Eleanor Norton

Ms. NORTON

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

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. My amendment prohibits the Federal Bureau of Prisons from using Federal funds to carry out a law that requires individuals in halfway houses or on home confinement to pay a subsistence fee. Currently, the subsistence fee for residents of halfway houses is 25 percent of income. This criminal justice reform amendment would improve reentry and reduce recidivism among the Nation's returning citizens. Out of prison and almost always without a job or ability to support themselves, returning citizens have no ability to pay counterproductive subsistence fees while in halfway houses or on home confinement any more than they could have paid for their subsistence while in prison. For the limited time individuals spend in halfway houses--up to 12 months--or on home confinement--up to 6 months--the subsistence fee requirement is a substantial burden on them and de minimis on the BOP, witness that the Congressional Budget Office concluded that this amendment would have no budgetary effect. If returning citizens are lucky enough to find work at all, it would almost certainly be in minimum wage jobs. So the loss of 25 percent of their paychecks to subsistence fees would be a significant hurdle to successful reentry--which is what we are after-- making it extremely difficult to pay rent, child support, or fines and fees associated with their conviction, such as restitution. Far from promoting financial responsibility, subsistence fees, while in custody, actually prevent returning citizens from meeting their financial obligations. Congress surely did not mean to impose additional burdens on returning citizens, setting them up to fail. Jobs and affordable housing are crucial to reentry but rare for returning citizens. Charging subsistence fees is antithetical to these goals. The Department of Justice itself has recommended eliminating this fee. A November 2016 DOJ memorandum recommended developing a plan to limit the use of ``counterproductive `subsistence' fees imposed on indigent residents.'' It further stated: The Bureau of Prisons' process for collecting these subsistence fees is costly and administratively burdensome on both halfway houses and the Bureau. And these fees make it difficult for residents who typically earn minimum wage, if anything, to meet their other financial obligations, including restitution fines and child support. The BOP already eliminated subsistence fees for individuals on home confinement, but that is only by regulation. However it was a step in the right direction. My amendment would continue this trend and eliminate the fees for those in halfway houses as well. My amendment provides a critical reform that would help improve reentry and reduce recidivism. Mr. Chairman, I urge adoption of this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Chairman, how much time do I have remaining?

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Chairman, my friend suggests that the BOP actually collects this $20 million. I would submit to him and challenge him to show me that the burden of trying to collect these fees does not outweigh any actual reimbursement. These people have no jobs. If they had jobs, they would almost surely be minimum wage jobs. I want to ask my friend if he would rather the BOP be paid the de minimis cost to the government--which they hardly ever collect, I am almost sure--or would they rather this money go to child support, or go to pay subsistence fees? This is a cruel burden for people getting out of prison at a time when the crime rate is low. It sends inmates back to the streets, which is the only recourse they have for gaining money. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 3440, the DREAM Act, to protect Ricardo, who arrived when he was 4 and is studying to be a prosecutor to help fight crime.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce a bill to instruct the Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development to deem areas within the District of Columbia as empowerment zones. This bill would effectively reauthorize the tax incentives for business investment in the District, which expired in 2011, yet are timelier than ever today. These were the only tax incentives for a big city that were not extended, even though they were initially created by Republicans, with a few Democrats. The wisdom of these bipartisan, modest, targeted tax incentives has been amply and visibly demonstrated in the economic resurgence in many parts of the nation's capital. However, the D.C. tax incentives were cut off before the poorest neighborhoods were ready to make use of them. Congress has recognized that the benefits of incentives for investment in economically distressed communities outweigh their costs as it has continually extended the national empowerment zone program. The positive effects of the D.C. tax incentives are apparent throughout the city. Among the most visible are the vibrant area around the Verizon Center, which is now surrounded by offices, restaurants and nightlife, and the Penn Quarter neighborhood, which had limited residential, commercial, and retail spaces and is now a popular mixed-use neighborhood. Before the business tax incentives, the city found it difficult to retain, much less attract, businesses. However, one of the business tax incentives enabled the city government to issue more than $155 million in tax- exempt bonds on behalf of for-profit and non-profit entities for capital projects. The federal government's decision to build facilities in the District's poorest ward, Ward 8, lays the groundwork for revitalization there. The new headquarters for the U.S. Coast Guard is now open in Southeast D.C. in the city's lowest income ward, the first in a complex of buildings Congress has authorized for the federally-owned West Campus of the St. Elizabeths Hospital. The tax incentives, particularly in areas where the federal government is expanding, as it did in NoMa, have demonstrated that they can revitalize such neighborhoods. Withdrawing the D.C. incentives, particularly after they had proven to be effective in other areas of the city, left the nation's capital with essentially half of a revival, and was tragically timed just as the lower-income parts of the District, which need the incentives most, are ready for redevelopment. Except for having no representation in the Senate, there is no good reason why the D.C. tax incentives were not extended like those of similar cities. Like the fiscal health of many other cities, the District's overall fiscal health has improved since the tax incentives were established in 1997, but not in the poorest wards and in neighborhood pockets elsewhere. The incentives are particularly indispensable for ensuring that lower-income areas of the city are part of the city's economic progress. It would be tragic to continue to single out the nation's capital as the only empowerment zone not to be renewed just as the eastern, low-income sections of the city are about to develop. As essential as the federal incentives have been, their costs have been de minimis compared to the measurable benefits they have demonstrated they can generate. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in congratulating District of Columbia native and resident Skye Bork on being named the 2017 winner of the country's largest scholarship program for girls, the Distinguished Young Women (DYW) program. Skye was awarded $36,500 in scholarships for her college education. DYW is a 60-year-old national scholarship program aimed at encouraging high school girls to develop their full potential through a series of scholastic and creative workshops. DYW allows college-bound high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to participate as long as they maintain at least a 3.0 grade point average. A scholarship is then awarded based upon an interview, academic achievement, talent, self-expression and physical fitness. DYW is well-known nationally, and past winners have included television broadcasters Diane Sawyer and Kathie Lee Gifford, and actresses Debra Messing and Kim Bassinger. Skye was selected to win the scholarship from among four finalists from schools in wards throughout the city. She attended the Washington School of Ballet for many years, as well as the Akhmedova Ballet Academy in Maryland. For her talent segment, Skye performed a ballet excerpt en pointe, from Bizet's Carmen. Skye, the daughter of Shigeko and Tim Bork, is a 2017 graduate with honors from the National Cathedral School. She is the first D.C. resident to be awarded the scholarship in the program's 60-year history, due in large part to the fact that the area chapter of the program remained dormant for 30 years. I would like to thank the D.C. chapter of DYW for reviving the program, and also thank the local businesses who supported the program and donated to the scholarship fund. Skye was proud to announce that she will be attending Columbia University this fall, and, in preparation for the career she would like to pursue in international business and government, she will be studying applied mathematics and economics. The District is very proud of Skye. She will be the national representative of DYW for a year. Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in congratulating Skye Bork on her impressive achievements.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce a bill to extend the District of Columbia's lease with the National Park Service to use the land under Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium (RFK) by 50 years, for a total period of 100 years. RFK Stadium--a memorial to a great civil rights champion, a former United States Senator and U.S. Attorney General--has seen better days. The District has put together a comprehensive plan to rehabilitate not just the stadium, but the surrounding area to include more green space for public use, sports fields, pedestrian bridges to connect the area to Wards 7 and 8, and a memorial more fitting to the legacy of Robert F. Kennedy. In order to get started on these improvements, a lease extension is required to ensure that the city is able to secure financing. I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, Jim Vance, our local NBC news anchor in this region, who died Saturday at 75, probably set a record, local or national, as news anchor. For 45 years, while being only himself, Vance presented the news to a region that challenged D.C. TV news with vast changes racially and ethnically, economically and politically. Jim Vance took the dare and told our ever-changing story straight. He made us see ourselves, from a city with too much crime to today's D.C. with low crime and a big surplus. Only a combination of consummate professionalism and enduring affability could have covered so much quick-moving news without ever missing a beat. Jim Vance brilliantly told our story throughout our first era of home rule. These years also encapsulated Jim Vance's service and now join his legacy with the District's own history.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank my very good friend Representative Jamie Raskin for yielding to me. Mr. Speaker, I was ranking member of the subcommittee that had jurisdiction over the FAST Act when we received the request from the region--the Maryland, District of Columbia, and Virginia region--to transfer the authority to appoint directors to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority board from the GSA to the Department of Transportation. For the life of me, I can't remember why this authority was given to the GSA in the first place. But it may have been because WMATA was considered simply an agency of interest to the Federal Government. On consideration, under the FAST Act, we agreed that the Department of Transportation was, by far, the more appropriate agency to appoint Federal directors--understand there are local directors--but Federal directors to WMATA. There are also Federal directors to the WMATA board. This is of great interest to the region. I recognize it is not monumental for the Congress, but the region very much needs this joint resolution. All three jurisdictions--the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia--have made their administrative changes, but these changes need to be confirmed by this body. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mrs. Comstock for her leadership with this joint resolution, and I ask that the entire body approve it

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that my friend, Mr. Raskin from the State of Maryland, has yielded this time to me. First, I want to thank the senior member of our delegation. I thank the acknowledged leader of this entire bipartisan delegation, Mr. Hoyer, for being the chief sponsor of this resolution that is bipartisan because it concerns the seamless Metro system, seamless because you can't get from one part of this region to the other part of this region without Metro and because this subway is the only subway which encompasses more than one State. It encompasses three jurisdictions. Therefore, we are bipartisan because there is no other way for us to exist. The transportation network requires it, and this resolution does, in fact, shows our bipartisanship. This resolution is quintessentially important, because it creates a safety commission for Metro. Now, along with other Members, we see Metro in at least two different ways. We see it, of course, in light of our own constituents. Metro makes it possible for entire neighborhoods to be created, entire parts of the region to be connected. Metro has promoted economic growth, but far more important than any of our individual jurisdictions is the importance of Metro to the Federal Government. You may have heard the figure 40 percent today; almost half of the Federal employees get to work through Metro. When Metro has a snow day, the whole region shuts down. We are in this Congress by ourselves. If Metro has a snow day, nobody can get to the Congress of the United States or to the Federal Government. Metro is absolutely critical, and therefore, a safe Metro is essential to all that happens in the Congress of the United States, quite apart from the tourist economy that the District, Maryland, and Virginia are a part of, quite apart from our own local economies. More important to us all is the safety commission embodied in this joint resolution. Metro is useless if it is not safe. And we know what happens when it is not safe. In 2009, there was a tragic accident in this region. Nine residents lost their lives, seven of them from the District of Columbia. Anybody could have been on that train. In 2015, there was a smoke accident. One woman was killed, another D.C. resident. So an interstate safety commission is necessary if there is to be a Metro at all. I applaud the local lawmakers from the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia for doing their part to support this jurisdiction safely kneading together the three parts of the region, and I urge my own colleagues to give them permission to move forward

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize the nation's community corrections professionals and the vital role they play in enhancing public safety throughout the United States. In honor of the invaluable contributions of these dedicated public servants, the American Probation and Parole Association (APPA) and its associated members have designated the week of July 17 through 23 ``Pretrial, Probation and Parole Supervision Week 2017.'' I thank the thousands of men and women who perform these important public safety duties, and urge my colleagues in the House of Representatives to join me in support of APPA's week-long recognition efforts this year. In my congressional district, the nation's capital, thousands of women and men serve as pretrial, probation and parole officers or administrators. As public servants, these constituents, along with many other Americans, commit themselves on a daily basis to helping improve the lives of those involved in the criminal justice system. The work of these professionals ultimately results in stronger and safer communities for all. Community corrections professionals are responsible for the supervision of adult and juvenile offenders in communities throughout our nation. These trained professionals go above and beyond the call of duty by connecting their clients to supportive services, community- based resources, employment opportunities, housing programs and other evidence-based practices that help individuals successfully complete supervision and reenter society. Community corrections professionals strive to provide these services and support, while simultaneously providing client surveillance, crime prevention and restorative justice. In honor of Pretrial, Probation and Parole Supervision Week 2017, I take the opportunity to recognize those who carry out community corrections and supervision services here in the District of Columbia, including the officers and professionals of the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia (CSOSA). CSOSA and the Pretrial Services Agency for the District of Columbia (PSA) are dedicated to reducing recidivism and enhancing public safety in the nation's capital. CSOSA and PSA are recognized as model community supervision entities because of their use of evidence-based practices and community partnerships. On any given day, CSOSA is responsible for supervising approximately 11,000 individuals on probation, parole or supervised release, while PSA supervises over 17,000 defendants over the course of a year. Charged with having to balance issues of public safety with social services and reentry support, the employees of CSOSA and PSA help to enhance the security of everyone who lives, works or visits the District. Mr. Speaker, again, I extend my gratitude to these public servants for their commitment, compassion and contributions to healthier and safer communities throughout the United States. I ask the House of Representatives to join me in acknowledging the impact community corrections professionals have on the quality of life of all Americans throughout our country by recognizing July 17 through 23 as Pretrial, Probation and Parole Supervision Week 2017.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing the Citi Open Tennis Tournament, taking place July 29 through August 6, 2017, in Rock Creek Park, and in recognizing these dates as ``Tennis Week in the District of Columbia.'' All are invited to attend the 49th edition of this Washington tennis tradition, a cultural, economic and community staple in the region. The tournament, now known as the Citi Open Tennis Tournament, was founded in 1969 by tennis legend and Hall of Famer Donald Dell, along with business partner John Harris, and with the support of Arthur Ashe, the first African-American to win both the U.S. Open and Wimbledon. Ashe declared he would participate in the inaugural tournament under two conditions: the tournament would take place in a naturally integrated neighborhood, and it would be played on public land where all people could come together, enjoy the sport and share the experience. Today, the tournament remains at its original location on 16th & Kennedy Streets NW., in Rock Creek Park. In 1972, Donald Dell gifted the tournament to the Washington Tennis & Education Foundation (then called the Washington Area Tennis Patrons), a nonprofit organization supporting local education causes. The Citi Open Tennis Tournament draws the best players in the world, making D.C. a global tennis destination. The tournament is also seen on television in over 180 countries. A recent economic impact study found that the estimated total gross impact of the Citi Open on the regional economy is more than $28.2 million. The tournament is the only Association of Tennis Professionals 500-level event in the United States, and it is one of only four professional tennis tournaments combining men's and women's events. It is also recognized as an International level tournament by the Women's Tennis Association. As the tournament returns to the District this year, the city and our office will be working with residents of the neighborhood to ensure that measures are taken to mitigate traffic in the area and that the beautiful residential neighborhood of the tournament's location is undisturbed. Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing ``Tennis Week in the District of Columbia'' for the Citi Open Tennis Tournament, as well as the Washington Tennis & Education Foundation for their efforts.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today I introduce a bill to direct the Joint Committee on the Library to accept a statue depicting Pierre L'Enfant from the District of Columbia and to provide for the permanent display of the statue in the United States Capitol. Pierre L'Enfant was born in France in 1754. He was an engineer and an architect, and he traveled to the United States to serve with the United States in the Revolutionary War. In March 1791, L'Enfant was hired to develop the design for the District of Columbia. L'Enfant's design for the city was so remarkable that it remains and is cherished today in the nation's capital and throughout this country. L'Enfant's design envisioned a federal and residential city with diagonal streets propelling from Congress and the President's home, beautiful boulevards on local streets and neighborhoods, and open spaces for monuments, memorials and historical structures, all of which largely remain intact, protected as a historical treasure. In 2006, the residents of the District of Columbia chose L'Enfant as one of the top ten Americans that have given distinguished service to the District, and the selection committee created by the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities chose L'Enfant as the second statue from the District of Columbia to be placed in the United States Capitol. The District's first choice for a statue was Frederick Douglass, and I am pleased that the Douglass statue now sits in Emancipation Hall. Because the United States Capitol does not currently appropriately recognize the contributions of Pierre L'Enfant, and because D.C. residents and stakeholders chose L'Enfant as a distinguished Washingtonian, this bill would require the Joint Committee on the Library to place the Pierre L'Enfant statue in the United States Capitol. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, despite attempts at resuscitation, TrumpCare is close to impasse, charitably speaking. The Senate bill does so much harm to all concerned--to Americans who depend on Medicaid or Medicare or have a preexisting condition, and actually raises costs out of pocket with less coverage while kicking 22 million people, including 61,000 D.C. residents, off their healthcare plans altogether--that some may be tempted to cheer the coming demise of TrumpCare. Defeat of TrumpCare may be better than repeal of the Affordable Care Act, but to leave it there is to show contempt for the American people. Republicans argue that ObamaCare was flawed because it was the product of only one party. If so, Republicans should avoid the same mistake. The best way for Congress to spend the remaining weeks before recess is with Democrats and Republicans at the same table.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2547. This bill is another of our efforts to help tackle the longstanding commercial driver shortage and support veterans at the same time as they transition from military to civilian life. H.R. 2547 will ensure that all qualified medical professionals employed by the Veterans Administration can perform commercial driver physical examinations for their veteran patients. The medical professionals that this bill addresses are already eligible to become certified medical examiners. This bill simply allows them to utilize the alternative certification process for VA-employed physicians that is currently being finalized by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Unfortunately, the most recent available data shows that, of the 54,000 medical professionals listed on FMCSA's national registry of certified medical examiners, only 25 are employed by the VA. The online training and testing system being developed by FMCSA and the VA should help remedy this situation. This bill will allow more caregivers to use this new resource. This bill is consistent with the intent of the FAST Act, which was the product of a strong bipartisan process here in the House of Representatives. FMCSA, in consultation with the VA, has done a good job creating an alternative process that will eventually allow more VA doctors to become certified medical examiners, while maintaining the safety and integrity of the certification system. Allowing VA medical professionals to utilize online training and testing will make it easier for them to obtain certification, while ensuring they are familiar with the specific medical standards required for commercial drivers. Though the FAST Act used the word ``physicians,'' the process that FMCSA has outlined should also be available for use by VA-employed nurse practitioners, chiropractors, physician assistants, and other qualified medical professionals. This bill ensures that they are eligible to use that process. Madam Speaker, I support this legislation and strongly urge its adoption, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Seldom do we get to do two good things at one time, and that is exactly what this bill does. Anything we can do for our veterans is not enough. This bill focuses on them. Remember, they have been in the armed services driving trucks. When they come home, they probably have had the best training in the entire universe. Our country will gain much not only by putting them to work, but by using their training. On our committee, we have long struggled with an issue that we still have not, indeed, conquered, and that is the difficulty of getting people to drive commercial trucks. This is one of the hardest jobs in America. You are spending time away from your family. You sometimes are gone not only overnight, but more than that. It has been difficult to get people to do this indispensable job for our country and for the trucking industry. Madam Speaker, I am particularly pleased that Mr. Graves and I have been able to find this new way to both aid the industry and help out veterans. Madam Speaker, I do not have any more speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1684, the Disaster Assistance Support for Communities and Homeowners Act of 2017, introduced by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler), my good friend and colleague. This bill will assist common interest communities such as condos, co-ops, and community associations after disaster strikes. Hurricane Sandy caused severe impacts to New York City and the surrounding areas, inflicting billions of dollars of damage. While condominiums and cooperative associations are not common in large parts of the country, they are common in dense areas such as New York City and Washington, D.C. FEMA's Individual Assistance Program does not consider these types of housing units which share common areas such as entryways, stairwells, and elevators. As a result, FEMA determined that disaster damage to common areas is the responsibility of the condominium or cooperative association board and, therefore, not eligible for disaster assistance. That cannot be what Congress intended. The bill also addresses another type of housing common in certain parts of the Nation: community associations. Community associations provide essential services of a governmental nature such as trash collection and maintaining roads and waterways. After disaster strikes, however, FEMA may deny reimbursement to community associations for performing the same types of essential services that FEMA reimburses local governments for performing. In many cases, these common interest communities may have been eligible for FEMA assistance if they had entered into agreements with their local governments before the disaster occurred. Unfortunately, many common interest communities are not aware of these opportunities. This bill directs FEMA to provide technical assistance so that these common interest communities know what actions they can take before disaster strikes so that they may be eligible to receive reimbursement from FEMA after the fact. I strongly support this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support this measure. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler), the author of the bill.

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, my good friend is from New York, so it may be clear why he, with a city full of condominiums and co-ops, would want this bill. But I just want to alert Congress that increasingly what Mr. Nadler sees in New York is what we are seeing all over the country. After Hurricane Sandy, with climate change already here, we have to do all we can before the fact, having seen what that disaster did to New York City, New Jersey, and the surrounding community. When people have gone through a disaster, they have suffered enough. So to find that your resident is covered, but your way to get in the residence or in the elevator is certainly not what Congress intended. My own jurisdiction, the District of Columbia, was built with single family homes, but that is not what we are building in the District of Columbia and cities and counties throughout the United States now. In our own city, there is a limited area. There is no way to go but up. Mr. Nadler speaks not only for New York City, but his bill speaks for what is happening in the United States of America. I think we may have caught this problem just in time. We do not know when the next disaster will occur. We don't want to be caught flat-footed on it. I very much appreciate that my good friends have worked with us to bring this bill forward. Madam Speaker, I have no more speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2258, as amended, which will allow current servicemembers who have military experience operating commercial motor vehicles to more easily obtain a commercial driver's license. In 2015, Congress included a provision in the FAST Act to allow States to waive the written CDL knowledge test for drivers with military commercial motor vehicle driving experience, but it restricts the waiver to former members of the military. There are a significant number of current reservists and members of the National Guard with military commercial motor vehicle experience who could benefit from the waiver. This legislation allows them to more easily use the skills they learned serving our country to earn a decent wage and feed their families. These servicemen and servicewomen receive from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, or FMCSA, what they describe as thorough and comprehensive training, including many hours of behind-the-wheel training--something that we have long advocated for as a requirement for civilian drivers. There is a shortage of commercial truck drivers, and these well-trained military drivers are exactly the type of individuals that we would want to help enter the trucking profession. Using its existing exemption authority, FMCSA has already taken action to make current servicemembers eligible for the knowledge test waiver on a temporary basis. Last October, FMCSA issued an exemption that allows States to waive the CDL knowledge test for trained military truck drivers, whether they are current members of the military or veterans. FMCSA cited the fact that training these drivers receive in the military includes ``many hours of classroom training, practical skills training, and on-the-road training that are essential for safe driving.'' However, FMCSA's temporary exemption expires in October 2018. This bill would make permanent the ability for current members of the military to utilize the FAST Act waiver. Madam Speaker, I strongly support this legislation, and I urge its adoption. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Aguilar), my good friend.

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to thank Mr. Aguilar, who is the author of this bill, for his work in filling this hole so that members of the National Guard and reservists, indeed, are more easily able to obtain a commercial driver's license based on exactly the kind of training that the armed services gives. It is certainly true that we have had trouble in committee getting on-the-job training as a requirement. Here, we have people who get on-the-job training, and on-the-job training of just the kind that our country needs, because of the shortage Mr. Aguilar spoke of in commercial drivers, a very difficult job that necessitates long hours, often away from one's own home and family. Madam Speaker, I regard this bill as a twin of the very first bill that we passed, the VA bill that allows the Veterans Administration to offer physical examinations, when we were alerted that there were only 25 physicians there who could do that. So this is a good pairing of bills that our country needs because of the shortage of commercial drivers, and that we owe our veterans and those who serve, even now, in our services. I am particularly pleased that this is a jobs bill. It seems to me that it is clear that when we enable more and more people to drive commercial trucks, we are increasing the supply of jobs available in our country. These are high-paying jobs for good reason, because they are difficult jobs, so I think this bill and our first bill are bills that the bipartisan House today can take special pride in. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce a bill, along with Representative Andy Harris of Maryland, that would establish a bicentennial commission to study ways that the federal government might honor and celebrate the life of Frederick Douglass during the bicentennial anniversary of his birth, in 2018. Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in 1818 on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. He learned basic reading skills from his mistress and continued to teach himself and other slaves to read and write despite the risks he faced, including death. After two attempts, Douglass successfully escaped to New York and became an abolitionist and anti- slavery lecturer. He went on to serve in several administrations, including as a close advisor to President Abraham Lincoln, U.S. Marshal of the District of Columbia under President Rutherford B. Hayes, and District of Columbia Recorder of Deeds under President James Garfield. In 1889, President Benjamin Harrison appointed Frederick Douglass to be the U.S. minister to Haiti. He was later appointed by President Ulysses S. Grant to serve as secretary of the commission of Santo Domingo. Douglass dedicated his life to achieving justice for all Americans. He lived in the District of Columbia for 23 of his 57 years as a free man and his home at Cedar Hill was established as a National Historic Site in Southeast Washington, D.C. The Frederick Douglass statue that stands in his honor in the United States Capitol is a gift from the nearly 700,000 residents of the District of Columbia. My bill would establish a commission to examine ways the federal government can honor Douglass during the bicentennial anniversary of his birth, including the issuance of a Frederick Douglass bicentennial postage stamp, the convening of a joint meeting or joint session of Congress for ceremonies and activities relating to Frederick Douglass, a rededication of the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, and the acquisition and preservation of artifacts associated with Frederick Douglass. The commission would report its findings and recommendations to Congress. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.