Gwen Moore

Ms. MOORE

Ms. MOORE. Mr. Chairman, I thank Chairwoman Waters so much for yielding to me, and I want to than Chairwoman Waters and my former colleagues on the House Financial Services Committee for getting this important legislation, the Consumers First Act, to the floor. The CFPB, as Members have heard, has been a great equalizer in our financial markets for regular Americans. It makes sure that financial institutions follow the law and that regular people are treated fairly. Every business claims that they put their customers first, but what happens when they don't? For far too long, the answer was nothing. We have seen the car loans at higher interest rates for people of color and mortgage products that almost brought our economy down and created and pushed us into the Great Recession. Then along came Dodd-Frank and the CFPB, which set the table for the economic expansion that we have seen since 2010. The dedicated men and women of the CFPB have literally put $12 billion back into the pockets of victims of fraud, harmful financial schemes, and other abuses. Let me say to my colleagues on the other side: Speaker after speaker has gotten up and talked about subjecting the CFPB to the appropriations process. They have claimed that they are against the independence of the agencies, calling them independent bureaucrats. That is exactly what their comments lean toward is taking away the independence of this agency to determine fraud and abuse and subjecting it to the whims of whoever is the President or whoever is the administration. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation because it is good for consumers, good for businesses, good for our financial markets, and good for the American people.

Ms. MOORE

Ms. MOORE. Madam Speaker, I am so honored to join my colleagues in commemorating the 100th anniversary of House passage of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, guaranteeing women the right to vote everywhere in our country. My State, Wisconsin, was the very first State to ratify the 19th Amendment, and I am wearing this yellow rose today in honor of the remarkable women who fought for their seat at the table. They persevered; they resisted; they persisted; and the face of Congress is different because of them. Women like Ida B. Wells, Susan B. Anthony, and Sojourner Truth said that, if women want rights, we must be sisters in arms and fight for what is right. Wisconsin was the first State to ratify the 19th Amendment, and, unfortunately, they are now leading in the efforts to disenfranchise people. But it is because of the powerful legacy that I will continue to fight to make sure that no one is denied access to the ballots due them as citizens.

Ms. MOORE

Ms. MOORE. Madam Speaker, I am so happy that H.R. 2480 includes several noteworthy improvements to the CAPTA Act. One is a bill that I introduced last Congress called Family Poverty is Not Child Neglect Act. It recognizes that 75 percent of child abuse referrals are not because of malicious abuse, but because of symptoms of poverty that officials categorize as neglect. It would mandate States to treat those conditions of poverty with service-based remedies that will reduce the parental separation risk disproportionately affecting low-income children and families. I am so pleased that federally-supported distinctions between poverty-based lack and parental maltreatment unrelated to poverty has been added to our Stronger CAPTA bill. Poverty-related conditions should be met with poverty-alleviating solutions, not child separation. Madam Speaker, I just want to share my own personal story. My own experience, at age 18, was that I was separated from my child, who was placed in foster care, because my scholarship money would not cover living expenses. And while she was placed in a loving foster home, this was traumatic for me, and constituted an adverse childhood experience for my daughter. So I am so pleased to stand here today to say, as a witness, that we should do everything we can to avoid child separations, and this bill addresses it. Madam Speaker, I thank all of the authors on both sides of the aisle.

Ms. MOORE

Ms. MOORE. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from Detroit, Michigan, for yielding time to me. Madam Speaker, you heard it just a moment ago, those words from the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: ``Injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere.'' That is why I am so proud to support this historic legislation that will be on this floor tomorrow, H.R. 5, the Equality Act, that will truly provide equality for members of the LGBTQ community. Now, many people might argue, Madam Speaker, that we have made important strides against prejudice over the last few years, and it has been amazing. We have had States pass legislation outlawing discrimination based on a person's sexual orientation. Likewise, we have had Federal courts that have ruled that discrimination based on someone's sexual orientation or gender identity is illegal under existing laws. Yet tens of millions of Americans live in areas where these laws have not been passed and Federal courts have not made the same determination. H.R. 5 is the remedy for making sure that we don't have this checkerboard of rights and checkerboard of discrimination among our LGBTQ community. My district of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the Fourth Congressional District of Wisconsin, is notable to mention here. LGBTQ youth, in particular, face significant obstacles and barriers because of their LGBTQ identification. We have 500 youth in my district who are homeless, and more than 40 percent of them identify as LGBTQ, many permanently homeless because they have been abandoned by their families and turned out onto the streets. To add to their distress, the overly represented LGBTQ youth in the foster care system in Milwaukee and around the country face huge disparities in treatment and higher rates of harassment than their non- LGBTQ peers. There are many foster care organizations that are turning away potential loving families and homes based on discriminatory practices even though LGBTQ couples are seven times--did you hear me, Madam Speaker?--seven times as likely to adopt and are more likely to adopt minority children or disabled children as compared to heterosexual couples. Here is what we know. Every child wants a loving home. Trans people, like all people, just want to be treated like people. For these reasons, and so many others, I fully support H.R. 5, and I look forward to voting for it tomorrow. I applaud our leadership's commitment to protecting our LGBTQ community and all communities from pernicious forms of hate and harm of discrimination. We are all in this together, Madam Speaker. And in order to protect all of our rights, we ought to remember the oath that we take as we stand under this ``e pluribus unum''--``out of many, one.''

Ms. MOORE

Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the following letter from the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head Aquinnah expressing their concerns about this legislation. I want to reiterate that I support this legislation. However, I believe it is important that the concerns of this sister tribe be included in this debate. Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head Aquinnah, Aquinnah, MA. To: The United States House of Representatives, Honorable Representatives From: Chairwoman Cheryl Andrews-Maltais, The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head Aquinnah (The Aquinnah Wampanoag) Date: May 15, 2019 Re: H.R. 312 The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head Aquinnah (Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe) Strenuously Opposes H.R. 312, Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Reservation Reaffirmation Act The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head Aquinnah (Aquinnah Wampanoag) strenuously opposes the above referenced Bill due to the fact that it creates two classes of Tribes within the same Wampanoag Tribal Nation. H.R. 312 unfairly provides a pathway for economic development for one Tribe (the Mashpee Wampanoag) while simultaneously creating an obstruction to the other Wampanoag Tribe (the Aquinnah Wampanoag) whose Tribal community also lives within the same shared Ancestral territory of the Wampanoag Nation. The Bill sets forth a pathway for one Tribe (the Mashpee) to acquire lands in trust outside of its original homeland ``village site'' of the Town of Mashpee and does not provide the same opportunity for the other Tribe (the Aquinnah). H.R. 312 also removes all clouds of the applicability of the Indian Reorganization Act (as Amended), and all other laws enacted for the benefit of Federally Recognized Tribes for one Tribe (the Mashpee) and not for the Aquinnah who is of the same Wampanoag Nation and who was federally recognized 25 years earlier. The Bill provides a remedy to the Department of the Interior's (DOI's) egregious determination that the Wampanoag are not eligible to have lands taken into trust for one Tribe (the Mashpee Wampanoag), while omitting the other Wampanoag Tribe (the Aquinnah Wampanoag) from this remedy from which the Aquinnah Wampanoag are also suffering. The Aquinnah Wampanoag would support this Bill, H.R. 312 if included as part of ``and for other purposes''. The simple request is for a simple amendment to create fairness, equity and parity for both Wampanoag Tribes within Massachusetts.

Ms. MOORE

Ms. MOORE. Madam Speaker, of course I am reading from volume I, pages 22 through 24, inclusive. ``Dozens of IRA employees were responsible for operating accounts and personas on different U.S. social media platforms. The IRA referred to employees assigned to operate the social media accounts as `specialists.' Starting as early as 2014, the IRA's U.S. operations included social media specialists focusing on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. The IRA later added specialists who operated on Tumblr and Instagram accounts. ``Initially, the IRA created social media accounts that pretended to be the personal accounts of U.S. persons. By early 2015, the IRA began to create larger social media groups, or public social media pages that claimed (falsely) to be affiliated with the U.S. political and grassroots organizations. In certain cases, the IRA created accounts that mimicked real U.S. organizations. For example, one IRA-controlled Twitter account, @TEN--GOP, purported to be connected to the Tennessee Republican Party. More commonly, the IRA created accounts in the name of fictitious U.S. organizations and grassroots groups and used these accounts to pose as anti-immigration groups, Tea Party activists, Black Lives Matter protesters, and other U.S. social and political activists. ``The IRA closely monitored the activity of the social media accounts--redacted. By February 2016, internal IRA documents referred to support for the Trump campaign and opposition to candidate Clinton. For example,--redacted--directions to IRA operators--redacted. `Main idea: Use any opportunity to criticize Hillary Clinton and the rest, (except Sanders and Trump--we support them)'--redacted. ``The focus on the U.S. Presidential campaign continued throughout 2016. In--redacted--2016 internal--redacted--reviewing the IRA- controlled Facebook book `Secured Borders' the author criticized the `lower number of posts dedicated to criticizing Hillary Clinton' and reminded the Facebook specialist, `it is imperative to intensify criticizing Hillary Clinton.' IRA employees also acknowledged that their work focused on influencing the U.S. Presidential election-- redacted.''

Ms. MOORE. ``The IRA organized and promoted political rallies inside the United States while posing as U.S. grassroots activists. First, the IRA used one of its preexisting social media personas (Facebook groups and Twitter accounts, for example) to announce and promote the event. The IRA then sent a large number of direct messages to followers of its social media account asking them to attend the event. From those who responded with interest in attending, the IRA then sought a U.S. person to serve as the event's coordinator. In most cases, the IRA account operator would tell the U.S. person that they personally could not attend the event due to some preexisting conflict or because they were somewhere else in the United States. The IRA then further promoted the event by contacting U.S. media about the event and directing them to speak with the coordinator. After the event, the IRA posted videos and photographs of the event to the IRA's social media accounts. ``The office identified dozens of U.S. rallies organized by the IRA. The earliest evidence of a rally was a `confederate rally' in November 2015. The IRA continued to organize rallies, even after the 2016 U.S. Presidential election. The attendance at rallies varied. Some rallies appear to have drawn few (if any) participants, while others drew hundreds. The reach and success of these rallies was closely monitored--redacted.'' ``Redacted.'' ``From June 2016 until the end of Presidential campaign, almost all the U.S. rallies organized by the IRA focused on the U.S. election, often promoting the Trump campaign and opposing the Clinton campaign. Pro-Trump rallies included three in New York, a series of pro-Trump rallies in Florida in August 2016, and a series of pro-Trump rallies in October 2016 in Pennsylvania. The Florida rallies drew the attention of the Trump campaign, which posted about the Miami rally on candidate Trump's Facebook account (as discussed below). ``Many of the same IRA employees who oversaw the IRA's social media accounts also conducted the day-to-day recruiting for political rallies inside the United States.''

Ms. MOORE. Madam Speaker, I will be reading now from volume I, page 36. ``Beginning in March 2016, units of the Russian Federation's Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff (GRU) hacked the computers and email accounts of organizations, employees, and volunteers supporting the Clinton campaign, including the email account of campaign chairman John Podesta. Starting in April 2016, the GRU hacked into the computer networks of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and the Democratic National Committee (DNC). ``The GRU targeted hundreds of email accounts used by Clinton campaign employees, advisers, and volunteers. In total, the GRU stole hundreds of thousands of documents from the compromised email accounts and networks. The GRU later released stolen Clinton campaign and DNC documents through online personas, `DCLeaks' and `Guccifer 2.0,' and later through the organization WikiLeaks. The release of the documents was designed and timed to interfere with the 2016 U.S. Presidential election and undermine the Clinton campaign. ``The Trump campaign showed interest in the WikiLeaks releases and, in the summer and fall of 2016--redacted. After--redacted--WikiLeaks' first Clinton-related release--redacted--the Trump campaign stayed in contact--redacted--about WikiLeaks' activities. The investigation was unable to resolve--redacted--WikiLeaks' release of the stolen Podesta emails on October 7, 2016, the same day a video from years earlier was published of Trump using graphic language about women.''

Ms. MOORE

Ms. MOORE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 54th anniversary of the successful national Head Start program, which empowers children to succeed across the country. Head Start is a critical program that is based on the simple premise that every child, regardless of their socioeconomic status, should be able to succeed in life. Head Start offers education, health and nutrition services to economically disadvantaged children, as well as parenting and employment supports to their parents. Head Start is a wise and cost-effective investment in families and communities. For every dollar invested in Head Start by the federal government, the country realizes almost nine dollars in benefits through increased earning and reduced reliance on social programs. In my state of Wisconsin, Head Start provides parent education, preventative health care, and home visits to nearly 17,000 Wisconsin children and families at over 280 locations statewide. In addition, just last year, Head Start provided crisis assistance to over 3,700 families in Wisconsin in the form of emergency food, clothing or shelter. Yet, the need is much greater. In 2017, of the nearly 42,000 children in Wisconsin ages of three and five in poverty, only 31 percent had access to Head Start. Of the 50,985 children under the three in poverty, only 6 percent had access to Early Head Start. This is troubling when we know the difference that this program can make. Earlier this year, I again joined colleagues in asking the House Appropriations Committee to boost funding for Head Start. So I commend those who have helped make this program such a vital part of communities in the past 50 plus years, the dedicated teachers, parents, and others who invest so much in our children. Madam Speaker, I commend Head Start for the difference it is making for children and families in Wisconsin and throughout the nation and urge this Congress to improve and strengthen it for another 50 wonderful years.

Ms. MOORE

Ms. MOORE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Reverend Andrew B. Warner. He is a pastor, social justice activist, devoted husband and father. Reverend Warner is a graduate of Harvard University with a Master of Divinity Degree. Reverend Warner is leaving his current post as Senior Pastor of Plymouth Church United Church of Christ on May 5, 2019. He served in many pastoral capacities during his 22-year tenure at Plymouth and was always attentive to the care of his congregants throughout times of both joy and grief. Under his guidance, Plymouth embodied the spiritual practice of ``extravagant welcome'' to the building, the mind and the spirit. I have benefitted from and borne witness to this extravagant welcome on many occasions as both a visitor and preacher at Plymouth Church. Reverend Warner led a major capital campaign and managed the remodel of the 100-year-old edifice. The project received a Mayor's Design Award in 2013 for honoring its historic Eschweiler design while adapting to accessibility and technology needs. Reverend Warner led Plymouth Church in collaboration with other organizations on topics such as racial justice, interfaith relations, and the role of the arts in healing and forgiveness. I personally have participated in Plymouth's tribute to the 50th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, as well as a tribute to the 150th Anniversary of the 14th Amendment. Reverend Warner created the Reviving Justice, Peace and Hope series of interfaith social justice conferences held at Plymouth. Following its remodel, Plymouth has opened its doors to Congregation Shir Hadash. During his tenure, Plymouth has also continued to fully live out its Open and Affirming (ONA) status through embrace of and advocacy for the LGBTQ Community. In the spirit of cross-sectional community building, Reverend Warner has served on a number of boards including Pathfinders, Cream City Foundation, and Rotary Club of Milwaukee. Reverend Andrew B. Warner now takes leave of shepherding Plymouth to take on two new roles in the wider United Church of Christ. He will serve as Director of Development for the Wisconsin Conference where he will lead the fundraising efforts of the conference to support the planned giving and effective philanthropy of congregations and work to organize a foundation-based community foundation model for the endowments of the conference and congregations. He will also serve as a Generosity Outreach Officer of the national setting of the UCC. In that role he will train, coach and mentor conference and congregational leaders across the country to strengthen the culture of generosity in the UCC. As part of the work, he will teach as an adjunct faculty member with the Lake Institute of the School of Philanthropy at Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis. Reverend Andrew B. Warner is a truth faith leader. I am proud that he resides in the 4th Congressional District in the Village of Whitefish Bay with his husband and two sons--one in college, the other in high school. He opens his home to friends like me, where he cooks and practices his gastro-evangelism. I, along with others in the Greater Milwaukee area and Wisconsin, admire and thank Reverend Warner for his positive impact on all around him. I am proud to call Andrew B. Warner my friend. Madam Speaker, for these reasons I rise to pay tribute to a man whose legacy as a true leader will serve as a beacon for those who assume his duties upon leaving Plymouth Church.

Ms. MOORE

Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Danny K. Davis). Mr. Speaker, I am absolutely delighted to rise in support of H.R. 1759, the Building on Reemployment Improvements to Deliver Good Employment for Workers Act, also known as the BRIDGE for Workers Act. I do want to congratulate the authors of this bill, Mrs. Walorski and my colleague Mrs. Murphy, for their effort in putting this forward. This bill aims to provide workers receiving unemployment benefits the support they need to not only get back into the workforce as soon as possible, but to prevent them from being unemployed in the first place. This legislation is so important because it would extend reemployment services and eligibility assessments to all claimants of unemployment benefits, rather than limiting these benefits to only those who are expected to run out of benefits. Helping all unemployment insurance claimants reenter the workforce is vital for a robust economy that will only thrive with a skilled workforce. Mr. Speaker, research shows that the longer workers are out of work, the harder it can be to maintain their skills. Reemployment services equip workers with important tools, such as individualized career counseling and job search assistance, to find a job well matched to their skills and experience more quickly. This helps to stabilize families' income. These are the kinds of services that we need to invest in as a nation, especially since we know that not all boats are rising in this economy. In my own State of Wisconsin, funding to the Department of Workforce Development's Reemployment Services Program was bolstered for fiscal year 2019, with an increase of nearly $722,000. Already, we have seen improvements in the program's effectiveness for Wisconsinites in need of just a little bit of extra assistance with finding suitable employment. Mr. Speaker, I would also note that the BRIDGE for Workers Act was a bipartisan effort, so important for getting things done. We are pleased with the overwhelming cooperation on both sides of the aisle, and I urge my colleagues to support its passage.

Ms. MOORE

Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I am such a proud cosponsor of the Taxpayer First Act, and I stand with my colleagues as we vote on this bipartisan, bicameral bill. I am going to quickly address two key provisions of this bill. First, this bill is an important step that Congress is taking toward reforming the IRS for the first time in 20 years to better serve taxpayers and to strengthen taxpayer protections that have been long overdue. This whole-scale modernization is an important step toward restoring confidence and trust in this crucial Federal agency. Secondly, with the aim of encouraging sensible enforcement, this act modifies the IRS private debt collection program to stop the targeting of lower income Americans by creating two additional categories of cases not eligible for referral to private collection agencies: taxpayers whose income is substantially derived from Supplemental Security Income benefits or disability insurance benefits payments, or taxpayers with an adjusted gross income of 200 percent of the poverty level and below. For years, experts have told Congress that private debt collection has hurt the most vulnerable among us. Today, we are providing safeguards to protect against businesses profiting by collecting from financially vulnerable taxpayers. Mr. Speaker, I urge immediate passage of this important legislation, and I urge all Members to support it.

Ms. MOORE

Ms. MOORE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to have my name removed as a cosponsor of H.R. 1735.

Ms. MOORE

Ms. MOORE. Madam Speaker, I am so blessed to have known Louise McIntosh Slaughter, and I am so pleased to speak on her behalf today. Louise was a legislator, with a capital L, and she lived up to the legacy of the ladies of New York. She represented Seneca Falls, and not only because it was her district, but she represented it in terms of her sentiments. She was the sponsor of the Violence Against Women Act. She was the head of the Pro-Choice Caucus. She focused on medical research for women. She was a thought leader. Consistent with her training in chemistry, she fought to decrease the amount of antibiotics, eliminate antibiotics in animals for consumption. She led on the issues of getting rid of lead, and, also, she really understood chemistry. The first time she saw Bob Slaughter, she said, ``I have just got to have him,'' and she went and got him. She was a bridge to leadership. These freshmen would have really, really enjoyed being around the head of the Rules Committee, their bridge to the leadership. And let me tell you, I loved her because she really knew how to make people happy. Madam Speaker, she gave me an orange purse because she thought that orange was a happy color and that I deserved to be surrounded by it.

Ms. MOORE

Ms. MOORE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Milwaukee Urban League as it celebrates 100 years of service to the Milwaukee area Community. The Milwaukee Urban League was established in 1919 as an affiliate of the National Urban League (NUL) in response to the migration of African Americans who moved north from southern states in search of greater opportunities and a better way of life. They assisted in their transition to urban life and employment, helping African Americans in Milwaukee secure economic self-reliance, parity and power, and civil rights. The Milwaukee Urban League become a hub and sought to meet the various needs of the African American Community. They established a medical clinic in the 1920s and sponsored a community center for holiday gatherings, youth recreation and crafts, and taught boxing skills. In 1926 the Urban League released a study that established the need to eliminate poor housing as a high priority. In subsequent years, it was instrumental in ending legalized racial discrimination in housing and creating the Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council which still exists today. In the 1930s, the Milwaukee Urban League established the Industrial Relations Project to improve job opportunities and working conditions through relationships with business establishments. Over the years the Urban League has continued to promote employment and economic self-sufficiency through such initiatives as apprentice programs, and pre-employment skills training. Other employment help includes on the job placement and training and older workers and job ride programs. The Milwaukee Urban League has promoted business ownership and development through efforts such as the Franchise Initiative designed to help African Americans acquire franchises, thereby, generating wealth and increasing the number of jobs in the community. It hosts an annual Youth Leadership Summit to promote civic engagement. The Milwaukee Urban League has been on the front lines of the struggle for equality by both performing research that establishes the case for change and taking actions that result in change to help the next generation succeed. The Urban League continues to collaborate on many issues to enhance the well-being of the community it serves to achieve positive outcomes, including: seeking alternatives to incarceration, working with organizations to speak out against hatred and bigotry, improving academic achievement and social growth among students, and eliminating barriers to employment including enhancement. Madam Speaker, for these reasons I rise to recognize and pay tribute to the Milwaukee Urban League as it celebrates its 100th anniversary and continues its efforts to benefit the Fourth Congressional District and the State of Wisconsin.

Ms. MOORE

Ms. MOORE. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. MOORE. Madam Chair, I rise today to offer an amendment to H.R. 1, the For the People Act, which would, among other provisions, require Federal and State governments to physically provide voting registration materials at the same time they provide notification of a restoration of voting rights under the bill. Voting is the most powerful voice that we have in our democracy. As a Wisconsinite, I am proud to stand today to fight for everyone's right to vote. Wisconsin has been the petri dish for some of the most pernicious voting suppression efforts, including partisan gerrymandering, all designed to marginalize some votes. Where our votes are counted, our voices are heard. I am here to say no more--no more--to suppression. Anyone who works to suppress the vote does not support democracy, Madam Chair. Anyone who limits the ability of all people to express their voice through the ballot does not support democracy. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. MOORE. Madam Chair, may I inquire of the Chair how much time I have left.

Ms. MOORE. Madam Chair, let me commend the gentleman for his active participation in the First Step Act, the criminal justice reform. Let me commend him on his efforts to restore freedom to felons and, as he indicated, murderers and drug dealers and other kinds of criminals who he worked so hard to restore their right to freedom. This amendment deals with really low-hanging fruit in terms of criminal justice reform. It just says that, when the department has decided that someone has finished their term, when they have finished their sentence, when they are released, they would simply receive those instructions as to how to register to vote. If there is a pedophile--and I would have welcomed the gentleman's amendment--perhaps it can be part of the rules to say that you must vote by absentee ballot. Madam Chair, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren), chairwoman of the committee.

Ms. MOORE. Madam Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for that clarification. Democracy demands hard work, and, again, I commend the gentleman for his hard work to put criminals back onto the street. This is very low-hanging fruit. There have been studies that have indicated that restoring the voting rights of felons really means that they will be more likely to not re-offend because we are bringing them back into the civil discourse of our communities. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. MOORE. Madam Chair, just in closing, I hope that my colleague will support this amendment. It doesn't deal with murderers or pedophiles. It deals with people who are coming out of prison and being notified of their rights and responsibilities with regard to voting. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. MOORE. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. MOORE. Madam Chair, my amendment simply requires an ongoing evaluation after every Federal election of the efforts to ensure that those with disabilities have successfully been able to exercise their right to vote. The Government Accountability Office would be charged with assessing polling place accessibility, privacy issues, and the extent of poll worker training on the rights of individuals with disabilities, as well as on accessible voting machines, among other identified barriers. They would provide their recommendations, if any, to Congress. I recently had a constituent come into my office and speak about the continued challenges faced by those with disabilities when it comes to exercising this fundamental right, such as inaccessible voting machines that were located and situated as to not provide privacy for the voter. And this is not just an anecdotal evidence of the problem. According to the National Council on Independent Living, over 2 million people with disabilities didn't vote in 2016, and this isn't just an issue of voter apathy. Study after study shows that our voting system is still inaccessible. What we know is that, even with laws in place, not all polling places are accessible because of physical barriers, unprepared and untrained staff, or accessible equipment that is either not functional or turned off. Let me be clear: This bill takes steps forward to address those barriers, and I appreciate the addition of those measures. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. MOORE. Can the Chair inform me about the time available to both of us?

Ms. MOORE. Madam Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Sarbanes).