Mary Scanlon

Ms. SCANLON

Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, today's rule should be an easy one for this Congress to pass, particularly if there were two parties here interested in solving problems rather than just pointing blame. It is clear that we need to reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. WIOA is an investment in ourselves. It is an investment in the American worker and the American economy. WIOA creates and propels economic opportunity, particularly for our youth. Passing the reauthorization bill will help millions of Americans get better jobs to support themselves and their families. It will make it easier for workers to get the skills and training needed to compete in the modern job market, and it will maintain our country's competitiveness in the global economy. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to vote for the rule today and to support the underlying legislation.

Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Ms. SCANLON

Ms. SCANLON. Madam Speaker, I rise today as a proud Pennsylvanian, and someone who has been a season ticket subscriber to the Philadelphia Orchestra for almost 40 years, to share with my colleagues another important milestone for the Philadelphia Orchestra on the world stage. In close coordination with the Department of State's Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs as well as our diplomats in Abu Dhabi, a delegation from the Philadelphia Orchestra made a historic trip to the United Arab Emirates in March. This coincided with the Dubai Expo and the anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and the United Arab Emirates on March 20, 1972. The Philadelphia Orchestra has been one of the most well-traveled in the world. This commitment to cultural diplomacy dates to the end of World War II. Colleagues will remember the landmark visit to China orchestrated personally by President Nixon and Secretary Kissinger. More recently, the Orchestra has worked with our State Department diplomats to strengthen relations with countries as diverse as Mongolia and Israel. While on the ground, the musicians visited not only Abu Dhabi and Dubai, but also the Fujairah Fine Arts Academy. This was truly historic. In an increasingly complex world, this type of people-to- people exchange is an incredibly important tool to amplify the work of our diplomats. As we stand shoulder to shoulder with our European allies, I look forward to celebrating the upcoming European tour this August and September. Once again, the Philadelphia Orchestra will serve as an important cultural ambassador for our country on the world stage.

Ms. SCANLON

Ms. SCANLON. Madam Speaker, if Roe v. Wade is overturned, it would pose the greatest threat to reproductive freedom we have seen in half a century. But let's be very clear: although many States are passing radical laws banning abortion, contraception, and criminalizing healthcare, right now Roe is still the law of the land, abortion is healthcare, and abortion is still legal. Abortion is an integral part of reproductive healthcare and should be safe, legal, and accessible to all. Right now, clinics and funds are able to support people in accessing abortion healthcare with compassion and care. One organization in my district, the Delaware County Women's Center, serves more than 1,600 patients annually. I thank the staff at the Women's Center, especially Lizbeth and Jen, for their commitment to accessible reproductive health services. If a rightwing extremist court overturns Roe, we will not go back. A strong majority of Americans are stepping up to support the freedom of every person, regardless of where they live or how much money they have, to make their own decisions about their health, their bodies, and their futures.

Ms. SCANLON

Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, many people say ours is a nation of immigrants. But our Nation also has an unfortunate history of political opportunists who attack the latest wave of immigrants and seek to stoke fear and chaos in order to gain or cling to power. Whether the attacks were against my ancestors, the Irish; those at the southern border today; or the many other groups in between, we have heard the same language and scare tactics year after year, generation after generation. But then as now, those attacks are a sham. They are attention-seeking to divide and distract us from their proponents' lack of seriousness, their lack of solutions, and, at times, their own misconduct. Now, I rise today in support of the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend- Lease Act and hope to send it quickly to President Biden's desk. The Senate acted quickly to pass this bill and send it our way. Eighty years ago, the U.S. created the lend-lease program to provide military and humanitarian aid to Great Britain and our Allies in Europe as they stood on the front lines to oppose the Axis powers that threatened democracies around the world, including our own. Today, the Ukrainian people are standing on the front lines in the fight for democracy and against tyranny. The U.S. needs to provide them with every possible measure of humanitarian and military aid. To date, Congress and President Biden have led the world in supporting the Ukrainian people, sending nearly $14 billion in food, medical supplies, and military assistance to Ukraine, working in close collaboration with our allies. With this aid, the Ukrainian armed forces have been incredibly effective in opposing Putin's unlawful and unprovoked invasion. But the Ukrainian success is dependent on them having the equipment and supplies to continue fighting, and this bill will ensure that they do. This is a bill that every freedom- and democracy-loving Member of the House should support, and I look forward to its swift passage on the floor.

Ms. SCANLON

Ms. SCANLON. Madam Speaker, it has been said before, but ours is a country of laws, not men, and in our democratic Republic, the voters choose who leads, not a dictator, and not a monarch. But in the wake of the 2020 election, a small group of people decided to reject the rule of law and the will of the voters. They rejected the unanimous conclusion of the courts, the Department of Justice, Homeland Security, and law enforcement and election officials across the country. They tried to pervert the law and throw away the free choice of the people. On January 6, their plan almost worked. As the select committee investigates what happened that day, and how it can be prevented from ever happening again, over 800 witnesses have come in to share what they know because that is what should happen in a country ruled by law. Only a handful of people, all of them in the former President's inner circle, have refused to obey the subpoenas. Their baseless claims that they are immune have been rejected by the actual President, by Congress, and by the courts. These entitled few have refused to honor Congress' subpoenas, just like they rejected the results of the election, because they believe they are above the law. They are not. That is why it is so important that we pass this rule and the underlying bill and hold those in defiance of these subpoenas in contempt, because their conduct is not just unlawful and unpatriotic, it is contemptible. Our Constitution, not any person, is what makes our country great. Nobody is above the law, and certainly nobody is above the Constitution. Madam Speaker, I strongly support the rule and its underlying legislation, and I urge all my colleagues who truly love the country more than performative antics to do the same.

Ms. SCANLON

Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, in southeastern Pennsylvania, and in cities and towns across the country, restaurants are an essential cornerstone of our local communities and our regional economies. These restaurants were hard-hit by the pandemic. Despite the excellence of their cuisine, over the past 2 years, many independent restaurants in Philly, Delaware County, and Montgomery County struggled to stay in business, and some permanently shuttered. The Restaurant Revitalization Fund, passed as part of the American Rescue Plan, was a lifeline for the restaurants that received it. The program provided grants targeted to the hardest-hit restaurants, giving restaurant operators financial relief to keep their doors open and keep people employed. The funds weren't enough to match the need. I have heard it from my constituents, and everybody who is listening has heard it from their constituents. While roughly 300,000 restaurants applied for aid, only about 100,000 received grants. For months, I have joined Representative Blumenauer and my colleagues in calling to replenish the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, using only funds recouped from fraudulent claims that have been made in earlier small business relief programs. The Relief for Restaurants and other Hard Hit Small Businesses Act will provide additional financial support to restaurants and small businesses in the industries that are still grievously affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Mr. Speaker, I am glad this needed bill is getting a vote on the floor. I strongly support the rule and its underlying legislation, and I urge all of my colleagues to recognize that this issue is still before us and to do the same.

Ms. SCANLON

Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Perlmutter for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of today's rule. The two bills in the rule provide for important, long overdue reforms that most Americans are in favor of. The MORE Act will reform our Federal drug laws to bring Federal laws in line with the majority of States which are now legally and responsibly regulating cannabis. Mr. Speaker, 37 States, including the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, have successfully legalized medicinal cannabis, creating a thriving, safe, and legal market for cannabis, creating thousands of jobs and billions in new tax revenue. This is a rare win-win scenario for everyone--government, businesses, patients, and consumers. However, the ongoing conflict between our State and Federal laws creates daily legal issues for businesses, banks, doctors, and consumers. The MORE Act will address these problems by removing cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act. This will allow veterans to use medicinal cannabis without losing their VA benefits. It will allow legal businesses to access financial services. It will allow scientists and government agencies to research cannabis, and it will not prevent States from regulating or even criminalizing misuse of cannabis. More importantly, the MORE Act includes a comprehensive package of criminal justice reforms to give a second chance to those whose lives have been upended by the excesses of the war on drugs. Mr. Speaker, today's rule also includes the Affordable Insulin Now Act, which will cap insulin costs at $35. This is a much-needed reform that will provide financial relief to the millions of Americans who rely on insulin to manage their diabetes. While I am glad that we are able to find compromise on capping insulin costs, Americans are demanding that we pass comprehensive legislation to lower prescription drug costs for all Americans. And we continue to invite our Republican colleagues to help us to do that. Prescription drug prices are way too high. Insulin is ten times more expensive in the U.S. than in other countries. Across the board, Americans pay more for their drugs than people in other countries pay for the exact same drugs. There is no justification for this difference.

Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, the prescription drug market is broken, and insulin is just one example of how bad the problem is. We urgently need prescription drug price reform so all Americans can afford the medications they need to manage their health. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to vote for today's rule and the underlying bills when they are considered on the floor.

Ms. SCANLON

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

Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4738 establishes a COVID-19 history program within the Library of Congress' American Folklife Center. March 11 of this year marked the second anniversary of the World Health Organization's official designation of COVID-19 as a pandemic. Since then, more than 6 million people worldwide have succumbed to the disease, almost a million in the United States alone, and hundreds of millions more have suffered from its debilitating effects. Experts agree that current statistics are likely undercounting the disease's actual toll. Indeed, the true scale of social and economic devastation caused by the virus may never be known. Although the virus continues to disrupt daily life in ways both seen and unseen, through American ingenuity and sheer force of will, several effective vaccines were developed in record time. These vaccines continue to be an important tool as the fight to eradicate the coronavirus goes on. As the country and world enter this next phase of the pandemic, it is important that we preserve the stories of those who lived through it. COVID-19 is not the first pandemic, and it will not be the last. Humanity has endured Black Death, cholera, influenza, HIV, AIDS, and the list goes on. As devastating as these diseases can be, there are lessons to be found in each: lessons of love and loss, of peace and strife, of failure and triumph. Tragically, few know this firsthand better than my colleague, the gentlewoman from Louisiana and sponsor of this bill, who lost her husband, Luke, to the disease. We applaud her for bravely answering the call of public service at such a difficult time, and we hope she and her family continue to heal and his memory serves as an inspiration to them in all that they do. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Congresswoman for bringing forward this very poignant and important legislation. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues as well to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4738) to direct the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress to establish a history project to collect video and audio recordings of personal histories and testimonials, written materials, and photographs of those who were affected by COVID-19, and for other purposes, as amended.

Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. SCANLON

Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 3294) to obtain and direct the placement in the Capitol or on the Capitol Grounds of a statue to honor Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Sandra Day O'Connor and a statue to honor Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

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

Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. This bill, by creating statues in the Capitol, honors former Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, two women who made groundbreaking contributions to American history and jurisprudence. The United States Capitol is a global symbol of democracy. This iconic building, where we debate and craft law, is also a museum of American art and history, with a rich collection of portraits, paintings, and statues. Among the hundreds of sculptures, just 14 honor women leaders. By adding statues of these two pioneering Supreme Court Justices, we will honor their legacy and inspire all who pass through these Halls. In 1869, Arabella Mansfield became the first woman admitted to practice law in the United States when she was admitted to the Iowa bar. Ten years later, Belva Lockwood became the first woman admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States. One hundred years would pass before Sandra Day O'Connor became the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. Born in the early 1930s, Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg both achieved extraordinary academic success. One of only five women in her class at Stanford Law, O'Connor served on the Board of Editors of the Stanford Law Review and graduated near the top of her class. Ginsburg first attended Harvard Law School, one of nine women in her class. She became the first female member of the Harvard Law Review, while also caring for her husband, who had been diagnosed with cancer, and their young daughter. When her husband took a job in New York City, Ginsburg transferred to Columbia Law School and graduated first in her class. Despite their outstanding academic qualifications, O'Connor and Ginsburg faced barriers to employment after graduation, as law firms were unwilling to hire women lawyers. Each persevered and rose to prominence. O'Connor obtained a position as a deputy county attorney in California. Then, when her husband was stationed in Germany, she served as a civilian attorney with the United States Army Quartermaster Corps. In 1957, the O'Connors settled in Arizona, where they raised their three sons. O'Connor started a law practice, became involved in local politics and community service, and served as an assistant state attorney general. In 1969, O'Connor was appointed to the Arizona State Senate, where she was twice reelected and became the first woman majority leader in any State. In 1974, she was elected as a trial judge, a position she held until 1979, when she was appointed to the Arizona Court of Appeals. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan fulfilled his campaign promise to appoint a woman to the Supreme Court by nominating O'Connor. The Senate unanimously confirmed her appointment. In her nearly 25 years on the Court, Justice O'Connor established herself as a pragmatic, independent voice. In a 1982 case, O'Connor wrote the majority opinion, holding that the State could not prevent men from enrolling in an all-women's nursing school. She wrote that laws discriminating on the basis of sex are allowed only if there is an ``exceedingly persuasive justification'' free of archaic and stereotypic notions of the roles and abilities of males and females. Justice O'Connor retired from the Supreme Court in 2006. In retirement, she remained active as a tireless advocate for judicial independence and civics education. Following law school, Ginsburg served as a law clerk to Judge Edmund L. Palmieri of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. She then became associate director of a comparative law project sponsored by Columbia University before joining the faculty of Rutgers Law School in 1963. From 1972 to 1980, she taught at Columbia Law School, where she became the first female tenured professor. In the 1970s, Ginsburg also served as a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences in Stanford, California, and as the director of the Women's Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union. In this position, she led the fight against gender discrimination and won five landmark cases before the Supreme Court. In 1980, President Carter appointed Ginsburg to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. In 1993, President Clinton nominated Ginsburg as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. The Senate confirmed her nomination by a vote of 96-3, and she became the second female and the first Jewish female to serve on the Court. Justice Ginsburg was a strong voice for gender equality and voting rights. She authored the landmark majority opinion in United States v. Virginia, which held that the State-supported Virginia Military Institute could not refuse to admit women. Justice Ginsburg served on the Supreme Court for 27 years, until her death in September 2020. It is difficult to overstate the importance of these two Justices as role models and inspiration for generations of American girls, women, and women lawyers. Justice O'Connor was sworn in as the first female Supreme Court Justice the same month that I started law school, and I had the privilege of working with both Justices on issues of civic education and access to justice. Both women were brilliant and funny. They were stars on the bench and in our national firmament. Now we are presented with another moment of equal significance, with the nomination of Judge Jackson under consideration in the Senate. One more barrier has fallen, and soon young women of color will be able to see themselves in future Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Ketanji Brown Jackson, as I once saw myself in Justices O'Connor and Ginsburg. Today I ask my colleagues to honor these incredible women, Justice O'Connor and Justice Ginsburg, and help inspire our next generation of leaders by voting to create these statues for the Capitol of the United States. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Lois Frankel).

Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence).

Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Stanton).

Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from Arizona.

Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. I am so proud to rise in support of this bill to recognize the brilliant and groundbreaking legal careers of Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, but I am also so proud to recognize them because of their unrelenting focus on our young people. We have heard a couple of times about Justice O'Connor's interest in civics education. She founded her civics nonprofit when she found that more Americans knew the names of the judges on ``American Idol'' than they did the Justices of the Supreme Court. She was really committed to helping our next generation understand the importance of our civics. I had the opportunity to meet Justice Ginsburg with my daughter when my daughter was about 10. My daughter was very anxious to ask a question of her. She asked her: ``When will we have a female President?'' Justice Ginsburg turned to her and said: ``Probably not in my lifetime, but certainly in yours.'' My daughter graduated from law school this year. We look forward to the fulfillment of Justice Ginsburg's prophecy. I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill and support these statues. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.