Dina Titus

Ms. TITUS

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today with the people of the Republic of China (Taiwan) as they celebrate their upcoming National Day on October 10th. I visited Taiwan as a state legislator and often welcome its representatives to Las Vegas and to my Washington, DC office. With the expansion of the Visa Waiver Program to include Taiwan, we hope to continue to welcome more Taiwanese tourists and business travelers to Las Vegas. Nevada's First Congressional District is home to a vibrant Taiwanese American Community that enhances our local culture. I am proud to consider myself a friend of Taiwan. The relationship between our two nations has been strong over the past century. This mutually beneficial partnership relationship has strengthened and enriched our economic, political, and cultural ties. It should be fostered and promoted in the coming years. I congratulate the people of Taiwan on the occasion of their National Day and join them in their celebration.

Ms. TITUS

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, October 12, 2014, marks the 75th anniversary of the Hispanic Reading Room of the Library of Congress which is located in the Jefferson Building. Since 1939, the Hispanic Division has been systematically acquiring books, journals, newspapers, photographs, prints, maps, posters, sound recordings, and other materials from and about the greater Hispanic world. Today with more than 13 million items, the Library of Congress possesses the most extensive collection in the world on the history and culture of Latin America, the Caribbean, Iberia, and U.S. Hispanics/Latinos. Hispanic Division specialists assist scholars from all over the United States and indeed around the world with information about materials in all formats in the Library's collections. The reading room's website www.http://loc.gov/rr/hispanic which can be accessed in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, is an important resource for students as well the wider public for finding books, maps, images, audio-visual materials, music, and many other sources to learn about the history and culture of the greater Hispanic world. The website is visited more than 100,000 times per month. The recently issued Hispanic American Members of Congress, 1922- 2013, published by the Government Printing Office and available online, was compiled by the Office of the Historian of the Clerk of the House, with help from specialists in the Hispanic Division who provided expertise and access to the vast collections of the Library of Congress. The first and much smaller edition of this directory was prepared in the Hispanic Division in 1994 and published in 1995 by the GPO. The Hispanic Division's major annual publication is the Handbook of Latin American Studies, an annotated bibliography providing an indispensable guide to publication about Latin America. Compiled and annotated in the Hispanic Division since 1939 and currently published by the University of Texas Press, the Handbook is a collaborative effort drawing on the knowledge and expertise of a network of contributing U.S.-based scholars who volunteer their efforts to the project. Available in print and searchable through an online database www.loc.gov/hlas the Handbook lists and describes the most important scholarly publications in the humanities and social sciences from and about Latin America and the Caribbean. A unique resource in the Hispanic Division is the Archive of Hispanic Literature on Tape, begun in 1943, which holds audio recordings by more than 700 multi-lingual poets and prose writers from the U.S., Hispanic areas, and the Caribbean, including Haiti and Suriname. Richard Blanco, the poet who read at President Obama's second inauguration, recorded in 2013, and Octavio Paz is one of nine Nobel laureates in the archive. Two years ago the Hispanic Division inaugurated a bilingual portal ``Distant Neighbors: The United States and the Mexican Revolution, 1910-1917,'' which contains photographs, manuscripts, maps, and other rare documents from the Library's collections chronicling this important period in the history of both countries. It is invaluable for students and researchers because it provides access to rare documents about the U.S.-Mexico border. The Hispanic Reading Room is ``. . . a home away from home for researchers from all over the world,'' according to Jaime Benitez, noted educator and Puerto Rican Commissioner during 1973-1977. With its arched ceilings, vivid murals by Brazilian artist Candido Portinari, and architecture reminiscent of renaissance Spain, the reading room provides an inspiring space for those seeking to research their ancestors, complete school assignments, or write books. With its vast Hispanic collections, the Library provides both exploratory materials for beginning students and rare published or other materials--maps, manuscripts, photographs, sound recordings--for advanced scholars. These materials allow those of us in the United States and in other parts of the world to better understand Hispanic heritage and history, and its lasting and ongoing influence within our country. My husband, Latin American historian Dr. Thomas C. Wright, can personally attest to the incredible resources available through the Division to scholars and authors. We congratulate the Hispanic Division and its staff and celebrate the valuable work they have done over the past 75 years.

Ms. TITUS

Ms. TITUS. I thank the gentlewoman from Arizona for yielding to me and for all her hard work on behalf of our veterans. Mr. Speaker, as the ranking member of the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee, I rise in support of S. 2258, the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act. Unlike Social Security COLA increases, Congress must act each year to provide veterans with the COLA increase that they earned and deserved. I was proud to introduce the corresponding legislation in the House with our subcommittee chairman, Jon Runyan. Together, we also introduced legislation to make this yearly adjustment automatic. So today, the House will pass a number of bills that are designed to meet the bipartisan goal of ensuring our Nation's heroes receive all the benefits they have earned. But there is an important bill that has been blocked from consideration in the House. That bill is H.R. 2529, the Veteran Spouses Equal Treatment Act, which would provide all married veterans and their families access to Federal benefits that they deserve. Last week in the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, only one Republican had the courage to vote to provide access to VA benefits to legally married, same-sex couples, regardless of where they live, couples who received the benefits while they were in the military but lost them upon becoming veterans if they reside in certain States. We heard all types of pitiful excuses. We heard that it was unconstitutional for Congress to force States to adopt Federal directives. That is ridiculous and intellectually dishonest. In fact, this House voted unanimously earlier this year to mandate that States provide instate tuition for veterans, a bill authored by the very Member who made the specious states' rights argument against H.R. 2529. And if you can even believe it, we heard process arguments as an excuse for not doing the right thing. I would remind my colleagues that they are the ones who make the process. So when we vote today to adjust the COLA, remember that this increase is meaningless to thousands of our Nation's heroes in States like Texas, Florida, and North Carolina. They will not be receiving the benefits they earned and deserve. It is shameful and it is unfair. So, Mr. Speaker, while I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2258, I would remind them of these facts and implore the Republican leadership to do the right thing and bring H.R. 2529 to the floor for a vote so all veterans will get the benefits they earned and deserve.

Ms. TITUS

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, earlier today, the Republican members of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, with one notable exception, voted to deny LGBT veterans the Federal VA benefits they have earned if they happen to live in a State that does not recognize marriage equality. The Defense Department provides for LGBT soldiers and their families, regardless of where they live, but not the VA. While they are wearing a uniform, they and their families are covered, but once they take it off and become a veteran, too bad. If they live in Florida or Texas or Nevada, too bad. It doesn't matter that they fought to defend this country, not a particular State. It doesn't matter that the VA and the VSOs support giving them benefits. It doesn't matter how brave they were, how much they sacrificed, or how long and honorably they served, too bad. They get nothing, according to the Republicans. This is unfair and unjust, and they should be ashamed for lacking the courage to do the right thing by our Nation's heroes.

Ms. TITUS

Ms. TITUS. Madam Speaker, I rise to give voice to the 63,000 unaccompanied minors who have sought refuge at our borders since last fall. These vulnerable children have fled terrible violence and poverty in their home countries. In August, I traveled to McAllen, Texas, where I visited the border with CBP agents, I toured processing centers, and I met with Mexican officials to discuss the issue. There is no easy or quick solution to this very complex problem, but there are some steps we can take to relieve the crisis: provide resources for shelter and other social services for these children in U.S. custody; encourage economic investments in Central America; assess the effectiveness of U.S. funding for antigang programs in Central America; and increase the number of immigration judges to ensure children move quickly and fairly through the process. But in the end, this crisis simply underlies the necessity for us to enact comprehensive immigration reform. So I urge the House Republican leadership to listen to the American people and bring this reform to the floor for a vote.

Ms. TITUS

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 15, a bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform bill to properly address the humanitarian crisis at the border.

Ms. TITUS

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding. I thank Mr. Michaud and Chairman Miller for their leadership on this important bill. As a member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, I have been working with my colleagues to ensure that veterans have access to the highest quality care in a timely fashion. This legislation before us takes important steps towards that goal. I am especially pleased that the compromise includes three of my bills, which ensure that: one, all victims of sexual assault in the military, including those in the National Guard, have access to the care they need; two, that spouses of those who have died in service to our country get education benefits; and, three, more residencies are going to be funded at VA hospitals in areas of the country that are underserved by doctors in private practice. Our committee, I know, will continue to work in a bipartisan fashion with the new Secretary to ensure that all veterans have access to the benefits and care that they have so bravely earned. Today, we are acting on behalf of a grateful Nation to provide our country's heroes the care they need and restore their trust in the VA. So I urge my colleagues to support this conference report to the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act.

Ms. TITUS

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, in 2 days, we will go home, leaving behind a long list of unfinished business, but it is not for lack of trying on the part of Democrats. We have introduced bills, signed discharge petitions, protested on the steps of the Capitol, and fasted on the Mall, all to try to prompt or at least shame the Republicans into some kind of action, but they are shameless. Apparently, they just don't care. They don't care if women get paid less, as long as CEOs get record salaries. They don't care if children stack up at the border and families are divided, as long as they can sue the President. They don't care if people struggle to get by on low wages or with no unemployment insurance, as long as corporations can keep their tax loopholes, and they don't care if the environment is raped, as long as big polluters can continue to circumvent regulations that protect our air and water. Before we go home, we need to show the American people that Congress does care about them, and we need to pass important measures that jump- start the middle class, so we can say we did something while we were here.

Ms. TITUS

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from California for yielding to me, and for addressing this important issue of coverage for victims of sexual assault in the National Guard. I rise in support of the Brownley motion to instruct. As you have heard described, this proposal addresses an unacceptable gap in current law that effectively leaves some victims of military sexual assault without the support and treatment they need. Members of the National Guard and other reserve components of the armed services have fought bravely for our country, many completing numerous tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since the attacks on September 11, more than 50,000 guardsmen and guardswomen have been called to service both at home and abroad. We recognize the value of their service, of the National Guard, and of other reserve components, and we thank them for their sacrifice. Unfortunately, some guardsmen and -women, like other members of the armed services, are victimized by sexual assault while on Active Duty. If that happens, they are provided all of the VA resources and services they need to recover and heal, physically and emotionally. These benefits, however, are not offered to members of the National Guard or other reserve components who experience sexual assault while on inactive training missions. For example, members of the Guard are required to participate in training missions one weekend a month and two weeks a year, but benefits and services, such as counseling and medical care, do not extend to victims sexually assaulted during those mandatory training missions. This oversight is simply unacceptable and leaves so many who have served our country so bravely without assistance or support during a devastating time. On May 28, the House unanimously agreed to a solution to this problem by passing legislation I introduced last year, the bipartisan National Guard Military Sexual Trauma Parity Act. This legislation is supported by a number of the leading veterans service organizations. The National Guard Military Sexual Trauma Parity Act would fix this omission and clarify that all victims of sexual trauma in the National Guard or other reserve components have access to the care they need to help them recover from acts of sexual trauma while they are on inactive or reserve duty. The Senate wisely included this language in the VA reform bill that passed their body 93-3, and it is important that this provision, which has been passed by the House already, be included in the final version of the bill. I was pleased to hear it mentioned by our colleague from Colorado, so I am glad that there is support for keeping it in the conference report. I encourage my colleagues to support the Brownley motion to instruct to ensure that all victims of sexual assault, regardless of what kind of duty they are on, have access to the care they need.

Ms. TITUS

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, everyone deserves the opportunity to travel and explore the many incredible destinations located throughout our country, but individuals with disabilities, however, face much greater difficulties when they try to arrange travel. Now, Las Vegas, my district, is a world leader in disability access. We have more handicap-accessible guest rooms than any other American city. Our casinos offer gambling tables and slot machines designed for wheelchair users, and all our show venues have designated handicapped seating. Other places could benefit from our example, and that is why I have introduced the Travel and Tourism for All Act that would require the National Council on Disability to conduct a review of existing disability standards in the tourism and hospitality industries and provide recommendations to help Congress ensure that people with disabilities are able to enjoy traveling throughout the U.S. This act would ensure that we continue to set the international standard for disability accommodation in the hospitality industry, and it will attract tourists from other parts of the world where accommodations are less welcoming.

Ms. TITUS

Ms. TITUS. I thank my friend from Illinois for yielding and for visiting my district whenever she can. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4450, the Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and Modernization Act of 2014. I am an original cosponsor of this legislation, and I thank my friend from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) for his leadership on this issue. During the 111th Congress, I was proud to be an original cosponsor of the first Travel Promotion Act, which actually established Brand USA. Prior to the passage of that act, the United States was one of the only countries in the world that did not promote its unique destination to foreign visitors. Since its creation, Brand USA has played a critical role in bringing foreign visitors to destinations throughout the United States, including my district of Las Vegas. Through innovative, targeted, and effective marketing campaigns, Brand USA has directly connected foreign visitors with world-famous destinations in Nevada's First Congressional District, including the fabulous strip; the new arts district; and the hip, edgy downtown section of Las Vegas. Foreign visitors to the United States are critical for the success of the travel and tourism industry. Average foreign visitors stay 17 days in the United States and spend $4,500 during their visit. This certainly creates jobs in Las Vegas and around the country. Brand USA has been very effective in bringing more of these visitors to the United States. For example, as you have heard, in 2013, Brand USA was directly responsible for a million new visits, generating $3.4 billion in new visitor spending and supporting 53,000 U.S. jobs, and this is all without spending a dime of taxpayer dollars. Today, we have a chance to reauthorize the work that began with the Travel Promotion Act and remains so critical to our economy still today. I look forward to continuing my work with Brand USA to support the travel and tourism industry, to bring more visitors to Las Vegas and to other destinations around the country, from the Grand Canyon to Niagara Falls, Chicago, and even Nebraska, so I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4450.

Ms. TITUS

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call for an immediate end to the Turkish occupation of Cyprus. This year we mark the 40th anniversary of Turkey's aggressive and illegal division of the island. During their forty year occupation, Turkey has taken little action to bring peace and stability to the island. In fact, they have done just the opposite, bringing tens of thousands of settlers from mainland Turkey to live in the homes of Greek Cypriots and further complicate any solution to the Cyprus Problem. The Turkish government has been complicit in the destruction of Greek churches and the systematic demolition of Greek culture in the northern areas of Cyprus. Time after time, the Turkish Government has stood in the way of a mutually agreeable resolution. Despite the lack of commitment from the Turkish authorities, Cyprus remains committed to finding a settlement to reunify Cyprus in a manner that respects the rights of all inhabitants of the island. It is far past time for Turkey to seriously work on finding a solution to this problem. Cyprus is a strong ally of the United States in an area of the world that can be unstable and unpredictable. It is critical that the United States strengthens our relationship with Cyprus, especially on issues such as energy and tourism.

Ms. TITUS

Ms. TITUS. I thank the gentleman from Arizona for yielding to me. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of a provision that has been highlighted by my colleague from Arizona in his motion to instruct and was also discussed by the chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee. As a member of that committee, I am working hard to ensure that our veterans in Las Vegas and throughout the country have access to high- quality health care in a timely fashion. So it is critical that this conference committee quickly finishes its work so we can send a reform package to the President for his signature. The gentleman from Arizona's amendment highlights a critical piece of the Senate proposal, which is identical to the legislation I introduced along with Senator Jeff Merkley from Oregon just last year, H.R. 3441, the Spouses of Heroes Education Act. Our important legislation amends the post-9/11 GI Bill to expand the Fry Scholarship, which you have heard described most eloquently by the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Barber), by making surviving spouses of the members of the armed services eligible for this education benefit program. The scholarship provides full instate tuition, fees, a monthly living stipend, and a book allowance to children of servicemembers who have died in the line of duty. Our change would allow spouses to receive those same benefits. When a servicemember tragically loses his or her life on the field of battle, we owe it to their spouses to do all we can to support them and their families--not just in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, but going forward. We can ensure that they have all the educational opportunities they need because this will enable them to further their careers and increase the financial stability of that family. I was pleased that the Senate included this bicameral, bipartisan legislation in the McCain-Sanders agreement that passed 93-3, and it is very important that our conferees continue to fight to maintain that provision. I was also very glad to hear the chairman say that he is so supportive of our looking at that provision here in the House as a stand-alone bill, and I hope to see that move also. So I thank them for their work on this important issue.

Ms. TITUS

Ms. TITUS. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this amendment. The medical marijuana industry is rapidly taking root in Nevada. Our local governments are developing regulations and are issuing licenses as we speak. Yet representatives of this exciting industry continue to raise the same concern--a lack of access to banks, which is critical for the safe operation of any small business. This commonsense measure would respect states' rights, add more transparency, facilitate regulations, protect the public, and foster the growth of small business. I urge a vote in favor.

Ms. TITUS

Ms. TITUS. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Speaker, the Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby decision took direct aim at women's rights by giving employers a legal right to make personal health decisions for their employees. This devastating ruling opened the door to a wide range of discrimination and denial of basic health care services for women. Now, all closely held corporations, which represent 90 percent of American businesses, can legally impose their own religious beliefs on female employees. That is why I am proud to be a cosponsor of the not my boss' business act, which would undo this damage and prevent for-profit companies from using the religious beliefs of the owner as an excuse to discriminate against women and limit their individual health care rights and choices. Ninety-nine percent of American women will make the decision to use contraceptives at some point in their lives. What rights do corporations have to deny them this choice? The Hobby Lobby decision is a significant step backwards for women's health and equality, so I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the previous question, so that we can bring up and consider this important legislation and move bosses out of the bedroom and back into the boardroom.

Ms. TITUS

Ms. TITUS. Madam Speaker, later today, the House will move forward on an extension of the current transportation authorization, MAP-21. This will ensure that Federal funding is available to meet our infrastructure needs through spring of next year. For some 700,000 construction workers, including roughly 6,000 in Nevada, this is welcome news. Nonetheless, this short-term fix is only a Band-Aid on a sore that continues to fester. For businesses, State departments of transportation, local governments, and transit authorities, this kind of unpredictability, which has gotten fairly common in Congress, hurts our economy and the ability for the public and private sectors to plan to meet our Nation's needs. The clock is ticking, but there is still time to avoid a manufactured crisis again next year. If we work together, put all funding options on the table, and consult with stakeholders, we can get serious about building needed infrastructure, creating jobs, and investing in our future.

Ms. TITUS

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the gentleman's concern for the State of Nevada and its economy, and I invite him to come back again and spend some of his money there. I also appreciate his argument that this is the law of the land. Indeed, the Affordable Care Act is also the law of the land, but that hasn't stopped the other side from trying, over 50 times, to change it. I now yield to my colleague from Nevada (Mr. Horsford).

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Chairman, the legislation before us directs $150 million to be spent on ``activities related to the Nuclear Waste Policy Act.'' For my constituents in southern Nevada, we know that that is code for ``build the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository.'' After decades of losing time and over $15 billion having been squandered on this boondoggle, the current administration has rightly said it is time for a new strategy. Our colleagues in the Senate understand this need to turn the page, which is why Senators Wyden and Murkowski introduced bipartisan legislation that creates a new system for the disposal of the Nation's nuclear waste. Unfortunately, some in this body still believe that we should force nuclear waste that has been created in their districts on a region that does not have a single nuclear power plant. What started decades ago as a law authorizing the study and the selection of two geological depositories suitable for the permanent storage of spent nuclear fuel has now transformed into politics at its worst. With the passage of the ``screw Nevada'' bill in 1987, which designated Yucca Mountain as the sole repository for the Nation's nuclear waste prior to the completion of adequate scientific evaluation, the goal shifted from how to find the best site for storage to how to force Nevada to take all of this waste--science and common sense be damned. As the years passed, billions of dollars were wasted, and the misguided Yucca project changed from being a geologic depository to a manmade structure, with barriers erected to attempt to mitigate the tectonic fault lines that run directly under the mountain, threatening the geohydrology of the area with leaking radioactive waste. The original plan was ill-conceived, and studies conducted over the past few decades clearly illustrate the dangers and costs associated with the project. Unfortunately, you can add the passage of legislation to institute a new national nuclear waste policy to the growing list of issues this Congress has now failed to address. In the absence of coherent policy, I offer this amendment today to use the funding appropriated for carrying out the failed Yucca Mountain plan to reduce our deficit. Instead of wasting tens of millions of dollars more on an unworkable solution, let's instead meet our fiduciary obligations to future generations. At the same time, let us commit to moving forward with a new policy to address the Nation's nuclear waste, one that relies on a consent-based system, so that it doesn't force waste on communities like mine. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and send a clear message that this Congress will not continue to go backwards, but that it will take serious action to address our Nation's nuclear waste policy. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Chairman, I wish to call up amendment No. 15.

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Chairman, we all know the history of the misguided Yucca Mountain project, so there is no need to repeat it again. This simple amendment that I am going to offer would strike language included in the bill which prohibits the DOE from closing Yucca Mountain. Now we heard earlier this evening from an esteemed colleague on this floor that he cares deeply about Nevada, and he went on to say that if the latest court mandated study determines Yucca Mountain is not safe for 1 million years, he will, indeed, lead the charge to move on to another solution. In fact, he called on the chairman of the committee to join him in that pledge. Well, I thank him for that, but I would ask you, Mr. Chairman, how can that be possible if the provision prohibiting closure of Yucca Mountain is left in the bill? Is this offer not a sincere one? Is this yet another empty promise to the people of Nevada? Indeed, if this amendment is not adopted and instead the DOE is prohibited from ever closing Yucca Mountain, how can we believe anything that is being said or done in relation to this proposed dump site? I tell you, Mr. Chairman, Nevada is not a wasteland, and I urge passage of this amendment that would strike that language prohibiting the DOE from ever closing Yucca Mountain regardless of whether it is found to be safe or not. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Chairman, with all due respect to my colleague, I believe he is addressing the previous amendment. This amendment simply deletes language from the bill that prohibits DOE from closing Yucca Mountain. I would also remind him of the bipartisan bill that is in the Senate that would provide a solution for our nuclear waste problem, which is consent-based, bipartisan and consent-based. This policy has been a waste of time and money and, indeed, it is bad politics, not good science. I yield to my colleague, Mr. Horsford.

Ms. TITUS

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, in just a few days, the highway trust fund will become insolvent. Now, that sounds shocking, but it is really not news. In fact, we were warned of this possibility in a GAO report issued in March of 2012; yet here we are, with just a few weeks to go before we fall off yet another manmade cliff, and still no solution has been brought to the floor for a vote. This irresponsible inaction by my colleagues from across the aisle is inflicting damage on the Nation's economy and on States across the country. In Nevada alone, over 100 projects are in danger of being delayed or canceled, affecting some 6,000 construction workers, their families, and ancillary businesses that are associated with them. This includes six multimillion-dollar improvements to I-15, which is the main north-south corridor that runs through the heart of Las Vegas. We cannot afford, nor can we risk kicking this can down an already deteriorated road. It is time for Congress to step up, to come together, and to offer real solutions that invest in our future.