Ed Perlmutter

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I would just say to my friend, Mr. Kustoff, he and I served together on Financial Services, and there is agreement here. In fact, this resolution that he described as a great stepping stone, we just took and passed the resolution 2 days ago with 398 ``aye'' votes in favor of that. Today, though, we are here to focus on two other things, both of which are substantial measures in and of themselves, and we can look forward to other measures involving the anti-BDS movement or whatever we may be, but to deal with anti-Semitism. But today we are here, really, to applaud a deal that was cut among all of our leaders, Democrats and Republicans, that eliminates drastic cuts, approves funding, or funding levels, for the next year to 2 years, and allows America to move forward without the real potential of shutdown like we had for 35 days when the White House, earlier in this year, refused to deal on certain subjects and appropriations. Thankfully, we got through that. I think, at this point, cooler heads have prevailed, and we are moving forward on the Bipartisan Budget Act; and then, as Ms. Shalala said, we are dealing with, really, a humanitarian crisis that exists in Venezuela, at this point, to provide temporary protected status to those who fled their country, who are in America, many of whom are in Florida, to provide them some protection while they are here and to make sure that they can comfortably, if you will, remain here and not fear that they are going to have to be deported back to Venezuela, where we know there is a lot of strife and danger. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 519 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I just want to continue to focus on what is before us today, and what is before us today is dealing with the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela and dealing with the budget of the United States of America, two accomplishments, both bipartisan, that I think will really assist and protect so many people who fled Venezuela to America, and particularly to Florida, but also provides for funding caps that help us with veterans, with infrastructure, with foreign affairs across the board, with our military. The President tweeted the other day that the Bipartisan Budget Act was a real accomplishment for veterans and our military, and I agree. I am sorry that Mr. Zeldin and Mr. Cole would like to bring up something else. In fact, I was fortunate enough to be in the chair when the BDS bill and the resolution, H. Res. 246, I think it was, was being debated and passed by an overwhelming majority and it really was a huge accomplishment, which I am afraid the arguments that the gentleman is making now minimize what was accomplished just 2 days ago. I think we need to remain focused on these major pieces of legislation that will guide America for the next 2 years and will protect Venezuelans who fled their country for at least 18 months. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole) for his comments. I almost thought he was going to support the rule. I just felt it was moving in that direction, but not quite, but I do want to thank him. And, particularly, I think, during the 35 days that we were in shutdown mode at the beginning of this year, there were a lot of hard lessons learned by a lot of people, and there were a lot of people who suffered, starting with the people that needed assistance in one way or another by Federal employees who were, in effect, sitting at home waiting for us to open the government again. So, Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased. Mr. Speaker, I would say to the gentleman, I think that hard lesson-- and we met pretty much every night in the Rules Committee, the Appropriations Committee, the gentleman is an appropriator--that was something that weighed heavily on all of us. Mr. Speaker, I do want to applaud the Republicans and Democrats, our leadership, and the White House in coming up with a compromise. I know there will be some on my side that will not support this for a variety of reasons, and I know there will be some on Mr. Cole's side as well, but, hopefully, we can garner enough support--and I think it will be strong support--today for both of these pieces of legislation that are brought up under the rule. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues for joining me to speak on the rule and these pieces of legislation. The rule provides for consideration of H.R. 549, the Venezuelan TPS Act, which we already know is supported by a bipartisan majority in this House. We also need and must pass H.R. 3877, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019. This legislation will raise the debt ceiling for 2 years and increases discretionary spending caps for fiscal year 2020 and fiscal year 2021. The deal achieves parity between increases in defense and nondefense spending and lets the House and the Senate get back to negotiation on all of the appropriations bills so that Congress can fulfill its constitutional duty of funding the government. As we look ahead to the next several weeks, which we will spend in our districts visiting with constituents and touring local businesses, I look forward to sharing with my constituents that despite our disagreements and everything that they may see on TV, we can still come together and get things done on behalf of America. Mr. Speaker, I encourage a ``yes'' vote on the rule and the previous question.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Chief of Police Dan Brennan for his many years of service to the City of Wheat Ridge and surrounding communities. For almost 15 years, Chief Brennan has served the Wheat Ridge community and the City's police department. Chief Brennan became Chief of Police in 2005, but his commitment to his community started long before then. He received both his bachelor's and master's degrees from local colleges before graduating from the 208th Session of the FBI National Academy, the Police Executive Research Forum's (PERF) Senior Management Institute for Police, the University of Denver Public Safety Leadership Institute, and the International Association of Chiefs of Police Leading Police Organizations Program. Chief Brennan has been recognized for many of his achievements with the Medal for Meritorious Service, Medal for Distinguished Service, the Police Service Award, Police Officer of the Year, and the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police Ralph Smith Professional Innovation Award. Chief Brennan's dedication to public service and helping people has improved the quality of life in Wheat Ridge and across Jefferson County. I extend my deepest thanks and appreciation to Chief Brennan for his service and commitment to our community and his service to the people of Colorado.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I was not present to vote on July 11, 2019 and July 12, 2019 due to a family obligation. Had I been present for roll call No. 473 on passage of H.R. 2500, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, I would have voted AYE. Had I been present for roll call No. 474 on passage of H.R. 1327, the Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act, I would have voted YEA.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and commend the Colorado Railroad Museum on their 60th anniversary. Railroads have played a unique role in the development and history of the state of Colorado, enabling the safe transportation of people and goods across Colorado's rugged geography and serving as the backbone of Colorado's economy and culture since 1876. Connecting the past and future of Colorado, the Museum serves to tell the story of America from the First Nations of the region to the immigrants and their families who came after to build their new lives in Colorado. Servicing more than 100,000 visitors annually, the Museum provides hands-on educational opportunity, preserves and displays educational historical artifacts, and offers exemplary educational programs to the community including: ``Day Out with Thomas'' events for children and ``Living History'' train rides in a restored steam locomotive. Thanks to a fundraising effort the Museum has expanded their work to include a climate-controlled library to handle archival records and a roundhouse to ensure the safety of their rolling stock so generations to come may continue to enjoy them. As such they have continually ranked amongst the top 10 paid attractions in the Denver metro area and as one of the top 10 railroad museums in the United States. The Museum has been recognized by the Smithsonian Institute and others for their work in preserving the history of the Rocky Mountain West. I extend my deepest congratulations to the Colorado Railroad Museum for their well-earned accolades and I look forward to another 60 years of their service to our community and the people of Colorado.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 389 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. I yield to the gentleman from Georgia.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Responding to my good friend from Georgia, we are going to have a chance to vote on this in the rule, and we will see whether or not a majority is in favor of the changes that were made as part of this rule package. I would say to my friend, as part of the changes, we are adding Gold Star families and other children to this entire SECURE Act package to benefit them because in the race to give a $2 trillion tax cut to the richest Americans, the Republican Party forgot about a lot of families and a lot of children. That is being corrected in this bill and in this amendment. I urge my friend to take another look at it because this rule does benefit Americans all across the board and all income levels. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Mrs. Trahan).

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I will start where my friend from Georgia just left off, complaining about a tiny section in the bill that was stricken in the Rules Committee. He is correct, because there are individuals within our Caucus who don't think it is appropriate. The bill, however, has dozens of provisions that benefit Americans of every stripe, millions of people. I would say to my friend from Georgia, if he feels so strongly about it, then bring it up in a motion to recommit. It isn't the last statement here. If my friend wants to see how many people want to vote for this, then certainly bring it up there. Otherwise, as my friend said, this was a major step forward on retirement security for so many Americans. The perfect shouldn't be the enemy of the good because the bill, the SECURE Act, advances that. Secondly, I wish Representative Maloney was still in the chair, Madam Speaker, because she would recognize, as it applies to the Consumers First Act, that the purpose of having a single agency focus on consumers first was so important because we saw that by having certain activities handled by the Housing and Urban Development Department, others handled by the Federal Reserve, and others handled by the Federal Trade Commission, consumers were not being protected. Much of that failure to protect--shark practices in the credit card industry and bad practices in the mortgage industry--led to the recession that we faced back in 2008, 2009, and 2010. The purpose of having an independent agency like the CFPB was to avoid that and put consumers first, just as H.R. 1500 is intended to do. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Panetta).

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members be given 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, just in response to my friend, we have two bills that are encompassed in this rule: H.R. 1500, the Consumers First Act, and H.R. 1994, the SECURE Act. The gentleman is focusing on one sentence out of dozens of provisions that benefit millions of Americans to complain about this rule and what was done. Well, people get to vote on this rule. It isn't just 6 people or 10 people or 13 people. There will be 435 of us voting on whether we approve the rule or not. There are other opportunities to take care of the one sentence, if my friend is so aghast that it might be stricken in favor of dozens of other provisions, including the Gold Star family and children across America. So, I appreciate the rhetorical abilities of my good friend from Georgia, but, quite frankly, he is missing the forest for the trees through all of this. Secondly, H.R. 1500 is another key piece of legislation that is encompassed in this rule to really get consumers first again, as opposed to the financial services industry being first, which appears to be the effort of the Trump administration. Madam Speaker, I would inquire of my friend from Georgia if he has any other speakers. If not, I suggest we close.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, the Rules Committee met on Monday night and reported a rule, House Resolution 389, which covers a lot of territory. It provides for consideration of H.R. 1500, the Consumers First Act under a structured rule which makes in order 17 amendments. The rule also provides for consideration of H.R. 1994, the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act, or the SECURE Act, under a closed rule which self-executes Chairman Neal's manager's amendment. Additionally, the rule provides same-day authority and suspension authority through Thursday, May 23, and it provides filing authority for the Committee on Appropriations through 5 o'clock p.m., Sunday, June 2. Finally, the rule provides recess instructions through next Friday, May 31. Madam Speaker, H.R. 1500, the Consumers First Act, reverses the anti- consumer actions taken by this administration to ensure the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau once again serves the needs of American consumers. More than a decade ago, the United States experienced one of the worst financial crises in our history, caused, in part, by a failure to have strong protections for consumers of financial products and services. Through the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, Congress created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to be a strong and independent agency with the mandate to protect consumers from unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices in the financial marketplace. When the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was first stood up, it was a powerful ally to consumers in middle-class families across the country. Under former Director Richard Cordray, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau returned nearly $12 billion to over 30 million consumers who were harmed, handled over 1.2 million consumer complaints about financial institutions, and implemented new safeguards to better protect consumers who utilize a wide range of consumer financial products and services. Unfortunately, the Trump administration has politicized the agency, weakened supervision and enforcement, and reduced transparency and accountability. The Bureau has dismantled protections for Active Duty servicemembers, weakened fair lending enforcement, blocked payday loan cases, and terminated the Consumers Advisory Board. These are just a few examples of how the agency is failing to meet its mission. The Consumers First Act would block the Trump Administration's agenda and ensure the CFPB starts working for the people once again. Among other things, the bill would direct the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau leadership to reverse all anti-consumer actions taken under this administration, including resuming Military Lending Act oversight. The bill restores the supervisory and enforcement powers of the Office of Fair Lending and Equal Opportunity. It also reestablishes a dedicated student loan office to help protect students as they find ways to finance their education. Importantly, the bill requires adequate agency staffing across the Bureau, including for supervision and enforcement. I want to thank Chairwoman Waters for her work on this legislation, which I cosponsored and is supported by 51 consumer civil rights, housing, and labor organizations. This rule also provides for consideration of H.R. 1994, the SECURE Act. I am also a cosponsor of this bill to make it easier for American workers to save for their future. One of my number-one priorities is ensuring all Coloradans and all Americans have the opportunity to find a good job, can afford to send their kids to college, and have something left over for their retirement. Unfortunately, nearly half of Americans in the private sector work for an employer who does not offer a retirement plan. A 2018 study by the National Institute on Retirement Security found over 100 million people of working age have few, if any, retirement assets. The SECURE Act is a bipartisan bill which was approved unanimously by the Ways and Means Committee, and I am eager for the House to pass this important legislation. The SECURE Act would make it easier for small businesses to offer retirement plans to their employees by eliminating outdated barriers to the use of multiple employer plans and improving the quality of these providers. This could result in hundreds of thousands of new retirement accounts to help people save. Additionally, the bill would allow long-time part-time workers to participate in 401(k) plans and create a new tax credit to incentivize small employers to set up retirement plans for their employees. It would also add more flexibility for how long individuals could contribute to their retirement accounts, and when they must begin drawing down on those accounts. This legislation is a big step forward in helping Americans save and prepare for retirement, and I am proud to support it. I urge all of my colleagues to support the rule and the underlying bills, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Woodall), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. General Leave

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I want to thank Mr. Panetta and Mrs. Trahan for joining us today to speak on this rule, the Consumers First Act, and the SECURE Act. And, just briefly, with respect to the Consumers First Act, there are dozens and dozens of consumer, civil rights, and labor organizations supporting the Consumers First Act and how we are approaching it pursuant to this rule: Americans for Financial Reform, the Center for Responsible Lending, the Communication Workers of America, the Consumer Federation of America, and the NAACP, just to mention a few, with respect to the Consumers First Act. With respect to the SECURE Act: AARP, SEIU, the Church Alliance, the Girl Scouts, the Boy Scouts, the National Association of Women Business Owners. And today is the 100th anniversary of a woman's right to vote, so here we have got the National Association of Women Business Owners, as well as the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, TIAA-CREF, and the Air Line Pilots Association. So we have consumer groups, insurance groups, and business groups supporting the SECURE Act so that millions more Americans can feel secure in their retirement, something that so many people feel insecure about today. The bill has dozens and dozens of provisions. The amendment that is in the nature of the manager's amendment by Mr. Neal includes additional children, Gold Star families, a lot of people who were left out by the giant tax cut that the Republicans passed a year and a half ago to benefit the wealthiest Americans. These two bills are important steps forward for the constituents that you represent, Madam Speaker, that the gentleman from Georgia represents, and the people I represent. The Consumers First Act will realign the Consumer Bureau's focus as a truly independent voice protecting consumers first. We have seen what the bureau can accomplish in the millions of consumers who were helped under Director Cordray, and our constituents need the bureau to continue to focus on them. The SECURE Act is an important bipartisan package which addresses retirement security and makes an important technical change to the GOP tax bill for Gold Star families, among others. This package was developed by both sides of the aisle and with many stakeholders. While the other side of the aisle may be upset over one provision out of dozens and dozens of provisions, I hope they can recognize the effort that went into this package to bring both sides together and the millions of Americans who are benefited by this legislation. These are both commonsense bills, and I look forward to their passage. Madam Speaker, I encourage a ``yes'' vote on the rule and the previous question.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I kind of wanted to object, but I didn't. Madam Speaker, I encourage a ``yes'' vote on the rule and the previous question.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Vertafore, Inc. for celebrating their 50th anniversary. For more than fifty years, Vertafore has provided software services to the insurance industry worldwide. Founded in 1969, Vertafore was previously known as AMS Holding Group, Inc. In 2017, they relocated their headquarters to Denver, Colorado where they have created hundreds of jobs in the city and partnered with the thousands of agents across the state. The mission at Vertafore is to transform the way the industry operates by putting people at the heart of insurance technology. By focusing on their customers and delivering results you can see, they offer a level of trust and security that's at the heart of the insurance industry. It is that service and level of trust that has allowed the company to be successful for over fifty years. To all the employees of Vertafore, congratulations on this remarkable accomplishment, and I thank them for their continued commitment to the insurance community and contribution to the state of Colorado.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

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

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Chair, I thank the gentleman, and as there is no opposition, I will close. Madam Chair, I would urge support for this amendment. I see my friend, Mr. Dunn, who has been in front of the Rules Committee half a dozen times on issues relating to this disaster relief bill and the impact that it has had on his State, Florida, and all of the Southeast United States and throughout the Midwest. We have heard the gentlewoman from Texas make a great case for this bill, generally. Madam Chair, I urge support of my amendment, and I urge support of the overall disaster relief bill. We need it now, not later. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Chair, as we work to rebuild from hurricanes, flooding, and other natural disasters through this supplemental appropriations bill, I am glad the Appropriations Committee included funding to improve U.S. weather forecasting, modeling, and computing capabilities. Improving our forecasting abilities can save lives and protect property, which is exactly the mission charged to the National Weather Service. My amendment adds an additional $5 million for NOAA's weather forecasting, modeling, and cloud computing programs and helps accelerate implementation of the new Earth Prediction Innovation Center, or EPIC, for short. Congress authorized EPIC late last year to serve as a center of excellence to create an agile, focused, and measurable approach to community involvement in improving weather forecasting. The center will create a community global weather research modeling system that is publicly available to encourage collaboration. It will also strengthen NOAA's ability to undertake innovative research projects. Importantly, EPIC has an opportunity to continue breaking down barriers by accelerating the transfer of research to operations and operations to research, which will improve our weather forecasting enterprise. Improving these capabilities will help everyone across the country, and I urge all my colleagues to support my amendment. Madam Chair, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano).

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Teacher Appreciation Week and honor all who inspire and motivate our children every day. I want to thank all the wonderful and dedicated teachers across Colorado and the country, including my wife, Nancy, and my sister, Cassie, who are both public schoolteachers. I have witnessed firsthand their commitment to their students and their schools. Being a teacher is a tough job, but one of the most important. We all have teachers who pushed us, counseled us, or took a friend or family member under their wing and shaped our lives. Nowadays, too often, our teachers, in addition to teaching and educating us, have to protect and defend us. We have had that instance recently in Colorado. The passion for education shown by teachers in Colorado and across the country is amazing. I look forward to working with my colleagues to invest in our schools, reduce class sizes, and ensure our teachers have the resources they need to educate the next generation.