Gene Green

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on S. 2512, the Adding Zika Virus to the FDA Priority Review Voucher Program Act. Representatives G.K. Butterfield and Susan Brooks led this legislation in the House and members of our Energy and Commerce Committee. I want to thank them for their commitment to mitigating the Zika virus outbreak. S. 2512 will add Zika virus to the list of qualified tropical diseases under the Tropical Disease Priority Review Voucher program, PRV. Zika virus is among several recent and emerging global health threats that remind us of the need for effective incentives for research and development of neglected tropical diseases, and for infectious diseases at large. Neglected tropical diseases, or NTDs, represent more than 10 percent of the global disease burden. However, only 4 percent of all new drugs and vaccines approved across the globe in the next decade were for NTDs. The NTD Priority Review Voucher program was created by Congress in 2007 to be a much-needed incentive for products that diagnose and treat such diseases for which market forces fall short. The Adding Ebola to the FDA Priority Review Voucher Program, which was signed into law in 2014 and was led by myself and Representative Marsha Blackburn, gave the FDA the authority to add diseases to the program by issuing an order. The agency has already used this authority to add Chagas to the program. While the program is successful, it could be more so. Currently, there is no requirement for a product to be novel or that it be made available and affordable for the patients whom awarded products are designed to help. It should be amended to strengthen its effectiveness. This can be done by adding a novelty requirement and an access strategy requirement, like what is mandated under the Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review Voucher program. This legislation did not go through the House Energy and Commerce Committee, so the opportunity to discuss the NTD PRV program was not taken. I hope to work with my colleagues to incorporate amendments on future legislation that will improve the functioning of the program. Doing so will allow it to incentivize novel programs and ensure they are widely accessible to patients in need. Improvements to the PRV program would be one important step toward ensuring we have effective strategies to incentivize both research and development for NTDs. Broader changes are urgently needed to ensure the R&D system delivers new vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments to patients presenting and exposed to NTDs and resistant infections. I look forward to working with my colleagues on additional mechanisms to ensure R&D for these emerging threats is successfully and properly incentivized. Doing so is necessary for the flourishment of biomedical innovation in this space. I fully agree with the bill sponsors that we need to do all we can to respond to the Zika virus by facilitating the development of and access to medical products as quickly as possible. The administration has asked Congress for $1.9 billion in emergency funding to enhance our efforts to prepare and respond to the outbreak, both around the world and here at home. This legislation is arguably a step in the right direction, and I again thank the sponsors for their commitment and leadership. However, this bill far from renders the emergency supplemental funding request unnecessary. Dedicated funds, some of which will go towards medical product development to respond to the Zika virus, are essential to sustaining Health and Human Services' response efforts. I urge my colleagues to ask swiftly to approve emergency funding for a robust Zika virus outbreak response. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Butterfield), the cosponsor of the legislation, but also a member of our Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, we have no other speakers. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this resolution. H. Res. 639 is an unprecedented measure by the House Majority to make its opposition to deferred action the official policy of the United States House of Representatives. A resolution offering the full House to file an amicus has never been done before. Last week, I proudly joined 222 congressional colleagues in sending a amicus brief to the Supreme Court in support of immigrant communities and deferred action. House Republicans are welcome to do the very same. However, to send a brief in the name of the full House and the American people is unprecedented and unwarranted. DAPA, Deferred Action for Parental Accountability, and expanded DACA, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, created by the President's 2014 Executive Order, would give over 5 million immigrants living in our country today--including an estimated 182,000 immigrants living in Harris County, Texas--the opportunity to no longer live in fear and a shot at the American Dream. The President's Executive Order that created DAPA and expands DACA is entirely within the Department of Homeland Security's legal authority to grant or deny applications for deferred action. Congress has explicitly passed laws delegating broad immigration enforcement authority to the Executive Branch. There is a strong historical precedent for DAPA: During the administrations of President Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, deferred action was granted to hundreds of thousands of immigrants in the 1980's and early 1990's. All of this would be completely unnecessary, Mr. Speaker, if the House Majority had stood with the American people in the last Congress and passed comprehensive immigration reform. Instead, we will be voting on an unprecedented resolution that has little, if anything, to do with fixing our nation's broken immigration system and everything to do with the political season. I sincerely hope my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, many of whom I have worked with for years and consider good friends, will not allow the People's House, or their party, to adopt the anti- immigrant views of Donald Trump. Mr. Trump's demagoguery and fearmongering against immigrants who came to this country for a better life--just like our forefathers and foremothers before us--must not be allowed to become the sanctioned policy of Congress. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to stand with me and vote against this needless and unprecedented resolution.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote on Thursday, March 3, 2016, due to important events being held today in our district in Houston and Harris County, Texas. If I had been able to vote, I would have voted as follows: On the Motion on Ordering the Previous Question on the Rule providing for consideration of H.R. 4557, the Blocking Regulatory Interference from Losing Kilns Act, I would have voted ``no.'' On H. Res. 635, the Rule providing for consideration of H.R. 4557, I would have voted ``no.'' On S. 1826, To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 99 West 2nd Street in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, as the Lieutenant Colonel James ``Maggie'' Megellas Post Office, I would have voted ``yea.'' On passage of H.R. 4557, the Blocking Regulatory Interference from Losing Kilns Act of 2016, I would have voted ``no.'' On the Journal Vote, I would have voted ``yea.'' personal explanation

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote on Wednesday, March 2, 2016, due to important events being held today in our district in Houston and Harris County, Texas. If I had been able to vote, I would have voted as follows: On H.R. 3716, the Ensuring Access to Quality Medicaid Providers Act, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote on Tuesday, March 1, 2016, due to important events being held today in our district in Houston and Harris County, Texas. If I had been able to vote, I would have voted as follows: On H.R. 136, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1103 USPS Building 1103 in Camp Pendleton, California as the ``Camp Pendleton Medal of Honor Post Office,'' I would have voted ``yea.'' On H.R. 3735, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 200 Town Run Lane in Winston Salem, North Carolina, as the ``Maya Angelou Memorial Post Office,'' I would have voted ``yea.'' personal explanation

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote on Friday, February 26, 2016 due to important events being held in our district in Houston and Harris County, Texas.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote on Monday, February 29, 2016, due to important events being held today in our district in Houston and Harris County, Texas. If I had been able to vote, I would have voted as follows: On H.R. 4238, to amend the Department of Energy Organization Act and the Local Public Works Capital Development and Investment Act of 1976 to modernize terms relating to minorities, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I was unable to vote on Thursday, February 25, 2016, due to important events being held today in our district in Houston and Harris County, Texas. If I had been able to vote, I would have voted as follows: On the Cartwright Amendment to H.R. 3624, the Fraudulent Joinder Prevention Act, I would have voted ``yea.'' On the Democratic Motion to Recommit H.R. 3624, I would have voted ``yea.'' On Final Passage of H.R. 3624, I would have voted ``no.'' On the Motion on Ordering the Previous Question on the Rule for H.R. 2406, Sportsmen's Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act, I would have voted ``no.'' On H. Res. 619, the resolution providing for consideration of H.R. 2406, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chair, I support H.R. 2406, the Sportsmen's Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act or SHARE Act. Recreational hunting and fishing are some of the oldest traditions in America. I went on my first hunting trip in the early 70's and have loved gaming ever since. The sport was a great way to bond with my father-in-law and a great tradition to pass on to my own son. I am not alone in enjoying this great tradition. Sportsmen and women contribute billions of dollars to the U.S. economy, support thousands of jobs and enrich our culture. Texas is home to 2,713,000 hunters and anglers, making it the second biggest state for sportsmen and women in the nation. H.R. 2406, the SHARE Act, is supported by more than 50 of the nation's leading conservation groups and includes provisions that will expand access for hunters and anglers and protect the environment through conservation efforts. The SHARE Act will protect access to BLM and U.S. Forest Service land for hunting and fishing, reauthorize the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act and allows fish and wildlife agencies added flexibility to construct public shooting ranges. Ensuring future generations of Americans have access to these great traditions must be our priority going forward.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of U.S. Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) exports. U.S. LNG is of vital importance to our friends around the world, specifically those in the Black Sea. Currently, our European allies are stuck in a struggle for energy independence from Russia. More critically, the burgeoning democracies in Ukraine, Bulgaria and Romania are largely dependent on Gazprom for their crucial gas supplies, and we are all well aware Russia is seeking to influence its neighbors' political process by threatening their gas supply. American LNG could give Ukraine and the other Black Sea nations a real alternative. In fact, there are Texas companies already engaged in negotiations with the Ukrainian state gas companies to build Ukraine's Black Sea LNG receiving terminal and supply U.S. LNG to Ukraine. There exists a concern that an impediment to Ukraine receiving U.S. LNG is the uncertainty surrounding the passage of LNG tankers through the Bosphorus Straits. Under the 1936 Montreux Convention, which controls how the Bosphorus Straits are to be used in peacetime, the LNG tanker issue should already be resolved. Article 1 provides that ``The High Contracting Parties recognize and affirm the principle of freedom of transit and navigation by sea in the Straits.'' Article 2 states that ``In time of peace, merchant vessels shall enjoy complete freedom of transit and navigation in the Straits, by day and by night, under any flag with any kind of cargo.'' Even with the clear language of the Treaty, debate continues as to governmental authorities over the waters of the Bosphorus. It is time to bring clarity to this important issue and open the Black Sea to U.S. LNG exports. U.S. LNG exports will play an important role in the future of our allies. It is my hope we can develop a reasonable, consensus approach to allow LNG to pass through the Bosphorus Straits.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. I was unable to vote on Wednesday, February 24, 2016, due to important events being held today in our district in Houston and Harris County, Texas. If I had been able to vote, I would have voted as follows: On the motion on ordering the previous question on the rule for consideration of H.R. 3624, the Fraudulent Joinder Prevention Act of 2015, I would have voted ``no.'' On passage of H. Res. 618, the rule providing for consideration of H.R. 3624, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I request to have it noted in the Congressional Record that I was unable to vote on Tuesday, February 23, 2016 due to important events in our district in Houston and Harris County, Texas. If I had been able to vote, I would have voted as follows: On passage of H.R. 4408, the National Strategy to Combat Terrorist Travel Act of 2016, as amended, I would have voted ``yea.'' On passage of H.R. 4402, the Foreign Fighter Review Act of 2016, as amended, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Houston Hispanic Forum for hosting its 30th annual Career and Education Day and for its commitment to the Greater Houston community. The Houston Hispanic Forum is a community-based, non-profit organization whose mission is to ``empower and inspire the success of the large and fast-growing Hispanic community in the Greater Houston area, thereby strengthening the entire community.'' This year's Career and Education Day will bring 12,000 middle and high school students from throughout Houston and Harris County and surrounding communities to the George R. Brown Convention Center on February 13 for a day-long event to prepare our students for college and the professional world. Students and their parents will have the opportunity to speak and learn from experts in over 55 professions, including accounting, journalism, and rocket science. The fair will have over 100 exhibitors, including local and national colleges and universities, trade schools, non-profit organizations, and large companies. Trained experts will be providing valuable assistance on how to apply for federal financial aid, deferred action, and tax consultation. All of these opportunities and services will be available free of charge. The economy of the 21st century demands a highly educated workforce. If Houston and Texas are to continue leading our nation in innovation and prosperity, we must educate and train all of our young people, regardless of race, ethnicity, or income, for the new economy. This is why organizations like the Houston Hispanic Forum and events like Career and Education Day are so valuable. I would like to thank Houston Hispanic Forum President Daniel Contreras and its Board of Directors and staff for all the time and effort putting this special day together. I would also like to thank our local school districts, colleges and universities for their participation and great efforts they make to provide a world class education to all of Houston's students.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to state that I was unable to vote on Tuesday, February 9, 2016 due to community events held that evening in our district in Houston and Harris County, Texas. If I had the opportunity to vote, I would have voted ``Yea'' on H.R. 3036, legislation to designate the National September 11 Memorial located at the World Trade Center in New York City, New York, as a national memorial.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise to highlight the success of the Affordable Care Act. The numbers are in and, once again, millions of Americans signed up for quality affordable health coverage. More than 12.7 million Americans selected plans through the health insurance marketplaces--4 million, or 42 percent, of whom were new customers this year. People want coverage. And, thanks to the ACA, millions can now have the security of knowing they won't go bankrupt if they get sick or have an accident, can't be denied coverage because of a preexisting condition, and have access to preventative and primary care services at little to no out-of-pocket cost. In the 29th District that I am proud to represent, 55,000 residents fall into the expansion gap and have no insurance because States haven't expanded Medicaid. It is time for Texas and other States to do the right thing and recognize that health care is essential for some of our poorest families by expanding Medicaid. The Affordable Care Act is here to stay. I hope Congress will move past repeal attempts and start talking about how we can make the Affordable Care Act work even better for the American people. I stand ready to work with my colleagues on this critical issue.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to state that I was unable to vote on Thursday, February 4, 2016 due to district events our office is hosting in Houston and Harris County, Texas. If I had been able to vote, I would have voted as follows: On the Democratic Motion to Recommit H.R. 766, I would have voted ``Yea.'' On final passage of H.R. 766, the Financial Institution Customer Protection Act, I would have voted ``No.''

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chair, during Rollcall vote No. 50 on the Pazazzo Amendment, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.'' Amendment No. 12 Offered by Mr. Al Green of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chair, during rollcall vote No. 51 on the Al Green amendment, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank our ranking member of the Judiciary Committee for yielding to me. I rise in strong opposition to this legislation. The so-called Fairness in Class Action Litigation Act is an attempt by the House majority to take away America's access to the courthouse and punish asbestos victims by requiring personal information be made public on the Internet. I am proud to represent the hardworking people in the 29th District of Texas. Our district is home to the Port of Houston and the largest petrochemical complex in the country. The people in Eastside Houston and Harris County are proud of the work they do in producing the oil and gas and chemicals that drive our Nation's economy. We also produce a lot of seafarers because we are the largest international port in the country. This inherently hazardous work needs to be done as safely as possible. Workers in Harris County and throughout our great country should not be exposed to known human carcinogens like asbestos. This is why I introduced, with my colleague, Representative Suzan DelBene, the Reducing Exposure to Asbestos Database, or READ Act, last year. This legislation would expand existing protections enacted under the Reagan administration that would create a public database with the location of asbestos and asbestos-containing products in the country. The READ Act would bring much-needed transparency to the known location of asbestos in our country, potentially saving thousands of Americans from asbestos-related illnesses, like lung cancer and mesothelioma, while helping industry reduce workers' exposure to this known carcinogen. I urge my colleagues to stand with America's working families and join me in voting against today's bill that unfairly punishes asbestos victims and denies the American people access to the justice they deserve.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 3762, the Senate-Passed GOP Reconciliation Bill, appropriately dubbed the ``Taking Health Coverage Away from Millions of Americans and Attacking Women's Health Care Act.'' This measure marks the 62nd House vote to repeal or undermine the Affordable Care Act. It is the 11th time the House has voted this Congress to attack women's health care. Make no mistake: champions of these damaging, reactionary policies are putting politics over people and undermining the fundamental notion that health care is not a privilege, but a right. It is unfortunate that, instead of using this time to advance legislation that improves our health care system, we are again engaging in another futile attempt to cut off funding for Planned Parenthood and put women's health at risk, disinvest in public health and chronic disease prevention, and roll back coverage gains, consumer protections, and reforms advanced by the Affordable Care Act. This Reconciliation measure flies in face of patient access and good governance. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that this damaging legislation will lead to an estimated 22 million Americans losing their health insurance after 2017. Among its many nefarious provisions, H.R. 3762 is designed to halt Medicaid expansion. This would devastate millions of hard-working adults and their families across the country, particularly those in high need communities. H.R. 3762 would eliminate Planned Parenthood's ability to receive reimbursement for all health care services provided under Medicaid. Health centers like Planned Parenthood are the bedrock of our health care safety net Medicaid patients deserve to choose their health care provider and should not have their choice limited by politically motivated agendas. Texas is a case study in what happens when Planned Parenthood is attacked and access is rolled back. In short, this measure takes away affordable health care coverage and puts politics ahead of common sense. Our constituents deserve better. I strongly urge my colleagues to oppose H.R. 3762 and get back to work on behalf of the American people.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the H- 2B riders included in the FY2016 Appropriations Omnibus. These provisions, which were included without debate or advanced warning, would more than triple the number of H-2B foreign worker visas available for the coming year, negatively impacting working families in districts like my own in Houston and Harris County, Texas. The H-2B Program was created by Congress to provide temporary, nonagricultural workers for American companies when there were no qualified American workers available to fill a position. The Program, unfortunately, is not working as intended. Instead, it is being used by some employers to hire cheaper, foreign workers, leaving too many highly-skilled American workers out of a job. Mr. Speaker, this is simply wrong and a terrible holiday surprise for the thousands of working families in our country who will be left out of a job next year by the expansion of the H-2B Program. These anti- worker provisions in this legislation will degrade wages and conditions for workers in hazardous industries and gut standards that ensure that U.S. workers can fairly compete for jobs. I call on my colleagues to join me to protect American workers from unfair foreign worker competition and eliminate the expansion of the H- 2B Program.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 2820, the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Reauthorization Act, would continue the highly successfully Be The Match Registry for bone marrow and umbilical cord blood transplantation. This program provides hope to people in need of lifesaving transplants. Each year about 20,000 patients receive blood marrow transplants. Seventy percent of those patients do not find a match within their family and instead rely on the Be The Match Registry to find a non-relative bone marrow donor. That is why continued Federal support for the Be The Match Registry and its nearly 12.5 million registered bone marrow donors and collection of more than 209,000 cord blood units is so important. I am glad that we have come together on a bipartisan basis in our committee and in the House and the Senate to support this lifesaving program. I want to thank Congresswoman Matsui for her leadership in this area. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' to concur with Senate H.R. 2820. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.