J. Hill

Mr. HILL of Arkansas

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5931, as I say, is a good example of both sides in this House working together for a worthy purpose. I support the bill. I urge all my colleagues to support it, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor an American icon and celebrated Arkansan, John Harold Johnson. Born in Arkansas City, Arkansas, in 1918, Mr. Johnson persevered through poverty and graduated high school with honors before attending the University of Chicago and Northwestern University. In 1942, he founded the Johnson Publishing Company, which published Ebony and Jet, two of the defining magazines of the late 20th century. Mr. Johnson's Ebony coverage of the Little Rock Nine in 1957 projected the crisis into the public eye, making him a critical figure in the civil rights movement. A member of the Forbes 400, Mr. Johnson was a terrific entrepreneur and executive. In 1996, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bill Clinton for his work toward achieving equality. This Black History Month, I am proud to honor Mr. Johnson's enduring legacy and indelible impact on the State of Arkansas.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, 96 airstrikes, eight cluster bomb attacks, 231 artillery and missile attacks--that is what the people in Idlib, Syria, experienced yesterday from the forces of the brutal dictator Assad and his Russian protector, Putin. These attacks hit 10 schools and one hospital, killing 26 and injuring over 100. After nearly 10 years of death and destruction, Idlib is becoming the greatest humanitarian disaster of this long conflict. As I have said on this floor for nearly 3 years, the lack of a comprehensive approach for U.S. policy in Syria has allowed the atrocities led by Assad, Russia, and Iran to continue with impunity. The U.S. Government must use the tools that we have at our disposal to end the death and destruction in Syria, bring about a political solution to the conflict, and hold those responsible for these war crimes fully accountable.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to a bill that I will be introducing this week. My legislation allows the Secretary of the Treasury to waive voting authority for the international financial institutions on a case-by- case basis. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund receive U.S. funding and are subject to legislative oversight, which often dictates by a mandate what projects and policies they can endorse. For example, when the World Bank takes a vote to approve a lending project, the United States may have to abstain or vote against it due to the parameters put forward by a mandate from Congress. Even further, Congress keeps adding to the mandates and has never tried to streamline them, resulting in mandates that are antiquated and can actually conflict with one another. As a result, the Financial Services Committee has increasingly come to a bipartisan consensus that new mandates should have waiver authority and sunset clauses. This legislation would allow the Treasury Secretary to waive a mandate and be able to properly vote on a financing, subject to a written report as to why to Congress. This means more flexibility to pursue our national interests, but also strong accountability to Congress.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of one of Arkansas's great outdoorsmen, Mr. Forrest Wood, who recently passed away at the age of 87. Born in Flippin, Arkansas, Forrest was considered a pioneer in the fishing industry and the father of the modern bass boat. He founded Ranger Boats, a bass boat company that he designed and built principally for black bass fishing with his wife Nina. In 1968, Forrest was instrumental in the formation of the bass fishing tournament circuit. As a long-time Arkansas game and fish commissioner, he was a strong conservationist and devoted to Arkansas, the Natural State. Forrest was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Sport Fishing Association of America and the BASS Federation. Forrest was also inducted into the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation Outdoor Hall of Fame and the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame. Forrest was an inspiration and friend to many across our State, and I extend my respect, affection, and prayers to his friends, family, and loved ones. Recognizing Ron Chastain

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of one of Arkansas's great veterans, Lieutenant Colonel Wilmer Plate, who recently passed away at the age of 99. Will was born in 1919 and began his long career of service shortly after the start of World War II. Will led numerous missions during the war as a commander of a 10-man crew in a B-24. Following the end of World War II, Will continued his service for more than three decades until his retirement from the Air Force as a chief warrant officer 4 and shortly after as a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force Reserve. Lieutenant Colonel Plate continued to provide crucial insight into World War II by publishing his memoir entitled, ``The Storm Clouds of War: Reflections of a World War II Bomber Pilot.'' Will earned numerous medals and awards for his service, including, among many others, the Purple Heart and the Distinguished Flying Cross. Will was a true American patriot, one of which all Americans and Arkansans can admire, and I extend my deepest respect, affection, and prayers to his friends, family, and loved ones. Honoring the Life and Legacy of Forrest Wood

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, last week Venezuelan interim President Juan Guaido was welcomed with bipartisan support in this Chamber as President Trump's guest for the State of the Union. For years, Venezuela's united Socialist party has pushed a once prosperous country towards desperate poverty and open tyranny. The wrongful detention of the Citgo Six for more than 2 years demonstrates the corrupt nature in which Maduro will do anything to remain in power. The United States and the Organization of American States should institute greater pressure and tighten sanctions against the Maduro regime and his cronies in order to support a return to a democratic Venezuela. I stand with President Guaido and the people of Venezuela and call on Maduro to step down and release the Citgo Six and all political prisoners or face greater sanctions. Honoring the Life and Legacy of Wilmer Plate

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Major General Ron Chastain for recently being appointed as the civilian aide to the secretary of the Army. General Chastain was born in Paris, Arkansas, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army Reserve upon graduation from the ROTC program at Arkansas Tech University. General Chastain's distinguished military service in the Arkansas National Guard spanned nearly four decades, including service as adjutant general and receiving Federal recognition as a major general of the line in 2005. General Chastain spent over 30 years working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency where he was responsible for the administration of Federal farm programs at the county, district, and State level. General Chastain has received numerous awards and decorations throughout his career, including the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, and the Bronze Star. I thank General Chastain for his decades of service to our Nation, and I wish him well in his new position with the U.S. Army.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from North Carolina. I thank him particularly for his help in shepherding this bill through the committee. I am grateful, too, to our late, good friend Elijah Cummings for his support and the opportunity to thank him on the floor for his service in the House. Also, I thank my good friend from Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence) for her support of this measure. Mr. Speaker, in 1919, American doughboys returning from the European front and its brutality were committed to benefiting from the opportunity and liberty they secured at great risk and sacrifice to themselves. Many took that commitment to autonomy and freedom home to small towns and communities and homesteads where their families and livelihoods remained. Just over 100 years ago, as September bled over into October in 1919, few eyes in this country were turned to a small agrarian community in northeast Arkansas. There, Black sharecroppers, spurred in part by the tales of opportunity and liberty spun by these returning brave veterans of the war to end all wars, dared to discuss fair pay for their crops. To this day, an accurate account of the tragic loss of life that took place during the Elaine massacre, when White mobs killed more than 100 African Americans, remains widely unknown. But one of the heroic stories that emerged from the ashes of the Elaine massacre was that of Scipio Africanus Jones, one of the great lawyers in Arkansas history. Jones' skillful legal defense saved the lives of 12 unfairly charged sharecroppers from the Elaine massacre who were originally sentenced to death by an Arkansas State court. Jones' actions resulted in the landmark Supreme Court decision in Moore v. Dempsey, establishing that Federal courts could review criminal convictions in State courts under the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that this legislation today that I have sponsored to honor his legacy, the Scipio A. Jones Post Office Portrait Act, is being considered on the House floor. Today's measure is a simple one. It authorizes a portrait of Scipio Jones to be displayed at the U.S. Post Office in Little Rock, Arkansas, that bears his name. It has the support of the entire Arkansas delegation. Scipio Jones' fight for civil rights and equality is an important part of Arkansas' history and something that we are deeply proud of in our State. The Elaine massacre had a profound impact on the soul of our State that can be felt a century later. However, history always teaches us that we can learn from our past. We have an opportunity, today, with this legislation, to write a new chapter on Arkansas history that recognizes the legacy of the tragedy, honors the victims, and seeks to heal longstanding wounds. I am delighted to draft and sponsor this bill that helps accomplish that goal. Our friend from North Carolina, the late Elijah Cummings, I am grateful for their help and the staff of the Committee on Oversight and Reform. I appreciate it for the quick markup, and I am grateful for the support. Mr. Speaker, I urge this measure's passage.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate and thank the Disabled Veterans of the World War, now the Disabled Veterans of America, on its 100th anniversary. It was founded in 1920 and headed by World War I veteran and Cincinnati Judge Robert S. Marx. The DAV has stood as an organization of disabled veterans serving veterans as they make that critical transition from military life to civilian life. As Marx said of the need of the DAV, ``We had a common experience which bound us together, and we ought to continue through an organization of our own . . . an organization of us, by us, and for us.'' With 1.2 million members, the DAV has grown into one of the foremost veterans' service organizations in our country. Arkansas DAV Commander Charlie Brown, who served for more than 26 years in the U.S. Air Force, in both Desert Storm and in Vietnam, has helped lead our State's fight in support of America's injured veterans and their families. I would like to extend my congratulations to the entire Disabled American Veterans family and wish them continued success for generations to come.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize School Choice Week. As a father of two, I am well-versed with the parental drive to give your child the best opportunities possible in life. Each student deserves a rich, challenging curriculum to prepare them for success, and I believe parents have the right to select the best school that will provide them with the best education. Millions of American students are trapped in schools that do not meet their aptitudes and needs, and as a nation, we face a tragically high dropout rate. In Arkansas, one in every twenty high school students will drop out before graduation, and this statistic mirrors the national rate. School choice most benefits students from low-income families, whose parents cannot buy a new home in a zip code with a better-performing public school. I support school vouchers and other innovative educational options, such as magnet and charter schools, because they give parents the flexibility to place their child in the school that best meets their educational needs. As lawmakers, we owe families the right to access a high-quality education, unrestricted by zip code or income.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Arkansan Weldon Davis, who passed away on December 17, 2019. Weldon, a native of Mount Vernon, Arkansas, graduated from Mount Vernon high school in 1944, and attended college at Arkansas State Teachers College in Conway. He later attended the University of Arkansas Law School, taking classes at night after a full day's work, from which he received his law degree in 1964. He began his career at Arkansas Farm Bureau Insurance Company in 1954, where he helped guide it to its success today. The Arkansas Farm Bureau even presents an outstanding adjuster award presented in his honor at the Farm Bureau's claims conference. During his career with the Farm Bureau he continued to maintain his 640-acre cattle farm in Mount Vernon. According to his family, he will be remembered as a man of character, honesty, directness, integrity, and fairness. Weldon's life is a testament to the hard work embraced by Central Arkansans.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Madam Speaker, let me start by saying the spirit of this bill is noble. Finding ways to ensure that all Americans, no matter of race, creed, color, or ZIP Code, have access to affordable credit is a noble pursuit. It is a top priority of the House Financial Services Committee. In fact, Madam Speaker, it is a personal priority. I have introduced H.R. 4231 that has bipartisan and bicameral support. It facilitates the use of additional data from rental, utility, and telecom payments to help more Americans repair and build their credit score. Thousands more would qualify and have better access to credit. The reality is that, while this is an issue that faces all Americans, it is communities of color that overwhelmingly face the greatest obstacles when it comes to obtaining access to affordable credit. Legislating is difficult. It requires good faith negotiation, compromise, and a willingness to take a small degree of political risk that occasionally makes our political lives a little more complicated. Messaging, Madam Speaker, on the other hand, is easy. It only requires the inherent power of the majority. There was a bipartisan path that could have been taken, but today, House Democrats chose to detour down the messaging-only path. With a vote today, the majority is, sadly, seeking to socialize credit, consumer credit ratings, and credit risk. This will jeopardize access to credit for millions of low-income and moderate-income families. This legislation will inhibit lenders' ability to get the full picture of a consumer's financial health, making risk more difficult to assess. This ultimately increases the cost and decreases the availability for our consumers. The good news is, Madam Speaker, that Republicans will stand united in opposition to a government takeover of our credit bureaus. Today, the majority in Congress seeks to socialize our credit system by having credit scoring and credit scoring models taken over by the government, specifically, the unaccountable Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. However, I hope that we can all come together on one major principle. My amendment will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. It will ensure that we do not allow Federal agencies to pick winners and losers based on political, religious, or other beliefs protected by our Constitution. Specifically, my friends, we need to ensure that the CFPB does not exploit this newfound power and punish Americans based on their heartfelt First Amendment rights. Simply put, my motion to recommit will prohibit the CFPB from requiring credit scoring models from using information related to Americans' political opinions, their religious beliefs, or other expression that is protected by the First Amendment. Let's make certain, my friends, that the United States Government doesn't use the tactics now made so popular in Beijing. In China, Madam Speaker, agencies are collecting enormous amounts of data related to individual financing, social media accounts, health records, and facial recognition. In China, my friends, now we have the social score. It permits rewards and punishments based on each individual's social score. For example, if you have a higher social score, you might get a discount on your monthly energy bill. If you have a lower score, you might not be able to get on that train or airplane. According to the Chinese Government, all social scores for 1.4 billion Chinese will be made publicly available this year. American ideals go against everything the social credit system represents. Supporting this MTR would ensure what is happening in China will never happen in our country. The CFPB has too much power, and we should make sure that Americans do not lose access to credit based on the decisions of an unaccountable organization. This unaccountable organization has a history of overstepping its bounds. As policymakers, we need to support measures that increase access to affordable credit and increase accuracy and security of the consumer credit information while remedying concerns about the existing system. This legislation undermines the fundamental strengths of that credit reporting system and makes it more difficult, more expensive, for lenders to analyze the credit risk of our friends and neighbors across this country. The United States has the best financial system in the world. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this motion to recommit; vote ``no'' on the underlying bill. Help maintain the United States as the most competitive consumer finance system in the world. And I would urge my friends, there is a right way to vote on this MTR and there is a Huawei to vote on this MTR. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Madam Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. I am, in its present form.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Chair, it doesn't bring me pleasure to claim the time in opposition to my good friend from Missouri, and he knows how much I appreciate the work he has done on this matter. The amendment is certainly, Mr. Chair, well intentioned, but as currently drafted, I would argue that this language does more harm to consumers than good. Let me step back and say that, unrelated to Mr. Clay's amendment, I introduced H.R. 4231, the Credit Access and Inclusion Act, which expands consumers' access to credit by allowing them to use their rent, utility, and telecom payments to help build their credit scores. In other words, it would help more people have access to credit with those additional facts. As my friend noted, and as we have heard in our Task Force on Financial Technology and in the Financial Services Committee's Consumer Protection and Financial Institutions Subcommittee, additional data allows millions more to have access to the credit they need. This bill, the Credit Access and Inclusion Act, was introduced in the 114th Congress and the 115th Congress by my friend, former Representative Keith Ellison of Minnesota. I joined in the last Congress with him and cosponsored it, and in the 116th, I have introduced it. So I find it interesting that in the last two Congresses, my bill was the appropriate way to handle additional data, but in this Congress, it is not. Mr. Chair, I would also raise the point that there is a bipartisan Senate companion to my bill introduced by Senators Scott and Manchin. Furthermore, the language I have introduced was offered as an amendment to this bill by Gwen Moore but was ruled out of order in the Rules Committee. As I have outlined, H.R. 4231, my legislation, has strong, bipartisan, bicameral support. I believe Mr. Clay is trying to do something similar with the text he has offered today. But in my view, his version makes it more difficult for consumers to establish a credit history which is underscored by the lack of bipartisan and bicameral support for this text. As drafted, Mr. Clay's amendment creates a new barrier because it requires written consumer authorization before furnishing a customer's payment information to a consumer reporting agency for a lease, for a utility, or for a telecom service. This is in stark contrast with how the current credit reporting methodology works. This amendment requires consumers to opt-in to have their rental, utility, or telecommunication payments included in their credit reports. I believe that is a defective viewpoint. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Chair, may I ask how much time remains.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Chair, let me thank Mr. Clay for his work on this. Requiring an opt-in and excluding data that would not allow lenders to get the full picture of a consumer's financial health, in my view, makes it more difficult for consumers to access credit because practically no rental, utility, or telecommunication companies would actually furnish the Expanded Access program. Therein lies the conundrum here. Therein lies the challenge with Mr. Clay's approach compared to my approach. But it doesn't stop me from thanking my friend for his work on this. I know it is an area that we share an interest in. I know that this area is keenly important to him. However, this amendment, as it is currently drafted, I cannot support it. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.'' But I hope my colleague would be open to working together to finding a better solution that truly benefits consumers, expands additional data, and allows people to offer these products because it will qualify more credit-needy Americans for badly needed credit. I think in the case of Mr. Clay's approach, ``perfect is the enemy of the good.'' I think we ought to work within the system that we have and make it better. That is why I support my measure I have introduced in the House and oppose this amendment. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I commend our bipartisan group of Members on this floor tonight to rise on Holocaust Remembrance Day to pay tribute to all those who were affected by the enormity, the calamity, and the horrors of the Holocaust. Today marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the camp at Auschwitz on January 27, 1945. ``For ever let this place be a cry of despair and a warning to humanity, where the Nazis murdered about one and a half million men, women, and children, mainly Jews from various countries of Europe. Auschwitz-Birkenau 1940-1945.'' Two years ago, I will never forget reading those words as I paid my respects on a visit to this enormous Nazi death machine. This side of humanity's greatest failure amongst millennia of human failure was a manufacturing facility. The Nazi's product: murder. Laying a wreath at the death wall, kneeling in prayer before the memorial all failed to comfort the visitor from the nightmares imposed by the pile of shoes, a tiny sample of 43,000 pairs of shoes, or the fantasy of encouraged belongings from stacks of suitcases, or the physical horror of hair cut from the heads of those to be gassed. Mr. Speaker, millions of Jews, Roma, Poles, and Serbs stepped off the trains there at Auschwitz, only days later to have their souls severed from their earthly forms. Mr. Speaker, I share the concern and the voice of my colleagues today. I stand with friends on both sides of the Atlantic, urging rejection of anti-Semitism, rejecting the rising boycott and divestiture movement against Israel, and speaking the truth. All of us on this House floor tonight are united in speaking that truth and voting today overwhelmingly to teach our children the truth of the Holocaust. Never again, Mr. Speaker. Never again.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize NASA Day in my home State of Arkansas, which was recently proclaimed by Governor Hutchinson to be January 27, 2020. In my district, Harding University, a member of the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium, has played an integral role in advancing aerospace priorities for 50 years. Between 1967 and 1979, Harding University's faculty and students supported NASA's Skylab and space efforts, including the 1969 landing of Neil Armstrong on the Moon. They conducted experiments examining the long-term effects of space on the human body. As a part of the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium, a group of 17 colleges and universities that support NASA's research activities, Harding continues its contribution and maintains strong ties to our Nation's space program. I thank Harding University for its commitment to our aerospace priorities, and I appreciate Governor Hutchinson for recognizing the importance of NASA in Arkansas.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close, and let me say in closing what a pleasure it is to work with my friend from Guam on this bill to recognize our merchant mariners. I thank my friend from New York (Mr. Suozzi) who has the privilege every day of representing the Merchant Marine Academy on Long Island. Let's come together as a Congress and support this important effort to recognize those who gave so much to save the world and make the world safe for democracy. We couldn't have done it without our merchant marines and their bravery across the seas. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 5671, the Merchant Mariners of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2020. Madam Speaker, it is fair to say that, when we look back on the many victories of World War II, unfortunately, too often, our Merchant Marine, our merchant mariners are overlooked. It is this exact reason why this Congress has come together to pass this bill to honor these brave sailors and their legacy. During wartime, merchant mariners became an auxiliary to the Navy; and, as such, civilian volunteers traded intercoastal bulk cargo routes for dangerous near-coastal and transatlantic shipping, hauling vital war cargo for our Allies. It is in this exact scenario that 250,000 merchant mariners found themselves when World War II broke out. Many of these brave men perished at sea. In fact, Madam Speaker, 1 in 26 never made it home. Madam Speaker, the merchant mariners who survived World War II were finally awarded veteran status in 1988. And if you walk down The Mall here in the Nation's Capital, you will find the World War II Memorial, and you will find the seal of the merchant mariners--which reads, ``In Peace and War''--honoring those lost during World War II. The importance of the merchant mariners was not lost on our former Chief Executives. President Eisenhower, when he was the General of the Army, stated: When final victory is ours, there is no organization that shared its credit more deservedly than the Merchant Marine. President Franklin Roosevelt similarly stated: The men of our American Merchant Marine have pushed through despite the perils of the submarine, the dive bomber, the surface raider. They have returned voluntarily to their jobs at sea again and again, because they know, they realized their lifeline to the battlefront would be broken if they did not carry out their mission, that vital, vital part of the global war. Indeed, America as ally, as arsenal of democracy, as manufacturer of the critical war material necessary to win in Europe and win across the Atlantic would be lost were it not for the merchant mariners. These men deserve the recognition of this gold medal. Of the 250,000 World War II merchant mariners who were part of that global struggle, fewer than 2,000 merchant mariner veterans are believed to still be alive today. It is imperative that we commemorate their service, their sacrifice, their leadership, their integral role in the victory of the Atlantic and the Pacific. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Ms. Kerry McCoy who is being honored with the 2019 Special Recognition for Outstanding Stewardship from Preserve Arkansas. In 1975 Kerry founded her successful business, Arkansas Flag and Banner, with $400 in savings, and to start she sold flags door to door. In 1990 she expanded the business by purchasing the famed, yet neglected, historic Taborian Hall in Little Rock, Arkansas. Built in 1916, Taborian Hall once hosted legendary entertainers like Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, B.B. King, and Etta James. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Kerry slowly and meticulously renovated Taborian Hall. In 2009 she founded the nonprofit Friends of the Dreamland Ballroom to save and protect the space that had once been the centerpiece of the hall. Kerry has since produced a documentary and published a book about the building. And I was proud to support her grant for a Civil Rights Preservation Grant from the National Park Service in 2018. I applaud Kerry for the efforts to preserve Taborian Hall and the Dreamland Ballroom, and I congratulate her on this special recognition from Preserve Arkansas.