Tom O’Halleran

Mr. O'HALLERAN

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Torres Small), my colleague.

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Chairman, how much time do I have remaining?

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Chair, I thank Representative Torres Small, and I thank all of my colleagues for standing with me today in support of this important amendment that has received an endorsement from the National Association of Rural Health Clinics. I look forward to joining my colleagues to vote for the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act later today. This sweeping legislation will lower high-cost prescription drugs, enable Medicare to negotiate prices, and save real dollars that can be reinvested for drug research and development. This bill has the potential to better the lives of countless American seniors, veterans, and families. No family should have to choose between the medication they need and putting food on the table. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote in support of my amendment and H.R. 3 later today, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. O'HALLERAN

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay my respects to Jim Wurgler of Williams, Arizona. Sadly, Jim passed away last month of a stroke. Known to many as ``Doc,'' Jim devoted his life to the health and betterment of others. He served as an Army physician in Vietnam and later as a doctor in several locations throughout the Southwest, including Grand Canyon Clinic and Williams Health Care Center in my district. A lifelong mentor to others, Jim revitalized Yosemite National Park's EMT training program in 1978, teaching advanced emergency medicine to park rangers. One of his proudest moments was receiving an honorary park ranger award and a new title: The Ranger's Doctor. Well into retirement, Jim worked to improve his community, going to great lengths to recruit and retain doctors in rural areas. Always an optimist, Jim's family will be honoring his wishes and holding a ceremony of his life in lieu of a funeral. Jim left an indelible mark on his loved ones and on the State of Arizona. He will not soon be forgotten. Pat and I are keeping Jim's family in our prayers this holiday season, and I hope all of my colleagues will do the same.

Mr. O'HALLERAN

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Pallone and Ranking Member Walden for bringing us together on this bipartisan bill. I rise today to speak in support of the TRACED Act. There is nothing more frustrating than receiving robocall after robocall to our landlines and cell phones. I receive countless robocalls every week, often from a phone number that seems to be just down the road. Even worse, many of these calls are scams designed to prey on our seniors and vulnerable populations that may be more susceptible to this kind of fraud. This year I have held 26 town halls across Arizona's First District. Time and time again, I have heard from citizens about scam and spoof calls they have encountered, putting their private information and their hard-earned dollars at risk. I cosponsored the TRACED Act to crack down on scammers and bad robocalls by creating real penalties for violators and requiring voice service providers to develop call authentication techniques. This is an issue on which we can all agree. I urge my colleagues to come together to pass this commonsense legislation that will benefit so many.

Mr. O'HALLERAN

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay my respects to Madeline Roanhorse, former director of the Navajo Nation Abandoned Mine Lands Program. Sadly, Madeline passed away earlier this fall. Madeline worked diligently for over thirty years on uranium mine reclamation projects all across the Navajo Nation. She played an invaluable role in many critical uranium mine clean up efforts. This fall, the House voted to pass the Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act, legislation to permanently ban uranium mining in and near the Grand Canyon. This vote was a direct result of the culmination of years of work by Madeline and other tribal leaders who refused to give up. I wish Madeline had been here with us to witness this historic vote and see her hard work come to fruition. I am honored to have worked with Madeline on these efforts, but I am more honored to have known her as a friend. Pat and I are keeping Madeline's loved ones and the entire Navajo Nation community in our prayers as they mourn her passing.

Mr. O'HALLERAN

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

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of National Rural Health Day. To mark this important day, my colleagues and I will discuss the unique challenges that rural America faces when seeking quality healthcare close to home or as close to home as rural America has it. I am proud to represent Arizona's First Congressional District in the House of Representatives. Our district is actually larger than the entire State of Illinois, and it is one of the most rural in the country. This year, I have held 26 town halls across this vast and diverse district. At each and every one I hear from rural residents struggling to access quality healthcare, especially emergency care. Many of my constituents must spend hours traveling hundreds of miles to access any kind of care, let alone specialist care or maternity care. Since I was elected, I have worked with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to identify legislative solutions to the issues our rural residents are facing. This year I introduced the CHIME Act, legislation to extend the Community Health Center Fund and the National Health Service Corps for 5 years and increase funding for priority areas. Community health centers are critical to serve hundreds of thousands of patients every year just in Arizona. In my district, and many rural areas, community health centers are often the primary care facility for a large portion of the population. If funding for community health centers in Arizona were to lapse, just in my district, tens of thousands of rural residents would be left without access to critical care. My language to extend this funding was included in this week's continuing resolution, but it is at risk of expiring if we cannot come together to fund the government. We need a long-term solution. I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass this bill into law permanently, so our communities have the support and certainty they need. Additionally this year, I introduced the GME, graduate medical education amendment, to the Lower Drug Costs Now Act. My amendment would instruct the Department of Health and Human Services to establish a grant program for hospitals in rural and medically underserved areas. We must act now to ensure that rural communities have the resources they need. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, our country will suffer a shortage of over 120,000 physicians by 2032. Rural areas will be hit especially hard. We must do what we can now to prevent this from happening and to mitigate the effects. My amendment would help incentivize doctors to stay and practice in our rural communities. We know very well that, when a resident comes to a rural community or any other community, there is a higher percentage that want to stay in that community after their residency. This May, after years of work with stakeholders, community leaders, and veterans' advocates, I was able to secure Federal funding for the construction of veterans nursing homes in Flagstaff, in my district, and Yuma in western Arizona. We found out during that time that you can't build a facility like that on Tribal lands, so we have a bill that is trying to change that so the many Tribal nations in our country and nations like the Navajo Nation that are as big as West Virginia can have a nursing center close to the many veterans that they have. For too long these rural construction projects were unfairly penalized by an outdated VA funding formula that left too many families without the help that they deserve. We must continue to expand access to healthcare for rural Americans, but I know these are merely first steps. There is much work to be done and many hurdles that must be crossed before we ensure that our veterans, seniors, and families across rural America have access to quality healthcare that is close to home. Just quickly, rural America is probably tied closer to urban America than many people know. But the families who we need there--who supply the food, the water, the energy, everything that makes urban America survive--won't be there if we don't have people who want to and are able to live there. That means we have to have good schools, good healthcare, and good job opportunities. We want our children to move back to rural America, and we will not have that if we do not address the appropriate concerns. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Brindisi), my colleague.

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his remarks. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Van Drew).

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his comments. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Costa), my colleague.

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Madam Speaker, California is, too.

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Madam Speaker, I thank all of my colleagues for joining me to participate in this important show of support by the Blue Dog caucus for rural healthcare and access across America today. A couple of quick examples: First of all, when you are traveling across the country from urban America through rural America, this hospital issue, this medical issue, is your issue because the hospitals that we have are the hospitals you are going to be taken to. The ambulances that have to take an hour or 2 hours to get to the site where you are at are the ambulances that you are going to be taking, too. People on dialysis in rural America, whether it is a Tribal community or another community in rural America, some of them have to drive 2 hours one way to get their treatment and then 2 hours back home. Sometimes they do 3 days a week, sometimes up to 4 days a week, sick people traveling hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of miles to get this type of treatment so they can live. Cancer is the same way. Cancer patients have to find a way to get that treatment. It is very scarce in rural America. Rural communities make up the very fabric of America. Their success is our Nation's success. I am committed to fighting to improve access to healthcare for rural, Tribal, and other underserved communities, for hardworking families and veterans who often travel hundreds of miles for basic care. As I stated before, my district is rural for the most part, and we have 60,000 veterans within the district. For rural healthcare to be totally successful, we must improve broadband and expand it so that telemedicine is meaningful for the people who live in rural areas across America. Improving access to care is not a partisan issue. We must come together across the aisle and continue to work to identify legislative solutions to the barriers our rural residents face. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. O'HALLERAN

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Madam Speaker, on November 19, 2019, I voted in favor of H.R. 5084, the Improving Corporate Governance Through Diversity Act, on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. However, my vote did not register on Roll Call 630. I would like the record to reflect that I supported passage of this legislation on the House floor.

Mr. O'HALLERAN

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay my respects to Cathy Canez, a special education teacher from my district, who passed away earlier this year in a tragic accident. Cathy was a beloved teacher, friend, and community member in the Miami unified school district for more than 25 years. Her kindness, sense of humor, and dedication to the success of her students has allowed her legacy and impact to reach beyond the classroom. I've been married to a teacher for fifty years; I saw how hard my wife Pat worked to educate young people and improve their lives holistically. Teachers have one of the most important jobs in our society, and a great teacher like Cathy had the power to affect the lives of so many. Cathy was taken from us too soon. Arizona has lost an incredible role model and educator, but I know she will not soon be forgotten.

Mr. O'HALLERAN

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Madam Chair, I rise today to speak in support of the Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act, legislation that would ban uranium mining in and near the Grand Canyon. I am proud to represent Arizona's First Congressional District, which is home to the Grand Canyon. Our canyon is a national treasure with cultural significance to Native American Tribes and Nations throughout the region, as well as home to the Havasupai Tribe. The Grand Canyon brings in over 6 million visitors each year. In 2018, these visitors spent $1.2 billion in the local economy and supported over 12,000 jobs. The Grand Canyon is also home to the Colorado River, the water supply for an enormous portion of the southwest region. Potential contamination of the water by uranium mining would have a ripple effect that would devastate the 40 million people that rely on the Colorado River and local aquifers. Unfortunately, areas in and near the canyon are plagued by the toxic legacy of uranium mining to this day. Currently, there are over 500 abandoned uranium mines in the Navajo Nation alone. They have been there for 80 years. The Federal Government has an obligation to clean them up, as did the mining companies that abandoned them. Cancer diagnoses in the region are extremely high and are directly linked to uranium mining activity dating back to the Cold War. Today, I urge my colleagues to join me in voting to pass the Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act. This commonsense bill protects our canyon, the health of northern Arizonans, the water supply of the southwest, and the growth of our State's economy by banning uranium mining in and near the Grand Canyon. Additionally, I want to note that this withdrawal of uranium mining does not jeopardize our energy market or our national security by forcing us to seek foreign sources. We are actually seeking foreign sources now because our cost is not competitive with world prices. According to Federal data, both New Mexico and Wyoming have three times the amount of uranium reserves as Arizona, Colorado, and Utah have combined. Our uranium imports are lower than they have been in 15 years, and Canada, our ally, is our largest supplier along with Australia, another ally. I am proud to stand today in support of the Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act, because the Grand Canyon is too precious to lose. I implore my colleagues to vote in support of this legislation. The Arizona land trust is for the schools. This land may not be used for uranium mining, but it could be used for anything else to be able to address the issues of funding schools in Arizona. And, again, the mine that the chairman mentioned has a reason to be closed.

Mr. O'HALLERAN

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the high cost of prescription drugs in this country. This year, I have held 26 townhalls across Arizona's First Congressional District. At each and every one, I hear from families, seniors, and veterans who are concerned about the overwhelmingly high cost of their prescription drugs. I hear from people like Karen from Globe, Arizona, a 74-year-old widow who cannot afford her prescriptions and often goes without them; or Elizabeth from Tucson, Arizona, who said: ``I don't have much hope.'' An American saying ``I don't have much hope'' is unacceptable in America. Between the years 2012 and 2017, the average annual cost of prescription drug treatment increased by more than 50 percent--way above inflation rates--while the annual income for Arizonans increased by only 12 percent. In 2017, 26 percent of Arizona residents stopped taking medication that is prescribed, due to cost. The skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs has become a crisis in this country, and something must be done. It is critical that we come together to identify commonsense, bipartisan solutions to address these costs and ensure that hardworking families can access the care and prescriptions they need at affordable prices. I am working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to bring down these costs by identifying a holistic approach that allows Medicare to negotiate for lower prices, caps out-of-pocket drug expenses for seniors, and improves access to lower cost generic drugs. Throughout this process, we must protect innovation and allow for the research and development of new drugs on the market. As we discuss these solutions, we must also remember the ways this crisis disproportionately affects medically underserved rural and Tribal communities. We need to identify solutions to address their unique needs because Americans deserve quality, affordable care regardless of their ZIP Code. No one should ever have to make the choice between the medication they need and putting food on the table. Mr. Speaker, I am working hard to ensure this is a reality for all Americans. Let us all start to begin to have hope again.

Mr. O'HALLERAN

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay my respects to Ronnie Lupe, former chairman of the White Mountain Apache Tribe, who passed away last month at the age of 89. During his time as a public servant, Mr. Lupe fought for Tribal sovereignty and worked extensively on water rights issues. Mr. Lupe's efforts aided the passage of the White Mountain Apache Water Rights Quantification Act of 2009 and established a reservation-wide clean drinking water system. For his service to his Tribe, he was recognized by former Arizona Governor Jack Williams on the Arizona Commission of Indian Affairs in 1968. A veteran, Mr. Lupe was a member of the United States Marine Corps during the Korean war. Arizona lost an awesome voice for Native American advancement. I feel truly humbled to have known him. Pat and I are keeping our thoughts with Ronnie's family and the entire White Mountain Apache Tribe in our prayers as they mourn his passing.

Mr. O'HALLERAN

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Speaker, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. O'HALLERAN. This prudent, commonsense amendment is necessary to ensure that once this legislation is passed, it has the positive effects we intended. I strongly support the Raise the Wage Act, and I believe it will positively impact communities nationwide and lift families out of poverty. The State of Arizona and my constituents in the First District voted overwhelmingly to raise the minimum wage in 2016. It is currently $11 an hour. During this implementation of this minimum wage increase, Arizona has seen a 4.3 percent growth in State GDP--the third fastest growing economy in the Nation. We have seen in Arizona that increasing the wage pays off for our economy and our families. My amendment will only strengthen the underlying bill. It requires independent, objective analysis of the economic and employment impacts of this legislation. It would require the Government Accountability Office to submit a report to Congress on the effects of the first two wage increases in the legislation. Specifically, the GAO must report on the effects on small businesses and on wages and compensation. The report also includes an analysis of the law's effects on urbanized and rural areas. Importantly, this amendment would require the GAO to consult various stakeholders and experts when developing its report. These would include small business owners, labor economists, agricultural workers, the food service industry, and State and local governments. It would allow constituents to provide their input on how their families, businesses, and communities have been affected. This thoughtful, data-driven approach will allow us to see the real impacts of this legislation. I believe as lawmakers we do the best job of responding to the needs of our constituents when we are best informed. I want to thank the cosponsors of the amendment and the Education and Labor Committee for working with us and the Rules Committee for making this amendment in order. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Cox).

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining.

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Speaker, I want to point out that the discussion in committee and Chairman Scott's comments were not about this bill. They were about another bill. To identify that the Members of this Congress do not need data on which to make further decisions, I hope we don't get to that point in time in Congress. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott), committee chairman, for all the hard work he has done. And I want to look forward to a time in America that we can see a time when the working families of America can partake in the economy as others do today. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.