Haley Stevens

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I am happy to congratulate Aaron and Kristi German on the birth of their new baby boy, Julian Winter German. Julian Winter German was born on May 9, 2020, at Sentara RMH Medical Center in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Julian weighed eight pounds and three ounces and measured 20 inches long. I would also like to congratulate Julian's grandparents, John and Barbara German of Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Montie and Karen Armentrout of Harrisonburg, Virginia. Congratulations to the entire family as they welcome their newest addition of pure pride and joy.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I am happy to congratulate State Representative Kristy Pagan and Karl Lopata of Canton, Michigan, on the birth of their babies, Kittridge Charles and Adler Elnora Lopata-Pagan. Kittridge Charles was born on Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 20, 2020, weighing six pounds and fourteen ounces and measuring in at 19. 7 inches long. Adler Elnora was born on January 21, 2020, weighing five pounds and twelve ounces and measuring in at 18.9 inches long. Kittridge and Adler were born at Von Voigtlander Women's Hospital at the University of Michigan. I would also like to congratulate Kittridge and Adler's grandparents, Nick and Kathy Pagan of Plymouth, Michigan, and Karl and Judy Lopata of Canton, Michigan, as well as aunts and uncles Jenna and Bill Pagan- DeYoung of Kalamazoo, Michigan (cousin Evelyn Pagan-DeYoung, cousin Elliot Pagan-DeYoung), Kimberly Pagan of Arlington, Virginia, and K.C. Lopata of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Congratulations to the entire family as they welcome the new loves and lights of their lives.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in memory of the great Chain Singh Sandhu, who passed away on May 16th at his home in Northville, Michigan, after a courageous, four-year battle with cancer at the age of 78. When Chain was five, his father was murdered during the partition of India. His mother was illiterate and raised him on a small farm in Punjab. Despite his modest upbringing, Sandhu had big dreams. He came to the U.S. in 1969 with his wife, child, and eight dollars in his pocket. Though there were few opportunities for foreign engineers, he found a job on the assembly line at General Motors and eventually earned a position as a development engineer. At the time of his promotion, he was the first Indian ever to achieve a senior engineering title at General Motors. In 1986, Mr. Sandhu took the opportunity to run a small company named NYX with declining revenues and a cash crisis. By 1989, he had purchased NYX. His dream was to create a company where people of all backgrounds, religions, and languages would be welcome. Today, the Livonia-based automotive supply company is a multinational organization with 17 locations and 4,200 employees in five countries. For decades, Mr. Sandhu assisted hundreds of students and families immigrating to the U.S. He worked to provide an immediate community landing spot and professional growth opportunities, taking pride in watching the children of his employees become valued members of their communities and citizens of this country that he dearly loved. Chain spent his final days at home on his farm in Northville surrounded by family. He was preceded in death by his brother, Raghbir Sandhu, and his daughter, Ramandeep Sandhu. He is survived by his wife Satwant, his brother Ram, his sons and their spouses: Jay (Roop) and Mick (Jessica); his four grandchildren who were the apples of his eyes: Nirvair, Naveen, Rajan, and Rohan; as well as the 4,200 employees of NYX he considered his family, and the indelible mark he left in a circle of people far and wide. He will be remembered for being a fiercely loyal companion, father, grandfather, and friend, and for his positive outlook on life. ``Every day is a good day'' was a phrase he said each day, which is a memory that will continue to inspire everyone who knew him.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I am happy to congratulate the Honorable Max Rose and his wife Leigh on the arrival of their new baby boy, Miles Benjamin Rose. Miles Benjamin Rose was born on March 14, 2020, weighing seven pounds and seven ounces and measuring in at 21 inches long. I would also like to congratulate Miles' grandparents, Lisa and Hal Rose, Luke Byrne and Carol Westermann, and Dr. Linda Marsanico. Congratulations to the entire family as they welcome their newest addition of pure pride and joy.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in memory of Ajaib Kaur Dhadli, who passed away on May 12th at the age of 94. Born in Pakistan on March 26, 1926, Ajaib Kaur Dhadli was the oldest of five sisters of Ajit Singh and Sant Kaur. Ajaib Kaur was married to late Sardar Harchand Singh Dhadli in 1946, until his passing in 2015. Throughout the course of her life, she worked tirelessly throughout the house, while also raising her three children, Raminder Singh, Baljinder Kaur and Raminder Kaur. She was instrumental in molding her children which helped them find success in their careers and lives. As they grew older and had children of their own, Ajaib helped raise her grandchildren with pride. Those closest to Ajaib Kaur Dhadli would describe her as hard working, nurturing, and a woman of faith. Ajaib Kaur Dhadli is survived by her sisters Inderjit Kaur, Narinder Kaur and Kanwaljit Kaur, son, Raminder Singh, daughters Raminder Kaur, and Baljinder Kaur, five grandchildren including Shamsher Singh, Harleen Kaur, Amneet Kaur, Tejveer Singh and Harjap Singh, as well as four great grandchildren Kiran, Jasleen, Arjun and Tegvir. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in reflecting on the special life of Ajaib Kaur Dhadli.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the activity of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, as we work through extraordinary circumstances to deliver for the American people. The Science Committee, under the leadership of Chairwoman Johnson and Ranking Member Lucas, has been holding briefings on topics such as infrastructure, energy jobs, vaccine developments, through the great technologies available to us over the worldwide web. Each has been bipartisan. One important focus has been our domestic manufacturing role, retooling production lines to make the medical supplies needed to respond to the ongoing health crisis. This has been of particular importance for the Subcommittee on Research and Technology, which I chair, along with Ranking Member Baird. How do we open platforms and utilize digital technologies for industrial collaboration to solve big problems and streamline our supply chain to get the medical supplies to those who need them now? The Science Committee will continue to do the work it has always done to meet the needs of the American people, to propel American manufacturing innovation forward. I urge my colleagues to support this fabulous resolution that will enable us to continue to do our work under great and trying circumstances.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I rise before you today in this Chamber during this critical time in the United States of America, where our country faces a battle with a pandemic, the biggest battle we have faced as a nation together in generations. Amidst uncertainty, we work to keep Americans alive by stopping the spread of COVID-19. In these times, heroes will be made and not selected. We are in a global pandemic. Many Americans may perish unexpectedly and suddenly in unfair circumstances. These are not pleasant words to hear. Treatments and cures are needed. They will take time. Economic security must be guaranteed. The outbreak of COVID-19 has spread throughout our land. Listen to the scientists and the doctors who have spent a lifetime in this space. Listen to Dr. Fauci. This is not a moment to provide the false comforts of times past. We are so proud of Americans who are sacrificing so much right now. Our students, gone from their beloved classrooms and classmates. We beam for our manufacturers who have no----

Ms. STEVENS. I request 30 more seconds because I rise before you adorning these latex gloves not for personal attention, but to encourage you to take the----

Ms. STEVENS. Join me in the calls of servitude, sharing in the profession with those who have now come before you. Similar times of trying medical need, wars and flus past, you will see darkness, you will be pushed, and our society needs you to stand together at this time. Our country loves you. To our doctors and our nurses, I wear these latex gloves to tell every American: Do not be afraid.

Ms. STEVENS. I tell my fellow Americans do not be afraid. Look and see the beauty and opportunity in nature and humanity all around you.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I am happy to congratulate Hannah and Adam Kessler of Birmingham, Michigan, on the birth of their new baby girl, Katherine Miller Kessler. Katherine Miller Kessler was born on December 19, 2019, at Henry Ford Hospital in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Katherine weighed nine pounds and .05 ounces and measured 19 inches long. I would also like to congratulate Katherine's big sister, Emerson Roslyn Kessler, and her grandparents, John and Andrea Kessler of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, Lorie Kessler of West Bloomfield, Michigan, and Sally Hirst and Doug Miller of Rochester, New York. Congratulations to the entire family as they welcome their newest addition of pure pride and joy.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of a dear friend and mentor, Dorothy Stein, who will celebrate her 102nd birthday this year. Dorothy was born in 1918 in Owosso, Michigan to Justena (Byrnes) and Matthew Shea. While she was still young, the family moved to Flint, Michigan, and Dorothy stayed there until she was married. She was eventually hired by the Flint Journal covering 'society news' and cherished the time she spent reporting there. She met her husband, Donald (Don) J. Stein, through friends. They married during the war but before he enlisted in the Army Air Corps. The war ended just as he completed his training. The couple moved to Detroit and had four children, then eleven grandchildren, then twenty great grandchildren. She was involved with several charities, including Christ Child Society. She and Don were also very involved in the Academy of the Sacred Heart where their three daughters attended school. They joined Otsego Ski Club and enjoyed spending time there for many years. Dorothy played bridge several days a week and became extremely skilled. She has been a member of the Village Club for decades which was the site of much of her bridge playing. She still plays occasionally to this day. She drove until she was 98 years old, and she continues to bless all with her warm heart and beautiful wardrobe. Our community is a better place because of Dorothy Stein.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Chairman, I rise as the designee of Mr. Morelle, and I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer a very simple and straightforward amendment. This amendment does not alter the critical provisions of this legislation, but it does provide clarity about what the PRO Act will and will not do, as well as recognizes State efforts when it comes to employee rights and standards. The PRO Act does not govern in any way the definition of who is an employee for the workplace protections related to minimum wages, overtime, or unemployment insurance. Under the PRO Act, the definition of who is an employee only applies to who is eligible to join a union and collectively bargain. If a worker is an employee under the PRO Act, they will have the right to join or refrain from union representation, engage in collective bargaining and bargain over the terms and conditions of their work. As we know, employment status varies under Federal and State statutes. Thus, an individual can be an employee under one law and remain an independent contractor for the purposes of another. I have a deep respect for State authority and believe that, as we address Federal NLRA standards, it is important to thoughtfully assess the 20 States that have taken differing actions currently relying on some version of the ABC test to determine their own worker protection eligibility. This straightforward amendment I am offering today does not end the discussion on the ABC test but helps clarify the benefits of the PRO Act and sets our country on a path to support workers. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this amendment as well as the underlying bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky).

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Chairman, at this time, I would like to close out our debate, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Chairwoman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Chairwoman, today, as we consider the PRO Act, we think of how far the labor movement has come and how far we have yet to go. We think of all the important steps we need to take as a government and as a nation to rebuild our working class as productivity is dropping and inequality is rising, to ensure fundamental, basic protections are in place for a better work environment and a stronger economy for all, to secure workers' rights to collectively bargain. The PRO Act represents the rights of the nearly 700,000 brothers and sisters in unions across my home State of Michigan where the steady humming of hard work and determination abounds. The PRO Act is in our bones. Public approval of labor unions is near a 50-year high, but union membership is at its lowest level since just after the National Labor Relations Act was enacted in 1935. It is not a coincidence that as union membership has declined, income inequality has soared. At the same time, new forms of work continue to emerge in our innovation economy, work that allows individuals the complete freedom to work whenever and for whomever they choose. Many developed countries have sought to address the changing nature of work through sectoral bargaining, where representatives of workers and employers in a given industry bargain over wages and standards throughout that industry. By covering more workers under a collective bargaining agreement, workers and employers can bargain for industry- wide floors in wages and benefits. This amendment asks the Government Accountability Office to look to the future by evaluating how laws and policies on sectoral bargaining have been playing out in other countries, strengthening workers' ability to effectively bargain in the face of a rapidly changing economy. Specifically, my amendment asks the GAO to assess the various forms of sectoral bargaining, including: One, multiemployer bargaining, which permits unions to collectively bargain contracts for workers across a region or an industry; Two, pattern bargaining, which involves union organizing and collective bargaining with all the companies in an industry. The United Auto Workers has used this model to bargain for common terms with the big three in Michigan; and Three, wage standard boards where government, industry, and labor would be responsible for setting wages, benefits, and other terms and conditions of employment across specific industries. Madam Chairwoman, the Education and Labor Committee has held three hearings on the future of work where we have begun exploring alternative models to empower workers in the face of this rapidly changing economy. While sectoral bargaining is no substitute for the essential reforms in the PRO Act, a number of emerging industries, think tanks, and other worker advocates have begun to explore this idea to complement the PRO Act. We ask that the GAO also assess the economic impacts of sectoral bargaining, including the impact on wages, prices, productivity, and the development of emerging industries, including those who engage their workforces through technology. As a co-chair of the Future of Work Task Force on the New Democrat Coalition, we, as Democrats, realize that there is an urgency to start to fix the problem that some of this legislation addresses. But this must not be the end of the conversation of what we need to do to support workers and allow our economy to thrive in the 21st century labor movement. Another amendment I had introduced was not made in order, but it would have asked the GAO to explore the deployment of portable benefit systems and the feasibility of a new employee classification for this gig economy and their employees. We will continue exploring these alternative work models that ensure a strong set of benefits and protections for workers, while allowing them to retain the independence and flexibility they want. With a comprehensive assessment by the GAO on sectoral bargaining in other countries, Congress will be better informed on the next steps after the PRO Act is enacted into law. I urge a ``yes'' vote on my amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in memory of Tom McKenna, who passed away on December 11th after a courageous battle with two rare forms of leukemia at the age of 78. Tom was born on August 11, 1941 in Chicago to Charles and Dorothy McKenna. He was a proud south-sider, an avid Notre Dame and Chicago Bears fan, and a passionate golfer. Tom is survived by his wife Karin of 36 years, daughter Mary Kate Battles, son Matt McKenna, grandson Max Battles, son-in-law Joseph Battles, daughter-in-law Maggie Shine as well as his brothers Chuck, Dan and Jim, and many nieces and nephews. He also leaves behind many dear, wonderful golfing friends at Sand Creek Country Club and the many work friends he made over his 40-year career in the steel industry. Tom will be remembered for being a fiercely loyal companion, father, grandfather and friend, and for his positive outlook on life. ``Every day is a good day'' was a phrase he said each day, which is a memory that will continue to inspire everyone who knew him.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I rise to discuss the impact of our economy on our American workers and on our American manufacturers. The headlines are real. We are in a technical manufacturing recession, as measured by productivity and output. As we know, and as it has been stated many times tonight, the Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017 was a permanent tax giveaway for the wealthiest corporations, not our suppliers, not our workers, but the wealthiest among us, at the expense of everyday Americans. We have the benefit of hindsight to point out what many experts at the time cautioned; that this would ultimately not lead to significant job gains or raise workers' wages. $1.5 trillion added to our deficit. The levels are alarming. The facts are out today. Madam Speaker, it is clear. We must do better. We must continue to work for the people.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.J. Res. 76 because we can no longer allow the denial of debt relief to students defrauded by predatory colleges. We can no longer allow a system that looks to line the pockets of the failed for-profits at the expense of students. We can no longer allow Secretary DeVos to ignore a court order as she attempts to turn over every action of the previous administration at the expense of the American taxpayer and the American public. People have been defrauded; people have been robbed; and we need justice. Nearly 8,000 Michigan borrowers are waiting for relief from paying their Federal student loans, including Erica Maupin, who was going to school to become a paralegal until she was defrauded by a Corinthian College. Erica had to abandon her dream, and now she doesn't know how she is going to provide for her family and pay off her debt because the Federal Government isn't keeping its promise. I am glad that the House is taking this step today. We should all be proud that the House is taking this action. However, we should also recognize it comes at the expense of a great step backward of the current administration. Because of the step backward that they took, we now have to take another two big steps forward to right this wrong and to bring justice to people like Erica, to people like the Michiganders who are waiting for their justice are are waiting for their debt relief, and for our For the People Agenda.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in memory of Jeanne Sullivan, who passed away on November 24th after a courageous two-year battle with cancer. Jeanne was born in China and spent most of her childhood in Brazil and Montreal, Canada, before immigrating to the United States with her parents. She graduated from Boston University with a degree in Comparative Religion and spoke five languages fluently. In her free time, Jeanne read thousands of books and was an accomplished artist. Her home was filled with art, as well as projects for her church, community, and grandchildren. Loving wife, mother to her three children, Tamara, Pandi and Nick, and dedicated grandmother, she brought a sense of imagination and profound love to everyone she touched. Jeanne lived her life helping others and caring for the community around her. Even in her final days, she was thinking of others, and told her children that her greatest purpose in life was bringing joy to all people. Jeanne will always be remembered for her knowledge, spirit, and commitment to her community--all of which she passed down to her children.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to recognize a new year and a new decade in which we find ourselves, the second half of this session of the 116th Congress, an incredible delegation of individuals who have come together on behalf of the American people, for the American people, to usher in an agenda of renewal, of standing up for everyday hardworking Americans: to protect their healthcare; to advocate for infrastructure and good, sound infrastructure spending; as well as to stand up for hardworking Americans who have always played by the rules and have worked for their retirement savings, my pensioners back home in Michigan. It was a delight to close out the end of the decade back home in my district with so many of my beloved constituents and the community members who make us so strong. Mr. Speaker, it is a fact that on January 3, 2020, this new year, this new decade, 1 year from when this Congress was sworn in, this session of Congress was sworn in, the headline became pronounced that industrial activity has come down to its lowest point since 2009, since the heart of the recession, with production, inventories, and new orders falling. These are real headlines. These are headlines that affect the heart of America. And while so much hums in our national media and in our national news, this is a reality for so many. This is a reality for Michigan's 11th District. We were delighted, we were pleased to see us pass the USMCA overwhelmingly bipartisan for the manufacturers, for the manufacturing economy, for the hardworking union members who will get a better deal because we are advocating for buy American content. We know the road to implementation will be long, but it is an implementation that the suppliers in my district, from Auburn Hills down to Plymouth, an implementation they are planning for. Yet the reality is such that a manufacturing recession hangs before us, a manufacturing recession as marked by low levels of productivity. Over the last 6 months of 2019, manufacturers lost a net of 23,000 jobs and average hours worked fell to its lowest levels in 8 years. Who is talking about this? Your Congresswoman from Michigan's 11th District is talking about this here tonight. The reality of tariffs has cost us. Tariffs imposed have cost U.S. corporations $34 billion as of October 2019, as marked by that day since they were implemented. Also, as October 2019 has marked, manufacturing taxpayers have paid $1.8 billion in 2019 in additional tariffs, in additional money. I talk to these employers. I talk to these small businesses. I talk to the lifeblood of the American economy, and they are paying more. They are squeezed. Their margins are tight. Can this continue? No, it cannot. So that agenda that we are ushering in here the first month of 2020, is that we do not forget that we need to address the problem of tariffs for our manufacturers. We have given certainty with USMCA. We knew we needed to give that certainty, in part, because the jobs were going to go elsewhere. The investment was going to be made elsewhere. It wasn't going to be made in the American workforce. We are in a global race to compete. We have got to compete as Americans. We have got to compete as manufacturers in small communities, in suburban communities like the ones that I have the privilege and honor of representing. Comprised within that are the people who are going to work every single day: in snowstorms, in rainstorms, on sunny days, in the middle of summer, putting food on the table. We look at wages and we ask ourselves as we are now in this third decade of this millennium of this century: What has transpired with wages? The alarming headline as we were closing out 2019 was that the richest, the wealthiest 500 individuals increased their wealth in 2019 by $1 trillion, by over $1 trillion, when wages for our middle class have remained stagnant; where wages for the lowest earners in our economy--we are still advocating to raise the minimum wage from $7, just about. It is the year 2020. Who is working those jobs, by the way? Single mothers; people who have played by the rules and who have children, who aren't just working temporary jobs. This is the promise of America. This is the dream of America, Mr. Speaker, that we are representing, and that I am fighting for all of you, where my sleeves are rolled up. The things that I am eyeing here. Because if we don't start addressing this, we stop winning. We stop having an American-first agenda. So we have got to put the manufacturing economy at the forefront. We have got to look at the plight of exports. We saw that with the USMCA, the passage of the USMCA. Over 95 percent of the world's consumers are outside of American borders. We want to sell the best-in-class, American-made product from Michigan by the best-in-class Michigan workforce to the world. We want to get it into these markets. So we look at how we can be smart. We can look at the things that we did during the big recession, right, the big recession of 2008-2009, and what got us out of that, the strategies and the policies that we put forward in export agenda, Mr. Speaker. The Speaker knows this from where the gentleman sits. I acknowledge my friend from South Carolina who is in a port destination. We got smart about how we sold American product. We invested in small business, awards--the States Small Business Act is what I am talking about. It awarded money through the Small Business Administration to States like Michigan. We qualify for these dollars. This was $200,000 that the State of Michigan got and made awards to companies who applied, who met the qualifications, the small businesses, and gave them seed money that they matched with their own money to go sell their products in Europe and overseas and to different consumers. The results were exponential. That money paid for itself. Then the political tides changed and we got rid of it, and we are still here 10 years later trying to figure out how we are going to make those investments. Well, let's go back and look at the States Small Business Jobs Act of 2010. Let's figure out how we can get in front of a manufacturing recession. It is technical. Look at auto sales. They are down. They are down in 2019. Not as dramatic as it was in 2008 when we had the largest drop in automotive sales in the history the automobile. Auto sales are down because hardworking men and women put things on the line. They went on strike. They asked for better healthcare. They asked for fair wages. They asked for retirement packages. When we talk about middle-class job growth, when we talk about growing our middle class, what are we talking about? We are talking about lifting people out of poverty. The facts are clear: productivity is not at its highest level. Productivity is at some of its lowest level, and inequality is at some of its highest level; inequality matched by wage disparity, Mr. Speaker. Then we have this interesting reality with our skills gap in this country, and this is something I hear all over my district. Every time I am talking to a manufacturer, or an educator, or a champion in my community, it is: Where are we going to find the workers? Just today, I was talking with folks from the coding organization, Hour of Code, and they gave me a few minutes. And I had the opportunity to be reminded that we have tens of thousands of open computer science jobs in this country, and we are not graduating the level of computer scientists that we need to graduate to fill those jobs. We have got to invest in our own. This is something in Michigan we know very well. We have got great universities. Our students stick around. We want them to stick around. That is part of my charge here. It is what I am trying to represent as your Member of Congress, the attraction agenda, the boomerangs, those who maybe took a job or an educational opportunity elsewhere but have come back to invest in our community. We see that all over. We see that in the rich innovation transpiring throughout the district: two-to-one patents in autonomous vehicle technology; 75 percent of the R&D taking place here. And then we remind ourselves, in the previous Congress, in the 115th Congress, there was a big tax bill that got passed into law. It was so partisan in certain respects. And now, the effects of this tax bill are playing out. Who has benefited and who hasn't? The wealthiest individuals, Americans, have seen their wealth increase by over $1 trillion. Our middle class is still paying. They are not seeing the growth that they have expected to see. Many large, multinational corporations are paying nothing in taxes, while we all pay, and, yet, our deficit has ballooned yet again. In this case, it ballooned astronomically, Mr. Speaker. It ballooned by $1.5 trillion as projected from this tax scam. When are we going to start investing in the middle class? That is what we are up to here. That is what the second part of this session of Congress is about, the infrastructure guarantee. When we say, guess what? Every single American has got the right to clean and safe drinking water, to fresh air to breathe, to safe and maintained roadways and bridges so we can continue to create jobs. This is why I created the Congressional Plastic Solutions Task Force in partnership with our Congressional Recycling Caucus. We have a plastics problem globally and in this country. Why? Because of a fallacious trade war, tariff war, that has been started. China stopped taking our recycled goods. They stopped taking our plastics. So you talk to your municipalities, and who is paying? They are. Who is paying? You are; our taxpayers, yet again; our communities, yet again. If you didn't know that, your municipality of residence pays to do the recycling. Now, let's think about this really clearly, because I believe we have the greatest opportunity to create and awaken an incredible supply chain in recycling technology in this country. As the chair of the Research and Technology Subcommittee of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, I had a hearing about this. It was absolutely brilliant: industry, research, academia, and my municipality--Paul Sincock, the Plymouth City manager--all saying the same thing: Give us standards. Mark the goods. Tell us what to do with them. And then let's think about how we can invest, and pilot, and inspire; more so, get strategic about how we actually want to do recycling in this country to create jobs. Because if we think about the sorting and the materials and what goes into it, the onus is on all of us. It is on us as a Federal Government and as a partner with local government, State government, and individual consumers, and the companies who want to see the reuse of these materials. So we are quite enthusiastic about these opportunities, but it begins with investing in R&D, research and development. And this is what kind of gets my goat with the tax bill that was passed before I got here. Because according to the International Monetary Fund, only one-fifth of the tax gains to businesses were directed toward capital and R&D expenditures, so we are not seeing that investment going to the new technologies that will create the new jobs, that will employ more people. We know it is exciting. We know it is there. We know if we gave every municipality in this country the opportunity to recycle to their full potential, to reduce, reuse, reuse those materials, we would not only gain back those materials that we have sourced, but we would have new jobs as a result of that. Mr. Speaker, as we talk about the jobs and as we look at the skills that our employers are looking for, that we are training for in this year 2020, in this new decade, some reference that we are in this fourth industrial revolution of which I am a champion. This is where I came out of before I was in this body. I was working in the industrial Internet of Things space, collaborating with nonprofits and universities and community colleges and local school districts, like my good friends in Novi Community School District. We had a lot of fun and we are identifying those skills. We have identified them. We codified the job roles: technology and computer skills; digital skills; an understanding of the ones and zeros; programming skills for robots and automation. These are things that have great meaning to those of us in Michigan's 11th District because I am home to the company that has the largest robot, with FANUC in the world in Rochester Hills/Auburn Hills. It is really quite exciting, working with tools and different techniques, different technical skills and critical thinking. These are things that don't know partisan lines, by the way. These are things that make you stand up and say: I am going to be a champion for this, addressing the root pain that is seeping into our economy. These are realities. Last year, Michigan lost 6,200 factory jobs, yet we are creating and innovating at exponential rates. We decided to go it alone with tariffs, and we are paying the price. We are being squeezed. I believe we can all work together to solve this. I am not being a naysayer because we all know we need to hold China accountable. This is something that has been a project of mine throughout my career, which is how to take on the bad actors with the illegal dumping, the currency manipulation, the stealing of our patents, and the unfair playing field that affects our workforce. We still know that we value American work and that we value the craftsmanship and what goes into making a regional economy like mine hum in really exciting and exponential ways. We understand that, and we recognize that we can come together in meaningful ways. We also continue to call on the Senate to pass the bills that we have sent forward, the many bipartisan bills, the very bipartisan Butch Lewis Act, to protect the pensions of our hardworking Americans, those who did everything right and are still waiting. I have not forgotten in 2020 that we are still working to get that deal done. We are still working to increase the wage. This is something in Michigan that we voted on, to increase the minimum wage, to raise the wage. One job should be enough. Your valued work should be enough. We are not seeking to overregulate and get rid of good deals, but what we are looking to do, Mr. Speaker, is to stand up for individual, hardworking Americans, those who are counting on us. It is incumbent upon us. We sit in this body of 435 individuals. They increased that number the last time in 1913. Many, many years later, the population has grown. History is important, my friends. I encourage you to read your history. I encourage you to learn the facts and figures of our past and embrace how that has changed our future. We are in some trying times. We closed out 2019 in this session of Congress with some things that I was very proud of. I got my first bill signed into law, the Building Blocks of STEM Act--bipartisan and bicameral--signed by the President on December 24, I believe it was, a bill that will support investments in early childhood education. I want all of my Michiganders lining up for this. It is the National Science Foundation. We get a lot of NSF dollars, millions, in Michigan. The investment in early childhood education, Mr. Speaker, is priceless. That continuity for those jobs in the future is how we get in front of the skills gap. That is how we start addressing some of the rumblings in our regional economy. We also, though, recognize that the headlines that we have embraced in this new year and in this new session of Congress have many Americans concerned. Many individuals are asking: What is going to happen? What is taking place in the Middle East? What does this mean for my family? Constituents say to me: ``I have teenage sons. Are they going to be drafted?'' We take that responsibility that the Congress is charged with very seriously. Mr. Speaker, I look to this, which is that President Barack Obama gave us the words that change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. He said: ``We are the ones we have been waiting for. We are the change we seek.'' That is what our House majority is about. That is what our For the People agenda is representing. That is what we are taking up this week when we say no to war, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, today, we rise to pass a trade deal for the middle class. Today, we rise to strengthen the protections for the workers. Today is a great day, for today, we are standing up for our manufacturers and our manufacturing economy. To all the suppliers in my district who advocated, who reached out, who asked for the certainty for their workforce, for the investment, today, we are getting something done for you. We do not say Republican or Democrat, but we say manufacturing. We say hoorah for the middle class, for the growth and the expansion for our middle class. We came here to champion our manufacturing economy. We came here to get something done, to reach a compromise, to shed the awful effects of the original NAFTA, and to deliver yet again for people. That is what we are here for in our majority.