Beto O’Rourke

Mr. O'ROURKE

Mr. O'ROURKE. Mr. Speaker, during the roll call votes on Thursday, January 5, 2017, I missed a vote on an amendment to the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act. Had I been present, on roll call number 13, I would have voted ``Aye.''

Mr. O'ROURKE

Mr. O'ROURKE. Mr. Speaker, those who have truly borne the cost of the wars that we have waged since 9/11 have been the men and women who wear the uniform and their families--fewer than 1 percent of the people in this country. For the rest of us, we have deferred our obligations and our payments to future generations. Harvard's Linda Bilmes estimates that the wars that we are waging since 9/11 will cost this country nearly $1 trillion in healthcare costs and support costs for the veterans who have fought those wars. That is why I am asking my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to join me in sponsoring the Veterans Health Care Trust Fund Act, which would create a surtax on each and every American who has not served to ensure that we pay for our wars as we wage them and have the resources to take care of the veterans who fight them. It is going to ensure transparency in the cost of these wars; it is going to ensure that everyone bears their fair share of the burden; and it is going to ensure that we always have the resources to always take care of the veterans. Mr. Speaker, I ask that everyone join me in this important effort.

Mr. O'ROURKE

Mr. O'ROURKE. Mr. Speaker, this is Nesbly Nayeli Saenz. She lives in my community, where she is raising a 14-, an 11-, and a 6-year-old U.S. citizen family. She is actively involved in the success of our community. She works two jobs, and she recently came out with over 320 other El Pasoans to talk about the importance of ensuring that the DREAMers, 750,000 of our fellow Americans who were brought here to this country at a young age, are able to stay here. The uncertainty created by our President-elect's promise to end the DACA program is creating anxiety and fear for these DREAMers and may ultimately lead to their deportation, which will hurt not just those DREAMers and their families, it will hurt our country. I ask the President-elect and I ask this Congress to do our jobs to provide that certainty to make sure that our laws reflect our values and that we keep wonderful Americans like Nesbly in our communities, in our country. It is going to be good for them, and it is going to be good for our country.

Mr. O'ROURKE

Mr. O'ROURKE. I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts, our new ranking member on the committee, for yielding and for his work on this important bill. Mr. Speaker, there are few things as important for us in this Congress to work on as creating more jobs and sustaining those that we have right now. U.S.-Mexico trade today supports more than 6 million jobs in every single State of the Union, 500,000 jobs in the State of Texas alone, and one out of every four jobs in the community that I have the honor to represent, El Paso, Texas. The men and women who serve in Customs and Border Protection, the officers in blue at our ports of entry, are understaffed and overstressed, and they need our help. What we are doing in this bill is allowing local communities and local stakeholders who have an interest in the success of our ports of entry and in U.S.-Mexico trade and in creating more jobs to fund the necessary overtime hours and infrastructure improvements at those ports. I want to thank my colleagues from both sides of the aisle and in both Chambers--Senator Cornyn in the other Chamber, Members Cuellar and Hurd and others in this one--who see the wisdom in allowing local communities to fill the gap where government has been unable to do so. Whether it is the $90 billion in U.S.-Mexico trade that crosses the El Paso-Ciudad Juarez ports of entry every year or the 32 million inspections that are conducted there, this is a way to grow our economy. It is a way to ensure that we are more secure because we know precisely who is coming in when we have the manpower and infrastructure to inspect all those who want to cross in here. We are allowing local communities and not the Federal Government to pick up the tab in a way that is going to benefit this country as a whole. I couldn't help but notice the current chair of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, the incoming chair, and the ranking member, who are all here. I know they are all pleased to see in this bill an expedited process to hire our veterans, to transition them from Active Duty service to meaningful employment as a Customs officer through an expedited process in this bill. That means we staff more of our CBP positions, we put more veterans to work, and we do better for this country. This is a bill that should have the support of every single Member of this Congress, and I urge its quick passage.

Mr. O'ROURKE

Mr. O'ROURKE. Madam Speaker, please meet Daisy Arvizu, who was one of over 300 El Pasoans to join us at a DREAMers town hall that we held in downtown El Paso at the Community Foundation Room with the Border Network for Human Rights and Las Americas Immigration Center last week. It was an opportunity for our community to come forward, both the DREAMers in our community and those who support the DREAMers, like Daisy who was brought here at the tender age of 1 year and 8 months, who works two jobs, a day job and a night job, and is also a student at the El Paso Community College. Because the President-elect has vowed to terminate the executive action known as DACA, that means Daisy has uncertainty, at a minimum. In the worst case scenario, she will be deported back to a country she does not know, a language she does not speak, and she and this country will lose the benefit of her potential. Madam Speaker, we need to do the right thing. We need to keep Daisy and the 700-plus other DREAMers in this country for the benefit of our country and the potential that they can bring to the United States. I ask for your help, the help of the Members here, and the President- elect in making sure that we do the right thing for this country and for young DREAMers like Daisy.

Mr. O'ROURKE

Mr. O'ROURKE. Mr. Speaker, because of the inaction of this Congress, our President, in 2012, deferred action on childhood arrivals to this country, young boys and girls who were brought here at the tender age of 3 or 5 or 6 or 7, who are now flourishing in our communities and making this great country even better. I call your attention to one of my constituents, Claudia Yoli, who arrived in this country at the age of 8 from Venezuela, interned in my office in 2013, and now works for our great State Senator Jose Rodriguez, and is making El Paso, Texas, and America an even greater place to live. Unfortunately for Claudia, her mother had to return to Venezuela in 2010 and, because of her status, Claudia was not able to follow. Her mother died last year, and Claudia was unable to return to be with her mother in her dying days and to grieve with her family and be with them. We owe Claudia and the 750,000 other DREAMers in this country certainty; and we certainly owe them something better than what the President-elect has promised, which is to terminate this deferred action. So I ask this body, I ask the President-elect, and I ask every American to join together to make sure that we allow these DREAMers to succeed, because their success means America's success.

Mr. O'ROURKE

Mr. O'ROURKE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Foster) for being here this evening, for standing up for some who, especially right now, feel that perhaps their government is not with them and perhaps these commitments that were made to them that engendered their trust, their willingness to come forward to share their personal information, their addresses, their identities, perhaps have been abandoned. Your presence here tonight, your words, I think, do much to show them that that is not the case and that there is still a chance in this country that we will do the right thing. I appreciate the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Foster) for being here tonight. Mr. Speaker, in closing, let me say that, whether it is these 750,000-plus DREAMers, these young Americans who, at a very tender age, were brought to this country by their parents or relatives and in every single way, except for citizenship, are no different than my three children or anyone else that I represent in the great City of El Paso, Texas--these DREAMers are going to high school, are serving in our Armed Forces, are attending our universities, are, in many respects, the future of our communities, of our country, who have so much to gain personally and so much to give back to this country. These DREAMers must be spared from any decisions that would break the trust that was created with them, that would force them back to their countries of origin, which they no longer know as home, whose language they no longer speak, where they no longer have family with whom they can reside. Mr. Speaker, I think it is also important, on the larger subject of how we talk about those who are in our country from another country, that we remember a few facts. For example, the border that connects us with our country and neighbor to the south, Mexico, is as safe today as it has ever been. The community that I have the honor to represent and to serve, El Paso, Texas, which is conjoined with Ciudad Juarez to form the largest binational community anywhere in the world, is the safest city in the United States. It is safe not in spite of, but precisely because of, our connection to Mexico, the Mexican immigrants, the Mexican Americans, and those who are in our community, documented or otherwise, that make El Paso such a tremendously safe, wonderful, thriving community. We know that U.S. cities on the border with Mexico and U.S. cities with large immigrant populations are, in fact, far safer than the average U.S. city in the interior, be that in Kentucky, be that in Iowa. That is what we have to be proud of. That is what we need to share with the American public. We also need them to know that immigrants, documented or otherwise-- and including, especially, those who are undocumented--commit crimes, including violent crimes, at a far lower rate than do native-born U.S. citizens. We need to remember that we have so much to be proud of, so much to be grateful for, so much to celebrate in the immigrants' story, especially these DREAMers who, right now, live in a period of uncertainty, fear, and anxiety. It is incumbent upon us in this Chamber to do what we must to change our laws to reflect our values and the reality in our communities and in our country. Mr. Speaker, I stand ready to work with any Member on either side of the aisle to do just that. I want to thank my colleagues who joined me tonight to help drive home the very important point that everyone who is in our country that has registered with the government, that has come forward, that has applied successfully under the DACA program deserves to stay here and deserves our help to ensure our laws allow them to do that going forward. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. O'ROURKE. Mr. Speaker, I am so grateful to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) and could not agree more forcefully with his words. In addition to these, again, inspiring examples of what the DREAMers mean to us as a country and what they mean to the gentleman personally, I also enjoyed hearing about how the community he represents is rallying around them and supporting them and ensuring that they know that they are not alone, despite the rhetoric, despite the changes that we might see in executive actions going forward. I am also deeply appreciative of the gentleman's reminder that it is this institution that really has the opportunity, the responsibility, and the power to correct this. In these 4 years that I have had the pleasure of joining you here in the House, I know that both of us and dozens of our colleagues have tried mightily to do that, but, unfortunately, to no avail. That does not in any way damper my enthusiasm to do this. In fact, these stories that we are sharing tonight only cause me to want to redouble my efforts and work with you and our colleagues to make sure that we do everything we can and, beyond that, that we are ultimately effective and successful in setting this country, when it comes to our immigration laws and it comes to the lives of these 750,000 DREAMers, in the right direction. So I thank the gentleman for being here this evening. One thing that the gentleman from Oregon said that really struck home--and helps me to introduce a very good friend of mine from El Paso, Claudia Yoli--were his comments about family and the importance of family and how fundamental family is to our success. So I ask those in the Chamber this evening to think about Claudia Yoli, who is pictured here, to my right, in front of the White House, perhaps in 2013 when she served as an intern in my congressional office here. She came to this country for the first time at the age of 8, from Venezuela, and has been nothing but exceptional to the community that she lives in, to the country that is now her home, and to those that she has worked with, including me and my office, and our State Senator Jose Rodriguez, for whom she works today. She showed courage in coming to our townhall on Monday evening, where she told us about all of this and then shared something that was so personally painful and tragic that it could only help me to understand truly what is at stake here. In 2010, Claudia's mother traveled back to Venezuela. Because of Claudia's status, because she was a DREAMer and because of provisions within the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, she was not able to go back to Venezuela with her mother. Unfortunately, last year, Claudia's mother passed away in Venezuela, and Claudia could not be there to comfort her mother in her dying days, nor could she be there for the funeral, nor could she be there with those family members who came together to grieve her mother's passing. Our inaction causes tremendous pain and suffering for those whom we have the power to help right now. I yield at this point to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Foster), another colleague with whom I was elected in 2012.

Mr. O'ROURKE. I thank the gentlewoman from California, and I thank her for continuing to cut the profile in courage in Congress and for her fierce advocacy on the issues that matter most. She continues to stand out as an example to me, and tonight is testimony to that; so I am grateful to her for being here. I now want to yield to yet another good friend. It is an embarrassment of riches, in the Chamber this evening, to have so many talented Members who have decided to stand up with some of the best among us. In my opinion, the gentleman from Oregon, who in the 4 years that I have been here has taught me so much and much of that by example, is perfectly suited to share his experiences, those of the community he represents, and what he wants to see going forward for this great country. I yield to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).

Mr. O'ROURKE. I thank the gentlewoman from Nevada for sharing these personal stories of the people in her community who inspire her. It is these stories of courage that the gentlewoman just recounted and that I have been trying to share about the young DREAMers in my community of El Paso that were the impetus for our coming together this evening and sharing with our colleagues and the people of this country the truth about a group of very special young people who are too often misunderstood, if not outright maligned; so I am grateful to the gentlewoman for her efforts to improve our understanding of this very special group of people. When I am thinking about these courageous, young people whom I have been introducing you to tonight from the city of El Paso who happen to have come to this country, to my city, from another country at a very tender age--be it 3, be it 5, be it 7 years old--now, as they are in their teens and in their early twenties, we find them to be flourishing and inspiring us. I want to share a story that goes back a few generations as I introduce the next Member who will speak. That is the story of Mildred Parish Tutt, who in El Paso, Texas, in 1955, after having graduated from Douglass High School--a segregated, all-Black institution in my community of El Paso, Texas--had the audacity to apply for enrollment at Texas Western College, now known as the University of Texas at El Paso, and her application was rejected solely based on her race. Mildred and her friend Thelma White and a few other students who were denied enrollment teamed up, and, with the help of the NAACP and an attorney named Thurgood Marshall, they took this issue and their aspiration and this case to a Federal court. Thanks to the wisdom and the judgment of our Federal judge at the time, R.E. Thomason, not only was it found that Texas Western's ban on African American students was unconstitutional, but his ruling and their effort and Mildred's courage effectively desegregated the institutions of higher learning in the State of Texas for every single Texan. As I was sharing with some of our colleagues yesterday, as I was introducing my very good friend Barbara Lee, this took incredible personal sacrifice. I can only imagine the difficulty that Mildred faced on that day; yet it was so incredibly important for this country. That is the kind of story that we are telling today about these, again, courageous, special young people in our midst whom we want to continue to allow to flourish. I want to, at this time, yield to the gentlewoman from California, Barbara Lee, who has her roots deeply in the State of Texas at El Paso.

Mr. O'ROURKE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Kennedy) for his eloquence on this and for his empathy in allowing us to try to think about what it must feel like to be working on that finals paper or that homework assignment in high school or at community college or at one of our great universities and not know if at the start of next semester you will find yourself in another country, in a place that is now strange to you, with a language that you don't speak. When we think about this, when we think about these mass deportations, literally using the information that these young people and their families came forward with to register under the DACA program, and then using that against them after they voluntarily came forward, to find out where they live, pick them up, process them, deport them back to their country of origin, beyond the incalculable emotional human psychological toll, beyond what that would do to the conscience of this country, look at what it would cost us in financial terms. We would lose 2 to 2.6 percent of our GDP. We would lose nearly $5 trillion over the next 10 years, and government receipts on the trillions of dollars that these DREAMers would otherwise earn would also be gone with those DREAMers--nearly $900 billion that we would lose from the United States Treasury. We would lose young Americans like the one who is pictured next to me, David Gamez, who is now 20 years old and who joined us Monday at our town hall in El Paso, Texas, one of these brave young El Pasoans, young Americans, who had the courage to come forward, and shared with us at that town hall that he came to this country at the age of 10. He came from Mexico City. He immediately applied himself, learned English, rose to the top of the ranks in his high school classes, took AP courses, is now a member of the STEM club at the El Paso Community College, and is pursuing a career in electrical engineering. He is an artist, he loves to draw, he loves to paint, and he wants to be an innovator. His heroes are all American heroes. His heroes are Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Larry Ellison, those people who are contributing to our country, creating jobs, innovating, creating, growing this economy. That is what David wants to do. That is what he will do if he is able to stay in this country. I think it is so important for us to give David the certainty and, also at the same time, not to provoke anxiety and fear that will cause him to lose this opportunity, to lose his way, and for us to lose out on all the amazing things that he can create. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Titus), who I have the pleasure of sitting with on the Veterans' Affairs Committee and who, over the last 4 years, I have learned from because she is the most tireless champion for veterans. She is the most tireless champion for the LGBT community. She is often the most tireless champion for those who do not have a voice in our system or whose voice is not loud enough. So it is up to Ms. Titus to amplify that voice and become their advocate.

Mr. O'ROURKE. Mr. Speaker, I can't thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Castro) enough for taking the time to be here for his leadership on this issue. Not just after this election, and not just since he has been in the House of Representatives, but really his whole life has been exemplary in his advocacy for the most vulnerable amongst us in ensuring the truth about the story of these young people who come to our country. It is not simply a matter of sympathy--although, I sympathize with their situation--it is also a matter of our self-interest as a country. As we continue to look for ways to become a stronger and better country, so much of that lies with those who have made the very difficult choice to come here and contribute to our success and contribute to the American Dream. I am grateful to you for continuing to advocate for them and to share those stories with the rest of the country. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the State of Massachusetts (Mr. Kennedy), another very good friend from a State that has known its share of amazing stories of immigration and seeing those immigrants flourish and become the best of us in this country.

Mr. O'ROURKE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share the stories of and celebrate the DREAMers who live in our communities, mine in El Paso, Texas, and nearly every single community across the great United States. All together, we estimate there are close to 750,000 DREAMers in the United States. These are beneficiaries of an executive action under this President, known as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, that ensured that young people in our communities who arrived in this country at a very early age, brought here by their parents from another country of origin, who are going to school, living by our laws, being productive and net contributors to their communities, and who, in some cases, strive to serve in the military or perform some other community or civic service, are able to reside in this country after they come forward voluntarily out of the shadows to give their personal information, their fingerprints, their contact information, their names, their addresses, and their telephone numbers, in other words, to register with the government so that we know who is in this country and satisfy some legitimate security concerns that we have when it comes to undocumented immigration. So these young DREAMers have satisfied those concerns by coming forward. This temporary reprieve from deportation allows them to continue to live in our communities, to continue to be our neighbors, to continue to make this country great, and to make cities like El Paso the safe and wonderful communities that they are. It is no accident that El Paso has more than its fair share of DREAMers and also is the safest city not just along the U.S.-Mexico border, it is the safest city not just in the State of Texas, but it is the safest city in the United States today. The urgency behind our actions today lies with the commitment from the President-elect to immediately terminate the current President's executive actions when it comes to these DREAMers. This commitment to terminate this action will also terminate any certainty these young people have. It will reduce the security of our communities when young people no longer feel comfortable approaching or working with law enforcement for fear of deportation; and it produces extreme anxiety and fear that I can only begin to imagine for myself or for my kids if I knew that I had given all of my personal identifiable information, including the address at which I reside, my telephone number, and the names of my parents, to the Federal Government which now may have a policy to immediately deport me back to the country of origin and, if I were, as a typical DREAMer might be, 20 years old and attending the University of Texas in El Paso, may have lived in El Paso for the majority of my life. I may have come over at the age of 3, and for the last 17 years, the only life I knew was in the United States; the only city I knew was in El Paso, Texas; the only language I spoke was English. I had no family, no connections, no place in my country of original origin, and I didn't speak the language. Then I would be unable to thrive. I think for some of these young people, they question whether they will have the ability to survive. I think it is really that critical, and it is very important that we remind ourselves, the rest of the country, and certainly our colleagues here in the House of the gravity of the situation. Beyond the moral imperative, which I think is the most important, there is also an economic dynamic to this. The Department of Commerce estimates that the DREAMers, these 750,000-strong DREAMers who are contributing every single day in our communities, going to our high schools and making our country better, that over their lifetimes in the United States they will earn up to $4 trillion of taxable income-- taxable income that will allow the community they live in to flourish, to thrive, to enrich those that they hire and work with, and to add significantly to the Federal Treasury. That is just one point in terms of the economic advantage of creating additional certainty and, at a minimum, not forcibly removing these DREAMers or terminating the protection under which they currently reside. Before I yield to my colleagues to share their stories about the DREAMers in their communities--and, again, they are in every single State of the Union and almost every community in every one of those States--I thought I would share the story of one of the DREAMers that I met this Monday in El Paso, Texas, when I held a townhall on short notice, a few days' notice to my constituents over Facebook and Twitter and published in the newspaper. More than 300 El Pasoans showed up to share their stories of how they came to this country and what they are now doing in our communities. What was even more impressive and poignant for me and many in the audience that night were the U.S. citizens in El Paso who showed up to stand in solidarity and in strength with these DREAMers and to let them know that, come what may, whatever executive actions are terminated, whatever necessary immigration reform laws are not enacted, that we as a community in El Paso, Texas, are going to stand with these DREAMers, make sure that they are successful, and make sure that they have nothing to fear going forward. One of these DREAMers that had the courage to stand up and be counted on Monday night was Estefania Garcia Ruvalcaba. She is 17 years old. She arrived in the United States in El Paso, Texas, which has served as the Ellis Island for much of the Western Hemisphere, at the age of 3 years old. I ask you to tell me what 3-year-old understands concepts like citizenship or nationality. She doesn't speak the Spanish language anymore that she barely knew at the age of 3. She only speaks English. She is a junior at Del Valle High School in El Paso. She is captain of the soccer team. She is on the student council. She is the press box manager, and so she is earning a little bit of money to be able to take home at the end of the day and help out; and she goes to every single football game to be able to support the hometown and home high school team. On top of that, she runs on the cross-country team. My 8-year-old daughter, Molly O'Rourke, has an example in Estefania. I want Molly to be able to do all those things. I am proud of Estefania. She is part of what makes El Paso such a wonderful place to live and what makes me so proud to represent the community and helps us, again, stay the safest city in America, bar none. There are 750,000-plus Estefanias who have come forward to register with their government to make sure that we know that they are in our communities to defer the action that otherwise would deport them back to their countries of origin and to make this country successful. At this time, I yield to a good friend and colleague from the great State of Texas, who understands these issues just as well as anyone, who has thousands of DREAMers in his community, and whom I am so grateful to for being here tonight. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Castro).

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

Mr. O'ROURKE

Mr. O'ROURKE. Mr. Speaker, in this country, there are over 700,000 DREAMers, children and young Americans brought to this country at a young age, through no fault of their own, to improve their lives, their opportunities, and those of their families. They are every bit as much American as you or I or our children. Pictured next to me is Itzel Campos of El Paso, Texas, a 15-year-old sophomore at Franklin High School, who came to a townhall meeting that we had last night where 300 El Pasoans came out to either tell their stories or show support for DREAMers. We want to make sure that the President-elect and that the Congress that we have here and the one that will be seated in January do everything within their power to keep these DREAMers in our country, who will earn more than $4 trillion in taxable income during their lives but, more importantly, will contribute to the American Dream, will improve communities like mine, which happens to be the safest city in America in large part because of the immigrants, and especially these DREAMers who call El Paso home, and to give people like Itzel every chance to succeed, to improve their lives and the course of this country.

Mr. O'ROURKE

Mr. O'ROURKE. Mr. Speaker, during the roll call votes on Monday, November 14, 2016, I was absent due to the flight from my district of El Paso, Texas to Washington, DC being delayed. Had I been present, on roll call number 575, I would have voted Yea. On roll call number 576, I would have voted Yea.

Mr. O'ROURKE

Mr. O'ROURKE. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to thank my colleague, the ranking member, Mr. Takano from California, for his support and his work on the committee and not just promoting commonsense bills like these, but working across the aisle with colleagues on both sides to ensure that we move the concerns and the cares of veterans in this country forward. His leadership at this critical time is so important, and I am grateful for it. I would also like to thank the chairman of our committee, Mr. Miller from Florida, for his leadership in really ensuring that the House Veterans' Affairs Committee remains one of the most important and perhaps one of the last refuges for bipartisanship in Congress. It is really through his leadership--and I have been lucky enough to serve with him now almost 4 years--that we have been able to do some really outstanding things for veterans in this country. I know that he would be the first to agree that we are not there yet. There is no ``mission accomplished'' banner that hangs behind us, but we have made extraordinary progress under his guidance and his willingness to work with Members from both sides of the aisle--all Members of the committee--and I am truly grateful for his support of this bill. I should also note, Mr. Speaker, that this bill is cosponsored by Dr. Benishek from Michigan, a stout defender of veterans and, from his medical background, someone who is uniquely capable of informing important legislation like this one. As both of the previous speakers have stated, this ensures that we connect veterans in our communities, the places that we represent, with the care that they have earned and that they deserve. In the VA today, we have an acknowledged shortage of 43,000 clinical positions. We have to acknowledge that we will not be able to see every single veteran in the instances when they most need care with current capacity within the VA. Therefore, it is incumbent upon us to ensure that we leverage the capacity of the doctors, nurses, and providers in the communities that we represent to the best of our ability. Critical to that is health information exchange records sharing so that the doctors in the community know what they need to know about the veteran they are about to see so they deliver the best, most informed care that they can possibly deliver, and that we get the best outcomes for these veterans. This bill ensures that we share medical information effectively, privately, conforming to HIPAA, maintaining the veteran's privacy, and yet effectively ensure that that veteran gets the care that they have earned, that they need, that they deserve and that--thanks to this committee and its leadership--they are finally beginning to get. Those who are charged with ensuring that we coordinate care between the VA and private providers say that this is the most critical thing for us to do if we are to effectively share patient record information. It is estimated that today only about 3 percent of veterans proactively opt into this records sharing. That means that most of them are not getting the fully informed care that they would otherwise get. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in support of this bill, which would go a long way to ensuring that we do everything we can with the capacity both within the VA and outside the VA to deliver critical care to our veterans who are most in need.

Mr. O'ROURKE

Mr. O'ROURKE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Indiana for yielding to me and for his support of this bill. I would also like to thank my colleague from Illinois for his kind words of support in recognizing the accomplishments of Robert Ewing Thomason, referred to as ``R.E.'' or ``Ewing'' by his friends in El Paso. Judge Thomason was truly the best among us, somebody who dedicated his life to public service and to serving others, and someone who really distinguished the community that I am so honored to serve, El Paso, Texas. He was first elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1920 and, remarkably, for an El Pasoan and, really, for anyone in the State of Texas, in his second term only, he was elected by his fellow House members to be the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the State of Texas. This is an accomplishment to which no other El Pasoan since has ever been able to rise. This truly was the high-water mark, at least in State politics, for an El Pasoan to reach. There he distinguished himself with his leadership and with his dedication, not just to our community, but to the State of Texas. He then served as the mayor of El Paso, Texas, from 1927 to 1930, where he both reflected and truly guided the growth of one of the great American cities and, certainly, the greatest Southwestern city at the time. He was responsible for attracting industry, promoting local businesses, and developing the first municipal airport in El Paso, Texas. He was then elected to the United States House of Representatives where, again, he served with distinction, rising to the level of the vice chairman of the Armed Services Committee during World War II--I would think, the period of the greatest stress and greatest demand for leadership out of that House committee--and again, he distinguished himself. But it is truly for his service as a Federal judge for the Western District of Texas that we now remember Judge Thomason. He heard thousands of cases, presided over thousands of citizenship ceremonies. But the case, Mr. Speaker, that I want to call to everyone's attention began in 1954, when 12 African American El Pasoans attempted to enroll in what was then known as Texas Western College, today known as the University of Texas at El Paso, part of Texas' University of Texas system. Thelma White and 11 friends, one of whom, Mildred Parish Tutt, is the mother of our colleague, Barbara Lee, of Oakland, California, these 12 young El Pasoans attempted to enroll at Texas Western College; and, because of the segregation clause in our State's constitution, they were barred entry. Thelma White, who became the lead plaintiff, enlisted the support and advocacy of future Supreme Court Jurist Thurgood Marshall to promote the idea that no institution of higher learning in the State of Texas should bar anyone, including the African American students in question. That case was heard in the courtroom of Judge Thomason, and, in 1955, he enjoined the State of Texas from barring these students from entry. They were able to go to Texas Western College. It absolutely shattered the concept and practice of all-white higher education in the State of Texas. In fact, he decimated the segregation clause of our State's constitution and destroyed one of the last bastions of segregation in the former Confederacy. How fitting that his courtroom was in the old Federal courthouse which, today, we seek to name in his honor. And even more fitting is the Tom Lea mural, one of our famous El Paso artists, the Tom Lea mural that graces this Federal courthouse, the old Federal courthouse in El Paso Texas. It has the following legend over the door: ``O Pass of the North, Now the Old Giants Are Gone, We Little Men Live Where Heroes Once Walked the Inviolate Earth.'' A very fitting description of one of the giants that preceded us in El Paso, Texas, Judge Thomason.

Mr. O'ROURKE

Mr. O'ROURKE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 110th anniversary of the Antiquities Act, 100 years of our National Park Service, and to thank our current President and administration for doing more than any administration before them to strengthen these two assets that we have in our country. But I also ask this administration to set the standard for the next 100 years to ensure that public places like Castner Range in El Paso, Texas, fully tell the national story of the first Americans who were here more than 8,000 years ago who left their impressions of this great land and to ensure that every American has the chance to enter our public lands like the fourth and fifth graders at Collins Elementary who, under the direction of Mrs. Guay, left their impressions of Castner Range. This is a class that is 93 percent Mexican American, 75 percent below the poverty line, and precisely the population that we want to see in our national lands and public parks going forward. Preserving Castner Range forever is a means to set the stage for the next 100 years of success for our national parks and our national lands.

Mr. O'ROURKE

Mr. O'ROURKE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and celebrate the 100th Anniversary of El Paso High School (EPHS). September 18, 2016 marks the 100th anniversary of El Paso's oldest operating high school, El Paso High. During these 100 years, the ``Lady on the Hill'' has played an influential role in defining the best of our community and country. El Paso High has a long and proud history of service. In the early 1900's El Paso High School's first Texas Cadet Guard became one of the first Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) in the United States. She has prepared notable officers like William D. Hawkins, an El Paso High JROTC alumnus and Medal of Honor recipient of the U.S. Marine Corps, after whom the U.S.S. Hawkins was named. In 1925, an airfield on the U.S. Army's installation at Fort Bliss was named after James Buster Biggs, another EPHS graduate who was killed in a plane crash at Beltran, France in 1918. El Paso High School also represents the best of our country's connection with the rest of the hemisphere. Located just three miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, EPHS is 93 percent Hispanic, and has implemented a nationally recognized Dual Language Gifted and Talented Program. Also known as Mundos Unidos, or Connecting Worlds, the unique program was awarded the multi-million dollar Jacob K. Javits Grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The program has helped EPHS graduates to receive top scholarships at the top universities. Innovation and creativity flourish here. F. Murray Abraham, a 1958 graduate, began his acting career at El Paso High School. His talent won him a drama scholarship to the Texas Western College, and later an Academy Award for Best Actor in the film Amadeus. Jim Ward and Cedric Bixler-Zavala, best known for their collaboration in the groundbreaking band At the Drive-In, are both proud Tigers. Another accomplished El Paso High graduate, Tom Lea, moved the nation through his art, writing, and war-time correspondence. Lea brought the Southwestern region to life in his famous murals that can be found in public buildings from Washington, D.C. to Dallas, Texas. Mr. Lea also worked as an eyewitness correspondent for Life Magazine, where he traveled more than 100,000 miles to record the experiences of U.S. and Allied officers in World War II. He wrote and illustrated The Brave Bulls and The Wonderful Country, which were later adapted into Hollywood movies. Ruben Salazar, a pioneer journalist during the 1960's Chicano movement, was the first Mexican-American to cover the Chicano community in mainstream media. His news coverage included police discrimination against Mexican-Americans, Chicano protests, and the relations between Chicanos and African Americans. On August 29, 1970, Salazar covered the Chicano Moratorium anti-war protest in East Los Angeles, the largest Mexican-American rally in U.S. history. Sheriff's deputies and officers wielded clubs and fired tear gas at protestors in the area, hitting and instantly killing Salazar. His unfortunate death and fearless character has made him a civil rights leader for our country. Abraham, Lea, and Salazar are among the many high-skilled, gifted minds El Paso High has produced. Our city's oldest high school has exceptionally prepared some of our nation's best visionaries. The beauty of El Paso High School lies not only within its students, but with its architecture as well. In 1980, El Paso High became an official historic landmark in the National Register of Historic Places. Its unique Greco-Roman architecture was inspired by the Portico of Octavia in Rome, Italy. Henry Trost, the chief architect, designed the school and some of the most unique buildings in the Southwest. Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to rise with me to honor El Paso High School and the extraordinary work they have done these last 100 years with our students and community. Viva la High.

Mr. O'ROURKE

Mr. O'ROURKE. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, as we now know, we are 43,000 providers short within the VA, which means that there is an unmet need and demand from veterans in the communities that we serve and whom we represent. To be able to bridge this gap, we are going to have to more effectively leverage capacity for care in public and private institutions throughout this country. These are public hospitals, private hospitals, and public and private clinics. There are different means of doing this right now, which the VA Secretary seeks to streamline into one program, and I support this; but in the meantime, while we are largely dependent on the Choice Program that this Congress passed not too long ago, we must ensure that the care for these veterans is coordinated in a seamless manner. Part of the problem in doing that is that the medical records for veterans are not effectively traveling with them from the VA to their provider in the community, and, in fact, because of an antiquated interpretation of veterans' medical information records, veterans have to sign a waiver allowing the VA to share that information. Now, no other provider of medical care in this country operates under those same standards. And today, it is estimated that fewer than 3 percent of veterans have affirmatively signed these release forms allowing their information to be effectively shared with the community providers so that provider can make informed medical decisions for that veteran's treatment. Inclusion of this amendment in the final bill's passage will ensure that we bring the VA up to modern medical standards, where veterans will still be protected by HIPAA and privacy laws but will have their critical medical information effectively shared without fear of exposure of any of their private and identifiable information. Mr. Chairman, I ask that the Congress support this amendment into inclusion in the final bill so that we can effectively leverage that care in the community. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. O'ROURKE. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. O'ROURKE. Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano), the ranking member.

Mr. O'ROURKE. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to speak on behalf of amendment No. 16, which will allow us to help the VA fulfill its responsibilities and truly be accountable to our veterans by hiring enough physicians and care providers so that we can meet the demands and the needs and the care that has been earned by these veterans. Today, by the VA's own admission, there are 43,000 authorized, funded, but unfilled positions in our community clinics and hospitals throughout the country. That means that veterans are waiting far too long and, in some cases, are not able to get in to receive that care that they have earned. This amendment would allow the VA to begin doing what everyone else in modern medicine in America is doing today, and that is recruiting effectively from this country's residency programs. Today, the VA is prohibited from talking to residents until they have completely completed their residency. As we all know, by that point, most of those residents have selected an employer, and that employer is not the VA. This brings us into line with every other Federal recruiting practice throughout the government and brings us in line with the private and other public sector employers against whom we are competing. I will note that this amendment is also sponsored by Ms. Stefanik of New York. It enjoys bipartisan support. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this. Lastly, Mr. Chair, before I yield to my ranking member, I want to join Representative Takano in recognizing the incredible service of Chairman Miller, who has really ensured that this is the most bipartisan committee in the Congress, and that bipartisanship is needed now more than ever. If we are going to fix a VA system and deliver the care that those veterans have earned, we are going to need everyone working together as closely as possible, and Chairman Miller has done a lot of work toward that end. So I want to thank him for his service and for what he has done for this committee and for veterans throughout the country. Mr. Chairman, may I inquire as to how much time I have remaining.

Mr. O'ROURKE. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.