Alcee Hastings

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Garcia) who is a dear personal friend of mine. He and I share concerns about issues related to Florida as well as this Nation, as it pertains to flood insurance.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. I yield the gentleman an additional 15 seconds.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 30 seconds to my good friend from Texas (Mr. Al Green).

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I am surprised that my friends across the aisle have failed to recognize the irony in bringing these bills together to the floor at the same time. The California water bill is an acknowledgement of how important clean water is, while the public lands bill undermines our ability keep that water clean. It would be funny if it weren't the absolute truth of the matter. Finally, Mr. Speaker, meteorologists are calling the high-pressure zone at the root of the drought in California ``the ridiculously resilient ridge.'' In that spirit, one could say that the Republicans' resistance to extending unemployment insurance, fixing our aging infrastructure, raising the debt ceiling, fixing flood insurance, and passing comprehensive immigration reform is also a resilience worthy of the same adverb. I believe that it is time for Congress to get serious about moving our country forward. The motion to recommit is particularly relevant to all of us in this Nation as it pertains to flood insurance, and this underlying bill, as the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Eshoo) said earlier, is horrible. I ask unanimous consent, Mr. Speaker, to insert the text of the amendment in the Record along with extraneous material immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' and defeat the previous question. I urge a ``no'' vote on the rule, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert my statement into the Record in support of extending unemployment insurance for 1.6 million Americans instead of this radical Republican assault on women's health care rights.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Health Care District of Palm Beach County. This organization is renowned in the South Florida community for its excellent work in providing comprehensive planning, funding, and health care service delivery to residents of Palm Beach County. In the 25 years since its founding, the District's staff and volunteers have greatly contributed to the health and well-being of the citizens of Palm Beach County. In 1987, the Florida Legislature wisely recognized the need to provide ample access to health care services in the county, which worked as an impetus for the establishment of the Health Care District. The Health Care District has since grown to encompass a wide variety of safety-net programs. These programs include the newly constructed Lakeside Medical Center for treating acute-needs patients, school health clinics that serve over 170 public schools, the Edward J. Healy Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, as well as a variety of other coverage programs for uninsured residents of this predominantly rural and agricultural county. As the operator of the sole public hospital in Palm Beach County, the District has provided lifesaving care to over 3,000 severely injured trauma patients. It also provides health coverage to over 40,000 uninsured county residents, enables uninsured expectant mothers to receive over 70,000 services, and continues to assist over 170,000 county students, where nearly 683,000 visits have been made during the school year. In addition to this critical work, they have also treated over 23,000 visits to the Emergency Room at Lakeside Medical Center. I am very proud of the Health Care District's work, and privileged to have such a phenomenal organization serving in my Congressional district. I want to personally commend all the hardworking and dedicated staff, along with the countless volunteers of the Health Care District for their service to the community. Mr. Speaker, it is my distinct pleasure to recognize the Health Care District of Palm Beach County, and express my most sincere gratitude for all that they have accomplished. I wish them many more years of continued success.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I am truly honored to rise today and recognize Mrs. Evelyn Keiser on the occasion of her 90th birthday, which was on January 12, 2014. Evelyn was born Evelyn Cahn in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1924. She graduated from Temple University with a bachelor of science degree in Medical Technology, one of only a few women in what was then a predominately male field of study. As a military wife, she traveled throughout the United States where her education and ambition for the medical field led to her employment in several hospitals and medical labs. After World War II, she returned to Philadelphia and opened her own medical lab, which she operated for more than 12 years. As the demands of motherhood increased, Evelyn sold her medical lab and embarked on a rewarding teaching career. She joined the Franklin School of Sciences and led the Medical Sciences and Lab Technology programs. In 1961, she moved to South Florida to head the medical program at Charron-Williams College in Fort Lauderdale. In 1977, with her son Dr. Arthur Keiser, she opened the Keiser School on Oakland Park Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale with one student and 2,400 square feet of classrooms. The Keiser School name progression from Keiser Institute of Technology (1982) to Keiser College (1986) and Keiser University (2006) reflects milestones that include new degree programs, multiple branch campuses, accreditation achievements, and the addition of the Graduate School offering Master's degrees. In 1981, another dream of hers became a reality when the Medical Laboratory Technician program was added to the Keiser School course offerings. Evelyn assumed the teaching and faculty development responsibilities. Under her direction, the program received accreditation from the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences, confirming the highest quality in medical laboratory academics and training. More than 25 years later, although no longer teaching, she continues to advise faculty and serve as an advocate for students. Nearly three decades later, Evelyn is still active in the university, serving as Chairwoman of the Board of Advisors. At 90 years young, and 37 years after co-founding Keiser University, she is often the first on campus each morning. Throughout her lifelong career in medical labs and in higher education, Evelyn has been awarded honors too numerous to list, including ``Teacher of the Year'' and ``Educator of the Year.'' In February 2004, she was awarded an honorary doctorate from Beijing University, citing her commitment to educational articulation agreements between China and the United States. To the faculty and administration of Keiser University, Evelyn Keiser sets the example that all students deserve the highest quality of academic instruction. As a result, the University's top teaching honor awarded to faculty members that have excelled in a proactive teaching approach focused on successful learning outcomes is entitled, ``The Evelyn C. Keiser Teaching Excellence Award.'' Today, Keiser University serves 20,000 students on 15 Florida campuses and internationally, as well as offers approximately 90 doctoral through associate degrees, and employs nearly 3,500 staff and faculty. Mr. Speaker, I have had the great privilege of knowing Evelyn Keiser for over 30 years. She has been a wonderful friend to me. I am so happy to be able to honor her on the occasion of her 90th birthday, and wish her many more years of happiness and success.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in order to recognize Mr. Rick Case following the recent grand opening of his Volkswagen dealership in Davie, Florida, as well as for the many contributions that his family of auto dealerships has made to the local community and state's economy as a whole. The new Volkswagen dealership is Mr. Case's fifth addition to the area known as ``Davie/Weston auto row,'' and creates 200 new jobs, including sales staff, service technicians, and receptionists. At eight stories high and 328,000 square feet, Rick Case Volkswagen claims the title of world's largest auto dealership for the German car company. Around 800 new and used Volkswagen vehicles are on display in each of the dealerships showroom floors. Furthermore, the new facility also features a service center, a cafe and lounge area for customers, and a floor for offices and staff training. Rick Case Automotive Group has 15 auto dealerships in Ohio, Georgia, and Florida, featuring a wide range of makes and models, and is expected to continue its growth. Competitive customer benefits and employee training have come to be the hallmark of the Rick Case model. In 2013, Rick Case Automotive Group was named by Automotive News as its National All-Star Dealer for the Privately Held Dealer category, an honor received by only one dealer out of over 17,000 dealers nationwide. In addition, Mr. Case's commitment to his customers is matched by his dedication to the community. As a local partner, he has helped to raise millions of dollars for charities like the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. The auto dealer industry contributes greatly to our nation's economy and that of our state and local communities. In particular, auto dealer sales represent about $47 billion annually. Florida ranks as the third- largest state in the country in terms of number of vehicles, the sale of which account for 16 percent of retail sales tax. Furthermore, there are approximately 850 new car dealers in Florida, providing tens of thousands of direct jobs and supporting millions more in related sectors. Auto dealers help many hardworking individuals afford the vehicles they need to access job opportunities and support their families. Mr. Speaker, as our nation continues to recover from the greatest recession in recent memory, we should recognize American businesses that are driving job creation and economic growth. Once again, I would like to congratulate Mr. Rick Case and his wife Rita on the recent grand opening of their Volkswagen dealership, and wish them much continued success in the years to come.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Mr. Leroy Tyson. Leroy, or ``Tyson'' as he was better known in our office, served as a custodian in the Day Cleaning Division of the House Office Buildings. He began his service with the Architect of the Capitol, AOC, on August 6, 2007, where he worked around the clock to help maintain the U.S. Capitol buildings. Over the past several years, I came to know Tyson through his kindness, hard work, and exceptional service. He became a great friend to me and my office, and touched the lives of all those who had the pleasure of knowing him. Tyson brought an energy and commitment to excellence despite his ongoing struggle with cancer. He prided himself on being here every day, living his life as normally as possible, and consistently making it a point to ask how everyone else was doing. In the midst of chemotherapy and in the days leading up to his untimely passing, Tyson always had a sense of humor and checked in often with our office to share a laugh. Mr. Speaker, we have lost a great man. I feel truly blessed to have known him, and our thoughts and prayers are with the Tyson family during this difficult time. May Leroy Tyson's memory serve as a reminder to show our appreciation to each other while we still have the chance.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Ahiska (Meskhetian) Turkish community, a distinct minority group that has faced statelessness, discrimination, and violent attacks in the former Soviet Union for nearly 70 years. Given recent reports of active and severe persecution against Ahiska Turks in southern Russia at every socio-economic and political level because of their ethnicity and religion, I urge the U.S. Department of State to re-establish Ahiska Turks as a group of ``special humanitarian concern'' for Priority-Two (P-2) processing for refugee status. The Ahiska Turks, who were uprooted and resettled from their ancestral lands in the Soviet Republic of Georgia by Stalin in 1944, have been perennial refugees since then, and unable to return to their homes. Much of the refugee community is now centered in the Krasnodar region of southern Russia, led by Governor Alexander Tkachev. The Ahiska Turk community numbers less than 19,000 in the Krasnodar region, with thousands more in the nearby Rostov region and Kabardino-Balkaria, for a total of 80,000 in all of Russia. Between 2004 and 2007, roughly 12,000 Ahiska Turks came to the United States under a special refugee status known as P-2, settling all over the United States, including in Ohio, Illinois, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Pennsylvania, New York, Oregon, Missouri, Kentucky, Texas, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Virginia, and many other states. This resilient community has been able to fully integrate into American society, and has proven itself to be a great asset in their new home states by becoming entrepreneurs and creating opportunities for others. Unfortunately, Ahiska Turks lost their P-2 status when it expired in 2007. For those who remain stateless in southern Russia, their struggles continue. The discrimination and ethnic persecution of the Ahiska Turks by the Russian authorities, as well as vigilante and Cossack paramilitary forces, has been documented by the U.S. State Department, the Russian human rights organization ``Memorial,'' and the media, most recently The New York Times. Furthermore, an October 2013 report by the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance, which dedicates a section to Ahiska Turks, indicated that the situation in southern Russia remains ``very bad'' for ethnic minorities. The report also goes on to explain that human rights organizations' efforts to monitor and report on the situation have been met with ``hostility by the authorities, including criminal investigations and prosecutions.'' Mr. Speaker, issues of human rights and the ethnic persecution of Ahiska Turks in southern Russia remain serious concerns. Although the Ahiska Turkish diaspora, particularly in the United States, and various organizations have long advocated for renewed resettlement assistance, the international community remains largely unresponsive. Therefore, I believe that it is long past time that the State Department re- institute P-2 status for Ahiska Turks and resume the implementation of a successful program that has not only improved the lives of refugees, but also enriched the communities they joined.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the National Commission on Employment and Economic Security Act of 2013. This legislation makes necessary and vital investments in our nation's workforce and their families. It establishes a national commission to examine issues of economic and psychological insecurity within our workforce that have been caused by employment displacement. Furthermore, it will propose solutions, including recommendations for legislative and administrative action, to Congress and the President. During the recession that began in December 2007 and in the subsequent months, more than 8.7 million jobs were lost. By October 2009, the unemployment rate had reached 10.0 percent, and roughly 15.4 million people were unemployed in our country. In Florida, the unemployment rate reached 11.4 percent in March 2010, and in some states, such as Rhode Island and South Carolina, the unemployment rate rose to just short of 12 percent, peaking at 11.9 percent in early 2010. Luckily, we are on the road to recovery, and 7.5 million jobs have been created during 42 straight months of private-sector job growth across the country. Unemployment rates have fallen in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Our economy is recovering, but the need for this vital research is no less critical. This is highlighted by current projections from the Congressional Budget Office (CB0), which estimate that the unemployment rate will not fall below 6 percent until the end of 2016, and will remain above 5 percent through 2023. Mr. Speaker, when Americans lose their jobs and their incomes shrink, too often, they face the loss of their family's health insurance and, subsequent to the loss of income, even their housing. According to an American Psychological Association (APA) report from February 2013, money (69 percent), work (65 percent), and the economy (61 percent) remain the most frequently cited sources of stress for Americans. The mental health of the American worker is integral as we continue down the road of economic recovery. Congress must face this problem head on and help those facing long-term unemployment, loss of health insurance, home foreclosure, increased levels of stress, and increased risk of mental illness. I believe that we have a responsibility to provide the greatest possible assistance to our nation's workforce, whose commitment to economic participation has been a defining feature of the cultural fabric of our country. This Commission will be instrumental in ensuring that we get our nation fully back on track, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the National Commission on Employment and Economic Security Act of 2013. This legislation makes necessary and vital investments in our nation's workforce and their families. It establishes a national commission to examine issues of economic and psychological insecurity within our workforce that have been caused by employment displacement. Furthermore, it will propose solutions, including recommendations for legislative and administrative action, to Congress and the President. During the recession that began in December 2007 and in the subsequent months, more than 8.7 million jobs were lost. By October 2009, the unemployment rate had reached 10.0 percent, and roughly 15.4 million people were unemployed in our country. In Florida, the unemployment rate reached 11.4 percent in March 2010, and in some states, such as Rhode Island and South Carolina, the unemployment rate rose to just short of 12 percent, peaking at 11.9 percent in early 2010. Luckily, we are on the road to recovery, and 7.5 million jobs have been created during 42 straight months of private-sector job growth across the country. Unemployment rates have fallen in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Our economy is recovering, but the need for this vital research is no less critical. This is highlighted by current projections from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), which estimate that the unemployment rate will not fall below 6 percent until the end of 2016, and will remain above 5 percent through 2023. Mr. Speaker, when Americans lose their jobs and their incomes shrink, too often, they face the loss of their family's health insurance and, subsequent to the loss of income, and even their housing. According to an American Psychological Association (APA) report from February 2013, money (69 percent), work (65 percent), and the economy (61 percent) remain the most frequently cited sources of stress for Americans. The mental health of the American worker is integral as we continue down the road of economic recovery. Congress must face this problem head on and help those facing long-term unemployment, loss of health insurance, home foreclosure, increased levels of stress, and increased risk of mental illness. I believe that we have a responsibility to provide the greatest possible assistance to our nation's workforce, whose commitment to economic participation has been a defining feature of the cultural fabric of our country. This Commission will be instrumental in ensuring that we get our nation fully back on track, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and congratulate The Lord's Place as they celebrate their 30th anniversary. Over the years, I have come to work very closely with this wonderful non-profit organization and have seen first-hand the critical work they do to aid the homeless population in South Florida. It is particularly fitting that we mark this anniversary during National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness week, when, as a nation, we reflect on the progress we have made in reducing hunger and homelessness, and recommit ourselves to the work that remains to put an end to these tragedies once and for all. For 30 years, The Lord's Place has been a place of refuge for homeless Floridians in Palm Beach County. The organization is dedicated to breaking the cycle of homelessness, and provides critical services to the local community such as job training, health and human services, supportive housing, and community engagement. Additionally, The Lord's Place operates numerous social enterprises and businesses, such as a thrift store, a catering company, and a community garden, which provide real world experience to homeless Floridians attempting to break their own cycle of homelessness. By helping to educate and provide valuable employment opportunities for these men and women, The Lord's Place provides a path that has already allowed hundreds of formerly homeless Floridians to reenter society and lead independent and self-sufficient lives. In 2012, The Lord's Place provided these support services to hundreds of people in need. More than 400 men, women, and children were offered supportive housing, and remarkably, by the end of the year, 92 percent of these individuals were no longer homeless. Many now lead self- sufficient and independent lives. Furthermore, dozens of formerly homeless men and women better educate themselves with the organization's on-the-job skill training program every year. This has allowed hundreds of formerly homeless Floridians to find work with local employers. Mr. Speaker, I want offer my most sincere congratulations and heartfelt gratitude to The Lord's Place CEO Diana Stanley, her staff, and volunteers for all that they do each and every single day. I very much look forward to continuing my partnership with them for many more years to come.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in observance of the 15 Annual Transgender Day of Remembrance. Fifteen years ago, the tragic murder of transgender musician Rita Hester in Boston offered our nation a glimpse into the daily struggle and injustice suffered by transgender Americans. In honor of her memory, transgender activist Gwendolyn Ann Smith founded the first Transgender Day of Remembrance in 1998 as an occasion to remember all those who have been lost due to violence and prejudice against transgender and gender non-conforming individuals. Despite significant advances in the struggle for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) equality in recent years, many people do not realize or recognize that transphobia exists, and transgender individuals continue to face discrimination in every major aspect of their day-to-day lives. Tragically, members of the transgender community are too often the victims of hate-motivated violence. Each year around the world, hundreds of transgender individuals of all ages--particularly transgender women of color--are brutally attacked, injured, or murdered simply because of who they are, and the list of names to memorialize grows ever longer. In 2013 alone, this figure topped 238 lives lost, but we know that the real number of deaths is much higher as many cases go unreported and uninvestigated. All people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, as well as live free from fear of discrimination and harm. For transgender individuals, the lack of access to culturally competent health care, disproportionate rates of poverty and homelessness, resorting to survival sex or attempting suicide, maltreatment by law enforcement, and employment discrimination remain serious challenges to their well- being. As a nation, we must do more to address these issues, root out stigma and racism, and foster greater inclusion in our society. At the federal level, one of the immediate steps that we can take to protect the rights of transgender individuals is to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2013 (ENDA), a bipartisan measure that strengthens basic employment protections for all Americans and, in my opinion, is long overdue. On November 7, 2013, the Senate sent a clear message that employer discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity should be outlawed when it passed ENDA by a vote of 64- 32. I urge Speaker Boehner to reconsider his position and allow the House to vote on passage of a fully inclusive ENDA as soon as possible. Mr. Speaker, transgender rights are human rights. As we observe the 15th Annual Transgender Day of Remembrance, let us not only remember the lives of all those whom we have lost to transphobic hate, but honor their memory and sacrifice by recommitting ourselves to making a difference in the lives of LGBT individuals and other vulnerable communities as a whole. I will continue working tirelessly with my colleagues in Congress, the Obama administration, and civil rights advocates to ensure that our laws recognize LGBT persons and provide them with equal opportunities to succeed.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce a resolution recognizing people of African descent, and particularly Europe's Black community and political leaders, as we welcome a delegation of Black European Rights Leaders representing 10 European countries to Washington, DC this week, and continue working to address issues of inequality, discrimination, and inclusion in the 57 North American and European countries that make up the region of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). An estimated seven to ten million individuals of African descent currently live in Europe, particularly in France, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands, and form an influential part of the African diaspora. From labor and scholarship to politics and civil rights, they have contributed greatly to European history and culture over the past several centuries. However, the story of Black Europeans remains widely untold, rendering many of their past and present contributions to the political and social life of Europe invisible or forgotten. Furthermore, similar to the experiences of many African Americans, they have increasingly become the targets of discrimination, pernicious racial profiling, and violent hate crimes impacting equal access to housing, employment, education, and justice. On April 29, 2008, I chaired a U.S. Helsinki Commission hearing entitled, ``The State of (In)visible Black Europe: Race, Rights, and Politics,'' which focused on bringing to light the daily challenges of racism and discrimination encountered by Black Europeans, specifically with regard to their representation in leadership positions and political participation. Since then, I have worked with minority and other European legislators to convene annual events in Brussels, Belgium at the European Parliament to address these issues, including the 2009 Black European Summit: Transatlantic Dialogue on Political Inclusion and the 2010 and 2011 Transatlantic Minority Political Leadership Conferences. Follow-on initiatives from these events have included the Transatlantic Inclusion Leaders Network in cooperation with the State Department and German Marshall Fund, which works to advance young, diverse, and inclusive leaders on both sides of the Atlantic. This resolution acknowledges the findings from the OSCE's Annual Hate Crimes Report and European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights' (EUFRA) 2009 European Union Minorities and Discrimination Survey (EU-MIDIS), as well as initiatives such as the June 2013 European Network Against Racism's ``People of African Descent and Black Europeans'' Policy Paper and Open Society Justice Initiative 2009 report, entitled ``Ethnic Profiling in the European Union,'' which reveal systemic discrimination against Black Europeans in housing, education, health care, employment, the criminal justice system, and access to political participation. Moreover, recent racist acts towards Black European cabinet-level officials highlight continuing issues of racism and national extremism, and the need to increase the awareness of rights and protection for Black Europeans. Cooperation is key to addressing the global problems of racism and discrimination. As we continue working to build on past and current initiatives, I encourage my colleagues to join me in recognizing and celebrating the collective history and achievements made by people of African descent. This resolution reaffirms the importance of inclusion and the full and equal participation of people of African descent around the world in all aspects of political, economic, social, and cultural life. To that end, Congress should welcome increased parliamentary activities, including those of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, to engage in efforts to promote racial equality and combat racial discrimination through efforts such as introducing legislation, speaking out against racism, increasing the political participation of racial minorities, and working with Black European and other minority communities to develop relevant policies. Europe today grapples with complex questions at the intersection of national identity, decreasing birth rates, increasing immigration, security concerns, and a rise in extremist political parties and vigilantism. In this context of changing demographics and attitudes, the experiences of Black Europeans increasingly serve as a measure of the strength of European democracies and commitments to human rights. Following the 2011 Transatlantic Minority Political Leadership Conference, U.S. and European parliamentarians called for a Joint US-EU Action Plan to work on transatlantic solutions to address bias and discrimination and foster inclusion--much the way we work jointly on counterterrorism, trade, and other issues. The adoption of such an initiative would significantly increase the tools our governments have to address common issues, develop proactive policies to meet changing demographics leading to increased diversity in our societies, and ultimately ensure the long-term stability and prosperity of our democracies. Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of a Joint Action Plan in addition to immediate actions by European governments and members of civil society and the private sector, in consultation with Black European communities, to develop and implement initiatives to combat racial discrimination and promote racial equality in Europe. In the interim, our government can do more to partner with European public and private sectors and Black and migrant communities to advance human rights and inclusion in Europe, including appointing at the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Senior Advisors on Afro-descent peoples and establishing a State Department Fund for the Inclusion of Racial and Ethnic minorities modeled after the Department's International Fund for Women and Girls and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Global Equality Funds.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to wish my dear friend Lottie Albert a very happy 98th birthday. Lottie was born on December 25, 1915 to Eva and Louis Wernick in New York, New York. In 1936, she married Sol Albert and shared 55 wonderful years of marriage with him. They had two daughters, Harriet and Doreen. Now, Lottie is a grandmother of Eric, Glenn, and Lowell, as well as a great-grandmother of Kyle, Samantha, Heather, and Seth. Lottie has been a resident of Broward County for 40 years and lived in the City of Sunrise for the past 12 years. She is an amazing individual who has selflessly dedicated herself to helping so many throughout South Florida, and for that I am truly grateful. Her work with the Ann Storck Children's Center, The Elderly Interest Fund's MEDIVAN Program, and the Alzheimer's Family Center was honored on March 25, 2012 with her induction into the Broward County Women's Hall of Fame. Additionally, in 1988, she was inducted into the Area Agency on Aging's Dr. Nan S. Hutchison Broward Senior Hall of Fame. Furthermore, in 2005 Broward County named November 12th as ``Lottie Albert Appreciation Day.'' Mr. Speaker, Lottie exemplifies the ideals of civic engagement. Her compassion and tireless devotion to her community are a shining example for us all. She has been a wonderful friend to me for so many years, and it is my distinct honor to wish her a happy birthday.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. I thank my good friend from Georgia for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I listened to the gentleman, and he was very clear about, one, the process and, two, the basic substance of both measures that are on the floor today. To a relative degree, I agree with much of what he has said. I know that my friend from Georgia is an advocate of an open process, and with all due respect to him and the committee, structured rules--whether Members have offered suggestions for change or not--are not open rules. However, in this particular case, he is correct that of the five amendments that were offered by Members of my party, three of them were made in order, and none were offered on the first of the two measures. Mr. Speaker, with only 15 days left in this session of the 113th Congress, we are here yet again doing more of the same, which is nothing. It has been reported that some among my friends across the aisle have even joked that the House shouldn't be in session in December at all. Instead of addressing our Nation's serious immigration needs--and I might add a footnote there. There is a substantial loss to our economic undertakings by virtue of us failing to do the things that we can and should do either comprehensively or step by step to deal with the immigration circumstances of this great Nation. We could be passing ENDA, as the Senate did last week, where we could end discrimination in the workplace. Or we could do something that all of us know needs to be done: we could work on ending sequestration. I was at two meetings this morning, one dealing with homelessness and the other dealing with the need for food, and in each instance, the parties that were the experts cited how sequestration has impacted their nonprofit organizations in trying to assist the homeless and the needy as it pertains to food. So we could be working on trying to stop this meat-ax approach that is set in motion. Yet we find ourselves passing bills that won't do anything and aren't going to go anywhere. In fact, H.R. 2655, as my colleague has pointed out, no Member offered any amendment to it. It is so bad that nobody even wanted to fix it. The bill is nothing more than a partisan solution to a problem that doesn't exist. The American Bar Association, the preeminent bar association among lawyers in every category in the United States of America, wrote the following: No serious problem has been brought to the Rules Committee's attention. There is no need to reinstate the 1983 version of rule 11 that proved contentious and diverted so much time and energy of the bar and bench. The ABA continued that the bill ``is not based on an empirical foundation, and the proposed amendments ignore lessons learned.'' The proposed changes would ``impede the administration of justice by encouraging additional litigation and increasing court costs and delays.'' This bill not only prevents judges from calling balls and strikes; it forces members of the bench to call balks on every pitch before the ball can even reach the plate. The Judicial Conference, the preeminent conference of the United States courts in this country that is the body responsible for proposing the necessary changes in the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, asked Federal judges about these proposed changes. Eighty- seven percent of the judges asked prefer the existing rule 11 to the 1983 version; 85 percent of them support the safe harbor provisions; 91 percent oppose mandatory sanctions for every rule 11 violation; 84 percent think that attorneys' fees should not be awarded for every rule 11 violation. And here is the big one: 85 percent believe the amount of groundless litigation has not grown since promulgation of the 1993 rule. These are men and women who face these issues on a daily basis. They know better than most--and almost anyone in this House of Representatives--and believe that rule 11 has plenty of teeth as is. This bill would substitute the judgment of Congress for that of our judges. When the Judicial Conference of the United States opposes the changes in this bill, you would have to wonder who the bill is really benefiting. It is not just the judges who oppose this bill. There is a long list of groups that include attorneys, consumer protection groups, civil rights organizations, and public interest advocates, all in opposition to this bill. As late as this morning, I received an additional letter from the National Employment Lawyers Association. In sum and substance, they feel that they represent farms, fields, schools, factories, executive offices, military services, hospitals, and many others; and they feel that they are a unique voice in this category. They stand in opposition because they think it will proliferate the amount of litigation that is unnecessary in our overburdened courts as it is. The court already has discretion to award sanctions, attorneys' fees, and expenses. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2655 will create more hurdles with which deep-pocketed businesses can drag out litigation that is already too expensive and time consuming. My friends across the aisle have produced a number of anecdotes in support of this bill; but most of the cases cited are demand letters or State law cases, neither of which are subject to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Furthermore, lawsuits are too complicated to explain with a quip of carefully selected and characterized facts. Just because a particular fact pattern is entertaining or seemingly silly does not mean the case is without merit. Just because a case makes for a good headline doesn't mean that real people weren't really injured. The most famous example that I can think of is the woman who sued McDonald's for her coffee being too hot. When you say it like that, it sounds like you want coffee to be hot when you get it. But what is skipped over when we say it that way is that the coffee caused third- degree burns, and the lady had to be hospitalized for 8 days, received skin grafts, and then 2 years of medical treatment. Well, that hot coffee doesn't sound so silly when you look at it from that standpoint. Speaking of bills opposed by the people they supposedly help, the second portion of this rule, H.R. 982, the FACT Act, is ironically titled because it was drafted without regard to any of the facts. There is no evidence of systemic fraud or that systemic failures encourage fraud. The GAO in its study was unable to identify endemic and overt instances of fraud that would justify these kinds of changes. Most of the information supporters seek is available through the standard discovery process. This bill seriously compromises the privacy of victims in order to provide offenders with litigation shortcuts. Claims of wanting to increase transparency are really laughable, since the offenders involved in these suits are allowed to maintain their privacy. This bill further victimizes people who have already been through so much. Human error is not fraud. Isolated incidents are troubling, but fraud prevention procedures are already in place and functioning adequately. Asbestos victims oppose this bill. My friends across the aisle would have known, if they had provided victims an opportunity; but they did not provide that opportunity. I asked the chair of this committee last evening whether or not the victims had been afforded an opportunity to make a presentation. When I pointed out to him that staff had allowed that they could have a private meeting, but they did not have an opportunity to testify during the proceedings, he agreed with me. That seems to be a favorite tactic of my Republican friends. They have done this to asbestos victims, and they have done it to judges. When it came to shutting down the government, they ignored the overwhelming desire of hardworking and working-poor Americans. They continued to ignore economists and the downgrading of our credit rating over the debt ceiling. They disregard the science of climate change, despite erratic, catastrophic weather patterns and rising sea levels. I am sure that all of us recognize the most recent typhoon that has devastated the Philippines. I am hopeful that we, along with others in the world, will hasten to the rescue. America is always to be commended for our efforts when tragedies strike other nations, and I would call on other nations who have not done so to become adherent to the kind of philosophy that we have. And I hope that we can help those in the Philippines to recover rapidly. If my friends continue to ignore the world as it is in favor of the red-tinted paradise they believe it to be, they will have no one to blame but themselves when the country decides it is time to ignore them. I wish to say one additional thing regarding the privacy concern. Yesterday, I called Comcast Television. The Miami Heat, champions of basketball for the last 2 years, were playing last night. So I thought that I would order the NBA game last evening. Well, lo and behold, last evening and this morning, before I left to attend meetings, the Comcast system is down and it is not working. I was told that I would get a phone call yesterday; and I didn't get any phone call. So I called this morning and I was told I would get a phone call today, but I missed the game last night. Incidentally, the Heat won. I did see that in the paper this morning. But I am concerned about the privacy measures because when I called Comcast, after giving them my account number and after telling them who I was and what my address was--and this is through three different automatic systems--then the young man came over the telephone. And when he came over the telephone after doing all of this--the account, my name, where I live again--he then asked me for the last four digits of my Social Security number. The wife of a former colleague of ours who died of mesothelioma, Bruce Vento, has written actively, along with others, for us to see how this identity problem might persist if we pursue this course. This bill would make the private information of asbestos poisoning victims readily available on the Internet, and therein lies the difference. Different now is that any information anybody needs is already in the courthouse. And they can go to the courthouse and achieve that information. But this is part of what we mean when we say this bill ``re-victimizes'' asbestos victims all over again. If an employer or identity thief wants to get the information in a regular lawsuit, they have to physically now go to every courthouse in the country and look through paper records. But with this bill, if Alcee Hastings applies for a job at X Corporation, the manager at X can search for my name on the Internet, learn that I got money from an asbestos trust, and then decide, if he or she wanted, not to hire me out of some misplaced fear that I am someone who just goes around suing their employer. Or they could refuse to hire me because they fear I will be sick a lot or drive up their group health insurance. An identity thief could learn the last four digits of my Social Security number. That is the same piece of information that I gave to Comcast yesterday and that my bank and credit card companies use to verify my identity during customer service calls. What part of that do you not understand that, if you put it on the Internet, then anybody can utilize it? Risking employment discrimination and identity theft for asbestos poisoning victims just because my colleagues on the other side want to stick it to the trial lawyers seems awfully crass to me. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I yield 3\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott), my classmate, colleague, and good friend.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, I am going to offer an amendment to the rule to bring up H.R. 3383, which is my good friend Representative Esty's measure, the Caregivers Expansion and Improvement Act of 2013. To discuss her bill, I now yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. Esty).

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I would advise my colleague at this time that I have no further speakers and that I am prepared to close if he is prepared to close.