Eleanor Norton

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the inaugural ``Health Law Week,'' a week-long series of events celebrating the health law profession by highlighting programs that create new opportunities for entry into the profession, showcasing organizations and firms dedicated to employing these professionals and elevating this community's contributions to the health care industry. Sponsored by the American Health Law Association, Health Law Week will take place this year from April 27 through May 1, with receptions hosted in Los Angeles, California, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, St. Louis, Missouri, and, of course, Washington, D.C., where the American Health Law Association has resided for over 50 years. Additional community events will also take place across the nation in celebration of the health law professional. With the landscape continuing to shift around delivery of care in the United States healthcare system, health law professionals are at the center, providing analysis, assessing risk, ensuring compliance and making recommendations to organizations and clients to protect them from liability. They are a stabilizing force within the industry, and we should celebrate and champion these professionals. Health Law Week not only serves to celebrate the health law profession, but it also recognizes the rich history of health care delivery in our nation. In 1965, Medicare was enacted as Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, providing federally funded and administered health insurance coverage for the elderly through Part A and Part B of the Act. Medicaid was enacted at the same time as Title XIX of the Social Security Act, creating a voluntary federal-state program of medical assistance to the indigent and so began the need for health law professionals. Today, the American Health Law Association helps educate and connect over 60,000 health law professionals across the country, with over 6,000 of them residing here in the District of Columbia metropolitan area. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representative to join me in recognizing Health Law Week and acknowledge the impact and contributions of the health law profession on the nation's healthcare system.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the District of Columbia Chief Financial Officer Salary Home Rule Act, which would give the District of Columbia the authority to raise the pay of its Chief Financial Officer (CFO). There is no reason the District should not have the authority to set the pay of every local official who is paid with local funds, as a matter of its existing home-rule authority. In 2013, Congress enacted a law that gave the District more authority to set the CFO's pay. However, Congress did not give D.C. full and complete authority over this local matter. This bill would give D.C. the authority to set the CFO's pay commensurate with its best judgment based on factors such as comparisons with similar positions elsewhere, the competitive market, and other factors generally used in determining pay. I was able to get at least some needed change in 2013 by amending the Home Rule Act to change the CFO's salary from a fixed rate of pay that was tied to a federal pay schedule to a maximum allowable pay, or ceiling, tied to a federal pay schedule. That ceiling was and is substantially higher than the fixed rate. However, D.C. should have full control over setting the salaries of its own employees. I introduced the 2013 bill after a D.C. CFO search committee indicated that the fixed rate of pay was not high enough to attract the best talent needed for this complex and demanding job. The responsibilities of the CFO, a position created by Congress, are unique in the United States. The CFO is extraordinarily powerful and independent. The District cannot obligate or expend funds without the CFO's approval, and the CFO can be terminated only ``for cause.'' My bill would not allow the CFO's salary to be lowered and maintains the ``for cause'' termination provision, so as to preserve the independence of the position. The District needs the authority to pay the rate necessary to retain and attract the best CFOs, especially since the District must compete with the private sector for highly qualified CFOs. This is an important step to increase necessary home-rule authority for the District, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Reauthorization Act (H.R. 2427). I am an original cosponsor of this legislation. This legislation would reauthorize the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Program for six years, providing continued congressional support to the National Park Service (NPS) as it partners with state and local governments to promote public access to the Chesapeake Bay, which is the nation's largest estuary and spans six states and my own district, the District of Columbia. Nearly 98 percent of the Bay's vast shoreline is privately owned, with only a small portion available for public use. The Chesapeake Bay Gateways Program helps to maximize the effectiveness of public access points to the Bay by providing resources for infrastructure improvements, signage, exhibits and public education. The Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails network includes over 170 gateways, including parks, wildlife refuges, maritime museums, historic sites and watertrails, which serve as points of recreation and exploration along the Bay. The history of the Bay is rich, and gateways allow the public to engage with the life of the Bay through learning about its history, ecology and people. For example, the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail allows visitors to retrace the journey Captain John Smith and fellow colonists took when they arrived at the Chesapeake Bay in 1607. Through over 3,000 miles spanning Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and the District, visitors can experience the sights and sounds of the trail both by water and land. Another key point in the gateway system is the 125-mile Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Scenic Byway. Visitors can explore the byway via car and learn about Harriet Tubman's upbringing in Maryland's Eastern Shore and view historic sites important to her legacy. Other attractions of note include the Pamunkey Indian Reservation, the George Washington Birthplace National Monument and Kingman and Heritage Islands Park in the District. The preservation of these sites, and the numerous other gateways along the Bay, is critical to the NPS's mission of maintaining the national park system and preserving the legacies of the communities in which parks and monuments are located. I am proud to support this legislation and know that it will greatly benefit the District, as well as the broader Bay region and visitors to these important sites. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise to introduce a bill that would statutorily add the District of Columbia to the national empowerment zone program, which provides federal tax incentives for businesses to locate and invest in low-income areas. In 1993, Congress created the national empowerment zone program and left it to federal agencies to designate a certain number of low-income areas as empowerment zones. The District was not one of the areas selected. However, in 1997, working primarily with Republicans in Congress, I created federal tax incentives for investment in the District by businesses and individuals. The business incentives were similar to, but more generous than, those available under the national empowerment zone program. I got the D.C. incentives reauthorized regularly until 2011, when Congress refused to extend only the D.C. program. At the same time, the national empowerment zone program continued to be reauthorized and was reauthorized last year through 2020. Under my bill, certain low-income neighborhoods, particularly in Wards 5, 7 and 8, would be treated as empowerment zones as long as the national empowerment zone program remains in effect. The wisdom of the bipartisan, modest, targeted business tax incentives for D.C. has been amply and visibly demonstrated in the economic resurgence of parts of the nation's capital where they were applied. Among the most visible examples are the formerly rundown area around the Verizon Center (now Capital One Arena), which is now surrounded by offices, restaurants and vibrant nightlife, and the Penn Quarter neighborhood, which had limited residential, commercial and retail spaces, and is now a popular mixed-use neighborhood. Unfortunately, the D.C. tax incentives were allowed to expire before the poorest D.C. neighborhoods were ready to make use of them, especially in Wards 5, 7 and 8. Withdrawing the D.C. tax incentives, particularly after they had proven to be effective in other areas of the city, has left the nation's capital with essentially half of a revival, and was tragically timed just as the lower-income parts of the District, which need the incentives most, are ready for redevelopment. The effectiveness of these incentives for the District has been demonstrated and their costs have been de minimis compared to the measurable benefits they have generated in the District. I strongly urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, we are already paying the price for the elimination by President Trump and the Republican Congress in 2018 of both the office and the emergency funding that President Obama created to address outbreaks like the coronavirus we are now experiencing. Starting on empty, Trump's request for $2.8 billion in emergency funding is not even in the ballpark of what experts say is needed. Already more than 100 cases have been reported nationwide. A vaccine will probably not be available for at least a year, yet 11 States are already reporting cases of the virus. The World Health Organization says the coronavirus can perhaps be contained, but, ``the window of opportunity is narrowing.'' It will be up to us in this House to act quickly this week and for the Republican Senate to follow suit.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing Naomi Reem, an extraordinary woman and a leader in the Washington, D.C. Jewish community, who has, for 15 years, served as Head of School for the only Jewish day school in the District, the Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School of the Nation's Capital. The Jewish community of Washington, D.C. is one of the fastest growing and largest in the nation. Indeed, according to a February 2018 article in The Washington Post, the D.C.-metro area is now home to the third largest population of Jewish people in the country after New York and Los Angeles. As we all know, a critical part of building strong community is access to good education, and Ms. Reem has made it her personal mission over the past decade and a half to ensure that a vibrant Jewish education is available to families in and around the city. Founded in 1988, Milton, formerly known as JPDS-NC, has had just two heads of school in its 31-year history. Under Ms. Reem's leadership, the school received its first independent school accreditation; grew from under 200 to over 450 students; opened a second, early childhood education campus in the District; and launched the first Jewish middle school program in D.C. in over 40 years. Ms. Reem is an expert educator with a teaching degree from the Agnon Institute in Buenos Aires, Argentina, a bachelor's degree from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and a master's degree in Jewish Education from Hebrew College in Newton, Massachusetts. She has led Milton to adopt numerous curricular initiatives in General Studies and Hebrew and Judaic Studies, which have earned the school a solid reputation, locally and nationally, as a forward-looking institution, excellent in all academic areas. Milton's reputation has attracted major philanthropic support, totaling well over $55 million since Ms. Reem joined the school. Prior to coming to Milton, Ms. Reem was Head of School at Sinai Academy of the Berkshires, a day school in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, for seven years. Previously, she worked at the Gordon Day School in Miami, Florida and in several educational settings in Argentina, Israel and the United States. Ms. Reem has served on the Board of the Association of Independent Maryland and D.C. Schools, where she previously chaired two accreditation teams for other independent schools. She has also served as a mentor at the Day School Leadership Training Institute, a program sponsored by the AVICHAI Foundation and the Jewish Theological Seminary to train new and aspiring heads of schools. Additionally, Ms. Reem is a member of the Executives Council for the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington and served as its co-chair for three years. Ms. Reem is a native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and left her hometown in Argentina when she was 22 years old. She became a citizen of the United States on February 2, 2017. Ms. Reem's long career in education--from her early years teaching through her tenure at the helm of one of the most successful Jewish day schools in the country--illustrates how much can be achieved when one is dedicated to a cause and a community. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in honoring Naomi Reem for her work and service and in wishing her and her school continued success.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the District of Columbia Courts and Public Defender Service Voluntary Separation Incentive Payments Act. This bill, which passed the House in the 114th Congress, would make a small but important change to the authorities of the District of Columbia Courts (D.C. Courts) and the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia (PDS), giving them the same authority federal agencies and federal courts already have to offer voluntary separation incentive payments, or buyouts, to their employees. We were able to get buyout authority for the D.C. Courts and PDS in fiscal year 2020 in the recently enacted spending bill. However, my bill is necessary to make this authorization permanent. Buyouts would allow the D.C. Courts and PDS to respond to future administrative and budgetary needs, and would provide the flexibility to extend buyout offers to their employees. The U.S. Government Accountability Office has determined that voluntary separation incentive payments may be made only where statutorily authorized. Federal agencies and federal courts already have the statutory authority to offer buyouts, and there is no reason why the D.C. Courts and PDS should not have the same express authority in order to manage their workforce as budget conditions and needs change. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I rise to introduce the National Children's Museum Act, which would require the Administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA) to enter into a cooperative agreement with the National Children's Museum (NCM) to allow NCM to remain in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, a federally owned building, without charge. My bill would allow the newly redesigned NCM, the nation's first combination children's museum and science center, to remain centrally located in the nation's capital for the benefit of all. Originally named the Capital Children's Museum, NCM was a staple in the District of Columbia for decades. The institution opened in 1974 in a former convent on H Street Northeast. In 2003, Congress recognized the immense value in having a children's museum in the District and officially designated the museum the National Children's Museum. By 2004, NCM had outgrown its home on H Street, but had difficulty securing a new location. Since 2015 NCM's presence has been digital, serving D.C. public school students and public libraries online. Now located in its new home in the Ronald Reagan Building at 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, NCM is poised to bring new and innovative STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, math) exhibits to the nation's capital, building on more than 30 years of educating D.C. children and families. Despite its many benefits it brings to the nation's capital, NCM remains an outlier in terms of upkeep and maintenance. NCM is the only congressionally designated museum expected to pay rent in a federal building. This bill would allow NCM to remain in its current federal location without payment of rent, allowing staff to focus on bringing 21st century STEAM learning techniques to the nation's capital. I strongly urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the Increased Transparency in 501(c)(4) Organizations Act of 2020. This bill would require the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to make publicly available the forms organizations that self-declare under Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) file with the IRS. Americans have the right to know which organizations are operating under this section of the IRC. To be eligible for tax-exempt status under 501(c)(4), organizations, often referred to as ``social welfare organizations,'' must be ``devoted exclusively to charitable, educational, or recreational purposes.'' They can choose to apply for 501(c)(4) status from the IRS, or they can simply self-declare. Previously, organizations seeking to self-declare their 501(c)(4) status were not required even to notify the IRS of their existence. In 2015, however, the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015 (the PATH Act) was enacted into law. Under that law, an organization seeking to self-declare their 501(c)(4) status now must file a notice with the IRS that it is operating under this section. The PATH Act did not, however, make the filed notices, Form 8976, subject to public disclosure. The IRS has opined that Form 8976 cannot be made available under the Freedom of Information Act or other disclosure laws. This opinion creates a discrepancy between those organizations for which the IRS must make publicly available information--all Section 50l(c)(3) organizations and 501(c)(4) organizations that applied that for status--and self-declared 501(c)(4) organizations. This discrepancy appears to have been inadvertently created by the PATH Act. My bill would correct this oversight and mandate that the IRS publicly disclose any filed Form 8976 upon request, thus allowing the public to know which organizations operate under 501(c)(4), as they do with 501(c)(3) organizations. In the aftermath of the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, which allows for unlimited expenditure in political campaigns from these ``social welfare'' groups, this bill is especially important to allow for greater transparency. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing the 40th Annual Salute of the Black Nurses Association of Greater Washington, D.C. Area, Inc. The Black Nurses Association (BNA) of Greater Washington, D.C. Area (GWDCA), Inc., chartered in 1975, endeavors to support the mission of the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) and provide services to residents in the D.C. area. BNA of GWDCA acts as a vehicle for cohesion and solidarity among Black nurses to ensure the continuity of common heritage. The BNA of GWDCA hosted its first Annual Salute to a Black Nurse on February 14, 1981 at St. Elizabeths Hospital to recognize the contributions of nurses in the community and to celebrate Black History Month. ``The Salute'' has become a signature community program, where one practicing nurse is awarded ``Nurse of the Year'' and one nursing student is awarded a scholarship. BNA of GWDCA has a distinguished legacy of community service with a focus on addressing specific health problems of the Black consumer and health care disparities. Past programs have included participation in the National Black Nurses National Hypertension Project, National Depression Project and partnerships with the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society. The association's signature community service project provides community-based health assessments and teaching through church-based and collaborative health fairs and partnerships with the D.C. Department of Health, Office of Immunizations and the Washington Hospital Center. Importantly, we are grateful that in response to the critical shortage of nurses in all areas of practice, the BNA of GWDCA's ``Choose Nursing Project'' provides career information and mentoring in the field for students in D.C. area middle and high schools. As a chapter, BNA of GWDCA continues to carry the mission of ``Empowering the community through Education, Service and Caring'' and support the NBNA's theme, ``The Art and Science of Nursing.'' Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in honoring the Black Nurses Association of Greater Washington, D.C. area for 45 years of working to improve the lives of D.C. residents and the profession of nursing.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, the Committee on Oversight and Reform is preparing to hold the first markup of the District of Columbia statehood bill in either chamber of Congress since 1993, when I got the first-ever floor vote on the bill. I rise today to introduce a revised version of the bill, the purpose of which is to make technical and conforming changes and to address transition issues. On January 3, 2019, the first day of this Congress, I introduced H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, which has 224 cosponsors, a record for the D.C. statehood bill and far more cosponsors than most bills passed by the House. The bill I introduce today includes the text of H.R. 51, but makes technical and conforming changes to the text, provides transition assistance to the new state and establishes a transition commission to assist with the orderly transition to statehood and to a reduced federal district. The D.C. statehood bill is well within the authority of Congress, and is in compliance with the Admissions and District clauses of the Constitution, as well as the 23rd Amendment. While the Constitution does not establish prerequisites for admission of states into the Union, Congress has generally considered three factors: commitment to democracy, support for statehood and requisite population and resources for the state to support itself. The District meets each prerequisite. The District has a larger population than two states, pays more in federal taxes than 22 states and pays more in federal taxes per capita than any other state. D.C. has a higher per capita personal income and gross domestic product than any state. In November 2016, over 86 percent of District residents voted in favor of an advisory referendum requesting that the D.C. Council petition Congress for statehood. Congress has two choices. It can continue to exercise undemocratic, autocratic authority over the 705,000 American citizens who reside in our nation's capital, treating them, in the words of Frederick Douglass, as ``aliens, not citizens, but subjects.'' Or it can live up to this nation's promise and ideals, end taxation without representation and pass the Washington, D.C. Admission Act. Since the founding of the nation, District residents have always carried all the obligations of citizenship, including serving in all of the nation's wars and payment of federal taxes, all without voting representation on the floor in either house of Congress or freedom from congressional interference in purely local matters. The bill I introduce seeks to end this unequal treatment and give the residents of the nation's capital their full rights as American citizens. I strongly urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank him and my colleague on the other side of the aisle for this resolution. Madam Speaker, I had the honor and the privilege of visiting the Dalai Lama, and I welcome this opportunity to speak of his work and the danger he and his people face. H.R. 4331 is a bipartisan and bicameral bill to update and strengthen the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 in light of new human rights, religious, and environmental challenges the Tibetan people face today. In the 18 years since the original Tibetan Policy Act became law, human rights in Tibet has grown worse. The Chinese Government has refused any discussions with Tibetan leaders and has threatened to select Tibetan Buddhist leaders, in clear violation of international religious freedom and Tibetan Buddhist practices. The new Tibet Policy and Support Act before us today writes into law U.S. policy that the succession or reincarnation of Buddhist leaders is a religious matter to be determined by the Tibetan Buddhist community alone. Among other provisions, interference in the process of recognizing a successor or reincarnation of the Dalai Lama would result in targeted financial, economic, and visa-related sanctions. When the Dalai Lama visited the Nation's capital in 2011, I introduced a resolution welcoming Tibet's spiritual leader and recognizing his lifelong commitment to world peace and human rights. The Dalai Lama welcomed me into his home in 2008 as part of a congressional delegation led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I appreciate the additional time. Tibetan children, monks, and exiles lined the streets to greet our delegation in 2008. Our congressional visit heightened attention to continuing cultural genocide and brutality in Tibet. Our delegation had a meeting and lunch with the Nobel Prize-winning Dalai Lama and his government in exile. The Dalai Lama and his people have nothing to fight with except their own nonviolent determination and the willingness of free people everywhere to raise their voices. The Tibet Policy and Support Act before us today is important to convey and reinforce the understanding that the United States will never cease working to assure complete freedom for the Dalai Lama and his people.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise to introduce the Promoting Healthier Lifelong Improvements in Food and Exercise Act (LIFE Act), which authorizes a national initiative to attack a major health problem in the United States that cannot be remedied through the health care system alone. Increasing rates of overweight and obesity are now found among Americans of every age, race and major demographic group, and threaten the health of Americans like no disease or condition. In fact, the key to eliminating many of the most serious health conditions is not only to reduce overweight and obesity, but also to encourage exercise of all kinds. The LIFE Act would provide $25 million to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for a coordinated national effort to reverse increasingly sedentary lifestyles and diets that are high in fat and sugar. Specifically, my bill would require the CDC to establish the first national strategy to combat the overweight and obesity epidemic. The CDC, either directly or through grants to states or local organizations, would train health professionals to recognize the signs of overweight and obesity early in order to educate Americans about proper nutrition and regular exercise; conduct public education campaigns about how to recognize and address overweight and obesity; and develop intervention strategies for use in everyday life, such as in the workplace and community settings. In 2017, estimates from the CDC National Center for Health Statistics showed that since 1971 to 1974, the percentage of children and adolescents who are obese has increased from 5 percent to 18.5 percent. The CDC also reports that Type 2 Diabetes, once considered an adult disease, is now widespread among children. The rising cost of the health care system, including insurance premiums, reflects this epidemic. Today, chronic diseases, many of which are caused or exacerbated by overweight and obesity, account for 70 percent of all deaths in the U.S., and 75 percent of U.S. medical care costs. A focused national health initiative would provide guidance to the states to engage in similar programs, as mayors of some cities have done. A national focus could lead to changes, such as greater participation in high school physical education classes, which dropped from 42 percent in 1991 to 25 percent in 1995 and has remained constant through 2015. Changes in nutrition are equally critical because more than half of all young people consume too much fat, a factor in the increase of overweight youth. Data also show an increase in unhealthy eating habits for adults and no change in physical activity. To cite an example of the need for action, the District of Columbia is one of the fittest cities in the United States, according to a 2019 study by the American College of Sports Medicine, yet even here, obesity continues to be a severe problem. Approximately one-fifth of District residents are considered obese. Most of the obesity epidemic is exercise-and-food-related. I urge support of this important bill to mobilize the country now before entirely preventable health conditions, which often begin in childhood, overwhelm the nation's health care system.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Promoting National Service and Reducing Unemployment Act to address one of the greatest workforce tragedies resulting from today's economy--our unemployed young people--and to spur economic growth and to alleviate strain on state and local governments. This tragedy is not only harming our young people, but it is also costing our government billions of dollars each year in lost productivity, lost tax revenue and other costs. Although total unemployment has reached a relative low (3.5 percent), the unemployment rate for young people is eight percent. These young people have not had a fair chance to use the high school or college education we strongly urged them to obtain. What is particularly disappointing, particularly in today's low unemployment economy, is the high unemployment rate for young people who heeded our advice to graduate from high school and college. The total unemployment rate is currently eight percent for people 16 to 24 years old, 4.5 points higher than the overall employment rate, and hundreds of thousands of them now compete for unpaid internships wherever they can find them. By significantly expanding AmeriCorps, my bill would need no new administrative structure or bureaucracy but would allow unemployed young people to earn a stipend, obtain work experience and develop a good work history to help secure future employment. The net cost of the expansion would be low because these young people would be providing urgently needed local services that are being eliminated or curtailed because of state and local budget cuts, such as after-school programs, tutoring and assistance for the elderly. The bill would significantly expand job opportunities for young people who have done what they could to enter into the job market, but, despite their best efforts, remain unemployed in this economy. AmeriCorps participants receive a living allowance and are also eligible for an education award equal to the value of a Pell grant, school-loan forbearance, health care benefits and child care assistance. By expanding AmeriCorps, we would reduce the number of unemployed young people, provide them with work skills and experience and help cash-strapped state and local governments provide services that they would otherwise have to cut or eliminate altogether. For some time, it has been clear that policies to address the most stubborn forms of unemployment need to be targeted in order to be effective. Without significant targeting, many young graduates will continue to face their first years as adults without jobs and with no way to acquire necessary work experience. They deserve a better start in life as adults. I ask my colleagues to support this urgently needed, targeted assistance for young, unemployed Americans.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in honoring Hexagon, a District of Columbia based original, political, satirical and musical comedy revue, on the occasion of its 65th anniversary. The show often makes fun of Congress here in the belly of the beast. Over the past six and a half decades, Hexagon has brought laughter and music to the District. This non-profit, volunteer-based company was founded in 1965 by several members of the Princeton all-male Triangle Club, who changed the group's name to Hexagon, representing the group's growth and inclusion of women. Each year, Hexagon puts on a show and donates proceeds, sometimes as large as $30,000, to charities, many located in D.C. Last year, the company donated to Dancing Classrooms of Washington, D.C., a local arts education program focused on teaching social-emotional skills to fifth graders through dance. The proceeds of this year's 65th anniversary show, entitled ``One State Two State Red State Blue State,'' will go to SMYL, a non-profit organization serving LGBTQ youth in D.C. Although all the performers are volunteers, Hexagon is a show of professional quality that sells out to packed-houses of residents from D.C. and the region. I have had the honor of performing with the company, along with several other Members of Congress, over the years, including Senator Chris Van Hollen and Congresswoman Donna Shalala. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in honoring Hexagon for working to improve the lives of D.C. and regional residents through laughter and charity. As we honor the company's 65 years in District of Columbia, we can only wish for many more.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, the conventional wisdom that Speaker Pelosi and the Democrats gained nothing from the delay in sending the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate is contradicted by the results. Some Republican Senators are said to be working to assure witnesses, as Speaker Pelosi demanded. There are 53 Republican Senators and 47 Democrats. Notwithstanding where they stand on impeachment itself, it would benefit Republican moderates and even others to avoid the stigma of unprecedented unfairness by at least allowing witnesses, which requires only a 51 percent majority. Witnesses would help mitigate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's undisguised unfairness in working directly with the White House. As a result of the Pelosi delay, even Senator McConnell now says he will follow the Clinton impeachment process. Depositions from witnesses were ultimately allowed there.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend for yielding. Congress has long been absent without leave from its constitutional responsibility to authorize war before it occurs. From Vietnam to Iran, the verdict on the War Powers Act is clear: you lose it if you do not use it. Congress chafes at outsized Presidential power, but has failed to exercise its own advice and consent power on war. Iran has stepped back for now from the brink of war, following the killing of General Soleimani, but a strong bipartisan 69 percent of the American people say that war with Iran is now more likely. No wonder, considering we just deployed 15,000 more troops to the region. Trying to get answers after the fact, as Congress did in yesterday's briefing, yielded frustration, not answers. Unchecked executive power unbalances the safeguards against arbitrary power the Framers built into our Constitution. With passage of today's resolution, we will reclaim that balance by reinserting Congress into decisions to go to war.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, as hundreds of thousands of our federal workers face uncertainty in wages and work, I introduce a bill to clarify certain due process rights of federal employees serving in sensitive positions. This bill would overturn an unprecedented federal court decision, Kaplan v. Conyers and MSPB, which stripped many federal employees of the right to independent review of an agency decision removing them from jobs on grounds of ineligibility. The case was brought by two Department of Defense (DOD) employees, Rhonda Conyers, an accounting technician, and Devon Northover, a commissary management specialist, who were permanently demoted and suspended from their jobs after they were found to be no longer eligible to serve in noncritical sensitive positions. In 2014, the Supreme Court declined to hear the case, which allowed the decision to stand. This bill is cosponsored by Representative Andre Carson. Specifically, the decision prevents federal workers who are designated as ``noncritical sensitive'' from appealing to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) if they are removed from their jobs. Noncritical sensitive jobs include those that do not have access to classified information. The decision would affect at least 200,000 DOD employees who are designated as noncritical sensitive. Even more seriously, most federal employees could potentially lose the same right to an independent review of an agency's decision because of a rule by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), which went into effect in July 2015, that permits agency heads to designate most jobs in the federal government as noncritical sensitive. The Kaplan decision undercuts Title 5, section 7701 of the Civil Service Act, which ensures due process rights for federal workers required by the U.S. Constitution. Stripping employees whose work does not involve classified matters of the right of review of an agency decision that removes them from their jobs opens entirely new avenues for unreviewable, arbitrary action or retaliation by an agency head and, in addition, makes a mockery of whistleblower protections enacted in the 112th Congress. Our bill would stop the use of ``national security'' to repeal a vital component of civil service protection and of due process. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the Ensuring Child Health Coverage Compensation in Divorce Act of 2019. This bill would require that when a court directs a non-custodial parent (including a stepparent) to provide health insurance to a child, the other parent can get reimbursed directly from the insurer for any out-of-pocket medical expenses for the child incurred by such parent, regardless of the source of insurance. Typically in a divorce, one parent is court-ordered to provide health insurance for the child to prevent the child from going uninsured. However, the other parent may pay for out-of-pocket medical expenses for the child that are reimbursable by the insurer. Under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, group health insurers are required to directly reimburse a parent who pays for reimbursable out- of-pocket medical expenses when the other parent has been court-ordered to provide health insurance for the child. However, other health insurers are not required to directly reimburse the other parent. This bill would provide the same requirements for all health insurers to ensure that the parent who pays for the out-of-pocket medical expenses is reimbursed. I strongly urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, the House cannot sit still and allow Trump to become an imperial President, answerable to no one. Without consultation with House leadership or even leaders in the Republican Senate, Trump ordered the killing of a major military leader, Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. Like countless officials worldwide, Soleimani was a bad actor whose forces were responsible for the deaths of Americans. However, Soleimani was not killed on the battlefield but was targeted by President Trump in Baghdad. Trump may have been seeking revenge for the storming and damaging of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, the largest, most fortified embassy in the world. Tit-for-tat is not a policy. It is a childish and dangerous response that could lead to all-out hostilities. The U.S. lacks credibility to start diplomatic efforts. I hope that our allies will intervene as emissaries before it is too late.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I introduce a bill that would permit commercial filming and photography on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol, beyond east of Union Square, the only area where such filming is currently authorized. This bill would permit commercial filming and photography outside of the Capitol and congressional office buildings by permit, so long as both the House and Senate are not in session. In many countries worldwide, freedom of expression is limited. Our country should be the first to encourage commercial filming and photography of the Capitol, a symbol of U.S. democracy at work. Commercial filmmakers should not have to go to other cities or fake capitol buildings for movies and films about the Capitol. The current policy permitting filming near the United States Botanic Garden shows that Capitol Police can handle filmmaking on Capitol grounds, especially when Congress is not in session, as my bill would provide. However, filming from that vantage point captures the least familiar view of the Capitol. Keeping filmmakers from standing in front of the Capitol is neither business-friendly nor true to the nation's democratic traditions. Encouraging commercial filming and photography at the Capitol would help spread the story of our national legislature around the world. The time is overdue to allow commercial filming and photography of the exterior of the historic 19th-century Capitol. There is no good reason why commercial filming and photography should be confined to Union Square. Specifically, my bill would give Capitol Police complete discretion to issue a permit authorizing commercial filming and photography under the same conditions as those in Union Square. No policy or security reason exists to justify limiting commercial filming and photography of the Capitol complex to only one location, Union Square, especially considering that permits are necessary. Visitors are regularly seen on East Capitol Street (east of 2nd Street) taking pictures, where they get a full view of the Capitol building, demonstrating the arbitrary nature of limiting commercial filming and photography to Union Square. This bill would also provide Capitol Police the authority to charge fees to cover any costs incurred by the Architect of the Capitol resulting from permit approval, to be deposited into the Capitol Trust Account. The Capitol Trust Account was established to accept proceeds from any fees collected for commercial filming and photography permits for Union Square. Amounts in the Capitol Trust Account would be available without fiscal year limitation for maintenance, improvements and projects as the Architect of the Capitol considers appropriate, subject to the approval of the Appropriations Committees of the House and Senate. Views of the Capitol are among America's most iconic. Limiting commercial filming and photography of the Capitol, an important vehicle for telling the nation's story, does not serve the American people. Indeed, most of the world reveres our system of government largely through commercial films and photos of the Capitol, a symbol of our democracy at work. Commercial films and photographs of the Capitol, the seat of our democracy, are perhaps the best modern vehicles for telling the nation's story and showcasing its democratic system of government. Republicans and Democrats alike revere the image of the Capitol as a symbol of patriotism. My bill would enable appropriate, permitted commercial filming and photography of the Capitol, and would create economic benefits for the nation, the District of Columbia, and private business. I strongly urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I thank my good friend from California for yielding. Madam Speaker, Americans famously complain about taxes. Who can then blame residents of the District of Columbia, where 40 percent claim the SALT deduction, among the largest number of taxpayers in the country? By allowing at least a $10,000 deduction, the 2017 Republican tax law concedes that it imposes double taxation. The Republican tax law was particularly nefarious because it virtually targeted blue states, whose top taxes support values like funding for local public education. We cannot, of course, protect Americans from taxes, but ever since the passage of the Federal income tax law in 1913, we have protected them from being taxed on dollars already taxed by State and local governments. The Restoring Tax Fairness for States and Localities Act ensures that wisdom.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, my words are my only remedy today, in spite of the upcoming D.C. statehood vote we expect to be successful. The people of the District of Columbia have no vote on impeachment or on any other matter on this floor now. I spoke on this floor on the impeachment of President Clinton 20 years ago. Unlike the Clinton impeachment on perjury concerning an affair with an intern, Trump's impeachment turns on sabotage of national security to get himself reelected. Clinton repented. Trump insists that he did nothing wrong. That is a promise to continue his long pattern of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Impeachment is our only recourse.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, when the matter of impeaching President Trump comes to the House floor tomorrow, the House will vote on its most solemn matter, except for matters of war and peace. Yet, more than 700,000 Americans who reside in our Nation's Capital cannot be recorded. It is un-American to deny any Americans who pay Federal taxes the vote on any bill. That denial is even more unconscionable, considering that D.C. residents pay the highest Federal taxes per capita in the United States. The 23rd Amendment of our Constitution gave D.C. residents the right to vote for President and Vice President. It should follow, as day follows night, that D.C. residents should have the vote to remove the President, as well. Yet another reason, Mr. Speaker, the House will pass our D.C. statehood bill this session.