Jan Schakowsky

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps), my colleague and friend, who came to Congress the same 106th Congress, I believe, along with me, prior to that being a nurse and is now retiring from that seat, but not before she adds one more thing at least, maybe there will be more, to making our health system better and protecting so many lives.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman has no more speakers, let me just say how pleased I am to be a supporter of this legislation. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1209, the Improving Access to Maternity Care Act; and I want to thank Dr. Burgess and my dear colleague, Lois Capps from California, for offering this important piece of legislation. It would require the Health Resources and Services Administration, HRSA, to better identify areas with increased need for maternity care services. This will help ensure the placement of maternity care providers within the National Health Service Corps to areas with the most need for their services. While global maternal mortality rates have fallen by more than one- third from 2000 to 2015, the maternal mortality rate in the United States has actually increased. In 2015, 25 women lost their lives during pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 births in the U.S. compared to 23 women who did so in 2000. It is clear that we must do more to reverse this troubling trend. Congress must make it a priority to ensure all women have access to the prenatal and maternity care services needed to prevent maternal mortality. I support H.R. 1209 because it will help expand access to prenatal and maternity care services in the areas where there is the most need. I urge my colleagues to support this important bipartisan legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Joyce) for this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps), one of the nurses of the House of Representatives.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to support this bill, and I am grateful to Lois Capps and David Joyce. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SCHAKOWSKY

Mr. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I am pleased to join my colleagues in support of H.R. 985, the Concrete Masonry Product Research, Education, and Promotion Act, which establishes a checkoff program to promote concrete masonry products. The bill on the floor today is itself the product of good, bipartisan work in the Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee and the full Energy and Commerce Committee. During markup, we adopted changes to make sure the checkoff program runs efficiently, transparently, and accountably. We took into account feedback from the Government Accountability Office based on our experience with previous checkoff programs. We made the program fair for small manufacturers by giving each manufacturer a single vote on the board instead of giving most of the influence to the largest manufacturers. We added a study to explore the feasibility of checkoff programs for other building materials. We have now also ensured that this bill will be budget neutral. Thanks to the bipartisan work of the committee to strengthen this legislation, we were able to advance the bill by voice vote in subcommittee and full committee, and I look forward to passing it on the House floor today. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2669, the Anti-Spoofing Act, introduced by Representative Meng, along with Representative Barton of Texas and Representative Lance of New Jersey. Consumers should have confidence that the caller ID information they see is accurate. However, fraudsters have long targeted consumers, falsifying caller ID numbers to trick consumers into divulging sensitive information. Americans, from young people to senior citizens, are tricked into thinking they are being connected to a trusted institution because of what the caller ID shows. This practice, known as spoofing, contributes to the millions of identity theft cases in our country each year. It is already illegal to use misleading caller ID information for regular voice calls. What this legislation does is expand the ban on deceptive caller ID information to text messages and communication originating overseas. I urge my colleagues to stand up for consumers and strengthen spoofing protection. It is time to pass the Anti-Spoofing Act. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my good friend from the great State of New Jersey (Mr. Lance) for his leadership on this important consumer protection legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the month of September as Dystonia Awareness Month. Currently, it is estimated that at least 300,000 individuals in North America suffer from dystonia, making it more common than Huntington's, muscular dystrophy, and ALS. Dystonia may be inherited or caused by specific factors such as trauma, certain medications, and additional medical conditions. For most people with dystonia, the cause remains unknown and there is currently no cure. Dystonia is a neurological movement disorder that causes muscles to contract and spasm involuntarily. It affects men, women, and children. Dystonia can be generalized, affecting all major muscle groups, and resulting in twisting, repetitive movements and abnormal postures. It can also be focal, affecting a specific part of the body such as legs, arms, hands, neck, face, mouth, eyelids, or vocal cords. Dystonia is not usually fatal, but it is a chronic disorder producing symptoms that vary in degrees of frequency, intensity, disability, and pain depending on the type of dystonia. The inability to predict or control the movements of the legs, arms, hands, neck, shoulders, face, eyelids, jaw, tongue, and/or vocal cords has a profound impact on an individual's life. Medical literature associates the onset of dystonia with traumatic injury, particularly traumatic head/brain injuries. Our men and women in uniform face a disproportionate risk of developing dystonia as a result of an injury sustained during their military service. The Dystonia Medical Research Foundation, which works to raise awareness of dystonia is a nationwide organization that serves the community. Beyond awareness, the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation provides the dystonia community with support, education, advocacy, and the promotion of research into the causes of and care of dystonia. I have long known the Farber family and have seen their contributions and passion for the support of dystonia related research and awareness. I call on my colleagues to recognize the goals and ideals of Dystonia Awareness Month by supporting federal activities that improve lives of patients impacted by dystonia including research programs at the National Institutes of Health.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, Americans have waited long enough to update our Nation's overtime pay rules. After years of debate and regulatory review, proposed rules and final rules, it is time to ensure that Americans are paid for the hours they work. When I go home to my district, I hear how hard it is for working women and men to meet their families' basic needs. Americans need a raise. The Republican majority has blocked any vote to raise the minimum wage, and they have blocked bills to provide women with equal pay for equal work. Did you know that working single mothers are paid about 57 cents on the dollar that men are paid right now? Today's bill will take $600 million in earned overtime pay from 4.2 million working men and women. Half a century ago, 60 percent of salaried employees qualified for overtime pay; today, only 7 percent do. This is because we did not update overtime rules until this administration stepped forward. We have heard the arguments for inaction and delay--that it is too hard for businesses, the false argument about nonprofits; ``this is happening too fast'' is another argument. They don't hold up. It has been 12 years since the overtime rule was changed, nearly 3 years since President Obama asked for action, and more than a year since the proposed rule was issued. The Department of Labor reviewed more than 270,000 comments, and it changed its proposal as a result of those comments. It has provided flexibility for businesses, and it has lowered the salary threshold. The Department of Labor has been responsive to concerns, and now it is time for the House of Representatives to be responsive to the concerns and the needs of working families. In my home State of Illinois, nearly 194,000 working men and women and their families would be helped by overtime protections. They shouldn't have to wait any longer. Extra work should mean extra pay. It is a simple matter of fairness. Workers who are hired full time should not be paid the same salary whether they work 40 hours a week or 60 hours a week. They should either be paid for the hours they work or be able to spend those extra hours with their families. Many Americans are balancing their jobs with caring for children and aging parents. Delaying the Department of Labor's update to overtime protections is unfair to those workers and their families. It is really time now to get on with it, to move forward. I urge my colleagues to reject today's rule and vote against this bill. Let these long-overdue overtime rules--overtime pay--for Americans take effect.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Ben Scheinkopf, an outstanding community member in Chicago's West Ridge neighborhood. At 96 years old, Mr. Scheinkopf closed his barbershop just last month after more than six decades in business. A long journey brought Mr. Scheinkopf to the North Side of Chicago. He was born in Poland on October 16, 1919 and was one of nine children. In 1939, the Nazi army invaded his hometown of Plonsk and forced the Jews into a ghetto. The Nazis arrested the roughly 6,000 Jews remaining and sent them to Auschwitz in 1942. After three years in Auschwitz, Mr. Scheinkopf and his brother, Josef were among the Jews forced to walk in the dead of winter from Auschwitz to Malthausen. At one point, Josef kept his sick, frail brother alive by hiding him on a cart of dead bodies. Only 30 Jews from Plonsk survived the concentration camps to be liberated by American troops. Ben and Josef Scheinkopf were two of the survivors. Ben Scheinkopf moved to Munich, Germany after the war and worked as a barber for the troops. In 1954, he relocated to Chicago and continued cutting hair. At the time, he was one of seven Jewish barbers working on the North Side. He continued running that barbershop at Touhy and California until this past August. ``Benny the Barber'' wrote a letter to his customers and neighbors upon the barbershop's closure, and I would like to share an excerpt: ``I have been fortunate to have had a marvelous, long career giving hair cuts to generations of customers who have become my friends. . . . It has been my distinct pleasure to serve and be part of the community for so many years. I will miss you all and I will not forget you.'' We will not forget him either. Ben Scheinkopf is a remarkable man--a Holocaust survivor and a neighborhood institution. I wish him all the best as he devotes his retirement to spending more time with family and cheering the Chicago Cubs to the World Series.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, last week, Republicans on the panel they call the Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives, which we call the Select Panel to Attack Women's Health, voted to recommend criminal contempt against a small biotech company and its owner and also release publicly the name of a doctor who has been interviewed privately by that panel. These actions are a disgrace to the House. Over the past year, the select panel Republicans have abused congressional authority to harass, intimidate, and bully doctors and researchers, with the ultimate goal of driving companies away from fetal tissue research and ending lifesaving research. They have done this largely out of the public view and, ironically, at the same time that Chair Blackburn and other leading Republicans profess support for researchers and for funding 21st century cures. Tragically, their stealth campaign against lifesaving research is working. One tissue procurement company informed the panel that: ``Due in large part to the costs borne from having to respond to these congressional inquiries, our client is no longer doing business.'' The University of California at Los Angeles told us that ``recent national events have increased the challenge of obtaining the fetal tissues'' needed for ongoing research. The negative publicity about fetal tissue research also delayed publication of a study whose findings have the potential to impact ``development of therapies for HIV, cancer, multiple sclerosis, asthma, and organ transplant rejection.'' UCLA went on to explain that one lab ``has reduced their effort on studies that require fetal tissues, despite the importance of this research, due to concerns about personal safety.'' Rockefeller University similarly told the panel that there is now ``a paucity of sources from which to obtain human fetal tissue, creating roadblocks to the conduct of important biomedical research'' and that one laboratory is ``currently unavailable to perform research that it hopes will lead to cures for human disease.'' Other researchers have reported that promising studies and clinical trials for neurological conditions, such as MS and Alzheimer's disease, have been halted or delayed due to reduced availability of fetal tissue for research. Other leading institutions, including Harvard, the Yale School of Medicine, and the University of Minnesota, have confirmed the importance of fetal tissue as a tool for understanding and treating diseases and conditions that impact millions of Americans. The Republican attacks on this research are particularly troubling as scientists race to understand how the Zika virus impacts fetal brain development. A leading association of research scientists has explained that ``the use of donated fetal tissue, including placental tissue, has provided the best understanding of how Zika viruses behave in the body.'' These insights ``are already guiding the development of drugs that may protect the unborn baby from the ravages of the Zika virus.'' The Republican select panel's dangerous witch hunt has put this lifesaving research at risk. It is also endangering individual lives. Last Monday, Chair Blackburn publicly released the name of a healthcare provider who was privately interviewed by the panel. This doctor has already been the target of harassment and threats and repeatedly asked the panel to safeguard her identity. Just last week, her lawyer informed Chair Blackburn that her university had to increase security as a result of a prior leak of information by panel Republicans. Even knowing this, they released her name. This has gone on long enough. We are elected officials. It is our opportunity and responsibility to make things better for the people we serve. That privilege and the power that accompanies it should not be abused. This select panel should be brought to an immediate end. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record letters from the University of California at Los Angeles, Rockefeller University, and from university counsel regarding the danger that panel Republicans have created for this doctor and her students. University of California, Los Angeles, CA, September 19, 2016. Hon. Jan Schakowsky, Ranking Member, Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives, Energy and Commerce Committee, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Representative Schakowsky: On behalf of the University of California, Los Angeles (``UCLA''), I have attached UCLA's response to your letter of July 28, 2016, requesting that UCLA provide the Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives with information to better understand the importance of and risk to fetal tissue research. UCLA conducts research using fetal tissue that is vital to an understanding of human biology and to efforts directed toward new treatments for a wide variety of adult and childhood diseases and medical conditions. Our research is conducted in full compliance with federal and state law and in accordance with our tripartite mission of education, research, and public service. The information provided below answers the five specific requests made in your letter. Please note that UCLA has omitted identifying information from the enclosed documents based on concerns for the safety and security of individuals conducting research. Should you have any questions regarding this response, please contact me. Sincerely, UCLA Health/David Geffen School of Medicine. 1. Past benefits of fetal tissue research. Since the 1930's, fetal tissue has been used in a broad range of research that has led to lifesaving discoveries. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), of which UCLA is a member, has previously noted that human fetal tissue research has been critical in establishing permanent cell lines for use in vaccine research for diseases such as polio, hepatitis A, measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, and rabies. These established cell lines are currently being used to develop an Ebola vaccine. Fetal tissue proved to be necessary for the production of consumer vaccines against measles, rubella, rabies, chicken pox, shingles and hepatitis A. According to the journal Nature, at least 5.8 billion vaccine doses have been derived from fetal tissue lines. 2. Potential future benefits that might be gained through continued fetal research Biomedical research continues to benefit from the use of new fetal tissue. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, ``fetal tissue continues to be a critical resource for important efforts such as research on degenerative eye disease, human development disorders such as Down syndrome, and infectious diseases, among a host of other diseases.'' As noted in the journal Nature, ``In the past 25 years, fetal cell lines have been used in a roster of medical advances, including the production of a blockbuster arthritis drug and therapeutic proteins that fight cystic fibrosis and hemophilia.'' Yet, existing fetal material and cell lines ``. . . are of limited use for scientists because they do not faithfully mimic native tissue and represent only a subset of cell types. . . . The lines can also accumulate mutations after replicating in vitro over time.'' New fetal material is critical if we are to continue to pursue vaccines for HIV and other diseases as well as create treatments and cures for devastating illnesses such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's Disease, blinding eye disorders such a macular degeneration, diabetes, and schizophrenia. Our response to question 4 below cites a diverse range of diseases being studied by UCLA laboratories whose research requires the use of fetal tissues. These research activities are critical for the development of new therapies for the treatment of these diseases. 3. Unique aspects of fetal tissue in research, in comparison with adult cells or other cellular organisms that might be used for research purposes As described in the following summary of research performed in UCLA laboratories (response to question 4), human fetal tissues are critical for current and future research activities for multiple reasons. First, human fetal tissues exhibit biological properties that are distinct from those of tissues derived from children or adults, and these properties, often related to an enhanced capacity for growth and regeneration, can be highly desirable for the development of novel therapies. It therefore is critical to understand the unique properties of fetal tissues, which can be accomplished only through a direct analysis. Some therapies under development would require the direct use of fetal cells, such as recent clinical trials using fetal neural cells to treat patients with spinal cord injury or Parkinson's Disease. Most therapies, however, will emerge from the study of fetal tissues rather than directly including the cells in the ultimate drug product. Second, the direct study of human fetal tissues is essential for an understanding of human development. This understanding is necessary for the advancement of fundamental biology, for the pursuit of therapies for the treatment of developmental diseases, such as Down syndrome and the microcephaly associated with Zika virus infection, and for the pursuit of therapies for the treatment of many other diseases that have been linked to developmental defects, including several cancers. Third, human fetal tissues are critical for the establishment of mouse models for the study of human diseases and for the testing of potential new drugs and other therapies. For example, rodents are highly valuable for biomedical research, but they are inadequate for many studies of human disease and for the advanced testing of new therapies (e.g. HIV does not infect rodent cells). To circumvent the limitations of rodents, human fetal tissues can be implanted into immunocompromised mice, thereby generating an invaluable model system for studies that require the use of a living animal, such as the testing of new drugs. Importantly, human fetal tissues are essential for the establishment of these models due to their unique properties in comparison to tissues from children and adults. 4. Summary of any research conducted since 2010 that UCLA has been involved in that used fetal tissue or relied upon other studies that used fetal tissue Research laboratories at UCLA studying a wide array of human diseases have used fetal tissues for their medical research projects since 2010. A survey of these researchers resulted in a consistent response that the use of fetal tissues has been, and will continue to be, essential for progress in their fields. While much remains to be learned about the specific properties of fetal tissues, it has been well-established that their properties are distinct from those of adult tissues. Fetal cells often differ from other cells because the fetal cells need to support the rapid growth and maturation of the tissue during fetal and neonatal development; in contrast, the functions of cells from children and adults are usually restricted to maintenance of the physiological functions of the tissue. An understanding of the unique properties of fetal cells and tissues is likely to be of great value for the development of new treatments for a number of devastating human diseases. We provide here a summary of seven representative research efforts at UCLA that rely on fetal tissues and for which the research is strongly dependent on continued availability of fetal tissue CANCER: One project focuses on an effort to improve the treatment of a form of lymphocyte leukemia in young children. Although the survival rate of these patients has improved dramatically, approximately 15% of pediatric patients with the most aggressive forms of the leukemia continue to die. A growing body of evidence suggests that these fatal leukemias may be unusually aggressive because they emerged from a unique type of B cell progenitor (B cells are white blood cells that secrete antibodies) generated only during fetal development. Research recently completed at UCLA has shown that the genetic regulation of fetal and adult B cell development is distinct. The aim of the ongoing research is to identify genes expressed only in fetal B-cell progenitors that contribute to the development of the aggressive forms of leukemia observed in young children. IMMUNITY: Another UCLA research laboratory is immersed in an analysis of fetal T cells, another important type of white blood cell generated in the thymus. A primary goal of this laboratory is to develop improved strategies for rejuvenation of the immune system in cancer patients and in HIV patients whose immune systems have been compromised by chronic virus infection. Human fetal T cell progenitors have been found to be completely different from progenitors found in children and adults in their ability to rejuvenate the immune system. This laboratory has been performing detailed comparisons of the molecular properties of the fetal and adult cells in an effort to understand how to speed up immune system rejuvenation and make the immune system healthier. As exemplified above, one general reason several UCLA laboratories rely on fetal tissues for their research is that an examination of the properties of the fetal tissues is needed to understand how they differ from older tissues and from tissues derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). iPSC are cells with embryonic stem cell like properties that can be generated from a patient's own skin cells (by a method developed less than 10 years ago), and then matured into any of a wide variety of human tissues; these cells hold great promise for the treatment of many degenerative and chronic diseases. One goal of the researchers is to engineer adult cells and iPSC to possess the unique, beneficial properties of fetal cells. This goal can be achieved only if the molecular features of the fetal cells have been clearly defined. LUNG DISEASES: A UCLA laboratory is pursuing new treatments for a form of lung disease in infants. A long-term goal is to treat this disease by generating iPSC from a patient and then converting the iPSC into therapeutic lung cells. The ultimate therapy would not require the use of fetal cells. However, successful development of the therapy depends on an understanding of the unique properties of fetal lung cells, which have been found by the UCLA laboratory to grow and divide far more robustly than comparable cells from children or adults. The laboratory has developed a disease model that is being used to understand the unusual growth properties of he fetal cells and how these properties can be harnessed for therapeutic benefit. GENETIC AND MUSCLE DISORDERS: Another UCLA laboratory studies diseases of muscle, including muscular dystrophy, toward the goal of regenerating functional muscle in patients. Similar to the findings with fetal lung, this laboratory has found that the regenerative capacity of human fetal muscle cells greatly exceeds that of older muscle satellite cells. Recent studies of the underlying mechanisms have revealed possible molecular explanations for the differences between the fetal cells and older cells. This professor considers fetal muscle cells to be the ``gold standard'' for all efforts to develop therapies for degenerative muscle diseases, due to the powerful and unique regenerative properties of these cells. Quite simply, for an understanding of the important differences between fetal muscle cells and older muscle cells, which are critical for the development of novel therapies, there is no alternative to the ability to analyze the fetal tissues themselves. It is also noteworthy that several of these studies are moving rapidly toward clinical trials, which necessitates the focus on human cells rather than rodent models. HIV: Another reason several researchers rely on the availability of fetal tissues is that the fetal tissues can be used to create mice implanted with a specific human tissue, thereby providing an animal model in which potential therapies for the treatment of diseases of that human tissue can be tested. Such mice can eliminate the need for the testing of therapies in non-human primates, and are often preferable to studies of non-human primates because they allow the direct study of human cells. Some UCLA laboratories use mice containing a human immune system for their studies of potential HIV therapies. These mice, which can be generated successfully only with the use of human fetal cells, are extremely important for progress of the HIV field, as HIV does not infect rodent cells. Currently, these mice are being used to study gene therapy approaches for the treatment of HIV infection, with the studies leading rapidly toward clinical trials. BRAIN/SPINAL CORE INJURY: Human fetal tissues are also of great value for studies of the unique structure of the human brain, which is dramatically different from that of the mouse brain. UCLA research has used human embryonic stem cell lines to generate brain organoids (collections of neuronal cells that self-assemble into structures that resemble small portions of the brain). A comparison to fetal brain tissue is essential for the researchers to evaluate the validity of their organoid method, which is currently being used to understand developmental diseases of the brain, as well as the impact of Zika virus on brain development. The laboratory hopes to use this model to screen for drugs that may protect the fetal brain from the growth impairment caused by Zika virus infection. This same laboratory is also studying strategies for the generation of spinal cord neurons in the laboratory, for use in determining the underlying causes of neurodegenerative diseases, such as spinal muscular atrophy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and for screening for drugs that could slow disease progression and extend patient lifespan. INFERTILITY: The final UCLA laboratory discussed in this report uses fetal tissues for studies aimed at the diagnosis and treatment of human infertility. State-of-the-art genomics methods are being used to develop reference maps of germ cells and of fertilized eggs at the earliest stages of embryonic development. One goal of these studies is to better understand the reasons for spontaneous miscarriages. These studies are strongly dependent on human fetal tissues because early embryonic development in mice differs substantially from that in humans. The reference maps being developed by this laboratory are also of great importance for the study of germ cell cancers. 5. Description of any recent changes experienced by UCLA in the availability of fetal tissue for research and the related impact of these changes, including whether or not there have been interruptions and/or delays in research as a result. Most UCLA researchers surveyed emphasized that recent national events have increased the challenge of obtaining the fetal tissues required for the research projects described above. One reputable company was forced to close due to legal expenses associated with challenges to its operations. This has delayed important studies and has forced laboratories to spend a considerable amount of time and resources searching for alternative suppliers. One laboratory has identified a reliable source of fetal tissues in Germany. Another laboratory has reduced their effort on studies that require fetal tissues, despite the importance of this research, due to concerns about personal safety. Of further note, recent publicity surrounding the procurement of fetal tissue delayed publication of a manuscript submitted by UCLA investigators to a renowned journal by more than seven months. The findings reported in that study have the potential to impact the development of therapies for HIV, cancer, multiple sclerosis, asthma, and organ transplant rejection.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding, and I thank my colleague across the aisle for his support of this legislation. I also thank all of my colleagues in the Illinois delegation for cosponsoring this legislation to name a post office for Abner J. Mikva. Ab, as my colleague mentioned, is one of the few Americans to hold the distinction of serving in all three branches of the Federal Government. When Abner Mikva was a young man, he went to the office of a Chicago ward committeeman and asked to volunteer. His offer was rebuffed with the remark: ``We don't want nobody nobody sent.'' Unswayed, Abner Mikva devoted his life to public service and to politics. Abner Mikva was born in 1926 in Milwaukee. He enrolled in the Army Air Corps in 1944 and served as a navigator in the Army Air Corps during World War II. In 1951, he received a law degree from the University of Chicago and, after graduation, served as a clerk to Associate Justice Sherman Minton on the Supreme Court. In 1956, Abner Mikva was elected to the Illinois General Assembly, where he served for five consecutive terms. He was then elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1968, where he represented the south side, Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. That is Barack Obama's neighborhood. After redistricting in 1971, Abner Mikva moved to Evanston. In 1974, he won the election to represent Illinois' 10th Congressional District, which was based, at that time, in Evanston, my hometown. Abner Mikva was elected in three consecutive elections to represent the people of Evanston and the surrounding north shore communities in the United States House. His campaigns were notable for their involvement of thousands of young people in his robust grassroots election efforts. Eighteen-year- olds had recently been granted the constitutional right to vote, and he had recruited and enlisted many of them. Many of these young people became effective political organizers, transforming the nature of political campaigns over the last four decades. Abner Mikva was nominated in his third term as an appointee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, where he served alongside Jurists Clarence Thomas, Antonin Scalia, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. During his final 4 years on the D.C. Circuit Court, Abner Mikva served as chief judge. He was then selected by President Bill Clinton in 1994 to be White House Counsel. After a year as White House Counsel, Abner Mikva returned to the Chicago area and taught at Northwestern University in Evanston. In 1997, Abner Mikva and his beloved wife and partner, Zoe, started what they called the Mikva Challenge--his effort to engage young people in civic leadership. Each year, the Mikva Challenge engages 7,000 young people--students--in programs across the Chicagoland area. These are high school kids. Students volunteer on the campaigns of both parties, serve as election judges, intern in legislative offices, and learn how to be effective advocates on issues they care the most about. In 2014, President Obama recognized Abner Mikva's service to this country with the Presidential Medal of Freedom--our highest civilian honor. When honoring Abner Mikva, President Obama said: ``Ab transcends any single moment in recent political history, but he had a hand in shaping some of the best of it.'' Abner Mikva said that receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from his friend Barack Obama was ``the greatest thing that ever happened to me.'' Abner Mikva remains a revered fighter in Illinois and a favorite son of Evanston's--remembered for his enduring wit, humanity, and the ongoing legacy of the Mikva Challenge. Let me just say, personally, on July 4, 2016, while America lost a great patriot, I also lost a very precious friend and mentor. I am so happy that we are going to pay an appropriate tribute to his great memory and his legacy.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted: Roll Call Number 496, ``yea.''

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 1217, the bipartisan expanded background checks legislation, to honor the memory of Kayana Armond, a victim of gun violence who never received a moment of action on the House floor.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, on June 22, along with many of my colleagues, I sat on this floor right here with my Democratic colleagues demanding that Speaker Ryan give us a vote on commonsense gun violence prevention legislation. In July, I again joined my colleagues on this floor holding up photos of Americans lost to gun violence, and again Speaker Ryan failed to give us a vote. Instead, he and the rest of the House Republicans left town for the longest recess in decades. During the recess, 2,015 people died from gun violence--76 people in Chicago alone, my hometown. That is the worst month for gun violence in Chicago since 1997. We have called for solutions like comprehensive background checks that have overwhelming public support. But 2 months later, House Republicans still refuse to bring these measures to a vote. Each day that we fail to act, more families lose loved ones to gun violence. So I come to the floor again today, and I will come back as often as it takes, until Congress finally steps up to stop gun violence.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. The Consumer Review Fairness Act is a step forward not only for protecting consumers' speech, but for, really, the millions of consumers who rely on the reviews, the opinions of others, and believe that you get a fair mix of reviews, good and bad, that will enable you to make better purchasing decisions. This bill passed on a bipartisan basis through both the subcommittee and full committee, and I look forward to passing it today. I want to thank all those who were involved in making this happen. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Kennedy), the cosponsor of this consumer-friendly legislation.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to thank Mr. Lance and Mr. Kennedy for cosponsoring this bill, and I am pleased to join my colleague in support of H.R. 5111, the Consumer Review Fairness Act. This bill protects consumers' ability to provide honest reviews of products and services. Chairman Burgess is right in saying that if you get a notice that you now owe $5 million probably just about for anything, you would be surprised; but if it was because you said something truthful based on your experience about a business, that would be particularly egregious. Lots of mothers have told their children, ``If you don't have something nice to say, say nothing at all,'' but the current practice now takes that way too far. Businesses have snuck so-called nondisparagement clauses in terms of service agreements, and consumers don't really have a choice when it comes to those form contracts. In fact, they often don't realize they have just given up their right to speak openly about a bad experience. Imagine hiding language in form contracts to stop a bad Yelp review, for example. For instance, a hotel in New York included a line in its guest policy that customers could be fined $500 for leaving a bad review online. It seems ridiculous to me that a company would punish a consumer who wants to air complaints, particularly since hotel prices in New York are high enough already, and now you could be slapped with a fine for saying the service wasn't up to par. This bill would put a stop to that anticonsumer practice. It would stop nondisparagement clauses from being placed in form contracts. Consumers should be able to voice their criticisms, and allowing reviews can help other consumers make informed choices. I look at those. The Consumer Review Fairness Act protects consumer speech, and I look forward to passing this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I look forward to the passage of H. Res. 835. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Cardenas), the cosponsor and coauthor of this resolution.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today because this is a bipartisan day where we have a number of pieces of legislation we agreed to. I will talk about each of them, but I do want to say that I am a bit disappointed that my chairman decided to focus on a partisan bill on which there is a good deal of disagreement, H.R. 5510, the FTC Process and Transparency Reform Act. The bill, in the view of the Democrats, would undermine consumer protections at the FTC and it would make it harder for the FTC to take action in the case of noneconomic harm, like privacy violations, such as a 2012 cyber peeping case that we have been talking about. So I am hoping that we can, from now on, focus on bills that we, fortunately, do agree on and move them forward. I am talking now about H.R. 5104, the Better On-line Ticket Sales Act, the BOTS Act, sponsored by Marsha Blackburn. I thank Representative Blackburn for authoring the legislation and Representative Tonko for cosponsoring that legislation. The legislation addresses a real problem in the ticket marketplace. Anyone who has tried to buy tickets, let's say, to Adele, Beyonce, or Hamilton knows how difficult it can be to buy online. The Chicago production of Hamilton, I'm sorry to say, sold out almost immediately when tickets were put on sale this summer, and that is not just because everybody was ahead of me online. Ticket buyers are competing not only against other fans, but in many cases, they are up against sophisticated bots that buy up tickets to resell on the secondary market at a jacked-up price. The BOTS Act empowers the Federal Trade Commission to go after these bots, and I support that. However, there is more we could do to help consumers in the ticket marketplace. Not only are tickets scooped up by bots, but a significant share of seats is held back for the artist, fan clubs, promotions, and other special groups. There is little transparency about what is actually being put up for general sale. When you buy a ticket online, the first price you see is often not the price you end up paying. Service and convenience charges can surprise consumers, adding several dollars to the end price. In subcommittee and full committee, we considered a Democratic amendment based on Congressman Pascrell's BOSS Act to create more transparency on the price and availability of tickets. This would improve the overall environment for ticket buyers. The committee also considered, but did not adopt, an amendment to have the Government Accountability Office study the ticket market. The ticket market has changed a lot in recent years, and more tickets are being sold in secondary markets online. Ticket sellers are experimenting with nontransferable tickets. We need to better understand this market if we are going to adequately protect consumers. The BOTS Act will do some good to prevent tickets from being scooped up right away for resale. I see this legislation as a first step, and I hope my colleagues across the aisle would agree. It is not the only improvement that we need to make to help ticket buyers. I reserve the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Welch), a cosponsor and coauthor of this legislation, as well as my good friend.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Let me congratulate Mr. Lance, Mr. Welch, Mr. Latta, and Congresswoman Clarke for their work on this important legislation. The Internet of things is an area of great innovation that deserves attention from Congress. And fortunately, in our subcommittee, we have done just that. Today, people track their physical activity with wearable devices. We have thermostats in our home that you can control from your phone from anywhere in the world. And that is, of course, only scratching the surface of consumer products that are right now available. We have been examining some of the issues related to the Internet of things in the Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee. One thing is clear to me: technology is moving at a rapid pace, and our laws need to keep pace. I support developing a Federal strategy for how we approach this exciting area of technology. I would like to underscore a few key principles that must be a part of this approach: one, data security must be protected; two, Americans should understand and consent to the information that consumer devices are collecting; three, these products should be developed with safety in mind. Agencies like the Federal Trade Commission and Consumer Product Safety Commission already work to promote data security, consumer privacy, and safety. But Congress needs to make sure we provide these agencies the resources and authorities necessary to address today's issues. I look forward to working with my colleagues to promote innovation in this space and to ensure that the Internet of things further develops in a manner that works for business as well as consumers. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.