Brenda Lawrence

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Concurrent Resolution 90, which condemns ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya and calls for an end to the attacks, and an immediate restoration of humanitarian access to the state of Rakhine in Burma. Many consider the Rohingya one of the most persecuted minorities in the world. The stories that have come out in recent weeks and days are devastating and horrific. The waves of brutally violent campaigns against the civilians--marked by mass killings, sexual violence, and forced displacement--have resulted in one of the fastest-growing refugee crises of our time. Women, who account for the majority of those inside the refugee camps, face widespread rape and other forms of sexual violence, and some are even being sold as sex slaves. Just like our zero-tolerance policy towards persecution within our borders, we must be crystal clear that the United States will not tolerate the persecution of innocent men, women, and children around the world. I strongly believe that, with the help of the international community, we will find a peaceful solution to this crisis, despite various obstacles in our way. This resolution is one step forward in that direction.

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Rosa Parks, who, 62 years ago today, changed the face of the United States. On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused a bus driver's orders to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. This simple act led to a bus boycott that helped to energize the civil rights movement. Reflecting on that day, Rosa Parks once said: ``The only tired I was, was tired of giving in.'' She didn't give up. She didn't give in. Rosa Parks reminds us that we all must never, never give in when faced with injustice. Her brave actions have inspired all of us. Each and every one of us have an opportunity to stand up, sit down, or kneel for what is right. It is because of civil rights champions like Rosa Parks that future generations can grow up in a nation that is free and fair for all.

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the EQUALS Act. As a former Federal employee, I served in many capacities, from a letter carrier to a manager, and I know the dedication of those who serve in our civil service jobs. This bill is an insult to Federal employees and is completely unnecessary. Mr. Chairman, I say this is a bill in search of a problem. What are we fixing? This is not good-government legislation. It just makes it easier to fire Federal employees without due process. By arbitrarily extending probationary periods, this bill takes away civil servants' employment rights and due process protections for at least 2 years. Mr. Chairman, do you realize that benefits that career employees are entitled to are held in abeyance while they are on probation? They are given a different classification as being probationary than they are as being a career employee. What are we trying to achieve? They also give up the right to receive 30 days' notice before they are fired or furloughed, and they do not receive their rights as whistleblowers as probationary employees. This bill simply takes away workers' rights. How many Members of Congress' parents worked as Federal employees to put them through college and to make a difference in America? Here we are assaulting the legacy of Federal employees who work every day to make this country an amazing place to live. This is not the way to address performance issues in the Federal workplace. As a Federal employee who had the responsibility to perform probationary evaluations, you need to talk to the supervisor if they are not doing their job conducting the proper evaluations. We must continue to support accountability measures and tools. In addition, we must keep the spotlight on gross mismanagement.

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this resolution that requires every House Member and employee to complete antiharassment, antidiscrimination training. The first commonsense step is to make this training mandatory. I introduced a bill a month ago and gathered over 100 cosponsors, Democrats and Republicans, to make sexual harassment training mandatory in the House, Senate, and support offices. I am glad the Senate has required training with this resolution, and now the House must do the same. When women are at the table, Mr. Chairman, I am glad to say the conversation changes, and the voices in Congress of women have changed the conversation here. It is important that we must do all that we can to improve the congressional workforce, reform our outdated processes, and I support this legislation to address this issue, and I know that my Members of Congress will do the same today.

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support fully funding the CHIP Act, but to oppose to the Republican bill. Because of the reduction in the grace period, we are forcing Americans to go into their own pocket. Although this bill will reauthorize CHIP, it fails to show compassion for the low-income families and children who do not have access to critical healthcare, and it is a matter of life and death. CHIP's impact is overwhelmingly felt in communities of color. Together, CHIP and Medicaid help cover 52 percent of Hispanic and 54 percent of all Black children nationwide. As Members of Congress, we have a duty to protect our Nation's children. We need to support the millions of families who rely on this vital program. This is not the right way. We need to work together in a bipartisan manner to pass an important piece of legislation like CHIP and not take away from our children but support them.

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, on October 12, 2017, I was not able to cast my votes during the first vote series due to a family emergency. Had I been present, I would have voted: YES on Democrat Motion to Instruct Conferees on H.R. 2810--National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018; YES on Motion on Closing Portions of the Conference on H.R. 2810--National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018; YES on H.R. 2266--Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Requirements Act, 2017, as amended; YES on Motion to Recommit S. 585--Dr. Chris Kirkpatrick Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017; and YES on Passage of S. 585--Dr. Chris Kirkpatrick Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017.

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, on October 11, 2017, I was unable to cast my votes during the second series due to a family emergency. Had I been present, I would have voted: YES on H.R. 452--To designate the facility of the United States Post Office located at 324 West Saint Louis Street in Pacific, Missouri, as the ``Specialist Jeffrey L. White, Jr. Post Office'' (Rep. Luetkemeyer--Oversight and Government Reform); and YES on H.R. 3243--FITARA Enhancement Act of 2017 (Rep. Connolly--Oversight and Government Reform).

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, along with millions of middle class Americans, to oppose the Republican budget resolution. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support tax reform. Unfortunately, this budget resolution is a partisan tax reform package. I support tax reform, which will help lower taxes for low-income Americans, I support tax reform that will rebuild our middle class, and I support tax reform that simplifies the Tax Code for small businesses. I will not support a tax plan that disproportionately gives advantages to the rich. But, Mr. Speaker, this tax plan will raise our deficit by $2.4 trillion over the next decade. Mr. Speaker, this tax plan will take away critical dollars from an infrastructure bill that our Nation so desperately needs. We still have time. Let's work together to do what is right for all Americans. Let's work together and do what is right for our country.

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to address the infrastructure crisis our country is facing. Today, in Oakland County, Michigan, in the heart of my district, we are struggling with a major water main break. In my district, schools are being closed and hospitals are transporting patients to nearby areas. It will be days before the region will receive access to reliable, safe drinking water. This is not an isolated incident. We are not investing in our Nation's infrastructure. Not surprisingly, Michigan's infrastructure received a D grade from the American Society of Civil Engineers. This is unacceptable. Lack of investment, lack of action is a matter of public health and public safety. It is a matter of life and death. It is obvious today in my district, but also in districts across this country. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues not to ignore this crisis. We need an infrastructure plan. Flint, Michigan, showed us that infrastructure is about the lives of American citizens. Let's work together to fix our Nation's infrastructure.

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Congressman Veasey for his leadership and for his dedication. Today, I am at this mike for a number of reasons. One is that we have witnessed, over the weekend, another time in history that will be written for many to read, for generations to try to understand what exactly happened. Most of us are raised that, in a time of grieving and mourning, you are sympathetic, you are patient, and, most of all, you try to be understanding. I am at a loss in trying to understand how the dialogue was reduced to name-calling and then just unfactual information. But what I had hoped and what I feel that, as an American, as a Member of Congress, as a citizen, if someone gets it wrong, that at least I deserve, ``I'm sorry, I didn't get the information right,'' or maybe ``I spoke out of turn.'' And when you are grieving the loss of someone you love dearly, someone who was serving this country, someone who, as the family of a military service person, gave the sacrifice as well for them to represent our country. I would hope--I was hopeful that that would happen, but it did not. There comes a point in time, Mr. Speaker, as American citizens, that we begin to stand up and say, as our country, there is an expectation. There is an expectation for those we elect, there is an expectation for those in leadership, and truly, there is an expectation of civility and, at minimum, truth. As we know, the FBI has had a long, troubling history of using its broad investigatory powers to target Black citizens. It is not a myth. It is a fact. It has been written. During the 1960s, Director Hoover used the counterintelligence program to surveil and discredit civil rights activists, members of the Black Panther Party. For an example, the FBI falsified a letter in an attempt to blackmail the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King into silence. So the Congressional Black Caucus is concerned by the assertion that coins a new term, ``Black identity extremists,'' and claims, with high confidence, that they are likely to target law enforcement based on perceptions of police brutality against African Americans. In August, the FBI Counterterrorism Division issued a chilling and outlandish warning to its agents, all hidden behind the veil of an internal report never meant to be seen by the American people. It worries me because, in 2017, such a misguided and hateful and dangerous report exists at all. Released just 9 days before the hateful violence in Charlottesville, this report targets so-called Black identity extremists by falsely linking peaceful and necessary calls for justice from Americans, from the African-American community, to entirely unrelated acts of violence against law enforcement. Mr. Speaker, I served as a mayor of a diverse city for 14 years and had the responsibility of an entire police force for a city. I have such respect and honor for those who serve us. I understand how, when there is trouble, the police run to that trouble to protect us, but I also know that the power that is held on the shield of a police force can be used for other than protection of their people. And that in this great country that we live in, time and time again in history, some people will use the comment: Don't be so sensitive about everything that happened. But history has shown us, every change that we have made in this country of freedoms and rights have come from people who had the courage, the political courage, to stand up and fight for that. Is that extremism? Will you say the right to vote were Black extremists? Would you say that the women who protest and march so that women could have the right to vote, were they extremists? Or were they Americans who believed in this country and had the courage to stand up not just for them but for generations to come? Our Social Security, when we looked at--and we looked at hunger in this country, and people repeatedly have shown, of all ethnic groups, that nothing in America happens without protests and the courage to stand up. Are they extremists, or they part of this amazing democracy that we have? And the threat of being labeled by our FBI so you have permission to now treat these individuals, who have the courage to stand up, as unlawful villains and terrorists, and you have the permission now by the FBI to attack and to imprison them. We must, as a Congress and a country, learn to understand the power of our words, and I am going to close with this. Your words mean something. If this administration has taught us anything, the words of those who are elected to leadership do matter, whether it is the truth or whether it is a lie. It matters. It fuels anger and hatred in people. It tells people that it is okay to disrespect others. Words mean something. And for me to be a Black woman in America and be labeled, if I stand up and fight for my rights, if I stand with others, if Black Lives Matter has not just been Black people standing up--it has been all members of the United States, citizens saying that all lives matter and that we will not tolerate criminal injustice against Black people and the murder rate that we see of those who are of color. This has been a movement in our country, and now we see this internal labeling by our law enforcement in our country. Does that cause me to feel afraid in my own country? Does that give me the fear that history is going to repeat itself because words have given permission for this to happen when you legitimize people whose only purpose to stand and be in a position in your community is to say that you have no value less than me and we hate you? But do you know what? There are some very fine people there. Being a Black person in America, I can tell you, we have had some fine days. I would not be standing here, this little Black girl from Detroit, if this country did not give me the opportunities. But it came from the protests; it came in the death and the riots of the people in my generation before me who would not sit down and be quiet. So now are we being told that we are not to use our constitutional rights of free speech and protests and to gather to say that now you are being an extremist? I am not going to allow that to happen in this country, and if you want to label me, label me. But I would not be here today if it were not for those who had the political courage to stand up for what is right, not just for Black people, but for Americans in this country. And that is something that this report strikes a chord with me. I stand in opposition. I understand when someone takes their freedom to stand up and oppose something that is happening in America, and I want to protect that First Amendment right. But if we can avoid the consequences of halfway speech fueled by fear and false perceptions, we will be stronger as a country. Mr. Speaker, I call on Congress to join me and my colleagues in condemning this report and standing with us for a more peaceful, a more accepting, and a more equal country where we can really mean, when we stand up and we say the Pledge of Allegiance and we say, ``one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all,'' and for all of us we have a name. We have a name that we were given at birth, and we expect our leadership, our President, our Congress, our Chief of Staff, our military to address us by our names. It is not acceptable, it is embarrassing for us as a country, to reduce ourselves to that level. And I stand here tonight, on the Record, that I am an American. I am a Member of Congress. I am a woman. I am an African American. I deserve respect, and I expect all of our colleagues to conduct themselves the same way, including the President of the United States.

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to fully support the funding of CHIP, the Children's Health Insurance Program. CHIP plays a very important role in providing low-income children across the country with health insurance. Without CHIP, over 9 million children nationwide, including 90,000 in my great home in Michigan, will lose access to doctor checkups, immunizations, and basic healthcare. For the last 2 days, we heard numerous concerns for the unborn children. We must show that same compassion toward the low-income children who are alive and living in our communities, whose access to critical healthcare, including CHIP, is a matter of life or death. CHIP's impact is felt in communities of color, 52 percent of Hispanic and 54 percent of all Black children nationwide. As Members of Congress, we have a duty to protect our Nation's children. We need to extend funding for CHIP and support the millions of families who rely on this program. Let's take care of our children in America.

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Children's Cardiomyopathy Awareness Month and to honor the memory of one of my constituents who lost his life far too early to a truly devastating condition. Pediatric cardiomyopathy, a chronic and degenerative disease of the heart muscle, is the leading cause of sudden cardiac arrest in children. My constituent, Kyle John Rymiszewski, was diagnosed at birth with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which thickens the heart muscle and restricts blood flow around the body. He courageously fought it for years until his heart of gold stopped beating at the young age of fifteen. In memory of their son, Kyle's parents, Ken Rymiszewski and Aimee Cowher, founded the Kyle John Rymiszewski Foundation to increase awareness of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and to fund critically needed research to improve treatment outcomes. Other organizations like the Children's Cardiomyopathy Foundation also further this work and help families care for children with cardiomyopathy. I commend these organizations for their tireless work to give our children a better chance at life. It is important that we recognize Children's Cardiomyopathy Awareness Month and continue to spread awareness about this disease. Over forty percent of children diagnosed with cardiomyopathy will either die or undergo a heart transplant within the first two years of their diagnosis. Despite this, little is known about the causes of this disease and there currently is no cure for it. Although patients with the four different types of cardiomyopathy have varying symptoms, each case poses major challenges and dangers. During this month and beyond, we must commit to spreading information and resources to help identify at-risk children and avoid preventable tragedies. Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me in spreading awareness of this disease and supporting children like Kyle who suffer from pediatric cardiomyopathy.

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, today I rise for Rose from Michigan. In Rose's first pregnancy, which was planned and very wanted, severe brain abnormalities were detected in the 22nd week. She made the decision, she said ``I will take that risk,'' because the doctor said there was a 70 percent chance that the child would be able to function. But at 28 weeks, the doctor made an analysis that said a severe brain condition with a life expectancy under 4 years, with severe seizures and limited development. We are talking about suffering now. The baby would have problems swallowing, breathing, even smiling. The baby would never be able to communicate or control her body. And today we are talking about suffering. Rose made the choice between a short, painful life and peace. She chose the latter. Rose says: ``I believe we made the most compassionate and loving choice we could for our baby, but the grief was initially overwhelming.'' On behalf of Rose, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on H.R. 36. We must stop the bans.

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my outrage toward the latest travel ban proposed by the Trump administration again late on September 24. The administration issued a proclamation with new discriminatory travel restrictions on eight countries. Let me be clear: no matter how many times this administration tries to repackage it and sell it, a Muslim ban is a Muslim ban. It remains hateful, discriminatory, and goes against our American values. We won't be fooled by the inclusion of North Korea and Venezuela. This Muslim and refugee ban continues to be part of a dangerous and immoral agenda against a religion, people of color, and immigrants. This administration and this ban is fanning the flames of fear and anger against groups of Americans and immigrants, with policies that clearly undermine the Constitution that I love and our American principles. Dressed up or dressed down, this ban must not stand. We must address terrorism, and it is not restricted to the Muslim population. We must address it here on the ground in homegrown terrorism as well.

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 3440, the DREAM Act, to protect DREAMers like Ola, a University of Michigan pre-med student who aspires to be a surgical oncologist.

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the proposed border wall funding. Instead of wasting $1.6 billion in taxpayers' dollars on an unnecessary border wall, the DHS should focus its limited resources on more important border security priorities. This includes upgrading and hiring more personnel for ports of entry, the main path for illegal drugs. This could include better and more technology so that border security agents will have a better idea what is happening along the borders. The border wall will be dangerous. Violence, poverty, and family ties ensure that migrants will continue attempting the risky journey through the border region's hostile zones. The border wall will be divisive. We need to do our job, Mr. Speaker, and come together as a Congress for a comprehensive immigration plan; at the least, reform of our immigration policies. Building a wall sends a toxic message to one of our closest neighbors, a country on which we, the United States, depend on.

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, on July 24, 2017, I was not able to cast my votes during the series. Had I been present, I would have voted: NO on H.R. 3180--Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018, as amended, NO on S. 114--A bill to authorize appropriations for the Veterans Choice Program, and for other purposes, as amended, and YES on H.R. 3218--Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017, as amended.

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the ICE raids that have happened in Michigan. I was alarmed by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids that have resulted in the detention and possible removal of Iraqi nationals, as well as other members of the Detroit community. Why am I alarmed? Mr. Speaker, what we saw happen on Sunday, June 11, was an all out push to just remove Iraqi nationals who have been in this country, some for up to 40 years, who have lived in this country, raised families, have worked, and were subject to raids. Over 100 Iraqi nationals, including Chaldeans and Muslims, were removed from their families and transported to a correctional facility in Youngstown, Ohio. I have been in touch with community leaders, who are not only distressed by the ongoing situation, but also expressed concern regarding the dangers that await these individuals if they return to an active war zone in Iraq. Many of the communities characterize these raids as having a deliberate and calculated motive. Understand that these deportations are part of an agreement made between Prime Minister Abadi and President Trump as part of a deal to remove Iraq from the travel ban, an agreement that is not in writing, Mr. Speaker, an agreement that Congress nor the public has access to. When ISIS reared its ugly head in 2014 in northern Iraq, its main targets for genocide, sexual slavery, and other gross human rights violations included these same people: Iraqi Christians, Muslims, and other ethnic and religious minorities. In 2014, Congress passed a resolution, unanimously, recognizing Iraq's ethnic and religious minorities as victims of genocide in Iraq and Syria. Since then, both the Obama administration and Trump administration have referred to these acts of violence against Iraqi Chaldeans and others as genocide; yet still we are going to deport these same people back to a country where there will be, surely, a confrontation of death or slavery. Removing these individuals represents what many have described as a ``death sentence'' should they be deported into an active war zone. The final orders, we are told, of people who were convicted of offenses are based on criminal activities; but we know for a fact, some were for driving without a license and some were for having possession of marijuana 25 years ago. Furthermore, the removal orders are considered legal, and I support the legal process. They could be decades old. The problem is, Mr. Speaker, they don't reflect the current challenging conditions in the country of origin. Some of those being deported can't even speak Arabic because their entire life has been spent here in the United States. These raids have really started confusion and fear in the community. It is not in line with the compassion and humanity that we, as the United States, have expressed over the years. Mr. Speaker, I will also say that now is the time, more than ever, that we in this Congress should have the political courage to establish an immigration plan for America. This jumping up and saying we are going to go over here and we are going to do this is not reflective of a legislative process. We must have an immigration plan in America so that we can address the correct and humanitarian deportation of those who should not be in our country, but also have a demonstrated and supported pathway to citizenship in these United States of America. It is amazing to me that in these United States of America, which was built from immigrants, we now have this unofficial immigration process in America. I close, Mr. Speaker, by saying that, as a Member of Congress and representing Michigan with a significant Middle Eastern population, I stand here ready to do the job that I was sent here to do and to get an immigration plan for these United States of America.

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Connolly. I rise today coming in saying I would support this bill. Many people know I served 30 years as a Federal employee working in HR, understanding labor relations, safety issues, environmental issues, diversity issues, and knowing clear well that the official time that is allotted to employees to sit down with their representative of the union to talk about if they feel like they are being sexually harassed, if they feel like they are in an environment that is not safe for them, official time is extremely necessary. What happens in official time? It allows a lot of grievances to be processed and resolved through communication between union and management. There have been several legislative reform proposals introduced to address the way union representatives are allowed to utilize official time. Now, I was taken back when my colleague said ``criminal activities.'' Mr. Speaker, criminal activity is something that is in a whole different venue. If you are a Federal employee and you create an illegal activity, you do not need official time to do that. I have never known, in the time that I served in HR, in labor relations, and served in all of the different capacities, have I seen someone doing criminal activity on official time. It would be a different thing if we were clear that this bill was about reporting the time, which I would not oppose. But when you present this scenario about official time, as it being something that is negative, something that is being used in a criminal capacity, that is totally something I would be opposed to. Let me tell you some examples of what representatives can use it for: If there is a whistleblower accusation, an employee would go to their union steward and ask for official time. If it was a grievance on behalf of the employee, they can use it.

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, union representatives can also assist if it is an OSHA issue, if it is racial discrimination, or sexual harassment. Instead of allowing employees to complete nonpolitical activities, some of my colleagues seem more interested in preventing employees from doing their jobs by using official time. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleague to defeat senseless attacks against Federal employees' official time.

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize May as National Foster Care Month. In Michigan, there are nearly 14,000 children in foster care and more than 400,000 children nationwide all in need of love and support. Studies have shown the majority of children in foster care are affected by mental health issues and often lack access to the help they need. We need to push for access to services to support these vulnerable children to avoid serious risks in the future. I encourage my colleagues to continue working together in a bipartisan manner to address the needs of our foster care system. I also want to thank Karen Bass for raising awareness on the critical needs facing foster youth through the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth. During this month and beyond, let us celebrate foster parents and caregivers and recommit to ensuring every child has a permanent, safe, and loving family.

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in celebrating the fifth annual National Infrastructure Week and to highlight the urgent need for Congress to pass a comprehensive transportation and infrastructure bill. Mr. Speaker, in the summer of 2003, a power outage swamped the Eastern United States and Canada, including Detroit, which I represent, and left 50 million people without power for several days. In 2007, a bridge on I-35 West in Minneapolis collapsed into the Mississippi River. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, these are not isolated incidents. In my home State of Michigan, our cities are home to some of the worst roads in the country. A recent study by a nonprofit ranked Detroit's roads the fourth worst in the country. Mr. Speaker, Michigan deserves better, and Americans across the country deserve and demand more. I, as an excited member of the Congressional Infrastructure Committee, stand ready to work on future infrastructure bills and to work for the needs of the people.

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my opposition to this horrible bill, and I include in the Record a letter in opposition from the Children's Hospital Association. Children's Hospital Association, Washington, DC, March 15, 2017. Hon. Orrin Hatch, Chairman, Committee on Finance, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. Hon. Ron Wyden, Ranking Member, Committee on Finance, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. Hon. Greg Walden, Chairman, Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Hon. Frank Pallone, Ranking Member, Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Chairmen Hatch and Walden: On behalf of our nation's children's hospitals and the patients and families they serve, we believe the American Health Care Act (AHCA) in its current form is a setback to child health on a national level. Over 30 million children receive their health care coverage through Medicaid. The legislation as written cuts the budget, coverage, and benefits for the care for children, many of whom have significant health care needs, including children with disabilities. Children's hospitals have identified several provisions in the AHCA that create serious concerns about the bill as passed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Foremost among these concerns is that the bill would cut the health care budget for children by converting the Medicaid program to a per-capita cap system beginning in 2020. This limits future funding for the states and risks significant reductions in the Medicaid budgets providing care for over 30 million children. The current Medicaid entitlement financing structure allows for greater certainty for children in the Medicaid program and shifting to a capped environment risks undermining the current health care available to children. We are alarmed children's health care financing is not considered and protected in the AHCA, and that children are exposed to equal funding risk in the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that AHCA will reduce overall Medicaid funding by $880 billion or 25%. Medicaid is the largest payer for children's health care in the nation and cuts of this magnitude will have a severe negative impact on children's health care. There are also discrete program changes envisioned in the AHCA posing detrimental effects to children's access to health care. Eligibility policy changes in the bill risk reducing or delaying access to Medicaid coverage. We are concerned by CBO's projections that Medicaid enrollment will substantially decrease under the AHCA and the absence of information on the impact on children specifically suggests that additional examination of these issues is needed. We support maintaining Medicaid as an entitlement for children as well as retaining essential elements of the program. Every child in America should have access to high quality health care and Medicaid is critical to this aim. Research shows providing Medicaid coverage for children is a smart investment for the nation, resulting in better health outcomes for children into their adult lives and bringing long-term returns for the country. Children's hospitals cannot support any bill that does not safeguard funding, coverage and benefits for children. With respect to the AHCA, we call on lawmakers to protect kids and recommend, at a minimum, the following: We must not cut funding for children's care under a per capita cap. Children are already funded at the lowest per beneficiary levels, and ensuring sufficient funding for children's health care into the future is absolutely essential. Accomplishing this under the current proposal requires clear identification of spending for all children, including those eligible based on disability, and exempting funds spent on children from a ``claw back'' on any spending that exceeds per capita cap target expenditures. We believe spending on all children should be protected from recoupment in the following year. This is critical to ensuring states do not have incentives to restrict children's access to medically necessary care. Ensure all funding for children, including blind and disabled children, is clearly identified. Accurate information on Medicaid spending is vital to evaluating the program's effectiveness for children and holding states accountable for the delivery of services. We believe all children, including blind and disabled children, should be included in a single children's 1903A enrollee category and the per capita cap for children should be adjusted accordingly to reflect the higher expenses of children with disabilities. Children are a separate and distinct population from adults. Funding dedicated to children must be identifiable, allowing for an accurate picture of the federal and state investment in kids. This is an important part of ensuring accountability and the availability of sufficient resources to address children's health care needs. We believe it is important to consider protections preventing diversion of resources specifically intended for children. As we work with state governments to innovate and improve care delivery, the nation's pediatric providers are in a better position to help states achieve their goals if all kids are in a common eligibility category. Continue requirements that all children receive pediatric- specific benefits providing medically necessary care determined by their physicians. The current Medicaid structure includes important protections for all children and ensures they have access to medically-necessary care. It is essential that Congress includes language guaranteeing continued access to pediatric-specific services provided under the Early and Periodic Screening Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit. Maintain Medicaid coverage levels for children and protect them from potential loss of coverage or delays in eligibility. Changes to eligibility, such as ending hospitals' ability to make presumptive eligibility determinations, limiting retroactive coverage, or reducing children's Medicaid mandatory eligibility levels, directly risk children's coverage and should not be included. Remove the provision in the bill eliminating hospital presumptive eligibility authority. Hospital presumptive eligibility authority allows hospitals to temporarily enroll children, pregnant women, and other individuals in Medicaid until their full enrollment determination can be made. This means earlier access to needed care for Medicaid eligible children. Remove the provision in the bill repealing the ability of states to provide retroactive eligibility up to three months prior to the month of application, as allowed under current law. Ensuring retroactive coverage of benefits under Medicaid is very important for children, especially children with complex medical conditions. Without this provision, it will be challenging for families who incur high levels of expense prior to their Medicaid-eligible child being enrolled in the program. Remove the provision in the bill reducing mandatory eligibility levels for children age 6-18 from 133 percent of federal poverty level (FPL) to 100 percent of FPL. All other children are required to be covered by Medicaid up to 133 percent of the FPL. Thank you again for the opportunity to provide comment on this legislation. We look forward to working with you in this Congress to at least maintain the benefits children have today, and to hopefully strengthen health care for children into the future. Very best regards, Mark Wietecha, President and CEO, Children's Hospital Association.

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Frankel for her leadership on the Women's Caucus. The Women's Caucus is a bipartisan women's committee. I was honored when I was given the opportunity to serve on this committee because I know for a fact in America, for all of the strides and accomplishments that we have had as women, that we still have so many issues and challenges that we must address. Whenever there is an issue that disrespects or an issue that is a barrier for a woman, it is incumbent upon us to step up and to speak out because silence or turning our head is condoning the behavior. Now, we stand here today as women, but there will be men joining us and have joined us because the behavior that we have learned about in the Marines, one of our military branches, is unacceptable. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the issue of nonconsensual activities in the U.S. military. It has been revealed that nonconsensual nude photos of servicemembers were posted to social media, and it was even enhanced by disturbing comments that were unacceptable and really disrespectful. This offensive behavior strikes at the very heart of the Marines. The Marines, who we trust and admire and know that they go out and serve this country in so many ways, and we have such honor and respect for them--but this behavior, Mr. Speaker, undermines the trust and the confidence that the marines have in each other. The Marines stand up and, as a team and as a body and as a military, take a code that they will protect each other, and it compromises the respect that the American people have for our military. Our servicemembers must have the confidence that their brothers and their sisters in uniform always have each other's back. There is simply no room in the military or in our society for behavior that humiliates and degrades women servicemembers. Women who are in the Marines have earned the respect of their brothers and sisters, and they deserve the trust. Many victims, just like in the civilian workforce, are afraid to report the assault. We want to encourage them to file their complaints. I had, at one time, served my country as an EEO investigator in the private sector. As an equal employment opportunity investigator and having cases of sexual harassment, I would sit in a private counseling session with a victim as she relived it to tell me what happened and how so often they struggle with: Should I tell someone? I am embarrassed. Maybe I should have done more. Or why did I accept it? And then some will say: I will just quit. I just don't want to go through the humiliation of telling my story. Because when you file a complaint, for it to be processed, it becomes public. I want to say to every woman that if you really understand how inappropriate, how much you do not deserve to be treated that way, and you want to make sure that no other woman ever is treated that way, I want you to know that we as Congress will stand with you to support your right to report it, to make sure we hold those accountable who did it. I want to say to everybody that I stand here today as a Member of Congress and as a Member of the Women's Caucus to say that you have support. In 2015, the latest year for which military assault data is available, more than 6,000 sexual assault cases were reported. Only 10 percent of men report their sexual assaults in the military. Only 40 percent of women do the same. Sexual assault is wrong, whether it is for a man or a woman. According to the Human Rights Watch report released in 2015, the rate of retaliation for reporting a sexual assault in the military is 12 times higher than the rate of report resulting in a conviction for the predator. We understand the problem, and we want to be a part of the solution. Mr. Speaker, I will close with this. We stand here today knowing that we have a problem. But I am confident in my belief and trust in our military, and I am confident that the women and men in this Congress will stand together and we will fix this problem so we can continue to have our military brothers and sisters serve together without being attacked by their own.

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Indiana for being co-chair of the Women's Caucus and for being an amazing mother. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to illustrate the importance of 100 years of women in Congress. On April 2, 1917, Jeannette Rankin from Montana was sworn in as the first woman ever to serve in Congress. Her life was filled with extraordinary achievements, and she was one of the few suffragists elected to Congress and the only Member of Congress to vote against the U.S. participation in both World War I and World War II. She has said that ``I may be the first woman,'' but we all know she said ``I won't be the last,'' holding the door open for all of us to follow behind her. While we have a long way to go for women representing Congress, in 2017, we are in the company of 104 amazing women in Congress. We are 19 percent of the 535 Members who serve. Thirty-eight of the 104 women in Congress are women of color: 18 African Americans, 10 Latinos, nine Asian Pacific Islanders, and one multiracial Member. In 1951, Ruth Thompson, a longtime lawyer and judge, became the first woman to represent my home State of Michigan in Congress. She was the first woman to serve on the House Judiciary Committee. Since then, we have had nine more female Members from Michigan, including myself. I am proud to be in the 115th Congress to stand alongside Congresswoman Debbie Dingell and Senator Debbie Stabenow. We work together for the Michigan delegation and the Congressional delegation to advance the concerns of women and issues in our great State. I also want to recognize a woman that truly I stand on her shoulders, and that was the first African-American woman to serve in Congress, Shirley Chisholm. So we have, in our history of Congress, so many women who paved the way, opened doors, and have been role models not only for us standing here today but for women all over the country. I will work with my colleagues across the aisle to see that the concerns of women are addressed and to continue increasing our representation in local government. In the words of Representative Rankin, we are half of the people, and we should be half of Congress.