David Reichert

Mr. REICHERT

Mr. REICHERT. I appreciate your comments, Mr. Dent. For so many of the words that you shared, I could make a lot of follow-up statements, but our time is limited. But I do want to focus on one of the points that you made, just briefly. One of the hardest things that I ever did in my career was in 1982 when my partner, as I mentioned earlier, was shot and killed. It was a 3-day manhunt for the person responsible in the Cascade foothills. Finally, he was captured, and I was the only homicide detective at the scene, and they put me in the backseat with the killer of my good friend and partner. He was handcuffed. When I got into the backseat, I read him his rights. He had three things to say to me. Number one, of course, he wasn't sorry; number two, I'm thirsty; and number three, I'm hungry. I think he wanted his handcuffs loosened, too; they were too tight. So I loosened his handcuffs. We stopped at a Burger King and bought him food and got him something to drink, and then, of course, he went to jail. But to sit in that backseat with the man who just took my partner's life--my good friend, my best friend--3 days before was tough. And those are the kinds of things that cops deal with every day. And thank you for recognizing the emotional difficulty, not only for the officers, but for the community. It was a heavy day, a heavy week, a heavy month for the entire community. And, of course, the family still lives on with the loss of their father and husband. I now yield to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Meadows).

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his comments and also appreciate in the meetings and the hearings that we have been in your commitment to end--not just sort of have an impact on human trafficking, but ending, eliminating human trafficking in this country and across the globe. Thank you for your hard work. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Jolly).

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his comments in support. There are a couple of things that he mentioned. One, some of those acts that police officers do each and every day to help families-- people don't hear about those officers that buy groceries for families that are less fortunate. I know when I worked on the Green River task force and working with families that had missing daughters or had lost their daughter to--I am not even going to mention his name--the monster serial killer from Seattle, delivering Christmas presents to those families, money out of their own pocket or time out of their own time in building a new bicycle for some young brother of one of the victims. Those are things that the community in a neighborhood might hear about, but you never see on the news, you never see publicized, and you never really hear about it, so I appreciate that. The second thing the gentleman mentioned was training, and I really believe that that is one of the things that we can do to help law enforcement officers across this country. The National Blue Alert Act is another piece of legislation that we, I think, can work together to pass. It should be a bipartisan effort. The COPS Improvement and Reauthorization Act is another tool that we can provide and another bill to try to expedite the claims process for public safety officer benefits program. In some cases, the Department of Justice has taken 3 to 4 years to decide whether or not a family should receive that benefit, that death benefit, when their spouse has been killed in the line of duty. Mr. Speaker, let me thank the gentleman for his comments. Now, Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor that I introduce the next Member of Congress and yield time to him, my good friend and partner who is also a career law enforcement officer for a couple of different departments, his last tour of duty was as a sheriff in Florida. There are two career law enforcement officers in Congress, as far as the two of us know, and we are standing right here. I look at Mr. Nugent, Rich Nugent, as my backup here in Congress, and I know he considers me his backup and partners here in supporting our law enforcement officers across this great country, and I thank Mr. Nugent for his service in law enforcement and to his communities. I know he has faced some dangerous situations throughout his career. Sometimes, we sit on the floor and share those stories with each other. The only really two that can understand some of these stories are really cops. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Florida, Mr. Nugent.

Mr. REICHERT. I thank the sheriff. There might be some people back in Washington State that might disagree with you.

Mr. REICHERT. Absolutely. But I think that what you and I, and everyone who has spoken here tonight, have tried to do is to bring the personality, the humanness in the human heart, of a police officer to America tonight. And I think with two sheriffs here, it is a powerful way from the floor of the House of Representatives to share with people across this Nation through this media our thanks and gratitude to each and every man and woman who wears the uniform, who puts their life on the line, who knows that some day when they leave they know there is a possibility that they may not come home, and the families live with that too. One quick story. I was stabbed in 1973 or '74. I had my throat slit with a butcher knife at a domestic violence call that we talked about a little earlier. My wife actually found out that I had my throat slit. She was sitting home watching the news, and they showed me being wheeled into the hospital out of the ambulance. She finally got a phone call, but she didn't know if I was going to live or die. That happens every day in this country, ladies and gentlemen. Mr. Speaker, that happens every day here. An officer is injured, hurt, or killed somewhere across this Nation. And we need to be there, Mr. Speaker, to support them, we need to be there to pray for them and their families, and we need to be there to pray for our communities that they come together and be true partners in protecting our children and our families. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. REICHERT

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

Mr. REICHERT

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to condemn the horrific tragedy of human trafficking. Globally, there are 20.9 million people who have been trafficked. Not one U.S. State has been spared--sadly men, women and children in every state have been victimized. This is not just a global problem, it is an American problem and it is right here in our own backyards. I witnessed this problem first hand while working in Washington State for the King County Sheriffs Office. All too often, I spoke to young girls on the street one day, urging them to get off the streets, and the next they had disappeared. This was allowed to happen for far too long, because for many of us, these girls and even many boys are invisible. We do not want to see the problem and so we too often choose to look the other way and pretend it isn't real--not in our communities. We have to make the problem--and the solutions--visible. Last year, I introduced and passed legislation which became law that helped--will help--prevent the sex trafficking of youth in foster care. The children in federal and state care are often the most vulnerable to becoming trafficking victims. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited children, as many as 6 in 10 of the young women forced into selling their bodies on the streets are current or former foster children. I was honored to have been able to lead the efforts to change that reality last Congress. I stand today to join my colleagues in continuing to raise awareness and pledge my commitment to keeping up the fight on behalf of our children and working to enact additional legislation to end human trafficking. This week, we will vote on legislation sponsored by Congresswomen Wagner, Ellmers and Noem, Congressman Paulsen, Johnson and Poe and many others which will go a long ways towards preventing the trafficking of countless men, women, boys and girls. This is a fight we must all be in together. We must all join with our colleagues, with law enforcement, and with those who are dedicated to ending human trafficking across the globe to say ``no more''.

Mr. REICHERT

Mr. REICHERT. I thank the gentleman for yielding and his kind introduction. Today, Mr. Speaker, is National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. I hope this becomes a yearly thing. It is sponsored today by the National Sheriffs' Association, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the FOP, and other law enforcement organizations--national, State, and local organizations. As Mr. Jolly said, I served 33 years in the sheriff's office in Seattle, starting in a patrol car and eventually ending my career as the sheriff. I know from my own personal experience in serving those years that a cop's mission is to protect their community. I know this from working with law enforcement not only in the sheriff's office in Seattle, but with the Seattle Police Department, all the police departments and sheriffs' offices in the State of Washington and even across this country. I have had the opportunity to work with a number of law enforcement organizations--local, State, and Federal. Mr. Speaker, they come each day with the heart of a servant. They come each day knowing that, when they put on that badge and that uniform, that they may not go home. They know that, but they do it anyway. Why do they do that? Why do they take that risk? Why did I take that risk for 33 years? Let me tell you, Mr. Speaker, I did come close several times in my career to losing my life to protect the community I served. Let me also say that I lost some dear friends over those 33 years. One was my best friend, Sam Hicks, who was shot and killed in June of 1982. Another good friend in 1984 was stabbed to death. It is a dangerous job, but it is a job they choose to do because they choose to serve the community. They choose to put their life on the line to protect and serve all of us, protect our families, our children, our businesses, and our property each and every day. But no one is perfect, we know that. There are good police officers and there are bad police officers. There are good mechanics and there are bad mechanics. There are good lawyers and there are bad lawyers. We all come from the human race. There is good and bad in all of us. So no police department is perfect, and no police officer is perfect, and sometimes things go wrong. They are required to make split decisions, life-and-death decisions. In a moment's notice, you can have a gun pointed at you, and you have to make that decision: Do I shoot or not? Can I talk that person out of that gun? I have been in that position, too. Fortunately, I was able to talk that person out of his gun and took him to jail. But sometimes things go wrong, and when it does, police, rightly so, must be under the microscope. There must be public scrutiny. Cops know that. Police chiefs know that. Sheriffs know it, and we accept that, too. But when things go wrong and we watch these incidents and these events unfold over the media, let us all remember that police officers have constitutional rights, too. They are allowed due process, too. They are American citizens, too. They have constitutional rights and protections also. The Constitution, as was mentioned earlier, was read today, reminding us that we all have those constitutional rights. You are innocent until proven guilty. So when something happens that we think is wrong, let's pay attention to the facts. Let's let the process go forward; and then based on the facts--based on the facts--let's work with the community, with the police department and the mayor and city council and change the policy, change the procedures, and make sure that it doesn't happen again. But today, let us also remember the service of the men and women, the brave and dedicated men and women who put that uniform on every day. I am going to name a few police officers from Washington State who, 5 years ago--and this is the 5-year anniversary of the death of these police officers, gunned down, four of them gunned down while sitting in a coffee shop in Lakewood, Washington--paid that ultimate sacrifice, that ultimate price that we often hear talked about: Sergeant Mark Renninger, Officer Ronald Owens, Officer Tina Griswold, Officer Greg Richards, as well as Seattle Police Officer Timothy Brenton and Pierce County Deputy Kent Mundell, all from Washington State, all not with us today, all of their families missing them. During these difficult times, Mr. Speaker, we need to come together as a community, as a country, as a nation, and recognize the service of these police officers across the country. I will end with the simple act that comes so easily for us with people who serve in the military, just a simple ``thank you.'' If you see a police officer today as you go about your duties, your day's duties, please walk up and say ``thank you.'' Please tell them you appreciate their service. That means the world to them.

Mr. REICHERT

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, today, I would like to thank my distinguished colleague Mr. Doc Hastings for his tireless efforts and inexhaustible service on behalf of Washington State. I had the privilege of working closely with him while he was chairman of the Natural Resources Committee on many projects including my Alpine Lakes legislation which we passed just last week. In all things, Doc stands up for his beliefs and the best interests of his constituents and I think there can be no higher praise for a member of Congress. He will be missed in the Washington Delegation as he has shared with all of us the wisdom he has gathered during his 20 years in office. I wish him all the best in his future endeavors and I know he leaves behind a wonderful legacy for Washington State and for America to remember him by.

Mr. REICHERT

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Camp for yielding and for all of his hard work on this legislation and for bringing it forward today. I thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Crenshaw), too, for his hard work. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 647, as amended, also known as the ABLE Act. And we have heard what ABLE stands for, but let me just repeat it very slowly so people can understand really what this is about: achieving better life experience for people who have special needs and who are disabled. We all strive to have better lives, but some people in this world need a little help, and that is what we are doing today. Some people might disagree with some of the ways we are going about this. The bottom line is we are helping people that need a little special help, a little extra help from us, and we are going to step up and do that. This is a bipartisan piece of legislation. It is designed to help those individuals with disabilities overcome the hurdles that they often face holding a job and trying to live independently. Here is the problem: if someone with a disability works and achieves even a modest level of savings, they lose their assets to certain safety net programs, such as Medicaid and SSI. This can discourage individuals from pursuing work opportunities and gaining the independence that comes through work. Here is the solution: this legislation today. This is the solution, Mr. Speaker. It helps individuals, regardless of disability, to achieve the best possible quality of life by ensuring continued access to essential safety net programs as well as tax-free savings accounts, allowing them to pursue independence and community involvement. These ABLE accounts would be used to cover a wide variety of expenses related to addressing and overcoming the disabilities, and they would grow tax-free. These costs quickly add up, as needs can range from uncovered health care needs, education costs, housing needs, transportation costs, assistive technology, speech-generating devices and other technology, and personal support services. This bill is critical because it allows individuals with ABLE accounts to maintain their eligibility for benefits while working and saving more for their future needs. ABLE account balances and withdrawals are completely excluded for purposes of Medicaid; and under the SSI program, the first $100,000 in account balances would be excluded from being counted as resources, meaning disabled individuals could save far more than today, while remaining eligible for benefits along the way. This bill is about real people--we have heard some of the stories already this afternoon--real people who have real hopes and real dreams, dreams of being able to support themselves and plan for the future, dreams for a better life, and people like my godson, Kyle. Now, Kyle today is 20 years old, but Kyle weighs 60 pounds and is in a wheelchair. Kyle was diagnosed at 18 months old with cancer. He can't speak. Up to this point, Kyle has only been able to save $2,000. And once you reach that $2,000 level, that is it. If you go over that, you don't get the benefits. Imagine if you were the parents of Kyle, trying to save for his future, to maybe get a speech device so Mom and Dad can hear Kyle say ``I love you,'' because he hasn't been able to say that. Imagine not being able to hear your child say, ``I love you, Mom. I love you, Dad.'' This savings account allows people to save that money for their children, to buy that technology, to get that wheelchair that costs $20,000. Some of us who are able-bodied and don't understand the disability that people live with every day, you see a wheelchair and there is no cost attached. We see people in wheelchairs, $20,000 and more for people who can only use maybe their index finger and a thumb to operate the toggle switch on a wheelchair so they can go from point A to point B. I am proud to be Kyle's godfather. When you wheel Kyle into a room, he lights up the room, and we want to give him a better life. That is what this bill does.

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself an additional 30 seconds. I would like to thank the cosponsors of this bill, the 379 Members. But more than anyone, I would really like to especially thank the families that have been working on this for years. It has been an honor to visit with them, to get to know them, and to get to know their families. I urge a ``yes'' vote on this legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the remaining time. I thank the gentleman for his comments and words of support and, again, thank all 379 cosponsors of this bipartisan bill. I thank the Senate, which has worked with the Members of the House on this bill, making it a bicameral bill, and I think it is also important, Mr. Speaker, to point out the outside support that this bill has garnered. Let me just name a few of those: the American Association of People With Disabilities, Autism Society of America, Autism Speaks, the Brain Injury Association of America, Easter Seals, National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities, National Disability Institute, National Down Syndrome Society, National Federation of the Blind, and the Arc, and that is just to name a few of the outside organizations and groups that support this legislation. Again, this is important legislation designed to help individuals with disabilities overcome the hurdles that they often face in holding a job and living independently, and I appreciate again the comments of the ranking member, Mr. Levin, and urge my colleagues to support this bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Roskam), a distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Holding), who is a cosponsor of the bill.

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, we have heard a lot of stories today about people in need, about people with disabilities and special needs, and we have had some names attached to those stories, which really touches the hearts of those people that know those individuals, and I hope touches the hearts of the Members here in this Chamber when they hear the stories of people in need who need that special attention. One key challenge for disabled individuals is that their access to certain safety net programs can be lost if they work. I want to just repeat that. It can be lost if they work and achieve even a modest level of savings. To overcome that challenge, the ABLE Act would help more individuals with disabilities save and live independently without losing access to critical programs like Medicaid and SSI. Now, starting in 2015, States could create an ABLE program under which individuals with disabilities could start an ABLE account modeled after current section 529 savings accounts. Anyone--parents, grandparents, and other family members, and friends--could contribute to that account, which would grow tax free. Then when they need to withdraw from that account, those withdrawals would be tax free if spent on a wide variety of expenses related to helping them address and overcome their disability. That includes expenses like uncovered health care, education costs, housing needs, transportation costs, assistive technology, and others that I have mentioned earlier. able account details- One key challenge for disabled individuals is that their access to certain safety-net programs can be lost if they work and achieve even a modest level of savings. To overcome that challenge, the ABLE Act would help more individuals with disabilities save and live independently without losing access to critical programs like Medicaid and SSI. Starting in 2015, States could create an ABLE program, under which individuals with disabilities could start an ABLE account, modeled after current Section 529 savings accounts. Anyone--parents, grandparents, and other family and friends--could contribute to their ABLE account, which would grow tax-free. Then when they need to withdraw from the account, those withdrawals would be tax free if spent on a wide variety of expenses related to helping them address and overcome their disability. That includes expenses like uncovered health care, education costs, housing needs, transportation costs, assistive technology, and personal support services. Critically, individuals with ABLE accounts could maintain their eligibility for means-tested benefits while working and saving more for their future needs. ABLE account balances and withdrawals are completely excluded for purposes of Medicaid. And under the SSI program, the first $100,000 in account balances would be excluded from being counted as resources, meaning disabled individuals could save far more than today while remaining eligible for benefits along the way. This change will go a long way to easing the minds of disabled individuals and those around them. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. REICHERT. I am waiting for one other speaker. If the gentleman has another speaker, it would be helpful.

Mr. REICHERT. I guess we are ready to close then, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. REICHERT. Yes, we are prepared to close.

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

Mr. REICHERT

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, on September 3, 1964, President Johnson signed the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) into law, establishing a dedicated and permanent means for the protection of America's irreplaceable recreational, natural, historic, cultural and outdoor resources. The 50th anniversary is an occasion for celebration, but also a reminder that LWCF's authorizing legislation expires in within a year. As we commemorate LWCF's half-century track record of success, it is imperative to secure reauthorization of the program before that date. LWCF is fully paid for without relying on the support of American taxpayer dollars. Every year, $900 million of the many billions of dollars the U.S. Treasury collects from offshore oil and gas drilling is deposited into the LWCF trust fund. These revenues are a promise made to the many communities across America that rely on these resource lands, and on the conservation and recreation economies they support. This arrangement has served our nation well, helping to realize a long list of conservation successes over the past 50 years without costing taxpayers a dime. This includes creating outdoor recreation opportunities in every state and 98 percent of counties across the country--opening up key areas for hunting, fishing, and other recreational access; supporting working forests and ranches; and acquiring inholdings and protecting critical lands in national parks, national wildlife refuges, national forests, Civil War battlefields and other federal areas. From the Pacific Crest Trail to the North Cascades, the Mountains to Sound Greenway to Lake Chelan, the high quality of life and outdoor opportunities in Washington have been protected by LWCF. Outdoor recreation activities in Washington directly support 227,000 jobs and consumers spend $22.5 billion on outdoor recreation equipment, apparel, lodging, and other services, generating $1.6 billion in state and local tax revenue. Further investments are needed to replace funds that have been redirected and to ensure that we can continue to protect our national treasures, such as the Yakima River Basin in my home state. This is an area not only used and beloved by hikers, campers, hunters, and fisherman but it also critical in providing drinking water and irrigation. LWCF does more than simply add acreage to our public lands--it provides an entire suite of conservation tools to address national, state, local and regionally driven priorities across the country. These include working land easements that keep working forests in production and jobs in rural economies--rather than forcing family forest owners to subdivide and sell off portions of their land to developers. Additionally, these often include purchase of inholdings within the boundaries of existing public lands which make management more efficient by reducing the cost of fencing, boundary surveying, firefighting and other costs and ensuring access for land management. As we celebrate the 50th anniversary, the best way to honor the Land and Water Conservation Fund is to make sure Congress provides the necessary funding levels so it can continue its history of success for our great nation.

Mr. REICHERT

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4137) to prohibit assistance provided under the program of block grants to States for temporary assistance for needy families from being accessed through the use of an electronic benefit transfer card at any store that offers marijuana for sale.

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the subject of the bill under consideration.

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge support of H.R. 4137, the Preserving Welfare for Needs Not Weed Act. Federal welfare benefits are an important means for many individuals and families to get critical assistance for basic necessities until they get back on their feet. Shockingly, as a result of recent State laws legalizing recreational marijuana in Colorado and also in my home State of Washington, we are seeing new abuses of these benefits. In these States, a person can walk into one of the newly opened pot shops and use their welfare benefit card to pay for pot. These are Federal tax dollars meant for basic necessities and, instead, they are being used to purchase something that is illegal under Federal law. It is exactly this misuse of tax dollars that this bill is designed to stop. This bill, which I introduced earlier this year as chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources--the subcommittee with jurisdiction over the program that we are talking about tonight and that is being abused--will block access to welfare cash in stores selling marijuana. Mr. Speaker, I know firsthand the struggles that families can go through during my hard times from my own childhood growing up, and from what I witnessed as a law enforcement professional for 33 years. From the time I was a cop on the street in King County Washington through my days as the sheriff there, I witnessed how too often a lack of a job, living in a crime-ridden neighborhood, and using drugs tore families apart. In some ways, things have even gotten worse today. For instance, we had millions of long-term unemployed struggling to get back to work during the so-called Obama recovery. To make ends meet, many turned to benefits like TANF, which is the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. The TANF program provides millions of low-income Americans temporary assistance to help adults transition to work and support their children while they are doing that. TANF is a flexible grant to States, but it also includes rules to ensure that our tax dollars are being spent appropriately. Sadly, a disturbing number of people were spending welfare benefits in liquor stores, casinos, and even strip clubs. In 2012, Congress passed a law that required States to block welfare benefits from being accessed in those places, and President Obama, rightly, signed it into law. Since then, both Washington State and Colorado have legalized marijuana, opening up a new loophole--the ``pot shop loophole,'' as I call it--which the bill before us would close, along with the other shops that I mentioned before that are already closed to the use of your welfare benefit card, like liquor stores, casinos, and strip clubs. This bill just adds ``pot shops'' to that list. This isn't an idle concern. A report examining welfare transactions in Colorado revealed over $5,000 in welfare benefits were accessed in stores selling marijuana in the first month such stores were open. With other States considering legislation to legalize marijuana, it is important that we close this ``pot shop loophole'' now before it expands. This bill simply says that when it comes to spending welfare benefits--money taxpayers provide to low-income parents to help support their children--we are drawing a line. Taxpayer-funded welfare benefits must be spent on children's and families' needs and not on weed. I encourage all Members to support this simple commonsense fix so that welfare funds are used as they were intended, to support the needs of low-income families and children and not to support drug use. This legislation builds on good policy this Chamber has already crafted and passed in the last Congress. It has no cost, according to the Congressional Budget Office, and, most importantly, Mr. Speaker, it is the right thing to do. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I would inquire of Mr. Levin as to whether or not he has any speakers on his side.

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