Joe Neguse

Mr. NEGUSE

Mr. NEGUSE. The first gun violence prevention legislation passed in nearly a decade.

Mr. NEGUSE. All of these accomplishments that Representative Hill and I have outlined that this freshman class has accomplished I think demonstrate that the freshman class is continuing to deliver for the people. Nearly 100 days into our transformative majority, we have passed major legislation across issue areas.

Mr. NEGUSE. I do know that Members of this House would be well familiar with Congressman Chris Pappas, who has introduced bipartisan legislation to increase protections for first responders on the front lines of our Nation's opioid epidemic.

Mr. NEGUSE. Representative Hill, I know that you know my great friend and colleague Abigail Spanberger, who was able to include an amendment as part of H.R. 1 that would prevent foreign interference in U.S. elections.

Mr. NEGUSE. Eighteen freshmen, quite an incredible feat. But I will also say that freshman Members of Congress have had much success legislating. Congressman Max Rose from the great State of New York has had three amendments pass this House, including an amendment to expand childcare services for veterans seeking additional treatment.

Mr. NEGUSE. This freshman class truly is legislating with aggressive momentum.

Mr. NEGUSE. I don't want to brag, but I will. Congressman Jared Golden, from the great State of Maine, is advocating to lower the cots of prescription drugs for his constituents.

Mr. NEGUSE. Let me tell you about my friend Congresswoman Angie Craig from the great State of Minnesota, who held a flood briefing to start discussions around different agencies working together in the case of major flooding.

Mr. NEGUSE. Clearly, this freshman class is making townhalls the rule and not the exception. But the freshman class is also taking great care to talk about the issues that really matter to their constituents.

Mr. NEGUSE. Well, let me tell you about my friend, Congressman Antonio Delgado, who has held six townhalls over the first in-district work period.

Mr. NEGUSE. That is right. Congressman Andy Kim from the great State of New Jersey has held more townhalls in the last 3 months than his predecessor did over the last 4 years, and he has responded to over 5,000 letters from constituents--quite a feat.

Mr. NEGUSE. Well, I couldn't agree more, and I want to associate myself with the remarks of Representative Stevens and Representative Hill. We have got an incredible freshman class in this 116th Congress. Not only is it the youngest and most diverse in history, but we got straight to work. We hit the ground running. At the end of the day, this freshman class is making a lot of progress, so I would like to give the American people a sense of what the freshman class has been up to. Over the last two recesses, the freshman class has held over 100 townhalls and over 400 events. That is a lot of events, Representative Hill.

Mr. NEGUSE

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, today, I want to share the story of a family in my district. In 2015, the Cerrato family was in the NICU, fighting for the life of their son Ethan. At just 10 days old, he had undergone two major surgeries, had been the subject of dozens of procedures, and had spent the first days of his life traumatized and struggling through pain. After only 10 days, the Cerrato family had accumulated a hospital bill of over $250,000. While little Ethan was fighting for his life, Christine and Matthew Cerrato were grappling with the thought of filing for bankruptcy. At this moment, the question became: What could they rely on? The answer was the Affordable Care Act, which was passed into law this week 9 years ago. Earlier this week, the Department of Justice called on the Federal courts to overturn the ACA in its entirety, the latest attack from this administration on the affordable healthcare of millions of families, including many in my State of Colorado and in my district. These relentless efforts to repeal this law would have harmful impacts on families across the country, like the Cerrato family. We cannot move backward on the progress we have made to provide affordable healthcare to American families. Instead, we must move forward to lower drug prices, to lower the cost of healthcare, and to ensure that Colorado families and families all over America can get the care they need.

Mr. NEGUSE

Mr. NEGUSE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his leadership and for introducing this incredibly important resolution. Mr. Speaker, the investigation currently under way by Special Counsel Robert Mueller is incredibly important: an open investigation into incredibly serious allegations, potential obstruction of justice, corruption, and possible links of coordination between President Trump's Presidential campaign and the Russian Government, efforts to meddle in our democratic process, and mislead and manipulate American voters. The allegations at the center of this investigation, as I said, are serious, they are credible, and they are unprecedented. With 37 indictments and counting, it is of paramount importance that the special counsel's report and the underlying evidence be made public for the sake of transparency and trust in our government. As a nation, as a Congress, and as a Republic, we need to know all of the facts about this investigation and what unfolded between players in the President's campaign and Russia in 2016. We must protect and respect the work of Special Counsel Mueller, and his report must be released, in full, for the Congress and for the American people to see. Mr. Speaker, again, I thank the chairman for introducing this resolution, and I encourage my colleagues to support it.

Mr. NEGUSE

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Chair, I am proud to offer an amendment today to ensure early registration, or pre-registration, for all 16- and 17- year-olds across the country ahead of their 18th birthday. To be clear, my amendment does not lower the voting age; it simply allows individuals to pre-register so they are registered and ready to vote when they turn 18. Today, 14 States, including my home State, the great State of Colorado, as well as the District of Columbia, permit pre-registration beginning at 16 years old. Four States permit pre-registration beginning at 17 years old, and five other States allow for pre- registration a few months ahead of voters' 18th birthday. States across the Nation are taking up pre-registration to integrate young people in the democratic process early, and I think it is time for us to take up these reforms at the Federal level. We see young people interacting with the government agencies most frequently when they are 16 and getting their driver's license or learner's permit. This is common sense to allow our young folks to register early when they are already at the Department of Motor Vehicles in their respective State, where voter registration services are typically offered, to ensure that when they turn 18, they have no barriers to casting their ballot on election day. Madam Chair, the foundation of our democracy is built on the ability of our citizens to vote. We must hold this right precious and sacred, and we must encourage, in my view, our citizens of every age, from every background and every locality and every local party to engage in our political process. Pre-registration helps us do that by investing in our next generation and by encouraging democratic participation from an early age. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Chair, I thank my colleague from the other side of the aisle for his thoughtful comments. I would say that I think this amendment is a bipartisan amendment in the sense that it will apply equally to every 16- and 17-year-old across the country, irrespective of their political affiliation. In Colorado actually, in some months we have had more Republican 16- and 17-year-olds pre-register than Democrat 16- and 17-year-olds. So really what this is all about is just ensuring that young folks in our country are able to integrate into the political process and engage in their civic duties at an earlier age. From my perspective--I appreciate the gentleman's comments with respect to visiting high schools. I certainly do that quite a bit in my district, to meet with young folks, to talk to them about how to become better citizens and engaged in their community. And often the question I get is, How? And I think this is a great answer. The ability to say to them that if they go, when they get their driver's license, and pre-register to vote so that, ultimately, when they turn 18 they are automatically registered and ready to participate in our elections; I think that, at the end of the day, it will do a great service to our country and get more young people involved in our political process. Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren), a distinguished colleague and the chair of our Immigration Subcommittee and, of course, the chair of the House Administration Committee. Ms. Lofgren.

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Chair, I certainly will take my colleague up on his invitation, and look forward to visiting his district and having him come to Boulder and Fort Collins, where I know there are plenty of 16- and 17-year-olds who are very eager to be able to advocate for other young folks to be able to pre-register in other States, as they have been able to in Colorado, thanks to the incredible election reforms that we have enacted in our State. I understand that we have a respectful disagreement with respect to the merits of the underlying bill, but I would hope that, on this particular amendment that is not particularly controversial and that, as I said, is really a nonpartisan approach to just getting young folks of all political affiliations involved in our political process. I would hope and trust that colleagues in both parties here in this Chamber would think about this amendment thoughtfully, and I would certainly urge them to support it. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. NEGUSE

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, I rise today because, on February 24, Colorado and our Nation lost a fierce and fearless advocate, Carrie Ann Lucas of Windsor, Colorado. A mother, an activist, and an attorney, Carrie practiced family law to prevent discrimination against parents with disabilities. She adopted four children, and her accomplishments centered on her dedication to them. All her children have significant disabilities, and Carrie always ensured that they were loved, respected, and supported in their individual hopes and dreams. Carrie devoted so much to ensuring her wisdom never stayed with just her but was shared throughout the disability rights community, the legal world, and our Nation. She spoke out strongly and protested each day for the rights of people with disabilities to comprehensive healthcare with dignity and respect. It is a permanent scar on our Nation that Carrie was lost to the refusal of an insurance company to cover one particular medication, which led to escalating health issues and, eventually, her premature death. Carrie's activism knew only the bounds of freedom and of justice. She was ceaselessly bold, brave, and selfless. My thoughts are with her family, and I pray that this body will gain some of the bravery that never faltered in her and use it as an inspiration to ensure that no American goes without healthcare--ever. Madam Speaker, I include in the Record the obituary of Carrie Ann Lucas. Obituary for Carrie A. Lucas The disability community lost one of its fiercest advocates on 2/24/19. Carrie Ann Lucas, a disability rights attorney who pioneered representation for parents with disabilities, died after an arbitrary denial from an insurance company caused a plethora of health problems, exacerbating her disabilities and eventually leading to her premature death. She was 47 years old. Carrie Ann Lucas is known around the state and the country for her strong advocacy. Carrie Ann grew up in Windsor, Colorado, and had several careers including being a teacher, ordained minister and legal assistant before becoming an attorney. Carrie graduated from Whitworth College in 1994, traveled and taught in Saipan, and then returned to the states to attend the Iliff School of Theology. She received a Master's of Divinity with Justice and Peace Concentration from Iliff in 1999, but during her time there, became increasingly involved in disability advocacy. After she graduated, she started working as an advocate and later legal assistant for the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition, investigating, preparing, and monitoring disability rights cases and providing informal advocacy on a wide range of topics. While there, she was granted a full scholarship as a Chancellor's Scholar at the University of Denver School of Law. Following her graduation from law school in 2005, she was awarded a prestigious Equal Justice Works fellowship to create a program to combat discrimination that impacts parenting for parents with disabilities. This program, initially started within the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition, spun off to be Disabled Parents Rights, one of the only organizations in the country devoted to this issue. She also became a national expert and trainer on the rights of parents with disabilities and, through her legal advocacy, secured decisions upholding and promoting those rights here in Colorado. Most recently she was recruited by the Colorado Office of Respondent Parents Counsel to help set up a program to train other lawyers around the state to replicate the sort of impact she was making. In addition to these professional activities, Ms. Lucas was an advocate with the disability rights groups ADAPT and Not Dead Yet, speaking, teaching, writing, testifying, and protesting on disability justice and the rights of people with disabilities to healthcare and respect. She was also a talented photographer and cook. Carrie Ann was an activist at heart. She graduated from EMERGE, ran for Windsor City Council in 2017, and was planning on additional political activity. She was chair of Colorado Democrats with Disabilities for the past several years. She was a member of the ADAPT group that protested in Cory Gardner's office and got arrested to help save the Affordable Care Act in 2017, particularly Medicaid. She served on the Board of Directors of the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado. She was active with Not Dead Yet and fought hard against physician assisted suicide and the notion that life with a disability is not worth living. She demonstrated every day how amazing life with a disability can be. She was given the Intersectionality Award from The Civil Rights Education and Enforcement Center in 2016. She was a leader in passing HB 18-1104 which changed Colorado law to make sure that disability was no longer a reason to remove a child from a parental home. There is much, much more. Carrie became a lawyer to practice family law after lived experience of discrimination against parents with disabilities firsthand. In 1998 fostered and later adopted her oldest daughter, Heather Lucas. Heather has significant developmental disabilities and was languishing in another state. She fostered and was preparing to adopt a second child, but that was disrupted due to prejudice against parents with disabilities. Where most people might be upset and feel helpless, Carrie Ann was furious and went to law school to represent parents with disabilities. Carrie adopted three more children over the years, Adrianne Lucas, Azisa Lucas and Anthony Lucas. All of her accomplishments centered on her dedication to her children and her role as a mother. All of her children have significant disabilities and Carrie Ann always made sure that they were not only educated and included in their communities, but that they were loved, respected, and supported in their individual hopes and dreams. Carrie had a severe neuromuscular disease, a rare form of muscular dystrophy. She relied on a power wheelchair, and had used a ventilator for years. However, her death was premature and caused by inappropriate and brutal cost containment procedures of an insurance company. Because Carrie Ann worked for the state, she had use state insurance which was primary ahead of her Medicare and Medicaid. In January of 2018 she got a cold which turned into a trach and lung infection. Her insurance company UnitedHealthcare, refused to pay for the one specific inhaled antibiotic that she really needed. She had to take a less effective drug and had a bad reaction to that drug. This created a cascade of problems, loss of function (including her speech). United Healthcare's attempt to save $2,000 cost over $1 million in health care costs over the past year. This includes numerous hospitalizations, always involving the Intensive Care Unit which is par for the course for ventilator users. Carrie Ann had hoped to spend a lot of time in 2019 using her tragedy to work to fix our broken health care system. Her blog www.disabilitypride.com provides more details. For all intents and purposes a shero of our community was murdered in the name of cost containment. This is why we MUST fight these measures with all we have. Insurance companies and government programs must not be allowed to deny people what they need. Just last month she was having to ration her insulin for her type 1 diabetes because of the same insurance company and how impossible it is to work between private insurance and Medicare and Medicaid. This is a great example of why people with disabilities should not be forced into insurance or health plans and why we need Medicaid as the primary health delivery system for this country. In addition to her four children, Carrie Arm is survived by her parents Phil and Lee Lucas, sister Courtney Lucas, brother Eric Gover, her niece Danielle Mann, nephews Cody Mann, Gavin and Colin Lucas, Danielle's partner Aaron Boone and their sons Izaiah, Kyal and Eli, Gavin's wife Kathleen and their daughter Emily and Colin's son Dakota. She is predeceased by a sister, Kelli Mann and her grandparents. She is also survived by her partner Dr. Kimberley Jackson, a CCDC Board member and activist in the disability community. She will be missed by a wide circle of friends and colleagues throughout the country.

Mr. NEGUSE

Mr. NEGUSE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a Coloradoan, an environmentalist, and a conservationist to support S. 47. I want to thank my home-State colleagues in the Senate; of course, my friends from the other side of the aisle; and, most importantly, our chairman, Chairman Grijalva, for his leadership with respect to this bill. In the great State of Colorado, we understand the value of our public lands. Our State's outdoor recreation economy brings in $28 billion and $10 billion in workers' wages alone. Investing in our public lands, conserving our wild places, is good for our economy, and it is good for our future generations. I am proud that this bill not only includes nine measures that would impact my State, but two provisions, in particular, that I introduced earlier this Congress that directly benefit Colorado's Second Congressional District. First, the Bolts Ditch Access and Use Act is an important provision that allows the town of Minturn, in Eagle County in my district, water access with use of the Bolts Ditch headgate. Secondly, the WEDGE Act incorporates 124 acres of land adjacent to Rocky Mountain National Park into Arapahoe National Forest. I am excited to take up both of these provisions on the House floor today, both of which will have a real local impact on the communities that I am so honored to represent in Colorado's Second. Not only this, but, of course, S. 47 provides permanent authorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which is long overdue and a milestone for future generations. Mr. Speaker, I would urge my colleagues to support this bill and look forward to continuing to work to conserve our public lands.

Mr. NEGUSE

Mr. NEGUSE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 8. I serve on the House Judiciary Committee. Last night, after 10 hours of debate, our committee passed this bill to be brought to the floor, and it is vital that we pass it. In Colorado and across our country, we have experienced undue devastation by countless tragedies of gun violence--Columbine, Aurora. Mothers, sisters, brothers, husbands, wives, and young children have been lost at the hands of gun violence. One year ago today, 17 lives were taken in 6 minutes and 20 seconds in Parkland, Florida. There is no question we need to address the epidemic of gun violence in our country. We cannot sit idly by. Universal background checks are overwhelmingly supported by the American people, and 20 States, including my home State of Colorado, have either wholly or partially closed the background check loophole. Americans understand what it takes to keep our communities safe from gun violence, and it is time for Congress to act as well. So, Mr. Speaker, I rise today to say, simply: Enough is enough. We must act on gun violence. We must pass H.R. 8 here on the floor.

Mr. NEGUSE

Mr. NEGUSE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as the son of refugees, and the first Eritrean American to be elected to the House of Representatives. My father, who immigrated to this country 35 years ago, sat in this same Chamber up there in the gallery only a week ago to watch his son be sworn into the people's House. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a simple, solemn, and serious request: that this administration stop its demonization of immigrants and reopen the government. The administration has manufactured a crisis based on fear and is now holding our government effectively hostage, blatantly causing harm to the economic security of American families across the Nation. Bruce, a constituent in my district, had to close down his small business in Estes Park as a result of the shutdown. As Rocky Mountain National Park remains closed, small businesses have continued to struggle under this burden. Countless workers in my district--Federal lab workers, national park employees, national firefighters, weather forecasters, and many others--have been furloughed or are working without pay, and $700 million in national parks' revenue in Colorado has been threatened. Mr. Speaker, enough is enough. Mr. President, end the charade and reopen the government now.