Susan Wild

Ms. WILD

Ms. WILD. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 8162) to express the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Education should provide certain waivers to community learning centers, and for other purposes, as amended.

Ms. WILD. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague across the aisle, Mr. Van Drew, for supporting this very important piece of legislation. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support H.R. 8162. It is legislation that will provide vital support for students, for parents, for employers, for schools, and for our economy as we all grapple with the effects of this pandemic. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Ms. WILD. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise to speak in support of passing the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Coronavirus Relief Act of 2020, which I recently introduced. This pandemic and economic crisis have disrupted every aspect of life in our society. As a result of the pandemic, many school districts will provide academic instruction through remote or hybrid learning models this school year. Estimates suggest that this fall, nearly 24 million workers with children between the ages of 6 and 14 will have no at-home childcare option. For parents struggling to care for their children while maintaining their professional responsibilities or trying to return to the workforce, this time has been an unprecedented challenge. Those of us who have the honor of representing our communities in Congress must act. My commonsense, bipartisan legislation offers a path forward. My bill expresses a sense of Congress that the flexibility provided to States through the Department of Education's recent waiver for 21st Century Community Learning Centers, the only federally funded initiative dedicated to supporting after-school, before-school, and summer learning programs, allows subgrantees to provide virtual programming and school-aged childcare during the workday to help meet the need of students and families during the COVID-19 pandemic. These learning centers, which typically operate out of Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCAs, schools, and other community centers, have existing trusted partnerships with the school districts that they serve. The flexibility expressed in my legislation will help school districts leverage these partnerships to create options for families and to cultivate environments in which K-12 students could receive additional academic support, school-aged children could receive safe care during the workday, schoolday, and working parents would be able to return to and stay in the workforce. Over the last several months, I have heard from dozens of parents across my community who are concerned about how they are going to tackle this school year, how they will find affordable childcare, how they make sure their children don't fall behind academically, and how they will stay in the workforce. I am proud that my legislation supports flexible, affordable, school-aged childcare options to create safe, structured learning environments for students to thrive and to enable parents to get back to work. Right now, families need options and flexibility. Without it, our students, our workers, and our economy will all pay the price. Putting forward solutions to these issues is a national priority, not just for the sake of children and families across our communities, but also for businesses trying to retain employees or hire new workers. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in passing this legislation with a resounding, bipartisan vote. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. WILD. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Mrs. Lee).

Ms. WILD. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline).

Ms. WILD

Ms. WILD. Madam Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 3659, Danny's Law, and I thank my friends and colleagues, Max Rose and Haley Stevens, for introducing this important bill. Across our communities, a national epidemic of suicide has devastated far too many families. One of the most heartbreaking aspects of this crisis concerns the loss of children to suicide, often a result of pervasive, overwhelming bullying by their peers. Danny's Law was named for Daniel Fitzpatrick, a 13-year-old boy whose experiences with bullying led him to take his own life. By directing the President to establish an antibullying roundtable to make recommendations pertaining to bullying in elementary and secondary schools, this legislation would make ending bullying a national priority. People of all ages, including children, suffer from the effects of unmet mental health needs, with consequences that can be dire. In taking the issue of suicide among children out of the shadows, we can begin to overcome the stigma around mental health challenges, which remain far too prevalent in our society. In addition to the sometimes extreme consequences of pervasive bullying, students who are bullied by their classmates are not able to fully pursue their education or receive equal access to the academic and social opportunities their schools provide. Preventing and ending bullying will remove this major barrier. Together, Republicans and Democrats alike, let us pass this bill in remembrance of Daniel Fitzpatrick and in support of his family. To every young person in our communities who may feel judged or alone, you will never be alone. You are free to be who you are.

Ms. WILD

Ms. WILD. Mr. Speaker, as we face the COVID-19 health and economic crisis, childcare centers across our country are on the verge of collapse. The consequences can be felt throughout our society: From children, to childcare workers, to working parents--disproportionately women--who were already struggling to stay afloat given the acute national shortage of affordable childcare services. For these parents, who depend on childcare in order to maintain their careers and pay their bills, the answer is more affordable childcare, not less. The Child Care Is Essential Act would provide direct financial support for childcare providers during and after this crisis. The Child Care for Economic Recovery Act would deliver crucial Federal investments in childcare facilities. These are two immediate steps that we can take on behalf of working families right now. Once we pass this legislation, our focus must turn to addressing the lack of affordability in childcare more so that we can finally ensure that every working family who needs childcare can obtain and afford it. We must support working families by expanding access to at-home learning and childcare.

Ms. WILD

Ms. WILD. Mr. Speaker, as he prepares to retire as CEO after four decades, I rise to recognize a constituent of mine, Chris Martin, for his leadership of Martin Guitars, an exceptional business in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, that has been a source of pride in my community for generations. For almost 200 years, C.F. Martin & Company has produced acoustic guitars widely recognized as the finest in the world. The product of an unparalleled legacy of craftsmanship, Martin Guitars have been proudly used by legendary musicians across our country and the world: Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney and Joan Baez, Willie Nelson and Kurt Cobain, to name only a few. I want to express my gratitude to Chris and the Martin Guitars team for their continued dedication to contributing to a made-in-the-USA economy based on excellence; for their commitment to maintaining and expanding music education in our classrooms; and for their determination to advance social, economic, environmental, and racial justice. I congratulate Chris on all he has achieved. As he looks forward to a new chapter, I wish him the very best.

Ms. WILD

Ms. WILD. Madam Speaker, shortly after I came to Congress, I learned through the grapevine that a couple of my staff members wanted nothing more than to meet the great John Lewis in person. So with some trepidation, and very cognizant of the demands on his time, I approached him as a freshman Member on the House floor to inquire whether I could make an appointment with his staff. And in his usual warm and gregarious manner, Mr. Lewis said: ``Of course. Of course.'' A few weeks later, I took these staffers on a mystery field trip to the Cannon House Office Building. And the look on their faces when they realized we were about to enter John Lewis' office was priceless. I figured it would be a quick handshake and a photo op, and then we would be on our way back to our office. But no. Mr. Lewis greeted my 6- foot-4-inch legislative counsel Zach and my speechwriter Yann with: ``Hello, young brothers'' and took them into his office where he proceeded to give them a narrated history of the civil rights movement with the aid of large photographs that were stacked all over his office. Zach and Yann and Sara, another member of my team, asked many questions, and he answered them all. We took the obligatory photos for which I am thankful, because now they have the treasure of those memories forever. A full hour-and-a-half elapsed, and our meeting with him ended only because my team needed to get back to work, so we had to break away. I am convinced he would have gladly spent the rest of the afternoon speaking with them. That is just one example of the generosity of spirit of the great John Lewis. Rest in peace, Mr. Lewis. I hope you are starting a whole lot of good trouble wherever you are. It is the greatest honor of my life to have served with you.

Ms. WILD

Ms. WILD. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the memory of someone who meant a great deal to my community. An architect, artist, preservationist, and advocate for equality, Tim Hare made an indelible mark on the people of Easton, whose historic downtown he was instrumental in saving from demolition. Passing through Easton by chance in the 1970s, Tim was so taken by the character of the city that when he learned of plans to demolish and evict the citizens of the historic district as part of a wave of so- called urban renewal initiatives, he attended a city council meeting to demand answers. When that didn't work, he decided to go to Washington to file an injunction against the Federal Government's plans. Because of Tim's efforts, homes across the historic district were saved, and local businesses like the Quadrant Book Mart & Coffee House are still around today. Tim's legacy also endures in the struggle for LGBTQ equality, to which he devoted himself alongside his beloved husband, Earl, and the many generations he mentored and inspired. To Earl, and all those who knew and loved Tim, know that I and our entire community will work to carry forward his example.

Ms. WILD

Ms. WILD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Bud Cook, the northeast Pennsylvania program director for the Nature Conservancy. For more than 40 years, Bud has been one of the foremost advocates for conservation and environmental protection in my community and in Pennsylvania. For decades, Bud has led efforts to conserve and protect nature in the Greater Lehigh Valley and beyond. He established Monroe County Citizens for Open Space and led a pioneering fundraising campaign in support of land protection, and he has mentored generations of conservation advocates who have gone on to spearhead successful campaigns of their own. Bud's quick wit and passion for his work have endeared him to many and helped create opportunities for collaboration in communities that might otherwise be divided, bringing together citizens united by their mutual desire to protect their beloved natural environment. Bud's legacy can be experienced in the Hauser Nature Center in Long Pond, in the Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge, and innumerable places across my community where natural beauty is protected and preserved in our time and for generations to come. As Bud prepares to retire and start a new chapter, I want to recognize his exceptional contributions. Madam Speaker, on behalf of a grateful community, we thank and congratulate him for all he has done.

Ms. WILD

Ms. WILD. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act, a bold plan to rebuild crumbling infrastructure across our country. For decades, Congress has allowed our infrastructure, roads, bridges, waterways, schools, housing, public transit, energy systems, and broadband to erode under the weight of lack of investment. This inaction has made our people less secure. It has made us less economically competitive in the global marketplace, and it has disproportionately affected the most vulnerable. We have a responsibility to pass this legislation now at a time when more Americans are unemployed than any time since the Great Depression. This bill will create millions of Americans shovel-ready jobs. There is no better example of the need to modernize our infrastructure than our schools. Each child needs the guarantee of a safe classroom that is equipped to provide them with the education they will need to succeed in the 21st century. I call on my colleagues, Republicans and Democrats, to join me in passing this legislation with a resounding vote. After all, it was a Republican, President Eisenhower, who literally brought our country together with the most ambitious infrastructure project in our history: the Interstate Highway System.

Ms. WILD

Ms. WILD. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding. I rise in support of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act, which builds upon the achievements of the ACA, including its coverage of an additional 20 million people. I am glad to see that the bill includes the tenets of H.R. 3, allowing the HHS to negotiate prescription drug prices rather than continuing to pay the outrageous prices set by companies that have long blocked competitors from the market. With the limited time I have to speak, though, I would like to highlight my appreciation that it includes my bill, the Family Health Care Affordability Act, which fixes the family glitch in the ACA. Under the Affordable Care Act, workers are to have access to affordable healthcare plans, defined as healthcare plans that cost no more than 9.56 percent of the employee's monthly household income. But the interpretation of ``affordable'' only looks at whether coverage is affordable to cover the employee, not whether it is affordable to cover spouses and dependents. When factoring in the family unit, coverage can easily surpass 25 percent of household income and still be deemed affordable and block the family from marketplace subsidies. This bill fixes that and makes sure that hardworking families have access to coverage without risk of financial ruin. I call on my colleagues to pass this important bill.

Ms. WILD

Ms. WILD. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.J. Res. 76. Students defrauded by predatory, for-profit colleges can be left with crushing debt, useless degrees, and none of the job opportunities they were promised. Secretary DeVos could provide immediate relief to students who were defrauded. Instead, she has halted student loan relief and written a new rule under which defrauded borrowers could be denied debt relief, even when predatory colleges clearly violated the law. Earlier this year, bipartisan majorities in the House and the Senate voted together to reject that rule, but President Trump has vetoed our legislation--yet another of his actions that will hurt students and taxpayers. More than 7,000 Pennsylvanians are suffering while their applications for financial relief are sitting in limbo at the Department of Education. If Congress does not override the President's veto, student borrowers will be harmed, and predatory colleges will receive another giveaway. I am proud to stand with students and to vote to override the President's veto of H.J. Res. 76.

Ms. WILD

Ms. WILD. Mr. Speaker, as the representative of Pennsylvania's Seventh district, just 1\1/2\ hours from New York City, I have a unique perspective on this crisis. The two world-class hospital networks in my community, the Lehigh Valley Health Network and St. Luke's University Health Network, are also the biggest employers in my district. They anxiously await the spread of this disease to our front lines. Across my community, our nurses, lab techs, PAs, physicians, custodial, and cafeteria staff have worked tirelessly to care for every patient. Despite their concern for their own well-being and despite often lacking adequate gear to protect themselves, they put the most vulnerable ahead of themselves. They are the pride of my community. The actions of healthcare workers around the country say to us: We are all in this together. Our response cannot be: Fend for yourself. Now we have to do our part and provide them with enough personal protective equipment and enough ventilators for their patients.

Ms. WILD

Ms. WILD. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 9 a.m. tomorrow.

Ms. WILD

Ms. WILD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize three extraordinary women: Nouf Abdulaziz, Loujain Al-Hathloul, and Eman Al-Nafjan. For nearly 2 years, these women have been imprisoned, placed in solitary confinement, and tortured by the Saudi Government, all because they used their voices to express the need for the government to recognize the fundamental rights and dignity of women. Under Saudi Arabia's male guardianship system, which requires women to obtain permission of their male guardians in healthcare, employment, and travel decisions, the very notion of women's rights or, for that matter, human rights, is effectively nonexistent. Despite the Saudi Government's recent claims of social reform, an unacceptably oppressive status quo continues to dominate virtually every aspect of life for women in Saudi Arabia. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me as a cosponsor of H. Res. 129, a resolution which calls for the immediate release of these activists and calls on the administration to impose sanctions on Saudi officials responsible for human rights violations. Let us come together, Democrats and Republicans alike, in demanding the release of these courageous women.

Ms. WILD

Ms. WILD. Madam Speaker, as we mark Public Schools Week, I want to recognize the extraordinary educators across my community and our country. In spite of deep, systemic inequities we face in funding for our public schools and this administration's proposed further cuts, there are efforts in every school district to teach and support our young people in every aspect of their lives: Programs like the Allentown School District's partnership with Lehigh Carbon Community College, which allows students to earn an associate's degree before leaving high school. Initiatives like the efforts in Bethlehem School District to provide universal screening for students' mental health challenges and to increase community involvement. Robust arts education programs like those featured in the Freddy Awards, hosted each year by the State Theatre in Easton, recognizing exceptional high school theater departments across the region. Vital services like the food pantry in East Stroudsburg School District to support food insecure students, and business education projects like a coffee shop run by students in the same district, providing those students an invaluable experience. When we invest in public education, we invest in our common future as a country. Let us commit to making those investments full and equitable.

Ms. WILD

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

Ms. WILD. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise to offer a very simple amendment that I am hopeful will assuage the concerns of my friend and colleague, Ms. Foxx, regarding privacy issues. This amendment very simply clarifies a provision in the PRO Act that deals with the list of voters that employers are to provide to a union before an election. My amendment provides that the requirements surrounding this list of voters shall not affect employee privacy. For more than 60 years, the NLRB has required employers to provide a list of names and home addresses of employees who are part of a potential bargaining unit and who will vote in a union election. This list has never conscripted workers into a union against their will, and workers are still free to vote in favor of unionization or against it. Rather, this procedure is designed to create a modicum of fairness during a union election because employers already have this information to reach their employees, whereas unions otherwise would not. It just puts the employer and the union on equal footing in the lead-up to an election. In 2014, the NLRB updated what had to be included in that list, requiring employers also to include job classifications, telephone and cell phone numbers, and email contact information that was in the employer's possession. The PRO Act simply codifies that 2014 election rule. According to information the NLRB provided to the Education and Labor Committee in 2018, no person has ever charged a union with abusing the voter information list since the new 2014 election rule took effect. Even the Republican NLRB in December 2019 kept the voting list requirement as it overhauled other union representation procedures. My amendment removes any ambiguity in the PRO Act by making it clear that nothing in the bill will be permitted to affect employee privacy. I urge a ``yes'' vote on this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. WILD. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time. The argument of my friend and colleague is all well and good, but I am happy to report that current law already prohibits unions from engaging in harassment and coercion. The PRO Act doesn't change that. The PRO Act simply codifies the 2014 election rule and the NLRB rules about what had to be included in the list. Harassment and coercion are prohibited today, will be prohibited tomorrow, and would still be prohibited if the PRO Act bill makes its way to the President's desk for signature. The truth is that this list is already narrowly designed to be used solely for union organizing campaigns before an election, and no union has ever been charged with using this list for any improper purpose or in violation of employee privacy. If my friend's fears of coercion or intimidation were legitimate, we would see labor charges against unions, but that hasn't happened because the fear is unfounded. My amendment merely memorializes and protects employees by clarifying that nothing in the PRO Act will affect employee privacy. I am proud to support workers' privacy and their right to organize. I am proud of the PRO Act, a bill that recognizes that union participation is the fabric of our middle class; a bill that recognizes that strong union membership increases productivity, reduces turnover, and gives the middle class more purchasing power; a bill that recognizes that while union membership is at an all-time low, it is not the result of union apathy, and that 62 percent of workers want to unionize but cannot because workers are not on equal footing with management; a bill that ends unfair union election practices like employer-mandated captive audience speeches because the freedom to associate or not associate should also include the freedom not to listen. I urge a ``yes'' vote on this amendment and the underlying bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Ms. WILD

Ms. WILD. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize an extraordinary constituent, a man who, in my community, is known only as Rooster. He really needs no other name, but his given name is Russell Valentini. Rooster has worked in the Allentown School District for a very long time. His title with the Allentown School District is Home and School Visitor, but it fails to capture the world of difference he has made in the lives of homeless children and families. For 35 years, Rooster has served as the lifeline for the 600 to 800 students experiencing homelessness in the Allentown School District at any given time. The poems he has written over the years about the children he has encountered reflect the ways that the children have touched his life and in which he has touched theirs. Even now, Rooster still grows emotional when telling the story of the father who doesn't know if he will be able to get his paycheck in time to make the rent, the family who has lost their home, the child with no bed to sleep in at night. Rooster, for these many years, has provided school supplies, uniforms, and hygiene items, as well as food, to help these students and their families. Everywhere in my community there are people whose lives are immeasurably better today because of Rooster. Rooster prepares to retire at the end of this school year, and I want to congratulate him. We will miss him. We should all draw inspiration from the powerful example he has set.

Ms. WILD

Ms. WILD. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of over 3 million of our fellow Americans who are facing a time of need right now, the people of Puerto Rico. Several of my colleagues have been working tirelessly to convey the voices of the people of Puerto Rico following the earthquakes that they have been experiencing over the past several weeks. Those voices must be more widely heard in the media and across our society because our fellow Americans are calling out for help. The damage caused by this most recent disaster comes in addition to the devastation of Hurricane Maria and the grossly inadequate Federal response to that tragedy. Today, the administration confirmed that it would finally end its hold on disaster aid relief that Congress authorized for Puerto Rico years ago. Now, in the wake of this most recent tragedy, the President must approve a major disaster declaration today. Constituents across my community have reached out to me with deep concern for their friends and families, and nearly all of us represent constituents of Puerto Rican origin. We cannot turn our backs on our fellow citizens. We must stand with them and come to their aid.