Sheila Jackson Lee

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, as a senior member of the Judiciary and Homeland Committees, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2574, the ``Equity and Inclusion Enforcement Act of 2019,'' which restores the power of students and parents to challenge discriminatory policies and practices in schools and other federally funded programs. In 2001, the Supreme Court decided in Alexander v. Sandoval to overturn four decades of statutory protections against discrimination by stripping victims of discrimination of the right to bring disparate impact claims under Title VI. However, this bill ensures that victims of discrimination no longer have to rely on the Department of Education to take legal action in order to challenge discriminatory practices in their schools. Instead, individuals will once again have the ability to address instances of racial inequities themselves. The Equity and Inclusion Enforcement Act further protects students by making positive and substantive changes to Title VI, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance. For example, the bill creates Title VI monitors to ensure that every school district and institution of higher education has at least one employee who is specifically responsible for investigating any complaints of discrimination based on race, color, or national origin. It also establishes an Assistant Secretary in the Department of Education to coordinate and promote Title VI enforcement in education. In 1954, the Supreme Court's landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education struck down the ``separate but equal'' premise that had allowed segregation in our public-school system. It has been 66 years since that monumental ruling, yet we still have not been able to fulfill the promise of equity in education for our children. Over the past few months, the United States has experienced seismic shifts in social consciousness regarding racial inequities that have permeated every aspect of American society. As the names of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tamir Rice, Philando Castile, and so many others, become synonymous with today's civil rights movement, I believe this bill marks a step forward in the fight for equal rights. We cannot achieve true racial equality without addressing the systematic discrimination in our education system. For example, in December of 2018, Andrew Johnson, a Black high school wrestler, in New Jersey was forced to make an impossible choice when a referee told him to either cut his dreadlocks or forfeit the wrestling match. Although Johnson wore a hair covering for the match, as dictated by wrestling guidelines, the referee rejected the covering and gave the student 90 seconds to cut off his dreadlocks. In 2016, a Black teenager was escorted out of his high school graduation ceremony in Sacramento, California by three deputies after refusing to remove his kente cloth, a traditional Ghanaian silk and cotton fabric that symbolizes national cultural identity. Earlier this year, the Barbers Hill Independent School District in Texas refused to change its grooming policy that led to the suspension of two Black students. Despite public backlash against the policy, which forbids male students from keeping their hair at ``a length below the top of a t- shirt collar, below the eyebrows, or below the ear lobes'', the school board voted unanimously to keep the policy in place. These instances of continued discrimination against minority students in our public-school system create a learning environment that is far from equal. It is imperative to recognize that the existence of these Eurocentric policies in our educational system have a disparate effect on Black students, who are either forced to suppress their cultural heritage and Black identity or forfeit their right to equal educational and extracurricular opportunities. While on the surface, such policies do not seem directed at specific races or ethnicities, in practice, they often discriminate against a Black person or person of color based on characteristics associated with them. It is also well known that Black students are more often over- disciplined at school than their white counterparts. Between 2015 and 2016, Black children accounted for 15 percent of all students, yet they made up 31 percent of referrals to law enforcement and school-based arrests, perpetuating the school-to-prison pipeline. In Texas, black students in the Houston Independent School District (HISD) were four times more likely to receive a law enforcement referral, which includes citations, tickets, court referrals, and school-related arrests, than their white peers. According to the Texas Education Agency, HISD is also known for its stark disparities between black and white students in school discipline, with black students being seven times more likely to get an out-of-school suspension. These instances create a culture of inequality and reinforce barriers to education for students of color. Without a private right of action to challenge these patterns and policies, students of color face countless forms of irreparable harm, including missing countless hours of instruction, educational opportunities, and relationship development that promotes pro-social growth and positive life outcomes. Madam Speaker, by creating measures that give agency to individuals to identify, challenge, and change discriminatory practices in their own communities, we are creating an environment where all kids, regardless of race, color, or national origin, are given an equal chance to learn and excel. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to recognize the opportunity we have here today to rectify some of the inequities in our schools and, more importantly, positively change the educational experience for students of color across the country.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her leadership, and I thank the outstanding cosponsors of this legislation, my friend Mr. Rose and my colleague from New Jersey, for coming together around a concept that I have had the disappointment and sadness to work on for most of my tenure in the United States Congress, and that is bullying. I am so saddened that we have to name bills after young people, precious young people, who have taken their lives. Bullying--breaking news--destroys our children. It not only destroys the person that is bullied--many times, unbeknownst to their friends or their family so that someone could provide them comfort and reaffirm their dignity and their worth because that is what bullying does, it says that you are not worth anything--but it also destroys the bully. So, I am excited about a commission, a roundtable established by the President to study bullying in elementary and secondary schools in the United States. Their report will make recommendations for combating bullying and educating school officials in recognizing it. I know how hard school officials work. I talk to my superintendents and teachers all the time. But they miss these things, and that means the child suffers alone. This bill is named after Daniel Fitzpatrick, a 13-year-old boy who died on August 11, 2016. He was a loving and generous kid who embodied kindness and empathy to all. He was also the victim of relentless physical, mental, verbal, and emotional bullying. No child should have to go through that. I have worked on this for a very long period of time. In 2019, I was able to pass H.R. 494, the Tiffany Joslyn Juvenile Accountability Block Grant Reauthorization and Bullying Prevention and Intervention Act. I think these bills need to be passed immediately by the United States Senate and, really, go to the President of the United States. A child is bullied every 7 seconds. Approximately 11 percent of students simply do not go to school at least 1 day during the school year because they feel unsafe.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2639, the ``Strength in Diversity Act.'' H.R. 2639, directs the Department of Education (ED) to award grants to specified educational agencies, that may include local educational agencies, to develop or implement plans to improve diversity and reduce or eliminate racial or socioeconomic isolation in publicly funded early childhood education programs, public elementary schools, or public secondary schools. Specifically, ED may award planning and implementation grants to specified educational agencies. A recipient of a planning grant must use the grant to support students through certain activities, such as developing options to improve diversity in schools that might include weighted lotteries or school boundary redesign. In addition, a recipient of an implementation grant must implement a high-quality plan to support students. This plan must, among other things, include a comprehensive set of strategies that are designed to improve academic outcomes for all students, particularly students of color and low-income students. A grant recipient may also use the grant for certain activities such as recruiting additional teachers and staff, investing in specialized academic programs, and developing innovative and equitable school assignment plans. This legislation will also allow ED to carry out national activities under the grant program, such as developing best practices for grant recipients and other experts in school diversity. The bill also requires ED to establish performance measures for the program and its related activities. H.R. 2639 is needed because for far too often, for reasons of legacy or policy, students of color or in low-income communities are shut out of the opportunity to get a good education. Just as intolerance and discrimination are learned behaviors, so are tolerance and inclusion learned behaviors. As years of research have shown us, school integration benefits students and communities. Research shows that racial and socioeconomic diversity in the classroom can provide students with a range of cognitive and social benefits. And school policies around the country are beginning to catch up. Today, over 4 million students in America are enrolled in school districts or charter schools with socioeconomic integration policies--a number that has more than doubled since 2007. Students in integrated schools have higher average test scores. On the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) given to fourth graders in math, for example, low-income students attending more affluent schools scored roughly two years of learning ahead of low-income students in high-poverty schools. Students in integrated schools are more likely to enroll in college, when comparing students with similar socioeconomic backgrounds, those students at more affluent schools are 68 percent more likely to enroll at a four-year college than their peers at high-poverty schools. Students in integrated schools are less likely to dropout, with dropout rates that are significantly higher for students in segregated, high- poverty schools than for students in integrated schools. Education policy is contributing to systemic racism that exists in how education is provided in the United States, which resists efforts to remove barriers that would allow all children to succeed. It has been well documented that integrated schools help to reduce racial achievement gaps. In fact, the racial achievement gap in K through 12 education closed more rapidly during the peak years of school desegregation in the 1970s and 1980s than it has overall in the decades that followed--when many desegregation policies were dismantled through federal court decisions allowing discriminatory segregated education to continue. Benefits are not limited to minority students, but also extend to white students. Integrated classrooms encourage critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity. We know that diverse classrooms, in which students learn cooperatively alongside those whose perspectives and backgrounds are different from their own, are beneficial to all students--including middle-class white students--because these environments promote creativity, motivation, deeper learning, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. This bill will help in this effort by providing grants to school districts that want to increase diversity in schools. As many of you know the school-age population in the United States is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse. A National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) report released in February 2019, on ``Status and Trends in the Education of Racial and Ethnic Groups 2018,'' examined how education experiences and outcomes vary among racial/ethnic groups. The report contains 36 indicators that cover preprimary to postsecondary education, as well as family background characteristics and labor force outcomes. Prior research shows that living in poverty during early childhood is associated with lower-than-average academic performance that begins in kindergarten and extends through high school, leading to lower-than- average rates of school completion. In 2016, the percentages of children living in poverty were highest for Black and American Indian/ Alaska Native children and lowest for White and Asian children. One of the casualties of COVID-19 are the millions of children and young people who have lost out on opportunities to learn and grow in diverse school settings during the spring and fall of this year. Between 2000 and 2017, the percentage of 5- to 17-year-olds who were White decreased from 62 to 51 percent, while the percentage who were Hispanic increased from 16 to 25 percent. The challenge of diversity in education is not just limited to racial diversity in schools. Questions of socioeconomic diversity combined with those of racial diversity are important to consider in determining how far we have come in school equality. This bill builds on the work already underway by schools and school districts who are pursuing diversity to have additional resources. In 2019, approximately 56.6 million students attended elementary and secondary school in the United States: 50.8 million students were in public schools; 5.8 million students were in private schools. Among the 50.8 million students enrolled in elementary and secondary public schools: 1.4 million were in prekindergarten; 3.7 million were in kindergarten; 35.5 million attended elementary through middle school (K-8th grade); 15.3 million attended high school (9-12th grade). Through 2028, enrollment is projected to increase to 51.4 million. In 2018, 3.3 million students graduated from high school, marking nearly a 1 percent increase from 2017: 3.7 million were expected to graduate in 2020; 3.3 million from public high schools; 0.4 million from private schools. The average per-student expenditure in public schools is $13,440. In 2019, there are approximately 16,800 school districts in the United States. Thirteen percent of all public school students were served by the Individuals with Disabilities Act for the 2015-2016 school year. Between 2000 and 2016, total public school enrollment increased for 32 states. The following saw increases of 15 percent or more: Florida, Delaware, North Carolina, Idaho, Georgia, Colorado, Arizona, Texas, Utah, and Nevada. The following states saw decreases of 10 percent or more: Michigan, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. In 2018, 7 million or 13.7 percent of public school students received special education services. In 2017, 9.6 percent of public school students were learning English as a second language. I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 2639, Strength in Diversity Act.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Deborah Wrigley for the unparalleled service she has rendered to the residents of the Houston metropolitan area over the past 40 years as one of the area's leading journalists and to commend her example to young reporters on the fiduciary responsibility of all members of the Fourth Estate to understand and faithfully execute the responsibilities of civic education and governmental accountability reposed in them by the drafters of the First Amendment. Deborah Wrigley will be retiring this month after the completion of a 42-year career in journalism, most recently with television station KTRK-TV. Deborah Wrigley graduated from the University of Houston with a degree from its prestigious English department initially did not plan a career in television but it is not surprising that she finally did given that her father was a leading Hollywood cinematographer and her mother loved literature. Deborah Wrigley was hired by KTRK-TV as a minority trainee in 1978 and over the next 42 years reported on important events affecting or occurring in the Houston area as the city grew to become the largest city in Texas and the fourth largest in the nation. Deborah Wrigley reported live from Galveston, Texas throughout the night when Hurricane Alicia hit, risking driving off the Galveston seawall at the height of the storm to get the stories back to the station. Deborah Wrigley loved covering politics, from City Hall to the Texas Legislature, national stories and neighborhood issues, hurricanes and other natural disasters, including the Mexico City earthquake in 1985 for which she received a Headliner Club award. Deborah Wrigley never forgot or lost sight of the fact that another important role of the print and electronic media is to serve the people, to illuminate their struggles and problems and achievements; she knows Houston because she always listened to its people and their concerns and tirelessly worked to bring attention to the need to find solutions. Deborah Wrigley's final stories involved the work on the frontlines of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, such as efforts to bring testing to underserved communities, which she understood would save thousands of lives. Not only was Deborah Wrigley an eye-witness to many historic events, she made history of her own by becoming the longest-serving female television news reporter ever in Houston and one of the longest serving in the history of the country. Deborah Wrigley has often expressed how grateful she is to those who helped her through it all, from the people she interviewed to the audiences who watched and trusted her to deliver the news fairly and accurately. Madam Speaker, I take great pride in recognizing and honoring Deborah Wrigley whose extraordinary career and commitment to serving her community through delivering the news fully and fairly has helped make our nation better on its inexorable march toward becoming a more perfect union.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, this morning, today, we have arrived in Washington to fight for postal workers, the United States Postal Service, in H.R. 8015. But I take this moment to acknowledge close to almost 175,000 dead Americans who have died from COVID-19. I applaud those who have taken a moment out of their lives to march for those who have passed and mourn for those families. This is not America. And I acknowledge something else that comes to my attention that hurts my heart as a mother, and that is the Trump administration's policy to separate children. That the United Nations has condemned it as torture and abuse of children--some upwards of 5,000 children. Their own White House immigration specialists, if you will, want it to be 25,000 children. This is not America. Today, we fight for those who have come to our doors in rain, snow, or shine. We must also fight for the children and never again in America see any policy that snatches children away from their families. Immigrant or nonimmigrant, we are Americans who have values that stand for something--equality and justice.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise with a sense of urgency. I rise because the Postal Service is near collapse. I rise in the name of Army Sergeant Retired Boudreau, stage 4 cancer, and Katy, stage 4 breast cancer. These are the desperate people that are feeling the brunt of a collapsed Postal Service. The voices I listen to are the letter carriers who are denied the ability to deliver mail, or the postal workers who have no machines to deliver mail. H.R. 8015 is an emergency SOS act, Delivering for America. It is crucial that we meet today, not because we are political, because we had to get here as fast as we could to be able to acknowledge that the Postal Service is a crucial lifeline for Americans. Madam Speaker, I submitted an amendment. I am glad that the Rules Committee moved on a closed rule. This is an emergency. Later on today, I will introduce Protecting Democracy by Securing the Right to Vote, that will allow you to request ballots online, by phone, or mail, and most importantly, setting a 10-business-day mail return time for ballots sent by mail and are postmarked on election day. Why? Because as we are working today to ensure that mail ballots are safe and secure under H.R. 8015, we have seniors who are listening to the scare tactics that are being said from the highest office in the land. They are frightened. Yesterday, I was at the house of a blind senior citizen, she can't get out to vote, she will have to do a mail ballot. So I rise enthusiastically to support the H.R. 8015 rule because we are in a collapse of the postal system. It is urgent. We need $25 billion, and we need to do it now. I ask my colleagues to support it, and let it be bipartisan. Madam Speaker, I rise to speak on the Rule for H.R. 8015, the Delivering For America Act. I thank Chairman McGovern for the work of the Rules Committee to bring this important measure to the Floor of the House for consideration. I also thank Chairwoman Maloney for her leadership in drafting H.R. 8015, which is being debated under the Rule. I offered an Amendment to improve this very good bill, but it was not included in the Rule for H.R. 8015. The Jackson Lee Amendment, if it had been included would have ensured that ballots postmarked on or before Election Day would have ten business days following that date to be delivered by the Postal Service to local elections officials to have it counted for the election. I offered this amendment out of consideration for the nearness of the election and the likelihood that the U.S. Postmaster will not change the policies that have led to the decommissioning of mail sorters and mailboxes, which is slowing down the U.S. Mail. The job of the United States Postal Service is to receive, process, and deliver the mail without favor or special consideration to anyone. I applaud the work done in the underlying bill to provide relief to the Postal Service, and I appreciate the desire to narrowly focus the bill only on addressing the issues arising out of intentional efforts to disrupt mail service. I believe that we must be more aggressive in our approach to protect the election and make sure that Election Day does not become a victim of COVID-19. I will work with my colleagues to ensure that all available means are provided to ensure that every voter, no matter their party or preference has access to cast a vote that will be counted in the November election. I support the Rule for this bill because it provides much-needed protection to postal workers and relief for those who are dependent on the mail service for sustaining life and health as well as commercial needs and business. In 2019, the Postal Service: Delivered 142.6 billion pieces of mail to 260 million addresses in America; Delivered 1.2 billion prescriptions, including most of the medications ordered by the VA; Employed 633,108 of our friends and neighbors, including more than 100,000 veterans; Served 70 percent of businesses with fewer than ten employees; Had a 90 percent favorabilty rating, making it the most popular federal agency. The Postal Service: Is often the only delivery option for rural America where service is not profitable; Delivers 48 percent of the world's mail with one of the world's largest civilian vehicle fleets; Is a vital service for the more than 18 million seniors who do not use the Internet. The Postal Service has become a pharmacy of choice for millions of Americans who live in pharmacy deserts--locations where there are no pharmacies to serve communities. The Postal Service is an essential component to Veterans' health because they deliver medicines to our veterans. The VA has now confirmed to us that the United States Postal Service (USPS), which is responsible for delivering about 90 percent of all VA mail order prescriptions, has indeed been delayed in delivering these critical medications by an average of almost 25 percent over the past year, with many locations experiencing much more significant delays. Under the urgent need to fix the postal service, we must not forget that the Postal Service employees are essential workers in COVID-19, and if they are essential it means that the work they do is essential. In addition to delivering prescriptions and business mail, they are also delivering democracy to millions of voters who will need to cast their ballot by mail this election year to reduce their risk of contracting COVID-19. The U.S. mail service has provided essential mail service for absentee voting for well over 100 years by enabling Union troops to vote during the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Iraqi Freedom, and to this day. Since that time, absentee or not, in-person voting has grown in popularity across the United States and is now a welcomed and valued component for assuring citizen participation in public elections. In 2016, 20.9 percent of all votes cast in that federal election were done so by absentee ballots and this year that number is expected to be much higher due to COVID-19. The attack on the viability and value of absentee voting should be viewed as just one component of many assaults on our elections system that may make this a very difficult election year. This view is shaped by the decades of elections filled with disinformation and misinformation tactics designed to suppress or repress black, LatinX, and young voters from voting or having their votes counted. For these reasons, I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in support of the Rule for H.R. 8015.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, over the last couple of hours, I have heard my friends on the other side of the aisle say this is not serious. Do you know why this is serious? Madam Speaker, 176,000 dead Americans from COVID-19 and the projection that there may be 300,000 dead by December 1. Madam Speaker, I left and got on a plane from a hotspot--14 to 20 percent infection. So my constituents who are suffering from stage IV cancer need the mail. If they want the proof, I read the words of General Counsel and Executive Vice President Thomas J. Marshall of the U.S. Postal Service: ``We are currently unable to balance our costs with available funding sources to fulfill both our universal service mission and other legal obligations.'' The post office says they have no money. We need to be able to deliver this money to them and vote on this bill. Madam Speaker, I support the bill and urge my colleagues to vote for it. Madam Speaker, I rise to speak in strong support of H.R. 8015, the Delivering For America Act. I thank Chairwoman Maloney for her leadership in drafting H.R. 8015. As a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee and member of the House Budget Committee, I am particularly interested in why and how this Administration has tampered with the proper functioning of the U.S. Postal Service. The drafters of the 1789 Constitution of the United States knew the vital importance of communication to the nation and its people, so they vested authority with the Congress to sustain and maintain a national postal service. Article I, Section 8, clause 7, in the Constitution of the United States provides that the Congress has the power ``To establish Post Offices and post Roads . . .'' The Postal Clause was added to the Constitution to facilitate interstate communication as well as to create a source of revenue for the early United States. The freedoms of the press and of speech are guaranteed in the First Amendment to the Constitution and the establishment of a national postal system, an authority vested by the Constitution in the Congress, are indispensable features of a strong and stable democracy. A national postal system to collect and distribute mail efficiently, affordably, reliably, and without regard to the sender's or recipient's race, creed, color, national origin, religion, region of residence, or political affiliation strengthens and fortifies democracy by enabling all persons to communicate with any and all other Americans. A functioning and effective national postal system strengthens the economy by facilitating the efficient delivery of goods and services, promotes the public health by facilitating the timely delivery of needed medical supplies and prescription drugs to senior citizens and veterans, and enriches civil society by facilitating the delivery of letters of greetings, sympathy, congratulations, and love, thus strengthening the mystic bonds of affection of Americans for each other and for the United States. Fifty years after the Constitution went into effect the population of the United States ballooned at a greater rate than it has ever since. During that period, the population grew from 3,929,214 in 1790, the year of the first census, to 17,069,453 in 1840. For those who may think mail tampering is fine so long as it is an absentee ballot or absentee ballot request--they need to know that tampering with the U.S. mail is a federal felony. Mail theft carries a penalty of up to five years in federal prison and fines of up to $250,000 for each violation. It is also a crime to injure, deface, or destroy any mail deposited in a mailbox. For each act of vandalism, you could be imprisoned for up to three years and fined up to $250,000. Communication for the purpose of commerce, linking and strengthening bonds among family, and friends as well as keeping citizens informed was of the utmost importance to the health and wellbeing of the young democracy. Over the centuries, the arrival of new technology that supported communication did not end the need for an affordable and easily accessible national postal service. The telegraph, telephone nor the Internet ended the need for the delivery of letters, cards, packages, and newspapers or magazines. The American people are depending on the House and the Senate, just like they depend on the Post Office to deliver a secure and voter centered November Election that empowers them to cast ballots for the candidates of their choice. Election Day must not become a victim of COVID-19 through manipulation of the postal service or by any other means foreign or domestic. I will work with my colleagues to ensure that all available means are provided to ensure that every voter, no matter their party or preference has access to cast a vote that will be counted in the November election. For over 200 years, the American people have relied upon the National Postal Service to be there--no matter what--they have delivered the mail during a civil war, pandemics, hurricanes, forest fires, and terrorist attacks. The Postal Service employs 633,108 of our friends and neighbors, including more than 100,000 veterans. The Postal Service is one of the leading employers of minorities and women, with minorities comprising 39 percent and women comprising 40 percent of the workforce. The Post Office has become a path to good paying jobs that lifts people out of poverty. Postal workers have been determined to be essential workers during the pandemic and they have delivered service without complaint or fail during this national crisis. As of July 2020, nearly 5,400 USPS employees tested positive for COVID-19 among its workforce of 630,000. A May a report stated that of the 130 Federal Employees who had died due to COVID-19, 60 of them were employed at the U.S. Postal Service. In June, a staggering 17,000 workers, or 3 percent of the United States Postal Service workforce, had been quarantined since the start of the pandemic, according to a recent report by Government Executive magazine. By the beginning of July, around 70 percent of those quarantined have been cleared to go back to work. Earlier this summer Postal Service management acknowledged that 2,830 workers had tested positive for COVID-19, out of a total workforce of approximately 630,000. However, USPS officials have not made publicly available the number of deaths. With the urgent need to fix the postal service, we must not forget that the Postal Service employees are essential workers in COVID-19, and if they are essential it means that their work is essential. For 55 cents, anyone can send a first class letter anywhere in the United States and there is no private sector mail service that can do this at this low price. In 2019, the Postal Service: Delivered 142.6 billion pieces of mail to 260 million addresses in America; Delivered 1.2 billion prescriptions, including most of the medications ordered by the VA; Served 70 percent of businesses with fewer than ten employees; and Had a 90 percent favorability rating, making it the most popular federal agency. The Postal Service: Is often the only delivery option for rural America where service is not profitable; Delivers 48 percent of the world's mail with one of the world's largest civilian vehicle fleets; and Is a vital service for the more than 18 million seniors who do not use the Internet. The Postal Service has become a pharmacy of choice for millions of Americans who live in pharmacy deserts, which are locations where there are no pharmacies to serve communities. The Postal Service is an essential component to Veterans' and seniors' health because they deliver medicines to our veterans. The VA has now confirmed to us that the United States Postal Service (USPS), which is responsible for delivering about 90 percent of all VA mail order prescriptions, has indeed been delayed in delivering these critical medications by an average of almost 25 percent over the past year, with many locations experiencing much more significant delays. In addition to delivering prescriptions and business mail, they are also delivering democracy to millions of voters who will need to cast their ballot by mail this election year to reduce their risk of contracting COVID-19. The U.S. mail service has provided essential mail service for absentee voting for well over 100 years by enabling Union troops to vote during the Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Iraqi Freedom, and to this day. Since that time, absentee or not in-person voting has grown in popularity across the United States and is now a welcomed and valued component for assuring citizen participation in public elections. In 2016, 20.9 percent of all votes cast in that federal election were done so by absentee ballots and this year that number is expected to be much higher due to COVID-19. In 2018, there were 153.07 million people registered to vote in the United States, which is lower than the peak of 157.6 million registered voters in 2016. Montana had the highest voter turnout rate with 45.6 percent for the 2020 presidential primary elections. The voter turnout rate in Texas for the 2020 presidential primary elections was 21 percent. More than 4 million Texans voted in the 2020 presidential primary election, with turnout among Democratic voters at 12.81 percent compared to 12.39 percent of Republican voters. In Texas, there were 16,211,198 registered voters and 4,084,431 votes for the 2020 primaries. In comparison, in 2016 there were 14,238,436 registered voters and 4,272,383 votes. The attack on the viability and value of absentee voting should be viewed as just one component of many assaults on our elections system that may make this a very difficult election year. Over the past several weeks, sweeping operational and organization changes at the Postal Service have resulted in delays in the mail across the country, including in rural communities, among veterans and seniors, and in blue and red states alike. Some of those changes include curtailing overtime, restricting deliveries, eliminating sorting machines, and removing mailboxes. Concerns have been raised by both Democratic and Republican officials at the federal, state and local levels. These changes are being rushed through--in the midst of a global pandemic just months before the November elections--without adequate consultation with Congress, the Postal Board of Governors, the Postal Regulatory Commission, postal employees unions, state election officials, business organizations, and other stakeholders. The Postmaster General also recently reassigned 23 postal executives in an overhaul that experts warn ``deemphasizes decades worth of institutional postal knowledge'' and ``centralizes power around DeJoy.'' The restructure also proposed a hiring freeze, early retirements, unit realignments, and regional downscaling. On August 11, 2020, the Postal Service's General Counsel sent a letter to Congress explaining that state election workers had been notified that paying Marketing Mail rates instead of First-Class rates for election mail ``will result in slower delivery times and will increase the risk that voters will not receive their ballots in time to return them by mail.'' This breaks from the Postal Service's long-standing practice of prioritizing the delivery of all election mail to meet First-Class delivery times. The 2011 Canadian RoboCon suppression scandal is the political scandal stemming from events during the 2011 Canadian federal election. It involved robocalls and real-person calls that were designed to result in voter suppression. Elections Canada and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police conducted investigations into the claims that calls were made to dissuade voters from casting ballots by falsely telling them that the location of their polling stations had changed. Further possible electoral law violations were alleged as the evidence unfolded. Under the Canada Elections Act, it is an offense to willfully prevent or endeavor to prevent an elector from voting in an election. On Election Day, May 2, 2011, reports of voter suppression, mostly centered on the riding of Guelph, led to the discovery that a computer in the Guelph Conservative campaign office may have been used to make the calls. While the Elections Canada investigation initially focused on calls sent into Guelph amidst nationwide complaints, the investigation expanded to complaints in other ridings across the country. Court documents filed in mid-August 2012 by the Commissioner of Canada Elections indicated that the elections watchdog had received complaints of fraudulent or misleading calls in 247 of Canada's 308 ridings, recorded in all ten provinces and at least one territory. The deciding margin for control for the government was within the margin of error created by the fraudulent robocalls, which were successful in misdirecting voters resulting in them not being able to cast votes in that national election. It is my strong view that we must prepare voters from all socioeconomic backgrounds and ethnic cultural experiences to be prepared to deal effectively with efforts to misinform them about their participation in the November Election. We must focus on the unsuspecting among the voting population who have no idea what is coming their way and prepare them to meet that challenge by linking them to the election protection efforts to allow them to develop the needed resources so they are prepared to exercise the most precious of rights and do the work of citizenship by casting their votes for a government that serves We The People and works to make our union more perfect. This view is shaped by the decades of elections filled with disinformation and misinformation tactics designed to suppress or repress black, LatinX, and young voters from voting or having their votes counted. For these reasons, I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in support of H.R. 8015. USPS Email from Constituent Ms. Jennifer SUBJECT: USPS concerns MESSAGE: First, thank you for having a ``post office'' category. Neither senator does. Second, this is ridiculous. The postmaster has conflicts of interest. He is dismantling the postal service, which is explicitly required by the constitution. I depend on the USPS as a constituent. My company depends on it for correspondence and service with clients, especially while we work from home due to Covid. My clients depend on it to get services and benefits. Please vote or act to hold the postmaster accountable and to stop these ridiculous changes he is making. They make no business sense for a ``business'', and they are unethical for a government-provided, constitutionally-mandated service.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, for 14 years, the Texas Department of Transportation has been attempting to build I-45, which would literally destroy large aspects of my community. In this past appropriation, I am delighted to have had amendments that have indicated that you cannot use 106 funds without looking closely at the historic preservation impact. I provided $1 million extra to help impoverished communities fight against such construction that removes buildings like homes, businesses, and culturally significant structures. That is what is happening in Independence Heights, where churches, buildings, homes, and condominiums are all being lost. We have to realize that people control this Nation and not governmental institutions that would do harm when people can lose their homes, their churches, and their businesses. Finally, I am glad that as we move into the negotiation of the HEROES Act, we will not have the liability issue. We cannot have the liability issue; block the $600 that people are supposed to have; the testing that people are supposed to have; hospital compensation. We need to move quickly to vote on this HEROES Act because our people in Houston, Texas, and across the Nation are suffering from COVID-19, and I will continue to fight so they can continue to survive and live. Tomorrow, we open another testing site in Houston, Texas.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise to speak in strong support of En Bloc No. 4, to H.R. 7617, the Defense, Commerce, Justice, Science, Energy and Water Development, Financial Services and General Government, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Appropriations Act. I thank Chairman McGovern and Ranking Member Cole for including several amendments in the Rule for House consideration of H.R. 7617. The Jackson Lee amendments are in the following Divisions: Division A--Department of Defense; Division B--Commerce, Justice, Science; Division F--Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education; and Division G--Transportation, Housing and Urban Development. Jackson Lee Amendment No. 319, included in En Bloc No. 4, increases and decreases the National Infrastructure Investments account by $2,000,000 to emphasize support for urban bicycle and pedestrian safety programs. I wish to thank the Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO and for voicing support for this Jackson Lee Amendment. On March 30, 2019, in the city of Houston, at the intersection of North Shepherd Drive and West 10th Street located in the 18th Congressional District of Texas, Lesha White, 54, was driving with her daughters when she saw Jesus ``Jesse'' Perez struggling to cross the intersection in a wheelchair. Ms. White pulled over and got out of her car to help Mr. Perez cross the street when another vehicle struck them, and they were both killed. On March 7, 2019, 23-year-old David Leon Loya was killed in a collision with a school bus while riding his bicycle in The Heights area of Houston. Police report that Mr. Loya was in the bike lane and tried to avoid the accident by sliding under the bus, but unfortunately, he was run over by the back axle. This young man was greatly loved by his family, the lives of the people he touched in his volunteer work, and the bicyclist community. I offered the amendment in remembrance of Lesha White, Jesus ``Jesse'' Perez, David Leon Loya, and all of the other pedestrians and bicyclists who have lost their lives in accidents with motor vehicles in urban areas. In the past sixteen years, the Houston area has seen 2,000 deaths of bicyclists and pedestrians, at an average of 100 a year, with the last three years seeing the rate increase to 150 a year, according to federal statistics. In 2017, the most recent year for which comprehensive statistics are available, according to the Texas Department of Transportation (``TDOT''), the numbers were no more encouraging. According to TDOT, 1,409 Houston-area pedestrians were injured in roadways crashes: 275 of them were injured seriously; 146 pedestrians were killed in roadways crashes; 639 bicyclists were injured in roadways crashes; and 82 bicyclists were injured seriously. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has called the number of deaths a ``public health crisis.'' The problem is no more encouraging on the national level as Texas ranks third nationwide in bicycle deaths, behind California and Florida. Nationwide, the number of fatal bicyclist accidents is rising and are also amounting to a greater percentage of total traffic fatalities. Cities are uniquely susceptible to this problem, as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 70 percent of bicycle fatalities occur in cities. I offered this amendment that was included in the FY 2020 Transportation Appropriations bill that is law today because funding is needed to make changes to the intersections to improve pedestrian and bicyclists safety. We must come together to tackle this problem and work to ensure that we stem the tide in these fatalities. The rising death and injury toll of pedestrian and bicyclists is alarming and merits serious attention but as we know too tragically, behind the statistics are stories about people who are treasured and sorely missed by family, friends, and coworkers. Jackson Lee Amendment No. 251, included in En Bloc No. 4, increases and decreases funds by $10,000,000 increase in funding to support greater diversity in the pool of diabetes research professionals and patients participating in clinical trials. Diversity in medical trials is essential to ensuring that cures, especially vaccines, and therapies work for the greatest number of persons impacted by an illness. 34.2 million people, or 10.5 percent of the U.S. population, have diabetes. An estimated 26.8 million people--or 10.2 percent of the population--have been diagnosed with diabetes. Approximately 7.3 million people have diabetes but have not yet been diagnosed (2018). Diabetes impacts all social, economic, and ethnic backgrounds. Type 1 diabetes accounts for about 5.2 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes, affecting approximately 1.6 million people. African American adults are 60 percent more likely than non-Hispanic white adults to have been diagnosed with diabetes by a physician. In 2016, non-Hispanic blacks were 3.5 times more likely to be diagnosed with end stage renal disease as compared to non-Hispanic whites. In 2016, non-Hispanic blacks were 2.3 times more likely to be hospitalized for lower limb amputations as compared to non-Hispanic whites. In 2017, African Americans were twice as likely as non-Hispanic whites to die from diabetes. This Jackson Lee Amendment focuses efforts on addressing lower participation rates of African Americans with diabetes in clinical trials that test treatments and therapies. I thank those who are instrumental in setting up clinical trials of the COVID-19 vaccine for focuses on increasing African American and Hispanic participation in the trial involving tens of thousands of Americans across the nation. This work, like what is proposed by this Jackson Lee amendment, is intended to make cures as effective as possible for the greatest number of persons. I am pleased to cosponsor Congressman Espaillat's Amendment No. 236 included in En Bloc No. 4 to provide the increases and decreases by $10,000,000 to support greater minority patient outreach and minority candidate inclusion by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in clinical trial participation for any vaccine or therapeutics to treat the novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). Jackson Lee Amendment No. 252, included in En Bloc No. 4, increases and decreases funds by $10,000,000 with the intent of supporting programs that provide outreach and support services targeting program participants at greatest risk of not completing a college degree due to COVID-19 education disruption. I urge my fellow members to vote in favor of En Bloc No. 4 and support these Jackson Lee Amendments.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in strong support of En Bloc No. 2, to H.R. 7617, the Defense, Commerce, Justice, Science, Energy and Water Development, Financial Services and General Government, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Appropriations Act. I thank Chairman McGovern and Ranking Member Cole for including several amendments in the Rule for House consideration of H.R. 7617. Jackson Lee Amendment No. 30, included in En Bloc No. 2, reduces funding for Operations and Maintenance-Defense Wide, by $5 million and increases funding for Defense Health Care for PTSD by $5 million. My amendment increases funding for PTSD by $5,000,000. These funds should be used toward outreach activities targeting hard to reach veterans, especially those who are homeless or reside in underserved urban and rural areas, who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Along with traumatic brain injury, PTSD is the signature wound suffered by the brave men and women fighting in Afghanistan, Iraq, and far off lands to defend the values and freedom we hold dear. For those of us whose daily existence is not spent in harm's way, it is difficult to imagine the horrific images that American servicemen and women deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other theaters of war see daily. In an instant, a suicide bomber, an IED, or an insurgent can obliterate your best friend right in front of your face. Yet, you are trained and expected to continue with the mission, and you do, even though you may not have even reached your 20th birthday. But there always comes a reckoning. And it usually comes after the stress and trauma of battle is over, and you are alone with your thoughts and memories. And the horror of those desperate and dangerous encounters with the enemy and your own mortality come flooding back. PTSD was first brought to public attention in relation to war veterans, but it can result from a variety of traumatic incidents, such as torture, being kidnapped or held captive, bombings, or natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes. We can now add COVID-19 with the stress of watching the American people fight off a foe they cannot confront and defeat. We must address PTSD in all its forms so that it can be defeated. Jackson Lee Amendment No. 31, included in En Bloc No. 2, reduces funding for Operations and Maintenance-Defense Wide, by $10 million and increases funding for Defense Health Care for Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) by $10 million. Jackson Lee Amendment No. 31 reduces funding for Operations and Maintenance-Defense Wide, by $10 million and increases funding for Defense Health Care for Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) by $10 million. My amendment increases funding for the Defense Health Program's research and development by $10 million. These funds will address the question of breast cancer in the United States military. The American Cancer Society calls several strains of breast cancer as a particularly aggressive subtype associated with lower survival rates; in this instance, it's a triple negative. But I raise an article that says: ``Fighting a Different Battle; Breast Cancer and the Military.'' The American Cancer Society reports the following 5-year survival rates for breast cancer: stage 0 to 1--near 100 percent survival rate; stage 2--about 93 percent survival rate; stage 3--72 percent survival rate; and stage 4 (metastatic)--22 percent survival rate. Triple Negative Breast Cancer is more aggressive than other types of breast cancer. Studies have shown that triple-negative breast cancer is more likely to spread beyond the breast and more likely to recur (come back) after treatment. The risk appears to be greatest in the first few years after treatment. For example, a study of more than 1,600 women in Canada published in 2007 found that women with triple-negative breast cancer were at higher risk of having the cancer recur outside the breast--but only for the first 3 years. In 2013, the American Cancer Society Surveillance and Health Services Institute estimated that 27,060 black women would be diagnosed with the illness. The rate of breast cancer is 10 percent lower in African American women than white women--it is the type of breast cancer (Triple Negative) that African American women contract that is alarming. Because African American women are diagnosed in greater numbers with Triple Negative Breast Cancer, we have a five-year survival rate of 78 percent after diagnosis as compared to 90 perent for white women. The incidence rate of breast cancer among women under 45 is higher for African American women compared to white women. Triple Negative Breast Cancer: Accounts for between 13 percent and 25 percent of all breast cancer in the United States; onset is at a younger age; is more aggressive; and is more likely to metastasize. Currently, 70 percent of women with metastatic triple negative breast cancer do not live more than five years after being diagnosed. African American women are 3 times more likely to develop triple- negative breast cancer than White women. African-American women have prevalence TNBC of 26 percent vs. 16 percent in non-African-American women. Funding to support women serving in the military to address the incidence of Triple Negative Breast cancer can benefit from this Jackson Lee Amendment. Jackson Lee Amendment No. 29, included in En Bloc No. 2, increases and decreases the Department of Defense Military Retirement Fund by $2 million to provide the Secretary of Defense the flexibility needed for technical assistance for U.S. military women to military women in other countries combating violence targeting women and children as a weapon of war, terrorism, human trafficking, and narcotics trafficking. Jackson Lee Amendment No. 102, included in En Bloc No. 2, increases and decreases by $2,000,000 funding for the Office of Justice Programs grant in order to support programs to engage adult men and young persons to reduce and prevent domestic violence against children. I ask that my colleagues vote in support of these amendments by passing En Bloc No. 2. Jackson Lee Amendments Approved Under the Rule for H.R. 7617--Defense, Commerce, Justice, Science, Energy and Water Development, Financial Services and General Government, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Appropriations Act Jackson Lee Amendment No. 29 increases and decreases the Department of Defense Military Retirement Fund by $2 million to provide the Secretary of Defense the flexibility needed for technical assistance for U.S. military women to military women in other countries combating violence targeting women and children as a weapon of war, terrorism, human trafficking, and narcotics trafficking. En Bloc No. 2 Jackson Lee Amendment No. 30 reduces funding for Operations and Maintenance-Defense Wide, by $5 million and increases funding for Defense Health Care for PTSD by $5 million. En Bloc No. 2 Jackson Lee Amendment No. 31 reduces funding for Operations and Maintenance-Defense Wide, by $10 million and increases funding for Defense Health Care for Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) by $10 million. En Bloc No. 2 Division B--Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies [En Bloc] Jackson Lee Amendment No. 102 increases and decreases by $2,000,000 funding for the Office of Justice Programs grant in order to support programs to engage adult men and young persons to reduce and prevent domestic violence against children. En Bloc No. 2 Division F--Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Jackson Lee Amendment No. 251 increases and decreases funds by $10,000,000 increase in funding to support greater diversity in the pool of diabetes research professionals and patients participating in clinical trials. En Bloc No. 4 Jackson Lee Amendment No. 252 increases and decreases funds by $10,000,000 with the intent of supporting programs that provide outreach and support services targeting program participants at greatest risk of not completing a college degree due to COVID-19 education disruption. En Bloc No. 4 Division G--Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies [En Blocs] Jackson Lee Amendment No. 319 increases and decreases the National Infrastructure Investments account by $2,000,000 to emphasize support for urban bicycle and pedestrian safety programs. En Bloc No. 4 Jackson Lee Amendment No. 320 prohibits the Department of Transportation from using funds for Section 106 Transportation construction projects in urban areas that have not been determined to meet the statutory and fiduciary obligations of the National Historic Preservation Act. En Bloc No. 5 Jackson Lee Amendment No. 321 increases and decreases by $1 million the Federal Rail Administration Safety and Operation's account to emphasize the need to provide dedicated funding to address community engagement on safety issues related railroad crossings in urban areas. En Bloc No. 4 Jackson Lee Amendment No. 322 provides $1,000,000 in assistance to address challenges faced by communities impacted by persistent poverty and are not included in decision making when major highway construction threatens their homes, businesses, and culturally significant structures. En Bloc No. 5 Jackson Lee Amendment No. 323 increases by $1,000,000 the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity to address the fairness in the use of Community Development Block Grant Disaster funding to repair or replace single family homes damaged during Hurricane Harvey to ensure that multigenerational homes can house the family at documented pre- disaster capacity. En Bloc No. 5 Amendments Cosponsored By Jackson Lee Escobar Amendment No. 234 increases and decreases funding by $1 million in the Office of the Secretary account to urge the U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission to develop and implement a binational strategy to address COVID-19 in the border region. En Bloc No. 5 Espaillat Amendment No. 236 increases and decreases by $10,000,000 to support greater minority patient outreach and minority candidate inclusion by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in clinical trial participation for any vaccine or therapeutics to treat the novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). En Bloc No. 4 Speier Amendment No. 292 increases funding for OSHA's Whistleblower Protection Program by $1,436,000 in order to ensure the office that enforces over 20 whistleblower laws has the funding needed to respond to the increase in complaints related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Decreases funding for the Office of the Secretary by $2,436,000. En Bloc No. 5 Amendment No. 19 Offered by Mr. Gosar of Arizona In division A, strike section 8134. Amendment No. 39 Offered by Mrs. Miller of West Virginia In division A, strike section 8134. Amendment No. 47 Offered by Mr. Norman of South Carolina At the end of division A (before the short title) insert the following: Sec. __. None of the funds made available by this Act may be used by the Navy in a test or pilot program that utilizes the current Mk 38 25mm remote gun system. Amendment No. 58 Offered by Mr. Schweikert of Arizona Page 10, line 22, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced by $5,000,000)''. Page 25, line 23, after the dollar amount, insert ``(increased by $5,000,000)''. Amendment No. 65 Offered by Mr. Smith of Missouri Page 12, line 10, after the dollar amount, insert the following: ``(reduced by $5,000,000)''. Page 24, line 15, after the dollar amount, insert the following: ``(increased by $5,000,000)''. Amendment No. 76 Offered by Mr. Turner of Ohio Page 15, line 25, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced by $6,000,000)''. Page 36, line 8, after the dollar amount, insert ``(increased by $6,000,000)''. Amendment No. 77 Offered by Mr. Upton of Michigan Page 25, line 23, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced by $3,000,000)''. Page 35, line 16, after the dollar amount, insert ``(increased by $3,000,000)''. Amendment No. 79 Offered by Mr. Waltz of Florida Page 35, line 1, after the dollar amount, insert ``(increased by $32,000,000)''. Page 39, line 14, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced by $32,000,000)''. Page 39, line 25, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced by $32,000,000)''. Amendment No. 85 Offered by Mr. Babin of Texas Page 186, line 2, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced by $4,100,000)''. Page 190, line 13, after the dollar amount, insert ``(increased by $4,100,000)''. Amendment No. 88 Offered by Mr. Bost of Illinois Page 223, line 16, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced by $1,000,000)''. Page 235, line 8, after the first dollar amount, insert ``(reduced by $1,000,000)''. Page 241, line 4, after the dollar amount, insert ``(increased by $1,000,000)''. Page 243, line 22, after the dollar amount, insert ``(increased by $1,000,000)''. Amendment No. 98 Offered by Mr. Gosar of Arizona Page 297, beginning on line 1, strike section 537. Amendment No. 113 Offered by Mr. McKinley of West Virginia Page 186, line 2, after the first dollar amount, insert ``(reduced by $15,000,000)''. Page 186, line 15, after the first dollar amount, insert ``(reduced by $15,000,000)''. Page 186, line 16, after the first dollar amount, insert ``(reduced by $15,000,000)''. Page 187, line 11, after the first dollar amount, insert ``(increased by $15,000,000)''. Page 187, line 15, after the first dollar amount, insert ``(increased by $15,000,000)''. Page 187, line 16, after the first dollar amount, insert ``(increased by $15,000,000)''. Amendment No. 162 Offered by Mr. Gosar of Arizona In division C, strike section 108. Amendment No. 181 Offered by Mr. Perry of Pennsylvania Beginning on page 361, line 9, strike title VI. Amendment No. 188 Offered by Mr. Turner of Ohio Strike section 309. Amendment No. 201 Offered by Mr. Huizenga of Michigan In division D, strike section 540. Amendment No. 207 Offered by Mr. McKinley of West Virginia Page 468, line 20, after the dollar amount, insert ``(increased by $2,000,000)''. Page 471, line 14, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced by $2,000,000)''. Page 473, line 20, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced by $2,000,000)''. Amendment No. 214 Offered by Mr. Steil of Wisconsin Page 495, beginning line 17, strike section 541. Amendment No. 225 Offered by Mr. Bishop of North Carolina At the end of division F (before the short title), insert the following: Sec. ___. None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to withdraw the rule submitted by the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Health and Human Services related to ``Health Reimbursement Arrangements and Other Account-Based Group Health Plans'' (84 Fed. Reg. 28888 (June 20, 2019)), except that this shall not apply to the administration of a tax or tariff. Amendment No. 242 Offered by Ms. Foxx of North Carolina At the end of division F (before the short title), insert the following: Sec. __. None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to modify any provision of the rule entitled ``Medicare and Medicaid Programs: CY 2020 Hospital Outpatient PPS Policy Changes and Payment Rates and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment System Policy Changes and Payment Rates. Price Transparency Requirements for Hospitals To Make Standard Charges Public'' (84 Fed. Reg. 65524 (November 27, 2019)) relating to price transparency requirements for hospitals. Amendment No. 248 Offered by Mr. Hill of Arkansas Page 764, strike line 18, and all that follows through page 765, line 24. amendment no. 249 offered by mr. hill of arkansas Page 706, line 25, after the dollar amount, insert ``(increased by $2,600,000)''. Page 855, line 18, after the first dollar amount, insert ``(reduced by $2,600,000)''. amendment no. 268 offered by mr. newhouse of washington Page 809, line 4, strike lines 4 through 10. amendment no. 296 offered by mr. taylor of texas Page 720, line 16, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced by $1,000,000) (increased by $1,000,000)''. amendment no. 309 offered by mr. wright of texas In division F, strike section 114. amendment no. 325 offered by mrs. lesko of arizona Page 1097, strike lines 1 through 11. amendment no. 326 offered by mrs. lesko of arizona Page 1097, strike lines 12 through 17. amendment no. 333 offered by mr. perry of pennsylvania Page 1123, strike line 1 and all that follows through line 13 on page 1165.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise to speak in strong support of En Bloc No. 5, to H.R. 7617, the Defense, Commerce, Justice, Science, Energy and Water Development, Financial Services and General Government, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Appropriations Act. I thank Chairman McGovern and Ranking Member Cole for including several amendments in the rule for House consideration of H.R. 7617. The Jackson Lee amendments are in the following Divisions: Division A--Department of Defense; Division B--Commerce, Justice, Science; Division F--Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education; and Division G--Transportation, Housing and Urban Development. The Jackson Lee Amendments made in order for Division G provide funding for Fiscal Year 2021 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and exemplify the House of Representatives' commitment to making real policy change and upholding Black Lives. Three Jackson Lee amendments to this Division are complementary because they protect the history and culture of Black Lives from our past into our present by protecting areas that are cited in Public Law 116-111, which enacts H.R. 434, the National Emancipation Historic Trail Study Act. The Emancipation National Historic Trail Act would pave the way for the establishment of only the second nationally recognized historic trail that chronicles the experience of African Americans in their struggle for equality and justice. H.R. 434, the Emancipation National Historical Trail Act, designates the 51 miles from the historic Osterman Building and Reedy Chapel in Galveston, Texas, along Highway 3 and I-45, north to Freedmen's Town and Emancipation Park in Houston, Texas as a national historic trail. The key amendments to Division G of H.R. 7617, are: Jackson Lee Amendments No. 320, No. 321, and No. 323, which are included in En Bloc No. 5. Jackson Lee Amendment No. 320, included in En Bloc No. 5, prohibits the Department of Transportation from using funds for Section 106 Transportation construction projects in urban areas that have not been determined to meet the statutory and fiduciary obligations of the National Historic Preservation Act. Jackson Lee Amendment No. 322, included in En Bloc No. 5, provides $1,000,000 in assistance to address challenges faced by communities impacted by persistent poverty and are not included in decision making when major highway construction threatens their homes, businesses, and culturally significant structures. These two amendments make a statement in support of preserving the history of Black Lives, because this history matters. Through these lives, a nation was forged out of what should have taken hundreds of years for America to rival Europe in economic might, industrial capacity, and military strength, it took less than a hundred because of forced labor worked beyond human capacity, compassion, or decency under a system of chattel slavery, which was more cruel than any conceived form of forced involuntary labor prior to what was created in the United States. Some may ask, why do we need an H.R. 40, the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act, it is because we have not, as a nation nor as a people, gotten to the truth about what chattel slavery was, why those who created it thought it was necessary, and what steps were taken to poison every institution known to mankind to accept it as natural, normal and in many records as ``compassionate''. Until we understand what was done, why it was done, and how it was achieved, there is no method to chart a course out of it, to get beyond its influence, to fully eradiate it from our minds, institutions, and way of life. One of the vestiges of slavery is how government entities treat African Americans' right to own property--a home is the single greatest source of wealth for black people living within the United States. Achieving homeownership is celebrated and the home becomes a source of stability for the family over multiple generations. Stable communities led to the establishment of places of worship, businesses, as well as social and cultural centers of life within residential areas. One of these historic communities is Independence Heights, which began in the 1900s, a time in which African Americans faced enormous difficulties securing property and establishing a place to live in the South. Having faith in the message of self-determination advocated by Booker T. Washington, the early pioneers of Independence Heights secured property from the Wright Land Company, set up their own system of governance, and became the first town incorporated by African Americans in Texas in 1915. Annexed by the City of Houston in 1929, Independence Heights remains a community that reflects and cherishes its values, accomplishments, and history to this day. This area and others cited in Public Law 116-111 are under threat from the Texas Department of Transportation starting after World War II, when major highway construction was invoked nationally, and has continued to the present day. For more than 14 years, Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has been planning the North Houston Highway Improvement Project (NHHIP), a massive expansion of Interstate 45 that will completely reshape freeway transit around downtown Houston, with major changes to I-45, I-69, I-10 and Hwy 288 over the next decade. These changes will threaten the Near Northside of Houston, taking way the Leonel Castillo Community Center and Greater New Hope Missionary Baptist Church along with seven other historic churches in Independence Heights. The proposed expansion of I-45 north of downtown to Beltway 8 will result in impacts to neighborhoods along either side of I-45 North, as hundreds of residents face displacement. Located just northwest of the intersection of I-610 and I-45, the historic neighborhood of Independence Heights is one of those neighborhoods facing said impacts. Unfortunately, in 2019 when TxDOT made public its report on the Project's expected impacts to historical resources required under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the agency completely left Independence Heights out of its survey. Independence Heights is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as the first state chartered community of former slaves and is a destination site on state historic heritage trails such as the Texas Independence Trail and holds the distinction as the first town incorporated by African Americans in the state of Texas. After World War II, the construction of the I-45 and 610 Loop isolated Independence Heights from the rest of the city of Houston. Starting after World War II, the push to build highways accelerated and the brunt of the pain for this growth was felt by black and brown communities not just in Texas but everywhere massive projects were undertaken. Once again, I-45 has planned major reconstruction that could impact communities of color, including historic black neighborhoods like Independence Heights and the Fifth Ward, as plans call for demolishing homes and businesses to accommodate more roadway space. TxDoT has not been kind to Independence Heights or other communities around the network of freeways and interchanges in the downtown area. Over the decades, these same areas have lost hundreds of homes, businesses and historic places to massive rebuilds and new construction has taken hundreds of homes and historic sites from Independence Heights. TxDOT's plans for the I-45 massive rebuild seem to have relied on previous policies of the past I-610 freeway construction for the current plan to take neighborhood property. Today, the world has changed--and the faith of historic places and the community that cherishes them can take comfort in knowing that H.R. 434, the ``Emancipation National Historic Trail Study Act,'' became Public Law 116-111 on January 27, 2020. The ambition of taking on the effort of building a national historic trial was made possible by the dedication and hard work of local historic preservationists who tell the story of the African American experience. Jackson Lee Amendment No. 323, included in En Bloc No. 5, increases by $1,000,000 the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity to address the fairness in the use of Community Development Block Grant Disaster funding to repair or replace single family homes damaged during Hurricane Harvey to ensure that multigenerational homes can house the family at documented predisaster capacity. This amendment addresses the unfair action taken to diminish the quality of repairs or replacement of homes damaged by Hurricane Harvey. The law providing the final supplement for disaster recovery for Hurricanes Harvey and Maria disaster housing recovery provisions of the bill allowed local jurisdictions to be in control over recovery or repair of single and multi-family housing. The City of Houston applied for and was awarded the grant to replace or repair single and multi-family housing for city residents. The state of Texas General Land Office is attempting to take back the grant and replace the city's plan to repair or replace housing with a plan to only repair two bedrooms no matter how many the home had at the time of the storm's damage. The City of Houston strongly opposes the Texas General Land Office's (``GLO'') proposal to eliminate all City-administered CDBG-DR 17 program funding for several reasons. First, the City's programs are successful and on schedule. For example, even though the City is only 1.5 years into its grant: $446 million (35 percent) of total funds allocated to the City has already been designated for the specific properties or projects at which the assistance is to be used. $153 million (12 percent) is already under a signed contract that obligates its use to deliver recovery services, with more contracts being signed on a weekly basis. The City's Single-Family programs have already fully served 234 homeowners, with another 246 families submitted to or approved by GLO and currently being served. At the current pace, the City will serve 1000 families for each of the next 4 years before the end of the contract, for an estimated total served of 4,480 families. Second, the City's programs are better and more appropriate for the citizens of the City than those the GLO has implemented. As intended by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (``HUD''), the City's programs are serving the most vulnerable families first. This prioritization addresses systemic racial inequalities that have regularly occurred in prior disaster recovery efforts, including the disaster recovery programs previously overseen by the State. Specifically, the City has adjusted its approach to ensure Houston's most vulnerable residents are not left behind because of regulatory or bureaucratic barriers erected by the State or any other entity. This number does not include contracts for third-party vendors. The City's multifamily program will create units that are affordable for more than twice as long the State's program, will serve far more very low income families than the State's program, and is attracting seven times the amount of funding leverage (a requirement of the CDBG- DR 17 program) as compared to the State's program. The City's program provides more recovery choices to Hurricane Harvey-impacted renters allowing them to use recovery funds to become homeowners. The State's program does not provide this option. The third reason the city of Houston is opposing the GLO's proposed amendment to the grant award is because it violates the terms of its subrecipient agreement, GLO Contract No. 19-147-001-B489, as amended, with the City (the ``Contract''). Section 2.03 of the Contract provides that amendments to increase or decrease the amount of the subaward must be made by written agreement of the parties and the City has not consented to any reduction in its subaward. Funding under the Contract has not been reduced or terminated. The City is performing under the terms of the Contract and has not defaulted under the Contract. Finally, the GLO has demonstrated that it has a difficult time complying with HUD requirements and with establishing and communicating its own bureaucratic and confusing requirements to the City. Two years ago, as it was drafting its own plan for the $5 billion recovery funds, the GLO failed to provide appropriate community engagement in Houston and Harris County, jurisdictions representing half of the state's total residential damage from Harvey. Due to the above failure, HUD directed the State to allow the City to submit its own action plan, directed by and informed by Houstonians. As directed by HUD and agreed to by the State, the GLO's only role as the passthrough entity for the funding was to ensure compliance with HUD regulations. The State has failed in this role, by making up requirements for the City's programs completely unrelated to any set by HUD but especially in its review of the City's home repair program. Having decided to impose far more requirements than originally agreed to by the City or required by HUD, the GLO failed to communicate these additional requirements at the beginning of the program--using instead its Requests for Information (``RFIs'') process to reject files and repeatedly changing its process along the way in order to continue rejecting files submitted by the City. For these reasons, and to protect the homes of hundreds of Black Homeowners, it matters that the city, so long as it meets or exceeds the expectations for recovery of homes post Hurricane Harvey, they should be allowed to continue the work. I urge all my colleagues to vote in support of En Bloc No. 5 and the Jackson Lee Amendments. City of Houston, Houston, Texas, July 28, 2020. Hon. Sheila Jackson Lee, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Congresswoman Jackson Lee: On behalf of the City of Houston, I am writing to express strong support of your amendment #38 House Resolution 7617 regarding common-sense approach to providing disaster recovery assistance to households with homes damaged by Hurricane Harvey. In Houston, many of our lower-income seniors live in single family homes that are their only asset. Of course, homeowners who have lived in homes with more than two bedrooms for many years would want to retain the value of that precious asset, even as they may need significant federal help to reconstruct their homes. Our desired standard is to rebuild a three- bedroom home for households of four of fewer people for people whose homes had three of more bedrooms before the storm. While this is the standard outline in City of Houston guidelines, we are subject to rules set by the Texas General Land Office (GLO). GLO requires that occupancy as the sole factor for determining the size of rebuilt homes. Under GLO rules, people who have lived for many years in a three- or four-bedroom home would be forced to accept a two-bedroom home as a condition of receiving Harvey assistance. This policy will have the unintended effect of depressing property values across those neighborhoods, while this amendment will help address that disparity and is consistent with the feedback from Houstonians. We must work together to ensure that Houston has a health housing stock of the future, and that vulnerable Houstonians who receive much-needed recovery funds after Harvey are not forced to unreasonable downsize longstanding family homes as a condition of receiving assistance. Sincerely, Sylvester Turner, Mayor.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman DeFazio and Ranking Member Graves for answering the plea of so many of us in relation to our districts. I thank subcommittee chairwoman, Mrs. Napolitano, and Ranking Member Westerman. Mr. Speaker, I am glad for all these years I have been working on issues dealing collectively with our Houston port or bayous and the flooding crisis that we have in Houston, Texas, Harris County. I am glad that this legislation authorizes the Houston Ship Channel Expansion Improvement Project, part of my district, the Federal contribution to which is approximately $463 million. I remember standing at the edge of our port looking at the mud collecting and impeding the going and coming of those vessels. It authorizes the construction of all 34 pending Corps Chief's Reports received since the enactment of WRDA; Authorizes 35 feasibility studies for water resources development projects; And directs the Corps, which we have worked with, to expedite the completion of 41 feasibility studies currently underway, including the Houston Regional Watershed Assessment, Flood Risk Management feasibility study, which I have introduced over and over again. It is now going to move. It fully unlocks the approximately $10 billion currently held in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund. It helps bayous in my district, Greens Bayou, White Oak Bayou, Hunting Bayou; and, of course, it recognizes that Hurricane Harvey--we had 21 trillion gallons of water, losing housing, 203,000 homes were damaged and 12,700 were destroyed. Finally, what is so important, the bill directs the secretary to issue final agency procedures for its Principles, Requirements, and Guidelines to ensure that future water resources development projects will maximize sustainable development and affordably address the needs of economically disadvantaged communities. The bill authorizes the Corps to study, design, and construct water resources. Mr. Speaker, the most disadvantaged persons are the ones that suffer the most. I am grateful for this bill, and I ask support for this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong and enthusiastic support of H.R. 7575, the Water Resources Development Act for 2020, which strengthens America's competitive edge by investing in our ports, harbors and inland waterways, builds more resilient communities, and creates additional flexibility for the Corps to address the water resources needs of economically disadvantaged communities, communities of color, and rural communities. I thank Congressman DeFazio and Congressman Graves of Missouri, the Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructue, and Congresswoman Napolitano and Congressman Westerman, the Water Development Resources Subcommittee Chair and Ranking Member, respectively, for their work in shepherding this important bipartisan legislation to the floor. Mr. Speaker, I support this bipartisan legislation because it: 1. Authorizes the Houston Ship Channel Expansion Channel Improvement Project, the federal contribution to which is approximately $463 million. 2. Authorizes the construction of all 34 pending Corps Chief's Reports received since the enactment of WRDA 2018. 3. Authorizes 35 feasibility studies for water resources development projects, those identified through the public review process established by section 7001 of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014. 4. Directs the Corps to expedite the completion of 41 feasibility studies currently underway, including the Houston Regional Watershed Assessment Flood Risk Management Feasibility study, which is certainly needed given the frequency and severity of historic-level flood events in recent years in and around the Houston metropolitan area. 5. Fully unlocks the approximately $10 billion currently held in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) by providing the authority to appropriate additional funds for harbor maintenance needs from the existing balance in the Trust Fund. Mr. Speaker, these water development projects managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in consultation with local partners are key to preserving our Nation's economy, to protecting our communities, and to maintaining our quality of life. The Army Corps of Engineers has been working with the Harris County Flood Control District since 1937 to reduce the risk of flooding within Harris County. Current projects include 6 federal flood risk management projects: 1. Sims Bayou; 2. Greens Bayou; 3. Brays Bayou; 4. White Oak Bayou; 5. Hunting Bayou; and 6. Clear Creek. In addition to these ongoing projects, the Army Corps of Engineers operates and maintains the Addicks and Barker (A&B) Detention Dams in northwest Harris County. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this legislation because it is essential in minimizing the risk of flood damage to Houston and Harris County metropolitan area, the nation's fourth largest, is a matter of national significance because the region is one of the Nation's major technology, energy, finance, export and medical centers: 1. The Port of Houston is the largest bulk port in the world; 2. Texas Medical Center is a world renowned teaching, research and treatment center; 3. Houston is home to the largest conglomeration of foreign bank representation and second only to New York City as home to the most Fortune 500 companies; and 4. The Houston Watershed Assessment study area sits within major Hurricane Evacuation arteries for the larger Galveston Gulf Coast region. At its peak on September 1, 2017, one-third of Houston was underwater due to Hurricane Harvey flooding. There were over 41,500 square miles of land mass impacted by Hurricane Harvey and the subsequent flooding that covered an area larger than the States of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont combined. Hurricane Harvey dropped 21 trillion gallons of rainfall on Texas and Louisiana, most of it on the Houston Metroplex. In September 2017, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory reported that Hurricane Harvey's rainfall created 275 trillion pounds of water, which caused the crust in and around Houston to deform and sink nearly 1 inch because of the weight. Over 300,000 structures flooded in southeastern Texas, where extreme rainfall hit many areas that are densely populated. Hurricane Harvey is the largest housing disaster to strike the U.S. in our Nation's history. Hurricane Harvey damaged 203,000 homes, of which 12,700 were destroyed. Texas flood control districts are still struggling to recover from this record breaking flood event. Nineteen trillion gallons of flood waters poured into the Houston Ship Channel from area rivers and bayous on the way to the Gulf of Mexico. As a consequence, tens of millions of tons of sediment and debris flowed through the biggest waterway in the nation. The Port of Houston produces 27 percent of the nation's gasoline and about 60 percent of the U.S. aviation fuel. Investments in all aspects of our Nation's water infrastructure pays dividends in the form of economic activity. The Houston Ship Channel generates $617 billion in the U.S. with $265 billion of that in Texas representing 16 percent of the state of Texas's GDP. The Port of Houston sustains 2.7 million jobs nationally with 1.2 million of them within the state of Texas. Mr. Speaker, let me list a few of the provisions in this bill that will benefit my communities I represent. The bill directs the Secretary to issue final agency procedures for its Principles, Requirements, and Guidelines (PR&G) to ensure that future water resources development projects will maximize sustainable development and affordably address the needs of economically disadvantaged communities. The bill authorizes the Corps to study, design and construct water resources projects for communities that have been subjected to repetitive flooding events and have received emergency flood assistance, including construction of temporary barriers. This authority will help repetitive loss communities, especially those in economically-disadvantaged communities, obtain critical flood protection. The legislation requires the Corps to undertake an inventory of water resources development projects and associated properties that are or may be contaminated with PFAS, and to develop a plan to remediate and limit potential human exposure to the contamination. The bill requires the Corps to complete its review on minority community and tribal consultation, as well as update Corps' policies on environmental justice considerations and community engagement and consultation. Finally, the legislation authorizes and creates additional flexibility for the Corps to address the water resources needs of economically disadvantaged communities, communities of color, and rural communities, such as authorizing the Corps of Engineers to provide technical assistance for resiliency planning, with priority given to economically disadvantaged communities. I urge all Members to join me in voting for H.R. 7575, the bipartisan Water Resources Development Act of 2020.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise for the thousands and millions of childcare workers--essential workers--and their families and the children in support of legislation that provides $50 billion to reaffirm childcare essential workers and, as well, to provide relief to desperate parents. COVID-19 has taken an enormous toll on our community. It has taken a toll because people have not worn masks, there have not been stay-at- home orders, and Houston and Harris County are suffering. This legislation will be a lifeline. In addition, I fight for and advocate for the moneys for our States and local communities. We cannot suffer a Republican bill. We must have $600 for our unemployment extension or addition, and, as well, it is imperative that we have testing money. The way you stop COVID-19 is testing, testing, testing, social distancing, wearing a mask, and giving authority to local jurisdictions to be able to issue stay-at- home orders. This is a pandemic and a crisis. When is the Nation going to stand up to an administration that refuses to understand that? We in the Congress, this majority in the United States House of Representatives, will fight against eliminating $600, not getting the money for our States and local governments, and not getting testing money.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, as an original cosponsor and senior member of Democratic congressional delegation from Texas, the Committee on the Judiciary, I rise in strong and enthusiastic support of H.R. 2420, the ``National Museum for the American Latino,'' which the newest museum of the Smithsonian Institute. The United States is a symbol of democracy, freedom, and economic opportunity around the world, and the legacy of Latinos is deeply rooted in the very fabric of the history, democracy, freedom, and economic opportunity of the United States. As hard as it is to imagine, currently there exists no national museum within the Smithsonian Institution that is devoted to the documentation and explication of Latino life, art, history, and culture. This legislation rectifies this regrettable situation. The major purpose of the Museum is to illuminate the story of Latinos in the history of the United States for the benefit of all by featuring Latino contributions. Another important purpose of the museum is to provide for the collection, study, research, publication, and establishment of exhibitions and programs relating to Latino life, art, history, and culture. That life, art, history, and culture encompasses Latino contributions in the early history of what now encompasses the United States of America and its territories. Madam Speaker, Latino contributions in the armed services date from the earliest days of the American Revolution to current military activities in defense of our freedoms. The National Museum of the American Latino will also document and preserve the history of Latino contributions to the freedom, well- being, and economic prosperity of all people in the United States through historical movements, entrepreneurial and charitable activities of Latinos; as well as contributions by Latinos to the social, natural, and physical sciences; and art, history, and culture, including food, music, dance, film, theater, sports, and other forms of popular culture in the United States. Finally, the Museum will collaborate with research centers of the Smithsonian Institution, and other museums and educational institutions throughout the United States and abroad, to promote the study and appreciation of Latino life, art, history, culture, and its impact on society in the United States. Madam Speaker, I am proud that Texas is generally regarded as the most Hispanic state in America, and Texas is rich with the history of Latinos in America. The state of Texas is 39.2 percent Hispanic, which is 22.47 percent more Hispanic than it was in 2010, and there are six cities along the Texas/Mexico border where the population is effectively 100 percent Hispanic, including Hidalgo, Texas. The Hispanic population in my home city of Houston is 44 percent; corresponding numbers are 42 percent in Dallas, 80 percent in El Paso. According to the 2010 census, in Texas, Hispanics accounted for nearly half of all births. Finally, Madam Speaker, the establishment of the National Museum of the American Latino will be consistent with the purposes of the Smithsonian Institution, created by Congress in 1846, ``for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.'' I urge all Members to vote for H.R. 2420, the National Museum for the American Latino Act.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, as a senior member of the Judiciary, Homeland, and Budget Committees, and Founding Chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus, I rise in strong support of H.R. 7327, the ``Child Care for Economic Recovery Act'', which expands the availability of quality child care, helps workers return to their jobs when it is safe, and enables America's economy to recover from the COVID-19 recession. The Child Care for Economic Recovery Act creates a new tax credit that helps employees access quality, affordable child care, and by expanding the employee retention tax credit, it incentivizes employers to keep child care workers on payroll. Further, this bill provides $850 million to states, the District of Columbia, and all U.S. territories to fill in the gaps in dependent care for essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as invests $10 billion in infrastructure to improve child care safety. Madam Speaker, just last week, the United States reached a historic and unfortunate milestone with over 4,000,000 confirmed coronavirus cases. Today, there are over 4,400,000 cases nationwide and 151,000 deaths. In my home state of Texas, a current hotspot, there are over 413,000 cases and 6,500 deaths. At the county level, Harris County, which includes my district, has approximately 67,660 cases and 1,127 deaths. As we seek to regain control over this virus and poise our economy to rebound from the effects of the coronavirus, we must take the necessary steps to address the cracks and disparities that have come to light by way of the pandemic. The child care industry has served as a crucial backbone to the United States' economy for many years, and it too continues to be rocked by the coronavirus. Child care facilities provide an immense and unquestionable public value. This was demonstrated by the key role child care centers had as they continued to provide child care for essential workers who continued to work at the beginning of the pandemic. According to the Washington Post, before the coronavirus pandemic, approximately one-third of all children under 5 attended a paid care facility, day-care center, preschool or prekindergarten. Workers in every industry rely on child care centers to provide capable care for their children, helping them juggle both parenting and employment responsibilities. The child care industry is even more essential to single parent households. In 2019, 15.76 million children lived with a single mother and approximately 3.23 million children lived with a single father. For these millions of families, child care is a lifeline. However, as millions of businesses continue to feel the economic effects of the coronavirus and fight for survival, the child care industry is facing its own crisis. Nationwide, an estimated 1.5 million childcare workers have lost their jobs. Before the pandemic, Texas had more than 11,000 child care operations. Yet, as a result of this disease, there were only 883 facilities still operating in the state as of early this month, according to CNN. Madam Speaker, I stand here today, voicing my support for H.R. 7327 because it serves as a vital component to our nation's economic reopening strategy. The federal government must do everything in its power to ensure that the child care industry remains available to all who need it, and that means voting yes on this bill. By enacting this piece of legislation, Congress commits to ensuring the long-term success of the child care industry by investing $10 billion over the 2020-2024 period to improve child care facilities and infrastructure. Doing so will address longstanding inadequacies of child care facilities as well as respond to the immediate infrastructure needs that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused, including structural changes to facilitate social distancing and improve sanitation. Madam Speaker, this legislation also requires the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to conduct a first-ever comprehensive inventory of the structural challenges facing child care in the United States and its territories. For far too long, the child care industry has been overlooked and undervalued, and it is no coincidence that this industry is comprised of 94 percent women, a majority of whom are women of color. But child care is not just a woman's issue. Everyone has a stake in ensuring the viability of the child care industry. I have been a long-standing advocate for the child care industry because I understand the challenges many working families face when it comes to obtaining reliable, affordable, and quality child care. Prior to the pandemic, HHS considered childcare affordable if no more than 10 percent of a family's income was put towards it, but parents were ultimately spending much more, on average. However, because of the coronavirus and the economic devastation it has caused, what was once deemed affordable is bound to change. By passing H.R. 7327, we have the opportunity to bring much-needed relief to financially struggling child care providers, to families who need child care in order to return to work, and to the U.S. economy. With this legislation, we will expand access to care and ease the financial burdens placed on parents and employers, so that we can reopen and recover from this public health crisis without leaving kids, parents, and businesses behind. I urge all Members to join me in voting for H.R. 7327, the ``Child Care for Economic Recovery Act.''

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlemen for allowing me the privilege of joining my brothers and sisters in the Hispanic Caucus for really a moment of history in this historic legislation authored by our dear friend, Congressman Serrano from New York, the National Museum of the American Latino Act. Madam Speaker, I have watched Congressman Serrano for all the years that he has served, and I do want to take this moment to say what an honor to have been able to serve with him. He walked among giants as a civil rights activist in this Congress. You could always count on his voice for upholding civil rights and justice, and his leadership on the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee is well evident. I thank him again for his leadership. In the opening findings of this legislation, it says: ``The United States is a symbol of democracy, freedom, and economic opportunity around the world, and the legacy of Latinos is deeply rooted in the very fabric of the history, democracy, freedom, and economic opportunity of the United States.'' It is long overdue for our memory to be able to reflect that that is true across this Nation. I have had the privilege in Texas to count as some very dear friends the entire Hispanic-Latin community, and it is in their name so many heroes and sheroes in our community walked alongside so many of us for justice of any kind. I have had the privilege of going with members of the Hispanic Caucus to fight against the devastation and dastardly acts of children in cages and human beings in cages and disrespecting those who would want to be equal in this Nation. In addition, I have seen the soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan who wore the uniform whose family members were yet not citizens of the United States. I fight along with my brothers and sisters against the dastardly act of this administration to not count undocumented persons. We know that this Nation was formed in the Constitution by the words to ``form a more perfect Union.'' How do you have a perfect Union without the historic recognition of the Latino community and how they built the pillars of this Nation? Let me say how exciting it will be for children and others to be able to come there. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for this legislation having scholarship opportunities for African Americans, Hispanics, and others to do their work in the arts. I want to conclude my remarks by highlighting the respect and friendship of Caesar Chavez and Dr. Martin Luther King. I do that in the recognition of my good friend Dolores Huerta, as well, who was mentioned previously. What a fighter for justice. What a traditional mother, if you will, in her fight and embracing the fight. She never gave up and never gave in.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me the additional time. These words are from Dr. Martin Luther King: ``I am deeply moved by your courage in fasting as your personal sacrifice for justice through nonviolence. Your past and present commitment is eloquent testimony to the constructive power of nonviolent action and the destructive impotence of violent reprisal. You stand today as a living example of the Gandhian tradition with its great force for social progress.'' They never met, but I honor both of them, and I honor this museum. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlemen for giving me the opportunity to speak, and I ask for support of the legislation.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her leadership, and I particularly rise today to thank all of my colleagues who joined in this historic moment with Congresswoman Frederica Wilson. Let it be known how hard and consistently she worked and with much perseverance and determination. We give her tribute today. We thank Senator Rubio for joining and helping with the Senate, because it is a bipartisan bill. We, likewise, acknowledge the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys. We acknowledge these words that she said to me this morning: It will help save lives. That is why we stand on the floor today, because we recognize that systemic racism exists and the encounters of our young boys with people who determine that they are not human or equal wind up in the great loss of life or their encounter with each other. So I am delighted that members of the Judiciary Committee, members of the Education and Labor Committee, and other committees focus on how we can do well. This Scripture reminds me of where we are today: `` . . . this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless.'' This is a time where we are doing what we need to do for Black boys and men. This is a time when we stand up and be counted to end systemic racism as it impacts them and this Nation. Mr. Speaker, I ask support for this outstanding and historic legislation.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, sometimes it is very difficult to respond to something that is so much out of the ordinary, but I rise today to refer to my colleague, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and to make mention of the incident that occurred where she was described in unflattering words. Those words were denigrating to a woman. They were equally denigrating to women of color. One's views in this place are protected by the Constitution and protected by the First Amendment, but it is particularly sad when one's particular gender is called out and degraded, for women have been the backbone of this Nation. They have helped build this country. They serve in the United States military. Our Member of Congress from The Bronx, New York, has equally been elected by her constituents, and deserves the kind of respect and understanding that all of those who take the oath deserve. I am appalled by the words that were used against her. I stand with her remarks of expression of the right to have different views, and I also stand with her as a woman who would respect that service and that unique service that we who have come to this place where we could not be for many, many years to serve, she should be allowed to serve, and serve in dignity.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, first of all, I thank the gentlewoman for her generosity and for recognizing the importance of the work that we are doing. Mr. Speaker, I want to speak to my amendments and thank the Rules Committee for these amendments. I guess I have to speak very quickly. We have been committed over the years to stopping the trafficking of endangered species, and I am glad that I have established a focus on protecting the endangered species like Cecil the lion. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Rules Committee for that amendment, as well as the amendment that I have been working on for many years to stop female genital mutilation, to highlight the extensive amount of mutilation in developing nations across the world. I was also very pleased to have an amendment that provided for the authority of the Secretary of Agriculture or any Federal agency, to stop them from eliminating assistance and benefits to victims of trafficking as permitted by 22 U.S.C. 7105. We know that victims of human trafficking are the most vulnerable, and my city of Houston has been the epicenter of human trafficking.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I want to also applaud the fact that I was able to get an amendment in that increases the funding by $2 million, through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, for the 1890s land-grant colleges, which are 28 historically Black colleges. It helps those who are in food deserts. And, Mr. Speaker, my district has now some percentage of COVID-19 who are, in essence, underwater, suffering, and food distribution, or the lack of food, is very evident. We have suffered in my region with toxic poisoning from chemicals, and we now have $5 million that has been in the Department of the Interior to highlight the need to support culturally competent Federal, State, and local public health and environmental protection efforts. Mr. Speaker, I want to say to Fifth Ward Texas that they have been heard in the Halls of the United States Congress; they will not any longer be contaminated by creosote and having the numbers of cancers that they have experienced, as I have knocked on doors and had people telling me about their families dying because the railroad's creosote contaminated their backyards and the trees that they grew and the fruit that they grew. How horrendous that we would have that. I am very glad that our amendments were included in this legislation.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, the chairwoman has been enormously gracious for me to be able to conclude my remarks by indicating again the importance of the historically Black colleges getting an extra $2 million; emphasizing that Fifth Ward Texas, the home of Barbara Jordan and Mickey Leland, older neighborhoods in the historically minority communities, won't suffer any longer by toxic poisoning because of chemicals that have been placed without care; and to be able to thank them, as well, for taking care of the endangered species and those who are trafficked and those, as well, with female genital mutilation. Mr. Speaker, I close my remarks by simply saying the COVID-19 dollars are needed. I thank the chairwoman for that. We are suffering in Houston, and we are going to fight to stop community spread by more testing, more testing, more testing.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in strong support of Jackson Lee Amendments to H.R. 7608, the State, Foreign Operations, Agriculture, Rural Development, Interior, Environment, Military Construction, and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act.'' I thank Chairman McGovern and Ranking Member Cole for making these Jackson Lee amendments in order for House consideration of H.R. 7608. These Jackson Lee Amendments are straightforward and make the bill even better. I believe they would command the support of a majority of the House and urge my colleagues to vote in favor of them. The amendments are to the following divisions: Division A--Department of State, Foreign Operations; Division B--Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration; and Division C--Department of the Interior, Environment. Division A--Department of State, Foreign Operations Jackson Lee Amendment No. 11 will designate $1,000,000 to combat the trafficking of endangered species. My amendment makes a good bill better by providing a $1 million focus to combat the transportation of the remains of endangered species, to confront the transport of the remains of killed endangered species. The brutal killing of Cecil the lion after being lured off a protected preserve was an indication that we needed to do more to protect endangered species at risk of being killed. At that time, I introduced and sought the support of my colleagues as original cosponsors of my legislation, Cecil the Lion Endangered and Threatened Species Act of 2015. This bill sought to strengthen partner countries' capacity in countering wildlife trafficking and designating major wildlife countries for protection. The amendment offered is in the same spirit: to prohibit the taking and transportation of any endangered and threatened species as a trophy to the United States. Currently, the Endangered Species Act does not protect most wildlife animals killed. At this point, we can choose to make wise decisions that will sustain the global population, or we can ignore the warning signs. I believe this amendment is one that Members can support because it would bring greater awareness and protection to these beautiful and vital populations that are too often taken for granted, by allowing this amendment to address the senseless trafficking in trophy killings of all endangered and threatened species. Jackson Lee Amendment No. 12 provides funds to be allocate funds provided for Global Health Programs to the fight against the practice of Female Genital Mutilation. I have been a dedicated champion against this practice for a long while, even working with former Congressman Joe Crowley of New York to introduce legislation targeted at supporting the elimination of this ludicrous practice of mutilating young women. Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) comprises all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. This practice is rooted in gender inequality and is often linked to other elements of gender-based violence and discrimination, such as child marriage and recognized internationally as a violation of the human rights of women and girls. Unfortunately, this means an estimated 200 million girls and women alive today have been victims of FGM/C, with girls 14 and younger representing 44 million of those who have been cut. For example, consider that: Around the world, at least five girls are mutilated/ cut every hour. More than 3 million girls are estimated to be at risk of FGM/C, annually. The impacts of FGM/C on the physical health of women and girls can include bleeding, infection, obstetric fistula, complications during childbirth and death. Other significant barriers to combatting the practice of FGM/C include the high concentration in specific regions associated with several cultural traditions, that is not tied to any one religion. According to UNICEF, FGM/C is reported to occur in all parts of the world, but is most prevalent in parts of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Due to the commonality of this practice many migrants to the U.S. bring the practice of FGM/C with them, increasing the importance of combatting FGM/C abroad. The United Nations adopted a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 that includes a target to eliminate FGM/C and recognizing the abandonment of this harmful practice can be achieved because of a comprehensive movement that involves all public and private stakeholders in society. With these provisions in place and my amendment increasing the funding for foreign assistance we can ensure Female Genital Mutilation/ Cutting (FGM/C), an internationally recognized violation of the human rights of girls and women comes to an end. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) published a report in 2016 estimating that 513,000 women and girls in the United States were at risk or may have been subjected to FGM/C. The presence of FGM/C in the United States brings a sobering truth to light, that we still have much work to do here at home to stop our young women and girls from suffering at the hands of this archaic and utterly unnecessary practice. I am reminded of the story of Hadiatu Jalloh, a 7-year-old from Sierra Leone, who with her mother fled to Houston to seek a life saving operation to rectify complications from the practice of FGM/C from which she suffered for more than a year. Due to complications from the FGM procedure, little Hadiatu could not stop bleeding, she then underwent two additional nonmedical procedures to repair the damage she suffered. However, the bleeding continued and after the second procedure to stop the bleeding, Hadiatu could not properly urinate and suffered terrible pain. In her desperate quest for help, Hadiatu's mother Umu took her daughter across the border to Sierra Leone, but still could not find a doctor to treat Hadiatu. Dr. Hardwick-Smith a world-renowned board certified OBGYN--along with a team led by Houston pediatric urologist Dr. Eric Jones--solved Hadiatu's problem by removing scar tissue during the successful surgery. Stories such like this remind me of the importance of this work, and how can we cannot afford to ignore any instance of FGM/C. And that is why earlier we celebrated the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, a multinational effort to bring this practice to an end. That is why my amendment reprograms funding that will be used by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for elimination of FGM/C. The Jackson Lee Amendment increases funding to expedite the complete and total elimination of FGM/C. I urge support for the Jackson Lee Amendment. Division B--Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration Jackson Lee Amendment No. 45 clarifies that nothing in the bill restricts the authority of the Secretary of Agriculture or any federal agency head from providing assistance and benefits to victims of trafficking as permitted by 22 U.S.C. 7105(b) of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (114 Stat. 1464, Pub. Law 106-386). Perpetrators of crime know that they are more likely to evade detection and punishment when their victims refuse to assist or cooperate with law enforcement. That is why they make it a point to instill fear in their victims--for their own safety or that of family and loved ones. Human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. Every year, millions of men, women, and children are trafficked worldwide--including right here in the United States. It can happen in any community and victims can be any age, race, gender, or nationality. Traffickers might use violence, manipulation, or false promises of well-paying jobs or romantic relationships to lure victims into trafficking situations. Language barriers, fear of their traffickers, and/ or fear of law enforcement frequently keep victims from seeking help, making human trafficking a hidden crime. They look for people who are susceptible for a variety of reasons, including psychological or emotional vulnerability, economic hardship, lack of a social safety net, natural disasters, or political instability. The trauma caused by the traffickers can be so great that many may not identify themselves as victims or ask for help, even in highly public settings. Recognizing key indicators of human trafficking and providing support to victims so that traffickers are prosecuted is the first step in ending this crime. Victims are often alone and without resources to survive outside of a trafficker's control. Access to food programs is essential to escaping this terrible existence. I introduced this Jackson Lee amendment to provide food assistance to victims of human trafficking no matter who they are or where they may have come from. Jackson Lee Amendment No. 46 increases funding by $2,000,000 for the USDA agency that provides grant research funding for ``1890s Land Grant Universities,'' which are 28 Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) works to improve our nation's food production through agricultural research, economic analysis, extension, and higher education. The NIFA was created at the time of the industrial revolution to ensure that the nation would have enough working farms to provide a reliable supply of domestically produced food. One of the ways NIFA achieves its mission is by providing research grants to education institutions, which include 1890s institutions created by the Morrill Act of 1890. Today, land-grant colleges and universities can be found in 18 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The list includes: Alabama A&M University, Alcorn State University, Delaware State University, Florida A&M University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Langston University, Lincoln University, North Carolina A&T State University, Prairie View A&M University in Texas, South Carolina State University, Southern University System, Tennessee State University, Tuskegee University, University of Arkansas Pine Bluff, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, University of the District of Columbia, University of the Virgin Islands, Virginia State University, West Virginia State University. HBCUs annually enroll 40 percent of all African American students in 4-year colleges and universities. HBCUs are prominent among research institutions in fields such as: animal sciences, sustainable agriculture and agriculture economics, toxicology and waste management, conservation and environmental management, business and industrial development, biomedical science, food and nutrition, plant and social sciences, international development. Research is essential to meeting the food needs of people not only in the United States but around the world. In the U.S. the demand for fresh fruits and vegetables as well as concerns for the distance food travels before, it reaches tables in urban areas has led to more research on how to improve urban farming. Another aspect of research is improving the shelf life of fresh fruits and vegetables to slow the process of spoilage, which has proven to be one of the problems experienced during COVID-19 due to some disruptions caused by food supply chain difficulties. Extending shelf life of fresh fruits, and vegetables would also reduce food waste and improve diets for people on limited incomes by making fresh items will be as economical as canned or frozen. HBCU agriculture research institutions are playing a role in bringing urban farming to communities of color. HCBU's agricultural research programs also assist people living in densely populated areas to learn ways to eliminate food deserts, increase public education regarding farming, develop a greater appreciation for our nation's farmers, and provide new avenues for careers for those graduating with agriculture degrees seeking to enter into cutting edge agricultural research. The funds provided by the Jackson Lee amendment would support research and education into means for helping urban and suburban communities maximize their green space by turning it into productive farming resources to support access to affordable foods. The funding can also help to develop new research efforts directed at reducing food insecurity during a Pandemic or other crises that impact the availability or affordability of food. I ask for your support for these Jackson Lee Amendments.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in strong support of Jackson Lee Amendment No. 84 to H.R. 7608, the State, Foreign Operations, Agriculture, Rural Development, Interior, Environment, Military Construction, and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act. I thank Chairman McGovern and Ranking Member Cole for making this Jackson Lee amendment in order for House consideration of H.R. 7608. This Jackson Lee Amendment is straightforward and makes the bill even better. I believe they would command the support of a majority of the House and urge my colleagues to vote in favor of them. The amendment is to Division C--Department of the Interior, Environment. Jackson Lee Amendment No. 84 provides $5 million to highlight the need to support culturally competent federal, state, and local public health and environmental protection efforts to address cancer clusters impacting overburdened communities in the gulf coast region, which is home to a refinery row that runs from Mobile to Houston Texas. In the 18th Congressional District Creosote contamination in my district has had long term consequences for the residents of the 5th Ward. I have worked for years to address Environmental Justice issues in and around my District, by bringing agencies and communities together for meaningful dialogues. In April of 2019, I held a meeting between residents, local public health and Union Pacific Railroad regarding contamination in the 5th Ward area of Houston. Predecessor R.R. was South Pacific The meeting was to discuss letters that Union Pacific sent to residents informing them that they could not dig water wells in their yards due to creosote contamination. During this meeting residents expressed frustration at not getting questions answered regarding their concerns about the safety of water and soil due to the contamination and the alarming number of cancers occurring among residents. After hearing the discussion, I asked about a study to investigate the situation and provide answers to residents. A cancer cluster study was performed by the Texas Department of State Health Services and found that there is a higher incidence of certain types of cancers and cancer deaths among residents of Kashmere Gardens and the Fifth Ward. Southern Pacific operated the open pit of creosote in the residential area that treated railroad ties and light post for decades. Southern Pacific was acquired by Union Pacific, which continued to operate a wood treatment facility, dipping railroad ties in the preservative creosote. The creosote emitted fumes, leached into the soil and ran through ditches when it rained or flooded. Union Pacific closed their creosote treatment capacity, but the damage remained, because creosote is comprised of chemicals that in combination are listed as a hazardous substance by the Environmental Protection Agency. To address the contamination Union Pacific requested and approved largely to leave the contamination in the ground without pursuing more extensive cleanup efforts, which has left residents battling to get regulators to force the company to take more responsibility for the thick mass of creosote that lurks beneath their properties. These residents are right--the soil and water are killing them with cancer and Union Pacific has got to take strong action to remove this clear health threat that is causing cancers of the: Lung and Bronchus; Esophagus; Larynx (throat); Liver; and Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Rare is the case that a community meeting results in such a profound finding that and exposed an urgent need that should be addressed given the science behind the causes of cancer and the steps that much be taken to limit risks. There are other communities throughout the Gulf Coast that may have creosote contamination linked to old railroad lines that may not be given the level of attention needed to address health risks. Funding provided by this amendment will provide resources for those communities with cancer clusters. I ask for your support for this Jackson Lee Amendment, which is needed to save lives.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Chu for this important statement that is necessary for the American people: In God, We Trust. And the God we trust is a merciful God. 144,000 people dead from COVID-19. It is important when an administration, no matter who it is, fails the American people, the United States Congress must be the one that deals with that failure, and that is what the NO BAN Act stands for. It stands for expanding the INA's nondiscrimination provision to prohibit discrimination based on religion and extends the prohibition on discrimination beyond the issuance of immigrant visas to include the issuance of nonimmigrant visas, entry, admission to the United States, and the approval or revocation thereof. I had an amendment that is added to this that makes it a surety that the administration report to Congress on the impacts of positive, negative, and unintended actions by the President. We must have oversight. I stand in the name of Ali, a 17-year-old. When I landed from Washington, I went straight to the terminal immediately on that Friday. My tears were coming to my eyes as I saw little Ali denied entry into the United States. That is why I am here. I support the NO BAN Act. Madam Speaker, as an original cosponsor and senior member of the Committee on the Judiciary, I rise in strong and enthusiastic support of H.R. 2214, the ``National Origin-Based AntiDiscrimination For Non- Immigrants Act, or No BAN Act, which stops executive overreach by preventing the president from abusing his authority to restrict the entry of non-citizens into the United States under section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). This legislation also repeals several of the President's section 212(f)-based executive actions, including his original Muslim ban as well as the most recent expansion of the ban announced in January 2020. Madam Speaker, I support this legislation because the NO BAN Act amends section 212(f) of the INA to place checks and balances on the President's authority to temporarily suspend or restrict the entry of aliens or classes of aliens into the United States, when it is determined that such individuals ``would undermine the security or public safety of the United States or the preservation of human rights, democratic processes or institutions, or international stability.'' Specifically, the bill requires the President to find and document that any suspension or restriction: (1) is based on specific and credible facts; (2) is narrowly tailored; (3) specifies a duration; and (4) includes waivers. The NO BAN Act expands the INA's nondiscrimination provision to prohibit discrimination based on religion and extends the prohibition on discrimination beyond the issuance of immigrant visas to include the issuance of nonimmigrant visas, entry and admission into the United States, and the approval or revocation of any immigration benefit. The NO BAN Act terminates several of President Trump's proclamations and executive orders invoking section 212(f) authority, including Presidential Proclamation 9645, also known as the ``Muslim Ban,'' and Presidential Proclamation 9983, barring the entry of immigrants from Burma (Myanmar), Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, and Nigeria, and suspending participation in the Diversity Visa program for nationals of Sudan and Tanzania. Madam Speaker, I am pleased that the NO BAN Act includes an important amendment I offered during the committee markup of the legislation, which requires the Administration to report to Congress on the impacts--positive, negative, and unintended--of any action taken by the President pursuant to executive orders he has or will issue pursuant to section 212(f) of the INA. I strongly support the provision in the legislation that nullifies the President's latest executive order which adds the countries of Belarus, Myanmar, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Sudan and Tanzania to the President's new and offensive Muslim Ban. As a co-chair of the Congressional Nigerian Caucus, the United States cannot afford to hamper diplomatic relations with Nigeria due to its importance in the region. Nigeria is the largest economy and most populous country in Africa with an estimated population of more than 190 million, which is expected to grow to 400 million by 2050 and become the third most populous country in the world after China and India. The United States is the largest foreign investor in Nigeria, with U.S. foreign direct investment concentrated largely in the petroleum and mining and wholesale trade sectors. At $2.2 billion in 2017, Nigeria is the second largest U.S. export destination in Sub-Saharan Africa and the United States and Nigeria have a bilateral trade and investment framework agreement. In 2017, the two-way trade in goods between the United States and Nigeria totaled over $9 billion. Due to many of the residents of these countries practicing Islam, the President's executive order has been appropriately nicknamed the ``Muslim Ban'', and only exemplifies the xenophobic and prejudiced mindset that is unacceptable in this country. With countries such as Nigeria, Sudan, Tanzania, and Eritrea, being considered as additions to the travel ban list, I strongly oppose this discriminatory act. Tanzania is also an important partner of the United States, and through numerous presidential initiatives, the United States has provided development and other assistance to Tanzania for capacity building to address health and education issues, encourage democratic governance promote broad-based economic growth, and advance regional and domestic security to sustain progress. Although Sudan has had some internal issues during the last decade, the U.S. was a major donor in the March 1989 ``Operation Lifeline Sudan,'' which delivered 100,000 metric tons of food into both government and rebel held areas of the Sudan, thus, averting widespread starvation. The United States established diplomatic relations with Eritrea in 1993, following its independence and separation from Ethiopia. The United States supported Eritrea's independence and through a concerted, mutual effort that began in late 2017 and continues today, there are vast improvements to the bilateral relationship. U.S. interests in Eritrea include supporting efforts for greater integration of Eritrea with the rest of the Horn of Africa, encouraging Eritrea to contribute to regional stability and partner on shared peace and security goals, urging progress toward a democratic political culture, addressing human rights issues and promoting economic reform and prosperity. Although the law contains a waiver program that allows residents of these countries to enter the country if they meet certain standards, this program is arbitrary and unfairly creates a separation of families, provides less work opportunities and greatly reduces the opportunity to apply for visas in the future, unless it is repealed. A comprehensive and coordinated strategy needs to be developed in coordination with the United States Congress to ensure that each country affected by this law may peacefully have its residents enter the United States and complete visa and asylum applications. We live in a nation of laws but we also live in a nation that seeks to establish and maintain diplomatic ties to these important African nations and imposing a discriminatory and arbitrary ban would adversely affect foreign relations with a critical continent for decades to come. Madam Speaker, in light of the crisis presented by current COVID-19 pandemic, the NO BAN Act contains a provision to ensure that the President can use section 212(f) to protect the United States from the spread of communicable diseases, including the 2019 coronavirus, by suspending the entry of a class of individuals if the President determines their entry would undermine the public safety of the United States. However, to remove any perceived ambiguity and avoid the propensity of this president to abuse delegated authority, the legislation includes language to clarify that the term ``public safety'' ``includes efforts necessary to contain a communicable disease of public health significance.'' Madam Speaker, the NO BAN Act is supported by a bipartisan coalition of the nation's leading immigrants' rights organizations, faith-based organizations, and civil rights organizations, including the following: American Civil Liberties Union; Church World Service; U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; Muslim Advocates Immigration Hub; Asian Americans Advancing Justice Association; Americans United for Separation of Church and State; Bend the Arc; Center for American Progress; The Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans; Interfaith Immigration Coalition; Human Rights Campaign; Franciscan Action Network; HIAS; Jewish and Muslims and Allies Acting Together; Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism; National Council of Jewish Women; National Iranian American Organization Action; National Immigration Law Center; International Refugee Assistance Project; Friends Committee on National Legislation; Engage Action; and Airbnb. I urge all Members to vote for H.R. 2214 and send a powerful message to the President and the American people that this House will not stand idly by as this Administration tries to abandon America's well-earned and long-established reputation of being the most welcoming nation on earth.