Sheila Jackson Lee

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the United States Women's National Team for their victory at the 2015 FIFA World Cup, their third championship, and first since the legendary 1999 championship team. The teamwork, individual skills of the players, and sportsmanship displayed by these great athletes shined through as they moved through their bracket and then the knock-round and finally the epic championship game where they defeated the valiant and talented Japan National Team 5-2 in the highest scoring championship game in the history of the World Cup. One nation. One team. Twenty three women. Twenty three girls who grew up to become role models for women and girls everywhere and captured the hearts of all Americans. I would like to congratulate each and every one of these tremendous women for their dedication to the sport and to each other. It is a matter of special pride to me and the constituents of the 18th Congressional District that three members of the remarkable Women's National Team come from Houston's local club, the Houston Dash: Meghan Klingenberg; Morgan Brian; and the tournament's top player and winner of the Golden Ball Award, Carli Lloyd. As these women return to Houston this week, I know my constituents will be there cheering as hard as ever for their favorite players. Meghan, Morgan, and Carli are an inspiration for the young women in my district--a district full of girls with the potential to succeed in sports, academics, and anything they set their minds to achieve. The incredible victory of the 2015 Women's National Team is further proof that making the necessary investments to provide equal academic, athletic, and economic opportunities to girls and women yield substantial tangible and intangible dividends to our nation. Mr. Speaker, women and girls are the biggest untapped resource in the world; in too many places they have been denied access to education, fair pay, and opportunities for so long--but that is changing. After a weekend of celebration, I think it is safe to say that when women succeed, America succeeds. And you know what? America can succeed much more. Now, more than ever, I applaud the provisions like Title IX which have made it possible for girls to take part in sports and school activities. However, there is more work to be done. But today is a day to celebrate and salute the remarkable women athletes of the victorious 2015 National Women's Team which will live on in history as one of America's greatest team and in the achievements to come of girls and boys who were inspired by their devotion to their sport, their team, and to each other. When girls succeed, women succeed. And when women succeed, America succeeds.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Older Americans Act of 1965. Passed by the historic 89th Congress, the ``Older Americans Act'' was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on July 14, 1965 in response to the growing national consensus that the level of community social services available for older Americans was simply inadequate. The original legislation established the authority for grants to states for community planning and other social services. These services included funding for vital research and development of projects, and personnel training to assist our aging citizens. This legislation authorized the creation of a wide array of programs through a national network of 56 state agencies that specialize in aging. The legislation also led to the creation of 629 area agencies on aging, nearly 20,000 service providers, 244 Tribal organizations, and 2 Native Hawaiian organizations representing 400 Tribes throughout our country. The Older Americans Act also assisted in the creation of community service employment for low-income elder Americans. These community services included implementation of job training for our aging community; along with focusing on the protection of the rights of vulnerable Americans. Every year, an estimated 2.1 million older Americans are victims of elder abuse, neglect, or exploitation. In 2013 alone, over 4.2 million elder Americans were below the poverty level. Today, an estimated 65.7 million Americans, or nearly 30 percent of the general population, provide care for an older adult, or someone living with illness or disability. The Older Americans Act has led to the creation of vital programs such as the National Meals on Wheels of America, which provide meals to our ever growing elderly community. According to the United States Census Bureau, 9 percent of the residents of my congressional district, which is centered in Houston, Texas, are over the age of 65. These older citizens in the city of Houston utilize services provided by the Harris County Area Agency on Aging Family Caregiver Support Network. Without the passage of significant legislation such as the ``Older Americans Act'' of 1965, older American citizens throughout our country would never know of the positive impact that a professional caregiver can provide them. Older women are more than likely to be living alone at the age of 75, and a caregiver will provide them the necessary assistance to live a healthy life in their own home. The issues facing our seniors grow every day with the increasing pace of the world around us. The services that the Older Americans Act generated have assisted countless elder Americans in the half century since the law was enacted. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the passage of the ``Older Americans Act'' of 1965 and to recognize its remarkable contributions to the quality of life enjoyed by older Americans and in making our country a better and sweeter place to live.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the passage of the ``Presidential Succession Act of 1947.'' Passed by the 80th Congress, the ``Presidential Succession Act'' was signed into law by President Harry S Truman on July 18, 1947, in response to the sudden death of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States. The death of President Roosevelt was felt throughout the country, because FDR had held the office for over twelve years and seen the country through the Great Depression, the surprise attack by Japan on Pearl Harbor, and World War II. When President Roosevelt died, Vice President Harry Truman was immediately sworn in as President; the position of Vice President remained vacant for the duration of the term, from April 1945 to January 1949. President Truman prevailed upon the Congress to pass legislation that would correct the issue of a vacant Constitutional position within the Executive Branch. The Presidential Succession Act established the line of succession to the office of President of the United States in the event that neither a President nor Vice President is able to discharge the powers and duties of the office. The Presidential Succession Act places the Speaker of the House first and the President pro tempore second in the line of constitutional succession for our Chief Executive after the Vice President of the United States. By creating this clear line of Constitutional succession for the Office of the President, Congress provided a mechanism to maintain continuity of executive branch operation through horrific national tragedies, like the one occurring on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas, when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, elevating at that moment Vice President Lyndon Johnson to the Office of the Presidency. Another moment in our nation's history that exemplifies the wisdom of the Presidential Succession Act is the attempted assassination on March 30, 1981, of our 40th President, Ronald Reagan. The aftermath of this attempted assassination of a sitting U.S. President was eased by the well-known defined transition of duties set forth in the Presidential Succession Act. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to commemorate the ``Presidential Succession Act'' of 1947 as an example of Congressional foresight in protecting the continuity of the Office of the Presidency during a national crisis.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Will the gentleman yield?

Ms. JACKSON LEE. I think we have had an opportunity to be on the floor together over the years. Thank you so very much. I want to thank the ranking member and the leadership on the committee. My question would be--obviously, this appropriations process is a bill here in the House and then there is conference--what would be the immediate strategy of working with you on this goal that we both would have? I yield to the gentleman.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chairman, let me thank the chair and the ranking member of this appropriations process for the Interior and Environment for their indulgence and their understanding of how much a part of the lives of Americans this legislation is from my amendment dealing with the culture and history of this Nation to that of clean water, clean air, our Federal parks, our forestry. This is a vital piece of the livelihood and the life of America. Among other agencies that the legislation funds is the Smithsonian Institution, which operates our national museums, including the Air and Space Museum, the Museum of African Art, the American Art Museum, and the National Portrait Gallery. It also operates the national treasure, the National Zoo. My amendment is simple. It sends a very important message from the Congress of the United States to infuse into the people cultural and appreciation for the respect and holding of wild animals, for the forests, for the number of assets that we should hold very dear, and it increases the Smithsonian Institution by $1.5 million. Mr. Chairman, the Smithsonian's outreach programs bring scholars in art, history, and science out of the Nation's attic and into their own backyard. Each year, millions of Americans visit the Smithsonian. In order to fill the Smithsonian's mission, the increase and diffusion of knowledge, the Smithsonian seeks to serve on an even greater audience by bringing it to the communities, to the people who otherwise would be deprived, or the institutions that would otherwise be deprived of this kind of cultural exchange. This money is not a lot of money, but it is an important statement for those who seek to be connected to the cultural history of America. The Smithsonian's outreach program serves millions of Americans, thousands of communities, and hundreds of institutions in all 50 States through loans of objects, traveling exhibitions, and sharing of educational resources. Smithsonian outreach programs work in close cooperation with Smithsonian museums and research centers, as well as with 144 affiliate institutions, and others across the Nation. Smithsonian outreach activities support community-based cultural and educational organizations. It reaches out to African Americans, Asian Americans, Latino Americans, Native Americans, new Americans, and all Americans from kindergarten to college to our senior citizens. What can we do to help this outreach expand? We can provide this simple amendment of $1.5 million to create more mobile museums talking about the extensive history that we have. These mobile museums then connect with our museums that we have. The African American Museum in Houston is one of those that needs the bridge that the Smithsonian has. It is a museum that has reached prominence, but not the ability to reach a lot of people. This is an opportunity to boost the Smithsonian in order to ensure that we have that kind of outreach. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman. Let me, first of all, thank the ranking member for all the hard work that has been done and the chairman. It is a passion for reaching out and touching museums like the Houston African American Museum that has, as its curator, an excellent leader in John Guess. I would say to museums like that to allow me to take up the chairman and the ranking member's leadership and begin to look for what may be an extra opportunity to infuse dollars to get the culture of America to reach out to all over. With that, in the spirit of collaboration and collegiality, I am going to at this time withdraw in a friendly manner the Jackson Lee amendment with a very hopeful commitment to be able to help museums like the Houston African American Museum and many others that really benefit from this connection.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chairman, how much time do I have?

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chairman, let me just say, in concluding, there are many things that this bill does. I am hoping that we will rid ourselves of sequester to let it do more, and one of the things would be this outreach that brings us together as a Nation in a positive way. I cannot say good accolades about Houston museums in general, the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum, the Houston African American Museum that has a great purpose, and other museums that I hope we can address the Smithsonian's outreach capability. Mr. Chair, thank you for this opportunity to speak in support of my amendment to H.R. 2822, the ``Interior and Environment Appropriations Act of 2016.'' Let me also thank Chairman Calvert and Ranking Member McCollum for their leadership in shepherding this bill to the floor. Among other agencies, this legislation funds the Smithsonian Institution, which operates our national museums, including the Air and Space Museum; the Museum of African Art; the Museum of the American Indian; and the National Portrait Gallery. The Smithsonian also operates another national treasure: the National Zoo. Mr. Chair, my amendment is simple but it sends a very important message from the Congress of the United States. The Jackson Lee Amendment provides that increases funding for the Smithsonian Institution by $1.5 million to fund outreach programs administered by the Smithsonian Institution. Mr. Chair, the Smithsonian's outreach programs bring Smithsonian scholars in art, history and science out of ``the nation's attic'' and into their own backyard. Each year, millions of Americans visit the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. But in order to fulfill the Smithsonian's mission, ``the increase and diffusion of knowledge,'' the Smithsonian seeks to serve an even greater audience by bringing the Smithsonian to enclaves of communities who otherwise would be deprived of the vast amount of cultural history offered by the Smithsonian. The Smithsonian's outreach programs serve millions of Americans, thousands of communities, and hundreds of institutions in all 50 states, through loans of objects, traveling exhibitions, and sharing of educational resources via publications, lectures and presentations, training programs, and websites. Smithsonian outreach programs work in close cooperation with Smithsonian museums and research centers, as well as with 144 affiliate institutions and others across the nation. The Smithsonian's outreach activities support community-based cultural and educational organizations around the country. They ensure a vital, recurring, and high-impact Smithsonian presence in all 50 states through the provision of traveling exhibitions and a network of affiliations. Smithsonian outreach programs increase connections between the Institution and targeted audiences (African American, Asian American, Latino, Native American, and new American) and provide kindergarten through college-age museum education and outreach opportunities. These outreach programs enhance K-12 science education programs, facilitate the Smithsonian's scholarly interactions with students and scholars at universities, museums, and other research institutions; and disseminate results related to the research and collections strengths of the Institution. The programs that provide the critical mass of Smithsonian outreach activity are: 1. the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES); 2. the Smithsonian Affiliations, the Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies (SCEMS); 3. National Science Resources Center (NSRC); 4. the Smithsonian Institution Press (SIP); 5. the Office of Fellowships (OF); and 6. the Smithsonian Associates (TSA), which receives no federal funding. To achieve the goal of increasing public engagement, SITES directs some of its federal resources to develop Smithsonian Across America: A Celebration of National Pride. This ``mobile museum,'' which will feature Smithsonian artifacts from the most iconic (presidential portraits, historic American flags, Civil War records, astronaut uniforms, etc.) to the simplest items of everyday life (family quilts, prairie schoolhouse furnishings, historic lunch boxes, multilingual store front and street signs, etc.), has been a long-standing organizational priority of the Smithsonian. SITES ``mobile museum'' is the only traveling exhibit format able to guarantee audience growth and expanded geographic distribution during sustained periods of economic retrenchment, but also because it is imperative for the many exhibitors nationwide who are struggling financially yet eager to participate in Smithsonian outreach. For communities still struggling to fully recover from the economic downturn, the ability of museums to present temporary exhibitions, the ``mobile museum'' promises to answer an ever-growing demand for Smithsonian shows in the field. A single, conventional SITES exhibit can reach a maximum of 12 locations over a two- to three-year period. In contrast, a ``mobile museum'' exhibit can visit up to three venues per week in the course of only one year, at no cost to the host institution or community. The net result is an increase by 150 in the number of outreach locations to which SITES shows can travel annually. And in addition to its flexibility in making short-term stops in cities and towns from coast-to-coast, a ``mobile museum'' has the advantage of being able to frequent the very locations where people live, work, and take part in leisure time activities. By establishing an exhibit presence in settings like these, SITES will not only increase its annual visitor participation by 1 million, but also advance a key Smithsonian performance objective: to develop exhibit approaches that address diverse audiences, including population groups not always affiliated with mainstream cultural institutions. SITES also will be the public exhibitions' face of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, as that new Museum comes online. Providing national access to projects that will introduce the American public to the Museum's mission, SITES in FY 2008 will tour such stirring exhibitions as NASA ART: 50 Years of Exploration; 381 Days: The Montgomery Bus Boycott Story; Beyond: Visions of Planetary Landscapes; The Way We Worked: Photographs from the National Archives; and More Than Words: Illustrated Letters from the Smithsonian's Archives of American Art. To meet the growing demand among smaller community and ethnic museums for an exhibition celebrating the Latino experience, SITES provided a scaled-down version of the National Museum of American History's 4,000- square-foot exhibition about legendary entertainer Celia Cruz. Two 1,500-square-foot exhibitions, one about Crow Indian history and the other on basket traditions, will give Smithsonian visitors beyond Washington a taste of the Institution's critically acclaimed National Museum of the American Indian. Two more exhibits, ``In Plane View'' and ``Earth from Space,'' provided visitors an opportunity to experience the Smithsonian's recently opened, expansive National Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center. For almost 30 years, The Smithsonian Associates--the highly regarded educational arm of the Smithsonian Institution--has arranged Scholars in the Schools programs. Through this tremendously successful and well-received educational outreach program, the Smithsonian shares its staff--hundreds of experts in art, history and science--with the national community at a local level. The mission of Smithsonian Affiliations is to build a strong national network of museums and educational organizations in order to establish active and engaging relationships with communities throughout the country. There are currently 138 affiliates located in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Panama. By working with museums of diverse subject areas and scholarly disciplines, both emerging and well-established, Smithsonian Affiliations is building partnerships through which audiences and visitors everywhere will be able to share in the great wealth of the Smithsonian while building capacity and expertise in local communities. The National Science Resources Center (NSRC) strives to increase the number of ethnically diverse students participating in effective science programs based on NSRC products and services. The Center develops and implements a national outreach strategy that will increase the number of school districts (currently more than 800) that are implementing NSRC K-8 programs. The NSRC is striving to further enhance its program activity with a newly developed scientific outreach program introducing communities and school districts to science through literacy initiatives. In addition, through the building of the multicultural Alliance Initiative, the Smithsonian's outreach programs seek to develop new approaches to enable the public to gain access to Smithsonian collections, research, education, and public programs that reflect the diversity of the American people, including underserved audiences of ethnic populations and persons with disabilities. For all these reasons, Mr. Chair, I urge adoption of my amendment and thank Chairman Dicks and Ranking Member Tiahrt for their courtesies, consideration, and very fine work in putting together this excellent legislation. I ask unanimous consent to withdraw my amendment at this time and begin to work the process to provide funding to the Smithsonian for that purpose.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, let me thank Ranking Member Levin for always standing in the gap with a creative mind for trade but for workers. Let me acknowledge my colleague from Wisconsin and indicate that those of us who stand here today have several reasons for doing so. It was in 1997 that I traveled to the continent of Africa and looked at the rich resources of people and product and understood that that developing continent needed a bridge of opportunity. I am not against a bridge of opportunity, and therefore, I vote and support the African Growth and Opportunity Act and those African nations who have extended their hand of friendship to the United States to create jobs. At the same time, I have to represent some of the most impoverished and one of the largest groups of working people in the South in the State of Texas. Oh, I know that there is benefit. Texas is a State that fits appropriately for benefit in trade, but there are workers that I must be concerned about. I really stand here today to support the Trade Adjustment Assistance Act.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. There is not one district where the Department of Labor does not document the loss of jobs through trade. I would rather be standing here today and saving a monumental amount of jobs for those individuals that may have skills that are not in the chief executive office. I want to make sure that there is help, and I also want to say let's keep negotiating to get a component that deals with workers. The Trade Adjustment Assistance Act is for workers. It is to give you that cushion; and it is to, in actuality, be able to help over 10,853 workers in my State alone. We are here today to say keep pushing for an equality in trade negotiations to be able to lift the boats of workers across America, and then we are telling those who may be the beneficiary or the victim of dumping or other tactics that we will not leave here without voting for Trade Adjustment Assistance. Again, I thank my colleague for realizing we are better together than we are divided. I thank my colleague Mr. Levin, who was never wavered from understanding trade, but having the empathy of the working man and woman. I stand with him, and we are going to move America forward. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Motion to Concur to H.R. 1295-- Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015. Put simply, this bill will create jobs, protect workers and help grow our economy. Specifically, this bill includes three separate provisions: trade preferences for developing countries; trade adjustment assistance; and Leveling the Playing Field. As it relates to the Trade Preferences Extension Act, this provides developing countries with duty-free access to a range of goods that are otherwise subject to tariffs to help promote commerce and boost our economy. The bill extends the important African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and trade programs for countries who most need it such as Haiti through 2025. As it relates to the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), since 1962, the Trade Adjustment Assistance has provided assistance to workers who face challenges due to global competition. Pre 2009, the only beneficiaries of TAA were manufacturing workers out of work due to American trade, utilizing our free trade agreements to engage our global partners. However, the 2009 legislation extended the program to cover a larger pool of workers such as those in the service sector, as well as manufacturing workers who lose their jobs due to trade with any country. Additionally, TAA also extended coverage to public sector workers. Currently, TAA has increased funding for worker training from $220 million per year to $575 million per year. This is a step in the right direction. I support this bill because it provides us with the opportunity to reauthorize TAA to protect workers who may lose their jobs due to trade with other countries. According to the Department of Labor and Commerce, between 2009 and 2013 over 770 18th Congressional District constituents benefitted from the Trade Adjustment Assistance Program. This means thousands of families were able to put food on their tables. For instance, 46,521 workers were certified in the state of Texas between 2009 and 2013. In 2013 alone, over $46,000,000 was allocated to Texas, covering over 10,853 workers in the state of Texas and thousands of families. Finally, I support this bill because it levels the playing field. Specifically, it includes improvements to U.S. antidumping and countervailing duty laws by: providing the Department of Commerce with more discretion to determine dumping or subsidy rate to apply to an uncooperative foreign company; requiring the International Trade Commissions (ITC) to consider additional factors when determining whether a domestic industry has been materially injured; allowing Department of Commerce to use a different calculation methodology to compare domestic and foreign costs if the methodology does not produce an appropriate comparison; clarifying that the Department of Commerce when approximating costs in a non-market foreign economy can disregard the price of goods that are dumped or benefit from illegal subsidies; and providing that Department of Commerce with more discretion to reject voluntary respondents, which will allow the Department of Commerce to use its limited resources on other matters. Job creation, economic security, growing our economy and the protection of workers are the reasons why I support this bill. For the millions of American lives that will be enriched by this bill that is why I strongly support the Trade Preference Extension Act of 2013. I support this bill and will keep an eye on it to make sure we make good on our promise to the American people in creating jobs and our commitment to growing our economy. I urge all members to support the bill.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate LGBTQ Pride Month and the remarkable progress that has been made in making our country more diverse and tolerant and embracing differences in the 17 years since the cruel murder of Matthew Shepherd, a college student from Laramie, Wyoming, and 12 years since the historic case of Lawrence v. Texas that laid the groundwork for the Supreme Court decision in United States v. Windsor, which held that the Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional. As a country, America has made and continues to make great progress in the area of social equality, as evidenced most dramatically by the seismic shift in public support for marriage equality over the past decade. Today, supporters of marriage equality dramatically outnumber opponents by 61%-35%; a near total reversal from 2004, when opponents outnumbered supporters 58-39 percent. Currently, we await a critical ruling from the Supreme Court which could legalize same-sex marriage nationwide later this month. Our country made progress in bringing our LGBTQ brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, out of the shadows with the repeal of ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell,'' which I was proud to support. Our nation is now stronger and our people are safer thanks to the sacrifices made by these brave Americans, who no longer need to choose between service and silence. There have been other changes for the better. In April 2015, President Obama issued a landmark Executive Order prohibiting discrimination against LGBTQ persons in the workplace. This civil rights victory ensures the tax dollars used to pay government contractors support contractors that are committed to equal employment opportunity for all persons regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. This legislation marks a major shift from a time when the U.S. Civil Service Commission prohibited the hiring of LGBTQ persons to a time when the Secretary of Defense has selected an openly gay man as his chief of staff. Mr. Speaker, this year marks the 46th anniversary of the LGBTQ Civil Rights Movement, where activists such as Frank Kameny led the struggle for the voices of the LGBTQ community to be heard. Frank Kameny's courageous demonstrations inspired others to resist mistreatment, and we witnessed in 1969 what happens when a community says enough is enough. Our country has made progress since the Stonewall uprising of 1969, and with the support of equal rights for all communities by leaders such as President Barack Obama, more and more voices are being heard. Mr. Speaker, although more remains to be done to realize the full promise of America that all are equally treated and protected by the law, it is undeniable that America is closer to realizing that promise than it was during the dark days of Stonewall. So there is much reason for joy and optimism as my home city of Houston celebrates Houston Pride Week right now. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the 16th largest LGBTQ community in the nation is located in the Houston metropolitan area, which I am privileged to represent. The Houston LGBTQ community is culturally diverse, economically dynamic, and artistically vibrant. Houston Pride Week has been an annual event for the last 36 years, since 1979, and promotes the individuality of Houston's ever-growing LGBTQ community. The Pride Festival and Parade are at the center of the Celebration and are annually attended by more than 400,000 people from Houston and around the world. I am a proud participant and previous grand marshal of the event. Mr. Speaker, progress is made through the efforts of courageous leaders who actively engage their communities and face adversity to ensure that the rights of all are clearly recognized and protected. People like the legendary Bayard Rustin, who organized the 1947 Journey of Reconciliation which inspired the Freedom Rides of the 1960s and helped Dr. King organize the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and who was the driving force behind the historic 1963 March on Washington. Texas natives such as Sheryl Swoopes, a 3-time WNBA Most Valuable Player and champion for the Houston Comets, as well as Houston Mayor Annise Parker, whose election made Houston the largest city in the U.S. to have an openly gay mayor. These leaders have set an example of what can happen when we lift the limits of inequality and support our fellow Americans in pursuit of their inalienable rights. Other members of the LGBTQ community whose contributions have enriched American culture and made our country better include the great poet Langston Hughes; Mandy Carter, 2008 national co-chair of Obama Pride and lifelong activist; Billy Strayhorn, the musician and gifted composer whose 30-year collaboration with Duke Ellington gave the world some of the greatest jazz music ever; Tom Waddell, army medical doctor and Olympic athlete; and James Baldwin, one of the towering figures in the history of American literature. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to acknowledge the achievements of just a few of the countless number of Americans who overcame prejudice and discrimination to make America a more welcoming place for succeeding generations of LGBTQ community members.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, let me thank the gentlewoman from New Jersey for her consistent leadership and, particularly, her friendship, her passion for her district, and her commitment to policies that will lift all of us together as Americans. This is the first time, Mr. Speaker, that I have had an opportunity to speak on the floor of the House since the moving and horrific tragedy that occurred in Charleston, South Carolina, to be able to first publicly express my deepest sympathy to the families that now mourn. I think this may be the longest period of time that I have had a chance to speak. My recollection may be that I offered sympathies last week. But to take a moment to explore the heinousness of the acts of the perpetrator who knocked on a door that was not closed, entered a sanctuary that did not reject him, walked down some stairs to a historic basement that reminds all of us of our church basements across the Nation, being that houses of worship, in particular, African American churches, will have their Sunday or Sabbath school in areas that are basements, particularly along the northern and eastern coasts. We know that Sunday or Sabbath school is particular to all of our many denominations in the Protestant faith, and every one of us understands that weekly Bible study that, through the traditions of our lives, we have seen our families and grandmothers and grandfathers, aunts and uncles, and those of us who joined in Bible study. In fact, Mr. Speaker, a Bible study is a phenomenon of the American church, the Protestant Church, where people gather to study and to understand the Word. I said in a memorial service in Houston, it is a time of joy, a time of pain, a time of explaining one's self, and a time of redemption. And you feel good, for you join with your fellow travelers, and in a weary week, midweek, you come and restore yourself. I can imagine that during the time that this evildoer was there, there was a lot of laughing or asking questions about the Scripture; might have been some joyful, argumentative interpretation, where Bible study participants give their perception or their interpretation. I know this because, if you have gone, you know what Bible study is all about. In the course of that, the evildoer, filled with the sickness--and I hesitate to say ``cancer.'' Cancer is something that people do not voluntarily seek, but we know that cancer can eat at a body and kill someone. So the cancerous racism that this individual possessed and internalized and, in fact, duped himself and took the medicine and continued to fill himself with a deadly concoction that was going to do nothing but kill him, but before it killed him, he felt compelled to kill someone else. The money that he received for the celebrating of his 21st year, very young years--I guess what breaks my heart is how, in those young years, he could become so hateful. For as I said, he came into a place that did not reject him. He went down the stairs in a place where people were rejoicing. And he, at the conclusion, after sitting next to Reverend Doctor Senator Pinckney, took out a gun and methodically killed those wonderful families--mothers and grandfathers and grandmothers and a son and father--without a pain. He took a gun that none of us would raise to any Member on this floor or none of us in our houses of worship would raise to any forlorn traveler, any weary person that would come into our place of worship, whether a mosque, a Catholic parish, a synagogue, a Hindu temple, or any form of Protestant church, big or small. Houston prides itself on having many, many denominations. In fact, we are now in the middle of Ramadan. Houston has many, many places of worship. I wouldn't venture to say I have been to all all over the world, but I have been to all in the city of Houston, my own congressional district, and each place, in their own faith, have welcomed people in. We only see where there are evildoers that people would blow up temples, mosques, synagogues, and churches. This person didn't blow it up a distance away. He methodically did this. And a mother had to watch a son try to rescue those, protect them. Heroes shown. The stories have not all been told, but we know that there were heroes in the midst. In fact, they all are heroes. So I come for two reasons. I come to indicate that much of what we heard here today is true, that for us to do honor to those who died in this disastrous massacre, murderous, blood flowing from the church, that it will have to be our actions. It will have to be what we do about education and criminal justice reform. I almost want to stop myself for the broken recordness of this because we will only do it in unity. We will only do it after we put aside contentious votes and we begin to say, What will heal America? We will not heal--and we have said this before--on the issue of cancerous racism unless we admit that it exists. Many of us will present to this Congress a resolution that calls upon the recognition that there are some symbols of hate that we cannot deny. We will frame it in America's unity, as has been noted already earlier today, Governors and State representatives and others of good thought. Mitt Romney, for example, joined with President Obama's tweet that it is the right thing to do, to take down that rebel symbol that has been used to run onto the plantations of yesteryear with individuals clothed in white clothing, providing fear, intimidation, and evildoing. Certainly we know the threats that Dr. King received during his life, or Medgar Evers during his life, who was murdered on his front porch, were all circling around people not talking about slavery. They were talking about desegregation and their opposition to desegregation and their support of upholding segregation. This symbol of evil is not far from our life of 2015. Many of us lived through it and saw the disaster of such. Many of us saw the killing of civil rights workers, bound in hatred and not wanting to change what did not unify America but divided America. So the guns that I have addressed now for the period of time that I have been here--I passed one of the few gun ordinances in a lawmaking body, the city council, which most people don't realize that some city governments give lawmaking legislative authority to their elected representatives. Houston, a noncity manager government, does that. And I remember that ordinance, amongst the mayor and city council persons, packed the chambers. People with revolutionary outfits, gun enthusiasts, the NRA, all opposing a simple gun ordinance that said that, if a parent allowed a child to get a gun in their hand and a horrific incident happened, a shooting or the child shot themselves, the parent would be held responsible. It was some semblance of not taking a gun away, but trying to instill responsibility with guns. When we talk about this on the floor of the House, why all of a sudden, Mr. Speaker, does it become that we are against the Second Amendment and the National Rifle Association, and that this is going to be the undermining of this powerful organization if we even utter the words ``gun responsibility''? Why? Why in Newtown? I thought I had seen enough, heard enough when 20 little babies in a corner, no less, 6 adults murdered in a murderous fashion from someone who absolutely did not deserve a gun for whatever the reason, as they took their own life, or someone who now stands on trial in Colorado who decided that a night out with a dad and his daughter in a theater-- something that Americans know is part of our American culture. We are just moviegoers. We make the movie industry. In the old days, in those outdoor drive-ins that many remember were some of the best times with your family--and thank God they didn't cost a lot--or the sophisticated high-tech theaters of today, it is still the same. Dads and little girls are going to theaters together. And this criminally minded person, evildoer, decided to kill 12 or, to our very distinguished colleague, the Congresswoman from Arizona, who was maintaining the dignity of her office, was shot down in the street by a gun, killed a Federal judge and many others, a 9-year-old girl, her staff, whose memory that we continue to mourn. So, Mr. Speaker, I would offer to say that I joined with Congresswoman Watson Coleman to indicate that the issue of gun responsibility legislation is not even overdue. We are crying out for relief. The violence that is used with handguns and AK-47s and automatic weapons is unspeakable. We need to close the gun show loophole that allows people to go and get guns at gun shows. The name of my good friend Carolyn McCarthy and John Dingell, they worked together and had compromises. We could not get them on the floor of the House. We need to go even further. We need to be able to assure that where this evildoer brought the gun, his exposure to the criminal justice system should have disallowed him from purchase until he was completely vetted. Some say that he would have stolen one or gotten one out of the back of a pickup truck, but maybe, Mr. Speaker, he would not have been able to go on that fateful night down those stairs through that open door to kill those blessed souls who were studying the word of the Lord. So it is a challenge now. I know that those of us in the Congressional Progressive Caucus are Americans. I know that those who adhere to the Tea Party philosophy are Americans. To our various conservative caucuses that are in the Conference, our Republican friends, to the various caucuses that are in the Democratic Caucus, all are Americans. All felt the pain of the murderous act. In fact, it is almost like we are living in a cocoon. It is not over yet, as these families bury their loved ones. But I think it is upon us--it is an onerous responsibility--to confront this whole question of racism, as the President has charged us to do, and not do it with another round of conversation, but confronting the fact that we can begin by removing symbols and doing something proactively on changing lives. Then it is upon us to take on this gun responsibility question, to call the NRA to a table of reconciliation, to master a legislative agenda and an omnibus initiative that doesn't have anyone hiding under tables, that there will be no indictment of whether you are for or against. But we hope the majority would move this legislation forward to change the way young people, people who are on the edge, people who shouldn't have guns get guns and kill people. It is time for this Congress to pass the legislation. It is time for the President to be able to sign the legislation. Let me thank the gentlewoman from New Jersey for her genuine courtesy extended this evening to allow me to both mourn and condemn racism that has been the plight of many of our people in this country and to, as well, remind us that we are derelict in our duty if we do not pass real serious gun responsibility legislation. Mr. Speaker, last weekend we were faced with another example of what damage results from easy access to guns. The violence that took place in Charleston, South Carolina last week is something that is not new to our nation but is something that we can and must come together to prevent from happening in the future. As a senior member of the Judiciary Committee and the Ranking Member of its subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations, and the author of H.R. 65, ``Child Gun Safety and Gun Access Prevention Act, I am in support of our Congress coming together to find solutions to the issue of gun violence, through gun law reform and active engagement of our communities to get to the heart of these problems. Today, homicide is the second leading cause of death for young people ages 15 to 24 years old. Even more disturbing is the fact that homicide is the leading cause of death for African Americans between ages io and 24, and the second leading cause of death for Hispanic Americans. The leading weapon of choice used to kill those victims was a firearm. (82.8% were killed with a firearm.) Many guns are in the wrong hands, and end up being the highly efficient tools of criminals and mass murderers. Every 30 minutes, a child or teenager in America is injured by a gun. Every 3 hours and 15 minutes, a child or teenager loses their life to a firearm. In 2010, 82 children under 5 years of age lost their lives due to guns. To put that number in perspective, 58 law enforcement officers died in the line of duty that year. While preventing the deaths of so many young people should be our highest priority, we also need to address the broader culture of violence that pervades our society. The Members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus recognize the need for a comprehensive approach to addressing the problem of gun violence in America. Guns and the harm perpetrated by them impact every American and the events at Sandy Hook and Aurora only underscore how random gun violence events can be; but it is important to appreciate that regular gun violence has a particularly devastating impact on the communities we represent. We must use the tragedy in Charleston, which took the lives of nine innocent church members, as an opportunity to take action to improve the lives of all Americans. We need to reform current gun laws and implementing change that will prevent these types of events in the future. As the Founder and Co-Chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus and as a senior Member of the Judiciary Committee, I have listened far too often to the tragic testimony of individuals who have survived or lost loved ones as a result of gun violence. We respect the Second Amendment, but we understand that supporting universal background checks for all gun sales is not inconsistent with supporting responsible gun ownership. With rights come responsibilities. And responsible gun ownership requires at a minimum that guns in the home be stored safely out of reach of unsupervised children and making sure that guns are not transferred to non law abiding citizens or the mentally ill. My bill, H.R. 65 ``The Child Gun Safety and Gun Access Prevention Act of 2013'', would do just that. Mr. Speaker, gun violence has reached epidemic proportions. We must pass responsible gun violence prevention legislation like H.R. 65 and require universal background checks for all gun sales.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, June 23, 2015, I was unavoidably detained due to the necessity of attending to representational duties and committee responsibilities, including participating in Homeland Security Committee site visits to Family Detention Centers in South Texas. Had I been present I would have voted as follows: 1. On Roll Call 376 I would have voted NO (H.R. 1190, Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act of 2015). 2. On Roll Call 377 I would have voted AYE (H.R. 805, Domain Openness Through Continued Oversight Matters (DOTCOM) Act of 2015). 3. On Roll Call 378 I would have voted AYE (H.R. 2576, TSCA Modernization Act of 2015).

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Concur in the Senate Amendment to H.R. 615, the Homeland Security Interoperable Communications Act for three reasons. The bill would address interoperability among information technology systems and radio communications systems to exchange voice, data, and video in real time. First, the bill will save lives of first responders and those they seek to help; Second, the legislation is necessary to create a seamless level of communication among Department of Homeland Security components that are first responders to a terrorist attack, natural or manmade disaster; and finally to meet the technological challenges of bridging the communication divide between different communications systems used by first responders within the Department of Homeland Security. As a senior member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, I am well aware, as are many of my colleagues, of the essential and lifesaving role of communications during a crisis. Because the tragedy of September 11, 2001, was compounded by communication failures among the brave first responders who entered the burning towers that comprised the World Trade Center it has been an imperative of the Homeland Security Committee to address first responder communication interoperability challenges. The number of first responders lost on that single day was the greatest loss of first responders at any single event in U.S. History: 343 New York City Fire Department firefighters; 23 New York City Police Department officers; 37 Port Authority Police Department officers; 15 EMTs and 3 court officers were casualties of the attacks. The need for this bill authored by Congressman Payne is evident. The City of Houston covers over a 1000 square mile region in Southeast Texas. It has a night-time population of nearly two million people, which peaks with over three million daytime inhabitants. The City of Houston's 9-1-1 Emergency Center manages nearly 9,000 emergency calls per day. The volume of emergency calls can easily double during times of inclement weather or special City social/ sporting events like Hurricanes Ike in September 2008; and Katrina as well as Rita, which occurred in September and October of 2005). Annually, one out of every ten citizens uses EMS. There are over 200,000 EMS incidents involving over 225,000 patients or potential patients annually. On the average, EMS responds to a citizen every 3 minutes. Each EMS response is made by one of 88 City of Houston EMS vehicles. In 2013, the City of Houston's fire Department lost Captain EMT Matthew Renaud, Engineer Operator EMT Robert Bebee, Firefighter EMT Robert Garner and Probationary Firefighter Anne Sullivan when they responded to a hotel fire. Throughout the history of the Houston Police Department over 110 officers have lost their lives in the line of duty. Each member of the House of Representatives knows of the loss of a first responder who was going to the aid of those in harm's way. This bill will offer additional resources to the first responders of the Department of Homeland Security. The bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to include among the responsibilities of the Under Secretary for Management responsibilities with respect to policies and directives to achieve and maintain interoperable communications among the components of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Under Secretary of Homeland Security would submit to the House and Senate Homeland Security Committees a strategy, which shall be updated as necessary, for achieving and maintaining interoperable communications, including for daily operations, planned events, and emergencies, with corresponding milestones, that includes: An assessment of interoperability gaps in radio communications DHS components, as of this Act's enactment date; Information on DHS efforts and activities, including current and planned policies, directives, and training, since November 1, 2012, to achieve and maintain interoperable communications, and planned efforts and activities to achieve and maintain interoperable communications; An assessment of obstacles and challenges to achieving and maintaining interoperable communications; Information on, and an assessment of, the adequacy of mechanisms available to the Under Secretary to enforce and compel compliance with interoperable communications policies and directives of DHS; Guidance provided to DHS components to implement interoperable communications policies and directives; The total amount of funds expended by DHS since November 1, 2012, and projected future expenditures, to achieve interoperable communications; and Dates upon which DHS-wide interoperability is projected to be achieved for voice, data, and video communications, respectively, and interim milestones. The bill ensures that the Department of Homeland Security would conduct a survey of intra-agency efforts or task forces that have been delegated responsibilities for achieving and maintaining interoperable communications, and report on the status of these efforts, including: Progress on each interim milestone; information on any policies, directives, guidance, and training established by the Under Secretary of Homeland Security; an assessment of the level of compliance, adoption, and participation among the DHS components with the policies, directives, guidance, and training established by the Under Secretary; and information on any additional resources or authorities needed by the Under Secretary. This bill will ensure that the Department of Homeland Security's first responders are prepared to meet the challenges of manmade or natural disasters. I ask my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of H.R. 615.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2390 ``Homeland Security University-based Centers Review Act.'' I support this bipartisan legislation which requires an annual report be sent to Congress to assess the university-based centers for homeland security program and provide recommendations for appropriate improvements. Mr. Speaker, the research that our designated institutions conduct is imperative to the current progress and future success of protecting our nation's greatest asset, the American people. I join my colleagues in working to safeguard our investment by requiting annual reports that give detailed reviews of how our funding is being spent and more effective ways we can use the information yielded from these studies in a real world applicable way. This bill requires a review of the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) efforts to identify key areas of study needed to support the homeland security mission, and criteria that the Department utilized to determine those key areas for which the Department should maintain, establish, or eliminate university-based centers. DHS's mission is to ensure a homeland that is safe, secure, and resilient against terrorism and other hazards. H.R. 2390 supports that mission by overseeing the funding of a university-based research program that invests in the homeland security, science and technology of the DHS. It is imperative that we have oversight of how the funds are being used to meet DHS's university program criteria and this bill requires a review of how university-based research is identified, prioritized, and funded. The Centers of Excellence (COE) network is an extended consortium of hundreds of universities conducting groundbreaking research to address homeland security challenges. Sponsored by the Office of University Programs, the COEs work closely with the homeland security community to develop customer-driven, innovative tools and technologies to solve real-world challenges. The Institute for Infectious Animal Diseases (IIAD) and Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, have used this program to develop a mobile Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) application to support veterinary practitioners submitting animal health certificate records from the field. This real-time information sharing is an alternative to email or web- based systems, and helps improve communication between veterinarians and state animal health offices by supporting certificate submission from the field. The Homeland Security University-based Centers Review Act requires a review of the Department of Homeland Security's criteria and metrics to measure demonstrable progress achieved by university-based centers in fulfilling Department taskings, and mechanisms for delivering and disseminating the research results of designated university-based centers within the Department and to other Federal, State, and local agencies. Mr. Speaker, because these funds are used to enrich our future generations of leaders and it is important that the different university-based centers reach out and collaborate among a diverse array of academic institutions, particularly with historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) and minority serving institutions. I applaud Rankin Member Thompson for including specific language that reaches out to diverse universities, specifically often overshadowed historically Black colleges and universities. HBCU such as Texas Southern University, in my Congressional district, is preparing technically savvy Homeland Security professionals for Maritime Transportation Security. All educational institutions who meet criteria should be eligible to participate in the Department of Homeland Security's University Program. This bill supports the program's mission needs of building a stable community of homeland security researchers and educators at U.S. colleges and universities. Fostering a homeland security culture within the academic community through research and educational programs is a great partnership between government and our education institutions. Strengthening U.S. scientific leadership in homeland security research and education giving our students a competitive ranking on a global level. Generating and disseminating knowledge and technical advances to advance the homeland security mission helps to recruit future partners and participants. Integrating homeland security activities across agencies engaged in relevant academic research will help partners work in concert to develop critical technologies and analyses to secure the nation's security interest. The Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Centers of Excellence develop multidisciplinary, customer-driven, homeland security science and technology solutions and help train the next generation of homeland security experts. The Homeland Security University-based Centers Review Act regulates the institutions designated with this distinguished honor of training the next generation of leaders in the scientific and technological fields. Raising the visibility and status of the government sponsored programs creates an environment where each institution has to take responsibility for the use of their funds and prove those uses furthered the mission needs of DHS. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to support this bipartisan bill and strongly urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 2390.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, on June 4, 2015, the Barbara Jordan- Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs and the Thurgood Marshall School of Law, two of the great institutions of Texas Southern University, which is located in my congressional district and is one of the nation's great historically black colleges and universities, awarded the inaugural Barbara Jordan Gold Medallion for Public-Private Leadership. The Barbara Jordan Gold Medallion for Public-Private Leadership is presented annually to a woman of demonstrated excellence in the public or private sector whose achievements are an example and inspiration to people everywhere, but especially to women and girls. The Barbara Jordan Gold Medallion for Public-Private Leadership is presented annually to a woman of demonstrated excellence in the public or private sector whose achievements are an example and inspiration to people everywhere, but especially to women and girls. It was my honor to present the Barbara Jordan Gold Medallion to the Honorable Hillary Clinton, the former First Lady of Arkansas and the United States, U.S. Senator, and Secretary of State. As I stated at the award ceremony, it was fitting that the inaugural recipient of this award is a person whose life and achievements embody the passion and principles and values and commitment to service of Barbara Jordan. When asked to name the woman living anywhere in the world whom they admire most, Americans have named Hillary Clinton in each of the last 13 years and 17 of the last 18. As a leader on the national and international stage, Hillary Clinton represented our nation with distinction and grace, always reflecting our highest ideals and aspirations. It was First Lady Hillary Clinton who traveled to Beijing to speak truth to power, declaring on behalf of women and girls everywhere that: ``human rights are women's rights. And women's rights are human rights.'' It was Hillary Clinton who gave voice to what many of us have always understood, when she said that to raise a happy, healthy and hopeful child, ``it takes a family, it takes teachers, it takes clergy, it takes business people, it takes community leaders, it takes those who protect our health and safety, it takes all of us.'' That, yes indeed, ``it takes a village to raise a child.'' But before Hillary Clinton was a household name, many of us in Texas remembered her as a brilliant young activist whose passion for justice and equality brought her to Texas in 1972 to help poor people and African Americans and Latinos register to exercise the right to vote they had been denied so long. Passed in 1965 with the extraordinary leadership of President Lyndon Johnson, the greatest legislative genius of our lifetime, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was bringing dramatic change in many states across the South. But in 1972, change was not coming fast enough or in many places in Texas. In fact, Texas, which had never elected a woman to Congress or an African American to the Texas State Senate, was not covered by Section 5 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the language minorities living in South Texas that Hillary Clinton came to help were not protected at all. But the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the voter registration work performed in 1972 by Hillary Clinton in Texas, along with hundreds of others, helped elect Barbara Jordan to Congress. In 2006, during the floor debate on the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act, I said: The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is no ordinary piece of legislation. For millions of Americans, and many of us in Congress, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a sacred treasure, earned by the sweat and toil and tears and blood of ordinary Americans who showed the world it was possible to accomplish extraordinary things. But a terrible blow was dealt to the Voting Rights Act on June 25, 2013, when the Supreme Court handed down the decision in Shelby County v. Holder, 537 U.S. 193 (2013), which invalidated Section 4(b), the provision of the law determining which jurisdictions would be subject to Section 5 ``preclearance.'' The reason the Court gave for its ruling was that ``times have changed.'' Times have changed, but what the Court did not fully appreciate is that the positive changes it cited were due almost entirely to the existence and vigorous enforcement of the Voting Rights Act. And that is why the Voting Rights Act is still needed today. In the same way that the vaccine invented by Dr. Jonas Salk in 1953 eradicated the crippling effects but did not eliminate the cause of polio, the Voting Rights Act succeeded in stymying the practices that resulted in the wholesale disenfranchisement of African Americans and language minorities but did not eliminate them entirely. In Texas, we know this from personal experience. On the same day that Shelby County v. Holder was decided officials in Texas announced they would immediately implement its Photo ID law, and other election laws, policies, and practices that could never pass muster under the Section 5 preclearance regime. This stands in contrast to President Lyndon Johnson, who understood that the right to vote is: The most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men because they are different from other men. Because Barbara Jordan understood the importance of protecting the right to vote, she authored the 1975 amendment that became Section Sections 4(f)(3) and 4(f)(4) of the Voting Rights Act, which extended to language minorities the protections of Section 4(a) and Section 5, which also had the effect of subjecting Texas to the pre-clearance provisions of Section 5. I am pleased that the inaugural recipient of the award given in Barbara Jordan's name also understands, as she made clear in her acceptance remarks in which she called for reforms to make it easier, not harder, for Americans to exercise the franchise, including automatic, universal registration of voters once they turn 18; and a national standard of not fewer than 20 days of early in-person voting in every state, including opportunities for weekend and evenings. Mr. Speaker, I commend Texas Southern University, and the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs and Thurgood Marshall School of Law for honoring the memory of one of a great American by establishing the Barbara Jordan Gold Medallion and I congratulate the 2015 recipient of this prestigious award, the Honorable Hillary Clinton. I look forward to congratulating future recipients of the Barbara Jordan Gold Medallion in the years to come.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I rise to speak out against the senseless loss of innocent lives resulting from another senseless act of violence. My thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Charleston, South Carolina, the members of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, pastored by the Rev. Clementa Pinckney, who was one of nine persons slain by a gunman motivated by hate. Although tragedy has found its way into the lives of the individuals murdered and the lives of their families there has been some good found in this tragic loss. Mr. Speaker, the legislature of South Carolina has decided to debate whether to remove the flag from the front of the State House building after public support from prominent legislators, community organizations, and the Governor of South Carolina have called for the flag to come down now. When considering the removal of the flag the people must remember the nine lives that were lost due to senseless, insensitive, and hateful feelings that were influenced by the traditions represented by the Confederate flag. The Confederate flag has been used as a symbol of hate, exclusion, and a brutally offensive past. South Carolina should follow in the footsteps of Texas which refused to authorize license plates with the confederate flag on them, a decision upheld last week by the U.S. Supreme Court. Mr. Speaker, Wal Mart, Amazon, Sears, and eBay all have made a decision to stop selling Confederate flag merchandise. The Confederate flag does not represent the future of our great country. We must embrace a spirit of inclusion and goodwill with a mission to eradicate hate and ignorance. We can no longer allow our past to dictate our future, and must use this tragedy as an opportunity to eliminate symbols of hate that permeate through our society. Mr. Speaker, as a country we must recognize the emotional pain attached to the Confederate flag, stand strong together and not allow a symbol of hate continue to divide our nation.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1640, the ``Department of Homeland Security Headquarters Consolidation Accountability Act of 2015.'' I support this bipartisan legislation which directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to submit to Congress a report on the Department of Homeland Security headquarters consolidation project in the National Capital Region. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues on the Homeland Security Committee for unanimously supporting the inclusion of my amendments to H.R. 1640. Together, the Jackson Lee amendments offered a comprehensive look at the Department's real estate obligations related to its headquarters consolidation project at St. Elizabeths, as well as its leased portfolio in the National Capital Region. Further, the Jackson Lee amendments help clarify how DHS will relocate its personnel and operations at the headquarters level and across its components at St. Elizabeths as construction continues on the headquarters consolidation project. Mr. Speaker, since DHS initiated its headquarters consolidation in 2006, it has progressed despite changes in senior leadership and waning funding support from Congress. As a result, in April 2015, DHS and GSA announced that the construction sequence and timetable for the headquarters consolidation would be adjusted to reflect reduced funding by Congress. DHS must now re-compete up to 69 percent of its commercial leases in the National Capital Region as they are scheduled to expire between 2016 and 2020. My first amendment directs DHS to provide information related to the expected timing and terms of any lease renewals in the National Capital Region. My second amendment requires the Department to report on the numbers of its full-time equivalents who are expected to occupy each DHS-leased or owned property, which will guide the Department in adjusting its expenditures on the headquarters consolidation project. Together, they will ensure that DHS and GSA develop a comprehensive picture of which employees and operations will migrate to St. Elizabeths and which will not. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in strong support of the suspension bill, H.R. 1640, the ``Department of Homeland Security Headquarters Consolidation Accountability Act of 2015.''

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1633, the ``DHS Paid Administrative Leave Accountability Act of 2015.'' This bill makes needed improvements relating to the tracking and reporting of employees of the Department of Homeland Security including administrative leave, or any other type of paid non-duty status without charge to leave, and personal matters, and for other purposes. I support this bipartisan legislation, which amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the head of each component of the Department of Homeland Security to submit on a quarterly basis two reports to the Chief Human Capital Officer of DHS. Mr. Speaker, Title I of Homeland Security Act would be amended by adding Section 104 which provides for the improvement of internal tracking and reporting for administrative leave. First, this bill directs that the number of employees who had been on administrative leave, or any other type of paid non-duty status without charge to leave, for personnel matters for six consecutive months or longer be reported. Second, DHS agency heads must report the total cost to the component associated with such leave and paid non-duty status for that quarter. The Chief Human Capital Officer is responsible for determining appropriate actions to be taken by DHS to resolve any personnel matter expeditiously or to eliminate or reduce the use of such leave and paid non-duty status in addressing any personnel matter. The Chief HCO is also to develop and implement a department-wide policy in accordance with existing federal guidance specifically related to the use of such leave of paid non-duty status for personnel matters. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1633 enhances transparency and allows for more fiscally conservative policy in regards to the costs associated with paid administrative leave. However, it may be more difficult to accomplish this level of transparency in regards to how data for leave is extracted and recorded. These are time sensitive additions which will require that within 90 days of the enactment of this Act, and quarterly thereafter, the department heads are required to submit their reports to the Chief Officer. In that same time span the Chief HC Officer is to promulgate a department-wide policy in accordance with existing Federal guidance specifically related to the use of administrative leave. I join my colleagues in working to strengthen efficiency in all areas of government and supporting fiscally conservative methods to achieve this goal. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting the passage of H.R. 1633.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1646, the ``Homeland Security Drone Assessment and Analysis Act.'' I support this bipartisan legislation because it addresses the potential terrorist threat posed by small and medium-sized drones throughout our country. I thank my colleague, Congresswoman Watson Coleman of New Jersey, for introducing this thoughtful and necessary legislation that will assist the Department of Homeland Security. The Homeland Security Drone Assessment and Analysis Act would require the Department of Homeland Security to research how commercially available small and medium-sized drones could be used to perpetrate an attack. Agencies will be tasked with the responsibility of taking the lead for developing effective policies and guidance along with the proper protocols which will assist in preventing an attack perpetrated with a drone. Information regarding how to properly respond to the potential threats from these drones will be distributed to state and local law enforcement agencies to allow them to develop approaches to mitigate identified threats. The protocols that will be developed as a result of this legislation will assist every level of law enforcement in coordinated responses to a drone related emergency. Recent news reports of small drones crashing in areas such as on the White House lawn and incidents including near misses with commercial aircraft demonstrate the need for this legislation. Mr. Speaker, one of the most important things that can and must continue to be done is to protect our homeland from evolving threats. Mr. Speaker, this is why I join my colleagues in working to strengthen the laws that allow the Department of Homeland Security to create policies that will address emergency protocol threats such as the proliferation of commercial use of drones. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting passage of H.R. 1646.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees, and I rise in strong support of H.R. 1615, the ``DHS FOIA Efficiency Act of 2015.'' I support this bipartisan legislation, which addresses DHS' FOIA backlog by requiring the department's chief FOIA officer to issue updated regulations on obtaining records under the Act. I am pleased that H.R. 1615 incorporates two key Jackson Lee amendments offered during the committee markup of the bill. In 2014, DHS had 67,097 FOIA requests that carried over from 2013; added 291,242 requests; and processed 238,031 FOIA requests. The agency still had 120,308 FOIA requests that were carried over into 2015. Because FOIA is a critical component of creating our nation's open and transparent government, the process of citizens getting access to information regarding government matters of personal or public interest is important. DHS's ability to meet public demands for information through FOIA should not be hampered by a lack of technology. One of the Jackson Lee Amendments included in the bill directs that the agency include information on how to adopt automated processing to meet FOIA obligations triggered by agency: Public Notices published in the Federal Register; Final rules; decisions, outcome of adjudicated matters or other agency actions; and obligations to reply to citizen FOIA request. Another Jackson Lee Amendment included in H.R. 1615 directs that a report be drafted that provides an assessment of DHS progress made toward automating the FOIA process. That Jackson Lee amendment also provides that upon completion of the FOIA automation plan that the Chief FOIA officer provides the plan to the heads of the components of the Department. Mr. Speaker, it is true as Justice Brandeis famously observed that ``sunshine is the best disinfectant.'' He was speaking of the power of knowledge to illuminate and to enhance the ability of people to understand and evaluate government actions when presented with information. I agree with Justice Brandeis that ``the most important political office is that of the private citizen.'' I support H.R. 1615 and urge my colleagues to join me in voting for its passage.