Donald Payne

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate a nonprofit organization that helps serve the intellectually and developmentally disabled community in my district. For the past forty years, JESPY House has been a vital part of South Orange, New Jersey. JESPY House has provided housing, job training, and life skills to hundreds of disabled people during its long history as a public service organization. In two weeks, JESPY House will host the grand opening of its newest expansion--the Michael Och House, a Center for Aging at JESPY. The Och House is part of JESPY's ``Aging in Place'' program, which provides for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities to live in a client-centered, community-based setting during their senior years. The Och House will help JESPY to ensure its clients are able to age with dignity. They will have increased nursing and health care screenings, healthy living workshops, on-site physical therapists, and age-appropriate accessibility furnishings. I am proud to represent organizations that are doing great things for those in need. JESPY House is a model for advancing independence among adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. I ask that my colleagues join me in honoring them.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, let me first thank my colleagues, Delegate Plaskett and Congressman Horsford for hosting tonight's Special Order hour on Judge Keith's legacy and the Trump administration's recent attempts to roll back the social safety nets in our country. Judge Keith's legacy cannot be overstated. He was an icon for African Americans and, indeed, all Americans. He was a Black pioneer in the legal field whose rulings took on Presidents from Richard Nixon to George W. Bush. For 60 years he sat on the Federal bench and consistently ruled in favor of expansive civil rights in this country. It is because of Judge Keith and others like him that thousands of young Black people have entered the legal profession and rose to the top. He was a judge who always extended a hand down to help lift others up. That is the American way, and it is worth fighting for. Sadly, we live in a time when people in power don't always help uplift others. We have a President who is doing his best to beat down everyone who doesn't think, look, or vote like him. Now we see that the President has set his sights on America's neediest people. He and his cronies are peddling a myth that the vulnerable people who rely on our social safety net are lazy folks who just want a government handout. But we know that is not true. Some people just need a hand up every once in a while. The Trump administration's attempts to roll back the social safety net is a life-and-death matter for thousands of Americans who struggle to make ends meet. We live in an unpredictable world. One day you can be on top, but the next day you might be knocked down. The social safety net is our country's promise that we will help people get back up again. Sometimes people need a little help buying food, or getting healthcare, or just scraping by. There is nothing wrong with that. We all know someone who has had hard times, and when we are having a good time, we need to look out for each other. That is the American way. I have said this before but let me say it again: I have never met a person who wakes up in the morning and says: ``I want to be poor today.'' That is just not reality. And let me add this: I have never met a person who wakes up at 5 a.m. to go to her first job; comes home at 1 p.m. to take a nap; and heads out to her second job at 4 p.m., yet still lives paycheck to paycheck. I never knew anyone that said: ``I like the struggle. I like the difficulty. I like being poor.'' That person does not exist. That is just not how the world works. Social safety net programs like SNAP, Medicaid, and housing assistance are supplements that help people struggle just a little bit less. Yet, my colleagues across the aisle and their friends in the White House keep pushing a false narrative that people who rely on government assistance to make ends meet are freeloaders or take government handouts and buy drugs. The 45th President keeps pushing his callous, immoral narrative in order to tear apart our social safety net. In my district, 17.9 percent of the households rely on SNAP to feed their families. They aren't lazy. They aren't addicts. They are hardworking people; some of them with two or three jobs just trying to make ends meet. And now the President is trying to define them out of existence. According to reports, his administration wants to change how inflation is calculated in the official poverty measure in order to define poverty out of existence and deny people access to our social safety net. Well, Mr. President, that is not going to work for the American people. The United States Government should be making it easier for Americans to maintain a decent standard of living. The fact of the matter is that 70 percent of Americans rely on at least one Federal program at some point in time in their lives. The President's focus on ripping apart our social safety net with heartless cuts is wrong, it is immoral, and it is shameful. It isn't about cleaning up waste, fraud, or abuse. It is about pulling the rug out from under people. Programs like SNAP are not just some unlimited handout for people who are sitting at home doing nothing. Currently, 44 percent of the people who use SNAP have at least one person in the family working. But even though they are working, they might make minimum wage and are still below the poverty line. When it comes to families with children who are on SNAP, more than half of them bring home wages. But the problem is, their income isn't enough to actually live on. So when the self-proclaimed billionaire in the White House talks about making people who receive SNAP benefits work or defining poverty out of existence, he is just repeating the same old fake news that the Republican Party has peddled for decades. This is unacceptable, and as a Member of Congress, I am here to serve the people in my communities, and that means all the people. We have to protect our most vulnerable and those in need. Let us end the administration's war on the working poor and help make their lives better for all of our constituents.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Reverend Joseph L. Jones of Monumental Baptist Church in Jersey City, New Jersey, on the occasion of his retirement. Reverend Jones has been a part of the Monumental Baptist Church family for 54 years. He spent the last 23 years as its pastor. Reverend Jones helped grow the church's Sunday school, Bible school, and prayer service programs, but he also helped grow educational opportunities in the community at large. Under Reverend Jones' leadership, Monumental Baptist Church has gone out into the community to expand career and educational opportunities for everyone. That is something to be proud of. As Reverend Jones says, he has always lived by the motto: ``Do something good for someone else.'' I am proud to represent Monumental Baptist Church, and I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating the retirement of Reverend Joseph L. Jones.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, from their health outcomes to their unemployment income, from their education rate to their incarceration rate, Black men and boys are disproportionately impacted by government policies. It is not that Black men and boys are falling behind. It is that they have never been ahead. For centuries, government policies have redlined Black men and boys into a lower social status than their White counterparts. This is an institutional problem. Yesterday, I joined with many of my colleagues at the House Triangle to stand in support of Congresswoman Frederica Wilson's bill to create the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys. We were joined by young men who want nothing more than to live the American Dream free of discrimination. This country owes them that. H.R. 1636 will bring together experts to tackle the wide range of issues that have kept Black men and boys behind for hundreds of years. It will mark the beginning of the end of racial disparities that have kept communities across the country down. Madam Speaker, I am proud to support it.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, the contrast between Republicans and Democrats on the issue of healthcare could not be any clearer. Why do Republicans in the Trump administration want to make Americans sick again? They want to eliminate protections for people with preexisting conditions. They want to take us backward. Democrats, on the other hand, want to make America healthy. We want to expand healthcare access. We want to strengthen the Affordable Care Act, and we want to make sure that people with preexisting conditions are not denied insurance coverage. Madam Speaker, more than 200,000 people in New Jersey who purchased their insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace have preexisting conditions. That is why H.R. 986, the Protecting Americans with Preexisting Conditions Act, is so important. It would block the Trump administration's efforts to weaken the Affordable Care Act's protections for preexisting conditions, because there is no going back to healthcare discrimination.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, today I introduced a resolution designating this week as National Infrastructure Week. With every day that passes, the need for Federal infrastructure investment grows more and more urgent. Our roads, our bridges, our canals, our tunnels, our drinking water, our sewage facilities--they are all suffering because the Federal Government has not invested in rebuilding America's infrastructure. Lives are on the line because our infrastructure is crumbling, and our drinking water is not safe. Our constituents are begging us to rebuild America's infrastructure. Instead of that, the President is still obsessed with building his wall. Well, Mr. Speaker, that is not going to work for the American people. Americans want water infrastructure that is not tainted with lead. They want roads that aren't full of potholes. They want bridges that aren't falling down. They want airports and schools that are safe. They deserve nothing less. Let's go to work for the American people.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the proceedings during the former Members program be printed in the Congressional Record and that all Members and former Members who spoke during the proceedings have the privilege of revising and extending their remarks.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor America's mothers and to raise awareness about maternal mental health. Each year in the United States, an estimated 1.3 million women suffer from perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, such as maternal depression. To all the mothers or potential mothers out there, know that maternal depression is nothing to be ashamed of. It is the number one complication of pregnancy in the United States, and it can affect women regardless of the outcome of the pregnancy. Do not be afraid to reach out to healthcare professionals to get treatment. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring the mothers, the survivors of maternal depression, and the great organizations across the country that are supporting women's mental health. By raising awareness, we can help protect the mental health of women and mothers in our communities.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. ``Mommy, there are gunshots at my school.'' Mr. Speaker, no parent should ever hear those words, but that is the call a parent got yesterday when two students entered STEM School Highlands Ranch in Colorado and opened fire. Within minutes, first responders subdued the shooters, and I am thankful for that, but quick is not fast enough. One teenager died, and eight people were wounded. As a parent and a Congressman, my heart aches for the families and loved ones of the child who died and those who were injured. Mr. Speaker, yesterday's shooting is one of 41 incidents of gunfire on school grounds this year alone. Eight people have died and 20 have been injured. We have lost far too many children to gun violence in our schools and in our streets. I am proud of the progress the House has made to reduce gun violence, but the Senate GOP's inaction is outrageous. They need to do what is right: dump the NRA and pass some of this legislation we have sent to them to reduce gun violence. Enough is enough.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Joseph M. Juliano upon his retirement from the City of Orange Fire Department after 30 years of service. Dr. Juliano's commitment to the people of Orange, New Jersey, was inspired by his mother, Patricia, who was the first woman elected to the Orange City Council. Dr. Juliano joined the Fire Department in 1988 and rose through the ranks during his 30-year career. He retired with the rank of fire captain. In addition to being a firefighter, Dr. Juliano has served on the Orange Housing Authority for the past two decades, with the motto of ``getting Orange back on track.'' Dr. Juliano is a community leader and a role model from Orange, New Jersey, and I ask that my colleagues join me in honoring his service to the people of my district.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I proudly honor Essex County College on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. Over the past half-century, Essex County College has helped educate and enlighten thousands of students from New Jersey and across the country. Essex County College opened in 1968 to more than 3 thousand students. By 1970, the school needed a new campus and was relocated to what we now call University Heights in the Central Ward of Newark-- across the street from my congressional district office. Essex County College has grown and expanded across the community in the decades since it opened. Today, Essex County College has more than 13 thousand students across its degree, certificate, and job training programs. Throughout the 1970s and continuing today, Essex County College has invested in local communities. The school has opened and operated extension campuses throughout Essex County. It provides off-campus educational services like the popular Saturday Youth Programs. Essex County College helps students enter the workplace with marketable skills. Essex County College has provided a foundation of education for generations of students. Through leadership and community investment, Essex County College is leading the way toward greater opportunity. Under President Anthony Munroe, I know that Essex County College will continue to flourish for years to come. I ask that my colleagues join me in celebrating their 50th anniversary.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the Trump administration's Title X gag rule. The gag rule is a Federal prohibition on funding for healthcare providers who may refer patients to an abortion. The Title X gag rule will endanger patients who rely on health clinics that will lose Federal funding. That means women will have less access to cancer screening, reproductive health services, birth control, and health education. By prohibiting medical caregivers from making decisions in the best interest of patients, the gag rule puts lives at risk. All patients, regardless of geography, income, race, or identity, should be able to access whatever medical care and health information their healthcare provider thinks is relevant. The Trump administration should not be deciding what a doctor or a nurse or any healthcare giver tells their patients.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, Isabel Wilkerson is one of the most important documentarians of African-American history in the United States. Ms. Wilkerson devoted fifteen years to researching and writing The Warmth of Other Suns, one of the most important accounts of the Great Migration. From the 1910s to 1970s, millions of African-Americans left the segregated South in search of prosperity elsewhere. Drawing inspiration from the migration of her own parents from the rural South to Washington, D.C., Ms. Wilkerson set out to document stories from six decades of the continuous exodus of African-Americans from the South. By sharing the very important but underreported story of the six million people who were once enslaved and their descendants who fled the South for a better life, Ms Wilkerson has helped our nation better understand the dynamics of our society. The Warmth of Other Suns is only one of Ms. Wilkerson's great achievements. She has been a trailblazing author for decades. In the 1990s, she was Chicago Bureau Chief for The New York Times. In 1994, she became the first African-American woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for journalism. Her Pulitzer-winning stories centered on the Midwestern flood of 1993 and the reality of life for a ten-year-old boy from the South Side of Chicago. Since then, she has written and taught at the highest levels in the United States. Today, at Rutgers University in Newark, Ms. Wilkerson is delivering the prestigious Tanner Lecture on Human Values. Her work has enhanced our nation's understanding of human rights and human values. I proudly honor Ms. Wilkerson for her achievements and continued success.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, Frederick Douglass was born into slavery but laid to rest in power. His legacy touched countless lives in countless communities across this country, including Newark, New Jersey. Throughout Newark's history, its residents fought for the abolition of slavery and suffrage for Black people. People like the King family, whose house in Newark was part of the Underground Railroad, and people like Thomas Thompson, a black stagecoach driver who helped move people to freedom, were undeterred in the fight for Black freedom. It was leaders like them who arranged, in April of 1849, for Frederick Douglass to visit Newark and speak about Black freedom, justice, and empowerment. Frederick Douglass' speech at the First African Presbyterian Church on Plane Street was an historic moment in the city's long history of Black self-realization, a history Newark is still writing. Plane Street, now University Avenue, is the heart of Rutgers University-- Newark. It is a fitting tribute that Rutgers--Newark renamed its field on University Avenue the Frederick Douglass Field. Rutgers--Newark has, for generations, helped empower students from Newark to seek justice and freedom through education. I am proud to represent Rutgers--Newark in Congress and commend them for recognizing Frederick Douglass' legacy in our city.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, Sally G. Carroll was a trailblazer in law enforcement and past president of the Newark Branch of the NAACP. She dedicated her life to service. Miss Carroll passed away on April 1, 2019. During her 97 years on this earth, Miss Carroll was a pillar in New Jersey's criminal justice system. She was one of the first African- American women to become an officer in the Newark Police Department. Miss Carroll later transferred to the Essex County Sherriff's Office, where she rose to the rank of detective. Miss Carroll then became the first woman to serve on the New Jersey Parole Board. Throughout her lifetime of public service, Miss Carroll was active in the Newark Branch of the NAACP, where she served as President from 1967 to 1974. She was an active trustee of the Newark Museum and member of the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women. Miss Carroll's active service to Newark, Essex County, and New Jersey reflected her deep devotion to improving people's lives. I ask that my colleagues join me in honoring the life of Sally G. Carroll.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, hallelujah. Yesterday evening, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen resigned. Good. Under the Trump administration and Secretary Nielsen, both of whom were empowered by my colleagues across the aisle, the United States of America ripped children away from their parents and put them into tent cities. Ripping children away from their parents and lying about it to the American people was evil, and it should have ended Secretary Nielsen's career a year ago. Then, in December 2018, two little children died in the custody of the Federal Government while under the care of Secretary Nielsen. She should have done the honorable thing at that time and resigned. Those children did not deserve to die. That will be Secretary Nielsen's legacy. Mr. Speaker, the next Secretary of Homeland Security must commit to laying out for the American people a plan of action that ensures our border policy respects human life, promotes safety and dignity, and reins in this administration's horrible policies.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in honoring the life and legacy of former Essex County Freeholder Pearl Beatty. Freeholder Beatty passed away on April 2, 2019, leaving behind a trail of success as a community servant. Freeholder Beatty's interest in politics began in her early twenties, when she worked a voter registration table for the NAACP. It continued through 1960, when she sang at a rally for presidential candidate John F. Kennedy. Freeholder Beatty went on to work for the Kennedy campaign in New Jersey, helping put Kennedy over the top in the state. Three years later, Freeholder Beatty attended the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. She helped Newark residents picket Woolworth's for racial equality. And Freeholder Beatty was a key player in getting Newark's first Black mayor, Kenneth Gibson, elected in 1970. Over the years, Freeholder Beatty was a constant presence in Essex County politics and communities. She was scheduler for Jimmy Carter's 1976 New Jersey campaign, then ran for Essex County Freeholder in 1977. She served three terms as District 2 Freeholder, always fighting for her constituents. Freeholder Beatty worked tirelessly to get people of color registered to vote. I ask that my colleagues join me in honoring the life of Essex County Freeholder Pearl Beatty.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in honoring the life and legacy of a great man, a visionary leader, and a trailblazer--Kenneth A. Gibson. In 1970, voters in Newark, New Jersey, elected Mr. Gibson as our city's first Black mayor. He went on to serve four terms as mayor. Mayor Gibson passed away on March 19 at the age of 86. Mayor Gibson walked into Newark City Hall during a tumultuous time in the city's history. He was steadfast in fighting to ensure that, in his words, ``wherever American cities are going, Newark is going to get there first.'' Mayor Gibson brought home federal funds to help improve public housing. He made improvements to public health services, which led to reductions in infant mortality and tuberculosis. And Mayor Gibson helped start a revitalization of downtown Newark that continues today. Mayor Gibson's words, vision, and legacy will live on through the work of those who came after him. The modern development of Newark, New Jersey, cannot be separated from the legacy of Kenneth A. Gibson. It was his life and legacy that paved the way for transforming Newark. I ask that my colleagues join me in honoring the life of Newark, New Jersey's first Black Mayor, the Honorable Kenneth A. Gibson.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Garamendi for once again setting aside time to talk about the issues that affect the lives of people across this country. I want to start by saying that the contrast between Republicans and Democrats on this issue of healthcare could not be any clearer. As the gentleman has described in his discussion of the ongoing legal case down south, Republicans and the Trump administration want to make Americans sick again. They want to eliminate protections for people with preexisting conditions. Let me just stop there. This Nation was built on a morality that we held very deeply in this country. But, to me, it feels like it has been torn apart, is falling apart, that we do not care about people who find themselves in circumstances that they did not create on their own, that they should alone be left, because of a preexisting condition, not to be afforded healthcare. That is unconscionable. That is profiteering at its worst. It deeply upsets me that we find ourselves turning our backs on our brothers and our sisters, our mothers and our fathers, and our aunts and our uncles in this country to say, no, because you have an illness, we cannot protect you and give you insurance. It is unconscionable. They want to take the United States backward, and they are weaponizing the courts to do what they failed to do in Congress: repeal the Affordable Care Act. I arrived here in 2012, and the Affordable Care Act was already the law of the land. But what I witnessed in my time here was the over 50 times, close to 60 times, that the Republicans attempted to repeal the Affordable Care Act but could never do it. They could never do it. With the White House, with the Senate, and with the House, they still could not do it, because it was too popular with a lot of Americans in this country. They did not listen to the people. They did not want the Affordable Care Act repealed. Now they are trying to go the court and the executive route and do what they could not do in this body, which is the body that determines those matters. Democrats, on the other hand, want to make America healthy. We want to expand healthcare access. We want to strengthen the Affordable Care Act. We want to make sure that people with preexisting conditions are not denied insurance coverage. Now the Trump administration is fighting to bring healthcare discrimination back. Well, there is no going back. More than 200,000 people in my State of New Jersey who purchased their insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace have preexisting conditions. President Trump wants to make it easier for insurers to deny coverage. He is playing politics with their lives. What my constituents want and need is for the Affordable Care Act to be strengthened. The 200,000 New Jerseyans who purchased their insurance through the Affordable Care Act should not have their insurance coverage put to risk because of politics. New Jerseyans and all Americans deserve protection, not discrimination. Let me be clear: The Trump administration wants to put lives at risk by undermining people's access to healthcare across this country. The Trump administration is sabotaging the Affordable Care Act, and Americans are paying the price. The Trump administration has made it more difficult to enroll in the Affordable Care Act by increasing website downtime during open enrollment and cutting the budget for healthcare navigators, the people who help Americans determine and figure out what they need in terms of coverage. They cut that. The Trump administration has stopped finding cost-share reductions, which lower people's out-of-pocket expenses. The Trump administration has launched a full-scale legal attack on the Affordable Care Act. In light of those attacks, let me be clear about one thing: Democrats will keep fighting to ensure that all Americans' healthcare is protected. We will fight in the House. We will fight in the Senate. We will fight in the courts. Once again, I thank the gentleman for his true leadership on the issues that are facing the American people.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, Alzheimer's is a public health crisis. It is fitting that today, the second day of National Public Health Week, the Alzheimer's Association held their annual Day on the Hill. That is why I am wearing purple, to help raise awareness about Alzheimer's. Someone new develops Alzheimer's every 65 seconds in the United States. The cost of caring for those with Alzheimer's and other dementias is around $290 billion a year in the United States. That cost is only going to get higher. In New Jersey alone, there are 180,000 people over the age of 65 who suffer from Alzheimer's. Each year, nearly 3,000 of them die from Alzheimer's. Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me to raise awareness on Alzheimer's. But raising awareness is not enough. We need to increase research funding, commit to a public health response to Alzheimer's, and support Alzheimer's planning and care services under Medicare.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 9 a.m. tomorrow.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Elder Thyson T. Halley for his advocacy and service on behalf of the deaf community. At age 2, Elder Halley was diagnosed with spinal meningitis. Doctors said he would never again walk or talk. Despite losing his hearing, Elder Halley has dedicated his life to helping the deaf community. Elder Halley got his associates degree in deaf studies, then went on to become a certified deaf interpreter. His career as a deaf interpreter was inspired by a Biblical Scripture that says ``go ye therefore and teach.'' Over the years, Elder Halley has led deaf ministries throughout Newark, Jersey City, and across my district. He is the founder of His Hands Deaf and signing language and interpreter ministry of Chosen Generation Ministry in Newark. Through his ministry, Elder Halley has assisted with taking more than 1,500 underprivileged youth and parents to Disney World. Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in honoring Elder Thyson T. Halley's service to the people of my district.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, school shootings are dreadful atrocities that are plaguing our Nation. Nearly 20 years have passed since the horrendous shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, where 13 people lost their lives, yet schools and universities continue to be soft targets for deadly attacks. Last year, between the months of January and May 2018, there was the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting that claimed the lives of 17 individuals, but there were also shootings nearly every week at our Nation's schools. As history has shown us, there is no profile for a school likely to be targeted. This tragedy can happen at any school. In 2012, after the horrific shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, the Department of Homeland Security conducted an internal review of actions that its components were taking to help improve school security. Today, I understand that multiple DHS components currently have programs underway to address school security, but the degree to which there is coordination is unclear. The Coordinating and Leveraging Activities for School Security, or CLASS, Act will establish a standing council within the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate school security activities, plans, and policies. The coordinating council would include all the key players in school security at the Department. They include the DHS Under Secretary for Strategy, Policy, and Plans; the Director of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection; the FEMA Administrator; the Secret Service Director; and the heads of DHS' Offices of Academic Engagement and Public Affairs. This legislation was not developed in a vacuum. Inspiration for this legislation came directly from experiences of those impacted by school violence and from the input of New Jerseyans. Last July, my subcommittee held a school security field hearing in Newark. At the hearing, the subcommittee heard from the New Jersey State Police, the New Jersey Department of Education, the New Jersey Association of School Resource Officers, and the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security about the security risks the schools face and how Congress can provide support. At the hearing and subsequently through our outreach and oversight, we came to understand there needs to be better coordination of school security activities within DHS to bolster coordination and minimize fragmentation. As a leader in developing school security best practices and policies, it is important for DHS to have a formal school security body so that it can provide an example to those on the State and local levels on how to coordinate the protection of schools. Mr. Speaker, I urge my House colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a community leader from Essex County, New Jersey, Ms. Florence M. Johnson. Ms. Johnson has been an exceptional leader across Essex County for the past four decades. In the 1970s, she cofounded a housing development in East Orange, New Jersey, that was designed, built, and managed by African Americans--one of the first of its kind. In the 1980s and 1990s, she was a trailblazing member of East Orange City Council. In 2000, she joined the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra as an outreach and community engagement leader. At the New Jersey Symphony, Ms. Johnson led outreach to schools, churches, senior centers, and other organizations in order to make sure that the arts benefit everyone in the community. This evening, she is being honored as a Hidden Figure in East Orange, New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Ms. Florence M. Johnson for her leadership.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 9 a.m. tomorrow.