Frank Pallone

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 8128, and I want to begin by thanking Representatives McNerney and Burgess for their leadership on H.R. 8128, the Consumer Safety Technology Act. This bill advanced out of the Energy and Commerce Committee earlier this month, on September 9, by voice vote. The legislation will help modernize our consumer protection agencies and encourage the use of advanced technologies, like artificial intelligence and blockchain, in support of product safety and consumer protection. These technologies can help the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Federal Trade Commission improve their operations and more effectively carry out their mission. Technological advances and globalization have greatly expanded the range of consumer products on the market, and as consumers shop online, more and more of these products are being shipped directly to homes. AI could help the CPSC oversee the increasingly complex range of products under its jurisdiction by helping identify new injury trends and emerging hazards. AI can also help the CPSC monitor online marketplaces for the illegal sale of recalled products. The persistence of recalled products on online third-party marketplaces is a particularly pernicious problem that puts Americans needlessly at risk. For example, months after the dangerous Fisher-Price Rock `n Play and other infant inclined sleepers were recalled, a Consumer Reports investigation found that these products were still being sold on sites like Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist, even though they had been linked to dozens of infant fatalities. I am hopeful that AI can be harnessed here to help eradicate the sale of recalled products in these online marketplaces. Madam Speaker, the CPSC could also use AI to assess the risk of the growing number of imported consumer products entering our country and being sent directly to consumers. I want to thank Representatives Soto, Guthrie, and Matsui for introducing the Blockchain Innovation Act, which was incorporated into H.R. 8128 during the full committee's consideration of the bill. So, too, was the Digital Taxonomy Act, which was introduced by Representatives Davidson and Soto. Together, these bills will help identify ways blockchain technology can be used to further support consumer protection. It will also make sure that scammers and fraudsters don't get ahead of consumers and law enforcement in the realm of blockchain and digital tokens. Finally, I want to thank Ranking Member Walden and subcommittee Ranking Member Rodgers for working with us to move this bill through the Energy and Commerce Committee on a bipartisan basis. Madam Speaker, I call on my colleagues to support the measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. McNerney).

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 8132) to require the Federal Trade Commission and the Secretary of Commerce to conduct studies and submit reports on the impact of artificial intelligence and other technologies on United States businesses conducting interstate commerce, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I guess I should say that, I don't know, maybe because I don't want Mr. Walden to retire or maybe because it is only September, I am not ready to say good-bye yet, so even though some wonderful comments have been made by Ms. Schakowsky, I am going wait a while. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4764) to reauthorize the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 5373.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, tragically, one in eight women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer over their lifetime. Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women and the second leading cause of cancer death in women. From 2013 to 2017, breast cancer death rates in older women declined. However, breast cancer death rates have remained steady in younger women. We know that breast health education, awareness, and screening saves lives. The bill we are considering today, H.R. 4078, the EARLY Act Reauthorization, reauthorizes initiatives at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to increase knowledge of breast cancer and risks of breast cancer among young women. This bill nearly doubles the investment Congress is making in this program, because we believe it is crucial that we stop losing young moms, daughters, sisters, and friends, to breast cancer. This program is critically important, and I want to thank Representatives Wasserman Schultz and Brooks for their bipartisan leadership on this program. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4078, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4996) to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to provide for a State option under the Medicaid program to provide for and extend continuous coverage for certain individuals, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 4996.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4996, the Helping Medicaid Offer Maternity Services Act, or the Helping MOMS Act of 2020. The U.S. has some of the world's leading healthcare providers. We have cutting-edge researchers and first-class facilities for those who can afford it. At the same time, women are more likely to die from complications from childbirth here in the U.S. than in other nations in the developed world. Maternal mortality especially affects women of color. Black women and American Indian and Alaska Native women are three times more likely than White women to die from pregnancy-related causes. Even more tragically, most of these deaths are preventable. These statistics are unacceptable. They are an indictment of our healthcare system, Madam Speaker, and I believe we can do better. Ensuring that women have access to health insurance for the first year postpartum is an obvious first step that we can take to ensure that all women, regardless of income, have access to the care they need for the critical first year after giving birth. Currently, Medicaid covers pregnant women for 60 days postpartum. After that, many women lose eligibility and go without a consistent source of care. The Helping MOMS Act would build on this coverage by giving States the option to extend Medicaid coverage to women to a full year postpartum. This bill is endorsed by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, the National Birth Equity Collaborative, the March of Dimes, and many more organizations. I want to commend Representative Robin Kelly for her passion and commitment to this bill and to improving the lives of new mothers. I also want to thank and recognize Representative Michael Burgess, the ranking member of the Health Subcommittee, for his steadfast leadership on the Republican side. Finally, I want to recognize the efforts of Representatives Lauren Underwood, Cathy Rodgers, Ayanna Pressley, and Buddy Carter for their leadership on this issue and their commitment to bipartisan solutions. Too many children in this country, Madam Speaker, grow up knowing their mothers only as a fading picture on the wall or as someone whose name brings a bittersweet smile and a tear to friends and loved ones. It doesn't have to be this way. This bill will not singlehandedly fix the maternal health crisis in this country, but it will mean that more of these children will have a mother to take care of them, tuck them in at night, comfort them in moments of need, and share in their moments of joy and sorrow. I urge my colleagues to support this bill for these children and their mothers. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 5572.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5572, the Family Support Services for Addiction Act of 2020. According to new data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, nearly 20 million Americans live with a substance use disorder. While we are making progress in connecting Americans with treatment, the reality is that only a fraction of those Americans receives the care they really need. The Family Support Services for Addiction Act builds upon recent congressional efforts, such as the 21st Century Cures Act and the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, to help close the treatment gap and get Americans on the road to recovery. We know that families can play a significant role in helping an individual find treatment, yet there isn't a one-size-fits-all solution to ensuring a family member or loved one can get the care they need. We also know that substance use disorders affect more than just the individual. It affects the family in its entirety. Madam Speaker, as my colleagues and I heard during our hearings on this bill, getting families evidence-based guidance and connecting them with other community support systems can dramatically influence the trajectory of an individual's path to recovery. That is exactly what this bill sets out to do. H.R. 5572 would authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to family community organizations that would work to develop, expand, and enhance evidence-based family support services. These family community organizations can use the grant to reduce stigma around substance use disorder and build connections between families and providers, foster care services, and other peer-support services. Madam Speaker, given the impact of this drug epidemic, chances are that many of us know someone--whether it be a loved one, a neighbor, a co-worker, or a classmate--who has a substance use disorder. And while we know that substance use disorders are complex, they are treatable. An individual's road to treatment can be driven by family supports encouraged through this legislation. I commend the lead sponsor of this legislation, Representative David Trone and also Representative Daniel Meuser, and their staff, for advocating for additional support for families. I also thank the Democratic and Republican members of our committee, as well as bipartisan committee staff, for working together to move this bill, and I hope the Senate will act on it swiftly. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Trone).

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I also urge support for the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2075) to amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize school-based health centers, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2075.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 7948.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 5469.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1109.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1109, the Mental Health Services for Students Act of 2020. Research shows that half of all lifetime mental illness begins by the age of 14. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about three in four children between the ages of 3 and 17 suffer from depression and anxiety, and nearly half have behavioral problems. In fact, recent data from Mental Health America show that youth between the ages of 11 and 17 are now at higher risk of moderate to severe anxiety and depression. For many students, schools are a critical place to get mental health support. Now, with added public health concerns, economic pressures, online learning, and the social isolation that comes with these things, experts worry about the added repercussions we will be seeing on the well-being of students across the country. The data and the effect of the pandemic make clear that we must do more to invest in preventative mental health services and training in schools to give our kids and teens a brighter future. The American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on School Health recognized the increasing mental health needs of children and adolescents when it said that ``school-based mental health services offer the potential for prevention efforts as well as intervention strategies.'' H.R. 1109 does just that. This bill would support comprehensive mental health programs at schools across the Nation by encouraging partnerships between State and local educational agencies and mental health providers. Funding would be made available through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to support prevention screening, treatment, and development of evidence-based programs for social, emotional, and mental and behavioral issues among students. This bill will also help us better understand the student, family, and educational outcomes of services provided to students. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the lead sponsors of this bill, Representatives Grace Napolitano and John Katko, for their leadership and their work. I also thank, of course, Ranking Member Walden and the members of our committee for their bipartisan support for this bill. Madam Speaker, it is critical that we support preventative mental health services and training in schools for our kids and teens, particularly at a time when mental health risks are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2519.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4861) to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a program to improve the identification, assessment, and treatment of patients in the emergency department who are at risk of suicide, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 4861.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 7293.