Sheila Jackson Lee

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, what a grand statement from our chair who has captured the leadership of this entire body. As I conclude my remarks, I just wanted to say, Madam Speaker, to the chair, this is what you are doing and what we are doing by pushing Build Back Better and putting our stamp on it. Madam Speaker, 22.1 percent of Black people fall below the poverty line, struggling to pay expenses like food, rent, healthcare, and transportation for their families. But with the child tax cut, the Build Back Better Act provides a major tax cut to nearly 3 million Black people and cuts the Black poverty rate by 34.3 percent, which will help the 85 percent of Black women who are either sole or co- breadwinners for their families. I am very pleased to be on the floor of the House with you, showing what will happen to many in the Black community who are out and about working and helping. This bill will help them, and it will help all of America. It will help those minorities who are in need. May I say: Our Power, Our Message. I always like to say: Our Power, Our Message. That is what we are tonight, and I am delighted to have been able to join her at this time. Madam Speaker, as a senior member of the Committees on the Judiciary, on Homeland Security, and on the Budget, and the Congressional Black Caucus, I am pleased to co-anchor this Congressional Black Caucus Special Order with my colleague, the distinguished gentleman from New York, Congressman Ritchie Torres. I thank the Chair of the CBC, Congresswoman Beatty of Ohio, for organizing this Special Order to discuss the reasons why the CBC strongly supports the $1.75 billion Build Back Better Act conceived and advanced by President Biden and House Democrats to support visionary and transformative investments in the health, well-being, and financial security of America's workers and families. Over the next hour, several of our colleagues will share their perspectives on why it is essential that we ``go big'' in building back better to our Nation and all of its people have the opportunities and resources to compete and win in the changing global economy of the 21st century. Madam Speaker, it is often said that the federal budget is an expression of the Nation's values and the investments made to Build America Back Better are a clear declaration of congressional Democrats' commitment to ensuring that our government, our economy, and our systems work For The People. Madam Speaker, these long-overdue investments in America's future will be felt in every corner of the country and across every sector of American life, building on the success of the American Rescue Plan, accommodating historic infrastructure investments in the legislative pipeline, and addressing longstanding deficits in our communities by ending an era of chronic underinvestment so we can emerge from our current crises a stronger, more equitable Nation. Madam Speaker, the bipartisan action we took in February 2021 when we passed the American Rescue Plan was a giant step in the right direction, but it was a targeted response to the immediate and urgent public health and economic crises; it was not a long-term solution to many of the pressing challenges facing our Nation that have built up over decades of disinvestment in our Nation and its people in every region and sector of the country. We simply can no longer afford the costs of neglect and inaction; the time to act is now. The Build Back Better Act makes the transformative investments that we need to continue growing our economy, lower costs for working families, and position the United States as a global leader in innovation and the jobs of the future. This $1.75 trillion gross investment will build on the successes of the American Rescue Plan and set our Nation on a path of fiscal responsibility and broadly shared prosperity for generations to come. The Build Back Better Act will provide resources to improve our education, health, and child care systems, invest in clean energy and sustainability, address the housing crisis, and more, all while setting America up to compete and win in the decades ahead. The Build Back Better Act is paid for by ensuring that the wealthy and big corporations are paying their fair share and Americans making less than $400,000 a year will not see their taxes increase by a penny. Let me repeat that: Americans making less than $400,000 a year will not see their taxes increase by a penny. In sum, Madam Speaker, the investments made by the Build Back Better Act will expand opportunity for all and build an economy powered by shared prosperity and inclusive growth. No one is better prepared or more experienced to lead the American renaissance that will be produced by the investments made by the Build Back Better Act than President Biden, the architect of the American Rescue Plan and who as Vice-President during the Obama Administration oversaw the implementation of the Recovery Act, which saved millions of jobs and rescued our economy from the Great Recession the Nation inherited from a previous Republican administration. And let us not forget that President Obama also placed his confidence in his vice-president to oversee the rescue of the automotive industry, which he did so well that the American car industry fully recovered its status as the world leader. Madam Speaker, one aspect of the Build Back Better Act that does not get enough attention is the fact, as documented by the Department of the Treasury, that the legislation will generate more than $2 trillion in fiscal savings. These savings come from ensuring large multinational corporations and wealthy Americans pay their fair share and reducing the cost of prescription drugs. These provisions will not raise taxes on any taxpayer making less than $400,000. As a result of these changes, the ability of large corporations to shift profits abroad will be substantially limited, and the race to the bottom in corporate taxation will no longer be a driving force weakening capital taxation. In short, the Build Back Better Act under consideration in the House of Representatives will be fully paid for and reduce the deficit. Madam Speaker, let me briefly highlight some of the key investments made by the Build Back Better Act: The Build Back Better Act expands access to quality, affordable health care by strengthening the Medicare, Medicaid, and Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace programs that millions of Americans already rely on. It includes a major new expansion of Medicare benefits, adding a hearing benefit to the program for the very first time. Only 30 percent of seniors over the age of 70 who could benefit from hearing aids have ever used them. The Build Back Better Act strengthens the Affordable Care Act and reduces premiums for 9 million Americans who buy insurance through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace by an average of $600 per person per year. Just for example, a family of four earning $80,000 per year would save nearly $3,000 per year (or $246 per month) on health insurance premiums and experts predict that more than 3 million people who would otherwise be uninsured will gain health insurance. The Build Back Better Act closes the Medicaid coverage gap, leading 4 million uninsured people to gain coverage. The Build Back Better Act will deliver health care coverage through Affordable Care Act premium tax credits to up to 4 million uninsured people in states that have locked them out of Medicaid. A 40-year-old in the coverage gap would have to pay $450 per month for benchmark coverage--more than half of their income in many cases, but thanks to the Build Back Better Act individuals would pay $0 premiums, finally making health care affordable and accessible. The Build Back Better Act strengthens the ACA by extending the enhanced Marketplace subsidies that were included in the American Rescue Plan. It also provides an affordable coverage option for the more than two million Americans living in states that have not expanded Medicaid under the ACA and do not earn enough to qualify for Marketplace subsidies. When the Build Back Better Act is fully implemented, soon gone will be the terrible old days when too many Americans are forced to choose between medical care and putting food on the table or affording other necessities. Madam Speaker, approximately 3.9 million Black people were uninsured in 2019 before President Biden took office and even with the Affordable Care Act's premium subsidies, coverage under the ACA was too expensive for many families, and over 570,000 Black people fell into the Medicaid ``coverage gap'' and were locked out of coverage because their state refused to expand Medicaid. The Build Back Better Act closes the Medicaid coverage gap while also lowering health care costs for those buying coverage through the ACA by extending the American Rescue Plan's lower premiums, which could save 360,000 Black people an average of $50 per person per month. With these changes, more than one in three uninsured Black people could gain coverage, and with the addition of hearing coverage, more than 5.8 million Black people on Medicare will benefit. The Build Back Better Act will make an historic investment in maternal health, including for Black women, who die from complications related to pregnancy at three times the rate of white women. Madam Speaker, the cost of preschool in the United States exceeds $8,600 per year on average, and for as long as we can remember, child care prices in the United States have risen faster than family incomes, yet the United States still invests 28 times less than its competitors on helping families afford high-quality care for toddlers. The Build Back Better Act supports families in need of child care by providing access to safe, reliable, and high-quality care delivered by a well-trained child care workforce. The Build Back Better Act will provide universal and free preschool for all 3- and 4-year-olds. This is the largest expansion of universal and free education since states and communities across the country established public high school 100 years ago. This is important because our Nation is strongest when everyone can join the workforce and contribute to the economy. That is why this investment is vital to so many millions of people-- especially women--who are often forced to choose between working to support their family or caring for their family. The Build Back Better Act will ensure that the vast majority of working American families of four earning less than $300,000 per year will pay no more than 7 percent of their income on child care for children under 6. Under the Build Back Better Act, parents who are working, looking for work, participating in an education or training program, and who are making under 2.5 times their states median income will receive support to cover the cost of quality care based on a sliding scale, capped at 7 percent of their income. The Build Back Better Act will help states expand access to high- quality, affordable child care to about 20 million children per year-- covering 9 out of 10 families across the country with young children. For two parents with one toddler earning $100,000 per year, the Build Back Better Act will produce more than $5,000 in child care savings per year. In addition, the Build Back Better Act promotes nutrition security to support children's health and help children reach their full potential by investing in nutrition security year-round. The legislation will expand free school meals to 8.7 million children during the school year and provide a $65 per child per month benefit to the families of 29 million children to purchase food during the summer. The Build Back Better Act will deliver affordable, high-quality care for older Americans and people with disabilities in their homes, while supporting the workers who provide this care. Right now, there are hundreds of thousands of older Americans and Americans with disabilities on waiting lists for home care services or struggling to afford the care they need, including more than 800,000 who are on state Medicaid waiting lists. A family paying for home care costs out of pocket currently pays around $5,800 per year for just four hours of home care per week. The Build Back Better Act will permanently improve Medicaid coverage for home care services for seniors and people with disabilities, making the most transformative investment in access to home care in 40 years, when these services were first authorized for Medicaid. The Build Back Better Act will improve the quality of caregiving jobs, which will, in turn, help to improve the quality of care provided to beneficiaries. Madam Speaker, I cannot emphasize enough how important it is that the Build Back Better Act will also reduce the cost of home-based care for the hundreds of thousands of older Black adults and Black people with disabilities who need it and are unable to access it. Not to mention that investment in home care will raise wages for home care workers, 28 percent of whom are Black. In the area of housing, the Build Back Better Act makes investments to ensure that Americans have access to safe and affordable housing by providing resources to increase housing vouchers and funding for tribal housing. It also supports investments in programs that will help address our Nation's housing crisis by increasing the supply of affordable homes for those in need and investing in historically underserved communities and those that have been previously left behind. Specifically, the Build Back Better Act makes the single largest and most comprehensive investment in affordable housing in history and will enable the construction, rehabilitation, and improvement of more than 1 million affordable homes, boosting housing supply and reducing price pressures for renters and homeowners. It will address the capital needs of the public housing stock in big cities and rural communities all across America and ensure it is not only safe and habitable but healthier and more energy efficient as well. It will make a historic investment in rental assistance, expanding vouchers to hundreds of thousands of additional families. And, perhaps even more importantly, the Build Back Better Act includes one of the largest investments in down payment assistance in history, enabling hundreds of thousands of first-generation homebuyers to purchase their first home and build wealth. In short, Madam Speaker, this legislation will create more equitable communities, through investing in community-led redevelopment projects in historically under-resourced neighborhoods and removing lead paint from hundreds of thousands of homes, as well as by incentivizing state and local zoning reforms that enable more families to reside in higher opportunity neighborhoods. The Build Back Better Act will provide two years of free pre-K and two years of free community college to ensure every student has the tools, resources, and opportunity to succeed in life. It will also invest in our teachers and institutions that serve minority students and provide funding to give school buildings long- overdue infrastructure updates. People lead happier, healthier, and more productive lives when they have had access to high-quality education and that is why the Build Back Better Act makes necessary investments to increase quality education by four years for all students at no cost to hard-working families. The Build Back Better Act expands access to affordable, high-quality education beyond high school, which is increasingly important for economic growth and competitiveness in the 21st century. Specifically, the Build Back Better Act will increase the maximum Pell Grant by $550 for the more than 5 million students enrolled in public and private, non-profit colleges and expand access to DREAMers. It will also make historic investments in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and minority-serving institutions (MSIs) to build capacity, modernize research infrastructure, and provide financial aid to low-income students. The Build Back Better Act will help more people access quality training that leads to good, union, and middle-class jobs and will enable community colleges to train hundreds of thousands of students, create sector-based training opportunity with in-demand training for at least hundreds of thousands of workers, and invest in proven approaches like Registered Apprenticeships and programs to support underserved communities. The Build Back Better Act will increase the Labor Department's annual spending on workforce development by 50 percent for each of the next 5 years. The Build Back Better Act will spur and empower comprehensive action to build an equitable clean energy economy with historic investments to transform and modernize the electricity sector, lower energy costs for Americans, improve air quality and public health, create good-paying jobs, and strengthen U.S. competitiveness--all while putting our country on the pathway to 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2035. The Build Back Better Act extends and expands clean energy tax credits and supports clean electricity performance payments so utilities can accelerate progress toward a clean electric grid at no added cost to consumers. The Build Back Better Act invests in clean energy, efficiency, electrification, and climate justice through grants, consumer rebates, and federal procurement of clean power and sustainable materials, and by incentivizing private sector development and investment. Another exciting aspect of the Build Back Better Act, Madam Speaker, is that it will drive economic opportunities, environmental conservation, and climate resilience--especially in underserved and disadvantaged communities--including through a new Civilian Climate Corps. Madam Speaker, the Build Back Better Act includes a $100 billion investment to reform our broken immigration system--and does it consistent with the Senate's reconciliation rules--as well as to reduce backlogs, expand legal representation, and make the asylum system and border processing more efficient and humane. Madam Speaker, immigrants eligible for such protection are an integral part of Texas' social fabric. Texas is home to 386,300 immigrants who are eligible for protection, 112,000 of whom reside in Harris County. These individuals live with 845,300 family members and among those family members, 178,700 are U.S.-born citizen children. These persons in Texas who are eligible for protection under the bill arrived in the United States at the average age of 8 and on average have lived in the United States since 1996. They own 43,500 homes in Texas and pay $340,500,000 in annual mortgage payments and contribute $2,234,800,000 in federal taxes and $1,265,200,000 in state and local taxes each year. Annually, these households generate $10,519,000,000 in spending power in Texas and help power the national economy. The expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC) enacted in the American Rescue Plan has already benefitted nearly 66 million children, put money in the pockets of millions of hard-working parents and guardians, and is expected to help cut child poverty by more than half. The Build Back Better Act not only extends this meaningful tax cut, but it also extends the expanded Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the expanded Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, which help families make ends meet and put food on the table, reduce child poverty, and lessen the burden on hard-working Americans so they can provide a better future for America's children. Madam Speaker, 22.1 percent of Black people fall below the poverty line, struggling to pay expenses like food, rent, health care, and transportation for their families. By extending the Child Tax Credit, the Build Back Better Act provides a major tax cut to nearly 3 million Black people and cuts the Black poverty rate by 34.3 percent, which will help the 85 percent of Black women who are either sole or co-breadwinners for their families. By permanently extending the American Rescue Plan's increase to the Earned-Income Tax Credit from $543 to $1,502, the Build Back Better Act will benefit roughly 2.8 million Black low-wage workers, including cashiers, cooks, delivery drivers, food preparation workers, and child care providers. Earlier today, I celebrated with many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle at the White House where President Biden signed into law the Senate Amendment to the Invest Act of 2021, which invests into our infrastructure: $121 billion for Roads, Bridges, and Safety; $89.9 billion for Public Transit; $66 billion for Passenger and Freight Rail; and $55 billion for Drinking Water Infrastructure and Assistance. Of the amount of public transit funding authorized in the legislation, my home state of Texas is expected to receive $3,269,170,516, which is more than ample for the Federal Transit Administration to allocate the $20 million authorized for Harris County's METRO's BOOST Corridor project in my congressional district provided in the version of the Invest Act passed by the House in June of this year. The population of Harris County is projected to exceed 10 million people by 2040, which makes it crucial to develop a plan that addresses the growing demand for expansion of public transit. Approved by voters in November 2019, the BOOST plan includes 500 miles of travel improvements to help ease traffic congestion and provide more ways to move around. The BOOST plan calls for 75 miles of new METRO Rapid bus service that operates like light rail, along with expansions to two-way HOV lanes, park and rides, transit centers, light rail, and community connector service, and enhancement to local bus stops to improve accessibility, safety, and security. With funding provided in the legislation before us, my constituents and residents and visitors in Harris County can look forward to a better walk with new or improved sidewalks along and/or near the route and improved crosswalks at intersections for your safety; a better wait at bus stops; and a better bus ride, with faster and more reliable service with streamlined stops along the route, traffic signal improvements at key intersections to improve bus speed and reliability by reducing the time buses spend waiting at red lights, and improvements designed to create easy traffic flow for buses and cars. Let me highlight a few of the major components of the Senate Amendment to H.R. 3684, the Invest In America Act, which represents the fulfillment of a promise to the American people. The infrastructure act on roads, bridges, and safety Delivers $121 billion for better roads and bridges faster by increasing investment by 54 percent, with an emphasis on fixing existing infrastructure; Dedicates $32 billion for bridge funding to ensure bridges in communities of all sizes are safer, more reliable, and more resilient; Invests $4 billion in electric vehicle charging infrastructure, helping the U.S. shift to the next generation of clean vehicles; Dedicates $8.3 billion for activities targeted to reduce carbon pollution and provides $6.2 billion for mitigation and resiliency improvements, also advances the development and utilization of green construction materials; Makes our roads safer with a significant boost to roadway safety programs, record levels of investment in walking and cycling infrastructure, complete streets planning and smarter road design, and safe routes to schools; Focuses transportation planning to promote mobility and facilitate access to jobs and other essential services, and reconnects communities that were divided by highways with a new $3 billion program to correct planning mistakes of the past; Targets investments to areas of persistent poverty, rural communities, Tribes, and other continually disadvantaged areas; Helps elevate state and local priorities by funding Member Designated Projects. The Infrastructure Act on transit Provides $89.9 billion and makes record investments in transit to increase routes, reduce the transit maintenance backlog, and provide more frequent service, resulting in better options for riders, improved environmental outcomes, and increased access to jobs and essential destinations; Scales up investment in zero-emission transit vehicles, supporting fleet conversion to reduce local air pollution and related health impacts and these investments are paired with strong Buy America requirements and provisions for workforce training to ensure America can compete in the clean energy economy; Funds and incentivizes transit-oriented development to make transit more convenient to where people live and work and builds sustainable, walkable communities; Increases funding for rural transit by more than 50 percent in the first year and sets aside $50 million a year for rural persistent poverty communities and creates a pilot to improve flexibility in paratransit trips, allowing for brief stops such as childcare pick-ups and drop-offs, and short trips to the grocery store, pharmacy, or bank; Creates a new reduced-fare pilot program to improve access for low- income riders, and doubles the set-aside for urban area formula dollars based on low-income population and deep poverty census tracts and directs transit agencies to serve these populations; Streamlines the Capital Investment Grant program to improve project delivery, reduce red tape, and achieve cost savings for transit agencies; and Creates new programs to address several pressing transit challenges-- improving compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and addressing transit deserts by providing expanded transit service to unserved and underserved communities. The Infrastructure Act on Passenger and Freight Rail Provides $66 billion for passenger and freight rail, tripling funding for Amtrak, allowing for enhanced service, ADA upgrades, and investments to renew and support service on the Northeast Corridor and long-distance and state-supported routes; Provides funding for corridor planning and development of high-speed rail projects, reducing traffic congestion and shortening travel times; Improves rail safety by addressing highway-rail grade crossings needs, requiring additional rail safety inspectors, addressing trespasser and suicide fatalities, and eliminating gaps in railroad safety; and Creates a federal blocked crossing program to collect data and enforce a 10-minute blocked crossing limit. The Infrastructure Act on Drinking Water Infrastructure and Assistance Authorizes $55 billion for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, the primary source of federal funding for safe drinking water infrastructure; This investment in drinking water infrastructure, will help eliminate the Nation's lead service lines and pipes, thereby delivering clean drinking water to up to ten million American families and more than 400,000 schools and child care facilities that currently do not have it, including in Tribal nations and disadvantaged communities; As many as 10 million lead service lines are currently in use, including an estimated 400,000 schools and child facilities with lead components; and The legislation also strengthens drinking water standards and improves the Environmental Protection Agency's ability to set those standards, and directs EPA to set health-protective national standards for PFAS, 1,4-dioxane, and microcystin toxin within two years. In addition, the legislation provides: 1. $15 billion in zero emission and clean buses and ferries and builds the first-ever national network of electric vehicle chargers in the United States, in order to address the adoption of electric vehicles and support domestic manufacturing jobs; 2. $42 billion to modernize our airports, ports, and waterways; 3. $50 billion to weatherize our infrastructure and insulate it against the threats of droughts, floods, and wildfires; 4. $65 billion to upgrade our power infrastructure to facilitate the expansion of renewable energy; 5. $21 billion in environmental remediation, making it the largest investment in addressing the legacy pollution that harms the public health of communities and neighborhoods in American history; and 6. $65 billion to connect every American to reliable high-speed internet, building on the billions of dollars for broadband deployment in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. To put it all in perspective, Madam Speaker, although we already passed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, we now have a once-in-a- century opportunity to make gigantic progress in making ours a more perfect union, and to do it in a single bound with enactment of the Build Back Better Act, the most transformative legislation passed by this Congress since the Great Society and the New Deal. I would urge my Republican colleagues to heed the words of Republican Governor Jim Justice of West Virginia who said colorfully earlier this year: ``At this point in time in this nation, we need to go big. We need to quit counting the egg-sucking legs on the cows and count the cows and just move. And move forward and move right now.'' The same sentiment was expressed more eloquently by Abraham Lincoln in 1862 when he memorably wrote: ``The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country.'' Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to submit statements into the Record.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to all the men and women who have served in the Armed Forces of the United States and risked their lives to defend our freedoms and way of life and took and lived the oath to ``support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic'' and bore true faith and allegiance to the same, an obligation they took freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion.'' Veterans are truly heroes walking among us. I want to thank all of our armed serviceman and women for their selfless dedication to our protection every day. Veterans Day is a reminder to all of us who live in freedom that as President Kennedy said, ``The price of freedom is high, but Americans have always paid it.'' This Veterans Day is a welcome opportunity to remember that the fallen who gave the last full measure of devotion to their country on battlefields around the world--in places whose names may be unforgettable--or locations that have slipped into the pages of history. We will never forget: Revolutionary War: Valley Forge York Town Civil War: The Battle of Antietam The Battle of Gettysburg World War I: The Battle of Argonne Flanders Field Verdun World War II: Pearl Harbor Battle of Bataan The Battle of Midway D-Day Battle of the Bulge Battle of Anzio Battle of Corregidor Korean War: Inchon Heart Break Ridge Pork Chop Hill Vietnam: Tet Offensive Battle of Hue Desert Storm: September 11, 2001 Pentagon Attack (125 killed) Operation Enduring Freedom: Battle of Kandahar Operation Iraqi Freedom: Second Battle of Fallujah The memory of the fallen are never forgotten. Madam Speaker, each Veterans Day, Americans come together to remember those who have served our country around the world in the name of freedom and democracy. The debt that we owe to them is immeasurable. Their sacrifices, and those of their families, are freedom's foundation. Without the brave efforts of all the soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and Coast Guardsmen and women and their families, our country would not live so freely. I offer my deepest gratitude to our nation's troops and reservists, their families, and the 21.6 million veterans, including 29,126 here in the 18th Congressional District. 21.6 million brave men and women are veterans of our nation's military service. This includes more than 2 million women, 2.7 million African American men and women, 1.5 million Hispanic men and women, 342,000 Asian American Pacific Islanders, and 178,000 American Indians. Nine in ten military families believe the public does not understand or appreciate their sacrifices. We use Veterans Day to show our veterans and military families how important they are to us and how grateful we are for them each and every day. November is National Caregivers Month to show our caregivers how grateful we are for them. It is only fitting that we thank those caregivers who serve our military today. 5.5 million spouses, parents, children, and other loved ones care for our wounded warriors and 15 percent of caregivers spend 40-plus hours a week providing care for our military families. As a senior member of the House Committees on Judiciary and Homeland Security, I care deeply about our veterans. In Congress, I have sponsored many legislative proposals and co- sponsored more than 50 pieces of legislation that will positively benefit our veterans and their families. On the battlefield, the military pledges to leave no soldier behind. As a nation, let it be our pledge that when they return home, we leave no veteran behind. This day and every day let us honor their service with actions that fulfill our commitment to our troops, their families, and our veterans--and that are worthy of our grateful nation.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, eleven months ago, on December 3, 2020, legislation introduced by my friend and colleague, Congresswoman Alma Adams of North Carolina, was signed into law as P.L. 116-203, designating the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2505 Derita Avenue in Charlotte, North Carolina, as the ``Julius L. Chambers Civil Rights Memorial Post Office''. As a senior member of the Committee on the Judiciary and one who benefited from the work to which Julius Chambers dedicated his life, I rise to briefly discuss for the record why this was a fitting and appropriate tribute to one of the giants of the Civil Rights Movement and the unending quest for equal justice under the law and to make our union more perfect. Born October 6, 1936 in Mount Gilead, North Carolina, Julius LeVonne Chambers grew up during the Jim Crow era during which he experienced daily the indignity of racial discrimination. In order to help end segregation and racial discrimination, Julius Chambers decided to pursue a career in law. After receiving his undergraduate degree from North Carolina Central University, Julius Chambers attended the University of Michigan where he earned a masters degree in history. Julius Chambers then returned to his native North Carolina to attend law school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was the first African American editor-in-chief of the school's law review, and graduated as valedictorian in his class of 100 students. Julius Chambers became the first African American to gain membership in the Order of the Golden Fleece, which is the University's highest honorary society. In 1964, Julius Chambers earned his LL.M from Columbia University Law School. Julius Chambers began his law practice in Charlotte, North Carolina, becoming the first integrated firm in the history of North Carolina. Under the leadership of Julius Chambers, the firm took and won several important cases in the Supreme Court of the United States that eradicate discrimination and strengthen America's civil rights laws. In the course of this important work, Julius Chambers faced several challenges and obstacles, including threats of harm and actual violence when his car, law office, and house were bombed by segregationist terrorists. In 1984, Julius Chambers left the Charlotte firm to accept the position of Director and Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc. and under his leadership, the LDF took several cases to court regarding education, voting rights, employment, capital punishment, prisons and housing. In 1993, Julius Chambers left the LDF to return to Durham, North Carolina to become the chancellor of his alma mater: North Carolina Central University. Julius Chambers' remarkable career in education is impressive: he served as lecturer at several law schools, including Harvard, the University of Virginia, the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia, and the University of Michigan. Julius Chambers also served as distinguished professor at North Carolina Central University and clinical professor of law and director of the Center for Civil Rights at the University of North Carolina Law School. Madam Speaker, P.L. 116-203 memorializes Julius Chambers, a lion of the struggle for civil rights and a great man whose good works remind us all what America can and deserves to become: a land of equal opportunity and equal justice under the law.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I stand to refute with a spirit of joy this morning one of my friends on the other side who called this day a ``black day.'' I wonder what that interpretation means, but I see a sense of great future for America. And I wonder how many of the 3- and 4-year-olds in the future will wind up in the Office of the President of the United States because we in America and we as Democrats gave them an early head start. If any of my colleagues have ever visited childcare and pre-K and seen the brightness of our children, they know that what Democrats are doing today creates not a blackness but a brightness. Today is going to be a bright day in America as Democrats govern and lead and make a difference in this Nation and in this world. I am glad to stand with the American people and families as we create for them a very bright day.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, as a senior member of the Committees on the Judiciary, on Homeland Security, and on the Budget, I rise in strong support of the rule governing debate, as well as the underlying bill, which is the Build Back Better Act (RCP 117-18, H.R. 5376 ), legislation making visionary and transformative investments to change for the better the health, well-being, and financial security of America's workers and families. Madam Speaker, the federal budget is an expression of the nation's values and the investments made to Build America Back Better are a clear declaration of congressional Democrats' commitment to ensuring that our government, our economy, and our systems work For The People. Madam Speaker, these long-overdue investments in America's future will be felt in every corner of the country and across every sector of American life, building on the success of the American Rescue Plan, accommodating historic infrastructure investments in the legislative pipeline, and addressing longstanding deficits in our communities by ending an era of chronic underinvestment so we can emerge from our current crises a stronger, more equitable nation. The Build Back Better Act makes the transformative investments that we need to continue growing our economy, lower costs for working families, and position the United States as a global leader in innovation and the jobs of the future. This $1.75 trillion gross investment will build on the successes of the American Rescue Plan and set our nation on a path of fiscal responsibility and broadly shared prosperity for generations to come. The Build Back Better Act is paid for by ensuring that the wealthy and big corporations are paying their fair share and Americans making less than $400,000 a year will not see their taxes increase by a penny. Let me repeat that: No American making less than $400,000 a year will not see their taxes increase by a penny. In sum, Madam Speaker, the investments made by the Build Back Better Act will expand opportunity for all and build an economy powered by shared prosperity and inclusive growth. During general debate, I will discuss in greater detail all of the salutary aspects of the Build Back Better Act, but today I will confine my remarks to discuss how the legislation holds substantial benefits for my home state of Texas. The Build Back Better Act will bring down costs that have held back families in Texas for decades by cutting taxes and making child care, home care, education, health care, and housing more affordable. These investments will provide new learning opportunities for children, help parents and especially working parents make ends meet, and position the economy for stronger growth for years to come. The Build Back Better Act will create good-paying jobs for residents of Texas, combating climate change, giving our kids cleaner air and water, and making America the leader in global innovation and 21st century manufacturing. Specifically, Madam Speaker, the Build Back Better Act delivers the largest investment in child care and early education in history by providing access to affordable child care. Child care is a major strain for families in Texas, where the average annual cost of a child care center for a toddler is $9,428, meaning that a Texas family with two young children would on average spend 21 percent of their income on child care for one year. The lack of affordable options also makes it difficult for parents, and especially mothers, to remain in their jobs, contributing to the 26.1 percent gender gap in workforce participation between mothers and fathers in Texas. The Build Back Better Act will enable Texas to provide access to child care for 2,011,503 young children (ages 0-5) per year from families earning under 2.5 times the Texas median income (about $205,204 for a family of 4), and ensure these families pay no more than 7 percent of their income on high-quality child care. The Build Back Better Act will provide universal, high-quality, free preschool for every 3- and 4-year-old in America. In contrast, today, only 24 percent of the 775,102 3- and 4-year-olds in Texas have access to publicly-funded preschool, and it costs about $8,600 per year for those who cannot access a publicly-funded program. The Build Back Better Act will enable Texas to expand access to free, high-quality preschool to more than 588,286 additional 3- and 4-year- olds per year and increase the quality of preschool for children who are already enrolled. Parents will be able to send their children to the preschool setting of their choice--from public schools to child care providers to Head Start--leading to lifelong educational benefits, allowing more parents to go back to work, and building a stronger foundation for Texas's future economic competitiveness. The Build Back Better Act cuts taxes and reduces some of the largest expenses for workers and families, like education, health care, and housing. Madam Speaker, the average cost of a 2-year degree in Texas is $2,885 per year, and $11,096 per year for a 4-year degree, straining many student budgets. To help unlock the opportunities of an education beyond high school, the Build Back Better Act will increase maximum Pell Grant awards by $550 for students at public and private non-profit institutions, supporting the 486,377 students in Texas who rely on Pell grants. The Build Back Better Act will also invest in Texas's 112 minority- serving institutions and the students they serve, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs). Madam Speaker, of the world's biggest economies, the United States is second to last in investing in workforce development, and funding for federal job training programs has dropped by almost half since 2001. The Build Back Better Act invests in training programs that will prepare Texas's workers for high-quality jobs in fast-growing sectors like public health, child care, manufacturing, IT, and clean energy. Fifty-nine public community colleges in Texas will have the opportunity to benefit from grants to develop and deliver innovative training programs and expand proven ones. Madam Speaker, 18 percent of children in Texas live in food insecure households, harming their long-term health and ability to succeed in school. The Build Back Better Act will ensure that the nutritional needs of Texas's children are met by expanding access to free school meals to an additional 1,642,000 students during the school year and providing 3,631,226 students with resources to purchase food over the summer. When it comes to housing costs, more than 1.7 million renters in Texas are rent burdened, meaning they spend more than 30 percent of their income on rent, while homeownership remains out of reach for many families. The Build Back Better Act expands rental assistance for Texas renters, while also increasing the supply of high-quality housing through the construction and rehabilitation of over 1 million affordable housing units nationwide. The Build Back Better Act addresses the capital needs of the entire public housing stock in America, and it includes one of the largest investments in down payment assistance in history, enabling more first- generation homebuyers to purchase their first home. Madam Speaker, access to affordable quality health care should be a right, not a privilege, and residents of Texas facing illness should never have to worry about how they are going to pay for treatment. The Build Back Better Act will close the Medicaid coverage gap to help millions of Americans gain health insurance, extend through 2025 the American Rescue Plan's health insurance premium reductions for those who buy coverage on their own, and help older Americans access affordable hearing care by expanding Medicare. In Texas, that means 1,554,000 uninsured people will gain coverage, including the 771,000 who fell into the Medicaid coverage gap, and 1,066,400 will on average save hundreds of dollars per year. In addition, the Build Back Better Act will support maternal health and invest in national preparedness for future pandemics. Finally, the Build Back Better Act will expand access to home- and community-based care to more of Texas's senior citizens and disabled citizens and improve the quality and wages of caregiving jobs. Prior to the pandemic, 15 percent of children under the age of 18 in Texas lived in poverty. The Build Back Better Act will bolster financial security and spur economic growth in Texas by reducing taxes on the middle class and those striving to break into it. Specifically, the Build Back Better Act extends Child Tax Credit (CTC) increases of $300/month per child under 6 or $250/month per child ages 6 to 17, which will continue the largest one-year reduction in child poverty in history. And critically, the agreement includes permanent refundability for the Child Tax Credit, meaning that the neediest families will continue to receive the full Child Tax Credit over the long-run. The Build Back Better Act will also provide a tax cut of up to $1,500 in tax cuts for more than 1.5 million low-wage workers in Texas by extending the American Rescue Plan's Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) expansion. From 2010 to 2020, Texas experienced 67 extreme weather events, costing up to $200 billion in damages. The Build Back Better Act will set the United States on course to meet its climate targets--a 50-52 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions below 2005 levels by 2030--in a way that creates good-paying union jobs, grows domestic industries, and advances environmental justice. The Build Back Better Act represents the largest ever single investment in a clean energy economy--across buildings, transportation, industry, electricity, agriculture, and climate smart practices in our lands and waters. And the Build Back Better Act will create a new Civilian Climate Corps that will enlist a diverse generation of Texans in conserving our public lands, bolstering community resilience, and addressing the changing climate, all while putting good-paying union jobs within reach. In clean energy and in other sectors, the Build Back Better Act will also strengthen domestic manufacturing and supply chains for critical goods, benefiting American businesses, workers, consumers, and communities. To put it all in perspective, Madam Speaker, we have before us a once in a century opportunity to make gigantic progress in making ours a more perfect union, and to do it in a single bound with enactment of the Build Back Better Act, the most transformative legislation passed by this Congress since the Great Society and the New Deal. Madam Speaker, I urge all Members to join me in voting for the rule and voting to pass H.R. 5376, the transformative, life-changing Build Back Better Act.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Speaker and I thank the manager very much, and I thank Congresswoman Garcia of Texas for her leadership and sponsorship of H.R. 3992, Protect Older Job Applicants Act. It is long overdue and an important initiative. Words from Patti Temple Rocks, communications professional, really capture what this bill is about: ``I was still on my game, but I was being moved . . . to make room for someone younger.'' Let me be very clear. There is a great opportunity for all of us to be employed, and that is what this legislation says. It is specifically making sure that every American worker is protected. Specifically, this bill will make it unlawful to limit, segregate, or classify job applicants in any way which would deprive or tend to deprive any individual of employment opportunities or otherwise adversely affect his or her status as a job applicant because of such individual's age. This bill will include the job application process in ADEA's antidiscrimination provisions and, again, disallow anyone from classifying you and discriminating because of age. H.R. 3992 would give external candidates the express right under Federal law to bring these types of claims against employers. What I would simply say to my friends, this is to prohibit but it is also to prevent or intervene so that employers can know the right things to do. According to AARP, one in four workers age 45 and older have been subjected to negative comments about their age from supervisors or coworkers, and 76 percent age discrimination find that as a hurdle in helping to find a new job. We also recognize that there is a lot of talent with older workers. Paradoxically, what most companies do not seem to understand is that older workers possess a depth of knowledge and experience that is worth paying for and is not easily replaced and can be tapped in from many different ways; and, as well, having a mix of people of all generations, able and ready, and disabled, if you will, to work alongside of each other. ``People walk out of companies now with an enormous amount of intellectual property in their heads,'' says Paul Rupert, the founder and CEO of Respectful Exits, a nonprofit consulting firm that is raising corporate awareness about age discrimination. ``They know things that are essential to the company's success, and if that knowledge is not captured and transmitted to the next generation, that company is losing a tremendous chunk of capital, and it will eventually pay a price.'' So what is the point? The point is to recognize how important it is to ensure that we don't discriminate. In fact, women age 40 are finding that if they lose a job they, too, are being discriminated against in terms of getting a job. I want to, again, salute the sponsor of this legislation, the manager of this legislation, and of course, the chairman of the Education and Labor Committee, Chairman Scott, along with all of those who supported this to ensure this is about fairness. As a member of the Judiciary Committee, we always promote equal justice. We partner with the Education and Labor Committee in its work on equal justice. So this is legislation that provides opportunities for equal justice, and I would ask my colleagues to support this bill, H.R. 3992, Protect Older Job Applicants Act. But more importantly, let's protect the intellectual capital of all Americans, every job applicant. Let there not be discrimination against you for race or color or creed or disability or gender or anything else, and certainly have respect for that intellectual capital that older American workers bring to the workforce. Let's celebrate it; let's have a good time with it; and let's build our companies on all of this genius that happens to be the American workers now today. Mr. Speaker, I ask for support of the legislation. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3992, the ``Protect Older Job Applicants Act,'' which will amend the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, which prohibits age-based discrimination in hiring, to specifically prohibit employers from limiting, segregating, or classifying job applicants on the basis of age. People of all ages, but especially older applicants, must be protected from discriminatory practices and loopholes that hurt their chances to get a job, especially as we have seen that older American workers have disproportionately experienced long-term unemployment in the COVID economy. The federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) of 1967 was passed to prohibit age-based discrimination for current employees and job applicants. However, two federal circuit court decisions over the last five years have ruled that some provisions of the ADEA's federal anti-age discrimination protections only applied to current employees, not job applicants. In 2016, the 11th Circuit case Villarreal v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company held that the ADEA disparate impact statute only covers employees, but not older applicants, and in 2019, the 7th Circuit adopted the same interpretation in Kleber v. CareFusion Corporation. The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to review the appellate court decisions. Currently, employers, especially those within the 7th and 11th Circuits, have a valid defense to claims under the ADEA where external job applicants allege they have been negatively impacted by hiring practices on the basis of their age. H.R. 3992 would give external candidates the express right under federal law to bring these types of claims against employers. This bill will include the job application process in ADEA's antidiscrimination provisions. Specifically, this bill will make it unlawful ``to limit, segregate, or classify . . . [job applicants] in any way which would deprive or tend to deprive any individual of employment opportunities or otherwise adversely affect his status as . . . [a job applicant], because of such individual's age.'' According to the AARP, 1 in 4 workers age 45 and older have been subjected to negative comments about their age from supervisors or coworkers, and 76 percent see age discrimination as a hurdle to finding a new job. In one University of California, Irvine, study, resumes were sent out on behalf of more than 40,000 fictitious applicants of different ages for thousands of low-skill jobs like janitors, administrative assistants and retail sales clerks in 12 cities. This study found that the older the applicant was, the fewer callbacks the applicant received. This study also found that age discrimination has the highest impact on women, who suffer more age discrimination then men starting in their 40s. According to David Neumark, a professor of economics who oversaw the study, ``[t]he evidence of age discrimination against women . . . pops out in every study'' conducted on age discrimination. Ageism is still very much present in our society, and it is important we acknowledge that we still have much work to do to correct this bias and give every job applicant a fair and equal opportunity when applying for a job.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I just wanted to be able to really inform the American people and to let my friends on the other side of the aisle know what they are missing out on. And that is the greatest effort to improve the quality of life of Americans and raise their economic level of living since Social Security under Franklin Delano Roosevelt, since the Great Society under Lyndon Baines Johnson. Working moms having the ability to not pay more than 7 percent of their income to get childcare. Young--just beginning school, three years old and four years old--and not one three- or four-year-old being left out of pre-K. Giving them the intellectual stairstep to make a difference in their lives. And in the State of Texas--the poster child for the uninsured--oh, my goodness, how we have suffered: 766,000 uninsured refuse to take the expanded Medicaid. And now we have the ability to give every person healthcare. And when I spoke to a group that was supported by the American Heart Association, they applauded. Build back better is what we need to do and we need to do it now and pass both bills, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill--changing lives in America.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3469, which will provide statutory authority for the ``Boots to Business'' program, which provides entrepreneurship training to individuals, such as veterans and active service members, to be administered by the Small Business Administration. I want to first thank my colleague, Representative Schneider, for introducing this legislation that will help veterans who served our country with honor and bravery, transition from military to civilian life. Administered through the Office of Veteran Business Development in the Small Business Administration (SBA), the B2B program offers transitioning service members and military spouses a foundational two- day, in-person course for an introduction to business ownership which can be followed by optional online courses on topics including market research, business fundamentals, and revenue readiness. Since B2B launched in 2013, more than 50,000 service members and spouses have participated in the program. The Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Act of 2021 would authorize this program for five years. Honorable Americans who serve this nation deserve to be equipped with the training, expertise, and tools they need to make a successful career transition from the Armed Services. This program offers critical courses that provide deep insight into starting and running a business and can make the difference for so many of our brave service men and women. It is important that our heroic veterans continue to have the opportunity to participate in the ``Boots to Business'' program and pursue their business and entrepreneurial goals. The U.S. Census shows that 5.7 million individuals are employed by a recorded 2 million veteran-owned businesses. Veterans are 45 percent more likely to be self-employed than those who have no military background. Many of the leadership, problem solving, and communications skills learned in the armed forces translate to entrepreneurial and business success, and the ``Boots to Business'' program does immeasurably important work helping veterans start and grow businesses. Our veterans deserve the upmost respect, and part of this is giving them the tools they need to succeed. I am proud to support this legislation.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3462, the ``SBA Cyber Awareness Act,'' which will strengthen our knowledge of cybersecurity threats to the small businesses of America. In short, this bill mainly requires that the Small Business Administration (SBA) conduct an annual report that assesses the cybersecurity infrastructure of the SBA. Mr. Speaker, the unfortunate reality is that our Nation's small businesses are under attack--they are increasingly the target of cybersecurity breaches. In fact, the SBA has listed IT security as one of the most serious management challenges facing the administration for more than twenty years. Fifty percent of small businesses say that it is likely they will experience a cyberattack in the next twelve months. One in four small businesses indicate that they are facing more cyberattacks compared to a year ago. Small businesses are the backbone of this country, and we owe it to them to be diligently aware of threats to their private information and their livelihoods. That is why I rise in ardent support of the SBA Cyber Awareness Act, and that is why the bill has bipartisan backing. Lastly, I want to thank Congressman Crow and Congresswoman Kim for introducing and shepherding this bill.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I wish a good evening to all of my colleagues and certainly members of the Congressional Black Caucus. It is my privilege to be part of the Special Order series of the Congressional Black Caucus as a coanchor with Congressman Torres from New York, and we thank him for his leadership. We thank, in particular, the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Joyce Beatty, who has been an enormous leader on any number of issues that are crucial to the American people and to African Americans. The one thing I say about the Congressional Black Caucus representing millions and millions of Americans is that we represent a diverse population of Americans. I am very proud to, as well, represent those African-American descendants of freed slaves. In fact, we rise today to emphasize the cruciality of the Build Back Better Act for moving the Nation forward and particularly moving forward those whom the Congressional Black Caucus represents. So I am very pleased this evening to be joined by my outstanding colleagues, who will include Congresswoman Adams from North Carolina, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman from New Jersey, Congressman Dwight Evans from Pennsylvania, and Congressman Steve Horsford from Nevada. There are others, such as Congresswoman Gwen Moore from the great State of Wisconsin. Other Members may come. General Leave

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous material on the subject of this Special Order.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, let me be very clear and refute a statement that I just recently heard on the floor. Nothing is ignorant in the Build Back Better bill and/or the bipartisan infrastructure bill. In fact, ignorance is stamped out by these bills. One, they are fully paid for as we are working the final edges of that, and, number two, they are doing things that are long overdue for America. Who are we as President Biden stands at the G20 and now at the climate change conference? Who are we? We are leaders of the free world. In fact, we are the leader. Although there are debates on the status of Russia and the competitive nature of China, all that has a basis in facts. But at the same time, as these facts are present, the United States continues to grow and to move and to ensure opportunity for its citizens. It is not our creed to randomly snatch people off the street and lock them up. It is not our focus to ensure that voices are not heard or that people of different religions are treated differently, arrested, isolated, and brutalized even. It is not our basic creed to enact laws that would help us take very important proprietary information from others. We are a democracy, and we are aided by the laws of that principle. So I take no back seat to whether or not Russia and China are competitive or are proposed world powers. What I say is that the United States has all the elements of continuing her posture of leadership, and one of those elements will be the successful passage of the Build Back Better Act and BIF, the bipartisanship infrastructure bill. This is the kind of legislation that is not seen even amongst our European friends of late nor of China or Russia. We are standing on the precipice of history, and I am very grateful for the leadership of the Congressional Black Caucus that has been at the forefront of these matters. Again, working with so many of our colleagues, we lead as full committee chairs having input into this bill. Let me very quickly indicate that we are strongly supporting the $1.75 billion Build Back Better Act conceived and advanced by the President and House Democrats. We are grateful that we have had moments of negotiations with our other caucuses. Those caucuses are likewise ensuring that the t's are crossed and the i's are dotted. Mr. Speaker, what is wrong with that? When we finally bring a bill, we want to make sure that it is vetted, and that is what so many of our members of the CBC were able to do, to be part of the vetting. It is also important in 2021, this 21st century, that we go big. It is often said that the Federal budget is an expression of the Nation's values and that the investments made to build back better are, in fact, a clear declaration of congressional Democrats, of the Congressional Black Caucus, to ensuring that our government, our economy, and our systems work for the people. We have always been the voice of the vulnerable. We have always been the conscience of the Congress. So these are long-overdue investments. The Build Back Better Act makes transformative investments, as our chairwoman has often said. We need to continue growing our economy and lower costs for working families. This $1.75 trillion--which, by the way, I refute the statement of ignorance because the statement was ignorant because they were speaking of $3.5 trillion, which was paid for, but we have come to a conclusion and a compromise of $1.75 trillion. Are the American people worth this? Are vulnerable communities worth this? Are children who suffer from lead pipes and water from those pipes worth it? The Congressional Black Caucus feels it is the case. That is why we have supported the improvement in education, healthcare, and childcare. Childcare, in particular, will particularly help those of our community who have for too long either gone without childcare and suffered or paid more than half of their income. Childcare is an important element of our work, and so I have the Gingerbread Childcare Center husband and wife who made the sacrifice to help vulnerable parents have childcare, parents who had to leave in the middle of the night, people who worked at night, essential workers, parents who worked for a period of time and, of course, did not have the kind of childcare that the Gingerbread--a wonderful daycare-- allowed us to have. We hope that these resources will help these kinds of entities in our community: $40 billion in education to specifically improve Pell grants and, as well, to work with historically Black colleges. I know we will hear that from my colleague, but it is extremely important that we have never left our HBCUs. They have been at the forefront of funding since President Biden has come into office. Through the years of the Congressional Black Caucus, and the voices of our members joined with our chairwoman of the HBCU Caucus, Congresswoman Adams, we have them included again in this legislation. I will be discussing as we go forward healthcare, which is extremely important. We are excited about getting aid to those in the 12 States, including Texas, South Carolina, and North Carolina, among others, that did not opt in to the Affordable Care Act-expanded Medicaid. We left so many families along the highway of despair. Thank goodness we found a way to bring them now under the Affordable Care Act, to give them subsidies. Help is on the way, Houston. Help is on the way, Texas, with the highest number of uninsured, 766,000. Now, with Build Back Better, we will have a pathway for them to get healthcare. I can hear the noise of shouting now down in Houston, Texas, and I can hear the noise of helping families with children have healthcare, which they did not. We will talk about that more extensively and, as well, childcare, as I have mentioned, to be able to ensure not only childcare with only 7 percent of your income but, again, universal and free preschool for all 3- and 4-year-olds. That is something to say to China, Russia, and others, that America recognizes what its priority is, and it is our children. You will hear, Mr. Speaker, just a long litany of how lives will be helped, how we will rebuild families, home care, giving dignity to those essential workers, taking care of people in the latter part of their lives, ensuring dignity and income but also ensuring the opportunity for these individuals to be able to be cared for at home. I will be discussing further the affordable housing that is very important. Then, of course, is a major element of all of this, as the President stands in front of the tens upon tens of countries, leading on climate change, for which we gave him a standing ovation when he left for his European meetings. Mr. Speaker, you will hear more about this as we go forward this evening. I am delighted that the Congressional Black Caucus played such an instrumental role in dealing with the Federal Medicaid problem and solving childcare, HBCUs, climate change, and dealing with maternal issues for African-American women and many others. Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to yield to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Adams).

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from North Carolina for her words. Again, I emphasize her commitment, dedication, and work on historically Black colleges, and she is absolutely right: $10 billion. But more importantly, that is layered upon the dollars out of the American Rescue Act, out of the CARES Act, and the debt under President Joe Biden that has been effectively worked on in this congressional session. We know that we are doing better by our students because we have done better by them as it relates to education. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New Jersey (Mrs. Watson Coleman), who chairs the Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security of the Committee on Homeland Security and has been committed to improving the lives of young African-American women and, of course, those dealing with mental health issues as well.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman very much for recognizing that this will be transformative, but as well, that it will do and improve in areas that we have not done in the history of the United States of America. Mr. Speaker, I am now delighted to yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Evans), from Philadelphia, who has been instrumental in dealing with issues of taxation and the empowerment of small businesses.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for recognizing that a vital part of the lives of families is childcare. As a member of the Ways and Means Committee, I know that he was extremely engaged in this very vital aspect of the President's Build Back Better, and, again, we thank the wisdom of the President of the United States, President Biden and Vice President Harris, for their wisdom about helping American families. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Horsford), the first vice-chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and someone who worked extensively on work training issues, extensively on healthcare, and of course, on issues like childcare, as well.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, first of all, let me thank both Mr. Horsford and Ms. Moore for one of the important colloquies that I have heard on the floor of this body, and that is to be able to speak to people who are working hard every day, who are single parents, who work with their minds and their hands. I am glad to hear that we did not limit who would be able to receive these benefits, and we also crafted the vitality and the vigorous efforts of the Congressional Black Caucus. As I close, Mr. Speaker, I would like to just reiterate what Members, including the leadership of our chair, Chairwoman Joyce Beatty, Congresswoman Adams, Congresswoman Watson Coleman, Congressman Evans, obviously Mr. Horsford and Ms. Moore, what they all have said, if I might. And that is, let me reiterate that each piece of Build Back Better is a piece that is vital for the lives of Americans and African Americans. For example, $550 more in Pell grants for more than 5 million students. Then HBCUs, again, $10 billion. Seniors who have never had hearing aids, only 30 percent of seniors over the age of 70 who could benefit from hearing aids have ever had them. Medicare in this Build Back Better will include that extra benefit. Many of us have seen the caricatures of our seniors on television and elsewhere trying to hear. That is not anything that is funny, but it has been made light of. I want to give every senior an opportunity to hear. At the same time, I want to emphasize the importance of childcare. We are telling the story. Only 26.8 percent of Black 3- to 4-year-old children are enrolled in publicly funded preschool, with the average cost of preschool for those without access $8,600. We are going to stop it with this. We are not going to be the Trump trillion-dollar tax cut to the top 1 percent and putting a deep dive into our deficit. We are going to put a deep investment into the American people, particularly those people of color. I think it is extremely important that we talk about children and healthcare. Mr. Speaker, how much time do we have remaining?

Ms. JACKSON LEE. This is about children getting access to healthcare but, Mr. Speaker, there are many children that don't have access to healthcare. In those States where families were not able to access the Affordable Care Act--and there is something called Children's Health Insurance Program, and that does provide for some aspect of care--we had the Federal Medicaid concept, and so Build Back Better now is going to put all of those people under the Affordable Care Act, and that is going to give the family access to healthcare, which makes a sizable difference. I think it is extremely important that we do that, to be able to provide family healthcare. Now, I heard our Members be very truthful. We still want to get Medicare reduction on prescription drugs, a system that would allow that. We still want family paid leave, and somebody said that that was continuing to be negotiated. No, Mr. Speaker, it is working under the umbrella and framework of President Biden's agenda, and we want to just make sure that all of his agenda, within the context of being paid for, gets recognized. We want these families to receive the kind of resources that are necessary. My colleagues talked about the child tax cut. I would like to call it that. I would just like to be sure that we realize that if this plan is implemented, it may impact 17 million low-wage employees, such as hospitality workers and childcare providers, a framework of a tax cut that would help children. They are people who work important jobs but receive low pay, and this would get nearly 6 million people out of poverty with this kind of cut. This is a crucial contribution. Let me finish by letting you know what we have certainly gone through in Texas. Infrastructure is extremely important. Part of that is housing. During the pandemic, these are the kinds of signs we saw: ``My landlord is calling, and I must pay or I will be evicted.'' Now, we have the American Rescue Plan and the CARES Act, but $150 billion will be in for housing, improving the infrastructure of public housing. That hasn't been done in decades; 50 years I am told. And we will get that done. That is what is important about the BIF bill, the infrastructure bill that will have broadband. The very places where those people live, take the lead out of the pipes. And then, of course, for those of us who live in hurricane alley, our friends in Louisiana with Hurricane Ida, my constituents with Hurricane Harvey, and the number of hurricanes that have crossed the United States during 2017, one after another. We will have in that infrastructure bill a worthy response to the failing infrastructure of this Nation. We won't have to worry about what people say about Russia and China or any other country. We will be enormously competitive, even to the point of NASA. No one has even expressed their interest in that. They will have a space here to be able to keep us competitive in space exploration. It will be extremely important that we have the opportunity to stop violence with our community violence investment, $2.5 billion. I am delighted to say this is the work of the Congressional Black Caucus. They put their hands around all of it, for our constituents and the American people. What Mr. Horsford has been speaking of is that he is proud to give a listing. That is what I did, I did a roll call of just what is going to be helped with Build Back Better and with BIF. I am delighted to stand here with the vice chair, and I yield to the gentleman.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, we are excited about this violence emphasis. As I conclude my remarks, let me pay tribute to deputies in my district who were shot by an AR-15. We pray for them, their families, and we should understand that violence has to end. At the same time, let's take the words of John Robert Lewis, who sat with us on this floor for more than 27 years, and in his last life he said to all of us, the Congressional Black Caucus, that is what we are going to do, carry on. We are going to carry on to make sure that we bring transformative--transformative--legislation, not only to the American people but to African Americans and people of color to change their lives forever. That is what Build Back is, and that is what the bipartisan bill is. We will work to make sure we cross the T's and dot the I's. Carry on. Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Committees on the Judiciary, on Homeland Security, and on the Budget, and the Congressional Black Caucus, I am pleased to co-anchor this Congressional Black Caucus Special Order with my colleague, the distinguished gentleman from New York, Congressman Ritchie Torres. I thank the Chair of the CBC, Congresswoman Beatty of Ohio, for organizing this Special Order to discuss the reasons why the CBC strongly supports the $1.75 billion Build Back Better Act conceived and advanced by President Biden and House Democrats to support visionary and transformative investments in the health, well-being, and financial security of America's workers and families. Over the next hour, several of our colleagues will share their perspectives on why it is essential that we ``go big'' in building back better to our nation and all of its people have the opportunities and resources to compete and win in the changing global economy of the 21st century. Mr. Speaker, it is often said that the federal budget is an expression of the nation's values and the investments made to Build America Back Better are a clear declaration of congressional Democrats' commitment to ensuring that our government, our economy, and our systems work For The People. Mr. Speaker, these long-overdue investments in America's future will be felt in every corner of the country and across every sector of American life, building on the success of the American Rescue Plan, accommodating historic infrastructure investments in the legislative pipeline, and addressing longstanding deficits in our communities by ending an era of chronic underinvestment so we can emerge from our current crises a stronger, more equitable nation. Mr. Speaker, the bipartisan action we took in February 2021 when we passed the American Rescue Plan was a giant step in the right direction, but it was a targeted response to the immediate and urgent public health and economic crises; it was not a long-term solution to many of the pressing challenges facing our nation that have built up over decades of disinvestment in our nation and its people in every region and sector of the country. We simply can no longer afford the costs of neglect and inaction; the time to act is now. The Build Back Better Act makes the transformative investments that we need to continue growing our economy, lower costs for working families, and position the United States as a global leader in innovation and the jobs of the future. This $1.75 trillion gross investment will build on the successes of the American Rescue Plan and set our nation on a path of fiscal responsibility and broadly shared prosperity for generations to come. The Build Back Better Act will provide resources to improve our education, health, and child care systems, invest in clean energy and sustainability, address the housing crisis, and more; all while setting America up to compete and win in the decades ahead. The Build Back Better Act is paid for by ensuring that the wealthy and big corporations are paying their fair share and Americans making less than $400,000 a year will not see their taxes increase by a penny. Let me repeat that: No American making less than $400,000 a year will not see their taxes increase by a penny. In sum, Mr. Speaker, the investments made by the Build Back Better Act will expand opportunity for all and build an economy powered by shared prosperity and inclusive growth. No one is better prepared or more experienced to lead the American renaissance that will be produced by the investments made by the Build Back Better Act than President Biden, the architect of the American Rescue Plan and who as vice president during the Obama Administration oversaw the implementation of the Recovery Act, which saved millions of jobs and rescued our economy from the Great Recession the nation inherited from a previous Republican administration. And let us not forget that President Obama also placed his confidence in his vice-president to oversee the rescue of the automotive industry, which he did so well that the American car industry fully recovered its status as the world leader. Mr. Speaker, let me briefly highlight some of the key investments made by the Build Back Better Act. The Build Back Better Act will provide two years of free pre-K and two years of free community college to ensure every student has the tools, resources, and opportunity to succeed in life. It will also invest in our teachers and institutions that serve minority students and provide funding to give school buildings long- overdue infrastructure updates. People lead happier, healthier, and more productive lives when they have had access to high-quality education and that is why the Build Back Better Act makes necessary investments to increase quality education by four years for all students at no cost to hard-working families. The Build Back Better Act expands access to affordable, high-quality education beyond high school, which is increasingly important for economic growth and competitiveness in the 21st century. Specifically, the Build Back Better Act will increase the maximum Pell Grant by $550 for more the more than 5 million students enrolled in public and private, non-profit colleges and expand access to DREAMers. It will also make historic investments in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and minority-serving institutions (MSIs) to build capacity, modernize research infrastructure, and provide financial aid to low income students. The Build Back Better Act will help more people access quality training that leads to good, union, and middle-class jobs and will enable community colleges to train hundreds of thousands of students, create sector-based training opportunity with in-demand training for at least hundreds of thousands of workers, and invest in proven approaches like Registered Apprenticeships and programs to support underserved communities. The Build Back Better Act will increase the Labor Department's annual spending on workforce development by 50 percent for each of the next 5 years. The Build Back Better Act expands access to quality, affordable health care by strengthening the Medicare, Medicaid, and Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace programs that millions of Americans already rely on. It includes a major new expansion of Medicare benefits, adding a hearing benefit to the program for the very first time. Only 30 percent of seniors over the age of 70 who could benefit from hearing aids have ever had them. The Build Back Better Act strengthens the Affordable Care Act and reduces premiums for 9 million Americans who buy insurance through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace by an average of $600 per person per year. Just for example, a family of four earning $80,000 per year would save nearly $3,000 per year (or $246 per month) on health insurance premiums and experts predict that more than 3 million people who would otherwise be uninsured will gain health insurance. The Build Back Better Act closes the Medicaid coverage gap, leading 4 million uninsured people to gain coverage. The Build Back Better Act will deliver health care coverage through Affordable Care Act premium tax credits to up to 4 million uninsured people in states that have locked them out of Medicaid. A 40-year old in the coverage gap would have to pay $450 per month for benchmark coverage--more than half of their income in many cases but thanks to the Build Back Better Act individuals would pay $0 premiums, finally making health care affordable and accessible. The Build Back Better Act strengthens the ACA by extending the enhanced Marketplace subsidies that were included in the American Rescue Plan. It also provides an affordable coverage option for the more than two million Americans living in states that have not expanded Medicaid under the ACA and do not earn enough to qualify for Marketplace subsidies. When the Build Back Better Act is fully implemented soon gone will be the terrible old days when too many Americans are forced to choose between medical care and putting food on the table or affording other necessities. Mr. Speaker, approximately 3.9 million Black people were uninsured in 2019 before President Biden took office and even with the Affordable Care Act's premium subsidies, coverage under the ACA was too expensive for many families, and over 570,000 Black people fell into the Medicaid ``coverage gap'' and were locked out of coverage because their state refused to expand Medicaid. The Build Back Better Act closes the Medicaid coverage gap while also lowering health care costs for those buying coverage through the ACA by extending the American Rescue Plan's lower premiums, which could save 360,000 Black people an average of $50 per person per month. With these changes, more than one in three uninsured Black people could gain coverage and with the addition of hearing coverage, more than 5.8 million Black people on Medicare will benefit. The Build Back Better Act will make an historic investment in maternal health, including for Black women, who die from complications related to pregnancy at three times the rate of white women. Mr. Speaker, the cost of preschool in the United States exceeds $8,600 per year on average, and for as long as we can remember, child care prices in the United States have risen faster than family incomes, yet the United States still invests 28 times less than its competitors on helping families afford high-quality care for toddlers. The Build Back Better Act supports families in need of child care by providing access to safe, reliable, and high-quality care delivered by a well-trained child care workforce. The Build Back Better Act will provide universal and free preschool for all 3- and 4-year-olds. This is the largest expansion of universal and free education since states and communities across the country established public high school 100 years ago. This is important because our nation is strongest when everyone can join the workforce and contribute to the economy. That is why this investment is vital to so many millions of-- especially women--who are often forced to choose between working to support their family or caring for their family. The Build Back Better Act will ensure that the vast majority of working American families of four earning less than $300,000 per year will pay no more than 7 percent of their income on child care for children under 6. Under the Build Back Better Act, parents who are working, looking for work, participating in an education or training program, and who are making under 2.5 times their states median income will receive support to cover the cost of quality care based on a sliding scale, capped at 7 percent of their income. The Build Back Better Act will help states expand access to high- quality, affordable child care to about 20 million children per year-- covering 9 out of 10 families across the country with young children. For two parents with one toddler earning $100,000 per year, the Build Back Better Act will produce more than $5,000 in child care savings per year. In addition, the Build Back Better Act promotes nutrition security to support children's health and help children reach their full potential by investing in nutrition security year-round. The legislation will expand free school meals to 8.7 million children during the school year and provide a $65 per child per month benefit to the families of 29 million children to purchase food during the summer. The Build Back Better Act will deliver affordable, high-quality care for older Americans and people with disabilities in their homes, while supporting the workers who provide this care. Right now, there are hundreds of thousands of older Americans and Americans with disabilities on waiting lists for home care services or struggling to afford the care they need, including more than 800,000 who are on state Medicaid waiting lists. A family paying for home care costs out of pocket currently pays around $5,800 per year for just four hours of home care per week. The Build Back Better Act will permanently improve Medicaid coverage for home care services for seniors and people with disabilities, making the most transformative investment in access to home care in 40 years, when these services were first authorized for Medicaid. The Build Back Better Act will improve the quality of caregiving jobs, which will, in turn, help to improve the quality of care provided to beneficiaries. Mr. Speaker, I cannot emphasize enough how important it is that the Build Back Better Act will also reduce the cost of homebased care for the hundreds of thousands of older Black adults and Black people with disabilities who need it and are unable to access it. Not to mention that investment in home care will raise wages for home care workers, 28 percent of whom are Black. In the area of housing, the Build Back Better Act makes investments to ensure that Americans have access to safe and affordable housing by providing resources to increase housing vouchers and funding for tribal housing. It also supports investments in programs that will help address our nation's housing crisis by increasing the supply of affordable homes for those in need and investing in historically underserved communities and those that have been previously left behind. Specifically, the Build Back Better Act makes the single largest and most comprehensive investment in affordable housing in history and will enable the construction, rehabilitation, and improvement of more than 1 million affordable homes, boosting housing supply and reducing price pressures for renters and homeowners. It will address the capital needs of the public housing stock in big cities and rural communities all across America and ensure it is not only safe and habitable but healthier and more energy efficient as well. It will make a historic investment in rental assistance, expanding vouchers to hundreds of thousands of additional families. And, perhaps even more importantly, the Build Back Better Act includes one of the largest investments in down payment assistance in history, enabling hundreds of thousands of first-generation homebuyers to purchase their first home and build wealth. In short, Mr. Speaker, this legislation will create more equitable communities, through investing in community-led redevelopments projects in historically under-resourced neighborhoods and removing lead paint from hundreds of thousands of homes, as well as by incentivizing state and local zoning reforms that enable more families to reside in higher opportunity neighborhoods. Th Build Back Better Act will spur and empower comprehensive action to build an equitable clean energy economy with historic investments to transform and modernize the electricity sector, lower energy costs for Americans, improve air quality and public health, create good-paying jobs, and strengthen U.S. competitiveness--all while putting our country on the pathway to 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2035. The Build Back Better Act extends and expands clean energy tax credits and supports clean electricity performance payments so utilities can accelerate progress toward a clean electric grid at no added cost to consumers. The Build Back Better Act invests in clean energy, efficiency, electrification, and climate justice through grants, consumer rebates, and federal procurement of clean power and sustainable materials, and by incentivizing private sector development and investment. Another exciting aspect of the Build Back Better Act, Mr. Speaker, is that it will drive economic opportunities, environmental conservation, and climate resilience--especially in underserved and disadvantaged communities--including through a new Civilian Climate Corps. Mr. Speaker, the Build Back Better Act includes a $100 billion investment to reform our broken immigration system--and does it consistent with the Senate's reconciliation rules--as well as to reduce backlogs, expand legal representation, and make the asylum system and border processing more efficient and humane. Mr. Speaker, immigrants eligible for such protection are an integral part of Texas's social fabric. Texas is home to 386,300 immigrants who are eligible for protection, 112,000 of whom reside in Harris County. These individuals live with 845,300 family members and among those family members, 178,700 are U.S.-born citizen children. These persons in Texas who are eligible for protection under the bill arrived in the United States at the average age of 8 and on average have lived in the United States since 1996. They own 43,500 homes in Texas and pay $340,500,000 in annual mortgage payments and contribute $2,234,800,000 in federal taxes and $1,265,200,000 in state and local taxes each year. Annually, these households generate $10,519,000,000 in spending power in Texas and help power the national economy. The expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC) enacted in the American Rescue Plan has already benefitted nearly 66 million children, put money in the pockets of millions of hard-working parents and guardians, and is expected to help cut child poverty by more than half. The Build Back Better Act not only extends this meaningful tax cut, but it also extends the expanded Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the expanded Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, which help families make ends meet and put food on the table, reduce child poverty, and lessen the burden on hard-working Americans so they can provide a better future for America's children. Mr. Speaker, 22.1 percent of Black people fall below the poverty line, struggling to pay expenses like food, rent, health care, and transportation for their families. By extending the Child Tax Credit, the Build Back Better Act provides a major tax cut to nearly 3 million Black people and cuts the Black poverty rate by 34.3 percent, which will help the 85 percent of Black women who are either sole or co-breadwinners for their families. By permanently extending the American Rescue Plan's increase to the Earned-Income Tax Credit from $543 to $1,502, the Build Back Better Act will benefit roughly 2.8 million Black low-wage workers, including cashiers, cooks, delivery drivers, food preparation workers, and child care providers. To put it all in perspective, Mr. Speaker, we have before us a once in a century opportunity to make gigantic progress in making ours a more perfect union, and to do it in a single bound with enactment of the Build Back Better Act, the most transformative legislation passed by this Congress since the Great Society and the New Deal. I would urge my Republican colleagues to heed the words of Republican Governor Jim Justice of West Virginia who said colorfully earlier this year: At this point in time in this nation, we need to go big. We need to quit counting the egg-sucking legs on the cows and count the cows and just move. And move forward and move right now. The same sentiment was expressed more eloquently by Abraham Lincoln in 1862 when he memorably wrote: The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, this morning President Joseph Biden was brilliant. He gathered together the members of the Democratic Caucus, and he spoke to the American people about the brilliance of a seismic, monumental effort to change the lives of generations of Americans. We as Democrats stood united behind the framework of Build Back Better, realizing that we will change the lives of kindergartners and children across the land and change the world. With universal preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds; affordable, high-quality childcare; affordable, high-quality care for hundreds of thousands of those older Americans in the latter part of their lives, allowing them to live at home in dignity--expanded child tax cut, is what I would like to call it--we stood unified. For all the chattering about friends on the other side of the aisle, name one good deed that they have done to change generations of Americans. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand with Joe Biden, the President of the United States. When he leaves and goes to the G20, he will be able to say that he has a united Caucus that believes in climate change, that believes in humanity and the human infrastructure that Build Back Better is. We are on the move. We are on the road. We are going to pass both bills. And we are going to change Americans' lives forever and ever and ever. I am proud to be a Democrat and to stand in this monumental era of our time. Mr. Speaker, tell the American people we are on the move.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 921, the Jaime Zapata and Victor Avila Federal Officers and Employees Protection Act. This Senate-passed bill would correct a manifest wrong by making clear that the law prohibiting the killing of Federal employees extends beyond American borders. Our Justice Department must have the ability to ensure that anyone who kills or attempts to kill individuals serving our country outside the United States are brought to justice under current law. The tragic circumstance that makes this bill necessary bears repeating. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Special Agents Jaime Zapata and Victor Avila were assigned abroad to protect American interests. In early 2011, while traveling in a convoy near San Luis Potosi, Mexico, the American agents were attacked by agents of the Los Zetas drug cartel. In the firefight, both Agents Zapata and Avila were shot. Tragically, Agent Zapata died from his wounds. A thorough investigation brought the perpetrators of this heinous act to the United States to stand to account for the acts, and they were convicted. Yet, justice remained unfulfilled. In January 2020, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the murder conviction of two Los Zetas cartel members responsible for the murder of Agent Zapata and attempted murder of Agent Avila. In doing so, the Court of Appeals found that the law we are amending today did not contain an adequate expression that it was intended to apply to crimes committed outside the United States. Today, we correct this errant and apparently unfair judicial interpretation. This bill does not extend criminal laws or penalties, nor does it create a new crime, it merely clarifies Congress' original intent. Because of this bill, the United States Government may prosecute anyone who killed or attempted to kill a Federal officer or employee, whether they be agents or diplomats, while they were performing their official duties outside of the United States. The rule of law will prevail. Interestingly enough, since the killings in that tragic incident, we have seen a number of attacks against many of our outstanding Federal employees, diplomats, and others overseas. That is all this bill would do, but it is an important thing to do. Mr. Speaker, I thank my fellow Texans, Mr. Cuellar and Mr. McCaul, for leading the House companion to this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation out of basic and endearing justice for all, and for the families of these men. I rise in support of S. 921, the ``Jaime Zapata and Victor Avila Federal Officers and Employees Protection Act.'' This Senate-passed bill would correct a manifest wrong by making clear that the law prohibiting the killing of federal employees extends beyond American borders. Our Justice Department must have the ability to ensure that anyone who kills or attempts to kill individuals serving our country outside the United States are brought to justice under current law. The tragic circumstances that make this bill necessary bear repeating. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Special Agents Jaime Zapata and Victor Avila were assigned abroad to protect American interests. In early 2011, while traveling in a convoy near San Luis Potosi, Mexico, the American agents were attacked by members of the Los Zetas drug cartel. In the firefight, both Agents Zapata and Agent Avila were shot. Tragically Agent Zapata died from his wounds. A thorough investigation brought the perpetrators of this heinous attack to the United States to stand to account for the acts, and they were convicted. Yet, justice remained unfulfilled. In January 2020, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the murder convictions of two Los Zetas cartel members responsible for the murder of Agent Zapata and attempted murder of Agent Avila. In doing so, the Court of Appeals found that the law we are amending today did not contain an adequate expression that it was intended to apply to crimes committed outside the United States. Today, we correct this errant judicial interpretation. This bill does not extend criminal laws or penalties. Nor does it create a new crime. It merely clarifies Congress's original intent. Because of this bill, the United States government may prosecute anyone who killed or attempted to kill a federal officer or employee, whether they be agents or diplomats, while they were performing their official duties outside of the United States. The rule of law will prevail. That is all this bill would do but it is an important thing to do. I thank my fellow Texas Representatives Henry Cuellar and Michael McCaul for leading the House companion to this bill. And I urge my colleagues to support this legislation today. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4035) to amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to prioritize veterans court treatment programs that ensure equal access for racial and ethnic minorities and women, and for other purposes, as amended.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am the proud sponsor and proud of H.R. 4035. The Real Justice for Our Veterans Act is before the House for consideration, and I ask all my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill today. I authored the Real Justice for Our Veterans Act to help our Nation's justice-involved veterans to improve the delivery of services in veterans and drug courts. The bill before the House today has three discrete aims. First, the bill would expand data collection regarding the effectiveness of veterans courts. Second, it authorizes a pilot program that would investigate and promote promising retention models in veterans and drug courts. Lastly, and perhaps most critically, it would open up drug treatment courts to veterans in areas where there may not be a veterans court, so very important for those who have interacted with our committee and have made note of the fact that there are many jurisdictions in the United States where there are veterans and no veterans court. Each of these critical changes would promote higher participation and higher rehabilitation of veterans who have mental health and substance abuse issues. The need for this legislation is painfully clear. Generations of veterans have served abroad in recent decades, and we must redouble our efforts to support veterans and expand the services they need to thrive. The rapid expansion of veterans treatment courts speaks not only to the need for such courts but, more importantly, to the benefit of the specialized approach to rehabilitation and treatment the courts offer. The holistic treatment model, which includes input from the prosecutor, defense counsel, and the court, centers on the supervised comprehensive treatment provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs or community organizations. Because each veterans court offers different management services, we need to do more to identify which treatment options are successful so that these promising models can be expanded. That is why the elements of the Real Justice for Our Veterans Act are so important. The bill also calls for additional data on the demographics of who is referred to veterans treatment courts and asks for information on completion rates. This information will be critical to advancing our understanding of how the programs are used. Additionally, the legislation authorizes a new pilot program that will allow DOJ to test promising retention programs that promote greater enrollment and participation by veterans through the duration of their treatment program. Legislative efforts to strengthen veterans treatment courts have yielded bipartisan support in the past, and the same is true today. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Rutherford), for cosponsoring the bill and working with me in this effort. I urge my colleagues to take a look at their congressional districts. You will probably find places of refuge for our veterans; some may be homeless. I have several facilities in my congressional district that deal with the housing of homeless veterans, or deal with services for homeless veterans, or deal with services, period, for veterans. I can assure you that a comforting judicial system on veterans who, because of combat injuries, PTSD, and other issues dealing with them, losing their family, being separated from the family, being miles away from their home because of combat- impacted injuries, that the judicial system is one they may come in contact with. To be able to have courts that are responsive to their service and their record, and to be able to help move them away from the judicial system is a tribute to our commitment to the service of our men and women. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to continue this record of support for veterans treatment courts by voting for this bill today. I am proud that H.R. 4035, the ``Real Justice for Our Veterans Act'' is before the House for consideration and I ask all my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill today. I authored the Real Justice for Our Veterans Act to help our nation's justice-involved veterans and to improve the delivery of services in veterans and drug courts. The bill before the House today has three discrete aims. First, the bill would expand data collection regarding the effectiveness of veterans courts. Second, it authorizes a pilot program that would investigate and promote promising retention models in veterans and drug courts. And lastly, and perhaps most critically, it would open up drug treatment courts to veterans in areas where there may not be a veterans court. Each of these critical changes would promote higher participation and higher rehabilitation of veterans who have mental health and substance abuse issues. The need for this legislation is painfully clear. Generations of veterans have served abroad in recent decades and we must redouble our efforts to support veterans and expand the services they need to thrive. The rapid expansion of veterans treatment courts speaks not only to the need for such courts but more importantly to the benefit of the specialized approach to rehabilitation and treatment the courts offer. The wholistic treatment model, which includes input from the prosecutor, defense counsel, and the court, centers on the supervised comprehensive treatment provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs or community organizations. Because each veterans court offers different treatment services, we need to do more to identify which treatment options are successful so that these promising models can be expanded. That's why these elements of the ``Real Justice for Our Veterans Act'' are so important. The bill also calls for additional data collection on the demographics of who is referred to veterans treatment courts and asks for information on completion rates. This information will be critical to advancing our understanding of how the programs are used. Additionally, the legislation authorizes a new pilot program that will allow DOJ to test promising retention programs that promote greater enrollment and participation by veterans through the duration of their treatment program. Legislative efforts to strengthen veterans treatment courts have yielded bipartisan support in the past, and the same is true today. I thank our colleague, the gentleman from Florida, Representative John Rutherford, for cosponsoring this bill and working with me in this effort. I urge my colleagues to continue this record of support for veterans treatment courts by voting for this bill today. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. MR. BENTZ. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.