Eleanor Norton

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church for its many contributions to the District of Columbia. Metropolitan, also known as the National Cathedral of African Methodism, was founded in 1838 and has been a leading spiritual and community resource ever since. On July 2, 2019, Metropolitan held a well-attended and informative community meeting on D.C. statehood. This meeting at the church was an act of leadership in keeping with its long tradition of deep involvement not only with its members but also with the District. Metropolitan began as two separate churches, Israel Bethel AME and Union Bethel AME. In 1838, these two churches came together. The combined churches received an official sanction from the Baltimore Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church on July 6, 1838. The church retained the name Union Bethel until 1870 when the Baltimore Conference designated a new church name and the construction of a new ``Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church.'' Along with the new designation, the Baltimore Conference attached two key conditions--the first was that the church needed to be located near the Capitol and White House, and the second was that each Annual Conference of AME churches was called upon to donate money for the construction of the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church. To represent the gratitude of the congregation, the church was built with stained glass windows for each contributing Annual Conference. The church has done pathbreaking work over the years, from hiding enslaved Africans in the 19th century, to educating community members about AIDS and voting rights. Metropolitan is not only a leading place of worship but also a community resource, promoting intellectual and political achievement through the Bethel Literary and Historical Society since 1850. Metropolitan has opened its doors to many prominent visitors such as Barack Obama, Fredrick Douglass and Eleanor Roosevelt. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church for its 180-year history of contributions to its members and to the District of Columbia for its leadership and for encouraging discussion of the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, which would make D.C. the 51st state.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the District of Columbia Board of Zoning Adjustment Home Rule Act. This bill would give the District of Columbia the authority to appoint all members of the D.C. Board of Zoning Adjustment (Board), except when the Board is performing functions regarding an application by a foreign mission with respect to a chancery. The Board issues special exceptions, or variances, to the regulations issued by the D.C. Zoning Commission (Commission). This bill does not alter the authority of the Board. Like every other jurisdiction in the United States, the District should be free to set its own local land-use policies. As the District continues to contend with rapid population growth and economic development, it is more important than ever that the members of the Board are accountable to District residents and local elected officials. Under current law, in general, the Board consists of a representative each from the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) and the Commission, each of whom may be a federal official, and three mayoral appointees, subject to D.C. Council approval. The Board has no authority over federal property. Under current law, when the Board is performing functions regarding an application by a foreign mission with respect to the location, expansion or replacement of a chancery, the Board consists of the Executive Director of NCPC; the Director of the National Park Service, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the Interior or the Administrator of General Services, as designated by the President; and the three mayoral appointees. This bill does not change this composition. This is an important step to recognize and increase home rule for the District, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Ms. NORTON

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

Ms. NORTON. This amendment prohibits the General Services Administration, the Federal Government's real estate arm, from using its funds to relocate the Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the Economic Research Service outside of the national capital region. Earlier today, the House prohibited USDA from using its funds to relocate these agencies outside of the national capital region. On June 13, 2019, USDA announced it will relocate 547 out of its 644 employees of these agencies from the national capital region to the Kansas City region. Many Members of Congress who are opposing this relocation are doing so not only to protect the employees of these agencies from the agonizing decision of moving halfway across the country or losing their jobs, but we are also fighting to protect scientific research and integrity, uphold Federal law, and ensure compliance with our real estate procurement process. The USDA lacks the legal or budget authority to carry out this relocation. The USDA and GSA have violated the real estate procurement process. Further, this move is not in the best interests of the taxpayers. Don't just take my word for it. The USDA Office of Inspector General initiated a review of the relocation for the same reasons in November 2018, and that review is ongoing. This relocation is about ideology and politics, nothing more. The decision to relocate was made before any cost-benefit analysis was done of the consequences. The relocation is about the Trump administration's long-documented antipathy to nonpartisan, career Federal employees and the objective research they produce and fund. The employees of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the Economic Research Service are being punished for doing their jobs, the jobs Congress mandated. But the country, especially the agricultural community, is also being punished. As the Union of Concerned Scientists noted when the location was selected: ``The damage was already done before Secretary Perdue made his decision. It was clear from the start that the Trump administration was systematically hollowing out USDA's ability to produce objective science. The White House proposed budget cuts to eliminate research that's inconvenient to its interests, and at the same time, they've created this unnecessary relocation crisis, which is driving off scientists who conduct that very research,'' which is necessary. ``This is a blatant attack on science and will especially hurt farmers, ranchers, and eaters at a particularly vulnerable time.'' Mr. Chair, we will fight this relocation using every tool at our disposal. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Chair, why should I think this wouldn't happen this year? Every single year, there is a move to move agencies out of the Nation's Capital. Why in the world do you think that the Framers created a Nation's Capital in the first place? My good friend offers the notion that he wants to be closer to the people where agriculture takes place. Well, why don't we move the Agriculture Subcommittee? Why don't we move virtually everything that happens here that we deal with nationwide? Because there is a Nation's Capital. This is a political move. The other side has shown in the past--and not once, I must say--that science is not important, and that is putting it mildly. They object to the objective science that this agency puts out. Perhaps some of us do as well, but the Federal Government needs an objective, scientific provision, and that is what this is about. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably absent. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 396; YEA on Roll Call No. 397; and YEA on Roll Call No. 398.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing the work of William Henry Simons, III, and the William Henry Simons, III, Scholarship Fund. On Saturday, June 22, the Washington Teachers' Union (WTU), which represents educators in the District of Columbia's public schools, will re-name its scholarship fund the William Henry Simons, III, Scholarship Fund in honor of one of D.C.'s most important leaders, William Henry Simons, III, who passed away in 2016. This scholarship has been making contributions to the District of Columbia since 1974. The Scholarship Fund is dedicated to encouraging D.C.'s best and brightest students to pursue careers in education and support the next generation of D.C. teachers. I am particularly pleased and honored to offer this resolution not only because of Simons' much deserved merit as a teacher and a union leader but also because he was my history teacher when I attended Banneker High School here in the District. In 1972, WTU, under the leadership of Simons, called a strike of D.C. Public School teachers to protest pay and working conditions. The strike violated D.C. law prohibiting strikes by public employees, and a fine of $50,000 was imposed on the union. Simons asked the court to use the money to benefit D.C. public school students. The request went to the D.C. Superior Court, which in 1974, granted Simons his request. That was the beginning of the WTU Scholarship Fund Program. Since 1974, the Fund has awarded scholarships totaling more than $1,000,000 to over 100 D.C. public school students. Simons was born in D.C. in 1924 and attended segregated D.C. public schools. In 1943, he interrupted his studies at Miner Teachers College to serve in World War II. On D-Day, June 6, 1944, as a sergeant major in the 262nd Quartermasters Battalion, Simons was one of the heroes who stormed Normandy and helped bring about the end of Nazi oppression. He was awarded the Bronze Star and the Croix de Guerre for his courage. After the war, Simons completed his education and began an 18-year career as a social studies teacher at Banneker Junior High in D.C. Simons was elected president of WTU in 1964 and served for a total of 25 years. During his tenure as president, Simons was a champion of D.C. home rule and fought against plans that would have de facto re- segregated D.C. schools. He was also a pioneer in fighting for educational equity and the right of every D.C. public school student to receive the educational opportunities they needed to succeed, regardless of their race, ethnicity, immigration status or economic circumstances. He was an observer at the first democratic elections in South Africa, a college lecturer, writer and consultant, and in 1995, he was appointed treasurer of the prestigious Association for the Study of African American Life and History, which was founded by the legendary historian Carter G. Woodson. Madam Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in commending and celebrating the life and legacy of William Henry Simons, III, and in congratulating the Washington Teachers' Union for re-naming its scholarship fund in his honor.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in congratulating LINK Strategic Partners on becoming the 2019 District of Columbia Small Business of the Year. This distinction is awarded as part of our 22nd annual District of Columbia Small Business Fair, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. This year, we are proud to honor LINK Strategic Partners, a national strategic communications and stakeholder engagement firm headquartered in Washington, D.C. LINK provides strategic communications and ``hyperlocal'' community engagement. With a radically different approach to the communications and public relations industry, LINK puts people, relationships and communities first. LINK began in 2012 with two full-time employees sharing a small office in the Greater Washington Urban League building in the heart of Washington, D.C. In the seven years since then, the firm has grown tenfold in staff, expanded across the nation and opened its first international location. With team members in St. Louis, New York, Phoenix, Maine and Paris, LINK has grown to 300+ clients, $15 million in awarded contract value and pro bono work of over $1 million. LINK specializes in helping clients build mutually beneficial relationships with local communities. Over the past seven years, LINK has evolved its social impact lens, focusing on the power of human connection and supporting clients in connecting with their constituents in ways that will improve the communities they serve. LINK has also demonstrated the value of investing in team members, offering competitive salaries, benefits and professional development opportunities. Our fair highlights the importance of small businesses to the District's economy. It provides critical information, counseling and resources to aspiring and current D.C. small business owners. Small businesses are a crucial lifeline in our local economy, and the District thrives because of the expanding success of small businesses throughout the District. We thank the Washington Convention Center for hosting us again this year, the workshop experts who are providing valuable information and assistance to aspiring and current small business owners, and, of course, all the participants. Madam Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in congratulating LINK Strategic Partners, as well as in celebrating small businesses across the District. In the District and in districts around the country, small businesses continue to make indispensable contributions to our economies and communities.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I introduced the Commission of Fine Arts District of Columbia Home Rule Act. This bill would prohibit the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) from exercising authority over non- federal property in the District of Columbia. Under presidential executive orders (EOs) and federal law, the CFA has review authority for D.C.-owned parks and buildings, as well as for certain private land in D.C. Under the relevant EOs, CFA has review authority for the design of D.C.-owned parks and buildings. Under the Shipstead-Luce Act, CFA has review authority for the design of private buildings in the District ``adjacent to public buildings and grounds of major importance,'' such as Rock Creek Park and the Potomac riverfront. Under the Old Georgetown Act, the CFA has review authority for the design of private buildings in the part of Georgetown referred to as ``Old Georgetown'' in the act. The members of the CFA are appointed by the President. The federal government, including the CFA, has no business in local land-use policies and decisions unrelated to the federal presence. Not only is the federal government's authority over D.C. buildings and private property anti-democratic, it also delays and increases the cost of public and private development in the District. This is an important step to increase home rule for the District, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, Representative Donald S. Beyer, Jr. and I introduced the Federal Police Camera and Accountability Act of 2019. This bill would require uniformed federal law enforcement officers to wear body cameras and marked police vehicles to have dashboard cameras. It would also require the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study on federal police officers' training, vehicle pursuits, use of force and interaction with citizens. On November 17, 2017, Bijan Ghaisar was fatally shot in his car by uniformed U.S. Park Police officers in Fairfax County, Virginia; after a vehicle pursuit on the George Washington Memorial Parkway. Video of this shooting only became available through a camera in a Fairfax County Police Department patrol car that was providing backup. Had it not been for that footage, which was recorded and released by that local police department, the public would not have had access to the circumstances surrounding Mr. Ghaisar's death. Moreover, the footage revealed concerns about the Park Police's pursuit and engagement policies. Body-worn and dashboard cameras for federal law enforcement officers are particularly important for the officers stationed in the nation's capital, where Park Police and the uniformed division of the U.S. Secret Service have full local police powers. Many other federal police also have local police powers near their respective agency buildings in the District of Columbia. Cameras can increase transparency for individual interactions with police, strengthen public trust and even deter future criminal behavior. For example, when criminals know that they are being recorded by a dashboard camera, they may be less likely to flee the scene of a traffic accident because they realize that their license plate will be documented. Criminals may also be less likely to batter an officer because the recording may be used as evidence. On the other hand, officers will also be less likely to commit offenses for the same reason. Body-worn and dashboard cameras can also be used to train current and future officers more effectively in best and worst practices. An increasing number of local law enforcement officers, including Metropolitan Police Department officers in the District, are wearing body cameras and using dashboard cameras. It is clear that both law enforcement and the public would benefit from federal officers following suit to increase transparency and maintain public trust. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Chair, I thank my good friend for yielding. I believe that despite the opposition from our friends on the other side, that this amendment has bipartisan support. I thank my good friend Congressman Earl Blumenauer for introducing this important amendment with me to prohibit the Department of Justice from interfering with State cannabis programs. I especially appreciate that Congressman Blumenauer ensured that the amendment covers the District of Columbia, as well as the territories, in prohibiting the Department of Justice from using its funds to prevent jurisdictions from implementing their own medical and adult-use marijuana laws. The District has insisted that Congress cease interfering with our desire to commercialize adult-use marijuana, and I appreciate that D.C. is included with the other States that have the same goal. This amendment is the breakthrough the District has long sought so that cannabis, as with all other issues, is treated, for the people who live in the Nation's capital, who pay the highest taxes per capita in the United States, with equality that is due them. Here, with this bill, as with all other matters, we so insist. Mr. Chair, I thank my good friend for yielding and for cosponsoring this amendment with me.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing Lonnie G. Bunch III in his new position as the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, one of the highest positions in the museum world. He will be the 14th Secretary of the Smithsonian, responsible for 19 museums, nine research centers and the National Zoo, together employing 7,000 people with a $1.5 billion budget annually. On June 16th, Bunch will begin his tenure as Secretary, leaving his position as the director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). He is the ideal person to tackle the challenges and opportunities of the Smithsonian. Bunch is owed the lion's share of the credit for the creation of NMAAHC. What started as a broad mandate from Congress, one staff member and no collection, NMAAHC has grown to become one of the great gems in the nation's capital. NMAAHC has had over4 million visitors since its doors opened in 2016. Bunch's political and fundraising talents brought $270 million in federal money and $317 million in private donations for NMAAHC before it opened in 2016. Bunch began working for the Smithsonian in 1989. He spent 11 years At the National Museum of American History, where he worked, in part, as the museum's associate director for curatorial affairs. He left to work as the president of the Chicago Historical Society and later as the curator of history and program manager for the California African American Museum. As a student, he attended American University in Washington, D.C. and received his master's and bachelor's degrees in History. He will be the first historian to be Secretary of the Smithsonian. He is also the first African American to lead the Smithsonian in its 172-year history and the first museum director to be named Secretary in 74 years. Among Bunch's many accomplishments is writing various books, ranging from the black military experience to the American presidency to diversity in museum management. He has taught at several universities over the years, including American University and George Washington University, and has traveled both domestically and abroad for lectures and presentations. In 2002, Bunch was appointed by President George W. Bush to the Committee for the Preservation of the White House and reappointed by President Barack Obama in 2010. In 2005, he was named one of the most influential museum professionals of the 20th century by the American Association of Museums. Madam Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing Lonnie G. Bunch III for his many achievements and in congratulating him on his new role as the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I introduce a bill that would make a small but respectful change to federal law by adding the Mayor of the District of Columbia to the list of named principals for whom the President can order the U.S. flag be flown at half-staff. Current law states that the President shall make this order ``upon the death of principal figures of the United States Government and the Governor of a State, territory, or possession, as a mark of respect to their memory.'' Surely the death of a current or former D.C. Mayor should qualify as a principal. My bill would add D.C. Mayors, who have the same responsibilities as state and territory governors, to the current list of officials. This bill is a continuation of our ``Free and Equal D.C.'' series to ensure fair recognition of the nearly 700,000 citizens of the District of Columbia. Congress has already acknowledged that the District of Columbia is entitled to a place among the states for certain honors. The requested addition is not as significant as others Congress has already recognized. For example, legislation has ensured that the District of Columbia War Memorial honors only District residents who served in World War I, as intended, and that D.C.'s Frederick Douglass statue sits in the Capitol, alongside statues from the 50 states. We also successfully worked with the U.S. Postal Service to create a D.C. stamp, like the stamps for the 50 states, and worked with the National Park Service to add the D.C. flag alongside the state flags near Union Station. Legislation was also enacted to give D.C. a coin after it was omitted from legislation creating coins for the 50 states. Legislation was needed to require the armed services to display the District flag whenever the flags of the states are displayed. With these significant actions by Congress, it is not too much to ask to add the Mayor to the list of principals who are recognized upon their deaths. 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 Kojo Nnamdi and The Kojo Nnamdi Show for two decades on air with WAMU 88.5, Washington's National Public Radio news station. No other local radio program brings the depth, sensitivity and familiarity with the important issues of the Washington, D.C. region better than The Kojo Nnamdi Show. Hosted by the universally beloved Kojo Nnamdi, the show has been at the center of critical conversations about society, community, race, housing, education, politics, the arts and more for 20 years. While divisiveness has become the talk show norm, Nnamdi takes the time to create thoughtful dialogue--engendering trust among guests and listeners alike. Whether talking to citizens or politicians, he generates honest, productive discussions with guests, incorporating engagement with listeners. Nnamdi makes it a priority to meet people where their lives happen-- in the community. Nnamdi's conversations in communities around the region amplify the voices of those who would not be. A native of Guyana, Nnamdi moved to D.C. in 1969 to engage with the civil rights movement. Now a longtime D.C. resident, Nnamdi brings both a global perspective and vast knowledge of the region to front page headlines and explores emerging stories before they are news. From 1973 to 1985, Nnamdi worked at WHUR-FM, where he served as news editor and then news director, producing the award-winning local news program The Daily Drum. From 1985 to 2011, he hosted Evening Exchange, a public affairs television program broadcast by WHUT-TV at Howard University. Nnamdi became host of a WAMU program called Public Interest in August 1998, and the name was changed to The Kojo Nnamdi Show in September 2002. In 2001, Nnamdi was honored as a civil rights hero by the National Council for Community Justice. In 2003, the Library of Congress selected Nnamdi as the keynote speaker for African American History Month. In addition to his hosting duties, Nnamdi has chaired the board of the Public Access Corporation of Washington, D.C. for the past 25 years. In 2014, Nnamdi was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the D.C. chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, and in 2018, he was inducted into the D.C. Hall of Fame Society. The Kojo Nnamdi Show has won numerous awards, including multiple Public Radio News Directors Incorporated and Associated Press honors, as well as the National Association of Black Broadcasters Salute to Excellence Award. Over the years, Nnamdi has taken listeners on both intellectual and emotional journeys around the rapidly evolving Washington region. He has convened critical conversations for 20 years at the heart of change. Madam Speaker, I ask the House to please join me in recognizing Kojo Nnamdi and The Kojo Nnamdi Show for 20 years of dedicated work in the Washington, D.C. area.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing the Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle. This event, sponsored by Giant, has become a Washington summertime tradition. It takes place in the first full week of summer each year and brings together tens of thousands of Washington area families and visitors to the nation's capital in the spirit of unity, community and celebration. This year, the celebration will take place on June 22-23, 2019. The Giant Barbecue Battle event has raised millions of dollars for District of Columbia charities and USO-Metro over the past 26 years, along with countless donations to area food banks. The Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle features the Giant National BBQ Championship, the National Pork BBQ Championship, the Smokin' with Smithfield Rib Contest, the Perdue Sizzlin' Chicken Contest, the Turkey Smoke BBQ Cooking Contest, the True Aussie Lamb Contest and the Nation's Best BBQ Sauce Contest. In honor of the event, I also want to recognize the participants, who represent some of the District's and the Nation's best BBQ talent, cooking in the spirit of competitive barbecue. Its participants have the honor of representing the District wherever other State Barbecue Cooking Championship winners are welcomed. Madam Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing the Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle as ``The Official National Barbecue Championship and the official kick-off of summer in our Nation's Capital'' and in wishing its participants the best of luck.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the District of Columbia Police Home Rule Act. This bill is necessary to eliminate the President's authority to federalize the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the local District of Columbia police department. The President has no authority to federalize any other local or state police department. Under the Home Rule Act, ``whenever the President . . . determines that special conditions of an emergency nature exist which require the use of the [MPD] for Federal purposes, he may direct the Mayor to provide him, and the Mayor shall provide, such services of the [MPD] as the President may deem necessary and appropriate.'' Under the section of the Home Rule Act that would be repealed by this bill, the President may federalize MPD for a period of not more than 30 days, unless a resolution passed by Congress extending such federalization is enacted into law. Congress may also terminate the federalization at any time by enacting a resolution. This bill is necessary, even with these protections, because, under the principle of home rule, the President should not have control over the District's local police department. While it does not appear that a President has exercised this authority over MPD, this latent power is totally unnecessary, should not exist and is an affront to MPD, which has always voluntarily assisted federal authorities. MPD's first responsibility is to protect District residents and visitors, and it must always remain under the authority of the D.C. Mayor to accomplish its mission. Moreover, federalization is outdated in light of current practice. MPD regularly assists the federal government as a matter of comity, not as an arm of the federal government, just as I am sure other local police departments do in the region. There are approximately 30 federal police departments under the President's control in the District. In the case of a federal emergency, the President can unilaterally deploy these federal officers, as well as the D.C. National Guard, to address it, and also request the support of our local police department, as the President would do in any other jurisdiction. This is an important step to increase home rule for the District, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, the treatment of the Dreamers, brought to this country by their parents and others with unsettled status, is un- American and must be set right by the rational process outlined by H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act of 2019. The Dreamers have come to symbolize the entire group of individuals who have been left in the shadows, where they experience the fear of the hunted. The Dreamers have lived among us for almost their entire lives. I have invited Dreamers who live in the District of Columbia to a public meeting to talk about their lives. They are fulfilling their own dreams going to college and working in good jobs. The shame of our failure to permanently settle the Dreamers question will not go away as long as we leave them and others living without settled legal status twisting in the wind. H.R. 6 does not pretend to settle this issue. Rather, it establishes a path to citizenship not only for Dreamers but also for Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Enforced Departure holders. Never before in American history have we left any group of people in our country in legal limbo. H.R. 6 presents the ordered and predictable process this issue has long needed. These issues and these people will not go away. The House has an obligation to use our new majority to set this issue on the path to resolution.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing two District of Columbia residents, Paul Shute and Kristen P. Finne, 2019 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals finalists. The Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals (Sammies) are awarded each year to honor outstanding federal employees who have made significant contributions to our nation. In this, its 18th year, the Sammies reward efficient, effective problem solving in today's complex government. This year, two D.C. residents are among 26 other finalists for the 2019 Safety and Law Enforcement and Management Excellence categories. They were nominated by their peers, federal employees, and chosen from a pool of over 300 nominees as finalists by the Partnership for Public Service, a non-profit aimed at making the government more effective. The winners of the awards will be chosen in October 2019. Paul Shute, a 2019 Safety and Law Enforcement finalist, cut the amount of time it takes to verify mental health claims for veterans from 60 days to 6 minutes. At a time when the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs estimates that an average of 20 veterans commit suicide every day, this innovative approach is lifesaving and critical to providing veterans with much-needed mental health benefits. Kristen Finne, a 2019 Management Excellence finalist, developed a system for first responders to quickly locate and assist 4.3 million Medicare beneficiaries who rely on electricity-dependent medical equipment and are at risk during prolonged power outages. Finne, who works for the Department of Health and Human Services in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, developed and led the emPOWER Program, which consists of a database of Medicare beneficiaries and weather and geographic information to identify, locate and assist vulnerable members of the community during natural disasters. Please join me in recognizing Paul Shute and Kristen P. Finne, finalists for the 2019 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing one of the District of Columbia's great professional musicians, Ronald Edward Holloway. Holloway, a native Washingtonian and product of D.C. Public Schools, began playing saxophone at a young age. Early on in his career, he periodically played with the historic El Corols Band and Show of Washington, D.C. The first band that Holloway played with was a Top 40 band called The Speculations based out of Takoma Park, MD. Holloway launched his professional career in 1975 at the age of 21. He is described by top jazz critics such as Stanley Crouch and Ira Gitler as a ``hard bearing down-hard-hopper who can blow authentic jazz, R&B and can croon a ballad with warm blue feeling, funk and rock.'' Holloway played tenor saxophone with the great Gil Scott Heron for 14 years and was a member of the world-renowned Dizzy Gillespie Quintet. He was also a guest saxophonist with Sonny Rollins, the Allman Brothers Band, Gov't Mule Band, Tedeschi Truck Band, Little Feat Band, and Taj Mahal. Currently, he is the director and saxophonist for his own band, The Ron Holloway Band. Holloway, a member of the D.C. Legendary Musicians Inc., is the recipient of 42 music awards, including several Wammie awards for Musician of the Year. I ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing and honoring Ronald Edward Holloway for his steadfast dedication to promoting and preserving music in Washington, D.C.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Michael Kahn, who is stepping down from the Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) after 33 years as Artistic Director, having revolutionized the performance of Shakespeare and classical theater in Washington, D.C. Kahn helped to transform D.C. theater from a small scene to the fastest growing professional theater community in the nation, renowned for its variety of theatrical productions. Kahn believes that theater should be accessible and affordable to all, so he instituted programs such as Free For All, offering free performances of a Shakespearean classic to the general public each summer, the Happenings Happy Hour, offers free performances of local artists, musicians, and performers of a wide variety of disciplines, and the FREE WILL program, offering free tickets for every STC mainstage production in the season. Over 700,000 people have attended a free Shakespeare play, and over 90,000 young people have seen student matinee productions of classic works. Kahn has built connections between classical theater and the political life of Washington, D.C. with contemporary and urgent productions of Shakespeare and beloved events such as the annual Mock Trial, presided over by Justices of the Supreme Court. I have had the opportunity to perform several times in Will on the Hill, a comedy performance based on Shakespeare's works featuring Members of Congress, fostering bipartisan support for arts education. STC serves students in every traditional D.C. public and public charter high school, providing in-school workshops, free supplemental materials and free or deeply subsidized tickets and transportation to theatrical performances. Kahn's dedication to theater education can be seen through his various roles over the years, such as his tenure as Richard Rodgers Director of the Drama Division at the Juilliard School and his time as faculty at New York University Graduate School of the Arts, the Circle in the Square Theater School and Princeton University. He brought that expertise to Washington, D.C., where he launched the Academy for Classical Acting, a one-year master's program at The George Washington University, which has been preparing the next generation of classically trained actors for 20 years. Kahn's visionary work has brought national and international recognition, including a Regional Theater Tony Award in 2012 for STC, and personal honors such as an induction as Honorary Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hall of Fame. During his Artistic Directorship, STC has garnered 104 Helen Hayes Awards and 442 nominations, with Kahn receiving nine wins for Outstanding Direction and an additional 12 nominations. I ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing Michael Kahn for his leadership, his theatrical innovations and farsighted initiatives, and a life devoted to the theater.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program Improvement Act of 2019. This bill would further encourage the development of important vaccines by doubling the maximum number of special masters the Court of Federal Claims can assign to vaccine cases. I am pleased to be introducing this in conjunction with Senator Bob Casey, who is introducing a companion bill in the Senate. Vaccines are a vitally important component of our public health system. The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (``Program'') was created by Congress in 1988 so that individuals and families of individuals injured by childhood vaccines could receive financial compensation. This ``no-fault'' system caps the amount of compensation allowed under the Program for vaccine-related injuries, thus meeting the dual goals of encouraging further development of vaccines and compensating anyone injured by them. The Program was also designed to accelerate the compensation process so plaintiffs would not have to undergo a full trial before receiving damages that could potentially be used to address their injuries. However, as the number of vaccines covered under the Program has increased, so, too, has the number of cases brought before the court and the special masters. The number of petitions filed has increased from 24 in fiscal year 1988 to 1,120 in fiscal year 2016. Congress capped the number of special masters at eight when it first authorized the Program, and has not increased the number since, despite the increase in covered vaccines and petitions filed. To meet the demand caused by the increased number of these complex cases, my bill would increase the maximum number of special masters allowed to 16. Moreover, the court may reduce the number of special masters should the number of cases drop, as this is a statutory ceiling, not a floor. This is an important measure to ensure compensation when necessary and further important medical development. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, the House will not be in session next Monday, Memorial Day. That day has very special meaning for the 700,000 residents in the Nation's Capital. The District of Columbia is one of the oldest jurisdictions in the United States. That means that residents of the Nation's Capital have fought and died in every war, including the war that created the United States of America: the Revolutionary War. I have come to the House floor today to particularly recognize, on Memorial Day coming, the denial of full participation in their government through statehood, not only to the District of Columbia's residents, but to our present Active-Duty servicemembers, our National Guard members, our reservists, our many veterans and their families who are residents of the District of Columbia. Their service and sacrifice, along with that of Americans across the breadth of this land, but especially their sacrifice, is unparalleled and, therefore, deserves special mention: unparalleled because those who served, those who died, those who continue to serve to protect our country do so without full and equal rights in their own country. Later, I will be speaking about what their sacrifices have meant to our country, but as I come to the floor, I start by paying special tribute to the sacrifices that the residents of the Nation's Capital have made for 218 years. I will be going, this coming week, with the Mayor of the District of Columbia, with the city council chair, with the entire government, to what is called the D.C. War Memorial. This pristine, beautiful memorial is dedicated to those who lost their lives in World War I. It is the only memorial--indeed, it is the only edifice--on The Mall that is dedicated to people in one district, and for very good reason: because that district is our Nation's Capital; because those whose names appear on that memorial--I think there are 400- or so names--died without full representation and died giving that kind of representation, the kind of democracy, the kind of democracy that others have. Our country, of course, prides itself on its democratic traditions, but we must remember that the country was founded seeking democracy, not as a democracy. When it was founded, only White men who held property could vote. That means that the majority then could not vote and did not have their democratic rights. So we have to, with some humility, approach our own standing as a democracy. May I remind us all today that it took 132 years after the Nation's founding for women to get the right to vote. When half the population didn't have the right to vote, I am sure Members came to this House floor saying what a wonderful democracy it was. Well, it wasn't. What is important about our country is our aspiration to become the democracy that the Framers themselves hoped we would come--they hoped we would become because even they had created a constitution where an African American was counted as three-fifths of a man. That was a compromise. They created this country knowing, believing, that those of us who sit in this House, in the Senate, and Americans throughout the country would make our democracy a real democracy over time. It has taken 218 years, and still counting, for the District of Columbia and its residents to achieve statehood, including voting rights and all the rights that come with equal citizenship. We are the only democracy in the world where the residents who live in the Nation's Capital don't have the same rights as everyone else in that country. I am not pessimistic today. We are just 5 months into the new Congress, and we are already beginning to break ground with those old traditions. In March, the House passed H.R. 1, as we call it. That is our all- democracy, prodemocracy bill, still trying to achieve full democracy throughout the United States. I will say a bit about H.R. 1 shortly. It has findings, extensive findings for D.C. statehood, which means, since it passed by more than a majority, that most Members of the House are already on track and on the Record for D.C. statehood. I am grateful that Speaker Nancy Pelosi 3 days into the new term issued a very powerful statement, the head of the House, endorsing statehood. I am grateful to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who unveiled a sweeping proposal to bring democracy to our country. His proposal is interesting because it included only three issues: combating voter disenfranchisement through the Voting Rights Act, establishing national automatic voter registration laws; and the third one, support of D.C. statehood. I think that says a great deal about what the priority of bringing full democracy to the Nation's Capital means to the Nation. I am grateful to Chairman Elijah Cummings, the chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, who has announced that he will hold a hearing on D.C. statehood and will bring the bill to the floor this year. It is worth hearing a few words from Speaker Pelosi, to show the commitment of our party to full democracy. The Speaker said: ``The right to vote and to equal representation is the foundation of our freedom and a core pillar of our democracy. For too long, the residents of the District of Columbia have served our Nation in uniform, paid taxes, and contributed to the economic power and success of our country while being denied the full enfranchisement that is their right.'' I am encouraged today because while it takes 218 votes to pass the D.C. statehood bill, already 5 months into this new majority, we have 204 cosponsors. We are very grateful and very proud of that very strong showing of support for democracy in the Nation's Capital. To elaborate a bit on the significance of being in H.R. 1, which documented findings for why the District of Columbia should have statehood, to put that in context, just look at the other matters that were in this enhancing democracy bill, because they didn't have anything to do with D.C. statehood. And yet, D.C. statehood is in this enhancing democracy bill, which includes such matters as supporting the adoption of paper ballots to protect our election infrastructure from cyberattacks, increasing donor disclosure requirements, strengthening campaign oversight, expanding early voting and voting by mail, ending partisan gerrymandering, requiring all Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates to publicly disclose their tax returns--until this President. For decades, others have, of course. You can see those issues are about enhancing democracy in the larger sense. It says everything about the priority of this Congress that H.R. 1 also includes making sure that the residents of the Nation's Capital have the same and, indeed, equal rights with other Americans. We are well on our way to nationalizing the fight to D.C. statehood, nationalizing, because my one frustration, that we have faced and continue to face, that most residents, most Americans, think that those who live in their Nation's Capital have the same rights they have. That is what I mean by the need to nationalize this important issue. What polls show is that it is inconceivable to the average American that there would be any Americans who don't have the same rights that they have. Of course, that is the case. That is why, periodically, I come to the floor to make sure and remind the House of this anomaly, that we are the only country that does not give those who live in its capital the same rights as others in their country. I am heartened by the many national organizations that, as I speak, have come on to endorse statehood for the District of Columbia. As I was, literally, coming to the House floor, a staff member rushed behind me to add another one. It is up to 20. I will bet by the time I get back to my office in the Rayburn Building, the number will be even beyond 20 because they have been coming on ever since we put out the word. They represent millions of people and can help Americans to know what they do not know. These are the national organizations that by the time I came to the House floor had endorsed D.C. statehood: Common Cause, Public Citizen, National Active and Retired Employees Association, Sierra Club, People For the American Way, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, Planned Parenthood, Demand Justice, Indivisible, Americans for Democratic Action, Demos, NORML, NETWORK, Stand Up America, Demand Progress, United Food and Commercial Workers, Democratic Coalition, National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund, and Human Rights Campaign. These are organizations whose numbers go into the many millions that can help us by making sure Americans know what many would be ashamed to find out, that they live in a country where people who live in their Nation's Capital don't have the same rights they have. What a diverse city this is, about half Black, half White, many high- income people--yes, its share of poor people like every city--top 10 in economic growth, bursting at the seams with more people moving in every day, the kind of National Capital Americans have every right to be proud of. Until Democrats captured this House, even our self-government, the right to govern ourselves in the District of Columbia, was under attack. I had to fight off bills that eliminate important laws in the District of Columbia. What did they have to say about our local laws? For example, a favorite has been attempts to wipe out all the gun safety laws in the District of Columbia. I have been able to defeat these bills--almost all of them--even while I have been in the minority. But why should I have to come to this floor to say to Members of the House that these are local matters? This is a national body. Stay out of our business. There were laws that would have repealed our Local Budget Autonomy Act, where we deal only with spending matters resident alone pay for. A law they tried to erase a recreational marijuana. Ten states allow recreational marijuana, which the House has allowed. They tried to wipe out abortions for low-income women. They tried to wipe out our Death with Dignity Act. These, of course, are rather progressive matters. Death with dignity, for example, after seeking the advice of a physician, and with only 6 months to live, allows people to take their own lives, with pharmaceuticals provided by a physician. That is not the case for every jurisdiction. By the way, the majority of American people support this right. But if you disagree with it, Congress can't do anything about it anywhere else, only in the District of Columbia. I could name several other bills. We were able to defeat all of these bills away except two. One is the marijuana commercialization act. We were able to save the ability to possess 2 ounces but not to do what those 10 states already do, which is to regulate it and tax it. Marijuana should be regulated, not just sold. Why does the House not want that? Of course, to sell and legally tax marijuana, if you don't do that, people will smoking marijuana anyway. We have six universities here. Do you think people aren't smoking pot? The Republican priority has always been local control. That is their mantra. They even want the Federal Government often out of the business that the Federal Government must be in. We have indicated that we would like that mantra to apply to the District of Columbia as well. At the same time, we are on a dual track. At the same time that we are trying to get statehood, we have not gotten full control of our own city because the Congress, as I have just indicated, can intervene. So, at the same time that we are trying to get statehood, which would do the whole thing, we are also trying to use the Home Rule Act simply to get what every other jurisdiction has: a local prosecutor, for example; the right to declare clemency for local residents, local control of local courts, etc. So we are on two tracks: statehood, which would give us the whole set of rights that the rest of the country has; and using the Home Rule Act--and the District has had home rule since 1973--simply getting the kinds of rights that do not require statehood but that other jurisdictions have passed locally. I have gotten three bills passed this term. I got them passed in the first 3 months. And note that, even when I was in the minority in the last Congress--I was voted the most effective Democrat in the Congress. The commentary noted that Norton--does not have the final vote on the House floor. I got back my vote in the Committee of the Whole. I now vote for the District of Columbia when the House meets in the Committee of the Whole. I was able to get that right when I first came to Congress. And if this is believable, when the Democrats lost the House, Republicans took back even that vote, the DC vote in the Committee of the Whole, even though it had been approved by the courts of the United States. It was granted by the House; therefore, it could be taken away by the House. It was taken away by the House before. Getting full and equal rights for the District of Columbia is personal to me because I am a native Washingtonian--indeed, a third- generation Washingtonian. I cannot help but tell the story of my great-grandfather, a runaway slave from Virginia. He came to the District of Columbia when they still had slavery, when, of course, it didn't have any home rule or statehood. The District was being built. This Capitol building was being built. Work was being done on the streets, and people were anxious to hire anybody they could find. Richard Holmes got a job working on the streets of the District of Columbia. And passed down to my family is what happened to Richard Holmes. Richard Holmes that continues to inspire me, even as I am inspired by our veterans as we approach Memorial Day. Richard Holmes was working on the streets of the District of Columbia, where slave owners roamed the streets, because, after all, valuable property was lost if there was a runaway slave that could be identified. A man walked up behind Richard Holmes and called out the name ``Richard.'' Richard Holmes kept digging. Then the slave owner went over to the straw boss and said, ``That is my slave. I have come to take him back.'' And the straw boss said, ``Well, that man didn't answer to that name,'' and he let Richard Holmes stay. I think Richard Holmes must have been a good worker, so he just wasn't going to give him up. I don't know that. All I know is that he did not give him up, and the Holmes family has been very grateful ever since. This has been the most important destination, not only for people like my great-grandfather who simply walked off of a plantation in Virginia. In telling the story, you will note that I didn't speak about Richard Holmes as some heroic runaway slave, because that is not how the story was told to us. We were told that Richard Holmes simply walked off that plantation when nobody was looking and walked all the way to the District of Columbia from way down in Virginia. In a real sense, I feel like I am walking. I am continuing in his footsteps as I strive to help my city become the 51st State, no longer be a city where there is taxation without representation. Imagine the outrage. This is not a Congress which likes taxes, particularly my Republican friends. Well, a lot of us have owned up to the fact that it became a great country because all of us pitched in, including paying Federal taxes. But imagine paying Federal taxes when you don't have anything to say about the amount of those taxes or anything else about those taxes. Imagine being number one per capita in Federal taxes to support your country and yet having no final vote on this House floor when those taxes are raised, when, for example, there has been a massive tax cut that went to the great benefit, as it turned out, of corporations and the very well-off. For the District of Columbia, I could speak on that bill but I could not vote on that bill, even though I represent those who will pay the highest amount in taxes pursuant to that bill. So taxation without representation is not simply a slogan for the people I represent. It has real meaning, as real for us as it did for the Framers. They were willing to risk treasonous acts in order not to pay taxes without representation. As the United States stands, today as a Nation, we are in violation of treaties the United States has signed because we do not grant full and equal rights to the residents of the Nation's Capital. For example, our country, in 1977, signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The Human Rights Committee, which has oversight over that treaty, has since said that the United Nations delegation to the U.N. `` . . . remains concerned that residents of the District of Columbia do not enjoy full representation in Congress, a restriction which does not seem to be compatible with article 25 of the covenant,'' the covenant that the United States has signed, in violation of all our country stands for and in violation of international law. So, as this Memorial Day comes, I come to the floor simply to remind my colleagues of what it means for those of us who live in our Nation's Capital. Even though on this Memorial Day we recall the Memorial Days that have gone ahead, commemorating the residents of this city who have fought and died in every war, I believe we should particularly note the first African American general, who happened to be born and raised in the District of Columbia; the first African American Air Force general, who was born and raised in the District of Columbia; the first African American Naval Academy graduate, born and raised in the District of Columbia; and the first African American Air Force Academy graduate, born and raised in the District of Columbia. I cite these African Americans because they served, all of them, when the District was a segregated city. And when I say the District was a segregated city, understand that this was a majority-White city and has been a majority-White city for most of its 218 years as a city. And yet African Americans and Whites have been treated in exactly the same way, as second-class and perhaps worse. On Monday, the last Monday in May, Memorial Day will mean perhaps more to the residents of our Nation's Capital than anywhere else, and particularly to our veterans who are still living here. We cannot help but remember that in World War I the District lost more lives than three States. And, therefore, on Memorial Day, 2019, as I remember at our casualties, I speak on this House floor for every resident, for every veteran, and, I believe, for every American when I say all Americans, those who live, those who have died, and those who continue to serve, are entitled to full and equal rights. 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, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in remembering the life of Ellen Odellas Van Edwards, a native Washingtonian and my former classmate at Dunbar High School. On May 11, 2019, Ellen Odellas Van Edwards passed away in the arms of her daughter L. Robin V. Smith, while listening to praise and worship music. Throughout Van Edward's life, she brought joy to the District of Columbia community as a wife, mother and grandmother; a dedicated employee at the Department of Commerce; and later as ``Hajji the Magic Clown''. Van Edwards was born in Washington, D.C. and attended Dunbar High School. We graduated together in 1955, the year before the school was desegregated. After graduating from Dunbar, Van Edwards attended the Atlantic Business College and earned her bachelor's degree in Business. She went on to work at the Department of Commerce for 42 years in the Office of the Secretary and the U.S. Patent office, where she was an administrative assistant and the first African American woman to work for the U.S. Board of Patent Appeals. She also worked in the International Affairs division. Van Edwards lost her husband in 1974 and raised her two daughters, L. Robin V. Smith and Adriene Jordan, alone. Bringing light to a time of sadness, she became ``Hajji the Magic Clown.'' She completed clown class at Montgomery College and magic class at Catholic University. She shared her talent with children around Washington, D.C. and used her clowning abilities to win Ms. Senior District of Columbia. On June 29, 2003, at the age of 66, Van Edwards was crowned the 21st Ms. Senior District of Columbia. She proudly represented D.C.'s other senior citizens for one year, encouraging them to live active lives. She was said to have won the crown by exemplifying ``the dignity, maturity and inner beauty of senior Americans.'' I ask the House of Representatives to join me in remembering the life of Ellen Van Edwards.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the Department of the Treasury Officer Protection Act of 2019. I appreciate the bipartisan original cosponsorship of Representative Peter King, who introduces the bill with me today. Our bill would help ensure the safety of Treasury Department police officers by allowing those officers, including those who work at the Mint and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP), to carry their service weapons home with them after they are no longer on duty. BEP officers were some of the first responders when a gunman opened fire at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2009. However, BEP officers also can be targets because they wear uniforms to and from work. Many officers carry personal weapons to and from work because they are not allowed to take their government firearms home, and some are forced to leave those personal firearms in their cars while they are on duty, creating a possibly dangerous situation. Allowing BEP officers to carry their weapons home will put them in the same position as U.S. Mint officers. Although both are uniformed police officers working for the Treasury Department, under current agency rules, U.S. Mint officers are allowed to carry their service weapons home, while BEP officers are not. There is no meaningful distinction between officers for the two agencies. They should be treated equally. Our bill would allow all uniformed officers in the Treasury Department to carry their service weapons home to protect officers and the public and so that the Department does not have separate rules for different law enforcement agencies under its umbrella. I ask my colleagues to support this bill.