Joseph Pitts

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1098, the Traumatic Brain Injury Reauthorization Act, introduced by Representative Bill Pascrell of New Jersey, which will continue to provide the needed services that help patients with a traumatic brain injury, TBI. More than 3.17 million Americans live with a disability that resulted from a TBI, including children and adults, athletes and soldiers. The prevention and surveillance work done at the Centers for Disease Control keeps the public and providers aware of TBI research that leads to early diagnosis and treatment. Research at the National Institutes of Health improves the understanding of TBI and identifies treatments that will improve lives. Programs available at the Health Resources and Services Administration help families to better care for their members who suffer from a TBI. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, this is another piece of important legislation, and it enjoys bipartisan support. I urge the Members to support it. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, with Russian-backed militants creating chaos in Ukraine, neighboring Moldova has put their forces on high alert. Moldova and Ukraine share a similar problem of breakaway states within their borders. In fact, there is evidence that Russian forces located in the Transnistria region of Moldova have been involved in the recent violence seen in Odessa, Ukraine. Moldova, just like Ukraine, wishes for a better relationship with their European neighbors, but could see its attempts to cement friendships undermined by pro-Russian provocateurs. We should make it clear that any effort to undermine Moldova's sovereignty will not be tolerated. Last week, I introduced a bipartisan resolution that calls on this House to support Moldovan independence and oppose aggression by the Russian Federation. It is clear that Vladimir Putin will take advantage of any sign of weakness. We need to display strength on behalf of our friends in the region, engage them, and support their right to defend the independent Republic of Moldova from aggressive actions.

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, a little over four years ago my esteemed colleague from New Jersey, the honorable Chris Smith, rose in this chamber to bring due attention to one of the great Christians of the twentieth century--the noted Chinese teacher and church-planter, Watchman Nee. Today, I rise to complete the circle on this compelling story by honoring Watchman Nee's closest co-worker, Witness Lee. Together they labored tirelessly in China from 1932 until the conquest of mainland China by the Communist Red Army under Mao Tse Tung in 1949. Today, the story of Watchman Nee is somewhat well known, given his numerous writings that have become Christian classics, such as The Normal Christian Life and Sit, Walk, Stand. Capping his inspirational biography was his martyrdom in a Chinese labor farm in 1972. Witness Lee's story is less known in the West but is in no way less significant. Although Nee was the clear leader when they labored together in China, it was left to Witness Lee, to preserve and continue their work outside of China and to spread it far beyond the Chinese- speaking world. When it became apparent in 1949 that the Communists would prevail in China, Watchman Nee insisted that Witness Lee emigrate to carry on their work in Taiwan and throughout the Far East. Lee agreed. Subsequent developments not only validated Nee's insight (he was imprisoned shortly thereafter, and the churches raised up under his and Lee's ministry were forced underground), but also confirmed that their message and ministry had the potential to reach far beyond China. Almost immediately Lee's ministry began to have a profound impact in Taiwan. Tens of thousands turned to Jesus Christ for their salvation and began congregating in simple, New Testament churches, as their Chinese brethren had done in China during the previous two decades. Today, there are more than 200 such local churches in Taiwan with more than 200,000 believers. It is a similar story in the Far East and Australasia, with churches established in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Korea, New Zealand and Australia. Witness Lee did not confine his work to Asia. In 1962 he came to North America and began to minister from Los Angeles, where he established Living Stream Ministry, the publisher of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee in English and over fifty other languages. Witness Lee's speaking and writing continued to emphasize ``Christ as life'' and God's desire to ``build His church'' on the basis of the oneness of God's people, rather than on any ethnic or cultural differences. This was the same message that he had learned from his spiritual mentor, Watchman Nee. Since the early 1960s the spread of the local churches under Lee's ministry throughout the North and South America, Europe, and Africa has been remarkable. There are more than 4,000 churches and 400,000 believers meeting on every inhabited continent, including 200 churches and several thousand believers in Russia and the Russian- speaking world. Inside mainland China the number of ``hidden'' believers following the ministry of Nee and Lee has continued to grow despite the Chinese government's often extreme measures to suppress and openly persecute them. Historically, members of the churches in China who appreciate the ministry of Nee and Lee have been among the most harshly persecuted. Thousands have been imprisoned, countless beaten, and many even martyred. It is estimated today that there may be two million believers and thousands of local churches in China that draw their spiritual nourishment and supply from the ministry of Nee and Lee. Recently, reports have reached the West that Christian believers in two provinces have been imprisoned merely for possessing copies of the Recovery Version, a study Bible published by Living Stream Ministry and Taiwan Gospel Book Room, the publishing entity Lee established in Taiwan. Today Watchman Nee is still labeled as a ``dangerous counterrevolutionary,'' and Witness Lee is officially branded as a ``cult leader.'' The writings of both men are banned in China. It is tragic that Watchman Nee died in a Chinese prison farm, totally unaware of how profoundly his life and ministry would impact the entire world. It is a similar tragedy that Witness Lee died in 1997 with such a blatant, gross distortion hanging over his name and his ministry in his homeland. It is ironic that at a time when China is taking such a prominent role on the world stage in so many areas of society, it is missing an obvious opportunity to further improve its reputation with in the international community. Rather than slander the names of two faithful men of God, China should take national pride that two of its own, neither of whom were political in either their message or their leadership of the flock, have had extraordinary impact far beyond the Chinese-speaking world. Mr. Speaker, I call upon the Chinese government today to release all those being held simply because of their faith in Christ and to abandon this national campaign to discredit and distort the record of two brave followers of the One who came with the message of salvation, forgiveness and peace, and instead, to celebrate with us the contributions of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee to believers the world over.

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 1557) to amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize support for graduate medical education programs in children's hospitals.

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I am glad that, today, we will pass a bill that will help keep American children healthy. Today, the House considers S. 1557, the Children's Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act of 2013. This is companion legislation to my own bill, H.R. 297, which passed the House at the beginning of this Congress. I am pleased that we have worked out the slight differences between the bills and that we can now reauthorize an important program that makes sure our Nation has enough doctors trained to treat children. The Children's Hospital Graduate Medical Education Program helps encourage more young doctors to pursue this important specialty. Without it, we would certainly see fewer medical professionals enter pediatrics and pediatric subspecialties. Children need doctors trained just to treat them. Nationwide, this program supports the training of more than 5,000 doctors. Locally, in my area of Pennsylvania, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia participates in the program. I have had the privilege of visiting the hospital a number of times and meeting with the young patients and the doctors learning how to treat them. I am proud to have worked on this legislation with Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Frank Pallone. We originally introduced this bill in the 112th Congress. It has been a long road. I am glad we can finally send this bill to the President for his signature. This is yet another bipartisan bill that we have successfully moved through the Health Subcommittee. It is proof that, despite our differences, we can find common ground and work together on legislation in a bipartisan way to help Americans stay healthy. I would like to especially thank Monica Volante on my staff, as well as the staff of the Health Subcommittee, especially Brenda Destro and Katie Novaria, who worked tirelessly on this legislation. I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to ask all Members to support S. 1557, very important legislation with bipartisan support, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4302) to amend the Social Security Act to extend Medicare payments to physicians and other provisions of the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and for other purposes.

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I sorely wish I were here getting ready to vote on a bill that would permanently repeal and replace the sustainable growth rate. In this Chamber, we passed a bill that would do that and that would have fully offset the cost of the repeal by delaying a provision of the Affordable Care Act that the administration just keeps delaying itself. In fact, it was partially delayed again just yesterday. Unfortunately, we have reached another doc fix deadline. I believe that we must act to protect America's seniors and ensure that they can continue to see the doctors whom they know and trust. That is why I have introduced legislation that represents a bipartisan-bicameral agreement that will give us additional time to work out our differences and pass permanent repeal. We are closer than ever to reaching that goal. We have an agreement on policy. We need to overcome our differences about the responsible way to pay for those new policies. I hope that we can act before we reach the new deadline of March 31, 2015. In fact, we should try to reach a bicameral agreement before the end of this Congress. I am glad that Speaker Boehner has offered his continuing support to this effort. With the House's having acted, we hope that the Senate can also pass an SGR repeal that has real pay-fors. Then we can begin the process of working through our differences in a conference committee. I am sponsoring this bill today because it is my earnest hope that this is the last patch we will have to pass, and I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), an important member of the Health Subcommittee.

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. We have groups who have expressed support for this bill: the American Clinical Laboratory Association; the American College of Radiology; Easter Seals; the Family Research Council; the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation; the Medical Imaging and Technology Alliance, MITA; the National Abstinence Education Association; the Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children; the Pew Charitable Trusts; the ZERO to THREE: National Center on Infants, Toddlers, and Families; AdvaMed, among others. I would urge Members to seriously consider this. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I am pleased to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton), the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire of the time remaining?

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, can I inquire of the minority how many speakers they have left?

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire of the minority how many speakers they have left? We are prepared to close.

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close. I will continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to read out the title of a blast that I just received from The Heritage Foundation. Some of our Members might be interested in this. ``A temporary SGR patch is better than permanent deficits in support of the bill.'' My colleagues, this morning, seniors are watching. This is not a game. We are thinking of seniors and certainty for them. A vote ``no'' today is a vote against seniors. We are not voting for the AMA today. We are voting for or against seniors today. We will continue to work with all of our might for a permanent repeal of SGR. We have worked on this for 3 years. We must get there as soon as possible, but we are at a deadline, and this is the last vote we will have. If you vote ``no'' on this bill, you are voting for more uncertainty. You are voting for a cut to doctor reimbursement. You are voting against seniors. Let us vote for seniors this morning. Vote for H.R. 4302. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, first, I want to thank the gentlelady for hosting this Special Order. This is so important because, tomorrow, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case of Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties against Sebelius. I have the privilege, tomorrow, to sit in the Chamber and listen to the oral arguments. At the heart of the argument is the question about whether you stop following your conscience when you go into business. For family businesses like Conestoga Wood Specialties, located in my Congressional district, faith and business are not separate. Their business would not be the same if they did not apply the values that guide their life. I visited this business. I have talked to their employees. I know the Hahn family. They are sincere Mennonites and wonderful people of faith and good business people. It is those values that prompted Conestoga Wood to provide quality health insurance to their employees in the first place. They provided health insurance long before this regulation or mandate came along under ObamaCare. No government mandate had to tell them that it was the right thing to do. Now, the government wants to use force and fines to stipulate the details of what that plan covers. Conestoga Wood and many other businessowners of faith now find themselves in a catch-22 of conscience. The First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act were meant to guard against using the heavy hand of government to infringe on our religious rights. We should not have to leave our faith at the church door. Under the First Amendment, we are guaranteed freedom of religion, and I might remind you, it is the First Amendment. It is not the Second Amendment. It is not the Sixth or the 16th or the 26th. It is the First Amendment. It is the first thing mentioned in the First Amendment-- freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. Pennsylvania has a long history of people of differing faiths engaging in commerce. 100 years before there was a First Amendment, William Penn established his colony as a place where religious dissenters could find freedom and safety. The Forefathers of the Hahn family--Mennonites and others--came to Pennsylvania because it was advertised as a place where you could live and work freely according to your religious beliefs. These people of faith supported themselves with businesses, and the colonial authorities in Pennsylvania let them apply their principles freely. These principles of religious freedom would later inform the founding of our Republic, and something that had at first been uniquely Pennsylvanian would become part of our national culture. Family-owned and -operated businesses provide millions of good jobs in America. The Hahn family is facing a difficult choice that no American should have to face. We hope and pray that the Supreme Court will uphold a basic Pennsylvania value and a basic American value and the First Amendment right to religious freedom. Every American, including family businessowners, should be free to live and work according to their beliefs without the fear of punishment or coercion by the government. Americans don't give up their freedom when they open a family business. Let's hope and pray that the Supreme Court will uphold all of our rights to religious freedom here in this great country we call America. I yield back.