Laurel Lee

Ms. LEE of Florida

Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, Florida's 15th District is home to thousands of small businesses that create jobs, spur economic growth, and contribute to the cultural fabric of our community. There are few things more inspiring than when I get to meet people in our community who had an idea to start a business or saw a need to be met and worked hard to make it happen. That is the American spirit at work. For the past 4 years, small businesses across the country have seen firsthand the increase in new and burdensome rules, regulations, and mandates being handed down by the Biden-Harris administration, making it harder for small businesses to thrive. Congress must do all it can to ensure that Main Street has the tools it needs to succeed and continue to support the American Dream, and that starts with government getting out of the way. That is why I am proud to support H.R. 7198, the Prove It Act of 2024. Too often, small businesses are overlooked when it comes to analyzing the impact of new government regulations and mandates. This bill will strengthen current requirements for government agencies to consider and account for the impact of proposed regulations on the small business community. Additionally, this legislation will increase small business owners' engagement in the regulatory process preventing further executive overreach and holding government bureaucrats accountable. Mr. Speaker, small business owners deserve a seat at the table, and the Prove It Act will do just that.

Ms. LEE of Florida

Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to our colleague, the gentleman from North Dakota, Kelly Armstrong, and to recognize his significant contributions as a Member of Congress. Kelly has been a distinguished leader during his time here. He brought to these Halls experience both in business and in the law. His insight and dedication elevated every committee where he served. Most particularly, it has been my privilege to work with Kelly on the Judiciary Committee and on criminal justice policy. As a former criminal defense attorney, Kelly brings insight and courage to difficult issues related to our justice system and to criminal justice policies. His unwavering commitment to the U.S. Constitution and to ensuring that every American receives its protections and its rights is an insight and a guidance for us all. His voice and his leadership will be dearly missed. I will miss him most as my friend. Those of us who are blessed to call him a friend see the same dedication, intellect, and wit that Kelly shows as a Member of Congress in his personal friendships. As a new Member, Kelly was a mentor to me, and to this day, he continues to devote his time to making all of us and this institution better. Most of all, Kelly loves his family and his community, and it is no surprise that the people of the great State of North Dakota wanted Kelly to serve as their Governor. I offer my heartfelt congratulations to Kelly and to those that he will represent. I am grateful for his service here in Congress. He leaves behind a proud legacy of achievement and service, and he will be dearly missed.

Ms. LEE of Florida

Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Molinaro).

Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from South Carolina (Ms. Mace).

Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7909, the Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act. In 3\1/2\ years, President Joe Biden and border czar Vice President Kamala Harris have allowed more than 7.5 million unvetted illegal aliens into the United States. At the same time that they facilitated the collapse of our southwest border, President Biden and Vice President Harris have abandoned any semblance of interior immigration enforcement. In a September 2021 memo, the Biden-Harris administration made enforcement more difficult for Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. In training materials obtained by the Judiciary Committee and published in a staff report earlier this year, DHS failed to answer seemingly clear-cut questions, such as whether an alien who served a 20-year drug-related prison sentence or an alien who discharged a firearm outside of a police station should be priorities for arrest and deportation. Those are the training materials required for all of ICE's enforcement personnel nationwide. Instead of making clear that ICE officers should carry out their duties to remove criminal aliens from American streets, the Biden-Harris administration instructs ICE officers to develop a full profile of a criminal alien before deciding whether to arrest someone who is in the country illegally. In the training examples, that includes determining whether an alien has high blood pressure or is a caregiver, rather than focusing on appropriate considerations such as criminal history and whether the illegal alien is a danger to the community. In a transcribed interview with the Judiciary Committee, a former top ICE official admitted that the Biden-Harris administration's policies have made immigration enforcement more dangerous for ICE officers, more difficult to carry out, and less efficient overall. The ICE official even acknowledged that because of the border crisis, fewer ICE officers are available to track down public safety and national security threats because they are left to do border-related tasks, but this shouldn't be a surprise. In 2019, Kamala Harris told the ACLU she would slash funding for immigration detention, close private immigration detention centers, and even use taxpayer funding to provide transgender surgeries for illegal aliens detained in the United States. Here is how her policies are working out. In fiscal year 2019, the Trump administration arrested aliens who accounted for 5,435 convictions and charges for family offenses. That number dropped to a mere 3,439 in fiscal year 2023, a 36.7 percent decrease. In fiscal year 2019, ICE arrested aliens who were responsible for 6,650 sex offenses and 5,061 sexual assault offenses. Under the Biden administration in fiscal year 2023, ICE arrested aliens responsible for only 5,746 sex offenses and 4,390 sexual assault offenses, drops of 13 percent in each category. These aren't just hypotheticals or just numbers. They are a reality for families across America who need these offenders to be arrested and prosecuted and, more importantly, need them to be prevented from entering the United States of America in the first place. They are emblematic of the Biden-Harris administration's war on women. Just last week, the Judiciary Committee heard from three moms whose daughters were brutally assaulted and murdered by illegal aliens welcomed into the country by President Biden and Vice President Harris. Tammy Nobles recounted how Joe Biden and Kamala Harris released into the country the MS-13 gang member who went on to murder and sexually assault her daughter, Kayla Hamilton. The killer later admitted to four additional murders and two additional rapes. Patty Morin told how an illegal alien raped and strangled her daughter, Rachel, and then stuffed her body into a drainpipe. The alleged murderer entered the country through border czar Kamala Harris' wide-open southern border. Alexis Nungaray spoke about how Joe Biden and Kamala Harris released at the border the two illegal aliens who went on to viciously assault and murder her 12-year-old daughter, Jocelyn. Ms. Nungaray said: ``She had no clothing from the waist down. Her hands and her ankles were tied and thrown under the bridge of water like she was nothing but garbage.'' Victim advocate April Aguirre also told the tragic story of 11-year- old Maria Gonzalez. The Biden-Harris administration released her alleged murderer into the United States. Just 7 months earlier, the illegal alien assaulted and killed Maria, wrapped her body in a trash bag, and stuffed her in a laundry basket that he placed under her bed. These are not isolated incidents. In February, an illegal alien was arrested in Alabama for allegedly raping a 14-year-old girl who could not consent to the intercourse as she was physically helpless or mentally incapacitated. In April, an illegal alien was arrested in Indiana for allegedly breaking into a Michigan mobile home park and sexually assaulting two young girls. In May, authorities arrested a 20-year-old illegal alien for allegedly snatching an 11-year-old girl off the street in front of her Lake Worth, Florida, home and sexually assaulting her. According to local officials, the Guatemalan national crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in early January, made his way to Florida shortly afterward, and does not have an immigration court date until 2027. That is Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' immigration legacy: more unvetted aliens released into American communities, more criminal aliens on American streets, and more Americans endangered by radical, reckless policies. Kamala Harris' war on women is fueled by her open-border policies, which allow more sexual offenders, domestic violence offenders, and child abusers not only into the country but also to remain in the country indefinitely, free from fear of deportation. The American people can end this nightmare in just 2 months. If voters choose to end this crisis, Republicans have proposed new laws that will allow the next President to secure the border and increase interior immigration enforcement on day one. H.R. 7909 is just one of many of those bills. H.R. 7909, the Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act, makes crystal clear that illegal aliens who commit sex offenses are inadmissible to and removable from the United States. The bill also fixes a discrepancy in current immigration law by creating a ground of inadmissibility for domestic violence to mirror the existing ground of removability for the same offenses. In addition, the bill expands the current ground of inadmissibility for domestic violence by cross-referencing the existing statutory definition for sex offenses. Although many aliens can already be found inadmissible to and removable from the United States for certain sex offenses and domestic violence offenses, H.R. 7909 expands and clarifies the conduct for which an alien can be found removable from the country. The time is now to take seriously the danger of criminal aliens in the United States. Anything that makes it easier for adjudicators and officials to ensure a criminal alien's arrest and removal should receive overwhelming bipartisan support, particularly when it comes to sex offenses and domestic violence. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, Democrats assert today that this bill is unnecessary, but that ignores the clear reality of the crisis affecting our southern border and how it has affected those who are victims of these crimes in our country. Take, for example, the fact that under current immigration law, there is no explicit ground for inadmissibility of illegal aliens who commit domestic violence offenses, despite a ground of removability for such aliens. Consider that despite certain sex offenses making aliens removable from the country, there is currently not a ground of inadmissibility or removability for certain sex offenses. The Biden-Harris administration's war on women must come to an end. H.R. 7909 is one step toward that. Making people inadmissible to and removable from the United States because they have committed a sex offense or a domestic violence offense should be something that even open-border Democrats can agree with us on. The Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act is a straightforward, commonsense bill that I urge my colleagues to support. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Ms. LEE of Florida

Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 348; YEA on Roll Call No. 349; YEA on Roll Call No. 350; NAY on Roll Call No. 351; and YEA on Roll Call No. 352.

Ms. LEE of Florida

Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 353; YEA on Roll Call No. 354; and YEA on Roll Call No. 355.

Ms. LEE of Florida

Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to state my support for H.R. 7700, the Stop Unaffordable Dishwasher Standards Act, and H.R. 7637, the Refrigerator Freedom Act, which passed the House this week. Since his first day in office, President Biden has repeatedly advanced burdensome rules, regulations, and mandates that have made Americans' lives more difficult and caused prices to skyrocket. Across the board, prices are up 20 percent because of President Biden's failed and inflationary policies. Families in Florida cannot afford Bidenomics. House Republicans are fighting to protect families from burdensome mandates, safeguard consumer choice, and defend cost-effective energy solutions. That is what these important bills will do. President Biden's war on everyday household appliances only hurts hardworking Americans and small businesses. People in Florida, not bureaucrats in Washington, should be able to decide what appliances they want in their homes. These bills will protect affordability and choice, allowing all Americans the ability to make the right decision for themselves and their families.

Ms. LEE of Florida

Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, this bill should not be controversial. The vast majority of Americans agree that only U.S. citizens should be voting in our elections. The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, or SAVE Act, is a crucial piece of legislation that will protect our elections and ensure American citizens have confidence in our elections system and that their vote is not being canceled out by those who are not legally eligible to vote. As Florida's former Secretary of State, I oversaw all of Florida's elections, working diligently to ensure that Floridians had accurate and fair elections that they could be confident in. Now as the House Administration Subcommittee on Elections chair, I am working to advance policies that lead to stronger elections across our Nation, like the SAVE Act. While it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote, this legislation provides much-needed enforcement and tools for States to verify that their voter rolls are accurate and that illegal aliens are not slipping through the cracks and voting. We all know that President Biden's border crisis poses a clear threat to our elections system as millions of illegal aliens have poured into our country at record levels. In recent years, election outcomes have included razor-thin margins. We must ensure that Americans can trust our election administration process, and one of the sure ways to accomplish that is by ensuring that noncitizens do not vote in our Federal elections. Recently, we have seen documented instances of noncitizen voting in jurisdictions across the country, including right here in our Nation's Capital. That is unacceptable. The SAVE Act will strengthen current law by requiring documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in Federal elections. As a former elections official myself, I urge my colleagues to support the SAVE Act to enhance election security, to minimize the risk of foreign interference, and to restore Americans' confidence in U.S. elections.

Ms. LEE of Florida

Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. LEE of Florida

Ms. LEE of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the United States Election Assistance Commission, the EAC, and the local elections offices across the country who are this year's Clearie Award winners. The EAC was established in 2002 as part of the Help America Vote Act to assist States in HAVA compliance and distributing funds to the States. They also are responsible for creating voting system guidelines and assisting local elections offices across the country. Each year, the EAC administers a national award, the Clearinghouse Award, or Clearies, to recognize local offices that implement best practices and procedures to ensure their election administration is safe and secure. I commend their annual efforts in showcasing the successes of local and State jurisdictions and congratulate the hardworking staff from the 24 election offices from across the Nation who were recognized. I would like to give special recognition to Florida's very own Hillsborough County Elections office, which was named a winner for distinguished voter education and communication initiatives. Madam Speaker, I congratulate the 2024 Clearinghouse Award winners.

Ms. LEE of Florida

Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Publix Super Markets as they donate their one-hundred-millionth pound of produce to food banks across their eight-State footprint. When leaders at Publix learned that farmers were plowing under produce crops in 2000 because markets dried up, they decided to purchase produce from farmers and give it away to their partners at Feeding America. As of today, Publix has donated 100 million pounds of produce to 35 food banks. I am proud to have Publix headquartered in my congressional district and appreciate all they are doing in partnership with food banks throughout the Southeast. We congratulate all Publix associates on this important milestone and for doing good, together.

Ms. LEE of Florida

Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the outstanding performance of Hillsborough County Public Schools in Florida's 15th Congressional District. U.S. News and World Report recently released the 2024 Best High Schools list, which ranked 25,000 high schools throughout the United States based on college preparedness, performance, proficiency, and graduation rates. I am proud to say that some of Hillsborough County's high schools were ranked among the best educational institutions not just in Florida but in the Nation, which is a remarkable achievement. This honor is a testament to the dedicated students, teachers, and administrators in Hillsborough County. It is clear that our schools are full of individuals who are committed to providing high-quality education initiatives and ensuring that our students are well prepared for the next chapter of life. I am excited to see what the future holds for our students, the faculty, and our community in Florida's 15th Congressional District.

Ms. LEE of Florida

Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Dean. It was a privilege to cosponsor this important legislation with her. I urge my colleagues to support this important bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the bill we are here to discuss today is the Revising Existing Procedures on Reporting via Technology Act, or REPORT Act. This is a strong bipartisan bill that provides additional tools to investigate and catch criminal purveyors of child sex abuse material, or CSAM. The exploitation of children through CSAM remains a serious problem both within the United States and abroad. We have heard extensive testimony about these issues in our two victims' focused hearings in the Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance of the Judiciary Committee, one in September and one earlier this month. Reports of CSAM continue to grow exponentially, with 3,000 reports in 1998 growing to more than 1 million in 2014 and 36.2 million in 2023. We have gaps in Federal law that prevent the National Center For Missing and Exploited Children, or NCMEC, from preserving reports of CSAM, which hinders law enforcement from holding these predators accountable. With the growing proliferation of CSAM on the internet, NCMEC, Homeland Security investigations, and other entities that protect children need additional support and investigative tools to bring these predators to justice. The REPORT Act will extend the duration for which evidence submitted to the CyberTipline is preserved from 90 days to 1 year. This will allow law enforcement agencies the much-needed time to conduct comprehensive investigations and strengthen the legal framework against online predators. This bill will strengthen existing law that requires providers to report to law enforcement as soon as reasonably possible after obtaining information about CSAM. Currently, many providers maintain an adequate reporting system. However, the REPORT Act will increase fines for companies that fail to meet these standards and will further penalize companies that repeatedly fail to report exploitative contact. I thank all of the advocates who helped us get where we are today with this bill, including the American Conservative Union, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, International Justice Mission, Rights4Girls, PACT- USA, Raven, the Tim Tebow Foundation, and so many more. I cannot thank them enough for all that each of them does to protect and advocate on behalf of child victims in both the United States and abroad. I also thank my colleagues across the aisle for their support of this bill, including Representative Madeleine Dean, Representative Lucy McBath, and Representative Glenn Ivey. Lastly, I thank law enforcement for their tireless efforts to protect children, including Homeland Security Investigations and the Internet Crimes Against Children task forces across the country. This legislation will make a significant impact on our ability to investigate and prosecute child predators. I am thrilled this bill passed out of the Judiciary Committee 23-0, and I am thrilled to see it brought before this Chamber for a vote today. Simply put, the legislation is crucial. It is supported by law enforcement, advocacy groups, and tech companies alike. It is bipartisan, it is common sense, and it will save lives. I urge all my colleagues to pass the REPORT Act and take this important step to protect children. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 474) to amend title 18, United States Code, to strengthen reporting to the CyberTipline related to online sexual exploitation of children, to modernize liabilities for such reports, to preserve the contents of such reports for 1 year, and for other purposes.

Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on S. 474, the bill now under consideration.

Ms. LEE of Florida

Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion at the desk.

Ms. LEE of Florida

Ms. LEE of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the resolution to impeach Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. We are here today to address one of the most serious responsibilities that we can undertake as Congress, the impeachment of Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The Committee on Homeland Security has worked diligently to investigate and consider the causes and the consequences of the catastrophe at our southern border, and it has concluded that it is necessary and appropriate to pursue this impeachment. Since President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas took office, there have been over 8.3 million illegal crossings nationwide. We have seen the devastating effects of human trafficking, of fentanyl trafficking, and what happens when we cede operational control of our southern border to the Mexican drug cartels. Secretary Mayorkas has refused to enforce the duly enacted laws passed by this Congress. By doing so, he has endangered our homeland, a direct violation of his oath of office. Even in the face of irrefutable evidence to the contrary, he has given false testimony to Congress, claiming that the border is secure. He has defied court orders ordering the Secretary to abandon the illegal programs and policies that he has implemented, which incentivize illegal immigration. House Republicans know that border security is national security, and the crisis at our border is a critical threat to our national security and the safety of the American people. Secretary Mayorkas has willfully and deliberately refused to uphold the laws of the United States, he has violated his oath of office, and he has breached the public trust. Congress has a constitutional duty to secure our border and to ensure our communities are safe. We cannot allow an executive branch agency head to defy the lawful authority of Congress and the courts in pursuit of policies that are contrary to law and endangering Americans. That is why Secretary Mayorkas must be impeached.

Ms. LEE of Florida

Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, last week, I joined Speaker Johnson and a group of my House Republican colleagues in Eagle Pass, Texas, where we witnessed firsthand the catastrophe that is ensuing at our southern border. Illegal immigrant encounters have reached an all-time high, and human trafficking and fentanyl smuggling are destroying our communities. We heard from local law enforcement, ranchers, and community members about the catastrophic effects of this lawlessness happening in their backyard, and we spoke with Customs and Border Patrol personnel, who shared the profound physical and emotional burden of working every day on the front lines of this crisis. These agents are ready, willing, and able to secure our border, but are being prevented from doing so by the reckless immigration policies of this administration. It is past time for us to secure our border, restore accountability, and bring back law and order in America.

Mr. LEE of Florida

Mr. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in expressing support of S. 2747, a bill to amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to extend the Administrative Fine Program for certain reporting violations. As the expiration deadline of December 31, 2023, approaches rather quickly, we, the Members of the House of Representatives, have an opportunity to continue a trend of bipartisan oversight of the Federal Election Commission. If passed, S. 2747 will mark the seventh time lawmakers have recognized the administrative importance and financially beneficial structure of the Administrative Fine Program. As the former Florida Secretary of State, I know firsthand that voters will always seek transparency from political candidates and campaigns. Elections officials have a saying: Elections are partisan. Elections administration is not. This bill is an example of the transparency and confidence that Americans want to see in their elections. These same themes can be found in the American Confidence in Elections Act, which passed out of the Committee on House Administration in mid-July. Today, however, we have the opportunity to showcase the diligent work completed by members of the Committee on House Administration and the Senate Rules Committee. I urge my colleagues to support S. 2747, so the Federal Election Commission can continue to ensure confidence in our political process.