Lauren Underwood

Ms. UNDERWOOD

Ms. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. UNDERWOOD

Ms. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on this measure.

Ms. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Homeland Security's Blue Campaign is dedicated to raising awareness about how to identify and prevent human trafficking. Last year, over 4,000 self-reported victims and survivors from all over the country contacted the U.S. national hotline for help with a human trafficking situation, an increase of almost 20 percent over the previous year. Traffickers subject their victims to forced labor, debt bondage, or sexual exploitation using violence, manipulation, and false promises. This DHS campaign works to combat trafficking by educating law enforcement and the public on how to recognize the signs of human trafficking. To effectively identify trafficking victims and keep their community safe, local and State law enforcement need to have timely information about the tactics and techniques these criminals use. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5804, the Blue Campaign Enhancement Act, seeks to do just that by, among other things, expanding human trafficking prevention training opportunities. Importantly, it would also create new, web-based training programs for State and local partners to ensure these education tools can reach the widest possible audience. H.R. 5804 has bipartisan support and was reported out of committee by unanimous consent. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time. House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary, Washington, DC, September 4, 2020. Hon. Bennie G. Thompson, Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Thompson: This is to advise you that the Committee on the Judiciary has now had an opportunity to review the provisions in H.R. 5804, the ``DHS Blue Campaign Enhancement Act,'' that fall within our Rule X jurisdiction. I appreciate your consulting with us on those provisions. The Judiciary Committee has no objection to your including them in the bill for consideration on the House floor, and to expedite that consideration is willing to forgo action on H.R. 5804, with the understanding that we do not thereby waive any future jurisdictional claim over those provisions or their subject matters. In the event a House-Senate conference on this or similar legislation is convened, the Judiciary Committee reserves the right to request an appropriate number of conferees to address any concerns with these or similar provisions that may arise in conference. Please place this letter into the Congressional Record during consideration of the measure on the House floor. Thank you for the cooperative spirit in which you have worked regarding this matter and others between our committees. Sincerely, Jerrold Nadler, Chairman.

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

Ms. UNDERWOOD

Ms. UNDERWOOD. Madam Speaker, I rise today in solemn recognition of the grave milestone our Nation soon will be reaching: 200,000 lives lost to the COVID-19 pandemic--among them, 8,457 Illinoisans. They were our nurses and doctors, our heroes on the front lines of the fight against this virus. They were our grandparents who were forced to spend their final moments alone. They were our essential workers, our vulnerable neighbors, our closest friends. Their families have been devastated with grief, made worse by the painful reality that we cannot gather safely to mourn our losses together. To every American who has lost someone to the coronavirus, I extend my deepest condolences, and I grieve with you. I commit to you that I will continue to honor the lives lost with action through making investments in health and our economy to ensure that America recovers from COVID-19 stronger than ever.

Ms. UNDERWOOD

Ms. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 15 seconds to the gentlewoman.

Ms. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. Craig).

Ms. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I yield 45 seconds to the gentlewoman from Iowa (Mrs. Axne).

Ms. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Ms. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my amendment, which will prevent Federal funds from being used by the Department of Justice to undermine the Affordable Care Act. After Republicans failed in their dozens of attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act legislatively, they are now fighting in the courts to overturn the law in its entirety. My amendment will stop them. You see, if ACA is overturned, 23 million Americans would lose the affordable care they depend on; prescription drug costs would increase for seniors on Medicare; being a woman would once again be considered a preexisting condition; insurance companies would cap the benefits and kick children off their parents' plans before their 26th birthday; and 130 million Americans with preexisting conditions would lose their protections. We simply cannot go back to those days. Affordable healthcare that covers preexisting conditions has always been crucial, but it has never been more important than right now. Today, over 4 million Americans have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, a new preexisting condition. Over 30 million Americans have lost their jobs, and over 5 million have lost their health insurance at the worst possible time. While this health and economic crisis has been unfolding, the Trump administration will not stop until they destroy the Affordable Care Act. Not even a once-in-a-generation global pandemic will keep them from coming for your healthcare. Well, not on my watch. As a nurse, and as an American with a preexisting condition, I understand personally why we must fight this with everything we have got: 130 million Americans depend on it. Today, we fight for them as we send a crystal-clear message to the Trump administration: Keep your hands off our healthcare. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Kansas (Ms. Davids).

Ms. UNDERWOOD

Ms. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 7027, the Child Care Is Essential Act. Failing to solve this childcare crisis will set women back in the workforce for generations. We know that if we let our childcare industry collapse, the burden will fall heavily on women. I saw firsthand the challenges childcare providers face when I visited the Building Blocks Learning Academy in Batavia, Illinois earlier this month. They are doing heroic work, but they need support. If Congress doesn't act, thousands of childcare providers will close, and millions of childcare slots will disappear. I am proud that Illinois has been a model for how States can respond to support childcare providers, but they still need the Federal help that this bill delivers, and we must pass it today.

Ms. UNDERWOOD

Ms. UNDERWOOD. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act. Last June, I visited Kaylee Heap at her family's farm in Minooka, Illinois. Mrs. Heap told me: It would be really nice to come home and work on the farm with my husband and grow our business, but I can't do that until we overcome the obstacle of getting quality, affordable health insurance. People like Kaylee are why I introduced legislation, the Healthcare Affordability Act, to improve premium tax credits to make insurance more affordable to more Americans, including those who don't currently qualify for tax credits. This legislation would reduce premiums by hundreds or thousands of dollars for nearly 20 million Americans, and I am so pleased that it was included in this bill today. This bill delivers on our promise to ensure that all Americans have access to quality, affordable healthcare. I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill and join me in this effort.

Ms. UNDERWOOD

Ms. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and to call upon my colleagues to cast a vote today that will make their grandchildren proud. Our Nation is facing a critical moment of reckoning. We consider hundreds of important bills in this Chamber every year, but it is not every day that tens of thousands of Americans take to the streets in the middle of a deadly pandemic to demand our attention, and so I want you to pay attention. We are here today to vote on the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, but not just because one police officer pressed his knee into a handcuffed Black man's neck for over 8 minutes. We are here to vote on this bill because, during those 8 minutes, three other officers stood by and because the man who killed George Floyd had 18 prior complaints against him, and yet he was still allowed to wear a badge that should signify a community's trust. We are here today because Black lives matter. We are here because Rayshard Brooks and Tony McDade and Breonna Taylor and Stephon Clark and Deborah Danner and Philando Castile and Natasha McKenna and Tamir Rice and Laquan McDonald and Eric Garner and Aiyana Stanley-Jones and so many others are not here--because their lives matter. We are here because police kill 1,000 Americans every year, which indicates a system so profoundly broken that it cannot be fixed by simply tinkering around the edges. We are going to pass this bill today to create stronger systems of transparency and accountability in policing across this country. But just as our problems with policing run deeper than the actions of a few officers in Minneapolis, the fractures in our country demand more from us than police reform. It is not police reform alone that has brought people out into the streets in the middle of a pandemic that disproportionately kills people of color. What is called for in this moment is the courageous and comprehensive reckoning with racism in America past, present, and future. It is Congress' job to deliver policy that answers the call for this transformation. I am the first person of color that Illinois' 14th District has sent to D.C. to serve them in this Chamber. I cofounded the Black Maternal Health Caucus and recently introduced a package of Black maternal health bills because, here in the United States where we spend more money on healthcare than any other country in the world, the risk of a pregnancy-related death for Black women is three to four times higher than for White women. These women's deaths are preventable, and their lives matter. We need to ban chokeholds and end no-knock warrants for drug charges, and I am proud that this bill does just that. But after we do, Black households will still own one-tenth of the wealth of White households. We must reform qualified immunity, and when we do, this pandemic will still take the lives and our jobs at staggering rates. Let's pass this bill, and then let's keep going because there is much more work to be done to meaningfully address the many inequalities in health, education, economic status, justice, and safety that Black people in this country have faced for centuries. At this pivotal moment in our Nation's effort to confront its own history, I urge my colleagues to make choices that rise to the gravity of the situation and our responsibility to the American people. It is long past time to bend this arc towards justice in policing and beyond.

Ms. UNDERWOOD

Ms. UNDERWOOD. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I rise in support of the HEROES Act, which meets urgent needs we are facing in northern Illinois. This legislation invests in the testing, tracing, and treatment we need to safely reopen our communities. It supports the essential workers whose sacrifices and dedication are keeping us safe and provides direct funding that will make a critical difference for smaller communities. I am so proud it also includes my bill to eliminate out-of-pocket costs for veterans and to help survivors of domestic violence. This bill is not perfect. We have more work to do, such as ensuring affordable healthcare coverage for the tens of millions of Americans who find it too expensive. But the HEROES Act will provide relief to all of our communities, and we must pass it today.

Ms. UNDERWOOD

Ms. UNDERWOOD. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act. This urgently needed legislation will help provide almost $700 billion in additional grants and loans to small businesses and farmers reeling from the coronavirus crisis. It invests $75 billion in providers, $25 billion in testing, and requires the administration to develop a national plan for testing, so once our businesses reopen, they can stay open. Congress has more to do. Frontline workers need PPE. Families and communities need relief. But this bill is a necessary interim fix to keep needed-funds flowing to small businesses and our health system. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support it.

Ms. UNDERWOOD

Ms. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act puts the health and well-being of families and workers first in order to provide support and relief to Americans suffering from the health and economic impacts of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout my time in Congress and especially now, I have consistently prioritized policies that save lives and support northern Illinois families. The best way we can do this is to take immediate action to help our economy and support the everyday people who make it work. This has been a terribly hard time for our community. According to the Johns Hopkins University & Medicine Coronavirus Resource Center, today, there are 549,604 cases globally, and 85,996 cases in the United States. The Illinois Department of Public Health reports 2,538 positive cases and 26 deaths in Illinois as of March 26, 2020. We have lost beloved community members across Illinois's 14th Congressional District. Countless others are in need of testing, and thousands of our frontline health care providers need personal protective equipment (PPE). And, all across our community, families are being thrown into economic distress--over 114,000 Illinoisans applied for unemployment last week alone. Many of us are coming together during these times. That extension of kindness and grace must extend to our neighbors of Asian descent who are facing an increased amount of discrimination and hate-filled acts. This type of division, along with the dissemination of false information about COVID-19, is dangerous for public health and safety and cannot be tolerated. I have spent the last weeks talking with hundreds of people all across our community. During some conversations I heard from parents trying to balance working from home, educating their children, and caring for elderly loved ones. For some, it meant talking to small business owners trying to figure out how to make sure their family businesses and their employees come back from this. For other calls, it meant listening to folks who are scared that they will run out of money before they can work again and that they don't know how to keep their family afloat. And I heard from the husband of a nurse who is terrified his wife is at risk because she is bravely going into work every day without sufficient protective equipment. Our community is struggling in all kinds of different ways. But we know that we will get through this unsettling and extremely challenging time together. One of the best tools we have to help right now is the CARES Act: a robust legislative package developed with bipartisan, bicameral cooperation at record speed over the last week in order to protect our community's health--including health care providers on the front lines of this crisis--and our economy. Notably, this legislation contains updates to ensure that Americans will not have to pay out of pocket for COVID-19 testing, and it ensures Medicare will cover a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as our brilliant scientists get one to market. In the face of a pandemic, all Americans should have access to a reliable COVID-19 diagnostic test if they need one. Tests are not yet widely available in our northern Illinois community, and our three public health labs in Illinois are working around the clock to deliver results for patients. We will keep working to expand testing capacity in our communities, a critical step towards disease surveillance. The incredible contribution of our most trusted health providers, nurses, has been on full display throughout the coronavirus response. From student nurses surging to help care for sick patients in New York City to recently retired nurses stepping up to serve our community at home in Illinois, nurses continue to lead on the front lines of clinical research and practice. Importantly, the CARES Act invests in the heroic Americans who are giving everything right now to save lives: health care providers. The CARES Act secures $100 billion to help hospitals, health systems, and community providers cover costs related to COVID-19. This will help Northwestern Medicine, the largest employer in my district, as well as community health centers like the Center for Family Health in Sycamore, which will see their funding boosted and extended. These clinics are lifelines in our community and I am proud to support their work. There is not a health care facility in Illinois right now that is not in need of additional personal protective equipment for the brave Americans serving our ill neighbors. All health providers, caregivers, essential personnel, and first responders should have complete sets of PPE that is required to do their jobs safely--they are mission critical and key to our recovery from COVID-19. There have been widespread shortages of PPE, certainly in our community, but also in many others across the country. This is unacceptable, and I hope the Administration's new Supply Chain Stabilization Task Force will quickly increase the availability of needed PPE, including by utilizing the full force of the Defense Production Act, which could make desperately needed testing supplies and PPE available in the communities that need them most. In the meantime, heroic members of my community, like Anna Haley Fielder of Antioch, are stepping up to fill the unmet need by organizing neighbors to sew face masks to help protect health providers and other essential workers. This should never have had to happen in the first place. That is why I support the CARES Act's provision of $16 billion to replenish COVID-19 supplies in the Strategic National Stockpile. This builds on the $3.1 billion allocated for the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund, which supports the Strategic National Stockpile, in H.R. 6074, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2020. First responders have a critical need for PPE as well. Over the past week, many mayors have expressed their concern to me that firefighters and law enforcement officers without the PPE needed to safely protect our community during this pandemic may fall victim to COVID-19, impairing their public safety mission. The CARES Act includes $100 million for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, which can pay for PPE and other supplies our first responders need. Our health care workforce is being tested at greater levels than we have seen in recent decades, which is why the inclusion of the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 728) in the CARES Act is so critically important. I championed this bipartisan legislation early in my congressional tenure because I know that an investment in nursing education yields exponential return in our communities. One of the principles of effective preparedness is ensuring a supply chain that can provide needed supplies during times of emergencies and public health crises like a global pandemic. The CARES Act includes bipartisan legislation, the Commission on U.S. Medical Security Act (H.R. 6282), which I helped introduce with Dr. Raul Ruiz, Dr. Phil Roe, and my Illinois colleague Senator Dick Durbin. Our legislation will strengthen the security of the U.S. medical supply chain. Supporting seniors who are at high risk for infection is a priority in the CARES Act, which includes $200 million to help mitigate COVID-19 spread in nursing homes. I am pleased that many improvements to Medicare, funding to support our health system and family caregivers, and critical support services like Meals on Wheels were also included in the legislation. These resources will be critical to prevent outbreaks and save lives. This month, Wall Street's response to this crisis led to trading suspensions and record shifts in the stock market. Swift intervention to stabilize our economy, and embracing policies to support workers, families, and small businesses first allows us to invest in the critical economic engines that fuel northern Illinois. My legislative agenda has long centered on economic security and opportunity for the working families of the 14th district. This commitment has been demonstrated through supporting a broad approach to job creation and championing legislation that provides flexibility to entrepreneurs seeking to start a small business. Small businesses are the foundation of our economy throughout the 14th Congressional District, and the CARES Act recognizes their unique challenges. A new $350 billion Paycheck Protection Program will make zero-fee loans available to small businesses, with the ability to have up to eight weeks of payroll and other costs forgiven from the loan if a business retains employees and their salary levels--an important incentive to support workers. Another $10 billion in grants will support small businesses and nonprofits that have suffered economic injury in response to COVID-19, a provision that will make a difference for Illinois families. This is on top of the first wave of billions of dollars for small business disaster loans that are already being processed. Many families will receive direct financial assistance from the U.S. Treasury, to stimulate consumer confidence and provide a needed boost to many families experiencing difficult and unanticipated related economic circumstances related to COVID-19. Individuals can receive a recovery rebate of up to $1,200 each (up to $2,400 for a married couple) with an additional $500 per child. With an unexpected layoff or sharp decrease in earning potential, many families find themselves with limited income and difficulty affording rent, mortgage payments, and other housing-related obligations. As part of our efforts to offer relief to workers and families, the CARES Act allows forbearance on federally-backed mortgages for family homes for up to 12 months and sets a moratorium on foreclosures and evictions in many properties receiving federal subsidies or assistance. Employers are also receiving needed financial support and flexibility for their workforces, including loans from the Small Business Administration. I hope many employers take advantage of these new programs quickly in order to retain their skilled and loyal workers and facilitate a quicker economic recovery. The CARES Act also supports self-employed and gig economy workers through a temporary Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program. This legislation also expands the unemployment insurance available to those who have lost work through this crisis by $600 per week, and immediately extends the period for which coverage is available by 13 weeks. On March 26, 2020, we learned that 3.28 million Americans filed for unemployment during the previous week, more than four times higher than ever recorded. The Department of Labor reports that in reporting these numbers, ``states continued to cite services industries broadly, particularly accommodation and food services.'' This is no surprise to Illinois workers who have seen in-restaurant dining closed since March 16. The United States Postal Service has been a steady presence in our communities, offering essential mail and supply delivery services to even the most remote homes in our country with their six-day delivery schedule. The CARES Act includes some assistance for the Postal Service, and I will work to further support our postal system in future legislation. So many families across my community are experiencing hardship due to COVID-19. Whether helping families through sickness or loss of income, our local charities and nonprofits have quickly stepped up to serve our seven counties and I am pleased the CARES Act creates a $300 above-the- line deduction for charitable contributions from taypayers who take the standard deduction. The Department of Veterans Affairs is also responding to the COVID-19 crisis. The CARES Act offers $14.4 billion for testing kits, personal protective equipment, and medical supplies to support growing demand for health care services at the VA. The bill also allows for new agreements to temporarily expand telemental health for veterans in rural areas who may lack local providers who could offer those needed services. Governor Pritzker of Illinois ordered all schools closed by March 17, 2020, to slow the spread of COVID-19. In response to my conversations with superintendents, I prioritized securing resources to facilitate e- learning for our K-12 students. Many school districts in the 14th Congressional District also need funding flexibility due to disruption in the academic year from COVID-19, and I am pleased that the CARES Act begins to deliver. The bill includes $13.5 billion in grants to states for K-12 education, which can be used for the costs of responding to COVID-19, including for hardware to support e-learning. The legislation also supports college students whose semesters were disrupted due to COVID-19. While the CARES Act falls short of offering the comprehensive relief from student loans that is necessary in this grave economic period, the bill offers much-needed temporary relief. I will continue to work for more in future relief packages. On March 17, 2020, Illinois held primary elections, allowing residents to safely participate in our democracy. We must already start making plans to ensure the remaining states can complete their primary elections with the same emphasis on health and safety for the American people. The CARES Act makes a $400 million down payment towards protecting our democracy during this crisis through election security grants to states, but more must be done. The Take Responsibility for Workers and Families Act provided $4 billion to secure our elections during this crisis, and would implement needed reforms, like easier voter registration, 15-day early voting periods, and vote by mail expansions. These reforms have been implemented in Illinois, are popular and effective, and should be implemented in any upcoming federal legislation responding to COVID-19. Keeping America safe from terrorism and other national security threats must remain a priority in times of pandemics. We cannot let our preparedness posture suffer under the weight of a whole-of-government pandemic response or distracted attention from ongoing Homeland Security initiatives. As a result, I am pleased the CARES Act reauthorizes the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards program through July 2020 and provides $9 million for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to help secure our supply chains and critical infrastructure during this crisis. This important legislation is not the end, our families will need more. We need to improve health care affordability, expand access to care, and offer protections from the surprise medical bills that could arise as a result of COVID-19 testing or treatment. We need a special open enrollment period to allow uninsured individuals to sign up for affordable health care. We will need to expand paid family and medical leave and we will need increased health care worker and pension protections. Our state and local governments will need more resources to support their leadership on the ground. And we will likely need more in payments directly into the hands of Americans so they can continue to support their families and their local economies. I will fight for our community's needs and work with my colleagues to get these priorities included in the next congressional relief package. The CARES Act puts the health and well-being of families and workers first, to allow us to recover from COVID-19 and rebuild the U.S. economy. I am so deeply grateful to the health care providers, first responders, grocery store clerks, and all the people on the front lines of this crisis. I am grateful to serve our country at this time of immense need to care for individuals, families and these United States of America. Together we will rise. Let's take care of our neighbors. Wash our hands. And be well. I will see you again soon.

Ms. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the CARES Act. Over 2,500 Illinoisans have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, 26 of whom have died. Countless more are in need of testing, and thousands of our frontline healthcare workers are desperate for PPEs. Just this month, over 130,000 Illinoisans have lost their jobs. This is unprecedented. The CARES Act provides immediate economic relief to individuals, billions in small business loans and grants, and improved unemployment protections. It will help States, local governments, and healthcare systems meet the enormous challenges that they are facing.

Ms. UNDERWOOD

Ms. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, the hour is late, but I wanted to rise to speak to my constituents. We are facing a novel illness in the coronavirus. I know that many are feeling nervous and uncertain with this type of disease, but I want to remind my community in northern Illinois that we have some tools at our disposal, commonsense solutions, like making sure to wash our hands and use hand sanitizer, to sanitize frequently touched surfaces, and to refrain from touching our faces. But we also need to make sure that we are extending common courtesies, kindness, and respect to our neighbors. If you are feeling sick, stay home. If you are really feeling sick, please call ahead to your healthcare provider so that they can be ready to accommodate you. Together, our country will survive the coronavirus and make it through this challenging time.

Ms. UNDERWOOD

Ms. UNDERWOOD. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize Donald W. Pollard, III for his service in my office in Washington, D.C. Donald joined our office as a legislative assistant and served as an advisor for my work on the House Committee on Homeland Security, in addition to handling a policy portfolio that included energy, environment, natural resources, judiciary, campaign finance, and other issues. Among other accomplishments, he developed and led introduction of the Climate and Health Protection Act and the Safe Communities Act. Donald was instrumental in our office's work to advance clean energy policy, protect communities from domestic threats, and counter gun violence. Donald's intellect, diligence, and professionalism have been invaluable assets as we worked to establish our legislative operation from scratch during my first year in office. I commend his ability to direct a wide policy portfolio while leading my staff work on the Committee on Homeland Security. Although Donald may be leaving our office, our community in northern Illinois will continue to benefit from the results of his hard work and accomplishments. Prior to joining my staff, Donald earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Richmond. He then earned a Master of Public Administration from American University while serving his home-state Senator. I am grateful he chose to continue his career in public service by joining my office. Our team will miss his expertise, work ethic, sense of humor, and encyclopedic knowledge of Beyonce. Madam Speaker, I would like to formally thank Donald W. Pollard, III for his service to my office, to Illinois's 14th Congressional District, and to our country.

Ms. UNDERWOOD

Ms. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, this week the House is taking strong action to stop the epidemic of youth tobacco use. We have watched as the use of tobacco and vape products by kids has exploded in our community over the past months. It has become a full- blown public health crisis affecting more than 5 million kids. More than 200 Illinoisans have suffered respiratory illness from dangerous vape products since last year. Eight of them have died. This shouldn't be happening. Thanks to decades of public health work and education, youth tobacco use was actually going down until the introduction of sophisticated vape products. Let's be clear, these products are targeted at kids. They are made with flavors like cotton candy and gummy bears. They are marketed directly to children, and they are designed to keep children hooked. This is a crisis that we will be dealing with for decades because 95 percent of adult tobacco users started when they were kids, and there is still so much that we don't know about how the high doses of nicotine and other chemicals in these products affect kids' bodies and their minds. Given the FDA's failure to effectively regulate these products, Congress needs to act now before it is too late. It is time to stand up and refuse to let our kids be hurt. It is time to pass the Protecting American Lungs and Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act of 2019.

Ms. UNDERWOOD

Ms. UNDERWOOD. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security be authorized to file a supplemental report on the bill, H.R. 1140.

Ms. UNDERWOOD

Ms. UNDERWOOD. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.J. Res. 79, a bipartisan bill that moves us closer to adopting the equal rights amendment. Madam Speaker, American women are barrier breakers. We have broken down barriers and shattered glass ceilings in education, at work, in the law, in the military, and at home. We are in a new era where women are leading in ways that they never have before, but legal gender discrimination, pay disparities, and inequality remain. They will not go away on their own. That is why we need to ensure that women's rights are guaranteed by adopting the equal rights amendment. I was so proud in 2018 when Illinois ratified the equal rights amendment at long last. Two years later, I am here on the House floor because the women of northern Illinois sent me here to fight for them. I am here to fight for our right as women to equal treatment under the Constitution of our great country. Madam Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to move us one giant step closer to legal equality by supporting this essential bill.

Ms. UNDERWOOD

Ms. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, our country's Founders created impeachment so that no President could place themselves above the law, a crucial constitutional check of power that ensures our country's security and values are protected against corruption and foreign influence in our elections. As I have weighed this solemn decision, I have listened to our community, examined important testimony and evidence, and studied the drafted articles. The President has demonstrated a pattern of corrupt behavior and abused his power for his own personal political gain when he pressured foreign leaders to conduct investigations against political rivals, jeopardizing our country's national security and the integrity of our elections. The testimony and evidence put forth led me to a clear conclusion: In order to uphold my sworn oath, I must vote to protect the Constitution and will vote in support of the Articles of Impeachment.