Chuy García

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Representative Lowey for this minute. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the revised Heroes Act because my community cannot wait. Schoolteachers, flight attendants, and working families are facing layoffs, and they need our help now. Tenants and homeowners facing evictions and homelessness need our support now. Immigrants with U.S.-born children and U.S. citizens who never received the stimulus check need our support now. We passed the Heroes Act 4\1/2\ months ago. Republicans in the Senate wouldn't even consider it. But this is a bill that we are offering as a compromise, and it is common ground because, just like my colleagues across the aisle, I am headed home to my constituents, and I don't want them to think that we failed them. House Democrats have done our jobs. We passed relief, and we are doing it again. It is the President and Senate Republicans who refuse to pass relief that have failed. Give the American people the relief that they need so urgently. I urge adoption.

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 and commend the leadership of Chairman DeFazio and Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Chair Napolitano. I hail from Chicago and the Nation's Gold Coast along Lake Michigan, and we know how important a healthy Great Lakes system is. Lake Michigan is not only Chicago's primary drinking water source, it is part of the largest freshwater source in the world--our beloved Great Lakes. Lake Michigan is a tremendous recreational resource and economic asset, and it needs to be protected. This legislation authorizes projects important to my constituents. First, the Brandon Road Lock and Dam project must be completed to prevent Asian carp, an invasive species, from migrating into Lake Michigan. We must also restore Bubbly Creek, a degraded waterway that was polluted by Chicago's meatpacking industry in the early 1900s and made famous by Upton Sinclair's ``The Jungle.'' Restoring the waterway will create a healthy ecosystem and benefit neighborhoods like McKinley Park, Bridgeport, and Pilsen. Managing storm water systems can be challenging in Chicago because it is heavily urbanized. This bill promotes more natural infrastructure and studies for Chicago area rivers and the Great Lakes river basins to make sure future projects preserve our drinking water, protect people's homes and businesses from flooding, and restore our environment so that all communities benefit from our rivers and Great Lakes. I am proud of the bipartisan effort developing and passing this legislation through the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. I also want to give a shout-out to my incredible Brookings Institution fellow, Christine Gallagher, who has done tremendous work for my office on transportation and water issues. This is her last week before she returns to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and I congratulate her.

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Lead Abatement for Families Act along with my colleague, Ayanna Pressley. It is a national scandal that more than ten million homes in the United States still get their water from lead pipes. I am introducing this bill to direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to identify lead pipes in our country's public and federally subsidized housing and provide grants to replace them. A 2015 study determined that by the third grade, children in Chicago with even small amounts of lead in their blood were more than 32% more likely to fail standardized tests. One fifth of U.S. children with lead poisoning are participants in the Housing Choice Voucher Program, so HUD's role in removing lead pipes are crucially important. It is vitally important that Congress address this injustice by giving HUD the mandate and the funds to quickly eliminate this public health hazard. Let us be clear--this is a racial justice issue. Black and brown communities like mine are disproportionately affected by lead pipes, and our neighborhoods suffer the consequences. I urge this body to advance this legislation that helps ensure safe drinking water for all by getting lead pipes out of public and federally assisted housing.

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of these en bloc amendments, which includes a bipartisan amendment that I filed with Representative Gallagher of Wisconsin. Our amendment combats old practices like the performance metric now known as ``level of service'' that provides faster, wider roads with more lanes, rather than a holistic analysis that takes into account increased traffic, induced demand, or alternatives like bike and transit access. Our amendment improves the existing travel demand study included in H.R. 2 to examine ways we can prevent new projects from inadvertently increasing traffic volume, time, or congestion, all of which are bad for drivers and bad for the environment. We can and must make smarter investments by using current data and best practices, and that is what this bipartisan amendment is all about. It is endorsed by Transportation for America, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Environmental Law and Policy Center, and the League of Conservation Voters. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this en bloc.

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I give a special thanks to Chair Waters for helping advance this amendment. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this en bloc which includes an amendment that I filed with Congresswoman Pressley of Massachusetts, amendment 343, directing the department of Housing and Urban Development to find lead pipes in our Nation's public and federally assisted housing and provide grants to remove them. Frankly, it is a scandal that we have to bring this legislation to the House floor in 2020, but we do. Chicago has more lead pipes than any other city in the U.S. More than 350,000 homes in my city have lead service lines. But the problem is nationwide. According to the National Housing Law Project, over 90,000 children nationwide in the Housing Choice Vouchers program have lead poisoning, while another 340,000 living in federally subsidized housing are at risk. These are children. By now the dangers of lead poisoning are well-known. A 2015 study determined that children in Chicago with lead in their blood were more than 32 percent likely to fail standardized tests by the third grade. We must remember, removing lead pipes is a racial justice issue. White flight to the suburbs left some of our oldest municipalities strapped for cash. Most jurisdictions require property owners to pay for the replacement of lead pipes on their own property, and the burden falls heavily on working class Black and Brown communities like mine. After decades of disinvestment, our Nation's public housing authorities simply do not have the resources to get rid of lead pipes fast enough. It is past time for Congress to act to keep families in this country safe and healthy in their homes. Housing is infrastructure, and I believe that this amendment is an important part of H.R. 2. I would like to thank Congresswoman Pressley for joining me in offering this amendment, as well as supporting organizations including the Natural Resources Defense Council and the National Housing Trust. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this en bloc.

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to say a few words about the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise--or DBE--Program. While our progress toward equal opportunity for minority and women entrepreneurs has been slower than I would like, the DBE program is a big part of the reason we are at least moving in the right direction. In a recent study in my home State of Illinois, researchers examined business opportunities associated with the Pace Suburban Bus agency. This agency connects my district to the suburbs surrounding Chicago and also provides paratransit services to people with disabilities. This study didn't just examine Pace's own spending, but also examined how businesses in the broader Illinois construction market are faring. This is very important because Pace operates the DBE program which at least opens the door to businesses owned by women and minorities, while the broader construction market is dominated by the private sector which generally lacks such equal opportunity measures. The study performed regression analyses to determine what business earnings were for women and minority business owners even after adjusting for a number of factors such as education, age, occupation and industry. The results were startling: business earnings for Latino firm owners as compared to white male firm owners were 6 percent lower, for Asians they were 10 percent lower, for white women they were 19 percent lower, for Native Americans and African Americans, they were 26 percent lower. Pace Suburban Bus Disparity Study 2015, Colette Holt & Associates, 2015, at 96. These statistics make clear why it's so incredibly difficult for women and minorities to get ahead in business--and why the DBE Program is so necessary.

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, as a Member from the heart of America's transportation network, Chicago, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act, and I thank our chairman for a great job. This bill produces needed investment in our Nation's infrastructure, from housing to broadband to transportation. As a founding member of the Future of Transportation Caucus, I am fighting to ensure that we make bold reforms to the status quo and ensure that we recognize transportation policy as the social justice issue that it is. For too long, we have starved Black and Latino communities from opportunities and segregated communities with train tracks, boulevards, and highways. This bill promotes equity by adopting sustainable technologies, prioritizing maintenance and repair, and investing in transit, pedestrian, and bike access. This bill includes my top priorities. It makes transit-oriented development more equitable. It improves access to jobs and services and increases training for our frontline transit workers. Congress must pass H.R. 2 and give Americans the 21st century infrastructure that we need.

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman DeFazio for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of amendment 293, which ensures that we study the safety of automated vehicles and that we also study their environmental effects. H.R. 2 requires us to study transformative technology--in this case, autonomous vehicles--to make sure that it is implemented safely and that we understand its impact on jobs. My amendment makes sure that we study air quality and climate and energy consumption effects from automated vehicles, because any equitable investment in transportation requires protecting air quality and advancing climate solutions for all communities. I thank my cosponsor, Representative Schakowsky, and supporting organizations like the Environmental Law and Policy Center, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the League of Conservation Voters. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this amendment.

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Lipinski for yielding me the time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of amendment No. 274, which protects transportation workers during the COVID pandemic, including the many who worked in Chicago. I thank my cosponsors: Carbajal, Lynch, Pressley, Ocasio-Cortez, and Jayapal. Mr. Speaker, voluntary adoption of CDC guidelines just won't cut it. Reports we have and continue to receive from workers in the transportation sector make this clear: Frontline workers, many Black and Brown, are getting sick at alarming rates. My amendment expands protections to more frontline employees, including maritime, freight rail, motorcoach, and longshore workers. It also requires passengers on all modes to wear a mask to protect themselves, employees, and the traveling public. Finally, it would hold employers accountable for failing to provide proper protective gear for transport workers. This amendment is supported by our friends in labor, including AFL- CIO's Transportation Trades Department, the Teamsters, our pilots, Electrical Workers, Transportation Workers Union, train workers, Sheet Metal Workers, and many others. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this bill.

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I thank Madam Chair for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Emergency Housing Protections and Relief Act. This bill provides much-needed relief for renters and homeowners while more than 40 million people have filed for unemployment insurance and struggle to make ends meet. My constituents need the help. My district is a working-class, largely immigrant district, and many people have not qualified for any relief so far. Families just down the street in the barrio where I live and have lived for 50 years are being forced to choose between paying rent and putting food on the table or between making the mortgage payment or buying prescription medicine. Families are staring down the barrel at yet another first-of-the-month difficult decision: Will my family have a place to live? Will we have food to eat? Where will we go? These are the very real questions that families are asking themselves. Mr. Speaker, we must act with urgency to protect families. This Emergency Housing Protections and Relief Act is a lifeline for communities like mine. It prohibits landlords from evicting tenants for failure to pay rent; it provides $100 billion of assistance to renters and $75 billion to homeowners to keep everyone in their homes; and it strengthens the mortgage forbearance protections. I know what a housing crisis looks like. During the last financial crisis, I saw my neighbors lose their homes. Without protections in place, economic recovery will be all but impossible. Congress must act now and pass H.R. 7301 to support our renters and homeowners.

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Protecting Renters from Evictions and Fees Act along with my colleague, Barbara Lee. Our country is facing an unprecedented pandemic and an economic crisis greater than we've seen in generations. I'm introducing this bill which will prohibit the eviction of tenants for failure to pay rent or additional fees because if people across the country are forced out of their homes then both of the crises we face will deepen. More than half of my constituents in Chicago rent their homes. Businesses in my district have closed or reduced hours, and some of them won't reopen again. My district is a working class, immigrant district, and far too many of my neighbors have to choose between putting food on the table and paying rent. Many of them can't access some of the benefits that Congress passed because they don't have sufficient documentation. They should not have to worry about losing their home during a public health crisis. I am introducing this bill today so that they don't have to. I urge this body to advance this legislation.

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I thank Chairwoman Waters for this opportunity. I rise in support of this resolution and join my colleagues in opposition to the Trump administration's new rule that weakens implementation of the Community Reinvestment Act. It is an outrage that the Trump administration's OCC issued this rule that guts a historic law in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic. To add insult to injury, former Chairman Otting resigned his post immediately after issuing the rule so that he will avoid cleaning up the fallout from this mess. It is up to Congress to clean it up, and that is what we are seeking to do. The Community Reinvestment Act was enacted more than 40 years ago and has been one of our most powerful tools against redlining and the perpetration of systemic racism and poverty. Like so much of our country's history, the story of the CRA runs through Chicago, where a local community organizer in the Austin neighborhood, Gale Cincotta, led the fight against discriminatory housing injustice and earned the nickname ``Mother of the CRA.'' Through her work with her neighborhood association and National People's Action, Cincotta fought against redlining and disinvestment from our communities using some of the innovative and confrontational tactics that we recognize in today's protest movements. My district is a working-class immigrant district, and Gale Cincotta and organizers like her across the country fought to pass the CRA so that communities like mine would not be left behind by financial institutions. The OCC's rule allows lenders to count activities that have nothing to do with improving our neighborhoods toward their requirements to serve low- and moderate-income communities, decrease transparency, and make it even harder to hold these institutions accountable. That is why we oppose it.

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise to introduce the Promoting Equitable Transit-Oriented Development and Mobility Corridors Act along with my colleague Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman. Pent-up demand for walkable communities has accelerated land prices and rents which has displaced both small businesses and affordable housing faster than state and local governments can respond. Additionally, suburban and rural communities lack the resources needed to upgrade their local infrastructure, housing and economic strategies to remain economically viable. The Promoting Equitable Transit-Oriented Development and Mobility Corridors Act will combat housing affordability issues and displacement of businesses by reversing the incentive to build luxury dwellings near transit. Instead, the bill will promote affordable housing development near transit and in priority investment areas. This legislation establishes an Office of Equitable Transit Oriented Development in the DOT, creates incentives to combat gentrification, promotes affordable housing near transit, and reduces vehicle miles traveled and carbon emissions. It will also allow rural, suburban, and urban governments to develop more equitable planning practices through Technical Assistance grants. I am glad that the Promoting Equitable Transit-Oriented Development and Mobility Corridors Act is endorsed by Elevated Chicago, The Chicago Community Trust, Smart Growth America, LOCUS: Responsible Real Estate Developers and Investors and Transportation for America. The Promoting Equitable Transit-Oriented Development and Mobility Corridors Act will ensure all Americans have equal access to healthy, walkable and prosperous communities. I urge this body to swiftly pass this legislation.

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise to introduce the Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2020. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is disproportionately affecting communities of color--including Latino, African American, and Asian American communities--who already face exacerbated risk factors for health inequities. This unprecedented public health crisis underscores the health disparities and racial inequities that have existed in the U.S. health care system for many years. Most importantly, it points to the need to implement a comprehensive and strategic plan to improve the health and well-being of communities of color through a health equity perspective, which the Health Equity Accountability Act (HEAA) puts forth. HEAA 2020 provides critical federal resources and establishes policies and infrastructure to eliminate long-standing health inequities. It would improve data collection and reporting, expand access to health care, build more robust telehealth systems, implement more culturally and linguistically appropriate care, and eliminate Medicaid funding limitations for the U.S. territories, among other priorities for the communities we represent. For the past 17 years, the Congressional Tri-Caucus--comprised of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC)--has led to the introduction of the Health Equity and Accountability Act (HEAA). Since its initial introduction, HEAA has resulted in key legislative proposals that have been passed into law--such as the Affordable Health Care Act (ACA), the creation of the Office of Minority Health, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act. I urge this body to swiftly pass this legislation.

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Systemic Risk Mitigation Act with my colleagues, Representative Jan Schakowsky of Illinois and Representative Mark Takano of California. As COVID-19 devastates nearly every country in the world, it is more important than ever to affirm that the United States will support developing countries in getting the help they need from International Financial Institutions (IFIs) like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF). This bill accomplishes that by: Instructing U.S. representatives to the IFis to support a suspension of debt payments to those institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic; Instructing U.S. representatives to the IFis to oppose programs that undermine countries' ability to respond to COVID-19, such as those that encourage cuts to public health spending; Instructing the U.S. representative to the IMF to support issuing 3 trillion ``Special Drawing Rights.'' The issuance of ``Special Drawing Rights'' will help countries avoid depleting their reserves during the turbulent economic times ahead; 3 trillion SDR's will help all of us--and especially emerging markets and developing economies--avoid financial catastrophe. I urge this body to advance this legislation.

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Systemic Risk Mitigation Act with my colleague, Representative Katie Porter of California. ``Shadow banks'' are large, interconnected and complex firms--they include insurance companies, hedge funds, asset managers and others-- that drive many of the risky practices that economists and regulators have warned about for years. The Trump Administration's deregulatory approach only puts us at greater risk. And as the public health crisis brought on by COVID-19 drags our country into a recession and threatens to ignite underlying problems like corporate debt, it is up to Congress to ensure that regulators address the risks these firms pose to our financial system before it's too late. Since Trump took office, AIG and Prudential Financial have been de- designated as systemically important and now no non-banks currently carry that designation. Shadow banks like these two are central to our financial system, but by avoiding the designation of ``systemically important'' they escape oversight requirements such as strong capital and liquidity rules and annual stress tests. Our bill strengthens the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) and the Office of Financial Research (OFR), regulators created by Dodd-Frank, to identify and mitigate systemic risks in the financial system. The Systemic Risk Mitigation Act: Automatically designates shadow banks above a certain size and riskiness as ``systemically important.'' These large, complex, and interconnected shadow banks would be subjected to strong capital and liquidity rules, annual stress tests, living wills requirements, and other crucial safeguards; Provides a process for de-designation of firms that are found not to meet the standard of systemic importance; Strengthens the FSOC by giving the Council rule-making authority to address systemically risky activities across the financial system; Provides the FSOC and OFR with more resources and increases their transparency; Creates a Climate Risk Subcommittee of the FSOC to assess the risk posed by climate factors to the stability of the U.S. financial system. I urge this body to advance this legislation.

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise to introduce the Improving Access to Jobs Act along with my colleagues Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and Congressman Mark Takano. Americans are stuck in congestion, on crumbling roadways and transit systems, and are too often forced to travel further and further for jobs because our system fails to provide safe and convenient choices other than a car trip. The Improving Access to Jobs Act requires that `safe and convenient access to employment' is an added condition for States' minimum standards for public roads--for both new construction and roadway improvement projects. States and metropolitan planning organizations will assess how the transportation system connects people to jobs by auto, transit, bike, and pedestrian investments, and ensures new investments do not degrade transit, bike, and pedestrian access. The Improving Access to Jobs Act will also adjust the definition of access to incorporate a measurement of travel times, travel stress for active travel (bike and pedestrian), and cost for low-income travelers. I am glad that the Improving Access to Jobs Act is endorsed by Transportation for America (T4A), Sierra Club, National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), Environmental Law and Policy Center (ELPC), Rails- to-Trails Conservancy. The Improving Access to Jobs Act will reconnect our communities, enabling people to take shorter, more convenient trips, reducing congestion and emissions, and improving access to jobs for all. I urge this body to swiftly pass this legislation.

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise to introduce the Improving Access to Services Act along with my colleagues Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and Congressman Mark Takano. Our transportation system is failing Americans who are stuck in congestion, traveling on roads and transit systems in disrepair, and forced to travel further and further to reach essential services. The Improving Access to Services Act would require that `safe and convenient access to services' is an added condition for States' minimum standards for public roads--for both new construction and roadway improvement projects. These services include health care facilities, child care, education and workforce training, affordable housing, food sources, banking and financial institutions, and other retail shopping establishments. States and metropolitan planning organizations will assess how the transportation system connects people to services by auto, transit, bike, and pedestrian investments, and ensures new investments do not degrade transit, bike, and pedestrian access. The Improving Access to Services Act will also adjust the definition of access to incorporate a measurement of travel times, travel stress for active travel (bike and pedestrian), and cost for low-income travelers. I am glad that the Improving Access to Services Act is endorsed by Transportation for America (T4A), Sierra Club, National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), Environmental Law and Policy Center (ELPC), Rails- to-Trails Conservancy. The Improving Access to Services Act will reconnect our communities, enabling people to take shorter, more convenient trips, reducing congestion and emissions, and improving access to services for all. I urge this body to swiftly pass this legislation.

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the CARES Act, even though it doesn't protect everyone I wish it would, including all immigrants. However, it represents a bold, unprecedented step in protecting workers and bolstering our healthcare system and in stabilizing our economy, especially our small businesses. That is why I will vote ``aye.''

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Rental Eviction Moratorium Act along with my colleague, Barbara Lee. No one should lose their home because of this public health crisis. That's why I'm introducing this bill, which will prohibit the eviction of rental tenants for the duration of the COVID-19 public health emergency. This bill prohibits landlords from initiating eviction proceedings due to a tenants' failure to pay rent or other causes, and sunsets 6 months after FEMA terminates the emergency declared by the President. More than a third of U.S. residents rent their homes, and that proportion is even higher in communities I represent in Chicago. As business closures, reduced hours and layoffs increase throughout the country, working class people, immigrants and people of color are hardest hit and many will miss rent payments. But when our public health officials are telling us all to stay home, this common-sense bill will ensure that more people can do so even as we enter into what may be a deep recession. I urge this body to advance this legislation.

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the bipartisan Cargo Flight Deck Security Act along with my colleague, Brian Fitzpatrick. The safety and security of our pilots, our skies, and the flying public are at stake. Today, many cargo planes have no cockpit barrier and without the safety of hardened flight deck doors, the aircraft's interior is open, and the flight deck is completely exposed. This leaves pilots without a means to adequately separate the flight crew from personnel riding in the bulkhead or potential cargo-hold stowaways. Ultimately this is about parity and safety. Cargo pilots have been fighting for hardened cockpit doors for 18 years, and this bill will solve that long overdue security concern. After 9/11, regulatory changes put in motion requirements to require hardened cockpit doors for all aircraft to separate the flight deck from the cargo/passenger bay. Unfortunately, after 2003, the TSA made changes to its requirements and erected a wholesale carve-out for cargo airplanes, effectively creating disparate requirements for passenger and cargo airline safety. The Cargo Flight Deck Security Act ensures all pilots are protected by hardened cockpit doors and takes steps to keep our skies and flying public safe. I urge this body to pass advance this legislation.

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to participate in this conversation about women's rights and access to healthcare services, especially reproductive healthcare services. I want to thank Congresswoman Tlaib and Congresswoman Pressley for their leadership on this matter. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of women's access to reproductive healthcare. The Louisiana law now being argued at the Supreme Court today, in part, is part of an ongoing national effort to effectively ban abortion without formally bringing up Roe v. Wade. Even if the right to abortion technically exists, it won't matter if access to places to get abortion care are eliminated. Republicans have pushed hundreds of restrictive laws throughout State legislatures. If they truly cared about women, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle would have voted for equal pay and for the Violence Against Women Act, but they didn't. Instead, in 2020, they are still questioning a woman's constitutional right to safe and legal abortion, which has been the law of the land for over 46 years. They want to turn back the clock and deny women the right to reproductive healthcare, to make choices about their own bodies. For many in my community, this is a deeply personal matter. I took a strong stance on reproductive rights before the issue was widely discussed and acceptable in my own community, but, for me, it has always been impossible to separate the issues of economic justice and reproductive freedom. The ability to control if, when, and how to have children is at the core of women's ability to provide a decent standard of living for themselves and their families. But let me be clear: While abortion access is critical, women of color and other marginalized women also often have difficulty accessing contraception, comprehensive sex education, sexually transmitted infection prevention and care, adequate prenatal and pregnancy care, and so much more. In short, one's socioeconomic and immigration status, ZIP Code, et cetera, should not determine access to reproductive help. Abortion access is a critical step toward achieving true reproductive justice for the communities I represent. If the Supreme Court decides to strip women of their practical access to abortion services, as they are now considering, they will effectively reverse Roe v. Wade and outright deny women the ability to determine their own health, family, and future. This is an assault on women, an assault on freedom, and an assault on self-determination. Women alone should have the right to choose what is best for them.

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Joyce and Chairwoman Napolitano for their leadership on this matter. I rise today in support of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act to protect and improve the health of the Great Lakes and directly benefit the surrounding region. I hail from Chicago and the Nation's gold coast along Lake Michigan. We know how important a healthy Great Lakes system is. Lake Michigan is not only Chicago's primary drinking water source, it is part of the largest freshwater source in the world, our beloved Great Lakes. Lake Michigan is a tremendous recreational resource and economic asset for Chicago and the State of Illinois. Longstanding concerns, like the potential of Asian carp migrating into the lake, underscore the importance of advancing this important legislation. This bill will support many projects important to the region. Chicago public schools, for example, were able to install green infrastructure and new community space at four elementary schools. The project added 1.2 million gallons of onsite stormwater storage capacity to reduce stormwater runoff throughout Chicago. In Beach Park, Illinois, a project helped stabilize and protect streambed habitat. This, in turn, reduced nutrient pollution, sediment runoff, and increased water quality in both Bull Creek and Lake Michigan. This bill will provide a much-needed increase in funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to support the continued restoration of coastal wetlands, the preservation of water quality, and the control of invasive species. H.R. 4031 will protect the Great Lakes for future generations. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. I thank Chairwoman Napolitano and Representative Joyce for advancing this important measure.

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I am delighted to be on the floor this afternoon and to join the gentlemen in honoring the life and the memory and the legacy of Richard Barnett. Richard was a neighbor of Chicago's Lawndale community. He lived just a few blocks from my house. He worked as a U.S. Postal Service employee prior to his retirement in 1982. He was very devoted to his wife and his children and was involved in his local community--in the schools, in the parks, and in the churches--and every aspect of civic life as a good community resident. But Richard was also a mentor to me in my earliest days as a candidate for political office. From the early 1980s, when I first stepped up, I learned how to organize in communities of color so that they could become politically empowered at the local, State, and Federal level. He helped enrich my understanding of the Voting Rights Act and how the Federal law could help Chicago's Latino communities in the early 1980s elect people to Chicago's city council, to the State general assembly, to the Cook County board, and, yes, even to the Federal Government, a position that I can say I hold, in part, because of the mentorship of Richard Barnett. Richard was deeply committed to dismantling the infamously corrupt and discriminatory and exclusionary Chicago political machine with new political movements that were rooted in Chicago neighborhoods, and he wanted to usher in an era of equitable and honest government. Richard was instrumental in bringing together multiracial, multiethnic, and faith coalitions across Chicago to advance progressive public policies. He helped me in my elections to the Chicago City Council, to the Illinois Senate, to the Cook County board, and to Congress. I will be eternally grateful for all of his assistance and mentorship and friendship over nearly a period of four decades in the city of Chicago. Richard was a true son of his community, his people, and people all over Illinois and across the country because he sought to empower and to give a voice to the people who were voiceless. Long live Richard Barnett. General Leave

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois

Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my support for the impeachment of Donald J. Trump. Today's vote to impeach the President is sobering. While I have deep disagreements with President Trump on immigration, health care, climate change and other policy areas, I did not come to Washington to impeach the President. I came to represent the voices of my constituents and I take my duty very seriously. The facts tell a disturbing yet highly consistent story. The President's misdeeds have been verified by an immense body of evidence and the testimony of dozens of witnesses--including civil servants and constitutional scholars of the highest caliber. President Trump abused his power to bribe another country for his own personal and political gain. This is wrong. I voted to impeach President Trump to do right by my constituents, the future of our democracy, and to uphold the rule of law and my oath to defend the Constitution. The facts are clear. The President obstructed Congressional investigations by instructing his accomplices to ignore compulsory calls to testify before Congress. No matter how he tries to spin it, President Trump violated the Constitution and must be held accountable. Regrettably, House and Senate Republicans are going along with the President's lies and attempts to cover up his actions. No one is above the law, not even the President. Donald Trump indisputably violated the Constitution and is, without a shadow of a doubt, no longer fit to discharge the duties of the President of the United States of America. I urge my colleagues to support these articles of impeachment.