A. McEachin

Mr. McEACHIN

Mr. McEACHIN. Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably detained on April 8, 2019 during roll call no. 157, on Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree to H. Con. Res. 19, Authorizing the use of the Capitol Grounds for the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.'' I was also unavoidably detained during roll call no. 158, on Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 1331, the Local Water Protection Act. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.'' I was unavoidably detained during roll call no. 159, on Approving the Journal. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. McEACHIN

Mr. McEACHIN. Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably detained on April 9, 2019 during roll call no. 160, on Ordering the Previous Question to H. Res. 294, Providing for consideration of H.R. 1644, Save the Internet Act; and providing for consideration of H.R. 2021, Investing for the People Act. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.'' I was also unavoidably detained during roll call no. 161, on Agreeing to the Resolution, H. Res. 294, Providing for consideration of H.R. 1644, Save the Internet Act; and providing for consideration of H.R. 2021, Investing for the People Act. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.'' I was unavoidably detained during roll call no. 162, on Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended, H.R. 1759, the Building on Reemployment Improvements to Deliver Good Employment for Workers Act. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. McEACHIN

Mr. McEACHIN. Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably detained on April 3, 2019 during roll call no. 144, on ordering the Previous Question to H. Res. 281, providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 1585) to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, and for other purposes. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.'' I was also unavoidably detained during roll call no. 145, on Agreeing to the Resolution, H. Res. 281, Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 1585) to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, and for other purposes. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.'' I was unavoidably detained during roll call no. 146, on Agreeing to the Resolution, H. Res. 271, Condemning the Trump Administration's Legal Campaign to Take Away Americans' Health Care. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.'' I was also unavoidably detained during roll call no. 147, on Agreeing to the Amendment, Jeffries of New York Part B Amendment No. 1, to H.R. 1585. Had I been present, I would have voted, ``aye.'' I was also unavoidably detained during roll call no. 148, on Agreeing to the Amendment, Scanlon of Pennsylvania Part B Amendment No. 2, to H.R. 1585. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.'' I was also unavoidably detained during roll call no. 149, on Agreeing to the Amendment, Waters of California Part B Amendment No. 7, to H.R. 1585. Had I been present, I would have voted, ``aye.'' I was also unavoidably detained during roll call no. 150, on Agreeing to the Amendment, Wagner of Missouri Part B Amendment No. 10, to H.R. 1585. Had I been present, I would have voted, ``aye.''

Mr. McEACHIN

Mr. McEACHIN. Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably detained on April 4, 2019 during roll call no. 151, on the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 829, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1450 Montauk Highway in Mastic, New York, as the ``Army Specialist Thomas J. Wilwerth Post Office Building.'' Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.'' I was also unavoidably detained during roll call no. 152, on the Motion to Commit with Instructions for S.J. Res. 7, to direct the removal of the United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that have not been authorized by Congress. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.'' I was unavoidably detained during roll call no. 153, on Passage of S.J. Res. 7, to direct the removal of the United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that have not been authorized by Congress. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.'' I was also unavoidably detained during roll call no. 154, on Agreeing to the Amendment, Torres Small of New Mexico Part B Amendment No. 40, to H.R. 1585. Had I been present, I would have voted, ``aye.'' I was also unavoidably detained during roll call no. 155, on the Motion to Recommit with Instructions for H.R. 1585, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.'' I was also unavoidably detained during roll call no. 156, on Passage of H.R. 1585, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act. Had I been present, I would have voted, ``aye.''

Mr. McEACHIN

Mr. McEACHIN. Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably detained on January 17, 2019 during roll call no. 42, on Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.J. Res. 30. Had I been present, I would have voted, ``yea.'' I was also unavoidably detained during roll call no. 43, on Motion to Recommit with Instructions H.J. Res. 28. Had I been present, I would have voted, ``nay.''

Mr. McEACHIN

Mr. McEACHIN. Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably detained on January 16, 2019 during roll call no. 37, on Agreeing to the Amendment to H.R. 268, McGovern of Massachusetts Part B Amendment No. 2. Had I been present, I would have voted, ``aye.''

Mr. McEACHIN

Mr. McEACHIN. Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably detained on March 14, 2019 during roll call no. 125, On Agreeing to the Resolution, H. Con. Res. 24, Expressing the sense of Congress that the report of Special Counsel Mueller should be made available to the public and to Congress. Had I been present, I would have voted, ``yea.''

Mr. McEACHIN

Mr. McEACHIN. Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably detained on April 2, 2019 during roll call no. 140, on ordering the previous question for H. Res. 274, consideration of S.J. Res. 7 and H. Res. 271. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.'' I was also unavoidably detained during roll call no. 141, on agreeing to the resolution, H. Res. 274, consideration of S.J. Res. 7 and H. Res. 271, and suspension authority. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.'' I was also unavoidably detained during roll call no. 142, on motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 540. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.'' I was also unavoidably detained during roll call no. 143, on approving the Journal. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. McEACHIN

Mr. McEACHIN. Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably detained on April 1 during roll call no. 137, on the motion to suspend the rules and pass, as amended, H.R. 1593. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.'' I was also unavoidably detained during roll call no. 138, on the motion to suspend the rules and pass, as amended, H.R. 1590. Had I been present, I would have votes ``yea.'' I was also unavoidably detained during roll call no. 139, on approving the Journal. Had I been present, I would have voted, ``aye.'' The descriptions would be, respectively: 137--``On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended, H.R. 1593, the Coordinating and Leveraging Activities for School Security Act''; 138--``On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended, H.R. 1590, the Terrorist and Foreign Fighter Travel Exercise Act''; and 139--``on approving the Journal''

Mr. McEACHIN

Mr. McEACHIN. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 1, the For the People Act, and the need for Federal election reform. Mr. Speaker, in the 2016 and 2018 election cycles, we witnessed overt discrimination, disinformation, and intimidation tactics aimed at disenfranchising our most vulnerable friends and neighbors. Individuals and organizations intentionally aimed to spread deceptive material regarding the time and place of elections, endorsements, and voter eligibility. Moreover, there were also explicit attempts to intimidate voters at the polls. In my home, the Commonwealth of Virginia, there were reports of a man standing in front of a polling place holding a Trump sign with a barking German shepherd on the roof of his truck, and yet that man broke no laws. Such efforts can interfere with one of our basic rights as Americans: the right to vote. As such, I am pleased that H.R. 1 includes language from a bill I introduced in the last Congress with then-Ranking Member Nadler, the Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act. This language will prohibit the dissemination of false information regarding Federal elections and prevent efforts to hinder, interfere, or prevent a person from voting, registering to vote, or helping another person to vote or register to vote. We, as Americans, shall make it easier to vote, not harder, and this language will further that goal. In the same vein, I am equally proud that another bill has been included in H.R. 1, the Election Day Holiday Act, which I cointroduced with Congresswoman Eshoo in the last Congress. As the title suggests, this bill would direct Federal agencies to treat election day as a holiday and urge private employers to do the same. Going to the polls is among the most democratic of American traditions. Making election day a holiday would honor that tradition, while helping voters to continue it long into the future. I thank my friend and colleague, Congressman Sarbanes, for introducing this historic bill. I thank all of the many Members and stakeholders who have helped shape this bill and who have seen fit to support the measures I have described. As the name indicates, this bill is for the people, and I look forward to the day when we do the people's work and pass it.

Mr. McEACHIN

Mr. McEACHIN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize Virginia State University for being named the `HBCU of the Year' by HBCU Digest. Founded in 1882, Virginia State University, also known as Virginia State, is a historically black public land-grant university located in Ettrick, Virginia. Virginia State was the United States' first fully state-supported four-year college for African-Americans and is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. Virginia State is a renowned institution of higher learning, producing impressive, highly-qualified graduates in a variety of important fields--including agriculture, education, and business. Virginia State is an acclaimed institution for attracting and retaining first-time college students, helping to open opportunities to communities of color across the country and expanding access to well- paying, 21st century jobs. Virginia State also boasts a variety of impressive and decorated athletic programs. Virginia State, over its rich 116-year existence, has been distinguished by an impressive and influential faculty and administration. John Mercer Langston, the first African-American member of Congress from Virginia, served as Virginia State's first president. Dr. Makola Abdullah, the 14th and current president, is the youngest African American ever to receive a Ph.D. in engineering. I call on my colleagues to join me in celebrating Virginia State University's receipt of this momentous award in recognition of its invaluable contributions to Virginia and the entire nation.

Mr. McEACHIN

Mr. McEACHIN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to associate myself with the comments of my colleagues about the importance of our Nation's premier outdoor recreation and conservation program, the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Over the past five decades, LWCF has helped protect our Nation's most treasured places, including many in my congressional district like the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge and both the Richmond and Petersburg National Battlefields. As we know, authorization of LWCF is set to expire in 100 short days. That is why the timing of this Special Order hour is so critical. If Congress does not reauthorize LWCF, we will lose one of our most powerful tools for protecting our Nation's natural, historical, and cultural landmarks. If that happens, every State and district in our country will feel the damaging consequences. That outcome is unacceptable, which is why I am proud to cosponsor H.R. 502, which is Ranking Member Grijalva's legislation to permanently reauthorize LWCF. I also support robust funding for LWCF in the appropriations bills. For my constituents, preserving our lands and waters is personal. Virginia's Fourth Congressional District is home to many beautiful public lands and waters, along with many other sites that still need to be protected. Earlier this month, I toured the beautiful James River National Wildlife Refuge with local nonprofits to highlight the need to reauthorize the LWCF. My tour reminded me that there is no place quite like the James, but my district is far from unique. Across our district, LWCF has helped conserve precious ecosystems that wildlife, people, and local economies needed to survive. While preserving these lands is the right thing to do, it also makes good business sense. In fact, outdoor recreation generates billions of dollars for the Commonwealth's economy. The same dynamic applies across the country. That is why I intend to keep up the fight to reauthorize the LWCF. It helps communities protect the places they love, and we owe it to our children and our children's children to keep this tool in place.

Mr. McEACHIN

Mr. McEACHIN. Mr. Speaker, ZTE, the Chinese telecom corporation, poses a clear threat to our security. The Pentagon has banned the sale of ZTE devices on U.S. bases, saying they ``may pose an unacceptable risk to the Department's personnel, information, and mission.'' Similarly, there is no dispute that ZTE violated sanctions designed to pressure Iran and North Korea. In April, the Department of Commerce instituted appropriate penalties. Now, for transparently political reasons, President Trump has reversed those penalties, giving ZTE a new lease on life. As elected officials, one of our most basic responsibilities is to keep Americans safe. In granting ZTE an undeserved reprieve, the President did just the opposite. The failure is dangerous and unacceptable. Last week, the Senate approved a bipartisan NDAA amendment to restore the penalties President Trump revoked. I am pleased by their success, and I will strongly support efforts to maintain that language in the coming NDAA conference. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do the same. Politics needs to stop at the water's edge. Congress can and must do what the President will not.

Mr. McEACHIN

Mr. McEACHIN. Mr. Speaker, the American people deserve policies that will protect our planet, keep loved ones healthy, and preserve access to clean air, water, and land for future generations. Lately, there has been a relentless assault on the environmental policies that were crafted to protect us, including the commonsense prohibition of offshore drilling in the Atlantic. Despite the Defense Department stating that offshore drilling may impede and hamper military readiness activities, the American people were told that our oceans were open for exploitation. Mr. Speaker, this is unacceptable. That is why, today, I introduced the bipartisan Defend Our Coast Act with my friend, Congressman Walter Jones of North Carolina. The Defend Our Coast Act will prohibit the Department of the Interior from issuing leases for the exploration, development, or production of oil and gas on the Outer Continental Shelf in the mid-Atlantic. Prior tragedies such as Deepwater Horizon's oil spill proved that drilling accidents can be dangerous, expensive, and life-threatening. Mr. Speaker, I urge you to bring the Defend Our Coast Act up for a vote. Offshore drilling negatively impacts our coastal communities. It is not worth the risk. Let us commit ourselves to leaving the Earth a healthier and safer place for future generations.

Mr. McEACHIN

Mr. McEACHIN. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in remembrance of a literary giant and Richmond, Virginia, native, Tom Wolfe. Mr. Wolfe was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, in 1930, and attended my own alma mater, St. Christopher's School. A pioneer of the New Journalism movement, he worked for the Springfield Union, The Washington Post, the Herald Tribune, Esquire, and also wrote influential novels. His multitude of subjects ranged from the hot rod and custom car culture of Southern California, to the interactions of famous actors and Black Panthers at a Park Avenue fundraiser, to the meteoric rise and fall of a fictional New York bond trader. In an interview, Bryon Dobell, Wolfe's editor at Esquire, said this about him: ``He has this unique gift of language that sets him apart as Tom Wolfe. It is full of hyperbole; it is brilliant; it is funny, and he has a wonderful ear for how people look and feel.'' With his passing, we have lost an important and deeply gifted writer. I am truly saddened by this great Virginian's passing, and I send my condolences to his friends and to his family.

Mr. McEACHIN

Mr. McEACHIN. Mr. Speaker, more than 24 million people in the United States are affected by asthma. Of that, more than 6 million are children. The children who live with asthma must limit their physical activities or even miss schooldays because of lung disease that is linked to outdoor air pollution. But if we act now, future generations will not have to face such a reality. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call on our Nation's leaders to protect human health and promote a healthy environment for this generation and the next. Last month I introduced the Healthy Environment for Children Act because our children deserve an environment that will not hurt, hinder, or force them to live indoors. The Healthy Environment for Children Act would prohibit any reduction, consolidation, or termination of the National Center for Environmental Research, also known as the NCER, and its affiliated programs. By preventing such changes, my bill will safeguard critical research into the effect of chemicals, climate change, and air quality on children's health. Mr. Speaker, the time to act is now. I urge you to think of our future and to bring this bill to the floor for a vote.

Mr. McEACHIN

Mr. McEACHIN. Mr. Chairman, I thank my friend for yielding. Mr. Chairman, this amendment seeks to preempt important State-level protections that help ensure truck drivers are treated fairly and that they are able to do their jobs safely. This language would not just erase existing meal and rest break requirements for truckers, it would affect all State and local wage and hour laws, with adverse implications for everything from workers' compensation to the minimum wage. Such changes would be deeply harmful, and I urge my colleagues to oppose them.

Mr. McEACHIN

Mr. McEACHIN. Mr. Speaker, I am deeply concerned by the administration's continued assault on essential regulations that protect our health and our environment. All Americans need, deserve, and have a right to breathe clean air. Historically, we have upheld that right to reasonable, science-based limits on pollution, but that tradition is under assault. Last week, the administration directed the EPA to weaken the standards for ambient air pollution. By allowing for emissions trading, this directive will magnify existing environmental injustices, enabling increased pollution in communities that already live with dangerously high concentrations. The order also softens public health mandates under the Clean Air Act. It restricts what kind of scientific data regulators can use, and it increases their workloads without providing new resources. Mr. Speaker, if we ignore the best available science or if we starve agencies of the resources they need to actually uphold commonsense limits, then we are not protecting the American people. Last week's directive was dangerous and a needless mistake. Like the rest of this administration's dirty energy agenda, it needs to be reversed.

Mr. McEACHIN

Mr. McEACHIN. Mr. Speaker, every American--in fact, every human being--has the right to breathe clean air. If this Congress trammels that right in the name of corporate profits, that choice is not just an abstract moral failure, it is a concrete public health disaster, one that will cause needless suffering, especially for our most vulnerable friends and neighbors. The regulations this bill seeks to impede are long overdue. The earliest form of the Brick and Clay rule dates back to 2003. That was more than 14 years ago, and now some of my friends in the majority are seeking even longer delays. We have been putting pollutants into our air and we can never unring that bell, but we can do better moving forward, and we need to make those improvements sooner rather than later. We all know that justice delayed is justice denied. Justice has already been delayed by more than a decade. We can measure that cost. The Brick and Clay rule, in its current form, would reduce the amount of toxins in our air by hundreds of tons per year. If we delay the rule another year, or 2 years or longer, all of our families, all of our constituents are going to be breathing dirtier and more dangerous air. This bill is a direct attack on our right to live in a clean and healthy environment. I strongly urge my colleagues to oppose this misguided legislation.

Mr. McEACHIN

Mr. McEACHIN. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Nadler for yielding. Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 4712. This act is a continuation of the House Republicans' decadelong attempt to rob women of their constitutional right to safe, legal abortion care. The bill we are considering today, however, takes these attacks on women a step further. H.R. 4712 seeks to supersede doctors' professional judgments, imposing unnecessary, and potentially harmful, new standards of care. Violation of these extreme standards will result in harsh criminal penalties. This bill seeks to intimidate doctors. If passed, it will discourage them from providing care and make it harder for patients to receive the help they need. That is why it is opposed by respected medical organizations, such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, the National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health, and many others. It is simple: healthcare decisions should be between a woman and her doctor.

Mr. McEACHIN. Madam Speaker, again, it is simple: healthcare decisions should be between a woman and her doctor. Politicians are not medical experts and have no place interfering with the provision of compassionate, evidence-based care. Madam Speaker, I am an attorney and you can trust me with a lot of things, but a medical decision on someone else's behalf is not one of them. As we mark the 45th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we should be advancing policies that help women and families, rather than restricting access to healthcare they need and deserve. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose H.R. 4712.

Mr. McEACHIN

Mr. McEACHIN. Mr. Speaker, my Advancing Seniors and Kids Act would permanently reauthorize CHIP, fund community health centers, prevent damaging cuts to our safety net hospitals, and make other changes that protect the health of children, seniors, and our most vulnerable friends and neighbors. For months, Congress has failed to act on these issues, and the result has been completely avoidable pain and suffering. Right now, Americans wake up every day and worry: How much longer will my child, my family members have healthcare? Mr. Speaker, we can take that fear away right now. Extending CHIP and funding community health centers, these are commonsense policies with bipartisan support. We should have passed clean extensions a long time ago, but we can make amends right now. We know that healthcare coverage saves lives. We know that CHIP covers almost 9 million children. It is critically important that we do the right thing. If we let CHIP lapse, if we do not protect hospitals and community centers, there will be horrible consequences for families across this country. Today more Americans have coverage than ever before. Medical bankruptcies are a lot less common than they were in the past. We are making progress. I am urging my colleagues to build on that progress and not to abandon it. A solution is right here in front of us. I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the previous question and join me in supporting quality and affordable healthcare for all Americans.

Mr. McEACHIN

Mr. McEACHIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise again today pleading with my colleagues that we must come together to support a long-term funding solution for the traditionally bipartisan Children's Health Insurance Program, commonly known as CHIP. Mr. Speaker, there is a family in Chesapeake, a locality in my district, that demonstrates the dire challenges families across Virginia and this country face without CHIP. CHIP serves as a lifeline for this family with four children, ages 8, 7, 4, and 2. Before this family had access to CHIP, these children did not have health insurance or well child visits with a doctor. The parents limited the 7- and 8-year-old children to indoor activities because they were afraid the children might break a bone or sustain a serous injury. The mother also missed visits to the doctor's office for vital prenatal care because she was worried about doctor bills. The parents missed work and kept the children home during flu season because they could not afford a doctor's visit. With CHIP, the mother and children all have health insurance, they are up to date on their wellness exams, and the children play outside again. Mr. Speaker, for the health of my constituents and millions of other Americans, we must immediately come together for long-term funding for CHIP.

Mr. McEACHIN

Mr. McEACHIN. Mr. Speaker, I stand here today on the anniversary of the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. On December 14, 2012, Newtown, Connecticut, lost 20 innocent children--most, 6 years old--to gun violence. We also lost six brave teachers and staff who did everything possible to protect the students in their care. As a father, I cannot imagine anything more painful than the loss of a child. As an American, I struggle to imagine a more horrific tragedy than that which happened in Newtown. Mr. Speaker, many of us thought this tragedy would fairly move the needle on policy. That did not happen. Just last week, the House passed major legislation loosening gun safety laws. I want to remind my colleagues in the majority that it is not too late to act. We cannot bring back those whom we have lost, but we can and must ensure that more families do not face the pain that Newtown families faced. I urge my colleagues in the majority to join this side of the aisle in supporting commonsense gun safety reform. Thoughts and prayers are not enough. Help us to end this scourge.

Mr. McEACHIN

Mr. McEACHIN. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor a fellow Virginian, Richard Cullen, who is in the midst of transitioning his law practice into ``becoming one of the boys'' again. Richard Cullen is a dedicated public servant who has served our great Commonwealth in different capacities during his longstanding career at both the Federal and State levels. Mr. Cullen was raised in Staunton, Virginia--located in our State's cherished Shenandoah Valley--and completed his education at the University of Richmond's T.C. Williams School of Law where he served as the editor-in-chief of the school's law review. Richard began his career at the Federal level with former Congressman Butler of the Sixth Congressional District. He continued to serve Virginians at the State level when he was appointed in 1991 as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Richard also served at the State level, from 1997 to 1998, as the attorney general of Virginia. He is a Virginian's Virginian who values his community. On behalf of our great Commonwealth, we thank Richard Cullen for his continued service.