Eleanor Norton

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2726) to amend title 49, United States Code, to prohibit smoking on Amtrak trains.

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2726.

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Today, I rise to ask that the House pass my bill, the Banning Smoking on Amtrak Act of 2019. I thank my friends, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Peter DeFazio and Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee Chair Daniel Lipinski, for marking up my bill in committee and allowing it to move forward to the full House. My bill would codify Amtrak's internal policy prohibiting smoking, including smoking electronic cigarettes, on trains, which, in light of all the evidence of harm, should be codified. This bill is modeled on a bill I got enacted while in the minority as part of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 that clarified that the smoking ban on airplanes includes electronic cigarettes. This bill is not only an outgrowth of my desire to ensure healthy environments on all the Nation's transportation modes, which I strive to carry out as chair of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee, but importantly, it is also the result of the advocacy of an 11-year old child who was concerned to see electronic cigarette smoking on an Amtrak train. Although Amtrak should be commended for implementing its own internal policy banning smoking on trains in 1993, that policy could always be repealed. My bill would make the ban a matter of federal law and put Congress on record in support of protecting passengers from secondhand smoke, as it has done in banning e-cigarettes on airplanes. Smoking bans have been a critical tool in protecting people from the effects of secondhand smoke because it is known to increase the risk of serious cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, such as coronary heart disease, lung cancer, and emphysema, among others. The World Health Organization considers the tobacco epidemic to be one of the largest public health threats in the world, killing more than 7 million people a year. While more than 6 million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use, around 890,000, close to a million, nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke die as a result every year. Under my bill, smoking would be banned on Amtrak trains in the same manner as airline travel. According to the WHO--this is important to note--there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Even short-term exposure can potentially increase the risk of heart attacks. All the more reason to ask the House to support my bill. I strongly urge my colleagues to support the bill before them. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Texas (Mrs. Fletcher), my good friend.

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the remarks of my friend from the other side. You can see that this is a bipartisan bill, and no wonder. When my friend was in the majority, a similar bill was supported banning smoking. This is as quintessentially a bipartisan bill as one could have in the House, and I very much appreciate the remarks of my friend. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Chair, I thank my good friend for yielding, and I want to assure the ranking member that the program I am discussing does not already exist, but it should. I rise today to express my strong support for the Coastal and Great Lakes Communities Enhancement Act, which includes the text of my bill, the District of Columbia Flood Prevention Act of 2019. I thank my friend Natural Resources Committee chair Raul Grijalva and Water, Oceans, and Wildlife Subcommittee chair Jared Huffman for including my bill in this legislation. This legislation would amend the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to include the Nation's capital in the definition of ``coastal state.'' Our bill would correct an apparent oversight in the omission of the District of Columbia from the CZMA and would make the District eligible to receive Federal coastal zone management funding, including flood mitigation and prevention funds for the Nation's capital. Importantly, the District is located on two rivers, the Anacostia and the Potomac, which are tidally influenced and show tangible salt water effects and fish and are a part of an intertidal-zone existing between high and low maritime tides. D.C. has suffered substantial coastal floods in the past and has also experienced numerous instances of riverine and interior flooding, such as the massive flood of 2006, which flooded Constitution Avenue and caused millions of dollars in damage to the National Archives, the Internal Revenue Service, and other Federal buildings. Despite these factors, D.C. was omitted from the list of eligible States and territories in the CZMA. The oversight probably occurred because the CZMA was passed in 1972 before the District achieved home rule. Because territories are included in the definition of ``coastal states'' under the CZMA, it appears that the District omission is a mistake which only Congress can correct. I appreciate the gentleman for including my bill in this bill.

Ms. NORTON. Madam Chair, I rise to express my strong support for the Coastal and Great Lakes Communities Enhancement Act (H.R. 729), which contains a number of important provisions, including the text of my bill, the District of Columbia Flood Prevention Act of 2019 (H.R. 2185). I thank my friend, Natural Resources Committee Chair Raul Grijalva, and Water, Oceans, and Wildlife Subcommittee Chair Jared Huffman, for including my bill in this legislation. This legislation would amend the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (CZMA) to include the nation's capital in the definition of ``coastal state.'' Our bill would correct an apparent oversight in the omission of the District of Columbia from the CZMA and would make the District eligible to receive federal coastal zone management funding, including flood mitigation and prevention funds. Importantly, the District is located on two rivers, the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers, which are tidally influenced and show tangible salt water effects (and fish) and are part of an ``intertidal-zone'' existing between high and low maritime tides. D.C. has suffered substantial coastal floods in the past and has also experienced numerous instances of riverine and interior flooding, such as the massive flood of 2006 which flooded Constitution Avenue and caused millions of dollars in damage to the National Archives, the Internal Revenue Service and other federal buildings. Despite these factors, D.C. was omitted from the list of eligible states and territories in the CZMA. This oversight probably occurred because the CZMA was passed in 1972--before the District achieved home rule. Because territories are included in the definition of ``coastal states'' under the CZMA, it appears that D.C.'s omission is a mistake, which only Congress can correct. A member of the other side complained that the District should not be included in the bill. However, scientists have predicted that the tides on the Atlantic Coast could rise two to four feet by the year 2100, causing private and federal property worth as much as $7 billion in the District to be routinely under threat by floodwaters. Because of these factors, the District should be eligible under the CZMA, just like the states and territories already listed in the CZMA. I urge support for this bill.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the Local Task Forces on 21st Century Policing Act, which would assist localities in carrying out the recommendations of the federal Task Force on 21st Century Policing and the Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, both of which have detailed the need to strengthen relations between local communities and local law enforcement. The bill would provide grants to local governments to create local task forces on 21st century policing to bring police, representatives of the community and public officials together to identify best policing practices for local police and other ways to strengthen relations between the community and police departments. No new funds are needed. Existing funds from the Department of Justice would support local governments establishing the task forces by listing these task forces as an acceptable use of Byrne Justice Assistance Grants. Given the continuing controversy surrounding police shootings of unarmed African American men, with no solutions in sight, this bill is more timely every day. The task forces, modeled after the federal Task Force on 21st Century Policing, would allow local communities to identify the best ways to create an effective partnership between local law enforcement and the communities they serve, while reducing crime, increasing trust and combating racial profiling. The task forces could create a partnership to implement practical policing practices acceptable to all concerned. The creation of task forces could be an important step toward easing the tensions between local law enforcement and many communities. In addition, the task forces could serve to engage local law enforcement and local stakeholders in a transparent public problem-solving process instead of the current situation that encourages parties to choose sides.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in congratulating Justin Lopez-Cardoze, a seventh-grade life science teacher at Capital City Public Charter School, for being named the 2020 District of Columbia Teacher of the Year. The DC Teacher of the Year award is granted each year to a public or public charter school teacher who is dedicated to student growth, and creating connections with families and communities, and who provides high-quality instruction. Lopez-Cardoze, whose father was born in El Salvador, is the first Latino recipient of the DC Teacher of the Year award. He follows in the footsteps of the 2019 DC Teacher of the Year, Kelly Harper, who was the first DC teacher to become a finalist in the national competition for teacher of the year since 2005. Lopez-Cardoze is a devoted teacher. He views his work as a way to pay back the scholarship he won as a student, which made it possible for him to attend the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and become a teacher. The award comes with $7,500 and makes Lopez-Cardoze eligible for the National Teacher of the Year award. Lopez-Cardoze is still paying off his student loans but he has pledged to use $5,000 of his award, and to double that amount through fundraising, to create a scholarship fund to allow a student at Capital City Public Charter school to go to college. His concern for his students is unfailing. When a student with sickle cell anemia approached him about proposed cuts to the National Institutes of Health, he led his students in developing an organization to educate the public about diseases often found among people of color. In his three years at Capital City Public Charter School, in Northwest DC, Lopez-Cardoze has made himself an integral part of the community. He serves as the school's Science Department chair, seventh- grade team lead and middle school representative on the school's Equity Core Committee. As a member of the Equity Core Committee, he co-creates diversity, equity and inclusion sessions for staff and works to create a more culturally competent learning environment for his students. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in congratulating Justin Lopez-Cardoze for being named the 2020 District of Columbia Teacher of the Year and for his commitment and dedication to DC students.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the District of Columbia Returning Citizens Coordination Act of 2019. This bill would allow the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia (CSOSA) to share information with the District of Columbia government to help ensure the District has services ready, in coordination with BOP and CSOSA, for returning citizens. D.C. inmates face significant hurdles in preparing to return to society because most are spread across the country in BOP facilities hundreds or even thousands of miles from the District, their families and their loved ones. Because they are frequently housed so far away from the District, coordinating returning citizens' reentry into society is difficult. This bill would make the coordination efforts between the BOP, CSOSA and District agencies less burdensome and more efficient. Under this bill, District agencies would be better able to determine what physical and mental health and other needs returning citizens may have before they are even released from prison. Because D.C. Code felons are the only local inmates housed by the BOP, this bill is especially important for District residents. Currently, BOP is allowed to share information regarding returning citizens with CSOSA, since it is also a federal agency, but not with D.C. agencies. This bill would allow BOP and CSOSA to treat agencies of the D.C. government as they do other federal agencies for the purposes of--but only for the purposes of--federal privacy laws, such as the Privacy Act, so that the District agencies that assist individuals during their return can more easily obtain the necessary information to provide appropriate services. I strongly urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in honoring the Homestead Grays, a baseball team deeply rooted in the District of Columbia, for its legendary success in the National Negro League. In light of the Major League Baseball World Series championship won by the Washington Nationals this year, we must also remember a team that shaped the game of baseball and brought World Series glory to the District long before the Nationals, the Homestead Grays. In 1948, the Grays won their third National Negro League World Series title against the Birmingham Black Barons to become one of Washington's most successful baseball teams. The Homestead Grays came to D.C. in 1940, when Clark Griffith, owner of the Washington Senators, saw a lucrative opportunity for the Grays to use Griffith Stadium while the Senators played away games. By 1943, the Grays, originally from Pittsburg, played over half their games in the nation's capital. Griffith Stadium, located in the heart of D.C.'s African American community and close to Howard University, became a hub for Black baseball. The Grays played at a time when the face of baseball was changing in America. As the National Negro League continued to demonstrate excellence in baseball, the sport began to integrate. It became too impossible for white teams to ignore African-American players. This led to the folding of the National Negro League in 1948 but to the rise of many African-American Major League Baseball players like Jackie Robinson. Found on the Ring of Honor in Nationals Park, the team's stadium, are several names of Homestead Grays' most iconic players, including Cool Papa Bell, Ray Brown, Josh Gibson, Buck Leonard, Cumberland Posey and Jud Wilson. These men led the Grays to three National Negro League World Series and 10 National Negro League pennants. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in honoring the Homestead Grays for their enduring place in Washington and U.S. baseball history.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in congratulating Alysha Butler, a social studies teacher at McKinley Technology High School in the District of Columbia, for being named the 2019 National History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. She was honored on October 2, 2019, at the Yale Club in New York City. Butler is the first teacher in D.C. to be recognized with this award. As a social studies teacher, she brings history to life for her students and challenges herself to bring them the untold stories of the past. As the granddaughter of a World War II veteran and Bahamian immigrant, she recognized the absence of stories like her family's in public education. She works to bring these voices and stories into the classroom each day. Butler is known to teach history through art and storytelling, and frequently uses the District itself as an educational resource. By taking her students on trips around D.C., which provides many historic sites, she has earned the title, ``Queen of Field Trips.'' The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History was founded in 1994 to promote history teaching by providing resources and support to those in education and recognize the efforts of leaders in the field. Each year, the Institution selects one exemplary American history teacher who encourages a passion for history in their students as the National History Teacher of the Year, and awards them $10,000. We are proud that Butler represents D.C. with this year's award. Butler has also received the 2019 Daughters of the American Revolution Outstanding Teacher of United States History Award; a 2019 GrantEd award; and was selected as the 2010 Miramar High School Teacher of the Year. Madam Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing Alysha Butler for being named the 2019 National History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and for her dedication and commitment to D.C. students.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Breastfeeding Mothers Jury Duty Exclusion Act of 2019. My bill would allow breastfeeding mothers summoned for jury service in federal court or in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to be excused from service for the period they are breastfeeding an infant. This would be optional for the mothers. Breastfeeding mothers would be allowed to serve if they do not wish to take the exemption. The benefits of breastfeeding are well-documented, and breastfeeding mothers should not be deterred from breastfeeding because of a jury summons. Under the National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997 (Pub. L. 105-33), Congress took responsibility for paying for the D.C. courts and other state-like functions previously provided by D.C. The D.C. courts, however, have always been under the control of Congress, even when they were funded by the District. The Home Rule Act prohibits the District government from enacting any law relating to Title 11 of the D.C. Code. Title 11 establishes the exemptions from jury. Therefore, this bill is necessary to provide this exclusion for both the federal and D.C. courts. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise to introduce the Federal Employee Recruitment Act of 2019 to require the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to develop, within three months of enactment of this bill, a plan for recruiting new workers into federal service. With the aging of the federal workforce, this bill is more important than ever. The average age of federal employees has steadily increased over the course of the last two decades, hitting 47.5 years in 2017. In the private sector, 54 percent workers are over 40 years old, while in the federal workforce, that number is 69 percent. At the end of last year, only 6 percent of the federal workforce were under 30, while almost a quarter of private-sector employees were under 30. There are numerous consequences to an aging federal workforce. For example, as older federal employees opt to retire, the government risks permanently losing much of its institutional knowledge if federal agencies cannot find adequate replacements. Possible solutions to the problem of a graying workforce include increased federal recruitment at college and university campuses, increased technological innovation in how applications are submitted, and a greater number of internships. Improved benefits, including paid family leave, increased telework, and short-term disability insurance allowing coverage for non-work- related injury or illness or pregnancy, can also likely increase recruitment and retention of employees by the federal government. I urge my colleagues to support this important bill.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the Women Who Worked on the Home Front World War II Memorial Act, which would authorize the establishment of a memorial on federal land in the District of Columbia commemorating the efforts of the 18 million American women who kept the home front running during World War II. Women are dramatically underrepresented in our memorials. A 17-year-old constituent, Raya Kenney, the founder of the non-profit Women Who Worked on the Home Front Foundation, came up with the idea to honor the women on the home front who supported the World War II effort. Raya wondered why the women on the home front, whose efforts were so instrumental in maintaining the stability of the country during World War II, have not received much recognition for their contributions, compared to the men who fought bravely in World War II. This bill would authorize the Women Who Worked on the Home Front Foundation to establish the memorial to honor these women. The memorial is designed to be interactive and to educate visitors on the important roles women played during World War II. Between 1940 and 1945, the percentage of women in the workforce increased from 27 percent to nearly 37 percent, and by 1945 one in four married women worked outside of the home. The work done by women on the home front opened doors for women in the workplace generally and had a profound effect on the job market going forward. As a result of their efforts, women on the home front redefined many occupations that were previously considered ``men's work.'' Just as women were working on the home front, many played critical roles in support of the war effort. More than 10,000 women served behind the scenes of World War II as codebreakers. Due to the classified nature of their work, they did not receive recognition for their tireless efforts until recently. Women were also trained to fly military aircraft so male pilots could leave for combat duty overseas. More than 1,100 female civilian volunteers flew nearly every type of military aircraft as part of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) program. WASP flew planes from factories to bases, transported cargo and participated in simulation strafing and target missions. These women were not given full military status until 1977, and it was not until 2010 that they were recognized with the Congressional Gold Medal. Women have largely been ignored in the memorials on federal land in the nation's capital, even though they played a key role in World War II. Millions of American women took jobs to support their families and the country at large during World War II, redefining what ``women's work'' looks like. In light of these contributions, it is important that women who worked on the home front be properly recognized in the nation's capital. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I thank him for bringing this bill to the floor. I support the mission and work of the Foundation of the Federal Bar Association. I support passage of H.R. 1663, which would give the foundation more operational flexibility, as I did when the House passed a similar version last Congress. However, I would be remiss if I did not note my concern with section 6 of this bill. Federal law requires the foundation's principal office to be in the District of Columbia. Section 6 would amend that requirement and allow the foundation to have its principal office at any location in the United States decided by its board of directors and specified by its bylaws. Currently, the foundation's principal office is in Arlington, Virginia, in violation of Federal law. I am speaking on this bill not to oppose it but to make a larger point about the location of Federal agencies. While the foundation is a federally chartered corporation and operates independently of the Federal Government, H.R. 1663 comes to the floor at a time when the Trump administration and many Members of Congress, among them my Republican colleagues, are working to relocate Federal agencies outside the national capital region. Recently, Senators Josh Hawley and Marsha Blackburn introduced a bill that would relocate most agencies outside of the Nation's Capital and the national capital region. We can have a discussion on ways to make government work better for the American people, but such bills should not be part of that discussion. These types of bills or administration proposals are often used for cheap talking points against the national capital region and Federal employees or are intended to undermine the work of the Federal agencies the bills or proposals are ostensibly designed to help. Eighty-five percent of Federal employees work outside of the national capital region already. Hundreds of Federal employees and their families have already been harmed by the recent relocation of two U.S. Department of Agriculture agencies, as has the work of those agencies. Congress cannot do its job without the unvarnished facts and briefings that nonpartisan agencies give the House and Senate almost daily. I have already gotten language in appropriations bills that would block politically motivated moves outside of the national capital region, and I will continue to fight agency relocations with every tool at my disposal. Fortunately, H.R. 1663 is not about relocation.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of this Special Order.

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I want to recognize my equal partner in this Special Order, my very good friend from Texas, Representative Al Green. Representative Green represents the parents and, for that matter, the place where Austin Tice, the person about whom we are speaking today, was born. He and I have partnered because Austin Tice, though born in Texas, moved to the District of Columbia. Like many in the House and Senate, we have grave concerns about Austin Tice and want to express those concerns and call upon those who are keeping him in Syria to let him go. Mr. Speaker, I can't say enough about how strongly bipartisan this matter is--bipartisan, yes--and bicameral. There are dozens upon dozens of Members of the House and the Senate who have written the President to ask him to do all he can to bring Austin Tice home from what we believe is captivity in Syria. Despite the difficulties our country is having, as I speak, with Syria, this, we believe, is not a lost cause. In fact, we are encouraged that there are Americans who Syria has let come home. Sam Goodwin is one. Canadian Kristian Baxter is another. So we do more than hold out hope that we can bring Austin Tice home. So, let me explain who Austin Tice is and why he has attracted such concern and interest in the House of Representatives and in the Senate. First of all, I want to pay tribute to his mother and father, Marc and Debra Tice, who have never lost hope that they can bring their son home, have visited Members of the House and Senate, and have never stopped seeking his return to the United States. Let me tell you why he is of special concern to me. Austin Tice not only lived in the District of Columbia and will continue to live here when he returns; Austin Tice was a U.S. marine. He served in the Armed Forces of the United States. When he came home, he enrolled in Georgetown Law school and had only a year to go when he left the law school, because he so yearned to be a reporter, and went to Syria in the early days of the civil war. Now, because he didn't speak to a lawyer first, he entered Syria without a visa. That is why he is being held. It is not the kind of reason you would expect someone to be held in a foreign country. After all, Syria holds more American hostages, than any country in the world or any group that is holding people--we think about half a dozen. You wouldn't think that not having a valid visa could be anything but easily corrected, but he has been there, we believe--now he will turn 38, or he may have turned 38 by now--for 7 years with no word from him. And that is why we come to the floor of the House tonight, because we are very concerned because we cannot be in touch with him. Despite working through the appropriate intermediary, the Czechoslovakian embassy, we have not been able to receive word. Austin Tice left for Lebanon, by car, from Damascus. Then he fell into rebel hands and was detained at the checkpoint. That is the last we have heard of him. January 3, the very first day of the 116th Congress, my partner and I introduced a resolution for Syria to return Austin Tice, and that was as soon as the House commenced this session. Frankly, I am concerned that, as I note in our House resolution, that there has been a video clip on YouTube. That clip shows Austin Tice blindfolded and being prodded up a hillside by masked militants. You can imagine, since we haven't heard from him since, why we are on the floor this evening. The Syrian Government has not acknowledged that they are even detaining Austin Tice or his whereabouts. Officials of the United States, however, believe that Austin Tice is alive, and they believe that he is being held either by the government of Bashar al-Assad or by some group affiliated with that government. The FBI has offered a $1 million reward for information leading to the return of Austin Tice, and we are pleased that so many journalism organizations are working for his return. It is important to note that Austin Tice was anything but a combatant. He was a journalist. He only went to Syria because he wanted to talk with the people who were living through an awful civil war. He was freelance, so he wasn't working through any powerful media, and his concern and his interest in journalism is what drove him, not any undermining of Syria or even views on the Syrian Government. He was acting as a journalist to find out what was happening. Now, we recognize that Syria does not have a policy of never releasing American citizens. We refer to Sam Goodwin, 30 years old, who also made a mistake. He crossed--just like Austin Tice, he just made a mistake. He crossed the border from Iraq into northeast Syria without a visa because he was trying to visit every country in the world, all the innocence of that. And it was that kind of innocence that I think we should assign to Austin Tice because he is much like Sam Goodwin in that regard. We call upon the Syrian Government to understand Austin Tice in that context, the naivete of a young man without legal advice, simply seeking knowledge, not seeking to undermine a government or to in any way interfere with the government. There are others who have been held and who are believed to be in custody whose families are beginning to speak out. It is important to note that many families whose relatives are held in Syria do not speak out because they are concerned that, in doing so, they will be acting against the best interests of the family member held. So, you can see how concerned the parents of Austin Tice must be that they have felt they had to speak out after 7 years. Bear in mind that the United States has leverage with Syria, because this country is the largest single humanitarian donor to Syria. We are providing or have provided more than $8 billion in humanitarian assistance for those displaced inside of Syria and the region since the start of that crisis in Syria. The U.S. Government itself is supporting emergency food assistance, shelter, safe drinking water, urgent medical care, humanitarian protection activities, and other urgent relief. And I believe, if the Syrian Government understands or considers humanitarian aid from the United States, they will see that they have nothing to lose by freeing this American citizen. Last month, the President told reporters that he himself was interested in working on securing the release of hostages in Syria. However, we do not know what action the President has taken and call upon him to become involved, as he said he would. The only intervention we know of is his intervention into the captivity in North Korea of Otto Warmbier, but by the time he got home, it was too late, and he died shortly after being released. However, we believe that this Austin Tice is alive and can, in fact, come home safe to us. We believe that, in any negotiations with Syria, the fate of our hostages should be front and center. We are pleased that Senator Lindsey Graham has indicated exactly that as well, again showing the bipartisan and bicameral concern about those being held in Syria. On August the 11th of this year, Austin Tice's parents wrote an op-ed that appeared in papers around the country on the birthday of Austin Tice. They said: ``We wish we could remind him of how glad we are he was born, how blessed we are to be his parents, and how truly we believe the world is a better place for having him in it.'' Those are the words of his parents. We are on the floor of the House today to speed Austin Tice home. Mr. Speaker, I want to ask my partner to come to the floor now, Representative Al Green, who, of course, is the Representative from the home State of Austin Tice's parents and where Austin Tice was born and raised. I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green).

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I don't think there could have been a more eloquent statement than the statement we have just heard from my good friend, Al Green. I am inclined to believe that if the Syrian authorities were listening, even they could not resist the eloquence, the depth of Representative Green's very intelligent but heartfelt statement. I know that statement is much appreciated by Austin Tice's parents, who have had to go these 7 years alone, with only your help as their Member of Congress. I am also grateful to the Members of Congress who, after all, don't necessarily represent anyone connected with Austin Tice, as Al Green and I do, for their generosity in coming to the floor. I would like to call upon Representative Lori Trahan from Massachusetts to ask her to say a few words at this time. I yield to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Mrs. Trahan).

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from Massachusetts whose relationship with Austin Tice--she didn't know him, but there is a school tie there. It shows you that people, when they hear about Austin Tice's captivity, are inclined to the eloquence of Mrs. Trahan, who just spoke about him, spoke about him without knowing him, spoke with such enviable and praiseworthy remarks. I thank her so much. I know that I speak for his parents in thanking her as well. Mr. Speaker, I now want to introduce one of my good friends from the region. We were so pleased to welcome her into our delegation, and I am anxious to hear what she has to say because she, too, is neither from Texas nor the District of Columbia, and yet, with selflessness, she has asked to express her views on the captivity of Austin Tice. I yield to the gentlewoman from Virginia (Ms. Spanberger), my good friend, at this time.

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I certainly want to thank my good friend, Representative Spanberger, for those compelling remarks. Once again, we are hearing from a Member who, as she says, did not know Austin Tice. I hope that Debra and Marc Tice, when they see Representative Spanberger give such eloquent and intelligent and deeply felt remarks, are comforted to know that they are not alone in seeking the release of their son. Mr. Speaker, there are a number of Members, not to mention all of the many Members of the House and Senate, who have signed on letters to the President for help with Austin Tice, but it is worth noting again that, on the very first day of Congress, Rep. Al Green introduced H. Res. 17. That resolution, introduced with Representative Al Green, sought, from the very beginning of the 116th Congress, to draw attention to Austin Tice, and we will not cease drawing just that kind of attention until we have learned where Austin Tice is and when he is coming home. The resolution that we introduced expressed concern over the detention of Austin Tice and laid out many of the factual matters that the Members have offered here today. In that resolution, we not only expressed our concern regarding the detention of Austin Tice, we asked the State Department and the intelligence community and the interagency Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell to jointly continue investigations and to pursue all information. We have every reason to believe that that is being done by our agencies. We encouraged, in our resolution, the State Department and the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs to engage directly with Syrian officials to facilitate Austin's safe release. In our resolution, we encourage the State Department to work with foreign governments known to have diplomatic influence with the Government of Syria, and we request the State Department and the intelligence community to continue to work with and to inform Congress and Austin Tice's family regarding his safe release and his condition at this time. We, I think, in bringing this very young man to the attention of the American people, we have shown our concern and have shown that we remain hopeful. In this case, no word is good word; it is word, that he is alive, we believe. The best word would be word to the parents, Debra and Marc Tice, that he is on his way home safe and sound. Let me pledge on behalf of the many Members of the House and Senate who have written the President, let me assure these parents, Marc and Debra Tice: This Special Order devoted to your son, Austin Tice, is not the end of the work we will continue to do until we bring your son, Austin Tice, home. We appreciate the devotion you have shown as parents, and we mean to honor that devotion by continuing to do all we can in the Congress to make sure that Austin Tice is returned to you safe and sound. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the Veterans Legal Support Act of 2019, which would allow the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide support to law school clinical programs that provide pro bono legal and support services to veterans, including assistance with disability claims and appeals and foreclosures. There are already at least 22 law schools that have clinics devoted to veterans' legal needs, including the William & Mary Law School Veterans Benefits Clinic, which serves as a national model for this idea and was the first recipient of a ``best practice'' certification from the VA. There are many other law schools, such as the University of the District of Columbia's David A. Clarke School of Law, that are interested in starting their own VA-certified clinics. More than 400,000 veterans are waiting for their disability claims to be processed by the VA. With the assistance of lawyers and law professors, clinical programs provide free legal resources to assist veterans in processing their claims. My bill would merely build on what some law schools have begun to do for the last several years. More needs to be done to sustain and increase these programs. I was a tenured professor of law and continued to teach one seminar after being elected to Congress. I saw the expert assistance that clinical programs provide. I urge my colleagues to support this bill, a concrete measure that would assist our veterans, who have repeatedly put their lives on the line for this country.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in remembering the life of the District of Columbia 2018 Firefighter of the Year, Alex Graham, a 17-year veteran of the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, who died in the line of duty. Alex Graham suffered a heart attack while on duty, and later died on October 27, 2019, surrounded by family at George Washington University Hospital. Graham was raised in Annapolis, Maryland, and attended Bowie High School. He was a humble and dedicated public servant and technician. As a firefighter with Engine 21 in Adams Morgan, known as the Alley Rats, he worked to protect the lives of D.C. residents. Graham was known to go above and beyond, ensuring that fire station equipment was top grade. He meticulously worked behind the scenes, researching equipment issues and fixing them, which at times meant traveling from firehouse to firehouse restringing 500 ladders. For his efforts repairing fire trucks, maintaining ladders and managing water flow, Graham was named Firefighter of the Year in 2018. While the limelight did not come naturally, the award was undeniably well-deserved. Graham is an irreplaceable member of Engine 21. He will be remembered for his skills, dedication and humility. His death sheds light on the tireless work of the department's men and women to protect D.C. residents. Madam Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing the life of Alex Graham and his dedication to the safety of District of Columbia residents. We remember him with tremendous gratitude for his service.