Joe Neguse

Mr. NEGUSE

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, today I want to recognize my alma mater, the University of Colorado-Boulder. Last week CU became the first university in the nation to sign on to the United Nations Sports for Climate Action Framework. The University joins other prominent sporting organizations such as the Olympic Committee, FIFA and the NBA to establish a clear path for the world's sporting communities to fight climate change. The University of Colorado's Athletic Program has committed to reducing overall climate impact, educating others on climate action, promoting sustainable consumption, advocating for climate action and promoting environmental responsibility. This is leadership. This is not the first time that my state and my district have picked up the slack for where the federal government is falling short on climate action. Our constituents are acting on this issue, and it's about time we follow their lead. I am incredibly proud of my University and of my community for their leadership on climate change and commend their efforts to be the change they want to see in the world.

Mr. NEGUSE

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, today I offer you my heartfelt condolences to the Daniel family on the loss of their father and husband Judge Wiley Daniel. Judge Daniel was a chief judge for the U.S. District Court of Colorado and was my home state's first African-American federal judge. Judge Daniel was not only an incredible legal mind, but also a role model for aspiring attorneys. I was lucky enough to try several cases in Judge Daniel's court, and found him to be tough and fair-minded, always pushing the attorneys before him to present the best and most sound case that we could put forward. He made each of us better at our craft. Being a ``first'' for any community is difficult and brave, but if the work stops at getting through the door, then it does not leave a true legacy. Judge Daniel was the first through but then spent so much of his energy ensuring that door remained open and welcoming for every generation that followed. In my mind, his legacy is not just that he was the first, it is that he ensured he would not be the last. I am grateful to have known Judge Daniel and ask that my colleagues join me in sending condolences to the family of this pioneer of our legal system and inspiration to our entire nation.

Mr. NEGUSE

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, this week we honored the 100th anniversary of the House passage of the 19th Amendment. One hundred years ago on May 21st, the House passed HJR 1 proposing an amendment to the Constitution extending the right to vote to women. It took just over a year to ratify this amendment, forever enshrining women's right to vote in our Constitution. At the forefront of this effort was a diverse group of women. From their first official call for equality at the Seneca Falls Convention, across multiple generations, from farms and villages throughout our nation, women organized, educated, and demanded enfranchisement. Through this brave and enduring movement, women received the vote. It is in tribute to the fearlessly bold women who championed equality in our nation that I stand before you today, and ask for your support of H.R. 473 to establish the first outdoor statue dedicated to the Suffrage movement in Washington, D.C. I want to ensure that my daughter and every girl growing up alongside her feel represented and are assured of the fundamental role they play in our society. Passing H.R. 473 and establishing this monument is a critical way to guarantee just that, and to inspire the next generation to continue advocating for justice and equality for one another and for all who will follow them. I urge your support for H.R. 473.

Mr. NEGUSE

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Chair, I thank the ranking member for his remarks, for articulating the need for this amendment, and for his support. I very much appreciate it. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Chair, I first want to join my colleagues in thanking Chairwoman Waters for her leadership for so many years and, in particular, her leadership in bringing this bill to the floor. We are here today to reinstate the powers of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which have been severely weakened, and it includes the curtailing of enforcement of fair lending laws and removing a standalone office on student loans. We must ensure, however, that our elderly population is included in this debate. We must not leave our elderly behind. My amendment is simple and straightforward. It will require the Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to issue an annual report to Congress of consumer complaints from older Americans, including a State-by-State breakdown of complaints by type of consumer financial product or service. Madam Chair, studies show that people 50 and older hold 83 percent of the wealth in the United States. However, these same individuals, who grew up in a workforce very different than the evolving, technologically driven one of today and who are experiencing aging health disparities, are prime targets for scammers. This has resulted in our seniors losing anywhere from $2.9 billion to $36 billion each year from financial exploitation. Having served as the director of my State's, Colorado's, Department of Regulatory Agencies in the past, I had the honor of working on behalf of Coloradans to protect them from unfair, deceptive, and fraudulent business practices. We certainly saw many of these practices up close. While I am proud that our department was able to recover millions of dollars for consumers across Colorado, including senior citizens, we must do more. In an era of sophisticated targeting of our seniors, we must act, and I certainly believe that is the case at the Federal level. So, in a world in which we continue to hear of calculated financial fraud and various data breaches, I believe we should be working to protect all consumers, not making it easy for bad actors to take advantage of them, in particular, making sure that we protect vulnerable populations. Madam Chair, that is why I encourage my colleagues to support this important amendment, and, with that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. NEGUSE

Mr. NEGUSE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman of the Judiciary Committee for his leadership, and, in particular, Representative Cicilline for his courage and his leadership in bringing this bill to the floor. It is long past time that we end discrimination against those in the LGBTQ community in our country, and that is why I am so proud to support the Equality Act. Fairness, equality--these are core American values. And yet today, in many States across the United States, Americans can be fired, can be denied a mortgage, or they might struggle in being able to obtain housing, all because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. That ends with the passage of the Equality Act. Every American is equal under the law. And so I would say to my friends at Out Boulder County back home, thank you for your activism. To my friends at One Colorado, thank you for your activism. To every LGBTQ American who has stood up and has fought for equality over a generation, I say thank you. And to the Members gathered here today, I implore you: Let's join together, and let's pass the Equality Act today and end discrimination once and for all.

Mr. NEGUSE

Mr. NEGUSE. Mr. Chairman, across the State of Colorado and across my district, the cost of healthcare is an urgent concern to so many of my constituents. That is why I am proud to support the legislation championed by our chairman today. Today's legislation will provide much-needed reforms to lower the cost of healthcare, protect people with preexisting conditions, and lower the cost of prescription drugs--and these reforms are urgently needed. We know for a fact that American consumers pay far more for prescription drugs than it costs to manufacture them. In Colorado, over half a million people each year don't fill a prescription because of the cost--half a million people. The burden has led to heartbreaking stories across my State and across the Nation of individuals forced to choose between feeding their loved ones and taking life-sustaining medications. Today's legislation will provide much-needed reforms, will lower prescription drug costs by ending the tactics used by so many drug manufacturers to keep less expensive drugs off the market, and will bring generics to market faster. I urge passage of the provisions on the floor today to ensure that no American has to skip doses of lifesaving medication because of the cost and no American goes bankrupt paying for their healthcare. I thank the chairman again for his leadership in championing this legislation.

Mr. NEGUSE

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, I rise today because on April 22nd Colorado and our nation lost an invaluable public servant--City Council Member Mark Burke of Breckenridge, Colorado. Mark was renowned throughout his community for the many things he did to help the town grow. During his time in office, he worked tirelessly to better the city's education system and protect the community's natural environment. He also led efforts to develop the city's infrastructure and helped it to recover following the Great Recession. In addition to being a devoted leader, Mark was also a loving friend to all those around him. Many recall numerous times where he went out of his way to help those in need, or even just to brighten someone's day. To Mark, lending a hand was not a challenge, but an opportunity. Mark's love of life and those he shared it with fundamentally changed my home state of Colorado and our entire nation for the better. His leadership and devotion to others brought changes to his community that will be enjoyed for years to come. I hope others in this body and throughout this nation will join me in remembering Mark and the tremendous service he gave to his community and country.

Mr. NEGUSE

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, I rise today, because last month the state of Colorado and our nation suffered the tremendous loss of Reverend Tammy Garrett-Williams. Reverend Garrett-Williams was a civil rights activist whose ceaseless pursuit of justice for every member of our society made her a hero and icon in Denver and across Colorado. Reverend Garrett-Williams spent her life fighting for criminal justice reform. She was a leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Vice-President for Political Affairs for the Greater Metro Denver Ministerial Alliance, and founder of the Above Waters Project which works with inmates and former inmates to help them reintegrate into society after incarceration. Throughout her life, Reverend Garrett-Williams put herself forward as a beacon of hope for her community; an exemplar of all the good that can come through the pursuit of justice, and fairness, and wholehearted dedication to the progress of our society--a progress which she fought to ensure left no one behind. She demonstrated a commitment to her community that placed her on the front lines of change, and she never shied from the challenges we face, instead insisting on lifting others with her as she climbed. I send my prayers to the Reverend's mother, two sons and granddaughter. May Rev. Tammy Garrett-Williams' life inspire those of us who remain to stand and fight, as she always did, for a society of hope, possibility, and prosperity.

Mr. NEGUSE

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of the holidays our nation is recognizing this week--National Nurses Week and Mother's Day. To recognize these auspicious occasions, I want to highlight the work of an incredible organization founded in my home state of Colorado--Nurse-Family Partnership. An evidence-based program, N.F.P. works in 42 states sending registered nurses to the homes of vulnerable expectant mothers, from pregnancy through the child's second birthday. Mothers served by N.F.P. in Colorado have a median annual income of $7,500, demonstrating that this program serves the most vulnerable of our communities' mothers. Most importantly, for every $1 invested in Colorado, N.F.P. saves nearly $8--that's a nearly 8 times return on our nation's investment. And those results are being duplicated across our nation, with mothers in Alabama and Oregon, Oklahoma and Virginia, and nearly everywhere in between. I want to thank N.F.P. for their commitment to families, and in particular I want to recognize the nurses who make these partnerships possible and ensure that our most vulnerable mothers will be supported this Mother's Day.

Mr. NEGUSE

Mr. NEGUSE. Mr. Chair, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel), the distinguished chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. NEGUSE. Mr. Chairman, I rise to offer an amendment. It is at the desk.

Mr. NEGUSE. Mr. Chairman, I again thank the chairman for his distinguished leadership in chairing the Foreign Affairs full committee and for his leadership in shepherding this important resolution to the floor. Mr. Chairman, I would hope that my colleagues across the aisle could come to consensus on this amendment. I think it is a commonsense, reasonable amendment that ensures that our children, the next generation, are, as I said, well-informed about the causes and the effects of climate change so that they can work with all of us to try to stop it and to try to deal with the planetary crisis that we find ourselves in. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. NEGUSE. Mr. Chairman, I am offering an amendment today to provide a pathway for the curriculum in our elementary and secondary schools to include information on the impacts of climate change. Eighty percent of parents and 86 percent of teachers believe that schools should teach about climate change and its impacts on our environment, our economy, and our society. As our future generations grow up in a world that is impacted by extreme weather events and a changing climate, it is essential that we educate them on the causes and impacts of the crisis, as well as equip them for finding solutions to combat it. Climate change truly is an existential threat, in my view, that we must begin tackling head-on. Science is perfectly clear that we have a very short runway to avoid catastrophic consequences for our planet, and this moment requires bold action now. The solutions we find and the bold policies that our country requires to combat this current crisis must begin with education. While it is our duty to get the ball rolling on policies and programs that will begin to mitigate climate change-related issues, make no mistake: It is our children who will feel the brunt of the effects that our scientific community has outlined time and time again. When my daughter, Natalie, who is now 8 months old, is attending middle school, climate change and its impacts on our planet will be her reality. She should be equipped with every resource we are able to offer her at that time, and that begins with education. This amendment underscores the importance of State and local efforts to teach our youth the causes and effects of climate change. Again, the science is clear, and it is of the utmost importance that the next generation is presented with the facts of this crisis. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. NEGUSE

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the numerous accomplishments of Mr. Max Stein. As a World War II Navy Veteran and long-time Professor of Mathematics at Colorado State University in my district, Mr. Stein knows the meaning of hard work better than most. Throughout his career, he worked tirelessly to ensure that any students he came in contact with understood the concepts they needed to succeed. This was true whether he was teaching World War II pilots how to use their radar technology or instructing doctoral candidates on how to defend their theses. Mr. Stein has not only been a long-time role model for his discipline, but for quality of character as well. As a husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, he ensures that those around him understand how much he treasured them. This devotion has also been extended to the sports teams he tirelessly cheers, powering through with them in the good seasons and the bad. In addition to all of this, Mr. Stein's love for laughter has made his community a happier place every time he graces those around him with a smile. In honor of his 100th birthday last month, I believe it is only fair that we thank Mr. Stein for being an example of what it means to be an outstanding American. His dedication, character and good spirit has made the 2nd Congressional District of Colorado a better place. I am extremely proud to have the honor of representing such a distinguished individual in Congress and believe someone of his caliber should be honored with the utmost respect.

Mr. NEGUSE

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, I rise today because in early March my district and the state of Colorado lost Hans Berg of Empire to an avalanche in Jones Pass. Hans was a professional photographer for an experienced and well- reputed backcountry ski company. He was working with a guided group when an avalanche struck the pass. Hans' death is the seventh in my home state this season and was the second within one week's time. I share my deepest condolences with Hans Berg's family and friends during this time of loss and ask for a moment of silence in his honor.

Mr. NEGUSE

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the achievements of my constituent Dr. Larry Clark who the Federal Laboratory Consortium recently recognized as the Lab Director of the Year out of over 300 federal labs nationwide. Dr. Clark is currently the Director of the National Wildlife Research Center in Fort Collins, Colorado. Through his work, Dr. Clark has made a number of breakthroughs in understanding how our nation's wildlife interacts with society and how these interactions can be improved. As a result of his work, numerous groups in both the public and private sectors have been able to make changes that mitigate their environmental impact. At a time when our country faces enormous challenges related to our changing climate, it is critical that we understand how our decisions impact the creatures in the world around us. A better understanding of these effects allows us to minimize the impacts of human activity on the world which we all share. Dr. Clark's tireless dedication to scientific exploration and excellence allows Americans to live in peace with the species that share our world with us. For this reason, I would like to thank him and all those working at the National Wildlife Research Center for all that they do for our nation.

Mr. NEGUSE

Mr. NEGUSE. I couldn't agree more, Representative Hill. Representative Stevens, what do you think about the freshman class?

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. I would like to engage in a colloquy of sorts with my fellow colleague in House leadership, a Representative of the freshman class, Representative Hill, and, of course, our co-class president, Representative Stevens. Representative Hill, what do you think about the freshman class?

Mr. NEGUSE. Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan created a new bipartisan caucus to represent the interests of veterans.

Mr. NEGUSE. As am I, Representative Hill.

Mr. NEGUSE. And, of course, address the existential threat--climate change.

Mr. NEGUSE. Raise workers' wages.

Mr. NEGUSE. So as we conclude and head into the next 100 days, I think it is important to stress that we are going to continue to work to lower the cost of healthcare.