Lucille Roybal-Allard

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate AltaMed Health Services Corporation on its 50th anniversary. Over the past half-century, AltaMed has become a leader in delivering quality health care and empowering communities, and stands today as one of America's largest independent federally qualified health centers. When AltaMed was founded in 1969 as the East LA Barrio Free Clinic, it relied entirely on grants and donations. The clinic provided critically needed care to predominantly Latino and underserved individuals and families who had little to no access to medical services. Today, AltaMed is California's premier community health network, encompassing more than 50 service delivery sites throughout Los Angeles and Orange Counties, and staffed by a culturally and linguistically competent workforce of more than 3,000 employees. It provides care to more than 300,000 individuals and families in one million annual patient encounters. In addition, AltaMed has expanded beyond primary care to deliver a full continuum of care that includes pediatrics, dental care, women's health, senior services, youth services, and HIV/ AIDS services. To this day, AltaMed is committed to providing quality care without exception and working to address health disparities in our communities. In 1982, AltaMed began offering senior services by opening its first Adult Day Health Care Center in East Los Angeles, providing medical and rehabilitative care to older adults. In 1996, AltaMed made the transition to PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly), a world-class managed-care program that uses a unique team-based approach to provide frail older adults with medical, social, nutritional, and rehabilitation services. This program makes it possible for those who meet nursing home eligibility requirements to remain at home, enjoying the comfort and reassurance of familiar surroundings while receiving the care they need. AltaMed currently serves nearly 2,700 older adults at eight PACE locations in Los Angeles County. With the passing of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, more than 20 million uninsured Americans gained access to comprehensive health coverage. AltaMed led widespread efforts through its service delivery sites to enroll and provide resources to newly eligible individuals, becoming Covered California's top certified enrollment entity for several years in a row, and earning a grant through the state's Navigator Program. In addition to its role as a leading health care provider, AltaMed leads advocacy efforts to protect critical safety net programs and expand access to services in order to grow healthier communities. This is made possible through strong partnerships with elected officials and community organizations. AltaMed's advocacy includes championing California's historic Health for All Kids Act (SB 4) which granted an estimated 170,000 undocumented children access to health care coverage under Medi-Cal. AltaMed has also advocated to protect vital federal funding for community health centers. With a commitment to social justice and the understanding that health centers play a significant role in helping to achieve health equity, AltaMed launched the AltaMed Institute for Health Equity in 2017. Through innovation, education, research, and community engagement, the institute works to inform and support the elimination of health disparities that disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minorities. In 2018, AltaMed launched a first-of-its-kind effort to mobilize low- propensity voters to make their voices heard at the ballot box in the brand-new ``My Vote, My Health'' campaign. Drawing on best practices from Get Out The Vote research, and leveraging organization and community assets, AltaMed worked to inform, motivate, and mobilize patients and employees to protect access to their healthcare services through the power of their vote. AltaMed's effort resulted in increases in voter participation of as much as 432 percent in some of the hardest-to-reach voter precincts. On November 8, 2019, AltaMed will commemorate its 50th anniversary. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to please join me in congratulating AltaMed on achieving this historic milestone as an exceptional health care leader, advancing quality care for Latino, multi-ethnic, and underserved communities in Los Angeles and Orange Counties.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Speaker, on Tuesday, October 15, I was not present for Roll Call votes 556 and 557. Had I been present, I would have voted: ``Yea'' on Roll Call 556, on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 2385, to permit the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a grant program to conduct cemetery research and produce educational materials for the Veterans Legacy Program, and ``Yea'' on Roll Call 557, on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 95, the Homeless Veteran Families Act.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate InnerCity Struggle on its 25th anniversary of movement building on the Eastside of Los Angeles. InnerCity Struggle (ICS) was started in 1994 by a group of parents, youth, and residents in Boyle Heights who joined together to find solutions to a crisis in their community. ICS has organized young people and families to demand educational justice, an end to the school-to-prison pipeline, and college access for all. A quarter-century later, ICS has built an impressive record of significant policy victories, including $940 million in public resources for neighborhood schools. It has empowered more than 1,200 grassroots leaders who work together to engage decision makers and hold them accountable. In 2004, ICS won its first significant campaign when the Board of Education of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) agreed to build new Eastside schools for the first time in more than 80 years. The Eastside's Roosevelt and Garfield High Schools were among the most overcrowded schools in the nation. LAUSD ultimately opened three new high schools and a new elementary school on the Eastside between 2009 and 2012. And in 2018, after years of ICS demands, the school board agreed to invest $173 million in modernizing the under-resourced and neglected Roosevelt High School campus. By 2022, the district will have transformed the school into a state-of-the-art center anchored in college and career preparation. ICS parents and students have also taken the stance that all students should be eligible to apply to college. In 2005, ICS was part of a citywide coalition that helped secure the ``A-G Life Prep'' policy, which mandated that LAUSD align its graduation requirements with California public university eligibility. That year, only 44 percent of LAUSD graduates from Eastside high schools had A-G college course requirements. By 2016, a historic 80 percent of Eastside graduates had A-G requirements. ICS also recognizes the power of voting to shape our communities. That is why the organization has invested in engaging and mobilizing voters on the Eastside. In all, ICS has engaged over 51,000 voters, and registered 4,000 new ones. ICS helped form the Brothers, Sons, Selves Coalition in 2013. This county-wide coalition was formed to end the criminalization of young boys and men of color by creating and influencing public policy that invests in young people. One of the coalition's key victories was a demand for ending the use of ``willful defiance'' as grounds for school suspension. The ``willful defiance'' category had a long record of disproportionately targeting African American and Latinx students, particularly males. The LAUSD Board voted to ban ``willful defiance'' suspensions in favor of restorative justice interventions, making it the first district in the nation to do so. In 2014, ICS secured $50 million for the construction of comprehensive school-based wellness centers in high-need schools, so these schools could play a more important role in providing wrap-around supports for communities. That same year, ICS joined forces with the Advancement Project and Community Coalition on a successful campaign which led to LAUSD's adoption of a resolution to equitably distribute new state funding, called the Local Control Funding Formula, to the highest-need schools. The campaign argued that areas in the Eastside and South LA deserved an equitable distribution of funding, based on decades of disinvestment that had led to higher concentrations of poverty and trauma in these areas. Earlier this year, ICS moved into a bright new era when it opened the InnerCity Struggle Youth and Community Center. This permanent headquarters will serve as the political hub for the Eastside and inspire a new generation of leaders to transform their neighborhoods. The center will be a place where young people can find their voice, and parents can advance change. On October 3, 2019, InnerCity Struggle will commemorate its 25th anniversary, and I will be joining more than four hundred supporters who are expected to attend their celebration. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to please join me in celebrating InnerCity Struggle for being a leading voice for progress on the Eastside of Los Angeles and reaching this historic milestone.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3525, and I commend my colleague, Lauren Underwood, for introducing this important legislation. When migrants are in U.S. Federal custody, it is our moral responsibility to ensure they are treated humanely and receive appropriate medical screenings and care. Earlier this year, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, which I chair, appropriated significant additional resources to CBP to improve medical care and screening. H.R. 3525 will help ensure this care is standardized across the Border Patrol by requiring it to formalize the medical screening process and to come up with innovative approaches to fill medical screening gaps. The bill also requires the Border Patrol to have a singular electronic health record system, accessible to other DHS components, to ensure continuance of care for migrants. These are smart, simple steps that can save the lives of migrants who left tragic situations in their home country to seek refuge in the United States. I strongly urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this bill.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Speaker, I rise to remember a great Angeleno, Stefano Giuseppe Riboli, who passed away on July 3, 2019, at the age of 97. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, and lived a joyous life filled with the love of family and friends. To the people of Los Angeles, he was also cherished as the patriarch of San Antonio Winery, who led the winery's growth into the thriving, century-old local institution it is today. Stefano was a Los Angeles native. He was born in the city on September 8, 1921, to Italian immigrant parents. However, when he was three, his family moved back to Italy, and Stefano grew up there in the small mountain village of Berzo San Fermo. In the springs and summers, he shepherded cows in the local Alpine mountain pastures, and those experiences helped give him his lifelong fondness for nature and animals. When Stefano was 16, he returned to Los Angeles to work at San Antonio Winery, which his uncle, Santo Cambianica, had founded in 1917 in the Italian-American neighborhood of Lincoln Heights. Santo mentored Stefano, and his friendly and helpful attitude to people of all backgrounds set an example that Stefano carried forward throughout his life. Thanks in large part to Stefano's hard work, his kind and cheerful manner, and the love and support of his family, San Antonio Winery rose from its humble beginnings to become Los Angeles's largest and longest- producing winery, recently honored as 2018's American Winery of the Year by Wine Enthusiast Magazine. And just as in its early days, the winery is a family enterprise, with all of Stefano's children and many ofhis grandchildren working there. San Antonio Winery is much more than just a winery to the Los Angeles community. It is a place where people of all backgrounds can meet and enjoy each other's company. All are welcome, from families to business leaders to tourists. And Stefano's charm and his remarkable memory were essential to the winery' s convivial spirit. He was known as ``Papa Steve,'' and would regale visitors with stories ofthe winery's history and his days growing up in Italy--always with a smile on his face and a glass of wine at the ready. His outgoing disposition was infectious, and encouraged visitors to come back again and again. For 73 years, Stefano was blessed by the strong and loving union he shared with his wife, Maddalena. Their suppmt and devotion to each other nurtured their children and grandchildren, their winery, and their entire community. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in sending our deepest condolences to the family of Stefano Giuseppe Riboli, including Maddalena, their children Santo (Joan), Cathy (Nino), and Steve (Sindee), their grandchildren Anthony, Steve, Lisa, Michael, Jennifer, David, Dante, Blake, Christopher, and Alex, and their seven great- grandchildren. Stefano will be greatly missed by Angelenos of all ages and walks of life, but we know that his gracious and gentle spirit will always live on in the family he loved and the business he led.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support reauthorization of my Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act, which I first introduced in 2002. Let me begin by extending my sincere gratitude to Congressman Mike Simpson for our 15-year partnership championing newborn screening. Many thanks to Congresswomen Katherine Clark and Jaime Herrera Beutler who, this year, joined us as House champions. And my heartfelt appreciation to the coalition of public health groups, who continue to support my newborn screening efforts, especially the March of Dimes and the APHL. Newborn screening involves a baby receiving a simple blood test to identify life-threatening diseases before symptoms begin. Prior to the first newborn screening test being developed, these children would have died or suffered lifelong disabilities. And, until enactment of my original newborn screening bill in 2008, newborn screenings and access to follow-up information were not consistent and available to families in all communities. At that time, only 10 States and the District of Columbia required infants to be screened for a complete panel of recommended disorders, and there was no Federal repository of information on the diseases. Today, 49 States and D.C. require screening of at least 31 of the 35 core treatable conditions, and a national clearinghouse of newborn screening information is available for parents and professionals. Rapid identification and treatment make the difference between health and disability--or even life and death--for the approximately 12,000 babies who, each year, test positive for one of these serious conditions. In addition, this simple test saves our healthcare system millions of dollars in care for each child who is identified and treated early. This truly public health success story exemplifies what can be accomplished when private and public institutions, industry, advocates, scientists, providers, and parents partner to ensure a healthier future for our children. Mr. Speaker, to maintain and advance the incredible progress that we have made over the last decade, we must reauthorize the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act. Passing H.R. 2507 will ensure the advisory committee continues its critical work of recommending new screenings to State programs. It will guarantee access to the most current follow-up programs and educational materials for parents and providers, as well as high-quality technical assistance for State programs and public health labs. Reauthorization will also commission a National Academies of Sciences study to make recommendations for a 21st century newborn screening system. Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the passage of H.R. 2507 to ensure all our newborns receive the comprehensive and consistent testing and follow up that they will need for a healthy and productive life.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3401. We have all seen the tragic pictures of immigrants held in extremely overcrowded CBP facilities never designed to hold families and tender- aged children. I and many colleagues have been to the border and witnessed firsthand the horrific, indisputably untenable and intolerable conditions. This bill addresses this humanitarian crisis and sets forth strong oversight provisions and requirements to ensure the basic human care of migrants in custody, especially the children. Funding for the Department of Homeland Security totals nearly $1.5 billion, $150 million above the Senate committee bill. This crucial funding will directly address the humanitarian crisis at the border by supporting temporary CBP holding facilities to relieve dangerous overcrowding and by providing medical and transportation support, blankets, food, water, and other consumables for migrants. Combined with funding in title III for unaccompanied children, the bill also provides resources needed to reduce time in CBP custody and to ensure their facilities are safe, sanitary, and humane. The bill also includes $200 million for an innovative multiagency pilot program to better address the medical and legal needs of families and unaccompanied children. It will also improve the Department's efficiency in migrant processing without compromising migrant legal protections. This pilot will co-locate Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Citizenship and Immigration Services, Office of Refugee Resettlement, and nonprofit humanitarian organizations into a single facility. This will reduce overall processing time, provide consistent medical assessments and treatment, and offer legal orientation much earlier. Nonprofit organizations will provide assessments of migrants' needs and vulnerabilities and help families transition to local shelters or alternatives to detention. The bill also includes $60 million to help nonprofits and local jurisdictions continue their efforts to provide assistance to migrants released from DHS custody. The Office of Refugee Resettlement is nearly out of money. Without additional resources for sheltering capacity, children will continue to be held for weeks or longer in ill-equipped CBP holding facilities never intended to hold children for more than a few hours. Let me be clear: Without passage of this bill, the only alternative is the Senate bill, which has insufficient oversight provisions and leaves the door open for further abusive behavior by the administration. H.R. 3401 takes a constructive, balanced approach with the right mix of funding and oversight. Madam Speaker, Congress simply cannot adjourn without providing the funding needed to address the humanitarian crisis and trauma of migrants and their children at the border. The only way to ensure the inclusion of strong oversight, compliance requirements, and priorities in the emergency supplemental package is to pass H.R. 3401. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this supplemental.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the rule and the appropriations minibus. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this Appropriations Minibus. These four Appropriations bills are an investment in the American public and provide robust funding for programs that strengthen our society. In the SFOPS bill, I am particularly pleased with the strong investments in the Northern Triangle region to address the push factors that cause migrants to seek refuge at our southern border. Specifically, the bill includes $10 million dollars to address sexual and gender-based violence in the region. Sexual violence has reached crisis levels in the last several years, causing women and children to leave their home countries and seek asylum in the United States. As vice-chair of the LHHS Subcommittee, I thank Chairwoman DeLauro and Ranking Member Cole for their leadership and commitment to the most vulnerable among us. This FY20 ``People's Bill'' upholds our promise to Americans by investing in workers' needs, supporting the education of our children, and ensuring individuals have access to quality health programs. The bill is a testament to our commitment to help people obtain good paying jobs. With increased funding for workforce training programs like Job Corps, and Apprenticeships, we are creating pathways to the middle class. The bill also invests in the future of our country by providing robust increases to crucial education programs. With an increase of $1 billion in Title I and IDEA, our most vulnerable students will receive the additional resources they need to receive the quality education they deserve. For higher education, increasing the maximum award of the Pell grant continues our fight against the rising costs of college. The bill also makes a strong investment in our nation's public health by increasing the CDC budget by $938 million above the 2019 enacted level. This includes critical investments in public health infrastructure to begin modernizing data surveillance and analytics at CDC. It is also the first investment in over 20 years for gun violence prevention research. The bill also increases funding for three of my top legislative priorities: fighting underage drinking, supporting newborn screening, and improving childbirth outcomes for women and infants in all communities. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to vote in support of this appropriations minibus to help safeguard the health and well-being of the most vulnerable in our country, to ensure we have a strong labor force and national economy, and to ensure our country is safe and secure.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Speaker, let me begin by thanking Speaker Pelosi for making the Dream and Promise Act one of the top 10 Democratic priorities for the people and the Judiciary Committee for all their hard work on this bill. As coauthor of H.R. 6, I rise in strong support of the rule and the Dream and Promise Act. I will focus primarily on the Dream portion of the bill. Eighteen years ago, I was coauthor of the original DREAM Act, known as the Student Adjustment Act. Today's vote on H.R. 6 is a major milestone in a long fight to protect Dreamers who are part of the fabric of our American society. This bill eliminates the fear of deportation, which each day haunts 2.1 million Dreamers at school, at work, and as they care for their families. I represent 24,000 Dreamers, the largest number of Dreamers of any congressional district. I think of these talented and patriotic Dreamers and the barriers that they have overcome to build lives and families in America, the only country they call home. I think of the courage that they have shown by standing up and sharing their stories of endurance, resourcefulness, sacrifice, and heartbreak. Dreamers exemplify American values and what it means to pursue the American Dream. I think of Dreamers like Yasmin, who was raised in a mixed status family and watched her father fight against a serious illness. This experience inspired her to help others. She is now studying to be a physician's assistant, serving patients like her father. H.R. 6 will enable Dreamers like Yasmin to reach their full potential, contribute to their community, and help ensure America is a stronger and greater nation. Dreamers like Yasmin are why Democrats, Republicans, and Independents all support our Dreamers, as well as businesses, organized labor, faith groups, educators, health professionals, and former Cabinet officials, among others. This broad and unprecedented coalition of support highlights the fact that this is not a partisan issue. This is about who we are as Americans and what is in the best interests of our country. Just like generations of immigrants before them, these incredible young people are vital to the well-being of our Nation. According to the Center for American Progress, each year, Dreamers contribute $17.3 billion in Federal taxes and nearly $9.7 billion in State and local taxes, and their households have $75 billion in buying power. Madam Speaker, we cannot afford to lose the Dreamers' talents and valuable contributions to our country. Let's make the dream a reality once and for all. I call on my colleagues to pass the Dream and Promise Act today.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Speaker, let me begin by thanking my cosponsors, Nydia Velazquez and Yvette Clarke, Judiciary Chairman Nadler, Chairman Lofgren, the Judiciary Committee, and especially Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal for the extraordinary work they did in bringing this bill to the floor. Today is truly a historic day for our country. It will be the first time the House of Representatives will pass a Dream Act under regular order, sending a strong message that Dreamers and TPS and DED recipients truly belong in America and contribute greatly to its success. The American Dream and Promise Act is landmark legislation that will provide 2.1 million Dreamers with hope, security, and the opportunity to become American citizens. We would not be here today without the tireless work of Dreamers and TPS and DED recipients who bravely and publicly shared their stories with Members of Congress and our Nation. Their stories of endurance, resourcefulness, and heartbreak, coupled with their love of America, is what inspired me in 2001 to introduce the first Dream bill, a bipartisan bill known as the Student Adjustment Act, with former Congressmen Howard Berman and Chris Cannon. One such story is of Josue, a student studying aerospace engineering. He dreams of contributing to the advancement of space exploration and is one of many Dreamers who will produce a new generation of scientific research that will help shape our country's future. Another Dreamer is Carolina, who hopes to become a teacher, serving as a role model, as her high school teacher did for her. And there is Julio, who is working toward a psychology degree and whose goal is to serve historically underrepresented and marginalized students as a community college counselor. This is just a sampling of Dreamers whose stories exemplify American values, talents, and a desire to give back to their community and the only country they know as home. Although Dreamers live under the veil of fear and uncertainty, they still contribute over $17.3 billion in Federal taxes and nearly $9.7 billion in State and local taxes each year. Their households have $75 billion in buying power. The reality is TPS and DED recipients and our Nation's Dreamers make our Nation stronger with the contributions they make to our economy and our American society. We cannot afford to lose or hinder their talents, resilience, and contributions to our Nation. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Speaker, I recently introduced the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act, which will continue the important work of the original bill and expand its critical programs to improve infant health across the United States. Every year, thousands of babies are born with genetic, metabolic, hormonal, and functional conditions that severely affect their development. Fifty years ago, these rare disorders in infants would have gone undetected until symptoms appeared, often too late to provide them with the essential treatment needed to prevent lifelong disability or even death. Today, we can give newborn babies a simple blood test that can identify such life-threatening genetic illnesses before symptoms appear. In 2008, Congress passed my original bill, which was a major step toward establishing newborn screening guidelines across the United States. Until that time, only 10 States and the District of Columbia required newborn screening for a complete panel of recommended disorders, and there was no Federal repository of information on these diseases. Today, 49 States and the District of Columbia screen for at least 31 of the 35 currently recommended core conditions. Each year, with newborn screening, healthcare professionals identify approximately 12,000 babies who test positive for one of these rare conditions. This invaluable early detection allows for timely treatment to prevent long-term damage and severe health complications, which gives babies the opportunity to live relatively normal and healthy lives. For thousands of mothers and families, this early and simple intervention can also reduce the emotional stress of trying to identify their baby's correct diagnosis. Investments in newborn screening can also save up to $1 million over a child's lifetime. This is a significant savings for American families and our financially burdened healthcare system. While it is true that since the original passage of the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act, significant advancements have been made in early detection and treatment, serious gaps in newborn screening remain. The Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act will build on the current newborn screening infrastructure and strengthen early detection of preventable disease. To ensure the quality of laboratories involved in newborn screening, the bill reauthorizes the Centers for Disease Control grants, and it continues HRSA grants to empower parents and health professionals with education and resources to improve newborn screening. The bill also renews the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children, which maintains and updates the recommended uniform screening panel that States adopt and implement. The bill funds research to identify new screening technologies and treatments, and a new provision in the bill commissions the National Academy of Medicine to issue recommendations to modernize newborn screening systems into the 21st century. The Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act will continue to ensure that parents and health providers are knowledgeable about the value of newborn screening, and it will help ensure that infants across the United States receive comprehensive and consistent testing. A coalition of public health groups, including the March of Dimes, the Association of Public Health Laboratories, the American College of Medical Genetics, and the National Organization for Rare Disorders, support the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act. Their leadership has been critical to advance newborn screening across the United States. Madam Speaker, newborn screening is one of the most important public health interventions of the 20th century. It is critical that, in the 21st century, we continue and strengthen the programs and research of the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act. I urge my colleagues to sponsor the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act to enhance the lives of hundreds of infants and families each year in the United States.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I have the honor of serving as chairwoman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security. The subcommittee is charged with overseeing the funding of our Nation's longest continuous seagoing service, the United States Coast Guard. Since the Coast Guard's founding in 1790 by Alexander Hamilton, Americans have relied on this service to protect our maritime interests. The Coast Guard has secured our sovereignty in times of war and peace and safeguarded the American public during times of national catastrophe. As one of the five branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, the Coast Guard serves as a critical link between the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security. My role as chairwoman of the DHS Appropriations Subcommittee and previously as the subcommittee's ranking member has afforded me the opportunity to more fully appreciate the challenging work of the men and women of the Coast Guard. This includes saving more than 11,000 lives after the devastating impacts of Hurricanes Maria, Irma, Harvey, Florence, and Michael, to the cumulative interdiction of 432 tons of cocaine over the past 2 years. One of the greatest exemplars of Coastie dedication and effectiveness is Captain Adam Chamie, who has served as the Coast Guard liaison to the House of Representatives for the past 2 years. Adam has consistently demonstrated an ability to effectively convey the critical needs of the Coast Guard to both Members of Congress and staff, while also supporting the Coast Guard's responses to the needs of States and congressional districts across the country. Over his 2-year tenure as liaison, he has helped facilitate the Coast Guard's two largest annual funding levels in the service's history. On April 18, 2019, Adam will take command of Coast Guard Sector Key West, an area from the Bahamas to Cuba encompassing 55,000 square nautical miles. While his departure is a loss to the House, the men and women of the Coast Guard serving along the Florida Keys will greatly benefit from his leadership and his commitment to the Coast Guard's core values of honor, respect, and devotion to duty. I wish Captain Chamie fair winds and following seas as he starts a new chapter in his career. Today, I ask my colleagues to please join me in recognizing this great American and Coast Guardsman for his selfless service to our Nation.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Speaker, today I rise to recognize the 100th anniversary of The American Legion, the nation's largest wartime veterans' service organization. Through the years, The American Legion has evolved from a group of World War I veterans into one of the most influential nonprofit groups in the United States. Today, membership stands at over two million in more than 13,000 posts worldwide. The posts are organized into 55 departments: one each for the 50 states, along with the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, France, Mexico, and the Philippines. The Legion is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization, with a strong grassroots involvement in politics and the legislative process. The Legion's success depends entirely on active membership, participation, and volunteerism. The organization belongs to the people it serves and the communities in which it thrives. The Legion stands behind the issues most important to our nation's veterans, backed by resolutions passed by volunteer leadership. Legionnaires' sense of obligation to their community, state, and nation drives their advocacy for veterans and their needs. On March 15, 1919, members of the American Expeditionary Force convened in Paris for the first American Legion caucus. Congress chartered the group that September. That November, delegates to The American Legion's first National Convention established the Legion's values of service to community, state, and nation. Those values would form the Legion's four pillars upon which this great organization of men and women still stands: Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation, National Security, Americanism, and Children & Youth. These pillars remain in place to support veterans, national security, patriotism, and the children and youth of America, the future of our great nation. Based on these pillars, the Legion has built programs with an unparalleled impact on American society during its first century of service. The Legion has influenced considerable social change in America and won substantial victories for veterans, advocating for the establishment of the Veterans Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the G.I. Bill. The G.I. Bill helped make higher education, home ownership, and future employment possible for veterans; it also provided an opportunity for veterans to dispute the characterization of military discharge, which had been at the discretion of the commanding officer without an explanation. Eventually, this policy led to the founding of the Board of Veterans Appeals. For decades, the Legion also fought to strengthen the nation through a non-mandatory ``Universal Military Training'' so our country would be prepared in the event of war. Out of this belief came the Reserve Forces Act of 1955, which launched the modern Reserve component of our military, as well as the National Guard. The Legion has also produced or supported many important programs for children and youth. Some of these are well-known to many Americans, including American Legion Baseball, one of the nation's most successful amateur athletic programs; Boys I Girls State and Girls I Boys Nation; the National Oratorical Contest; The American Legion Veterans & Children Foundation; the Boy Scouts; and scholarships. Around the country, the Legion has also sponsored the Junior ROTC, youth law enforcement academies, and a Junior Shooting Sports program. Since 1989, victims of disasters have received tens of millions of dollars from the Legion's National Emergency Fund. The Legion has also funded research to help veterans who have suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, Gulf War Illness, burn pits, and other service- connected problems and diseases. In the 1980s, the Legion partnered with Columbia University to prove Agent Orange killed thousands of Vietnam War veterans, made many more sick, and caused birth defects among their children. Eventually, the Legion sued the federal government so that affected veterans and their families could get the necessary care they needed and were owed. These are just some of the accomplishments and programs The American Legion provides for our veterans and youth. Our country would not be as strong as we are today without the Legion's advocacy, services, and compassion for its fellow Americans during times of war and times of peace. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating and thanking The American Legion for its 100 years of exemplary leadership, dedicated service, and outstanding commitment to ensuring our country remains strong for generations to come.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Chair, during rollcall vote Number 111 on H.R. 1, I mistakenly recorded my vote as ``yes'' when I should have voted ``no'' on amendment No. 24 from Ms. Pressley. Amendment No. 25 Offered by Mr. Green of Tennessee

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, let me begin by thanking the ranking member of the subcommittee, Chuck Fleischmann, for the courteous way in which he represented and fought for the minority's priorities. The negotiations on the DH funding bill were among the hardest I have experienced to date. Although we did not win every battle, we won many. We prevented new funding for immigration enforcement field personnel. We secured funding to increase detention facility inspections from once every 3 years to twice a year. We won funding to increase detention facility compliance with the Prison Rape Elimination Act to provide more victim assistance specialists and to expand the Alternatives to Detention program, including $30.5 million for family case management. We held firm on a provision to prevent ICE from using information from the Office of Refugee Resettlement to detain and remove sponsors of unaccompanied children. We improved transparency by requiring ICE to make information public about the numbers and categories of people in its custody. While I am not happy with the outcome on border fencing, we did limit funding for border fencing to only $1.375 billion, no higher than last year. We also won protections for several ecologically sensitive areas in Texas. And we secured hundreds of millions of dollars for humanitarian efforts to ensure migrants who spend time in CBP custody are appropriately cared for. Our bill also has large investments in equipment to detect drugs and other contraband at our ports of entry, where the real threat lies. The bill funds 600 new Customs officers to help facilitate commerce and reduce wait times at the ports. The bill also includes funds for the Coast Guard's first heavy icebreaker in 40 years and provides robust support for FEMA preparedness and disaster response grants. Compared to the current detention bed level, we significantly reduced the funding available for ICE detention beds for the rest of this fiscal year. Unfortunately, we were unable to reach agreement on how to prevent OMB from giving ICE a blank check for detention beds during continuing resolutions, and we were unable to effectively prevent DHS' abuse of its transfer authority to increase detention beds. That transfer authority is intended to address unforeseen changes in circumstances. It is not to be used as a tool for routinely defying congressional intent on spending. As chair of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, I will demand the Department honor the intent of Congress and fully justify any use of its transfer authority. I will hold public hearings to ensure the American people know when that authority is being abused and, if not corrected, redouble my efforts to ensure that authority is taken away. While not a perfect bill, the only alternative to this negotiated bill is a yearlong CR, which would not only include DHS but all the civilian departments and agencies for which the bill before us has significant new funding initiatives important to Democrats and Republicans alike. The fact is, Federal agencies need full-year funding bills if we expect them to carry out their missions effectively, especially after the trauma of the longest partial government shutdown. It is time to put fiscal year 2019 behind us so we can start in earnest on fiscal year 2020 and the oversight opportunities it provides. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote for the bill.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Speaker, on Wednesday, February 6, I was not present for Roll Call votes 66 and 67. Had I been present, I would have voted: ``Yea'' on Roll Call 66, on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 831, the Reviving America's Scenic Byways Act of 2019. ``Yea'' on Roll Call 67, on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 66, the Route 66 Centennial Commission Act.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 61, I call up the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 31) making further continuing appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security for fiscal year 2019, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on H.J. Res. 31, currently under consideration.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, today, we are considering a continuing resolution to reopen the Department of Homeland Security after a funding lapse that is now 33 days and counting. This bill simply extends 2018 funding until February 28, with no new funding anomalies. The only new provisions in the CR authorize the Department to provide backpay to reimburse personnel and State or other Federal grantees, consistent with prior precedent following a lapse in appropriations. Mr. Speaker, there are only two approaches to take: either we reopen the Department and the rest of the Federal Government without conditions, or we continue to use Federal workers and everyone who depends on them as bargaining chips in funding negotiations. It seems to me the choice is straightforward. I hope my friends on the other side of the aisle will reconsider the necessity of opening up the government and paying Federal employees without any preconditions. There have been a number of funding lapses over the last few decades, all ill-considered, all harmful to our country, our economy, and our Federal workforce. History has shown that the American people do not approve of using the Federal Government and workforce as pawns in a legislative chess game. The side that has tried to use the shutdown as leverage in a negotiation has routinely failed, and polling shows that this recent iteration of the shutdown is no exception. I know my friends on the other side of the aisle have criticized the consideration of clean CRs on the basis that the Senate will not pass them and the President will not sign them. Mr. Speaker, to my friends on the other side of the aisle, I would say that, in order to change that, reopen the Department of Homeland Security by having every member of the minority party support this CR. This possibly could help change the thinking of the Senate majority when it votes on reopening the entire government later today and perhaps even change the thinking of the President. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute. I would just like to point out to the minority that there are billions of dollars in border security in this continuing resolution, and I agree that we need to open up the government. And while the President refuses to do so, our homeland is, every day, getting more vulnerable to our lack of security. I hope that the President recognizes that and that he opens up the government so that then we can have a real discussion on border security. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey), the chairwoman of the full Appropriations Committee.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 30 seconds. Mr. Speaker, for whatever reason, there seems to be reluctance on the part of the minority to accept the facts. And the reality is, while there has been an increase in drugs crossing at the border, the vast majority of drug interdictions have occurred at the ports of entry, not between the ports of entry. In fiscal year 2018, only 3 percent of all heroin was interdicted between the ports, and 5.8 percent of the meth was interdicted between the ports.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself an additional 30 seconds. The remainder of the interdictions were at the ports of entry along with a small amount at CBP checkpoints north of the ports of entry. So this idea that somehow we need to have this wall between the ports of entry because of the fact that drugs are coming through that area at large numbers and contributing to the drug problems that we have here, is absolutely false. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cuellar).

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas.

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee). (Ms. JACKSON LEE asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentlewoman from Texas an additional 2 minutes.