Sheila Jackson Lee

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Homeland Security Committee and one who was in a security briefing this morning, I cannot celebrate more to the brave men and women of the Department of Homeland Security that many of us stood up collectively together as Americans and provided for full funding. Let me thank them for their service. Let me move on. Yesterday, another very provocative and important action was done. The Department of Justice report came out regarding the city of Ferguson, where it found that Blacks account for 85 percent of traffic stops, 90 percent of tickets issued, and 93 percent of arrests. Mr. Speaker, this is not about Ferguson, though many are trying to heal--and we offer sympathy again to Michael Brown's family--but it is about America. I call upon my Republican friends and Democratic friends. We act on facts. These are facts that are probably implicated across America. I have introduced the Build TRUST bill. I hope we can come together to find a way, both in terms of our law enforcement and making sure that they go home to their families, but also have a just and fair pattern, if you will, of treating the citizens of every hamlet and town and city and State in this Nation. We owe that to our beliefs in the Constitution, Mr. Speaker. I encourage a bipartisan effort to look at how we can address these questions across America. We deserve that as Americans.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 240, the Clean Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Bill, as it provides full funding of the Department of Homeland Security, including support for important federal cybersecurity initiatives, disaster relief and recovery programs, and essential law enforcement activities that are critical for ensuring the Department can help keep our Nation safe from harm. I encourage support of this bill as it does not contain any of the ``poison pill'' amendments designed to constrain the President's authority to defer deportation of undocumented immigrants. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this time to highlight the pointlessness of the actions of House Republicans to use the funding of the Department of Homeland Security as a bargaining chip to extract concessions from the President. Threatening to not fund a Department, especially one as crucial to the protection of our homeland, just to get your way does not belong in American politics. It is childish, Mr. Speaker, and the time that House Republicans have wasted playing politics with DHS could have been better served passing legislation that actually serves the American people. The full and unconditional funding of the Department of Homeland Security is essential not only to the 18th district, not only to the state of Texas, it is essential to all Americans. I want to point out, specifically, what programs were placed in danger by House Republicans had they gotten their way: 1. $39.7 billion in regular discretionary appropriations for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in fiscal year 2015; 2. $12.6 billion for Customs and Border Protection (CBP); DHS would be required to accelerate the hiring of CBP officers; 3. $5.96 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plus an additional $345 million from the agency's fee funded accounts, bringing the total to $6.3 billion; 4. $553.6 million in funding to manage the influx of unaccompanied alien children, or ``UAC,'' entering the U.S.; the funding would be used to interdict migrants, care for and transport approximately 58,000 undocumented children to the custody of Health and Human Services (HHS), and facilitate the movement of undocumented families through removal proceedings after crossing the U.S. border; 5. $1.9 billion for both domestic and international investigations, including increases to combat human trafficking, child exploitation, cyber-crime, and drug smuggling, and to expand visa vetting capabilities; 6. $4.8 billion for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA); 7. $10 billion for the U.S. Coast Guard; 8. $753.2 million for cybersecurity operations in the National Programs and Protection Directorate to fund and sustain improvements to the Federal Network Security and Network Security Deployment programs; 9. $1.7 billion for the U.S. Secret Service--an increase of $80.5 million above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level--to begin preparation and training for candidate protection for the 2016 presidential election and to address critical failures in communications and training at the White House Complex; 10. $7 billion for disaster relief--fully funding FEMA's stated requirement; and 11. $1.1 billion for Science and Technology, $32.1 million above the President's request. I would hope that House Republicans will have learned from this debacle that this tactic of playing political football with an entire Department will not work to further your own ideological agenda. I applaud Speaker Boehner for finally coming to his senses in allowing a vote on a clean bill, one that the Senate passed two weeks ago and one that could have already been signed into law. I urge all my colleagues to join me in sending a clean Homeland Security funding bill that will receive the presidential signature needed to become law and provide the resources needed to keep our homeland safe.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 280, a bill which authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to recoup bonuses paid to VA executives who knowingly falsified data on the treatment of our nation's veterans. Last year, it was discovered that a VA hospital in Phoenix, Arizona falsified waitlist records for veterans to see a doctor in order to make it appear that the facility was meeting waitlist goals. This deliberate, and deplorable, action allowed VA executives to receive performance bonuses and awards, while veterans waited up to six months to a year for care, and it was reported that some died as a result. To date, the VA has paid more than $380,000 in cash bonuses to top executives at 38 hospitals that are under investigation for falsifying wait times for medical care. In response to the waitlist scandal, many members of Congress on both sides of the aisle have called for the VA to take action to recover bonuses paid to VA officials who falsified waitlist records. However, the VA has said it is uncertain whether it has that authority. This bill directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to require VA employees to repay, in part or in full, bonuses or performance awards in appropriate circumstances under regulations to be established by the department. This authority would apply to bonuses or rewards paid on or after the date of enactment and would not authorize the VA to recover previously paid bonuses. Furthermore, under the bill, VA employees would receive notification and be given a hearing at which they could contest allegations about their performance. The measure requires that an appeal decision would be final and not reviewable by any other agency or court. Our nation supports more than 2 million troops and reservists, their families, and 22 million veterans, including 32,477 in the 18th Congressional District of Texas. We have a responsibility to ensure that they will be provided the quality job opportunities they have earned. I cannot, in good conscience, allow VA executives who knowingly falsified data which kept our nation's veterans from receiving proper care, to keep bonuses that they do not deserve. This money should be used to help those who have risked their lives to protect our freedom, not for awarding VA executives who shamefully put these veterans' health at risk. I ask my fellow Members to support H.R. 280.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 203, the ``Long-Term Care Veteran Choice Act'', which will help expand access to healthcare for our nation's veterans. In 2014, it was found that some VA Department employees were responsible for deliberately falsifying wait-time records for veteran's medical appointments in order to create the appearance of reaching wait-time targets. This falsification of records even resulted in the unfortunate death of several veterans who were forced to wait unreasonably long periods of time before receiving the healthcare they unquestionably earned. H.R. 294 is intended to prevent another unacceptable incident and to ensure our veterans receive the healthcare they deserve. H.R. 294 allows veterans to obtain health care at non-VA health care facilities if they live more than 40 miles from a VA clinic or cannot be scheduled for an appointment at a VA clinic within 30 days. Further, the bill increases the VA's capacity to provide health care services by providing expedited authority to hire more doctors and nurses and by providing for leases for the opening of 27 additional VA health facilities across the nation. This bill will also propose a three year pilot program which will transfer certain veterans to non-department medical foster homes if they are unable to live independently at the cost of the VA. It is our duty to make available only the best health care to our veterans, and I cite as an example the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston. The DeBakey VA Medical Center provides world-class services to almost 130,000 veterans in southeast Texas and employs over 4,000 health care professionals. The DeBakey VA Medical Center has earned prestigious awards and accreditations for the quality of care provided, including: Accreditation from Joint Commission for hospital, long-term care, behavioral health care, home care, and substance abuse; Re-designation for Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Services by the American Nurses Credentialing Center; Gold Seal of Approval in 2011 from the Joint Commission as an Advanced Primary Stroke Center; and Specialty accreditation by the American Psychological Association Commission on Accreditation for its Clinical Neuropsychology Postdoctoral Program. Mr. Speaker, our veterans have given this country so much and we owe it to them and to ourselves-that they have the best and most accessible health care services.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to H.R. 5, the ``Student Success Act,'' which would harm the education of our nation's youth. I thank Chairman Kline, Ranking Member Scott, and all the members of the Committee on Education and the Workforce for their work to improve education for our nation's children. Unfortunately, the bill before the House for consideration, should it become law, would harm our most vulnerable children, including those who attend urban and rural schools, and special needs children who need equal access to an excellent education. The bill as it exists now allows for the establishment of separate, lower standards for students with developmental disabilities. As a result of these standards, opportunities available for students with disabilities later in life would suffer considerably. H.R. 5 converts much of the funding currently directed at English learners, migrant students, or at-risk students into block-grants, which would enable those funds to be spent outside the target populations. Support for these students would also be eroded by suspending requirements that school districts improve the English-speaking ability of such students. One of the most dangerous provisions of this bill is the proposal to allow ``portability'' of funds under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. This proposal, if enacted, would allow states to redirect funds away from districts with the highest concentrations of poverty, and into more affluent districts with less need for such support. This proposal is especially harmful for Houston school districts, where an estimated 31.5% of children live below the poverty line. The vast majority of these children are Black or Hispanic. As legislators, as Americans, we have a generational responsibility to enhance the lives of those who will follow us, especially the most vulnerable. It is sobering to me, as the founder and co-chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus and someone who has long advocated on behalf of young people from all backgrounds, to see a bill that would have such a negative impact on the very children who need our help the most. In addition to these sad truths, the bill currently under consideration would strike a devastating blow to our schools' ability to provide the variety of programs that our children deserve. It repeals dedicated funding for programs such as student safety, after and summer school programming, STEM education, education technology, arts education, literacy and block-grants support, forcing high-need districts to choose between funding vital services. It should not be overlooked that one of these programs that is considered expendable is STEM-focused education, an area of importance both nationally and to my constituents in Houston. The Houston region is one of the most important industrial bases in the world and was recently ranked the No. 1 US manufacturing city by Manufacturers' News Inc. Houston is also home to the largest medical complex in the world--the Texas Medical Center--and provides clinical health care, research and education at its 54 institutions. These jobs, and truly the middle class of this decade as a whole, are dependent on workers who get the right STEM education and job training today. Brookings' Metropolitan Policy Program's report ``The Hidden STEM Economy'' reported that in 2011, 26 million jobs or 20 percent of all occupations required knowledge in 1 or more STEM areas. The same report stressed that fully half of all STEM jobs are available to workers without a 4 year degree and these jobs pay on average $53,000 a year, which is 10 percent higher than jobs with similar education requirements. To eliminate federal funding aimed at enhancing STEM education is to cripple an entire generation of America's youth, leaving them without skills that may be essential in securing their own future and the economic prosperity of our nation. Finally, it must be addressed that the defining characteristic of our primary and secondary education system has been to prepare our students for college. H.R. 5 does not contain any provisions that states consult with institutes of higher education in order to ensure that their academic standards are consistent with what will be demanded of those students once they graduate. As a result, many students, even after receiving a high school diploma, will find themselves unprepared to pursue a college degree if they choose to. Furthermore, the bill eliminates the current requirements that districts take action when their schools are under resourced and unable to meet the needs of all students. Together with the lack of consideration and support for at-risk and low-income youth, this will result in those students being marginalized and denied educational opportunity rather than given the support and resources they so desperately need. There is no greater testament to the substantial and wide-ranging harm done by this bill than the coalition of organizations that have voiced their opposition, including: National Education Association American Federation of Teachers Committee for Education Funding Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) American Association of People with Disabilities Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) National Council of La Raza U.S. Chamber of Commerce Business Roundtable I urge all members to join with me in heeding their counsel and opposing H.R. 5.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, congressional dysfunction is now impacting our nation's security. The Senate has acted rationally by passing a clean Department of Homeland Security funding bill. The House should do the same. The House majority should take up the Senate bill and rise above political security and make national security the priority. As a senior member of the House Committee on Homeland Security and one who was present in this body on September 11, 2001, it is sobering to think that so many of this body's members now think terrorism is a political football. Over 3,000 Americans died that day--and if not for the bravery of those who gave their lives in a field in Pennsylvania many more would have died. Those who were killed or risked their lives to save others included undocumented persons. The 9/11 Commission Report stated that had United Flight 93 not crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, located 125 miles from Washington, DC, that flight would have reached Washington, DC, between 10:13 and 10:23 on September 11, 2001. I went to ground zero in New York while it still was burning and workers were trying to recover the remains of victims. This sobering experience has seared into my mind--never again. I am forever grateful to those who risk their lives every day to protect this nation--they should be valued and honored. The fact that the leadership of the House chose to bring to the floor a rule for another Continuing Resolution that would extend funding to the Department of Homeland Security for three weeks is without a doubt one of the worst ideas in our nation's history. Our enemies have not stood-down; nor have they given up--they are adapting, evolving and improving their ability to inflict harm upon America and Americans. Meanwhile the House is sending a message to terrorists that we are disorganized and ineffective in our resolve to protect our nation and its people. In his letter to Members of Congress, DHS Secretary Johnson states in clear terms what is at stake. The global terrorist threat has become more decentralized and complex. Terrorist organizations are now openly calling on attacks on Western targets. A new video, reportedly from Al Shabaab, shows the terror group calling for an attack on Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. Al Shabaab is the same terrorist group that attacked the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya resulting in 60 deaths. The arrest this week in New York City highlight the threats posed by independent actors in the homeland who support overseas terrorist organizations and radical ideology. Last October--three teenage girls who lived in a Denver suburb attempted to depart the country for Syria to join violent extremists, but thanks to the work of our domestic and international security professionals they were intercepted and returned home to the custody of their parents. Keeping American families safe is the first responsibility of the Congress--but Republicans have decided that appeasing anti-immigrant Tea Party extremists is more important than the protecting our homeland. The Department of Homeland Security needs support for important federal cybersecurity initiatives, disaster relief and recovery programs, and essential law enforcement activities that are critical for ensuring that DHS can help keep our nation safe from harm. The recent terrorist attacks in Paris and by Boko Haram in Nigeria give heightened urgency to the words of Appropriations Committee Chairman Rogers that we need to get a clean Homeland Security spending bill ``to the president's desk so we can get a signature funding Homeland Security at a very tedious time in the world.'' If the day ends without Congress taking action, the men and women charged with protecting the homeland will be sent a message that the House does not value 170,000 employees who will be required to work without pay. These employees include members of the Coast Guard, Border Patrol, Secret Service, Transportation Security Administration and others on the front lines of Homeland Security. An additional 30,000 employees of the Department of Homeland Security will be furloughed and sent home without pay. Contracting services across the Department, including those for critical mission support activities, will be disrupted or interrupted. A shutdown will prevent DHS from awarding $2.5 billion in grants to state, local, and tribal governments for response capabilities to recover from terrorist attacks, major disasters and other emergencies. A DHS shutdown would hit Texas especially hard. The local and state negative impact of House inaction is the forgoing of fiscal year 2015 grants that go to first responders. In 2014, DHS grants awarded to the city of Houston included $24,000,000 from Urban Area Security Initiative grants and $299,995 from the nonprofit program. In 2014, port security grants included: $1,810,826 for Harris County; $845,250 for the City of Houston. Programs intended to aid our fire fighters such as the one at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, which received a $1,493,340 DHS research grant last year are being hurt by House inaction on fiscal year 2015 funding for the agency. The majority must stop putting political security before national security and take up a clean bill to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from New York for the time; and my good friend, as well, on the Rules Committee, let me thank you for the time. We share time on the Judiciary Committee. He is a good friend. In this instance, I vigorously disagree and say that it is about the President. It is about the President on every term, from the Affordable Care Act to his reasoned, constitutionally premised response to the tragedy of undocumented individuals in this country over and over again. It is about the President. It is about the President when there is not one item that the President has put forward that you are agreeing to. Right now, let me change my story because I am here today--though I wanted to honor a dear person who is in my district today, and I am not able to be there, I was leaving last night--but because of this immediate crisis and the foolery that is going on, the ignoring of the words of the experts, such as the Secretary of Homeland Security, that says as an initial matter in a letter he sent to all of us, it must be noted that a potential shutdown of the Department comes at a particularly challenging time for Homeland Security. It is stunning that we must even contemplate a shutdown of the Department in the current global context. The global terrorist threat has become more decentralized and complex. The FBI Director said that there is an ISIS-ISIL cell in every State. Mr. Speaker, the tomfoolery of Republicans is absurd, that they are willing to play with the lives of Americans, that they are willing to throw under the bus the thousands upon thousands of important, essential, and crucial workers in the Department of Homeland Security. The FBI said, under this new fusion of work together, that the Department of Homeland Security is crucial. In my district, people are coming up to my staff and asking, What is going to happen in Houston--a place where, when we were in the midst of 9/11, there were rumors about planes going to the energy sector. This is a foolish position that we are in. I demand that we vote for a clean DHS bill that is coming from the Senate. This is foolish. This is outrageous. I cannot understand what is going on with Republicans that they are, in essence, killing us here in this House. This is absurd.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman very much, and I thank her for her commonsense explanation. Might I say, as a member of the authorizing Committee on Homeland Security, I believe, as we have just heard, that the Senate has passed a clean Department of Homeland Security funding bill that came out of these appropriators who did excellent work. In the name of the security of this Nation, I ask the Speaker to bring this bill to the floor of the House right now. I do so with headlines like: ``Three Denver girls played hooky from school and tried to join ISIS.'' I do it in the name of the headlines of three arrested in Brooklyn who had intentions to do the Commander in Chief harm and many others harm. I do it also in recognition as one of the Members who was there, if you will, in the aftermath of 9/11, who watched the forging of the Department of Homeland Security that put forward Border Patrol agents and TSO agents and ICE agents working with the FBI. All of those individuals will not be funded. Let me say to the hardworking men and women of the Department of Homeland Security: We will not leave you abandoned, but we will vote for a full funding of the Department of Homeland Security. We ask the Republicans why they refuse to address the national security of this Nation, putting political security over national security.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak to the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security to let them know that many of us are listening and working very hard to make sure that the agency is fully funded for the rest of 2015. Tonight we will extend funding through for an additional seven days for the Department of Homeland Security. The fight was worth it. Next week we are assured that we will have a vote on a clean DHS bill that fully funds DHS through the end of the fiscal year. Democrats stood united and this was a battle for the American people and the brave men and women of the DHS who are dedicated to protecting the security of the homeland. Now is the time to put politics aside and put the interest of the country first. This is a step in the right direction--provided that we fully fund DHS for the remainder of this fiscal year when we reconvene for business next week. We cannot afford to continue the political games played by the Republicans when there are so many serious challenges facing our country from ISIS and other violent terrorist groups. Just this week FBI Director James Comey, while speaking at the Winter meeting of the National Association of Attorneys General, reported that his agency is investigating ISIS suspects in all 50 states. Next week Congress must take action, and send the right message to the men and women charged with protecting the homeland. Mr. Speaker, we must focus our efforts next week on the needs of the 170,000 DHS employees who will be required to work without pay if we do not find a path forward. These employees include members of the Coast Guard, Border Patrol, Secret Service, Transportation Security Administration and others on the front lines of Homeland Security. An additional 30,000 employees of the Department of Homeland Security will be furloughed and sent home without pay. A DHS shutdown would hit Texas especially hard. The local and state negative impact of House inaction is the forgoing of fiscal year 2015 grants that go to first responders. In 2014, DHS grants awarded to the city of Houston included $24,000,000 from Urban Area Security Initiative grants and $299,995 from the non-profit program. In 2014, port security grants included: $1,810,826 for Harris County; $845,250 for the City of Houston. Programs intended to aid our fire fighters such as the one at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, which received a $1,493,340 DHS research grant last year are being hurt by House inaction on fiscal year 2015 funding for the agency. When Congress returns next week we must complete our work and fully fund DHS for the rest of the fiscal year.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Let me thank the gentlelady for her excellent work on the Subcommittee on Homeland Security of the Committee on Appropriations and the gentleman, Mr. Carter. To the statements that have been made on the floor, might I just chronicle a more correct, if I might say, articulation of really what happened. First, it is an applause and appreciation for the work done by the gentlelady from California and the gentleman from Texas, along with the ranking member and the chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, because they had 12 appropriations bills ready to go forward. What my good friends have missed on the other side of the aisle is they debunked the full funding of the Department of Homeland Security because of their ire against the President's authorized constitutional executive action. That is why we are here today, for no other reason than, rather than allowing the debate on a clean funding on the omnibus bills, the 12 that have come from the House, they took out the Department of Homeland Security and left it to the side. They took it out in the light of young women, as I indicated. Three Denver girls played hooky from school and tried to join ISIS. They took it out in the light of the FBI Director saying there is an ISIS cell in every State. They took it out in the light of the tragedies that happened in Paris, in Denmark, and have happened around the world in Australia. Boko Haram, they took it out. They took out that full funding of the Department of Homeland Security and skewed it by adding their contempt for the executive action. But then, lo and behold, what happened is a judge didn't rule it unconstitutional in Texas. That was not the order of the court. It was that there were questions that should be decided--it was actually a stay--and that it should have gone through an administrative procedure, the APA. It did not rule it unconstitutional, but it was an action that caused, at least for the moment, a stay in the actions of the President. What does that say, Madam Speaker? It says that today we can come and give a full funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. I thank the gentlelady. Madam Speaker, that order answers their concern about the executive action. In the meantime, we have every opportunity tonight, today to vote on a clean full funding of the Department of Homeland Security until September, because that is what the Senate did. They did their work. But now we are playing games, in spite of the letter from the Secretary of Homeland Security, and we are telling the Customs and Border Protection, we are telling the TSOs, the FAA, the ICE officers, all of them, we put a stop sign and said we no longer want to secure America. I ask for support of this motion to instruct, and I ask for full funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Let's do our job.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I am pleading and asking unanimous consent that the House bring up H.R. 861, the clean Department of Homeland Security funding bill that, in this climate of terrorism, would keep the Department open so that it can carry out its mission of keeping the American people safe.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Colorado and the gentlewoman from North Carolina for their leadership. Mr. Speaker, I think you can look at me and understand the importance of the Federal Government, for when I went to school, those of us of minority status, African Americans and Hispanics, were not protected by our States. It had to be those in the Federal Government who indicated that no matter what you looked like, what your race was, or what your disability was, you had the right to equal education. That is what the Federal Government can do. That is what this involvement of the Federal Government is. It is to ensure that no child is denied an education. Yet, Mr. Speaker, we find ourselves today with a decrease in funding to education across America. Parents should understand that, with a 3.2 million student enrollment increase, this bill flatlines any increase in education. It does not support teachers, and it does not support highly qualified teachers in providing for them an incentive to teach. More importantly, my fellow students who may be called disabled, do you know what they do to them? They raise the numbers of those who can be sent to those classes that in the old days we called slow classes, so that they are not mainstreamed, they are just thrown over to the side. We stopped doing that decades ago, but this bill brings it right back home again. What the Federal Government does is it raises standards to allow States not to weaken standards, not to weaken the assessment process, and not to institute weak accountability systems. But that is what this bill does now. So my student who needs an opportunity does not have the support, and poor children, money is taken from poor children and recklessly used for something else. Why, Mr. Speaker, can't we make this a bipartisan bill and do what was done for me by the Federal Government? It gave me the opportunity to stand on the floor of the House today as an African American. With a history of segregation in America, the Federal Government said that I needed an equal education.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

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

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chairman, let me thank the gentleman from Indiana for his kindness this evening as I have listened to the debate. I want to thank the ranking member of the full committee, Mr. Scott, and Mr. Kline, who have worked diligently. We could not have come to the point of having Members' amendments without the very hard work of Mr. Scott's staff, and certainly Mr. Kline. So I thank both of them because of our great concern on this issue. Mr. Chairman and colleagues, this is a face that I am trying to help with my amendment. This is the face of children being bullied in America. My amendment supports accountability-based programs and activities that are designed to enhance school safety, including research-based bullying prevention, cyber bullying prevention, disruption of recruitment activity by groups or individuals involved in violent extremism, and gang prevention programs. I will note, Mr. Chairman, that this amendment wants to support accountability-based programs and to acknowledge that every day in schools across America children of all kinds are bullied. One in seven students in grades K-12 is either a bully or a victim of bullying, and 282,000 students are physically attacked in secondary schools each month. The Jackson Lee amendment also addresses growing concerns regarding violent extremism and the misuse of social media by militant extremist groups to recruit students and young persons. It really is about giving tools to schools to be prepared for the new, if you will, ills that are facing our children, which include cyber bullying, bullying based on discrimination, and peer advocacy. It is noted that when bystanders intervene, bullying stops within 10 seconds, 57 percent of the time; and bullied youths were most likely to report that actions that accessed support from others made a positive difference. I ask my colleagues to support this amendment and to realize that we can provide the skills and the tools for school districts to help in these very unfortunate circumstances for our children. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Let me, first of all, thank the gentleman from Indiana, again, for the clarity of this instruction to our school districts across America; and if I might, again, acknowledge Mr. Scott and the chairman of the full committee. If I might continue to say that cyber bullying, it is estimated that 2.2 million children experienced cyber bullying in 2011. This is a teaching tool. This is a Marvel comic book that says Internet superheroes meet the Internet villains, many different tools that school districts can use to be able to educate our children. Sixty-four percent of students enrolled in weight loss programs reported experiencing weight-based victimization. As I indicated, peer advocacy, 70.6 percent of young people say they have seen bullying in their school. We know that this is a problem, but we know that intervention helps. My amendment, again, emphasizes the intervention and the accountability. I ask my colleagues to support this amendment, I thank them for their support in advance, and I leave you simply by acknowledging that this face should be a smile. When every child goes to school, they should have a smile on their face. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk. It is listed in the report as Jackson Lee Amendment No. 25. As the founder and co-chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus, I have long advocated for the health, dignity and well-being of our nation's children. One of the fundamental things that children need to succeed in life is a good education. I thank the Rules Committee for making in order Jackson Lee Amendment No. 25. Mr. Chair, Jackson Lee Amendment No. 25 supports accountability-based programs and activities that are designed to enhance school safety, which may include research-based bullying prevention, cyberbullying prevention, disruption of recruitment activity by groups or individuals involved in violent extremism, and gang prevention programs. Statistics on bullying: Mr. Chair, the daily reality for too many of our children is that they are threatened, bullied, and assaulted but reluctant to tell adults about their pain or shame: 1. 1 in 7 students in grades K-12 is either a bully or a victim of bullying. 2. 282,000 students are physically attacked in secondary schools each month. 3. 90% of 4th to 8th grade students report being victims of bullying of some type. 4. 71% of students report incidents of bullying as a problem at their school. 5. 15% of all students who don't show up for school report it to being out of fear of being bullied while at school. Consequences of bullying: 1. 15% of all school absenteeism is directly related to fears of being bullied at school. 2. According to bullying statistics, 10 percent of school dropouts do so because of repeated bullying. 3. Bullying is a leading cause of adolescent suicide. The Jackson Lee Amendment also addresses growing concerns regarding violent extremism and the misuse of social media by militant extremist groups to recruit students and young people. Mr. Chair, as we all know, our world changed on September 11, 2001. Groups like ISIS/ISIL are attempting to reach children and young people through social media. This activity is being addressed by law enforcement, intelligence, and Homeland Security. It is important that we provide schools and school districts an opportunity to include in their education programs around school violence material for parents and their children on the issue of radical extremism. As the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations, as well as a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee I believe that we must address emerging threats where they are as early as possible. I ask my colleagues to support Jackson Lee Amendment No. 25 to help protect our school age children from bullying and radical extremism.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained by a meeting with law enforcement officers from across the Nation, and I missed rollcall vote No. 91 on the question of consideration of the resolution involving funding of DHS. If I had been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, today I rise with a question: Should America be brought to the brink of her own security and safety? With that question, I ask my friends on the other side of the aisle, the Republicans and the Speaker, to put on the floor of the House the full funding of the Department of Homeland Security. Mr. Speaker, I had the privilege of beginning my tenure on this committee in the aftermath of the tragedy on 9/11. Some of us who served at that time were able to go to the site after 9/11. We were able to go soon enough to see some of those who were in the midst of recovering, since the first responders of New York refused to leave anyone behind. It was a devastating and emotional time, but the resilience of that time also reflected America's values. I remember very strongly standing on the steps of the House, Republicans and Democrats, singing the song ``God Bless America.'' What we have come to today is that we are frivolously using these political tactics of taking political security over national security and rejecting our responsibility of ensuring that the men and women who are on the front lines for the security of this Nation can continue their jobs. First, Mr. Speaker, let me say that there is a court order that has temporarily issued an injunction. That court in Texas did not in any way assess the constitutionality of the President's executive actions. Why? Because he has the authority. His comments that have been repeated over and over again about his lack of authority were, yes, he does not have the authority to convey an immigration status. His executive actions are not on immigration status. They are simply keeping families from being torn apart and mothers and fathers and children from being deported. It is not an immigration status. It is a stay of deportation. And so the fuss that is being made impacts the TSA officer tragically shot in a Los Angeles airport, or New York or Houston or Dallas or Chicago or Raleigh-Durham; that TSA officer who stands on the front lines of our security and we look them in the eye and tell them they cannot be paid. You know, Mr. Speaker, when the shutdown happened before, it was Democrats who had to retroactively ensure that those workers were paid. We want border security? We won't be paying our Border Patrol agents or ICE agents. Even though it is suggested that fees will take care of it, there are 30,000 employees that the fees will not take care of. So I rise today pleading to have my friends acknowledge that, first of all, they are wrong on the executive actions. As we go to a hearing in Judiciary, I will be able to show that these individuals will probably be vetted more extensively than many others in the immigration process. Fourteen provisions have to be utilized before they can be eligible for the executive action the President has suggested. But what I am going to say, Mr. Speaker, as I started by saying, is that we are bringing America to the brink. In the midst of my comments, I indicated that I remember how we came together in the tragedy of 9/ 11. Well, we have a tragedy right now. We have a raging ISIS and ISIL, we have an unknown terrorist threat, and we know that the United States, although strong, stands, as the rest of the world does, needing to be prepared for those who want to be individualized, franchised terrorists. I take my responsibility seriously. I believe in the Constitution. I even believe in language that indicates, as we say often in the Declaration of Independence, that we all are created equal, and language in the Constitution that says we have come to form a more perfect Union. This is not perfect, and this can be remedied. I ask the Speaker to put this bill on the floor of the House in the name of firefighters and police officers and ICE officers and grants going to cities for using their best tactics; fusion centers that deal with terrorism--in their name, and many others, like Border Patrol; ICE, as I indicated; the Secret Service, as I indicated; TSA agents; parts of FAA; and FEMA, when the North is freezing and needs that kind of assistance. In the name of the people of the United States of America, how much pleading do I need to do? As a member of the Homeland Security Committee believing in those innocent families who have come here to do nothing more than to work on behalf of their families and desire to be united, on behalf of the mothers and fathers, Mr. Speaker, I ask that the Speaker put on the floor of the House a clean DHS bill so that we can vote now, now, now.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the House now bring up H.R. 861, the clean Department of Homeland Security funding bill to protect America that would keep the Department open so that we can carry out its mission of keeping the American people safe and, as well, protecting our national security over political security.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois, I thank the gentlelady, and I thank the Speaker. It is good news to be able to come on the floor of the House and be able to speak to hardworking parents and the basis of all of our joy when we are giving an opportunity for our young people to be able to participate in higher learning, in this instance, college education. The 529 fix, if you will, deals with the savings accounts and tax-free disbursements for the purpose of paying for college tuition, purchasing college credits, and other qualified educational expenses. I do want to join my colleague from Wisconsin and add that the idea of other equipment dealing with the new technology special needs services is crucial. I want to thank Mr. Davis for his astute work in the committee, looking to make this a little bit more balanced. Certainly we are appreciative of those who have been successful and have achieved financial success. I enjoy that. But I do think with our concern about a deficit--which, by the way, has been reduced substantially under President Barack Obama--that this idea that Mr. Davis had would have been a worthy inclusion into this legislation. However, I am grateful, again, that we are now high tech and the 529 accounts include computers and software as qualified educational expenses. It would also allow for refunded tuition, educational expenses, particularly if a student withdraws due to illness. I was talking to one of my young people, college students, and also my husband is a part of the team of higher education and sees it all the time where youngsters leave because they are ill and fail to let the professor know, and all of a sudden they are running up a bill. I do want to say that this fix is urgent because we need to help people save, but it is also urgent, Mr. Speaker, that we immediately move to put the Homeland Security funding on the floor of the House. I had asked yesterday for it to be immediately put on the floor of the House last night or today in order to do our duty, and our duty is to ensure the safety and security of this Nation. It is sad for me to note that those like Border Patrol agents and ICE agents and TSOs whom we pass by every day will be some of those who will be unpaid. They are essential, and we will go past them and thank them for their services--I often do in airports across America--but yet we will stand here and not have a resolution and a solution to pay them their salary. We had a hearing today in Judiciary. I was very glad to note that I think the weight was on the side of the President that he had constitutional authority, that he is not rendering any immigration status, that he is doing what he is allowed under the law; the Attorney General is allowed to have discretion as to employment status; no benefits will be conveyed on these individuals; and, frankly, we have an emergency and we need to pass that bill.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. I won't take that. I thank the gentleman for his kindness. Let me just say that I think we appropriately are on the floor dealing with H.R. 529. I again thank the work of the Committee on Ways and Means ranking members and, as well, the ranking member and chairman of the full committee. But as we frame the work that this Congress must do, I don't know how we stand here on Wednesday, 24 to 48 hours out from a collapse of the Department of Homeland Security, no funding, and actually are here and looking out at the face of first responders and those who are on the front lines of borders, airports, FAA, ICE officers, and we would stand and hold hostage these hardworking Americans who, in this climate when we are looking to malls or we are hearing, seeing videos and various charges of those who want to do harm, that we would not want an orderly process for 5 million people who have about 14 items--14 items--that they must comply with to even be eligible, but 5 million people who simply want us to know that they are here and they are here to do good and not to do harm. That is an orderly process for knowing how to secure this Nation. Again, I thank the gentleman from Illinois. With that, I ask for a vote for H.R. 529 and H.R. 5 and the funding of Homeland Security. Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the legendary Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, which this year celebrates 149 years of service to the greater Houston community and the nation. For more than a half century, under the leadership of the Rev. F.N. Williams, Sr., the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, now led by Rev. O.B. Winkley, has provided material support and spiritual sanctuary to the least of God's children and used the prophetic voice of the church to speak truth to power. Mr. Speaker, in January 1866, seven months after slaves were freed in Texas (June 19, 1865), a small group of freed slaves, assisted by the First Baptist Church and missionaries, organized the first African American Baptist Church in Houston, Texas. After holding worship services at the First Baptist Church and the German Baptist Church, church members began to hold services on Buffalo Bayou in ``Brush Arbor.'' Later, the church moved to ``Baptist Hill'' located at Rusk and Bagby until the present site was purchased. In 1868, one of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church's members, Jack Yates, was ordained at the first meeting of the Association of African American Baptist Churches. Rev. Jack Yates became the first pastor of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church and as the membership grew and additional space was needed, Rev. Yates led the church to purchase its present site and build a brick structure. Antioch Missionary Baptist Church's new home was the first brick structure built and owned by African-Americans in Houston, and was located in the center of Freedman's Town and was the center of activity for the African-American community. Antioch Missionary Baptist Church provided the former slaves with opportunities to worship the Lord, but also established ministries to help them develop educationally, economically and socially. With the help of two missionaries, Rev. Yates began the Baptist Academy, which taught such fundamental skills as reading, writing, and arithmetic, and provided vocational training to enable men and women to start their own businesses. Mr. Speaker, Baptist Academy would later become Houston College, the forerunner of Texas Southern University. Under Rev. Yates' leadership, church members were encouraged and assisted in buying property, owning homes, and developing businesses. The Old Landmark Baptist Association of Texas was organized at Antioch and Emancipation Park was purchased in a joint venture with Trinity Methodist Church to provide green space to engage in recreational activities and hold community celebrations, such as Juneteenth. Mr. Speaker, I take great pride in recognizing the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church and the Rev. O.B. Winkley on the occasion of its 149th Anniversary and its nearly century and half of service to the Houston community.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, our hearts and prayers are with the victims of the Metrolink train crash that took place this early morning in Oxnard, California. As of right now, there are no confirmed casualties and I pray that it stays that way and all of the injured have a speedy recovery. I also wish to commend the first responders who arrived at the scene so rapidly to treat the victims of the crash. The nation can be proud of the first responders at the local, state, and federal level who selflessly answer the call to service and risk their lives to keep us safe. Mr. Speaker, first responders ask little in return for the risks they willingly incur. All they ask is that we support them and provide them the resources needed to protect the homeland. That is why it is absolutely critical that Speaker Boehner bring to the floor immediately a clean Homeland Security funding bill. House Republicans should stop risking the security of the homeland to appease the Tea Party extremist wing of their conference. Mr. Speaker, there are only 4 days remaining until funding for the Department of Homeland Security runs out. If House Republicans were to let that happen, DHS would be required to shut down much of the homeland security infrastructure put in place in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Although some DHS employees would continue to work in the event of a shutdown, they would be forced to do so without pay, creating significant disruptions and dealing a blow to morale. Among those who would be expected to protect Americans without getting paid would be: 1. More than 40,000 Border Patrol agents and Customs and Border Protection officers; 2. More than 50,000 TSA aviation security screeners; 3. More than 13,000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement law enforcement agents and officers; 4. More than 40,000 active duty Coast Guard military members; 5. More than 4,000 Secret Service law enforcement agents and officers. Mr. Speaker, it is time for House Republicans to stop politicizing the funding of this most essential function of the federal government and bring to the floor for debate and passage of a clean DHS funding bill so that we can keep our homeland safe.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to salute a gentle giant by the name of Captain Brazile, a hero, a man who died in the line of fire, and a man who many of us got to know and love. He started in the Houston Fire Department at the age of 19, and he was called Baby Boy. That ultimately became B.B. Everyone who came in the distance of his heart and mind said that Captain Brazile was a mentor who taught men and women who were incoming firefighters. This past weekend, I flew into Houston and was able to go to his bedside on Saturday, to be able to see his family and his wonderful son, who he loves with deep and abiding love, and a wife who loved him without question. All of his fire brothers and sisters were all around. They had the opportunity to pray. Then, unfortunately, he lost his life. He died in the line of duty, and on Saturday night into early morning on Sunday, I joined a throng of firefighters to proceed in the procession to take his body from the Memorial Hermann Medical Center to the medical examiners. Mr. Speaker, let me simply say, as we rode through those streets, through the neighborhoods that he fought for and fought fires, saved lives, and passed Fire Station 46 and all of his brothers and sisters, I felt a sense that his spirit had lifted up and that we had honored him by his travel and journey, that we will continue to honor him--Baby Boy, B.B., father, husband, great leader, hero, captain, firefighter-- who died in the line of duty.