Jan Schakowsky

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker, I rise as a proud colead of the Combating International Islamophobia Act. In the United States alone, nearly 70 percent of American Muslims have reported personally experiencing anti-Muslim hate, bigotry, and even violence. This anti-Muslim hate isn't just confined to certain communities and areas of this country. It has reached out in ugly ways, including in my own community, in my own district, to a member of my staff and her family. My colleagues and friends in Congress know that Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, the chief sponsor of this legislation, knows all about this in far too personal a way. She has been subjected to relentless attacks and horrifying threats, not just from her fellow Americans, but even within the Halls of Congress. Enough is enough. This should not be a controversial bill. We have had a special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism for years, and I proudly support that office's work. As a Jew myself, I see the parallel quite directly between anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, and we need to be combating both. As a Nation that prides itself on defending human rights and standing up against hate and bigotry, creating a special envoy to monitor and combat Islamophobia makes perfect sense. Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do what is right, which is to vote ``yes'' on the Combating International Islamophobia Act.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker, I thank my brother for yielding. Madam Speaker, John Larson and I came into the Congress together, elected in 1998 to be here. But I want you to know, John, that I have been working on issues of Social Security since the 1970s--well before I was eligible for Social Security. When I was an organizer in Chicago, one of my first organizing efforts was to help establish Metro Seniors in Action, an organization in the city of Chicago of older Americans. I will tell you what, John, I learned a lot from them. One of them was courage to stand up to power, to not be afraid of the old Mayor Daley in Chicago, not to be afraid of anyone, to stand up for rights. One of those priorities then, as well, was making sure that Social Security was solid. Now that you have talked about the Alliance for Retired Americans, I was the executive director of the chapter of that in the State of Illinois throughout most of the 1980s until I ran for the legislature in 1990. And again, we were fighting--I remember well--to protect Social Security. Well, guess what? Now, we are not just talking about protecting Social Security, but we did have a battle when George W. Bush decided that he thought privatizing Social Security was a good idea. Well, all over the country we organized, seniors organized, the Democrats organized, to make sure that privatizing Social Security, which would have jeopardized the security of that benefit--and actually, let me correct that for a minute. You know, many people call Social Security an entitlement. This is something that people in every paycheck that they have had is paid for. This is a program that is paid for out of the pocket of workers and has to be there when they retire. This is not some sort of a gift from the American people. This is something that has been earned by the American people. But we won that battle with George W. Bush because that was not the direction that the majority of Americans--Democrats, Republicans, rural, urban--wanted. They wanted to make sure that Social Security was reliably there. But it was always to protect Social Security. And now, thank you, John Larson, because now we are talking about improving Social Security benefits. And isn't it about time? Right now, the majority of Americans get more than half of their income from Social Security. When Franklin D. Roosevelt first talked about Social Security, it was thought of as a three-legged stool. Did you talk about that already?

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Okay. So the first was people's savings. You know what? There is hardly any savings anymore for the elderly. And actually, for most Americans, hardly have any money, unfortunately, that has been put away, because average wages, compared to the wealthiest people, have gone down. The second was pensions. Remember that? There were pensions. People would have that guaranteed retirement benefit from the work. Those are largely gone. And then, Social Security to help along. Well, now it is mostly about Social Security. More than half of Americans rely on Social Security for more than half of their income. And a quarter of seniors now rely on Social Security for 90 percent or more of their income. You need Social Security to survive. But let's talk about what survival is. The average monthly Social Security check is $1,543 per month. Who can live on that? I mean, it is really a struggle, at the very best, to be able to even make it. That is it--$1,543 a month. So the gentleman's legislation is so incredibly important. And you talked about grandparents. Well, you know, plenty of us in the Congress now are also Social Security-eligible. And those who are not, are thinking about their parents and loved ones. But I also want to point out that two of my grandchildren benefited from Social Security because, sadly, their mother had died. And so they were eligible for benefits that helped them to be able to continue with their education. So it is a family plan. Social Security is a necessity. And for a long time we have also been talking about women, particularly women, people who have left the workforce to become caregivers. But there has been no help for them, even though they haven't been able to pay into Social Security. I now understand that there will be a provision for a caregiver credit?

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. I thank so much; for people who have taken time out of the workplace. Many of us have heard from public employees, including school teachers, who have lost Social Security benefits due to the so-called windfall elimination provision that has meant unfairly that they have lost Social Security benefits. Finally, after years and years and years of fighting, that unfairness will be gone because of your legislation.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker, let me just close with this. We are going to hear, oh, well, you know, too much money. We can't afford to increase the benefits. I think it is important to remind people that Social Security was born during the greatest depression that this country had ever seen. It was from the understanding of the President at that time, President Roosevelt, who understood that we cannot have poorhouses for older Americans. That this country, if we can't afford to do that, then we cannot call ourselves a real democracy, a country that really cares for people. At this point we are the richest country in the world; the richest country ever on the planet. Now is the time when we need to do this. There is absolutely no excuse. You have said about the urgency of now. This is a moment of opportunity, and we should not make the mistake of overlooking it. We have got everything in place. We have got your bill. We have got a President. It is time now to engage everyone in this country to say yes. Let's make improvements to one of the greatest things that ever happened in the United States, the greatest treasures that we have, and that is Social Security. Let's make it even better. God bless you for leading the way on this. I am so proud to be helpful in any way that I can to be a partner with you. We can do this.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to Ann Limjoco, a dedicated public servant who spent twenty years on my staff assisting constituents of the 9th Congressional District of Illinois. Ann will be starting a new chapter in the new year, and I wish her success and happiness moving forward. Ann served many years as the Suburban Director on my district staff. Overseeing my suburban operations, Ann worked closely with municipalities from Evanston to Arlington Heights and everywhere in between. She built strong relationships with elected officials at all levels of government and was a well-known face at events throughout the district. When municipalities needed federal assistance or input, they knew that Ann was a reliable ally and an open door. Ann regularly worked with other members of my staff to organize outreach events throughout the 9th District. She played an instrumental role in carrying out dozens of hiring events, community resource fairs, municipal information events, and many others. Ann often spoke on my behalf, representing me with professionalism and competence. Ann was my liaison to the O'Hare Noise Compatibility Commission (ONCC), an organization that spent many years working to address and alleviate the negative impacts of O'Hare Airport on surrounding suburbs. She was a true expert in this field and I relied on her for up-to-date information on an issue that many of my constituents deal with day in and day out. In addition to outreach and relationship building efforts, Ann was a vigorous advocate for constituents needing assistance with problems related to taxes, immigration, the postal service, and a host of other issues. All told, she handled over three thousand constituent cases, and I have no doubt that her hard work changed many lives for the better. Ann also helped run an excellent intern program and helped train and mentor many young people through this program. My staff and I will undoubtedly feel the loss of Ann's deep knowledge and many years of experience. I have no doubt that Ann will succeed at whatever she sets her mind to.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee and the chair of the Health Subcommittee for this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember my friend Artie. Artie and I were friends from the time we were in third grade in Chicago, and we stayed in touch all the many, many years. I was pretty devastated when he told me that he had ALS. A couple of years ago Artie made the decision, because ALS is a really cruel disease, to take his own life, to set the date so that he would just make the decision himself and not suffer so horribly to the bitter end, because at that time he saw no hope. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of my constituent, Brian Wallach and his wife, Sandra, who saw that there was hope in the future. They would fight in order to get legislation that would make access to what is promising therapies right now, therapies that weren't available or even on the horizon to Artie. I am so proud to join with colleagues across the aisle to say that we can provide that hope, that opportunity to people who are facing what has been a death sentence, and that we can see a future that is bright for now the ALS victims. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank I AM ALS, the organization, and many of the organizations that have been fighting for this. The advocates have done a great job to bring this to our attention and bring this day about and get over 300 cosponsors to this legislation. I am proud to be among them.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker, I stand today and rise in the strongest support for the Build Back Better Act, the most transformational investment in everyday Americans in generations. I rise in support of the largest effort to combat climate change in American history. I rise in support of the largest expansion of affordable health coverage for Americans as well as the highest investment in housing. I rise in support of women, who will be able to go back to work because they will have childcare, and their children will be able to have universal preschool. I rise in support of the American people and seniors, who have been waiting for too long for more home care, and the workers will be able to see an increase in wages for caregiving. I am so proud to stand today for the American people, the middle class, who have been waiting so long for finally getting to see the Build Back Better Act.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the life of Fitzgerald Barrington Davis, who passed away peacefully on November 1, 2021, at the age of 77 after a long and courageous battle with Parkinson's disease dementia. He was surrounded by his loved ones at the time of his passing and they will continue to honor his legacy of faith, unconditional love, and kindness. His son Dave Davis was a valued member of my district office team for many years. Fitzgerald was born in Jamaica on May 15, 1944, to Barrington and Gwendolyn Davis. He attended Saint Ann Technical Trade School to pursue his interest in building, design, and construction. As a contractor for the Roads and Works Department in Kingston, Jamaica he oversaw the development of critical infrastructure projects in and around the Kingston area. Fitzgerald understood that his job was more than just repairing roads and buildings and that these investments in infrastructure could benefit underserved families through community development and jobs. He created programs to help young people learn trades and develop their skills and subsequently employed many of these young people and provided them with opportunities for growth, which improved the quality of life 'for residents and strengthened his community. His advocacy for underserved populations led him to a career in politics, and he was nominated chairman for the People's National Party in Jamaica. During his time as chairman, he worked with government leaders to improve conditions for children and families in Kingston. He was also enlisted as the youth leader for the Rennock Lodge Youth Organization. He emigrated to the United States in January of 1981 and settled in the diverse Rogers Park neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois with his wife and five children. His first job was with St. Francis Hospital in Evanston, followed by a position with a tuckpointing company, and finally, he worked for the Village of Glencoe for 16 years where he retired in 2006. After retirement, he continued to serve his community as a volunteer for numerous nonprofit organizations. He was actively involved with the Democratic Party of Evanston and worked as a crossing guard for the City of Evanston. Each morning, he woke up looking forward to seeing the children and brightening up their days with words of encouragement or a witty quip that made them smile. His faith was the driving force in his life, and he was an elder at First Church of God Christian Life Center in Evanston, and then became an Elder at Deliverance Temple Church in Skokie. Fitzgerald is survived by his devoted wife of 49 years, Sonia Davis; daughters, Rose Scott and Karen Davis; sons, Byron Davis (Marie), Lloyd Davis (Loraine), Dave Davis (Tara); grandchildren, Klarissa Davis, Lloyd Davis Jr., Kayla Davis, Leah Davis, Theo Davis, and Steven Davis; and great-grandchildren, Ivy and Oakley. Fitzgerald also leaves behind brothers Philip Davis and Chris Davis; sisters Deloris Scott, Beverly Burnett, Angela Davis, and a host of other loving relatives and friends who will rejoice in his memory.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Rabbi Neil Brief's service to Ezra Habonim Niles Township Jewish Congregation and the Skokie, Illinois community. In 1971 Rabbi Brief became the Rabbi for the Congregation, and he became Rabbi Emeritus in 2004. Rabbi Brief overcame poverty as a child and developed his leadership skills by becoming president of the Brooklyn Brownsville Boys Club and coaching two club championship basketball teams. He attended New York University and distinguished himself at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion through his study of numerology, which he later adapted to meet the needs of his congregants. He worked throughout his higher education, as a waiter, busboy, camp counselor and teaching religious school. He then served his country as an Army Chaplain, counseling soldiers of all faiths and rising to the rank of Captain within two years. Rabbi Brief helped bring people together. He brought Skokie's clergy closer together through spearheading the creation of and serving as president of the Niles Township Clergy Forum. And he helped strengthen his congregants' marriages through his leadership in Jewish Marriage encounter. Rabbi Brief helped lead and serve his community through his work with the Skokie Commission on Family Services, the Rotary Club, the United Way of Skokie Valley and many other service organizations. He has always stood by those who were oppressed and through his congregational, interfaith, political and humanist work, helped create Skokie spirit and become a true leader in the community. He helped organize rallies drawing thousands of people to protest prejudice in the community. Rabbi Brief trained as a Reform rabbi and is a member of the rabbinical organizations of Judaism's Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist. Rabbi Brief and his beloved late wife Erica, raised three children in Skokie--Dena, David, and Debra--all of whom graduated from Niles North High School. They were married for 57 years. On this momentous occasion, I wish to congratulate Rabbi Neil Briefs 50 years of service to Ezra Habonim Niles Township Jewish Congregation and the Skokie, Illinois community. He has been a treasured friend to me and my family, and an inspiring leader in our community.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. The Democratic Caucus--and I see that now we have all three of the leaders of that caucus that I am so proud to be a member of. Madam Speaker, my daughter is a childcare worker. She works in a childcare center, and I am so proud of her and just the effort and the creativity and just the energy that she puts into this very low-paid job. If it weren't for someone else earning money in the household, she could not really afford to live on that pay. I quote from a scholar who said, ``most developed countries in this world have some kind of a robust social safety net. The United States has women.'' And when it comes to taking care of those in need, either as workers or as family members, it is mostly women. I want to tell you that in the eighties, I was director--and proudly so--of the Illinois State Council of Senior Citizens. And as part of that, I was a cochair of the Long-Term Care Coalition that we had in Illinois. At that time, there was no long-term healthcare policy in the United States of America. And guess what? There is no long-term care policy in the United States of America right now. Families are left to figure it out. What are we going to do? I am getting older. I don't have family. What am I going to do to take care of myself? I am getting older and my family is the only one available to take care of me. I have to move in with my children, or they have to move in with me to take care of me because there is no other choice. Or you end up--I don't know--in some kind of an institution where people, again, are poorly paid--often women of color, often low-income women. In fact, for home care, the average worker does make about $12 an hour, with no benefits. And if you have to travel from one place to another, there is no payment for that kind of transportation or getting there. It is not really doable. And so we have made pretty much no progress until now. And then the President of the United States, Joe Biden, said we are going to have Medicare, home- and community-based services in this country. Now, he announced a very big amount of money to go for that. I don't know if that is going to be able to be paid for fully right now in the Build Back Better plan, but we are going to make a start. We are going to say yes. It is not just that we are going to leave families, women at home, not being able to go back to the workplace themselves. We are going to have a home care policy. And that is where people want to be, in their homes, in the United States of America. I believe that we will see billions and billions of dollars that are going to be able to go to long-term care. And we are going to pay attention to these workers. It is not right. It is not possible to depend on workers who, themselves, live in poverty; don't have someone to care for them when they get older; often can't even afford to get-- we talk about paid sick leave--have no health insurance, have no backup, if they get sick. This is absolutely not working in this country. If we are going to build back better, we have to build back better for women. We have to build back better for women toward the end of life, as we age. We have to take care of women and children in this country. It is really embarrassing, in a way, when we look at the rest of the world, how far behind the richest country in the world is in taking care of our families, the most in need in our country. But we are finally at a tipping and turning point right now. We have an administration, we have leaders in the House and the Senate who are now saying those days are gone. We are now going to be a country that, as the President says, is built from the bottom up and the middle out. We are going to take care of workers. We are going to take care of families, and we are going to take care of women and children. I am just so proud to be part of a caucus that is determined to make this a reality, to transform the United States of America into a place that is safe and healthy and has opportunity for all of us.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Mrs. Bette Horstman and wish her a very happy 100th birthday on December 6, 2021. Mrs. Horstman is a distinguished resident of Morton Grove, Illinois and a constituent of mine. She was an honorable 1st Lieutenant who served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps as a Physical Therapist during World War II. Bette Horstman was born on December 6, 1921 in Hibbing, Minnesota and grew up in Chicago, Illinois with her younger sister and parents. Mrs. Horstman graduated from the University of Michigan in 1943 and was accepted into the Mayo Clinic's Physical Therapy (PT) program. Students in the program were visited by a U.S. Army recruiter who told them about their country's need for their skills and service and she enlisted in the U.S. Army Medical Corps in 1944. Upon completing her training, she was sent on her first assignment at Tripler General Hospital in Oahu, Hawaii, and later 3,700 miles west to Saipan, where her professional skills helped heal many soldiers during the war. She was discharged in 1946 and was honored for her service with a Meritorious Service Unit Citation with one Star, the Asiatic-Pacific Service Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal. In her post-service life, Mrs. Horstman helped establish the PT departments at three Chicago area hospitals. She was the first female in the state of Illinois to open up her own PT practice. She continued her education and received both a Master's in Education and a nursing home administrator's license. She was also a long-time member of the American Physical Therapy Association. Mrs. Horstman volunteers and gives back to the community to this day. She has worked with the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, and at the North Chicago VA as a post commander, where she has volunteered for nearly two decades. Before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, she volunteered for the bedside care program ``No Veteran Dies Alone.'' Mrs. Horstman's lifelong commitment to giving back to the community, her service to her country, her groundbreaking career, and her work healing people across the Chicagoland area are truly remarkable. I appreciate Mrs. Horstman's service to the Chicago community and the country, and I wish her a very happy 100th birthday.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Women's Health Protection Act that will end the horrifying State-level attacks on abortion access. The Texas law would encourage vigilantism and criminalizes anyone who would even help someone to get an abortion. But Texas is not alone. Abortion is healthcare. This is a pro-choice country, a pro-choice nation. Women can make the decision to have a child or not have a child. It is about bodily autonomy. I want to be very clear; Roe v. Wade was not the beginning of women having abortions. It was the end of women dying from abortions. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this legislation and to say ``no'' to harming women.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Frank J. Chulay and wish him a very happy 100th birthday on September 13, 2021. Mr. Chulay is a distinguished resident of Lincolnwood, Illinois. He had an honorable civic service career serving the Village of Lincolnwood and served as Village President from 1985 to 1993. Frank J. Chulay was born on September 13, 1921. He immigrated to the US through Ellis Island at the age of 2 with his parents, Frank and Elizabeth, from the Hungarian part of Romania and moved to the City of Chicago. Mr. Chulay spent two years at Wright Junior College and attended Chicago Teacher's College, where he met Altanah, and they later married. He volunteered for a program in the Army Air Corps and was called up to active duty in 1943. Mr. Chulay was trained as a pilot and flew B-24 bombers in the South Pacific. He resigned from the military in 1945, attended DePaul University under the GI Bill, and received a degree in accounting in 1946. In 1967 Frank and Altanah moved to Lincolnwood. Mr. Chulay served as Lincolnwood Village President from 1985 to 1993. He was instrumental in bringing Paramedic Services of Illinois to Lincolnwood in 1989 and helped build the new Village Hall campus. During his term as Mayor, he cast the tiebreaking vote to approve the application to build the Lincolnwood Town Center. Mr. Chulay treated all he interacted with respect and always put the needs of the Village residents first. He was active in the Northwest Municipal League, where he served as the President for one term, and active in the National League of Cities. Mr. Chulay was married to Altanah for 48 years before her death in 1992, and has two children, Jeff and Jill, two grandchildren, Kristin and Amy, and one great-grandson, Matthew. Frank has been married to Irma Chulay since 1995. I appreciate Mr. Chulay's service to the Lincolnwood community and wish him a very happy 100th birthday.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker, one of the greatest honors and privileges of my life has been to serve with John Lewis whom I had the privilege of calling a precious friend. In August, 58 years ago, the young John Lewis led a march to Washington with Martin Luther King and on August 16 of 1965, the momentous Voting Rights Act was signed into law, thanks to John Lewis. Today, on August 25, 2021, we are here to vote for the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. A bill that he almost gave his life to pass all of those years ago will now restore the power of the Voting Rights Act, the right to vote, in the new legislation named for our dear friend and the conscience of this Congress. Let's vote ``yes.''

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate my constituent, Fred A. Manuele from Arlington Heights, for receiving the inaugural Prevention through Design (PtD) Award. Presented by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP), and the National Safety Council (NSC), this award recognizes individuals, teams, businesses, or other organizations that have improved worker safety and health by designing-out hazards or contributing to the body of knowledge that enables PtD solutions. Fred Manuele is a longtime occupational safety and health expert and a pioneer in the prevention through design field. ASSP republished many of his influential professional papers in a book titled, Fred Manuele on Safety Management: A Collection from Professional Safety. Fred also published numerous occupational safety and health textbooks that always included the need for designing-out workplace hazards and the methods to do so. In 1995, Manuele led a focused 10-year NSC initiative, the Institute for Safety Through Design, which culminated in a textbook he co- authored titled, Safety through Design. In 2007, inspired by Fred's work, NIOSH and numerous partners launched a National Prevention through Design Initiative. Manuele volunteered to lead the effort to develop and approve a broad, universal voluntary consensus PtD standard aligned with international PtD activities, practices, and standards. PtD aims to prevent or reduce occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities through the inclusion of prevention considerations in all designs that impact workers. This includes the design, redesign and retrofit of new and existing work premises, structures, tools, facilities, equipment, machinery, products, substances, work processes, and the organization of work. In addition to reducing the risk of serious injury and illness, significant cost savings are often associated with hazard elimination and the application of engineering controls to minimize risks. Manuele has received many honors and awards for his accomplishments. He is an ASSP Fellow and a recipient of the NSC's Distinguished Service to Safety Award. He is a former board member of ASSP, NSC, and the Board of Certified Safety Professionals, where he also served as president and received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013. In 2015, the University of Central Missouri presented him with its Distinguished Service Award. In 2016, Manuele received the ASSP President's Award for his dedication to advancing the practice of safety. I am pleased to congratulate Fred for his outstanding foresight, wisdom, tireless effort, and major accomplishments in preventing harm to workers by helping organizations avoid and prevent hazards. This award is well-deserved.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and profoundly thank a long time, super-star member of my staff, Zahra Somani Karamali. After serving in my district offices for thirteen years, Zahra is moving on to pursue a Ph.D. in Psychology and a career as a School Psychologist. It is hard for me to even imagine not having Zahra serving the residents of the 9th Congressional District as one of the most effective Constituent Advocates in the country. Though not in my office, she will always be a beloved member of Team Schakowsky. Zahra Somani Karamali joined my office in 2008, and she brought perspective, experience, and enthusiasm that have left a permanent impact on our operations and on constituents' lives. She is a dedicated public servant who readily established herself as a strong ally for individuals who would otherwise not have an effective voice. My husband and I had the joy of attending her wedding to Nauman and celebrating the birth and growth of their two wonderful children Ayman and Zayna. She and her family have become cherished friends. Over the years, Zahra advocated for thousands of constituents who needed help with a wide range of issues. She cut through red tape and solved difficult problems, often in life-changing ways. Zahra helped immigrant families who were pursuing green cards or struggling to obtain a visa to travel home to visit sick relatives. She helped reunite families, assisted refugees, and helped immigrants obtain naturalization status. She expedited passport applications so that mothers and fathers didn't miss their daughters' wedding abroad. When residents called because they had missing mail or delayed tax returns, Zahra provided an empathetic ear and an enthusiastic hand to help solve those issues. During the pandemic she helped constituents who were stranded abroad and helped constituents obtain desperately needed stimulus checks and important benefits. She fought for constituents to receive all the benefits they needed and deserved and tackled problems big and small with compassion and professionalism. Zahra is active in the Ismaili community and played an instrumental role in building and strengthening my and my office's relationships with the Muslim community. I am proud to have stood alongside her and so many others in that community in good times and in bad, and I deeply cherish the relationships I've formed along the way. Zahra is always enthusiastic and willing to do whatever needs to be done. She represented me at office hours in libraries across the northwest suburbs, helped organize and conduct a wide array of events, and spoke on my behalf at events across the district. Zahra has been an essential member of the team, and a big reason why my office is well known for its effective constituent services. I will miss Zahra very much, as will everyone on the staff. I expect to hear from many constituents who will be very disappointed to hear that Zahra is no longer there to help. We pledge to her that we will all work hard to fill the gap. I know that the fortunate students and families she will serve in the years ahead will benefit from the wonderous gifts that have made Zahra so invaluable to me.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor my friend and a champion of the LGBTQ community, James W. Flint, on his 80th birthday. At just 17, Jim enlisted in the Navy. He quickly became an accomplished service member before returning home to Illinois. Since the early 1960s, Jim has been the lifeblood of Chicago's LGBTQ+ community, dedicating his time, resources, and talents to expanding and creating the LGBTQ nightlife scene. For over 60 years, Jim has been a trailblazer and inspiration to many across the state of Illinois and beyond, and has been a committed activist and business leader. He started his career as a bartender and quickly became the entrepreneur we know and love by opening his first locale, the Baton Show Lounge, in downtown Chicago. It was a first of its kind drag bar, featuring drag queen entertainers before these kinds of shows became as popular as they are today. In the decades since, Jim has owned many fabulous establishments, including Annex 2, Annex 3, Redoubt, Redoubt Atlanta, and River North Travel, in addition to the Baton Show Lounge, which is still open today and was recently relocated to my very own 9th Congressional district. In addition to his extraordinary bars, in 1980, Jim founded the Miss Gay Continental Pageant, a national level drag showcase. He was motivated to start the pageant when he learned that many other pageants were discriminating against drag performers we would today identify as transgender. At that time, many of the pageants created rules and barriers that excluded entertainers that were living as women or who had any kind of plastic surgery. Today, now known as the Miss Continental Pageant, it has expanded to a pageant system that celebrates male and female entertainers from all across the country and around the world, and occurs in Chicago annually. He was also a co-founder of the Windy City Athletic Association, which gave LGBTQ Chicagoans the opportunity to compete in amateur athletics with their counterparts from all across the nation. Jim's deep community roots quickly positioned him as an activist and community organizer. In 1986 he ran for the Cook County Board of Commissioners, and although his bid was not successful, it was groundbreaking as he was one of the first openly gay people to run for public office in Illinois. As is the case for all trailblazers, Jim has faced and overcome significant challenges in his personal and professional life. From witnessing rampant domestic violence, drug abuse, and homicide within the LGBTQ community to the many lives we lost to the AIDS epidemic in Chicago and across the country, Jim has withstood phenomenal pain. Throughout times of unthinkable tragedy, Jim's warm energy and generous spirit have never wavered. His drive; compassion, and fantastic flamboyance are remarkable and have allowed him to be incredibly successful. He has played a tremendous role in shaping the LGBTQ community around the country, and his impact on the City of Chicago is immeasurable. As a businessman in the LGBTQ and Chicago community, he has blazed trails and opened doors for so many others. And as a public servant, activist and community leader, he has made sure that the needs of the LGBTQ community were not ignored by our government. I am honored to call Jim a friend and wish him all the best and continued success.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for all of his hard work. I appreciate it. It is not every day that we get to vote for something that will have an immediate and positive impact on our constituents like the legislation that we have before us today. The Consumer Protection and Recovery Act, introduced by Tony Cardenas, is urgently needed right now to ensure that the Federal Trade Commission can protect consumers by putting money back into the pockets of victims of fraud and scams and other illegal activities. The restitution authority under section 13(b) of the Federal Trade Commission Act has been the FTC's most effective law enforcement tool. But, unfortunately, just a few months ago, the United States Supreme Court said that somehow the law wasn't exactly written right, and if you wanted to retain that restitution authority, you had to go back and fix the law. I do want to say that there is not a single change in the authorities to the FTC, not one. Actually, I take it back, there is one. Before there was no statute of limitations at all, and we did impose a statute of limitations. What we know is, for 40 years when the FTC had this authority, it was able to do such fabulous things, like get back almost $62 million for delivery drivers in its remarkable settlement with Amazon over Amazon's systemic stealing of drivers' tips. It enabled the Federal Trade Commission to recover more than $9.5 billion from Volkswagen and Porsche for consumers who were deceived by false advertising about vehicles fitted with illegal emissions defeat devices. Honest businesses want this legislation because they don't want to have to compete with fraudsters and scammers. This can't wait. We have seen new bad actors cropping up all over the country and taking money out of people's pockets. It is open season right now for scammers. Every single day that we wait, they get away with the scams and not have to put money back into people's pockets. I urge my colleagues, join us. There are no secrets here. It is the same bill. Join us to protect consumers. There are plenty of guardrails that have gone on for 40 years, and it is time to pass this bill now.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Pallone for getting a transformative auto safety package into the INVEST in America Act. This will save tens of thousands of lives if we can get this passed, and I hope that we will see that happen. We had a press conference this morning where we had people who have suffered such great harm. We heard the story of a limousine with 18 people, 6 from one family, that went up in flames because of a drunk driver. We heard from a woman whose child died in a hot car. We have the Hot Car Act that would make sure that there is a warning that there is a child in the back seat, because 1,000 children, babies and toddlers, have died since 1990 in hot cars. This was a press conference with tears and anguish for preventable things, and I am so grateful that this is in the legislation. I also just want to say that the city of Chicago has the most water lines with lead inside of them, and this legislation will deal with water safety. And this is so important because the lead poisoning does not go away. Children are affected for life because of that. So the bills that I am talking about are lifesavers as part of this whole package of the INVEST in America Act. I also want to thank Representative Peter DeFazio for his great work in putting this together.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, methane emissions are accelerating climate change and harming our communities, and we are moving in the wrong direction. After the Trump administration repealed limitations on emissions of methane, we saw the largest yearly increase of methane emissions on record in 2020. We must get back on track. It is urgent that we restore regulations to limit methane emissions. Methane is 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide. We cannot move quickly enough. We have to act now. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the legislation that we will be considering today, to curb these dangerous emissions and protect our communities.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker, I thank the chair for his friendship and for letting me speak. Madam Speaker, you know, I rise with great enthusiastic support for the Equal Access to Contraception for Veterans Act. No veteran of the United States of America should be forced to pay out of pocket for basic preventative care. You know, this is 2021. Birth control should not be controversial. Veterans' access to healthcare should not be controversial. And I really think, how dare Members on the other side even consider shutting down this bill on suspension. Our veterans deserve access to all of the healthcare services that they need, and that would include every method of birth control. Really? Are we still arguing this?

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker, I urge all Members to just say--this is something that is basic right now, we all believe that contraception should be available. And, you know, it can end up actually being quite expensive. And why? I don't understand. So I think this legislation is long overdue. Let's pass it today.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my leader here who has done such a great job to protect workers. We are here today to fix a terrible 2009 Supreme Court decision that weakened protections against age discrimination under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. A 2020 AARP survey found that three in five workers age 45--yes, age 45 and older--had seen or experienced age discrimination in the workplace. So, there is absolutely evidence that this exists. It is real, and we need to do something to fix it. Meanwhile, Americans are working more and longer than they ever have. Workers deserve strong workplace protections throughout their entire careers, full stop. I am absolutely proudly and enthusiastically looking forward to voting ``yes'' on H.R. 2062, the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act, to ensure that older workers can hold employers accountable for age discrimination. When asking workers, ``Have you ever experienced any kind of discrimination based on age?'' and when the answer is three out of five say yes, beginning at age 45, I trust that this is true. This was in a survey that was done by the AARP, which has millions of members, that told us that. So, the current laws that were cited across the aisle are not doing the job that needs to be done right now to protect our older workers. Let's pass this bill today.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker, it is an honor to be with you today and to tell everyone how excited I am that on July 15 checks are going to be arriving at the homes of families with children who have been struggling for a year and a half, and many have really come to the brink because of the pandemic that we are facing. This is the child tax credit that is actually going to reduce child poverty by half in the United States of America. It was part of the American Rescue Plan, which we passed in January, and now it is going to come to help people in the form of a check. These payments provide poor, working- and middle-class families with meaningful tax relief. In my district, over 70 percent of children will benefit from the expanded credit; over 100,000 families in total. This is the result of our work to make sure that families are no longer suffering because of the pandemic.