, Sergeant Corey was awarded the Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts. After medically retiring, Sergeant Corey relocated to West Palm Beach, Florida in 1972 and joined the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), beginning his decades-long career as an advocate for our nation's veterans. In 1981, he founded VVA's Palm Beach County Chapter 25, which was renamed in his honor in 1991. Sergeant Corey would go on to serve as VVA's National President and vowed, ``to speak up for those veterans without a voice.'' He fought for mandatory funding for veterans' health care and services because he believed that ``to deny adequate funding for quality health care and other services is to violate a sacred trust with the nation.'' Sergeant Corey also traveled back to Vietnam more than a dozen times as a representative of the VVA's Veterans Initiative Task Force to meet with his former enemy, and work together in search of the remains of Americans and Vietnamese who lost their lives during the war. He simultaneously ran the Vietnam Veterans Peace Initiative where he spearheaded the building of a maternal health clinic in Vietnam to provide medical support to victims of Agent Orange attacks. Sergeant Corey dedicated his life to fighting for veterans and improving access to quality health care. His work has touched the lives of generations of veterans and their families. I am proud to honor him today and express my condolences to his family, friends and to our entire community for the enormous void he leaves behind. May his memory be a blessing.

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and to my colleagues for their articulate words today. Mr. Speaker, I rise with great pride as we move forward with a bipartisan bill to award the last living Nuremberg prosecutor, a prosecutor against Nazi criminals, Mr. Benjamin Ferencz, awarding him the Congressional Gold Medal, Congress' highest expression of appreciation for distinguished achievements. In this day of partisan conflict, this is a rare show of bipartisanship with 296 cosponsors from both sides of the aisle. Mr. Ferencz is 102 years old, and to this day, is a tireless advocate for the rule of law and international justice. I have met Mr. Ferencz because I am blessed to say he is my constituent in Del Ray Beach, Florida, and he remains very alert and very humble. My colleagues have said it, and I am going to quickly repeat a little of his history. Mr. Ferencz emigrated to the United States with his family--he was only 10 months old--to escape the persecution of Jews in Eastern Europe. He grew up in New York City, eventually earning degrees from City College and Harvard Law School before serving in the Army during World War II. He enlisted under General Patton before being transferred to a newly created war crimes unit to help collect evidence of Nazi war crimes. He would enter concentration camps and come face to face with the horrors of the Nazi regime's systematic murder of millions of Jews. He once said: ``Even today, when I close my eyes, I witness a deadly vision I can never forget--the crematoria aglow with the fire of burning flesh, the mounds of emaciated corpses stacked like cordwood waiting to be burned. I had peered into hell.'' After the war, he was honorably discharged and awarded five battle stars for his service. And that is when he was recruited for his most notable role, chief prosecutor of the Nuremberg trial, that was later called the biggest murder trial in history. At age 27, it was his first case, and yet, he rose to the occasion, reminding the courtroom and the world that this was a case that dealt with our humanity. And in his closing statement, he concluded about the Nazis on trial: ``Death was their tool and life their toy.'' And if they were found innocent: `` . . . then law has lost its meaning and man must live in fear.'' Not only did his words ring true in the courtroom, where all 22 Nazis officials he prosecuted were brought to justice, they resonated around the world and have been quoted time and time again when the international community rallies to decry crimes against humanity. Nearly 80 days after the conclusion of these trials, we meet here during Jewish American History Month, after having just celebrated Israel's Independence Day and observing Yom HaShoah, the day set aside for Jews to remember the Holocaust. It is important to recognize we are still fighting the ongoing battle against racism, anti-Semitism, and Holocaust denial in this country and around the world, as we witness in horror the inhumanity of Putin's war on Ukraine. So the timing of this bill has never been more important because Mr. Ferencz inspires us to stand up to the cruel barbarians of this world. Mr. Ferencz said it best: ``Nuremberg taught me that creating a world of tolerance and compassion would be a long and arduous task.'' His lifelong philosophy of ``law not war'' and ``never give up'' was quoted recently by Ukraine's Ambassador. Today, in bipartisan fashion, we are going to recognize this magnificent man, committed to justice, peace, and human dignity with the Congressional Gold Medal.

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida. My, my, my, Madam Speaker. Here we go again. I thank my friend from Texas for yielding. I keep saying that I think Texas and Florida, we are in the race, the race for the worst. I don't know who is winning that one. But like the gentlewoman, those of us in Florida, we have been stuck in an unfortunate situation, battling with a State government that is actively harming the people they are supposed to protect and it is especially true when it comes to abortion care. They call us the so-called Freedom State. We are the Freedom State, which means that the Republican legislature and the Governor believe they have the freedom to deny people the freedom to make one of life's most personal decisions, and that is whether to bring a child into the world. Madam Speaker, I remember the days before Roe v. Wade, and I was 15 years old, and I--literally, one of my friends was missing for a day, so I went looking for her and I found her in a bed covered with blood. And what had happened is she had had a back-alley abortion, nearly died. We got her to the hospital in time, but how I wish she could have gone and gotten proper care. That is just an example. Here's the thing. You can have all the laws you want to outlaw abortion. You are not going to stop abortion. All these laws do are try to stop illegal abortion, and they unfairly burden the people with the least amount of money, because if you are wealthy you find a place where you can get a safe abortion. But I want to say, I really come to this as a mother, and as a grandmother. Those who know me know that I--and my grandchildren call me Lolo. I come to this as a Lolo. Really, it is the best part of my life. What a blessing my son is to me and my two grandchildren. But I also know the responsibility. I know the responsibility, which really brings us to why we are here today because, whether or not to bring a child into the world, as I mentioned, I think is one of the most important personal decisions that a person makes. They shouldn't have to call their Congressperson, their Governor, their State legislature. So tonight, I want to thank the gentlewoman because we are recognizing those people that we know in our community who have really been advocates or providers for the healthcare that people deserve and need. So I am going to recognize two courageous leaders from my home State of Florida, champions for women's access to full healthcare, not just abortions, which should be part, but all kinds of care. And they are Lillian Tomayo and Mona Reis. And like the gentlewoman's advocates that she talked about tonight, they are fighting against, they have been fighting against an unending tide of terrible State laws that try to undermine reproductive freedom. And once again, once again, this time we are following Texas, we are on the cusp of enacting a dangerous restrictive abortion ban, which is a ban on abortion after 15 weeks that is now awaiting our Governor's certain signature. But for decades, Lillian and Mona, in their own capacities, have fought hard for reproductive freedom in our State. For more than 20 years, Lillian has been advocate for women, teens, the LGBTQ community as president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of South, East, and North Florida. And Mona Reis is the founder of the Presidential Women's Center in Palm Beach County. She ran that for about 40 years, and she faced threats, arson. There was a period of time, even today, abortion providers are under danger. Some have even been murdered. But both have persisted. They have persisted to make sure our underserved communities have access to the healthcare that they need. And they have been essential in providing access to reproductive care, and the freedom that people deserve in our State. Each are going on a new journey, but they leave a legacy of unrelentless pursuit of reproductive freedom. I say thank you to Mona and to Lillian.

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I am very excited to be supporting this bill today. The gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Scanlon) did a great job with the biographies of these two incredible women, Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, our first two women on the United States Supreme Court. I am thinking back to my childhood. It is not that easy to think back to my childhood, but I am thinking back to my childhood, and probably one of the most exciting things that I did was a family trip with my parents and my brother to the Capitol. Now when I think back, and coming through the Capitol and seeing all those statues, I must have wondered as a child, did women do anything? It is just amazing, of the 266 statues here in the Capitol, only 14 are women. To me that is crazy. It is just crazy. We are honoring these two Supreme Court Justices not just because they are women. I am not going to go through their biographies again, but think about it. They went through their careers at a time when there was no Title IX, there was no equal pay, there were limitations on how many women could actually get into law school, and then if you did get into law school--because I was in law school back in the day when there weren't a lot of us--you were bullied. I mean, you were bullied in the classroom. Their achievement is absolutely remarkable. I am very proud that future generations are going to come through these Halls, and they are going to see representations of these two women. Millions of children from all over the country and all over the world--because we are opening up, I hope soon, as we pass COVID--can be inspired, and I cannot wait. I cannot wait to bring my two little grandsons so they can see that the girls can do it, too. Just to add, this is a bipartisan bill. I am proud to be one of the sponsors here in the House. Women did this together, but we thank the gentlemen for being on board.

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Lillian Tamayo, a distinguished local health care advocate, on her recent retirement. For more than 20 years, Lillian has been a champion for women, teens, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community across South Florida. She worked tirelessly to increase their access to and awareness of quality affordable health care services. As President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of South, East and North Florida, Lillian expanded the organization's reach to eight of the state's most diverse counties and broadened its services to historically overlooked groups. One of the most successful initiatives that she led, La Promesa, engaged Latina women who were previously underserved in South Florida. During the most difficult times in the abortion movement, Lillian stood strong and fearlessly led in the fight for reproductive freedom. She advocated in federal court to block past Florida laws designed to limit abortions. Lillian also fought to extend health services and counseling options to South Florida teens and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. As a result of her advocacy, Planned Parenthood is now a judgement-free zone where young people can go to receive HIV and STI screenings, hormone therapy, discuss birth control options, and receive mental health counseling. Lillian's dedication to health care access and education is truly admirable. Her work has created a space in which women and men across Florida can feel safe for years to come. I am proud to celebrate her today and wish her the very best on her retirement.

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida. Madam Speaker, this month is Women's History Month. I think you are making history, Madam Speaker, today, one of the youngest women ever to be elected from California and, actually, in the country. Women are making history. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to be here. Hopefully, we are going to have a few more speakers here today, but I do want to start. I am going to take a page out of the book of our great First Lady, Jill Biden. I attended a ceremony over at the White House where she and the President celebrated Women's History Month. And she started out with a salute, I think, to--if you could think of anybody who you want to give a shout out to, she gave it to her own mother. And I am going to start with that too because, you know, most of our mothers, they are not very famous, and it is not like they made history. But the fact of the matter is, moms are probably the most influential people in the world. In fact, if you ever go to an event where someone is being honored, who is the first person they thank? It is their mother. So I am going to start this Women's History Month with my remarks by thanking my mother, Dorothy Frankel--and let me just say this--who has inspired me in every way, and now, at 96 years old, with--I would say with a mind better than mine--maybe that is not saying much, but with her full faculties and the energy to live. I want to say thank you, mom, like all the other moms who give us the unconditional love and the support, whether the sun is shining or the rain is raining. So today, I think we have some other people here. Before I continue my remarks, I want to yield to a very special friend. We talk about making history. I am going to yield to one of the most dynamic Members of the House of Representatives. She is from Texas. She has got her hands full. I mean, I will tell you what: I don't know whether it is more difficult today being from Texas or from Florida, I think our Governors are in some kind of contest with each other. But I am going to yield to the amazing gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Ms. FRANKEL

Ms. FRANKEL. Madam Speaker, this Representative is going to go down in history as one of the most articulate fighters for justice we have ever seen. I give her a special congratulations for all the work she did on the Violence Against Women Act that was celebrated today. Madam Speaker, I recognize another historic woman who is very prolific. I will highlight just a couple of things. She brought to this venue the #MeToo movement. She has been the champion in changing military law to protect people from sexual violence. And she is my co-chair of the Women's Caucus. And I could go on and on. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from the State of California (Ms. Speier).

Ms. FRANKEL of Florida

Ms. FRANKEL of Florida. Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Speier. I will tell you what, it is really hard to follow those remarks. I think all of us--all Americans--really all people around the world who have been following the brutality of Putin's war, our hearts are breaking. I thank the gentlewoman for highlighting the special plight of the women. As I said, it is almost hard to talk about anything after that, but I do want to say this. For about 200 years women have been fighting for rights, for rights that White men and then eventually Black men had, but we are still fighting for them. I was just thinking back to my own childhood--and probably your childhood, too. They had limits on how many girls could get into law school or medical school; there were no sport scholarships available. If you were a married woman, you could only get credit in your husband's name. Abortion was illegal. Equal pay was not even a concept. We did finally get the right to vote after women were arrested and chained themselves to the White House. So if you look back in history, we have been fighting very hard to get our rights. I want to thank Representative Jackson Lee, she has highlighted some of the victories over the years and some of the women who led the way, whether it was with Title IX or Roe v. Wade, or the bill that was just celebrated today by the President, the Equal Pay Act, the Paycheck Fairness Act. A lot has been done, but, wait, they are all in jeopardy. It is just shocking that after all these years of fighting, every one of these rights are in jeopardy, including the right to vote, which is why--and I know my colleagues here would agree--we must have an equal rights amendment. We must have inscribed in the U.S. Constitution equality for men and women that cannot be changed at the whim of a political body. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida. Madam Speaker, I would just say that it is a joy to be on the floor with Representative Jackson Lee. I thank the gentlewoman very, very much. She makes my job very easy. Madam Speaker, I yield again to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Speier).

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida. I thank the gentlewoman for her leadership. She will be missed. I know she will go on to bigger and better things. She has made her mark in the history of this country for sure. I want to thank my colleagues, Sheila Jackson Lee and Jackie Speier, for coming to the floor. They gave us a great education tonight, and I appreciate that. I will conclude, Madam Speaker, the way I started, which is I thank all those millions and millions of unknown women who lift us up every day, who dry our tears, and who share our happiness with that unconditional love, and those are our mothers who are probably, as I said, the most influential part of the history of the world. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership. Mr. Speaker, I am blessed that my son, Ben, a Marine war veteran, returned safely from tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Ben is now a small business owner, and he has even given me two beautiful grandsons. And listen, not every family is as lucky. Our servicemen and -women put their lives on the line for our Nation, and yet for too long, countless veterans have unknowingly been exposed to environmental hazards and toxic waste, like burn pits, during their duty. And then they come back home with long-term health impacts like cancer, infertility, and breathing issues. Mr. Speaker, they deserve better. We owe them better. And here is the thing: If we are willing to send our troops to war, we must also be willing to care for their health upon return, and this includes the 80,000 veterans in my home area of Palm Beach County. It is time for Congress to honor this commitment and pass the Honoring our PACT Act to provide access to VA healthcare to millions of veterans exposed to toxic substances. The best way to thank our veterans for their service is with action. I urge my colleagues to pass this important bill.

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate my guest for the State of the Union address, Allison Boettcher. President Joe Biden and House Democrats are building a better America. The American Rescue Plan put our economy back on track with historic job growth and the fastest recovery of any of the world's leading economies; and small business owners across the nation, like Allison, have persevered and survived with assistance from President Biden and Democrats. Allison is the founder of Blue Mountain Coffee House, a small business in Florida's 21st Congressional District. Raised in Jamaica, Allison has been passionate about the Caribbean--the culture, the community, and the coffee. In January 2020, she committed to sharing that love with her neighbors in West Palm Beach, and her fresh roasted coffee from Jamaica's Blue Mountains has become a local staple. Like so many small business owners across the country, Allison found herself struggling when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and was able to withstand the economic fallout from the pandemic. With the help of the Paycheck Protection Program and Restaurant Revitalization Fund, crucial provisions in The American Rescue Plan, Allison's business stayed open and kept employees safe and on payroll. For the people of West Palm Beach, Allison's Blue Mountain Coffee House is much more than a cafe, it is a place where people feel at home. Her tenacity and desire to serve the people of West Palm Beach is truly inspiring. I am grateful for her contributions and look forward to her continued success.

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the Friends of the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, a non-profit organization in Florida's 21st Congressional District. Since its founding in 1982, the Friends of Loxahatchee have been tirelessly committed to conserving Florida's beautiful natural ecosystems for future generations to enjoy.

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Yolette Bonnet, a fierce advocate for health care in Florida's 21st Congressional District who recently announced her retirement. For 20 years, Yolette has been committed to improving access to quality health care for individuals and families across South Florida. She has gone above and beyond to meet their health care and social service needs, regardless of their ability to pay. Under Yolette's leadership, what began as a small social service organization in 1985--then known as The Comprehensive AIDS Program--has since been transformed into a community health center that provides comprehensive and culturally competent care to all people. Known today as FoundCare, this organization plays a vital role in the Palm Beach County community. Yolette has worked to garner millions of dollars in grants and donations for FoundCare, helping the organization to expand to a total of seven locations across the county. Yolette was instrumental in helping designate FoundCare as Florida's first Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), which receives federal funding to serve low- income members of our community. Today, FoundCare is the largest non- governmental FQHC in Palm Beach County. Yolette has also supported our community throughout the COVID-19 public health crisis, initiating Florida's first COVID-19 community testing site at FoundCare. Yolette's dedication and service to the people of South Florida is truly inspiring. Her outstanding work has touched countless lives, and I am so thankful for her efforts to improve health equity within our community. I wish her well on her retirement and I am proud to honor her today.

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida. Mr. Speaker, people sometimes ask me what was the greatest moment in my life. I have had a lot of great moments, but I will say three. The first was the birth of my son, Ben, and I would say the next two were the birth of my grandchildren, Ivo and Bruno. The decision for me to bring Ben into the world, the decision to raise a child, that was a personal decision made by me and my husband, and we didn't have to call a Governor, we didn't call a State legislator, we didn't call our Member of Congress and say, hey, is it time? Mr. Speaker, I stand here to talk about freedom, freedom of everyone to have the right to make that very, very personal decision of whether or not to bring a child into the world, because we know the raising of a child brings so many blessings but also great responsibility. None of us really know the individual circumstances of other people. I raise that point today, Mr. Speaker, because as I stand here in the Chamber, across the street at the United States Supreme Court, the Court is hearing a case about a law in Mississippi that would effectively overturn the Roe v. Wade decision that has given women the right to access abortion for the past 50 years. That Mississippi law is an effort by Republican legislatures, and in this case the Mississippi legislature, to ban abortion. It is about politicians controlling women's bodies. It is about politicians taking away the personal decision of people to access the healthcare that they need. Mr. Speaker, as I stand here today and have trepidation whether or not the Supreme Court is going to uphold this right to access to abortion, it is a clarion call for the United States Senate across the hall to take up and pass the Women's Health Protection Act, which we passed here in the House. That act would forever protect a woman's right to access a safe, legal abortion. Let freedom ring.

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I just join those in condemning the acts of repression by the Cuban regime and call for the immediate release of Cuban citizens arbitrarily detained. I urge my colleagues to pass this resolution.

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Ted Deutch and my colleagues. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in solidarity with the people of Cuba who deserve the right to stand up peacefully for freedom and basic human rights without fear of repercussions. This summer, as my colleagues have already described, thousands of Cubans took to the streets peacefully to raise their voices for basics like food, and medicine, access to the internet, for freedom and opportunity in their country. And what was the response by their Cuban Government? Violence and arrests and detention without due process of hundreds of the protesters. Here is what I think we can all agree with: the ability to speak freely, to rise and protest our fundamental human rights that everyone deserves, no matter where they live in the world, and that is whether you are marching here in Washington, or in south Florida, or on the streets of Havana. We must continue to support and stand up for those who are standing up for fundamental freedoms. And we must condemn the acts of violence and undue repercussions against people for exercising these rights. So today, by passing this important resolution, we take a stand and we shine a spotlight on these blatant attacks on human rights in Cuba by condemning the acts.

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida. There are 90 of us. We are fighting for you. We are going to build back better for our women, our children, our parents, our grandparents. We love them all. I have two grandsons; I want them to have the same rights as every little girl.

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida. Well, how about parking your car in a parking lot? We pay more to have someone watch our car than we do to watch our children. And it is not only not fair and not right, but it also mostly affects women of color because that is who predominantly are our caretakers, and as a result, Madam Speaker, of this paying so little, there is a tremendous shortage. Would you tell us, Representative Speier, what this means today in terms of the childcare and the home care industry in terms of getting people to even work the job?

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida. Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Speier for her leadership today. Madam Speaker, I have this speech and all that, but I don't want to make a speech. I told my friend I was just going to rant. She said: ``Go to it.'' I am listening to the cable news and all that, and they say the Democrats are fighting and they are talking about the moderates and the progressives, and I just want everyone to know this: We are fighting. We are fighting for you. We are fighting for the American people. And especially we are fighting to make sure that women and children are on this train when it pulls out on build back better. First of all, I am a very proud member of the Florida delegation, but I am not really here as a Representative. I am here as someone who was a working mother and now I say I am a working grandmother. And I remember those days of having to juggle and make sure my son was in good, nurturing care as he was growing up and I was working full time. And now I have grandchildren whose parents both have to work full time, and I think about them all the time. Who are they going to be left with? What about when they have their colds? I had forgotten, Representative Speier, that your first year of pre-K you are constantly sick. So not only do they go to school, then they have to have someone to take care of them when they have that cold. And I think my colleague from New Jersey gave a really good summary of what it is like for the parents struggling to make ends meet. We know that parents are really making the least amount of money usually when their kids are the youngest. And it is really a stretch for so many parents to even afford childcare, and then for the sandwich generation to have to take care of the elderly or the disabled loved one who needs home care. But I want to talk about also, Representative Speier and Madam Speaker, about the worker, the people in whose care we are leaving the people we love the most. Representative Speier, did you realize that the average salary for a childcare worker or a home care worker is about $27,000 a year?

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida. Will the gentlewoman yield?

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida. So you think about it. After you pay your rent, your car payment, your insurance, your food, you buy your clothes, it doesn't leave much, if anything. And think about the responsibility of these workers, as I said, taking care of our precious children. And I want to give you an example, because the average income of all workers in the United States is $68,000. I would like that to be higher, too, and I am not saying that other people don't deserve good salaries, but just to give by comparison, a truck driver, $46,000; a schoolteacher, $64,000; an accountant, $79,000; a plumber, $60,000. I can go on and on. A salesperson, $64,000. I am not saying they don't deserve that money, but don't the people who take care of our loved ones also deserve to make money so they can have a decent life?

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida. Right. Because we are going to build back better for our children, and especially our working parents, for the elderly, who we love, and the disabled, by not only making it more affordable, but also raising the wages of our care workers. We are talking about a transformational bill with Build Back Better. Madam Speaker, I know you appreciate this, and those here today, is that we are fighting in this bill to have universal pre-K for all 3- and 4-year-olds in this country, getting our children off to a good start. Representative Speaker, I know you can tell us, what does it mean when a 3- and a 4-year-old gets off to a good start, and how does that equate to how they are going to do later in life?