Carolyn Maloney

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I thank my colleagues and friends, Representatives Connolly and Meadows, for their bipartisan work on this very important measure. The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program Authorization Act would codify and improve the existing FedRAMP program in the General Services Administration. First established in 2011, FedRAMP is an important program that certifies cloud service providers that wish to offer services to the Federal Government. The FedRAMP certification process outlined in this bill is comprehensive and facilitates easier agency adoption, promotes agency reuse, and encourages savings. The FedRAMP process uses a risk-based approach to ensure the reliability of any cloud platform that hosts unclassified government data. A significant provision of this bill is the Federal Secure Cloud Advisory Committee. This committee would be tasked with key responsibilities, including providing technical expertise on cloud products and services and identifying ways to reduce costs associated with FedRAMP certification. The Director of the Office of Management and Budget would be required to issue regulations pertaining to FedRAMP and would ensure that agencies are not using cloud service providers without authorization. This bill supports a critical effort to keep our Nation's information secure in cloud environments. Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly), chair of the subcommittee.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. I urge passage of H.R. 3941, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 375) to improve efforts to identify and reduce Governmentwide improper payments, and for other purposes.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure before us.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Improper payments include overpayments, underpayments, payments to the incorrect recipient, and those that lack proper documentation. They are a longstanding and significant problem in the Federal Government. In fiscal year 2018 alone, they totaled more than $151 billion. Congress has passed a number of laws over the past two decades to try and address this problem, but the problem, unfortunately, persists. S. 375, the Payment Integrity Information Act, would consolidate the existing and proper payment laws in one place in the U.S. Code and make several changes to help identify and reduce improper payments. It would require agencies to develop plans to prevent improper payments and also to identify programs with the highest risk. It would also require the Office of Management and Budget and inspectors general to offer guidance on how to improve annual reporting on improper payments. Finally, the bill will create a working group of Federal agencies and non-Federal partners to develop strategies for addressing the key causes of improper payments, such as fraud and eligibility determination in State-managed Federal benefits programs. I thank Senators Tom Carper, Ron Johnson, Gary Peters, and Mike Braun for their good work on this commonsense measure. I commend Senator Carper for his longstanding dedication to reducing improper payments. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important measure to reduce waste and fraud in Federal programs, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. Craig), the House sponsor for this bill.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of S. 375, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 394) to amend the Presidential Transition Act of 1963 to improve the orderly transfer of the executive power during Presidential transitions.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure before us.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. The Presidential Transition Enhancement Act would make a number of important changes to the transition process when a new President is elected. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Senators Johnson and Carper for their hard work on this issue. Many of the provisions in the bill before us today were introduced in the House by our late chairman, Elijah Cummings, in the Transition Team Ethics Improvement Act. Most importantly, the bill would strengthen the ethics requirements for transition team members. The Government Accountability Office issued a report in 2017 about President Trump's Presidential transition. GAO reported that the Trump transition team required team members to sign an ethics code of conduct but failed to designate a transition team member responsible for enforcing it. Ethics plans are important for Presidential transitions because Presidents-elect often hire transition team members who work in the private sector, but unlike Federal employees, private-sector employees are not subject to Federal ethics laws. This bill would require eligible Presidential candidates to agree to enforce ethics plans during the transition period. The bill includes core elements of what those ethics plans should include, such as a description of how the transition team will address participation by lobbyists and individuals working for foreign governments. The bill would also require that transition teams make the ethics plans they adopt publicly available. It also includes provisions to ensure that nonpublic information remains confidential and is not used in any way for personal gain. The bill would clarify the responsibility of the General Services Administration during a transition by requiring a memorandum of understanding between the agency and the Presidential transition team. Finally, the bill would allow GSA to provide transition services for up to 60 days after an inauguration. These provisions would help ensure smoother transitions than we have had in the past. I am very glad this is a bipartisan bill. The Senate approved this bill without any opposition. The peaceful transition of power from one party to another is a cornerstone of our democratic system. We must do all we can to ensure the integrity of that process. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this bill, S. 394, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3976) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 12711 East Jefferson Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, as the ``Aretha Franklin Post Office Building''.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. 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 this measure.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues in consideration of H.R. 3976, to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 12711 East Jefferson Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, as the Aretha Franklin Post Office Building. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague, Representative Brenda Lawrence, for introducing this important measure to honor a cultural and civil rights heroine. Aretha Franklin, the ``Queen of Soul,'' was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist from Detroit, Michigan. Over her career, Aretha Franklin was awarded 18 Grammy awards, along with various lifetime achievement recognitions. Her unique vocal style not only influenced generations of future singers, but it also earned her the number one spot on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the Greatest Singers of All Time. Aretha Franklin was also a champion for civil rights and women's rights. She frequently donated to civil rights groups, and two of her biggest hits, ``Respect'' and ``You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman,'' became anthems for social change movements across the country. In 1987, she was the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush in 2005. Aretha Franklin died of advanced pancreatic cancer on August 16, 2018, in Detroit, Michigan. Naming a post office in the city she cherished so fondly would recognize her important cultural and civic accomplishments. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence), the author of this bill.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Dingell).

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 3976. I had the opportunity to meet Aretha Franklin several times. She was a great friend of Charlie Rangel and would often perform for his events. She very generously gave her time to raise money for all kinds of civic rights events. She was a remarkable person and a great singer. Mr. Speaker, I urge everyone to support this important legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I rise in strong support of the Lee amendment to repeal the Authorization for Use of Military Force against Iraq. In 2002, this Chamber voted to invade Iraq on what would later prove to be false and misleading intelligence provided by the Bush administration. We removed Saddam Hussein, established a democratic government in Iraq, and declared a formal end to the mission in 2011. However, that 18-year-old authorization is now being used by the President to escalate a conflict with Iran, a conflict that the American people strongly oppose and one that Congress never authorized. The Constitution states plainly that Congress shall have the power to declare war and peace. This amendment exercises that constitutional authority, reflects the will of the American people, and is the first step to finally ending our endless wars and bringing them to an end. I urge all of my colleagues to support the Lee amendment.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Chair, I thank the chairwoman for yielding and for being such a leader on this issue and so many others. I rise in strong support of H.R. 3621, and I want to thank my colleague, Ms. Pressley, for her hard work on this bill. Our credit reporting system is deeply flawed, and it affects millions of consumers every day. When there is an error on a consumer's credit report, it can harm their credit for years. Maybe their credit report says that they didn't pay a bill when they did, or maybe they confused them with another person. These kinds of basic errors should be easy to fix, but unfortunately, they often take years to sort out. And in the meantime, consumers are being wrongfully denied credit or paying higher rates than they should. This bill will solve these problems by reforming the dispute process in order to give consumers more rights and more opportunities to challenge bad information on their credit reports. It also helps consumers who have burdensome student loans by removing negative credit information as soon as they can demonstrate that they have a history of timely repayment. This is incredibly important. Finally, I want to thank Chairwoman Waters for her tireless efforts on this issue. She has focused on credit reporting for years, and I am very proud she was able to shepherd so many bills to the floor. I urge a ``yes'' vote on this bill.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and for his incredible leadership. Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on my bipartisan legislation, H.R. 943, the Never Again Education Act, which has over 300 cosponsors. On this day, 75 years ago, Auschwitz-Birkenau was finally liberated, but not before more than 1 million people were murdered there. We mark this day International Holocaust Remembrance Day as we witness the rise of anti-Semitism, racism, and bigotry across our country and around the world. In fact, we observe this day of remembrance just weeks after a rise of violent anti-Semitic attacks in New York, including an attack at a rabbi's home during the festival of Hanukkah. An Anti-Defamation League report recorded that over 1,800 of these acts happened in 2018 alone. And yet, as we speak out against these attacks and stand against hate with our Jewish communities, we are also called to act. Condemnation alone is not enough. We need to do all we can to create communities in which these incidents don't happen in the first place. We need to make a better future, one of understanding, acceptance, and mutual respect. We must make sure our children and students understand the dangers of rising anti-Semitism. In the resolution establishing today as International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the United Nations asked each member Nation to ``develop educational programs that will inculcate future generations with the lessons of the Holocaust in order to help prevent future acts of genocide.'' As a former teacher, I know that our children are not born with hate in their hearts, and it is up to us to make sure that they never learn it. We need to give our teachers the resources they need to teach about the Holocaust and the dangers of bigotry and hate. This is not an easy subject matter for our students to understand, and our teachers need support, lesson plans, guest speakers, and training. So along with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, I introduced H.R. 943, which will expand the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's already impressive educational programs by requiring the museum to develop and disseminate accurate, relevant, and accessible resources to improve awareness and understanding of the Holocaust, and educate individuals on the lessons as a means to promote the importance of preventing genocide, hate, and bigotry against any group of people. By providing $10 million over 5 years to support key programs like having traveling exhibits, expanding a centralized website, a database, where educators can find curriculum and lessons plans that are appropriate for every age group; to develop and disseminate and implement principles of sound instruction; and to increase engagement with State and local education leaders. This was a huge effort over 20 years. I first introduced this bill in 1999, and I have been working on it in a bipartisan way ever since. I particularly want to thank the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Hadassah, the Jewish Federations of North America, and the Anti- Defamation League for all of their work that they have done, not only to support Holocaust education, but to support the passage of this bill. I especially want to thank my coleads on this bill, Representatives Stefanik, Bacon, and Carbajal for all of their hard work in gaining the 300 cosponsors. As we recommit ourselves to the promise of ``never again,'' I am reminded that the lessons of the Holocaust do not apply just to anti- Semitism but to all forms of hate and bigotry. I can think of no better way to honor the memories of those murdered than to make sure our students know their stories, for if we do not learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it. Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to vote together in support of this legislation. I thank all of my colleagues who have signed on to this legislation for their support, especially Chairman Scott for his leadership and support. I thank my own staff, particularly Kelly Hennessy, and the staff of Chairman Scott.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate leaders in Virginia for their historic vote to become the 38th State to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment today. For decades, ERA advocates across the country have been fighting so that equality for women and men is constitutionally protected. The momentum behind the effort has never been stronger. I have sponsored the Equal Rights Amendment for many years because I believe it is the only way to make lasting progress on the goals we consistently fight for, like equal pay for equal work, ending pregnancy discrimination, and combating gender-based violence. The ERA is a legal foundation that can withstand changing political whims of legislators, judges, or occupants of the White House. Women are long past due equal treatment under the law. We will persist until it is firmly guaranteed. We demand full equality now. We demand that it be spelled out in the Constitution. And you spell it E- R-A.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bill, the 8-K Trading Gap Act. I thank Mr. San Nicolas for yielding and for his leadership on the committee, and, of course, Chairwoman Waters. This bill would fix a loophole in our current law that allows corporate executives to trade on information before it is disclosed to the public and to their own shareholders. Right now, when there is a significant corporate event in a public company, the company has to disclose that event to the public by filing a form 8-K within 4 days of the event occurring. Of course, during this 4-day gap, executives at the company know about the significant event, but other investors do not. There has been research from academics at Columbia Law School and Harvard Law School that shows that executives do actually trade in this 4-day gap and profit significantly from it. In fact, one of the authors of this study was Robert Jackson, who is now an SEC Commissioner. Commissioner Jackson brought this issue to my attention when he was still an academic, and I would like to thank him for his hard work on this issue. My bill would address this problem by simply prohibiting executives from trading during this 4-day gap that they know about and the public doesn't, which is clearly illegal. When SEC Chairman Clayton testified before the Financial Services Committee, I asked him about this bill. He said that he thought it was ``good corporate hygiene that, once a determination has been made that there is a material event to disclose, that the company's insider trading policy . . . would have a control in there where the senior executives would not be allowed to trade.'' This is basically an endorsement of this bill. That is exactly what my bill would do, and I think it is just plain common sense. I very much want to thank Ranking Members McHenry, Huizenga, and Hill for their work with me on this bill, and I would also like to thank Chairwoman Waters for her support. I urge my colleagues to support it. It is a commonsense, good- government bill. It will help investors and help the entire system.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that I may hereafter be considered as the primary sponsor of H.R. 2569, a bill originally introduced by Representative Cummings of Maryland, for the purpose of adding cosponsors and requesting reprintings pursuant to clause 7 of rule XII.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of this resolution. Congress has constitutional authority when it comes to one of the most important decisions any of us can make: to send our brave men and women of the Armed Forces into harm's way in service of our country. Recent events demonstrate just how important this congressional role is. When the President decided to strike a high-level Iranian official, he made a decision that was provocative in the strongest sense of the word. He did that without any meaningful congressional consultation. The information that we have received is woefully insufficient, including the notification and the briefing provided by senior officials yesterday. Congress and the American people have no assurance that the President is acting as part of a well-thought-out strategy that makes Americans safer rather than sets us on a war path. I am deeply opposed to an unauthorized war with Iran. That is why I support this resolution, which reiterates that only Congress can declare war and that we have not done so here.