Gwen Moore

Ms. MOORE

Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H. Res. 461. This resolution supposedly establishes a select panel to investigate Planned Parenthood and fetal tissue procurement. Now, what do we know already, Mr. Speaker? What facts do we know? We know that these videos have already been entirely discredited and debunked by a team of independent forensic experts. What do we know? We know that women have a legal right to a safe and legal abortion. What do we know already, Mr. Speaker, while we are investigating Planned Parenthood? We know that fetal tissue procurement signed into law by the venerated Ronald Reagan provides lifesaving research for diseases like Parkinson's, ALS, and others. No, Mr. Speaker, you are not trying to find the facts. Instead, this is just another pathway to deny a woman a right to a safe and legal abortion. We already know that the chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee said that there is no ``there'' there. We don't need to get to the bottom of this. Mr. Speaker, we are already at the bottom of this.

Ms. MOORE

Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Justice Shirley Abrahamson, former Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. After nearly four decades of service on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, Justice Abrahamson will be receiving the National Association of Women Judges' Joan Dempsey Klein Award next week. This prestigious award honors members of the association who have ``assisted women judges to become more proficient in their profession, helped to solve the legal, social and ethical problems associated with the judiciary, and worked to increase the number of women serving as judges.'' A trailblazer for Wisconsin women, Justice Abrahamson was first appointed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court by Governor Patrick Lucey in 1976. She served as the only woman on the Court until 1993, and in 1996 she became the first female Chief Justice in Wisconsin history. In her time on the Court, Justice Abrahamson has been a true powerhouse, serving longer than any other justice in Wisconsin history and authoring over 450 majority opinions. Those who know her best describe her not only as tough as nails, but also as a deeply kind and compassionate person. In her long and distinguished career, Justice Abrahamson has received countless honors. She serves as an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and was elected by her peers as both President of the Conference of Chief Justices and Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Center of State Courts, a testament to her judicial acumen. Justice Abrahamson is a past president of the National Conference of Chief Justices and past chair of the board of directors of the National Center for State Courts. She also has served as chair of the National Institute of Justice's National Commission on the Future of DNA Evidence. She is a member of the Council of the American Law Institute and the New York University School of Law Institute of Judicial Administration. The daughter of immigrants, Justice Abrahamson was born Shirley Schlanger in New York City. She grew up across the street from her family's grocery store, dreaming from the age of five of becoming a lawyer. After receiving her bachelor's degree from New York University, she achieved this dream when she earned her J.D. with high distinction from Indiana University Law School in 1956, one of just two women in her class. She then moved to Madison, Wisconsin where she practiced law for 14 years and taught law at both the University of Wisconsin Madison and my alma mater, Marquette University. Over the course of her career, she has received 15 honorary Doctor of Law degrees as well as the Distinguished Alumni Award from UW-Madison. Justice Abrahamson has been married to her husband Seymour for over fifty years, and they have one son, Daniel. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to honor Justice Shirley Abrahamson and congratulate her for being this year's recipient of the Joan Dempsey Klein Award. The citizens of the state of Wisconsin are privileged to have someone of her intellect and commitment to public service working on their behalf for so many years. Justice Abrahamson, I thank you for all that you have done.

Ms. MOORE

Ms. MOORE. Thank you Representative Tonko. I want to associate myself with all the comments from my great colleague, Marcy Kaptur. Mr. Speaker, I can tell you, when I was elected to Congress, no one could have paid me to believe that we would be on this floor fighting the Republican Party to prevent them from basically neutering the economic progress of business here. And this is what has happened. As the gentlewoman from Ohio just mentioned, GE, very close to my district, announced plans to leave our region, 350 jobs and 400 suppliers that they have notified that they are moving their facility plants to Canada. They say that the suppliers generate almost $47 million in revenue in Wisconsin alone--$47 million in Wisconsin alone. But they are leaving, they say, because they desperately cannot make the deals work without financing from the Export-Import Bank. And many people have said, oh, they wanted to do this anyway and they are using it as an excuse, but GE says that this is the main reason, that they continue to urge Congress to reauthorize the Ex-Im Bank because it is a very, very competitive world. And in a slow growth and volatile world, they have got to go where the markets are; they have got to compete in 170 countries. And so I just wanted to express my grief, my condolences, to the 350 employees, to the entire supply chain, and to recognize that once again--once again--policies of this misguided Republican majority are going to increase the misery index among the people who live in my region.

Ms. MOORE

Ms. MOORE. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Madam Speaker, I am in opposition to this ill-conceived legislation brought forward from my good friend and colleague from Wisconsin. I realize that good people can differ on topics, and I have been stunned by some of the discussion that has occurred on the floor today with regard to the racist roots of Planned Parenthood, with regard to so-called states' rights. I can tell you that, as an African American and as a woman, I have heard the term ``states' rights'' used in ways that were not very healthy and safe for me as an African American woman. There is nothing healthy and safe about a bill that would deny women their constitutional and human rights to control their own reproduction--to get birth control, to be protected against STDs, or to have an abortion. I know many people in this body are fond of reality shows, but in reality, a woman is fertile for 30 to 40 years of her life, and there is nothing healthy about becoming pregnant every year for 30 to 40 years. I am one of nine kids, and that is not a healthy scenario for many women. The reality is that this would have an adverse impact on some of the poorest women, and many of them African American, in this country. Seventy-eight percent of Planned Parenthood patients live at 150 percent or lower of the poverty level. The reality is that 60 percent of all Americans do not want to see Planned Parenthood defunded. It is not in the interest of public health and safety for these women to be denied this basic health care. Madam Speaker, we have heard about these films that are not real at all. They have been doctored, edited, and they are revisionist tapes, all in pursuit of defunding the premier organization that protects women's health. With regard to the other community health centers, I am glad to know that my colleagues are interested in funding those centers. But this bill even puts them at risk because any ancillary service related to abortion can be deemed as unfitting for reimbursement under the Medicaid program. My last point, Madam Speaker, is that we have seen the flexibility that States have used. We saw in Indiana where they defunded Planned Parenthood and, as a result, we saw a pandemic of HIV infestations in that State. So I would say before I yield back, Madam Speaker, that I urge my colleagues to not go for the appeasement of the Anti-Choice Caucus so that we don't shut the government down, to use women as a gambit in this political battle.

Ms. MOORE

Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Ms. Marilynn Thaney on her retirement. Ms. Thaney has served the 4th Congressional District for over 18 years. She has served in various positions during her tenure including Office Manager, Caseworker, Casework Supervisor and currently Casework Manager for my office. Marilynn began her employment with the House of Representatives in 1998 beginning in the office of my predecessor Representative Gerald Kleczka. She joined my office in 2005. She was one of my first hires due to her welcoming spirit and knowledge of the district. Before joining federal employment, Ms. Thaney spent six years working for the Silver Spring Neighborhood Center and she also worked for the Better Business Bureau in their Milwaukee office. Marilynn Thaney is the proud mother of four, three daughters: Jennifer, Rachel, and Rebecca and son Joshua. She is the grandmother of 3: Makayla, Jackson, and Noah; they all reside in Minnesota where she will retire. She has been married to her soulmate Karen Mahler for over 15 years and was officially married to Karen in April 2014 in a ceremony held in Minnesota. Marilynn has worked tirelessly on behalf of the constituents of the 4th Congressional District; she has tackled some of the most difficult problems and cases with many positive results. She is an exceptional leader and has been an advocate on issues regarding mental health, women, seniors, LGBT, and the disability community. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues of the 114th Congress to join me in congratulating Marilynn Thaney on her well-deserved retirement. She has been a true friend to her colleagues and friends and has exemplified in deed the true meaning of public servant. She has been a treasure for the 4th Congressional District and will be missed by my office, this community and the State of Wisconsin.

Ms. MOORE

Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 486, had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Ms. MOORE

Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to UMOS, a nationally renowned agency whose corporate headquarters is based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In July, 2015, UMOS will celebrate its 50th Anniversary. UMOS began as a single-focused, single state, migrant and seasonal farm worker serving agency only. Today, UMOS offers various programs and services to diverse populations with a diverse staff. Currently, UMOS employs 300 people and operates 40+ programs with more than $25 million grant and performance-based contracts from federal, state, and local funding sources. UMOS operates programs throughout the state of Wisconsin, as well as in Minnesota, Missouri, and Texas, along with a housing consortium in an eight-state area. It provides programs and services in three major categories: workforce development, child development, and social services including: farm labor, housing, HIV prevention services, domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking supportive services, home energy assistance, food pantry and Head Start. In addition to these programs, UMOS sponsors and organizes a number of cultural and community events in Wisconsin. Much of the success of UMOS can be attributed to its longtime President and Chief Executive Officer, Lupe Martinez. He has led the agency for over 40 years and spent most of his professional career at UMOS. Mr. Martinez is dedicated to advocating and providing programs and services to improve employment, provide education opportunities as well as health and housing supports for UMOS' clientele whether they are migrant and seasonal farm workers or other underserved populations. Lupe Martinez has always gravitated toward leadership roles even as a child; he was one of 10 siblings in a family of migrant workers and accepted the responsibility of paying bills and managing the family finances. Today he manages the largest Hispanic nonprofit organization in Wisconsin and one of the largest in the nation. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to say the UMOS hails from the 4th Congressional District, and pleased to give praise to Lupe Martinez, their Board of Directors and staff. I wish them many more years of success.

Ms. MOORE

Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the madam ranking member for this opportunity to speak on H.R. 1847. I also want to thank all of my cosponsors on this legislation: Representative Huizenga, Representative Crawford, and Representative Sean Patrick Maloney. Mr. Speaker, the House Financial Services and Agriculture Committees passed this legislation with bipartisan support and without controversy in 2013, 2014, and 2015. This bill has passed the House several times with overwhelming margins, and it is supported by the SEC. At the Bipartisan Policy Center's 5-year look-back at Dodd-Frank just last week, the question was put to former Commodity Futures Trading Commissioner Jill Sommers: What is yet to be done in Dodd-Frank that needs to be done? Her answer: fixing the indemnification provision. Here we are today, and we have an opportunity to do this with that bill. Let me try to make this really simple. A major objective of the Dodd-Frank Act was to improve transparency and to eliminate systemic risk mitigation in global derivatives markets. This bill is a technical fix to ensure that the goal of swaps transparency is realized. In fact, Dodd-Frank requires post-trade reporting to swap data repositories. During the crisis, these SDRs did not exist. As a matter of fact, to quote Warren Buffett when he described the situation we were in, he said: Only when the tide goes out do you discover who has been swimming naked. This is a really important feature in Dodd-Frank. However, as written, a provision threatens the reporting regime and threatens to fragment the collection of data by imposing an unnecessary requirement on foreign SDRs and regulators that would impede compliance. By eliminating this unnecessary requirement, this bill makes it possible to achieve the goal of bringing comprehensive swap trade information, transparency, and oversight to the global derivatives markets. Regardless of your position on derivatives or on Dodd-Frank, this bill makes sense, and I urge all of my colleagues to support it.

Ms. MOORE

Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of Americans affected by gastroparesis, also known as delayed gastric emptying, in observance of National Gastroparesis Awareness Month in August. Gastroparesis is a chronic medical condition where the stomach cannot empty properly in the absence of any observable blockage. Factors causing gastroparesis may include long-standing diabetes, complications from surgeries, or other illnesses, such as MS and Parkinson's disease. Gastroparesis is relatively common, affecting an estimated 5 million Americans including thousands in my district in Milwaukee. While it can strike anyone at any age, gastroparesis is four times more likely to affect women than men. Gastroparesis can be debilitating and sometimes life threatening. Symptoms (including nausea or vomiting, stomach fullness, inability to finish a meal, and others) usually occur during and after eating a normal sized meal and can result in problems, such as severe dehydration, difficulty managing blood glucose levels, obstruction, and malnutrition. There is no cure for gastroparesis. Treatments like dietary measures, medications, procedures to maintain nutrition, and surgery can only reduce symptoms and related problems with the hope of maintaining quality of life. Studies reveal a growing incidence of gastroparesis, as well as increasing rates of related hospitalizations and emergency room visits. However, as gastroparesis is a poorly understood condition, delayed diagnosis, treatment, and management of the condition are frequent challenges faced by this patient population. Gastroparesis creates a significant burden on individuals and families. It also places a burden of direct and indirect costs on the community, economy, and U.S. healthcare system. I applaud the efforts of nonprofit groups like the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (IFFGD) from Milwaukee, as well as other patient organizations, to provide education and support that will help those affected by gastroparesis. I urge my fellow colleagues to join me in recognizing August as National Gastroparesis Awareness Month in an effort to improve our understanding and awareness of this condition, as well as support increased research for effective treatments of people affected by gastroparesis.

Ms. MOORE

Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my thoughts on the medical device tax. H.R. 160, the Protect Medical Innovation Act of 2015, would repeal the 2.3 percent excise tax on medical devices enacted as part of the Affordable Care Act. While I voted in opposition of H.R. 160, I recognize the concerns of many in the medical technology industry regarding the implications of an excise tax on medical devices. Under the Affordable Care Act, 16.4 million Americans have gained health coverage and access to critical health services. The tax on medical devices was designed as a means to offset the gains made by the industries that benefit from the law's successful expansion of healthcare coverage and is a critical component of paying for the law's implementation. It is problematic that H.R. 160 does not provide for the cost of eliminating the tax. I do not believe that it is prudent to repeal this tax at this time, but we should continue to monitor its long-term impact and perhaps revisit the issue in the future.

Ms. MOORE

Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, the clock is ticking on the global competitiveness of U.S. workers, and the GOP has yet--has yet--has yet to put to a vote the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank. The Export-Import Bank levels the playing field globally for U.S. businesses to compete with subsidized foreign competitors. Our U.S. exporters and workers will pay the price if this majority, this Republican Congress fails to reauthorize the Bank. My Milwaukee exporters will pay the price if this Republican Congress fails to reauthorize the Bank. Yes, deals will still be made with the other 60 or so credit agencies around the world, but they will be done without U.S.-made goods and services. You know, it is so ironic that we have all kinds of deals being cut to get partnership trade agreements with these 12 different Pacific countries so we could export jobs to other places in the world. But there are no deals being made so that we can export U.S.-made goods and services to other parts of the world. That is probably why we have such a huge trade deficit. With the leadership of Ranking Member Waters, Representatives Heck of Washington, Hoyer, and I, we have introduced H.R. 1031, the Promoting U.S. Jobs Through Exports Act. It makes targeted and prudent reforms to the Bank that enhance its mission, including promoting additional small business participation, greater transparency, and improved governance. Defeat the previous question. Bring the Export-Import Bank deal to the floor. The American people deserve an opportunity to work.

Ms. MOORE

Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Gary Hollander who has served as a mentor, teacher, union leader, college instructor, consultant, and academic administrator. Gary Hollander is the first and only President of Diverse & Resilient, Inc. He founded this nonprofit organization to become a voice for the healthy development of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) people in Wisconsin during his 20 years with the agency. He officially steps down as President and CEO of Diverse & Resilient, Inc. in July, 2015. The agency's name serves to remind us that LGBT people are everywhere, engage in interesting and meaningful lives, and contribute to the welfare of each other and the broader community. Diverse & Resilient serves over 5,000 LGBT people every year. The agency has built the capacity of LGBT groups in Wisconsin and provided direct- service work to address the health disparities experienced by LGBT people in Wisconsin. The agency has focused on six priority areas: Acceptance, Cultivating Leaders, Mental Health, Sexual Health, Partner & Community Violence, and Substance Use. Gary Hollander is a life-long resident of Wisconsin. He earned a doctorate in educational psychology from the University of Wisconsin-- Milwaukee where he earned both graduate and undergraduate honors. Gary has both taught and served as a school psychologist in Milwaukee Public Schools. He worked at Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin and was also a national consultant for Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Gary has worked in health care heading up educational and research programs, starting and managing an HIV clinic, and held clinical positions in family medicine, psychiatry, and psychology. He is also a very active volunteer serving on boards of directors of agencies and other leadership roles. Hollander is an outspoken proponent for LGBT people across Wisconsin. He has used his platform to build strong relationships with other community agencies in order to educate people on the impact of HIV/AIDS in our community and to look at LGBT issues as part of a broader public health agenda. Under his leadership, the agency has increased its visibility and expanded the number of age groups it attracts and serves. Although he will no longer be at the helm of Diverse & Resilient, Hollander will continue to advocate and empower people who remain marginalized based on their race, gender or sexual orientation. He also will continue to honor his late husband of 32 years, Paul Mandracchia, an artist and dancer who died December 24, 2014 after a long battle with multiple sclerosis. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to recognize Dr. Gary Hollander. He has left a legacy of advocacy and compassion. He is a true trailblazer who has labored to increase acceptance and tolerance for not just gay people but for all of us. The citizens of the Fourth Congressional District, the State of Wisconsin and the nation have benefited tremendously from his dedicated service. I am honored for these reasons to pay tribute to Dr. Gary Hollander.

Ms. MOORE

Ms. MOORE. Mr. Chair, how much time do I have remaining?

Ms. MOORE. Mr. Chair, I yield the balance of my time to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum).

Ms. MOORE. Mr. Chair, my amendment is simple. It really seeks to harmonize the regulatory regime for both the security- and commodity- based swaps. I am so pleased to be joined on a bipartisan basis with Representatives Rick Crawford, Bill Huizenga, and Sean Patrick Maloney in offering this amendment. As we all know, Mr. Chairman, the regulation of the swaps market is under the jurisdiction of both the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. As such, legislation that amends the swap regulation must be addressed in both the securities law and the Commodity Exchange Act. Mr. Chairman, I have worked with Chairman Hensarling, Ranking Member Waters, and the Committee on Financial Services, and we have offered the same language to amend the securities law section of a bill. This amendment in committee, Mr. Chairman, was adopted by a voice vote. This amendment makes the same minor change to the Commodity Exchange Act section so that the regulatory regime is the same for both security- and commodity-based swaps. This section of H.R. 2289 mirrors legislation, H.R. 1847, sponsored by Representative Crawford and has enjoyed broad bipartisan support and passed both the Committee on Financial Services and Committee on Agriculture without controversy and with the support and blessing of the SEC. So why the amendment? Foreign regulators and some industry participants reached out to the SEC seeking to tighten the language to narrow the requirement to share data to clarify that swap data repositories are only required to share data related to the swap trade. The amendment will in no way weaken swap regulation or inhibit the aggregation of swap data; rather, the amendment will make a narrow modification to protect market participant information. This change is supported by both industry and the SEC. This bill has global impact on swap participants and regulators, so I think it is important to get it right. I applaud the SEC for working with industry to refine the bill, and I want to thank the chairman and ranking members of both the Committee on Financial Services and the Committee on Agriculture for working with me on this amendment and to the sponsor and cosponsors of this legislation for also working with me for their support on this amendment. I do have some concerns about the underlying bill. The cost-benefit analysis, I think, will hamper the regulatory ability of the CFTC, but I do urge the adoption of this amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Ms. MOORE. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. MOORE

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

Ms. MOORE. Mr. Chair, my amendment transfers $2 million into the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act for the purpose of expanding and improving police training to safely and appropriately respond to mentally ill individuals. Now, Mr. Chair, we have heard a lot lately in the news about high profile police-involved shootings that have become a major subject here around the country and here in Congress. Not surprising to some of us, especially those of us who hail from large urban cities, this is a widespread problem that has been around for a while. But today, I am offering this amendment to highlight one serious issue that I think should be a major part of our current national dialogue: ensuring that police have adequate training to identify persons with mental illness and to safely, when it is possible, resolve encounters during a crisis. Mr. Chair, indulge me for a moment while I tell you a story about a 31-year-old man in my home district of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who, unfortunately, is no longer with us today. His name was Dontre Hamilton. Dontre, like many people in this country, suffered from a mental illness. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia 1 year prior to the incident and had been off his medication due to an insurance issue. On April 30 of last year, Dontre was taking a nap on a public park bench when employees of a nearby Starbucks called the police. Two police officers came and did a wellness check and left the scene, discerning that Mr. Hamilton was no threat to himself, nor to anyone in the park or the public. Soon thereafter, yet another call came from the Starbucks employee because this gentleman was sleeping on the public park bench. Another police officer, Officer Manney of the Milwaukee Police Department, arrived and started to pat down Dontre. This pat-down turned into a struggle, and Officer Manney pulled out his baton to help him subdue Mr. Hamilton. The struggle escalated, and Dontre got control of the baton and swung it at Officer Manney. This caused Officer Manney to draw his firearm and shoot 14 bullets into Dontre Hamilton. Officer Manney was terminated for conducting a pat-down in contravention of his training on dealing with mentally ill individuals but faced no charges in the death of Dontre Hamilton. Mr. Chair, perhaps this tragedy could have been prevented. Too often, our mental health infrastructure is woefully inadequate for many Americans. A lack of treatment can turn a treatable mental illness into a severe debilitating condition. Many can't hold a job or pay rent. Many end up homeless on the streets. In fact, more than 124,000 of the 610,000 homeless people in the United States suffer from a severe mental illness. As a result of many failures in our system, our Nation's police officers have de facto become our country's first responders to crisis calls, including those individuals experiencing mental illness. Too often these calls, many intended to be out of concern for the individual in crisis, become a tragic fatality. As we know, mentally ill persons are not generally dangerous, Mr. Chair. In fact, they are actually more likely to become victims themselves than actual perpetrators of violence. Many of these tragic encounters could be prevented if police officers are trained and follow proper procedures. The Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act is an important Federal initiative and tool that will help us bridge this gap. This law established a grant program called the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program which helps States and localities develop collaborative approaches to dealing with the intersection of criminal justice and mental health systems. One of the authorized grant uses under the program is training to police officers for exactly these purposes: to safely respond to crisis calls and limit the chance of a tragic and often preventable consequence. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. MOORE

Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Former Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager, who is being honored by ``Emerge Wisconsin'' on June 3, 2015. Attorney Peg Lautenschlager has not only been a leading voice for women but has served as a mentor and supporter of women, a Democratic leader, and a defender of civil and human rights during her 30 plus year career. Attorney Peg Lautenschlager is a native of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin where she continues to reside. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Lake Forest College, honoring in history and mathematics and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School. She is married to her soul mate Bill Rippl, a retired police officer from the city of Neenah, Wisconsin, and has five children. Attorney Peg Lautenschlager has shattered many glass ceilings along the way as a woman and as a Democrat: she served as the first woman District Attorney for Winnebago County, Wisconsin; she was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly beating a 32-year Republican incumbent and was the first democrat elected to this seat since the Great Depression and she was the first woman to represent her district; she was appointed U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin by President Bill Clinton and was the first woman to serve in that office; she was elected Wisconsin Attorney General and was the first woman Attorney General for the State of Wisconsin. Lautenschlager is a former member of the Wisconsin State Elections Board, the Governor's Council on Domestic Abuse, the Democratic National Committee and the Oshkosh Rape Crisis Center. Since leaving public office, Peg is a practicing lawyer and educator. She has worked tirelessly to help other Democrats, women and disenfranchised people. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to recognize my friend and former colleague in the Wisconsin State Assembly, Attorney Peg Lautenschlager. Peg and her family have become a part of my family and she is a Confidante. I am both privileged and blessed to have her support, loyalty, and friendship. Attorney Peg Lautenschlager's legacy is not just her family but the countless women and Democrats who follow in her footsteps. The citizens of the Fourth Congressional District, the State of Wisconsin and the nation have benefited tremendously from her dedicated service. I am honored for these reasons to pay tribute to Attorney Peg Lautenschlager.

Ms. MOORE

Ms. MOORE. My inquiry is, has the concurrent budget passed? Is it law?

Ms. MOORE. Well, the rule, Mr. Speaker, is really clear. It says that the provisions of the House Concurrent Resolution 27, as adopted by the House, shall have the force and effect in the House as though Congress has adopted such concurrent resolution. I am hearing that we have adopted it, so have we? In order to take up these appropriations bills, we are supposed to have passed that. I am on the budget conference committee, and I didn't recall that we had passed it, sir. So I renew my inquiry as to whether or not we are operating under a passed budget resolution that has passed.

Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, before I start, may I make a parliamentary inquiry, sir.

Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this rule because, once again, here we are with all kinds of flowery notions about the law and so forth, and we are actually deeming this budget as passed. As a member of the Budget Conference Committee, I can tell you that the reason for the delay is not because there was an attempt to reach a bipartisan agreement. Oh, no. The Democratic budget conferees have been completely shut out of the budget negotiation process. You would think that without these pesky Democrats in the way, it would not have been that hard for the majority-controlled House and the Senate to come up with an agreement of how best to shred the social safety net, drive more people into poverty, cut our investments in infrastructure, block grant Medicaid, slash SNAP, end the Affordable Care Act and then, of course, keep the money and the savings from the Affordable Care Act, and take 69 percent of nondefense cuts from low-income and moderate- income families. They could have done it. So instead of the majority party governing, they have resorted to this plan B and deeming the budget as passed. Now, you know, this Republican budget claims to balance in 10 years, but it doesn't do it. It gets the savings from the Affordable Care Act, which it eliminates. And also, to appease the war hawks in the Republican caucus, they throw this money into the overseas contingency operations, also known as a slush fund. And in the underlying budget, we see the Republican Party doubling down on the same ``cut our way into prosperity'' approach. That is another charade claiming that block grants are just another form of enabling States to have more flexibility. When you hear the word ``flexibility,'' think massive cuts. It means eviscerating the social safety net. So I ask my colleagues to reject this rule.

Ms. MOORE

Ms. MOORE. Thank you so much, Madam Ranking Member. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to H.R. 1195 and not because I don't think it is a wonderful idea that Mr. Heck has come up with, along with his colleague from the Republican side, for a small business advisory panel within the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Prior to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, we had example, after example, after example of Wall Street's preying on consumers and treating working class Americans just like an ATM in order to feather their bonuses; but here, today, we find yet another not so veiled attempt to defund the CFPB. I guess I could take the PAYGO rules a little bit more seriously if just last week we had not repealed the estate tax to the tune of $270 billion for the 6,000 wealthiest Americans. It is a tax from which only 6,000 people will benefit. I am certainly not looking for a pay-for. I am just pointing out the hypocrisy of the notion that we have got to offset this $9 million for the CFPB. As has been mentioned, the CFPB has returned $5.3 billion to more than 15 million consumers who have been harmed by financial fraud, and I think PAYGO is just more of a convenient excuse to cut the CFPB than an actual principle that we follow here. I urge my colleagues to stand up for American consumers. Oppose these attempts to attack the CFPB and to expose our constituents to these emboldened financial fraud centers. Let's reject H.R. 1195.