Marc Veasey

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Chairman, I am not in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. VEASEY. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gallego).

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 15 seconds to the gentlewoman from Wisconsin.

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cooper).

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Fortenberry).

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Garamendi).

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

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

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Chair, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Texas.

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Madam Speaker, I rise to congratulate the outstanding, the illustrious, the venerable Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Beta Mu Omega Chapter in Fort Worth, Texas, for its 80 years of dedicated service to the community. Founded in 1936 by 13 graduate women, the Beta Mu Omega Chapter has continued the founding organization's commitment to scholarship, sisterhood, and service. Since its inception, Beta Mu Omega has provided numerous humanitarian services, volunteer hours, and financial contributions to the Fort Worth community. The chapter continues to give back to the community by providing Easter baskets for the children at the Polytechnic High School Daycare Center, by bringing cleaning supplies and toiletries to the residents of the Como Community Church of Hope, by purchasing books for children in Fort Worth through the Reading is Fundamental program, and by providing a scholarship opportunity for high school graduates, which has raised over $32,000 since 1976. I ask my colleagues to please join me in congratulating the Beta Mu Omega Chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority for its 80 years of distinguished service to the Fort Worth community.

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, before I get into my remarks, I want to share a story about a conversation that I had with one of my colleagues here on the House floor. It was a colleague from Arizona. I asked the colleague: How is the new superintendent that is coming to the Fort Worth Independent School District, Dr. Scribner? The colleague told me how lucky we were to be getting Dr. Scribner from the Phoenix Independent School District because he has done such a remarkable job there and that the community was really saddened, but happy for him that he was given the opportunity to come and work in one of Texas' largest independent school districts. I want to rise today to lend my unwavering support for a respected educator that has made a mark very quickly in the Fort Worth community, and that is Dr. Kent Scribner. Dr. Scribner is a dedicated educator who is leading, again, one of the largest school systems in the entire State of Texas. But recently he has come under attack from centralized forces in Austin that don't believe in local control and, by the way, would like to actually take money out of the Fort Worth ISD and let that money be used for poor- performing schools in the form of school vouchers. What Dr. Scribner is under attack for from Austin is by trying to protect transgender students. Under the guidelines issued by Dr. Scribner, transgender students are allowed to use the bathroom and locker room of their choice. Teachers are to address them by the pronoun that reflects the student's gender identity. Staff are to protect a student's privacy about decisions to transition from one gender to another. An employee who does not comply with these rules could face discipline. It also protects other students. It says that students who do not feel comfortable using a bathroom with a transgender student are provided a reasonable and safe accommodation for them as well. These guidelines, unlike it was first reported, were not developed in isolation. The Fort Worth School Board has been working on these policies since 2014 and drafted a new set of guidelines last summer. Instead of condemning Dr. Scribner, we should applaud his leadership because it encourages an environment that protects our children's safety. Dr. Scribner has children, also, I want to make clear, in the Forth Worth Independent School District, and I doubt that he would want to subject his children to an environment that he didn't feel was safe. Many transgender students simply cannot use the restroom or locker room of the gender they were assigned at birth. Asking transgender students to use a separate restroom, like a faculty restroom, singles them out and increases the risk of bullying. Transgender students should not also have to face bullying from government officials. Allowing transgender students to use the correct restroom is just telling them that they can use the restroom like anyone else. Doing otherwise would tell them that they are unwelcome at the school they attend. Restricting restroom access for transgender students goes against the consensus of medical professionals and mental health experts. The guidelines that Dr. Scribner has issued are similar to those adopted by hundreds of school districts around the country. Let me just also tell you that Dr. Scribner has a lot of good backup in what he is doing. These best practices are supported by the Child Welfare League of America, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault, and the Texas Council on Family Violence. Dr. Scribner's leadership is especially commendable at a time when we are seeing a dramatic increase in hateful, discriminatory, and anti-LGBT legislation across the United States. It is imperative that we stand together to ensure that no one is discriminated against because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. That is why I am a proud sponsor and a proud cosponsor of the Quality Act and I am also a member of the Quality Caucus. I wholeheartedly believe that preventing this type of discrimination only makes our country a better place. The fight for LGBT equality has seen tremendous progress, but we still have a lot of work to do to make sure that all of our students feel safe in school. I am honored to stand in solidarity with Dr. Scribner. I ask my colleagues to stand with me as we support the rights of all Americans.

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Southeast Community Development Corporation, a non-profit organization in Southeast Fort Worth, Texas, as they host their 2nd Annual Pathway's Banquet, highlighting the work of local leaders for their contributions to empowering our local youth and adults. The Southeast Community Development Corporation was founded in April 2014, by Pastor Robert J. McGinty, who saw a need to continue to serve others after retiring from 36 years of service in law enforcement. Since its founding, the program has found success in providing education support, mentoring, leadership development, health and wellness initiatives, and programs where participants can prepare themselves for financial literacy, life-skills, job readiness, and empowerment for home ownership. One of their most successful programs is the Children's Defense Fund Freedom School, the only all-male program in Texas aimed at building strong, literate, and empowered children to serve a fundamental role within their families, communities, and nation. Young men between the ages of 13 and 17 participate in an interactive summer reading-based curriculum to improve their reading level and to curb summer learning loss. In addition, the scholars participate in college tours and community service projects and learn valuable tools to expand their educational opportunities. Every year, the Southeast Community Development Corporation hosts their Annual Pathways Banquet to honor local government, city, business, and community leaders for their contributions to creating ``Pathways for the City's Youth and Adults.'' This year, the organization will host its 2nd Annual Pathways Banquet at the Tarrant County Community College Trinity River Campus, where they will honor Tarrant County Commissioner Roy C. Brooks, Former Dallas Cowboy Greg Ellis, and former TCC Chancellor, the late Erma Johnson Hadley, for their work and commitment to expanding opportunities for our adults and youth in the Tarrant County community. In honor of the Southeast Community Development Corporations 2nd Annual Pathways Awards ceremony, and the invaluable service the organization provides to the Fort Worth community, this statement will be entered into the Congressional Record on Friday, May 6, 2016.

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Thank you very much, Representative O'Rourke. I really appreciate your work on this issue. You have been doing a great job of really kind of setting the facts straight about this issue. There has been a lot of rhetoric out there about what immigration means. And the fact that you have worked so hard to bring recognition about the economic benefits that the border has, particularly to our State of Texas, and you have been very tremendous in your efforts, I really, really do appreciate that. I wanted to just talk about the fact how important the relationship is--the economic impact that you talk about all the time--how important it is to Texas and the United States. According to the United States Trade Representative, U.S. goods and services traded with Mexico totaled an estimated $500-plus billion in 2015. Mexico was the United States' second largest goods export market in 2015. In 2013, Texas, our home State of Texas exported over $109 billion in goods with Mexico, and that was a 63 percent increase since 2008. It is really hard to argue with those numbers. It just shows how healthy the relationship is with Mexico and about how incredibly foolish it would be to try to create barriers between our two countries that would cause economic harm to both Mexico and the United States and our border State of Texas. The United States' relationship with Mexico, again, when you look at the economic picture, agriculture is something that people oftentimes take for granted--how they get their milk, how they get their fruit, how they get their vegetables. Agriculture is how we eat in this country. I have met with different organizations that represent agriculture. I just had some cattle raisers from the Fort Worth area here. They talked about the fact that we don't have a comprehensive immigration reform bill and how we need to improve our guest worker program and how it is really hurting their industry. And these are conservative Republicans that are telling me this, Representative O'Rourke. These aren't liberal Democrats or advocacy groups. These are people that are concerned about economic growth and prosperity in the United States and in border States that are saying that, hey, we have a huge problem here in agriculture. One of our conservative institutes in the State of Texas, Texas A&M University down in College Station, did a study back in 2012 that looked at dairy farms and found that the dairy farms are very heavily dependent upon migrant labor. Three-fifths of the milk in this country is dependent upon migrant labor. I think that that speaks in and of itself. Without these employees, the study predicts economic output would decline by $22 billion, and 133,000 workers would lose their jobs. And what are we going to do if that happens? Like, what are we really going to do? What are Republicans going to do if that happens, if they were able to create borders and barriers between our southwest border? They are certainly not going to make it up with any sort of social services to help people because they are always hollering about how they don't want to expand government. So what are they going to do if we lose all of that money? They are going to do absolutely nothing, and it would be very detrimental. Then there is also immigrant entrepreneurship. In addition to providing a reliable workforce, immigrants are also a boost to local economies when they open up businesses in their communities. More than 40 percent of the Fortune 500 companies here were founded by immigrants or by their children according to the Partnership for a New American Economy. I want to highlight one of my friends that has a business in my district, Gloria Fuentes. She was actually my guest, Representative O'Rourke, at the State of the Union earlier this year. She was someone, back in the 1970s, that was fleeing her home country of El Salvador. She immigrated to the United States, and her visa expired. Later, she became a permanent resident in 1986. And because of her hard work, working extra jobs, going to nightclubs at night to sell tamales and tacos, now she has a restaurant chain of 15, all across the State of Texas. That was done by someone that came here as an immigrant. Why wouldn't we want to make it easier for people like Gloria to migrate to this country? Why wouldn't we want to make it easier for us to be able to exchange and trade ideas with people from countries that are south of our border? We are really moving too slowly on the immigration issue. And again, the rhetoric about the southwest border is really hurting our country, particularly when you look at the net migration and how many people have decided that--you know what?--they don't want to live in the United States anymore just because of all of the rhetoric, the hateful rhetoric that is out there, mainly coming from the Republican side. I think that it is time that it stop because I think that our country--I know that our country--is better than that. I just want to thank you for getting this conversation started. I want to thank you for your expertise and depth on this issue. Particularly with you coming from El Paso, it is certainly great to have you talking about this so much and reminding people about the facts, because there are a lot of things out there that are floating around the Congress--again, coming from the Republican side--that are completely untrue and deliberately false and meant to spread fear across our country. But the fact that you are here and you are educating the country on this very important issue means a lot to our State and to the United States. So thank you very much, Representative O'Rourke, and thank you for letting me share this time with you.

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, there is something important for the American people to know: today is the day, April 15, that the law requires that Congress enact a budget resolution. Obviously, that ain't gonna happen. However, the Republican-led Budget Committee did share a budget blueprint with the GOP leadership. Ultimately, the leadership decided that it wasn't harsh enough on families, seniors, or children to pass through a Republican majority. A Federal budget should be a reflection of our values as a Nation, and the details of the rumored proposal of a road to ruin that the Republicans want to release are just not good. Apparently, the attempt to end the Medicare guarantee for seniors, to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and to block investments in good-paying jobs was not sufficiently brutal enough for the radicals within the Republican Party. If this version of the budget could not muster enough support to be brought to the House floor for a vote, I fear what the Republican majority will actually propose. House Democrats should continue to press for a budget that creates jobs, grows paychecks, and invests in the future of the American people, like we always do. We believe in those values, and that is what we will continue to fight for.

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate Trinidad Garza Early College High School, in Dallas, for receiving the 2016 ACT High School Exemplar in College and Career Readiness Award. Since 2013, the annual ACT College and Career Readiness Campaign has recognized participating high schools and community colleges for their outstanding efforts in education. The prestigious award is presented to only one school per State that demonstrates exceptional efforts in preparing students for college and career readiness. Given Trinidad Garza's commitment to preparing students for success in higher education and the workforce, this accolade is well-deserved. The award also celebrates individual students within participating schools for their outstanding progress on their ACT scores, such as Trinidad Garza seniors Paola Soto, Ivan Gonzales, Barry Levine, and Lizbeth Garcia. I am extremely proud of Trinidad Garza Early College High School for representing the State of Texas and the 33rd Congressional District. You are an example of what a dedicated group of educators can accomplish when it is committed to empowering its students. Once again, congratulations to everyone at Trinidad Garza Early College High School, and keep up the good work.

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a legend since 1976 on the Dallas-Fort Worth music scene. The Latin Express Band is celebrating its 40th anniversary. The Latin Express Band, founded by Carlos and Leo Saenz, comes a long way from their humble roots of playing high school dances. Over the past 40 years, they have played in music venues throughout the Dallas- Forth Worth metroplex and the country. In 2001, they were one of the music groups invited to perform at the Presidential Inaugural Ball. They were recently inducted into the Tejano R.O.O.T.S. Hall of Fame in 2008. Along with their musical accolades, the Latin Express Band has inspired future generations of local musicians through their support of music education for children, youth, and adults. On March 31st, the Saenz brothers will perform at Forth Worth's historic Casa Manana Theatre in honor of Cesar Chavez' birthday. Carlos and Leo have come a long way from their days playing at Sadie Hawkins dances back in the day, and I am honored to recognize their achievements. Congratulations to the Latin Express Band.

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the 40th Anniversary of The Latin Express Band. The Latin Express Band has serenaded Dallas- Fort Worth residents for four decades and counting and given back to the community in a variety of ways. Mr. Carlos Saenz, a graduate of Fort Worth's North Side High School, founded The Latin Express Band in 1976 after fundraising for a school trip. After receiving support and recognition from his classmates, Mr. Saenz added his younger brother, Leo Saenz, to join as drummer and vocalist. Since their formation, the Latin Express Band has played at music venues throughout the DFW Metroplex and the United States, even playing in the nation's capital. In January 2001, they were invited to perform during the Presidential Inaugural Ball for President George W. Bush. The Latin Express Band has received several accolades for their musical contributions throughout the years. Dating back to 1998, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram presented the band with its first award, the ``Best Tejano Band.'' They would go on to receive additional awards from Fort Worth Weekly, Hispanic Council of Tarrant County, and the Dallas Morning News. The Latin Express Band was inducted into the Tejano Roots Hall of Fame in 2008. Additionally, the Latin Express Band supports various charitable groups and makes significant contributions to local organizations such as the Tarrant Area Food Bank. The Latin Express Band has inspired future generations of local musicians by supporting music education for children, youth and adults throughout the Metroplex. On March 31, 2016, the band will perform for the first time at Fort Worth's historic Casa Manana Theatre. Proceeds from the concert will support music education programs in the Fort Worth Independent School District. The concert takes place on the birthday of the legendary Latino civil rights leader, Cesar Chavez. The band will play in honor of Chavez, an activist who continuously fought to gain equal rights for all minorities. The Saenz brothers are a staple in the Fort Worth community, both through sharing their musical talents and service to the Metroplex.

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in recognition of Shelton Givens, who passed away on February 29, 2016. Mr. Givens was the owner of Shelton's Barber Shop, located on the ground floor of the historic Sinclair Building in downtown Fort Worth, Texas. After working at local Fort Worth barbershop for nearly 10 years, Givens opened his namesake barber shop in 1991 at 512 Main Street in Room 112. Shelton's Barber Shop was well-known for its ``old-fashioned service'' and remained a fixture in the community for 25 years. Regular and walk-in customers often raved about the 1920's inspired services that included ``cigars, hot shaves, and casual conversation''. Givens and his staff became recognized for their exemplary customer service skills that kept loyal Fort Worth residents returning to their shop for years. Shelton and his wife of 51 years, Eunice Givens, were longtime residents of the Highland Hills Community where they raised two children: a son, Daryl Givens, and a daughter, Shelby West. They were members of the East Saint Paul Baptist Church and active members in the community, helping to organize neighborhood events and playing a key role in the ``National Night Out'' initiative. Givens' wife, Eunice, is a homemaker and well-known throughout Fort Worth for her role as a neighborhood activist. After more than two decades in the Sinclair Building, the Shelton Given's Barber Shop closed its doors in December 2015 due to Givens' failing health. At 80-years-old, Givens retired from his shop and stayed home in the care of his wife and children.

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, later today House Republicans will forward a resolution authorizing the Speaker to file an anti-immigrant amicus brief with the Supreme Court. While Speaker Ryan has called for a vote, House Republicans refuse to reveal what the plan may say; but then again, given House Republicans' extensive record on anti-immigrant actions, little is left to the imagination. Time and time again, GOP leadership has failed to bring a comprehensive immigration reform vote to the floor. Instead, they have favored deporting DREAMers. They have done all they can to undermine President Obama's executive actions on immigration. Later this week, this gimmick that they are proposing will do nothing to fix our broken immigration system. Instead, it sends a message that the GOP intends to continue confining hardworking immigrants and their families to the shadows. Families who currently live in fear of deportation should be afforded the opportunity to fully contribute to the only country they call home. As 5 million DACA/DAPA-eligible immigrants anxiously await the Court's final decision, I remind my House Republican colleagues that immigrants are part of America's backbone, and their contributions should not be discounted.

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my amendment to H.R. 4596, which simply adds an additional component to the required report from the FCC. My amendment requests the agency to also answer whether a permanent exemption from enhanced disclosure for small Internet providers, or ISPs, could increase access to the services offered by these small businesses. As many of you already know, these exemptions were created in the FCC's most recent update to the open Internet order. As Congress considers modifying or making this exemption permanent, it is important to know the impact this would have for those people the order was intended to protect, in this case, the consumers. Mr. Speaker, the real purpose of a permanent exemption should not be to just lighten the load for these businesses, but also to increase access to broadband services in general. Even in urban areas, like the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex that I represent, there is still an alarming number of people without access to all broadband services. Congress must work to enact evidence-based policy to expand Internet access. My amendment would simply have the FCC provide additional information regarding the effects of a permanent extension on a small ISP's consumer base. However, after speaking with my colleagues, including the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Loebsack), I am confident that the goal of my amendment will be achieved through the bill itself. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to withdraw my amendment.

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of my amendment to H.R. 3797, the so-called Satisfying Energy Needs and Saving the Environment Act. This bill is anything but that. What this bill does do is that it gives special breaks under two very important Clean Air Act rules and allows certain power plants to spew out as much nasty pollution as they wish to. These power plants, which use waste coal, still emit all the toxic substances a regular coal plant does, and they absolutely should not get a pass. If the SENSE Act passes, it will significantly affect air quality. This is not some radical assertion, and it has stood up to the scrutiny of the courts. These rules, the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule and the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards rule, are two important rules for protecting public health from toxic air pollutants like mercury and sulfur dioxide. If this bill were to become law, waste coal facilities would be able to pollute at a higher rate than any other power plants. There are many pieces of particulate matter emitted by coal plants, such as sulfur dioxide, mercury, and others, and science has clearly shown that air pollutants such as these cause severity when it comes to asthma, bronchitis, and even can contribute to heart attack risk. My amendment protects the most vulnerable from these adverse health effects. My amendment today would ensure that public health is front and center in this conversation, which it needs to be. Air quality is an issue that affects the most vulnerable among us. When you think about it, children, pregnant women, and the elderly are some of the members of our society that are most at risk when it comes to respiratory diseases from toxic emissions, such as sulfur dioxide. My amendment ensures that the effects of air quality are taken into account before enactment of the SENSE Act. Mr. Chairman, I know a thing or two about this. I don't know how often you get to Dallas-Fort Worth, but when you come to our area, despite all the jobs and prosperity that we have, we have some of the absolute worst smog in the entire country. This amendment would serve to protect vulnerable populations by ensuring their health is not in danger if this bill becomes law. Also, only after their health has been deemed safe may the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency allow this law to go into effect. There are so many different economic costs when it comes to asthma, Mr. Chairman. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention alone estimates that asthma costs the United States $56 billion each year when it comes to treating people for asthma, particularly our young children with asthma. So at the end of the day, what I want to do, Mr. Chairman, is make sure that the least that we do in this House is to make sure that everybody can breathe clean air. I don't think that that is asking for too much. If my Republican colleagues truly believe the public health of our Nation will not be affected by this bill, they will have no problem voting for my amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.