Alan Grayson

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Speaker, during rollcall vote number 44 on January 13, 2016, I was unavoidably detained due to traffic delay. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no''.

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Chairman, my amendment would establish minimum privacy standards for smart meters on people's homes which are part of the smart electric grid. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, as of 2013, nearly 52 million smart meters have already been installed in the United States. This amendment would prohibit locally publicly owned electric utilities, electrical corporations, or gas companies from sharing, disclosing, or otherwise making accessible to any third party a customer's electrical or gas consumption data. It would also require these utilities to use reasonable security procedures and practices to protect the customer's unencrypted electrical and gas consumption data from unauthorized access, destruction, use, modification, or disclosure. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Chairman, my amendment would simply make the one- time audit required by section 13 of this bill an annual audit. A 2011 GAO audit of the Fed, the only independent Fed audit in its 102-year history, detailed how the United States provided at least $16 trillion in loans to bail out American and foreign banks and businesses. With an annual audit, Congress is at a great advantage in how to avoid waste, fraud, and abuse at the Fed. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Chairman, my amendment would increase the number of Federal Reserve Districts from 12 to 15. The three new districts would be for northern California, southern California, and Florida; based in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Orlando. No current Federal Reserve banks would be relocated as a result. Take a look at the map to my right and you will see a map that is over a century old. The Federal Reserve Districts have not been updated significantly since they were first established in 1913--102 years ago. It is time to bring our Federal Reserve Districts into the 21st century. Right now, for instance, one district represents everywhere from Utah to the Pacific Ocean, including Alaska and Hawaii. The three new districts would be centered in three of the fastest growing regions of our country in terms of both population and economic growth. In 1913, the 12th district, based in San Francisco, had only 6 percent of the population of the United States. In 2000, it had 19 percent, or 65 million Americans. As you can see from the next chart, districts designed originally a century ago to have equal population have reached the point where one district has 10 times the population of another district. In the case of the Western district, it now includes a total of nine States jumbled together, California and eight surrounding States. Similarly, the district including Florida and the neighboring States has grown to 45 million Americans--twice the average. It combines Florida and five neighboring States. It is time for the Fed to recognize this change in where Americans live. A similar change has been made in the court systems over the year. The tenth circuit was taken out of the eighth circuit when the population increased to the point where it was no longer sustainable as a single circuit court. Similarly, the 11th circuit--my circuit--was carved out of the fifth circuit for exactly the same reason. But the Fed districts have remained static now for a century. I am proud to introduce this amendment to modernize the Federal Service to more accurately reflect who we are as Americans and where we live and where we work. I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Maxine Waters).

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to reiterate a point I made during the Foreign Affairs Committee markup of the Global Anti-Poaching Act, H.R. 2494, which is being considered on the House floor today. At the markup in June, I offered a very specific amendment to this bill that would simply ensure that nothing in Section 6 of this Act shall be construed to authorize the use of the United States Armed Forces in combat activities. Since that time, I am happy to see that the Chairman has amended the text of this legislation to reflect my concerns. I think it is important to state, once again, that this bill does not authorize the use of U.S. forces in combat activities as a result of fighting poaching. At markup the Chairman assured me that nothing in this bill could be construed to authorize such a combat activity, and the amended text of this bill does more to ensure that is the case. We all know that poaching is a very serious problem and I believe this bill is a constructive step toward combating that evil. I applaud Chairman Royce for his work on this important legislation.

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the University of Central Florida's Collegiate Cyber Defense Club, for winning the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition this past April. They beat nine other teams to become national champions for the second year in a row. The club, also known as Hack@UCF, was created in 2012 by students who wanted to compete in regional and national cyber defense competitions. The competition, organized by the Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security, is the nation's most prestigious collegiate data defense competition. Ten regional contests around the country included roughly 200 teams consisting of more than 2,400 students. The winning students are, Alexander Davis, Andres Giron, Austin Brogle, Carlos Beltran, Conner Brooks, Jason Cooper, Jonathan Lundstrom, Kevin Colley, Kevin DiClemente, Nathan Dennis, Shane Welch, and Tyler Dever. It is my pleasure to recognize the University of Central Florida and the students of the Collegiate Cyber Defense Club for winning its second national championship. I congratulate the hard-working faculty and outstanding students that make the University a destination for our nation's best and brightest minds. Go Knights.

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Congregacion Mita Church on its 75th anniversary and recognize their contributions to the community. The Congregacion Mita Church was founded in 1940 in the town of Arecibo, Puerto Rico, by Juanita ``Mita'' Garcia Peraza. At a time when women were not allowed to officiate in church, Juanita became a trailblazer, founding her congregation with a message of love, freedom, and unity. The church began with a small group of only 11 members. In this founding group was Teofilo ``Aaron'' Vargas Sein, current President and Spiritual Leader of the church. In 1943, the congregation opened its first church in the humble community of Las Monjas in San Juan, Puerto Rico. In 1947, the church relocated to the Hato Rey sector of San Juan, where it is currently headquartered. A year later, in 1948, the congregation opened its first church outside Puerto Rico in New York City. As membership grew, Juanita saw the need for a new place of worship and in 1960 the congregation built a new church in Hato Rey. As part of her missionary work, Juanita established several ministries, social institutions, and music groups. Some of these include: the Ministry of Preachers and Deacons (1941), a ministry of volunteer neighborhood watchmen called ``Guardas'' (1947), the Strings Band (1950), and a bible school for children called ``El Consejero'' (1956). In 1957, she founded ``La Banda Mita,'' a marching band that is one of the premier music orchestras in Puerto Rico today. In 1963, the first international congregation was founded in the city of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. Alongside Juanita from the beginning was Aaron. Aaron began his Ministry at the young age of 15. He served as the church's first administrator, as well as the first preacher, the senior guarda, and the lead percussionist of the marching band. When Juanita passed away in 1970, Aaron assumed leadership of the Congregation. Under Aaron's leadership, the church grew extensively. It expanded nationally to Illinois (1969), Connecticut (1972), New Jersey (1976), Florida (1988), Massachusetts (1990), Texas (1998), Ohio (2008), and North Carolina (2011). It also expanded internationally to Colombia (1970), Mexico (1980), Venezuela (1982), Costa Rica (1986), Panama (1987), Ecuador (1991), Canada (1992), El Salvador (1993), and Spain (2000). In Florida, congregations were established in Orlando, Ocala, Miami, and Tampa. Assisting Aaron with the church's great expansion was Rosinin Rodriguez Perez, current Vice-President and Spiritual Leader of the Congregation. Together they founded institutions dedicated to provide social services to the community at-large. Some of these include: the Colegio Congregacion Mita (1981), a K-12 school in Puerto Rico accredited by the Middle State Association; the El Paraiso Nursing Home (1985), a care center for seniors; and the Office for Counseling and Social Work (1985). The latter provides a wide range of professional services by certified social workers, psychologists, and gerontologists free of charge to members and nonmembers everywhere the church is established, including Orlando, FL. In addition, they created music groups with the goal of developing love for the arts and music in children and adolescents. These include: the Harps Group (1987), the Children's Choir (1989), the Youth Choir (2004), and more recently, a Violin Orchestra (2007). Many of these groups, including the marching band, have smaller representations in most of the countries where the church is established. In 1990, on the occasion of its 50th anniversary, the church built its main house of worship in San Juan, Puerto Rico with capacity for up to 10,000 parishioners. Today, Mita's work continues its extraordinary expansion with hundreds of thousands of members in more than 300 congregations in 12 countries around the world. I am happy to recognize the accomplishments of the Congregacion Mita Church on this memorable date, the birthday of their leader Aaron, and wish them continuous success in the future.

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Speaker, 50 years ago this week, President Lyndon Johnson signed the law that created Medicare and Medicaid--the most important healthcare programs in our country's history prior to the Affordable Care Act. With one stroke of his pen, President Johnson guaranteed both poor Americans and older Americans the right to high- quality, affordable medical treatment. Thanks to Medicare, for 50 years now, our seniors have received the health care they have needed to stay healthy and to live full lives; but despite the success, there are gaps in Medicare coverage that need to be closed. The most glaring gap is the fact that Medicare does not provide basic medical coverage for seniors' eyes, ears, and teeth. It is as though Medicare assumes that seniors don't need to see or to hear or to chew. We are not talking about exotic, high-tech treatments. We are talking about no Medicare coverage for eyeglasses, eye exams, hearing aids, cavity fillings, and dentures. We are talking about no treatment for medical conditions that lead to blindness, deafness, lost teeth, and serious gum disease, which has been strongly linked to heart disease. It is unthinkable that we deny our seniors this elementary level of care. There are 2.7 million seniors in America who are blind. How many of them would be able to see today if they had received simple annual eye exams as part of their Medicare coverage? Medicare is a promise that we make to ourselves--the young to the old, one generation to the next. The promise is that, after you reach your 65th birthday, your medical needs will be met. To keep that promise, our seniors have paid into the system, in some cases for a half a century, before they receive a single earned benefit. They deserve the best care we can provide for them. This week, to honor the 50th anniversary of this lifesaving program we call Medicare, I am introducing the Seniors Have Eyes, Ears, and Teeth Act. This bill will amend title XVIII--the Medicare provision of the Social Security Act--to repeal the arbitrary exclusion of eyeglasses, eye exams, hearing aids, hearing exams, and dental care from Medicare coverage. Two short lines in the U.S. Code have barred that coverage for 50 years. I simply delete those lines. I urge my congressional colleagues to enact this quick, easy, and necessary reform. Medicare should provide health coverage for every part of your body, including eyes, ears, and teeth. Over 50 million Americans enjoy Medicare coverage. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Medicare, let's guarantee to 50 million Americans the health care they need in order to look into the eyes of the ones they love, to see our Fourth of July fireworks each year, and to hear it when freedom rings.

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Chair, this amendment is identical to other amendments that have been inserted by voice vote into every appropriations bill considered under an open rule during the 113th and 114th Congresses. My amendment expands the list of parties with whom the Federal Government is prohibited from contracting due to serious misconduct on the part of the contractor. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank Chairman Calvert and his staff for working with me on this amendment. It simply seeks to decrease and then increase by the same amount within the $2.5 billion appropriation for the environmental programs and management account within the Environmental Protection Agency. More specifically, my amendment seeks to remove and then reapply $2.2 million from that account. The intent behind my amendment is simple. It is to put the House on record of supporting a final funding amount of $27,310,000 for the National Estuary Program and coastal waterways. Currently, the report accompanying this bill calls for $25,098,000 for the National Estuary Program and coastal waterways, which is $2,212,000 below both the Senate's proposed appropriations level and the President's request for fiscal year 2016. Hence, the amount specified in my amendment. The National Estuary Program and coastal waterways subaccount within the EPA does important work, including work in my State, especially on the Atlantic Coast. It addresses ocean acidification, seeks to remove coastal watersheds, furthers the National Estuary Program's restoration goals, and assists in the implementation of the very important Gulf of Mexico hypoxia action plan. Mr. Chairman, there is an area, a large area called the dead zone off of Louisiana that literally stinks. It has no fish. It has no recreational opportunities. It has no fishing. It is, in fact, a scar on the face of the Earth. Part of the funding for this program is used to try to overcome the hypoxia situation that has arisen off the coast of Louisiana that threatens to spread not only to Texas, Alabama, and Mississippi, but also to the coast of my State of Florida, eventually, if we do nothing about it. The estuarine regions of the United States comprise just 12 percent of land area of the United States, but they contain 43 percent of the U.S. population and provide 49 percent of all U.S. economic output. The economic value of coastal recreation alone in the United States--beach going, fishing, bird watching, snorkeling, diving, and so on--has conservatively been estimated by NOAA to be between $20 billion and $60 billion annually. Clearly, the $2.2 million increase in funding for the National Estuary Program and coastal waterways that I am seeking will result in dramatic returns for the American economy, an enhanced quality of life for the American people, and eliminate that scar on the face of planet Earth that exists off the coast of Louisiana and should never be allowed to spread. Mr. Chairman, I know that you support this amendment, and I am thankful for your support. With that in mind, I will stop talking before I lose your support. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 376 I was delayed by a transportation difficulty. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Speaker, on June 15, 2015, due to the weather, I was unavoidably detained while traveling to Washington, D.C. and missed recorded votes number 364 and 365. Had I been present, on rollcall vote number 364, H. Res. 233--``Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Iran should immediately release the three United States citizens that it holds, as well as provide all known information on any United States citizens that have disappeared within its borders,'' I would have voted ``yea''; and on rollcall vote number 365, H.R. 2559--``To designate the `PFC Milton A. Lee Medal of Honor Memorial Highway' in the State of Texas,'' I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Speaker, on July 16, 2010 at 2:45 p.m., an email was sent to proud grandparents to announce the birth of their seventeenth grandchild, born earlier that day, ``Mom and baby boy are both doing well''. Joan Marie Donnelly had given birth to her son, Max. Her parents, Bob and Rose Mary Donnelly, were overjoyed and her husband and daughter, Todd and Sofie Marie, were preparing for little Max's homecoming. What a spectacular moment in a family's life. Unfortunately, this abundance of happiness soon turned into tragedy. Joan suffered from eclampsia and died at their home just days after giving birth on August 6, 2010. Worldwide, preeclampsia and other hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are a leading cause of maternal and infant illness and death. Thousands of women and babies die or get very sick each year from preeclampsia, a life-threatening disorder that occurs only during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Eclampsia is a variant of preeclampsia that causes seizures to occur. For Joan, this tragedy could have been prevented, but instead Joan succumbed to a perfect storm of neglected symptoms. ``The Donnelly Clan'', a Catholic, Irish and Italian Family from West Virginia included Bob, Rose Mary and their nine children. Joan was their eighth child, born on May 24, 1967. Joan had a wonderful smile and a laugh that was contagious and she had dreams to travel, start a career, fall in love, have children, save animals, and help her family. Her dreams came true when she moved to Florida and started her 22-year career with Walt Disney World. She met Todd in 2001 when the two became good friends while traveling. They were married in Florence, Italy in 2006. Joan had three pregnancies with two births as did her youngest sister, Mia. Their mother similarly had twelve pregnancies with nine births. These three women were each diagnosed with preeclampsia, are diabetic, and suffered miscarriages. The death of a child is one of the hardest obstacles in life. The pain of having your child go before you is unspeakable. Joan's life was celebrated at her funeral mass on August 12, 2010 with over 300 mourners. Joan will be remembered, not by her death, but by how she lived her life. Joan's family has hope that changes can be made to federal law in honor of Joan to save women who are at high risk of preeclampsia from suffering as she did. The family advocates for a number of reforms to prevent eclampsia including better screening during pregnancy; proper testing; more education for patients and doctors on preeclampsia and eclampsia; and longer hospital stays. Joan's family will continue to educate the public about preeclampsia and eclampsia by talking about Joan to all that will listen so that her untimely death is not in vain.

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dr. William S. Barnes, better known as Pastor Bill, for a lifetime of service and leadership. A graduate of Emory University with degrees in both business administration and theology, Pastor Bill has been an ordained minister in the Florida Conference of The United Methodist Church since 1974. Bill also received a Doctor of Divinity from Florida Southern College in 1995. Bill was appointed Lead Pastor of St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Orlando in June of 1992. He held that position until July of 2014 when he was appointed Co-Lead Pastor as part of St. Luke's strategic leadership transition plan. Since 1992 St. Luke's has grown to be one of the largest and most influential congregations in the United Methodist denomination under Pastor Bill's leadership. Throughout his career, Bill has served in rural, urban, and suburban churches, as well as Chaplain of Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. Bill doesn't just preach, he leads by example. During his tenure in Orlando Bill has helped many communities by initiating dialogues on issues of race and bringing hope to economically disadvantaged areas through vocational training, housing assistance, and organizing food and shelter for the homeless. Bill was also one of the first ministers in Orlando to support non-discrimination ordinances offering protections to the LGBT community. Bill is well known in Orlando for founding Shepherd's Hope a faith- based volunteer health care organization for the uninsured. It has expanded to five locations throughout Central Florida. Pastor Bill was the recipient of the 2002 Social Entrepreneurship Award for his work with Shepherds Hope, the Jefferson Award for American Public Service, the Manhattan Institute's Award for Social Entrepreneurship, and the Society of John Wesley's United Methodist Men Fellow. Bill Served on Bethune Cookman University's Board of Trustees from 2002 to 2011. Bill is married to Kim, who teaches three-year-olds at St. Luke's Child Development Center and also designs her own line of custom jewelry. They have two children, Kristin and Meredith, a terrific son-in-law, Sean, and two grandsons, Brady and Mason. I am honored to recognize Pastor Bill Barnes for his leadership and service to his community.

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the students of Florida's Ninth Congressional District who received an appointment to one of the United States Service Academies for 2015. One of my favorite duties as a Member of Congress is to nominate the best and brightest young men and women of my district to our nation's Service Academies. This year, my district received a total of 13 offers of appointment, the highest number my office has ever received. Additionally, one student received an appointment to the Naval Academy Preparatory School. It is my honor to publicly recognize these students for their accomplishments and service to our country. The following students were appointed to the U.S. Military Academy: Jeremy Beesley of St. Cloud, FL; Carla Figueroa of Kissimmee, FL; Lily McDonough of Celebration, FL; John Roche of Orlando, FL; and Elizabeth Rodriguez of St. Cloud, FL. Ms. Rodriguez also received an offer of appointment to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. The following students were appointed to the U.S. Air Force Academy: Ashley Gooden of St. Cloud, FL; Kevin Mendez of Kissimmee, FL; and Joshua Rice of Orlando, FL. The following students were appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy: Christina Potts of Orlando, FL; Joshua Volpert of Orlando, FL; Andrew Abdelnour of Orlando, FL; and Mason Hooten of Orlando, FL. Joel Oviedo of Orlando, FL received an appointment to the Naval Academy Preparatory School. I congratulate them all and wish them much success in their military careers.

Mr. GRAYSON

Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Chair, the chairman of the committee has shown a great deal of courtesy and kindness and consideration, so I am going to try to keep this as short as possible.

Mr. GRAYSON. I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey.

Mr. GRAYSON. I yield back the balance of my time.