would recognize these in the increased amount of precipitation, drought, and phenomenon that are causing a lot. -- a lots of damage. it's going to challenge our systems as never before. we've so many people on earth aat are dependent on structured agricultural and that it'sized system .ulnerable to this rapid change if one wants to contest that doim, i suggest that they the math go to the record, and then that, for instance, past three years have been consecutively hotter yea >> "washington journal" live every day at 7:00 a.m. eastern. we're leaving this now to take you live to the house floor for votes on bills debated earlier. 1180, to amend the fair labor

standards active 1938, to provide compensatory time for employees in the private sector, providing for proceedings during the period om may 5, twent, through may 5, -- 2017, through may 5, 2018, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: referred to the calendar and ordered printed. motions will resume. votes will be taken in the following order. h.r. 910 by the yeas and nays. r. 1312 by the yeas and nays. and h.r. 657 by the yeas and nays. first electronic vote will be conducted as a 15-minute vote. remaining electronic votes will be conducted as five-minute votes. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from arkansas, mr. hill, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 910 as amended, on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number at 59. h.r. 910. a bill to direct the securities

and, he change commission to provide a safe harbor -- and security commission to provide a safe harbor for reports and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill as amended. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a 15-minuted vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 405, the nays are 2. 2/3 being in the affirmative, the bill is pass -- the rule is -- the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from arkansas, mr. hill, to suspend the rules and pass h r. 1312 as amended on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 61, h.r. 1312rks a bill to amend the small business investment act to require annual review of the annual business forum of -- that is held pursuant to such

act. the speaker pro tempore: members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 406, the nayses are zero. 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from kentucky, mr. comer, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 657 as amended on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 3. h.r. 657, a bill to amend title 5, united states code, to extend certain protections against prohibited personnel practices, and for other purposes.

the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 407. the nays are zero. 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

the chair will now entertain requests for one-minute speeches. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida rise? ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> mr. speaker, the house is not n order. the speaker pro tempore: the ouse will be in order. members, please take your discussions off the floor. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise to congratulateing me daley, who is the founder -- meg -- congratulate meg daley, who is the founder of an urban trail in my congressional district, that will serve to connect hundreds of americans across miami-dade county through safe, alternative methods of transportation. in 2013, meg had an unfortunate accident that broke both of her arms. because she couldn't drive herself to work, to attend

physical therapy, she took the metrorail near her home, walked underneath the trail to reach her destination. that's when meg took notice of the underutilized trail right below the metrorail and envisioned its transformative potential for a community mobility for positive economic impact and enhanced quality of life. he underlying had support, providing for a safe and healthy space for community members to express themselves. from free yoga classes to artistic festivals, for probablies, each day the underline is getting close to becoming what meg has envisioned. congratulations to one of our community's leaders, meg daley. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: thank you. for what purpose does the gentleman from rhode island rise?

>> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and stepped my remarks. without objection. the gentleman from rhode island is recognized for one minute. mr. langevin: today, i introduced the plus loan for giveness act to relieve the student loan debt on parents. while most student loans are for give given, parent-plus loans are not. it is wrong that a parent struggling with a child's disability is not afforded the same loan forgiveness. it would extend the loans. and allow families to focus on healing and enlight yep $1.4 trillion owed. i urge my colleagues in joining me to support these parents who are trying to help their children succeed. i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> mr. poe: the nation became a failed state, one that is a brothel of slavery. fleing from terrorists, west africans hand their life savings and off to europe. but these refugees are trafficked as slaves in libya and bound to a slave olympic and the slave drivers force them to work independence private prisons. the slave masters demand ran somes. if they don't pay, they are sold to larger. and the demand doubles. the ran some is never paid,

human slavery exists in north africa and it is a scurge on humanity but the united states should be careful of taking out a regime without understanding the long-term consequences of what happened in libya. and that's just the way it is. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek you recognition? without objection. >> one of the most important parts of president obama's legacy is the recognition that americans should not be discriminated against pre-existing conditions. this was enslind in law and millions of americans support these vital protections.

ven yesterday, president trump stated that he was opposed to discrimination based on pre-existing conditions. the american health care act by this house does not represent that same bipartisan principle. my colleagues are advancing a measure that would allow states to turn back the clock and begin that discrimination again. i urge you to oppose this bill survived who has cancer, i urge you vote no. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition? >> permission to address the house and revise and stnd my remarks. mr. olson: i rise to recognize

national charters schools week anniversary of the first charter school. 4 states, it is the fastest growing choice in public education. minnesota is a leader in developing ways to educate our students and the very first state to allow charter schools. it has 164 schools that serve about 57,000 schools from kindergarten to the first grade. and developing high quality and independent charter school option. and i believe it's important we continue to develop this option. america will continue to lead the world in innovation if our students receive the best education from early childhood through graduate school and that means a child's zip code doesn't

determine the quality of their education. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from texas seek recognition? ms. jackson lee: permission to address the house. ms. jackson lee: tell me it isn't so that the united states has discontinued let girls learn supported by mrs. obama which is an important element by the peace corps which is attemptings to help these girls learn. tell me it isn't so that the president not recognizing the

constitution is trying to expand -- libel the liable aws, you can undermine and first amendment press and others with a violation of those laws. tell me it isn't so that america s going back on her values and commitment to helping people around the world and denigrating the first amendment. tell me it isn't so. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the entlelady yields back.

>> to give private sector employees offered to many local, state and federal government workers that had it for many years now. the legislation wilt give the employees to receive time off from their employers. it does not change the 40-hour work week and does not weaken the probings, but we are giving them more choice. the bill does not allow employers to coerce one option over another. but a voluntary decision between the employer and the employee. everyone needs flexibility in their schedule to and we should be giving them the on shons to choose. overtime wages or timeoff. it should be their decision, not

the governments. i urge you to join me. and i thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition? >> address the house for one extend. d revise and the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one inute. papepape job construction and infrastructure of president trump's broken promises. after 102 days in office, the greatest president has failed to president a single job or infrastructure bill. at the same time, his slash and burn budget would cut investments and job growth in infrastructure in imposing a

$2.4 billion cut. included in those cuts are drafted reductions of the federal support for amtrak and the outright elimination of the tiger grant program. the president's budget proposal also phases out the new start's program and including new jersey and new york's gateway projects ineligible for project funding. as i speak, new jersey rail commuters are probably facing elays and disruptions to their commutes. president trump's proposed cuts will only only make the problem worse and it's been an ugly 102 days.

unless he dackles it, it's going to get uglier. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? mr. thompson: request united states to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. thompson: i rise today on may 1 to recognize silver star service banner day and we honor the service of our active service duty men and women. silver service star day is sponsored by the familys to supporting dying veterans and their families. may is also national appreciation month. and we recognize and appreciate those who serve and have served. our military men and women play

a role in the development of our country, documented through istory of uncomprising of duty and genuine love of country. my son logan continues to serve in the united states army and my daughter in law carly is a veteran. and i want to thank all those who serve. only two individuals have offered to die for you, one was asus christ and the other was american soldier. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from ohio seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. ms. kaptur: a senior woman in the u.s. house, i wanted to say thank you to congresswoman

congresswoman ros-lehtinen and to say with poig nance, i received her decision recently to retire from our beloved house. she has been the first uban-american and first latina and she chaired the foreign affairs committee during her tenure and many, many sessions when speakers when she and i tabulate the results. i can remember when her children were born. she handled her service with great distinction and great honor and great humor and made friends with both friends of the aisle. i must say, that this house will lose a spark of brilliance and

witt when she chooses to leave us. i will say it has been a particular joy to serve with her, because no matter what the issue, no matter what the time of year or time of day, she pproached the day with great prolvealism. i regret her leaving. we have omen across, now over 100 women who serve in this house with distinction and helped blaze that path. mr. speaker, i yield back but i reserve my opportunity to say more about her in the days ahead. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recksnigs? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute.

mr. lamalfa: did you know about upon all the wildfires we have in the summer and fall, if a utility has a right of-of way, it can take months for these utilities to receive forest service approval to remove trees even if the trees are in contact with electric transmission lines. now we have had blackouts for large portions of several states and the power lines may contact a tree. yet still, it takes months sometimes to get the forest service to approve to remove these trees. well, we have a remedy. passed last week in resources committee, working with representative curt shadeler, we are going to streamline the red tape for utilities to do the necessary and commonsense work

or these transmission right- aways. mr. speaker, thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida rise and seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i'd like to take this time to highlight h.r. 758. the g.i. internship program act. i am a co-leading co-sponsor of this important legislation with my colleague from illinois, brad schneider. if implemented, this bill would expand the use of the existing post-9/11 g.i. bill, benefits to include internships as an option in place of traditional degree program. the g.i. internship program act would allow veterans to gain practical skills and work experience to help ease their transition back into the civilian work force. under current law, the post-9/11

g.i. bill only allocates money to veterans for traditional postsecondary education in the classroom, but for many veterans, this is a path not meant for them. for example, according to the bureau of labor statistics, there were over 300,000 onfield manufacturing -- unfilled manufacturing jocks at the end of 2016. this ga -- jobs at the end of 2016 this gap could be filled by veterans as a stipend to support them while seembing on the job training as high-skilled technical workers. further, these jobs can be filled at no additional cost to the employer, because the cost would be covered by the pre-existing g.i. bill. this bill would allow businesses all over the u.s. to use both large and small, to meet their employment needs and help veterans enter the work force. as long as employers comply with the program and intend to hire the veterans after the internship is over, the veterans will continue to receive funding. this bill is a win for the american job growth and most importantly a win for our veterans. i urge my colleagues to support this commonsense measure and i

yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. any further one-minute requests? the chair lays before the house the following personal requests. the clerk: leave of absence requested for mr. marino of pennsylvania for today. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the request is granted. under the speaker's announced policy of january 3, 2017, the gentlewoman from alabama, mrs. roby, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader. mrs. roby: thank you, mr. speaker. before i begin i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the topic of my special order. the speaker pro tempore: without

objection. mrs. roby: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of h.r. 1180. this is the working families flexibility act. i would love to take credit for this idea, it is not my own. it is a bill that has been carried by other members. several occasions. i've had the privilege to carry this bill the last few congresses. and i'm excited that we are going to debate this bill tomorrow. and, god willing have a vote on it. the working family flexibility act is an amendment, a simple amendment to the fair labor standards act. the fair labor standards act has been the law of the land since 1938. in 1985, the fair labor standards act was amended to allow compensatory time. that's paid time off in lieu of cash wages for overtime. for public sector employees. but oddly enough, private sector employees were left out of the equation. this amendment, h.r. 1180,

simply provides that the private sector can have access to compensatory time in lieu of cash wages for overtime. this doesn't eliminate overtime. but rather it gives flexibility in the workplace for hardworking americans to make a decision about how to use their time. so every time an employee, an hourly wage employee, works an hour of overtime, they would be eligible for an hour and a half of paid leave. only if the employer first offers this as a benefit, but most importantly, that the employee elects voluntarily to choose compensatory time over cash payments for overtime. you know, congress can't legislate another hour in the day. but what we can do is provide flexibility for hardworking moms

and dads all over this country that may want to use their overtime to -- their accrued overtime to coach a soccer game or help with an aging parent, take their child to the pediatrician, or, quite frankly, accrue the time to go on a mission trip somewhere. but this is an opportunity for us to provide this benefit for employees all over this country. like i said, hardworking men and women that just want flexibility. it is voluntary. it must be done through a written agreement. between the employer and employee. but most importantly, outside of being voluntary, is that the employee can opt out at any time. the employee can cash out, so to speak. there are cash-out provisions in this bill. so if the arrangement between the employer and the employee is not working out, meaning the

employee can't find the appropriate time to utilize the compensatory time, the employee can say, you know what, i'd rather have my cash payments for overtime. and within 30 days the employer must provide those cash payments that that employee has rightfully earned. i just think this is a great opportunity for us to provide this benefit to so many folks out there who are just trying to balance their life and work, their children, their parents, and all the things that come with that. as a working mom, i certainly can relate to all of the pushes and pulls that parents have on them, in wanting to just provide for their family. again, at the end of the day, this time belongs to that individual and therefore he or she ought to be able to make a decision about how to use their time. i have several members who are here tonight that are going to speak on this bill.

i'd like to take this opportunity to first yield to the gentlelady from missouri, thank you so much for your willingness to speak on this issue. >> i thank the gentlelady from alabama for yielding and my good friend, martha roby, who has been such a leader on this issue. it has been my great privilege, martha, to be a sponsor of the working families flexibility act in the 113th congress, in the 114th congress, and now again in the 115th congress. mr. speaker, i do rise in support of the working families flexibility act of 2017. mrs. wagner: which will remove a federal restriction on private sector employees who would like the option of comp time. comp time compensation in lieu of cash for their overtime work. the same as public sector

employees. we're talking about, mr. speaker, a voluntary choice. a choice made by employees for cash overtime, or for comp time. the last thing our federal government should be doing is dictating how our small business employees and entrepreneur compensation operates. in november, missourians and many americans spoke loud and clear, mr. speaker. it is time to get government out of the pocketbooks and off of the backs of hardworking americans. americans are also desperate for job flexibility. i know i was also, martha, as a working mom. when i worked in st. louis, muir. --y want to have a better -- a better balance. and the working families flexibility act will help us do just that.

for the past 30 years, public sector employees have enjoyed the benefit of choosing voluntary paid time off or comp time, instead of cash wages, as compensation for working overtime hours. private sector workers who make up an incredibly large portion of our economy should also reap this benefit. it's simply common sense. amending this overtime restriction through this legislation will help bring our work force standards into the 21st century, and allow our workers to do their jobs while still providing them with the voluntary flexibility to raise a family, pursue a college degree, care for aging parents, or tend to the day to day obligations that come their way. mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to support the

working families flexibility act as a -- it safeguards workers' time and wages, protects their use of the comp time they've earned, and, most importantly, as we work each day to get our economy back on track, this legislation empowers them, the american worker, with more options and flexibility that will ultimately lead to a better quality of life. i thank the gentlelady for yielding. mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. mrs. roby: i thank the gentlelady and i appreciate your willingness to speak on behalf of the working family flexibility act and you're speaking on behalf of so many hardworking american families. so thank you for taking the time to speak on this. mrs. wagner: it's my pleasure. since we do have time. you being a champion of this in the last three congresses that i've had the pleasure of working , and my constituents in

missouri have sent me, it's wonderful to see a working mom like you who is juggling all of those day to day needs, to stand up for private sector workers kind of e the same options and flexibility that our public service has enjoyed for some 30 years. so i thank you for being a champion in this way. she's a wonderful legislator and a wonderful mother too. rs. roby: thank you so much. mr. speaker, it's now my privilege to introduce my friend, our majority leader, kevin mccarthy. during my time in congress, i don't know anyone who has been a stronger champion for finding ways to help families using conservative, commonsense ideas. that's why i'm proud to yield to the gentleman from california, mr. mccarthy, as much time as he would like. mr. mccarthy: i thank the gentlelady for yielding. mr. speaker, congresswoman martha roby is an amazing woman. she's a congresswoman, she's an

attorney, she's a wife, but most important, what she cares most about, she's a mother. to two beautiful children. and she has the same concerns and the same challenges that everybody else across this country has. does chef enough time? -- does she have enough time? does she have the flexibility? and just going through her own life, listening to her constituents, she came forth with this bill. and she has worked hard to bring the working family flexibility act to this floor. and she's done it before. it has passed this house. but one of the things i admire most about her is she does not give up. because it's not about her, it's about the rest of america. and it's also about fairness. you know, in 1978, congress granted this choice to government employees, 29 years later, it's past time we end the double standard and offer the

same deals to workers in the private sector. you see, you can work and work overtime, but then you have the choice, do you want to take that in pay, or would you like to have comp time? so maybe there's a child sick, maybe you have a family member that comes down with a disease or another choice. you can go and spend time. you get a directive. i think that's great policy. that's why government workers have it. but why can't they have the same standards in the private sector? you know what would happen? higher productivity. it would actually move america's economy. why? because the individual has choice. instead of being concerned and worried about something that's happening away, that you need to be at, you put that time in and instead of taking the money, you put it into flexibilityment --

-- flexibility. when we look at the future and think about the economy we want to have, yes, we want great employees, we want happy employees. we want employees with great productivity. but we don't want that just to happen in government. we want the private sector to have the same fairness that government has. i will tell you that the work this congresswoman has done. it has passed this house before and we will find time to do the flexibility to do this bill tomorrow, because you know what? rest of america is waiting for. and i want to congratulate congresswoman robery, for not giving up and listening to constituents and for every working family in the private sector to have the flexibility to be where they need to be

after they put the overtime in. and for me, it's the only way to solve an american problem. mrs. roby: thank you for bringing this bill to the floor and the time it deserves. i appreciate you taking your time to speak on behalf on our act. i would like to turn now to my friend ap colleague from missouri, vickey hartzler. as i move to her comments, you know, we have to recognize that the work force has changed. more than 70% of mothers work outside of the home and the combol here is certainly one of shee hoe understands it and is about to graduate from high school and we were bringing our babies to the floor. but 70% of mothers work outside

of the home, 50 years ago, that number was less than 30%. the work force has changed but our policies have not kept up with that change. and i would like to yield to the gentlelady. mrs. hartzler: i appreciate you championing this issue and we know the challenges of juggling work and family and we are not alone. many, many families are facing these same challenges and i'm proud to sponsor and stand with you. the fasmly is the foundation of our country and to have strong families, we need to encourage them to be together especially for the special events. there are many moms and dads out there working today that would

love to have the flexibility where they can take off and spend time with their kids he soccer games or get a phone call from the school that their child is sick and take them to the doctor and stay home with them. and as families age, many families need to be with their parents or need to go to the doctor with them. these are commonsense things to allow that flexibility where you can work that overtime instead of extra money, you would be able to choose to spend time with your family. that is just pressure youse. it is priceless to be able to do that. and it is sad now, only half of the american workers have this option and workers that work for the government. if you work for the small

business in town or the manufacturer making a product and shipping it overseas proud made in the u.s.a., sorry our government says the fair labor standards act, you don't get that option but if you work for the federal government, that is not just fair. i applaud you for drafting this bill so every american family would have the option to spend time with those people that mean the most to them. it is common sense. time is well passed for us to pass this and i chend you for putting this forth. and i'm proud to look forward to what should be a unanimous vote. thank you so much for allowing me to come down and share my support and the people of the th

district of most. mrs. roby: i appreciate the gentlelady and all of her comments and her support. as a working mom that you understand what so many families face. i want to spend a little bit of time while i have the opportunity to talk about the myths of the working families flexibility act. there is sosme false information that is out there about this bill. trust me, we are on social media, responding to the information that is being put out there that is incorrect and make sure that this bill is not intended to hurt people but intended to help people and needed a benefit to provide

people. first thing i want to address, this will result in employees working for more hours for less pay. he act safeguards workers' wages. receiving time off for working overtime hours under this bill is completely voluntary. an employee who prefers to receive cash. employers and employees are quired to complete a written comp. time agreement. and employee can withdraw from this agreement at any time. comp. time is acrude at the same rate. so employees who work more than the 0 life hour work will have time and a half.

workers can cash out saying i want the money instead of the time whenever they choose and ployers are required to have those wages within 0 days .eceiving that employee's another myth, it will allow employer to control when workers use their comp. time. the fact is that the act protects employees' use of the compensatory time that they have earned. the act allows workers to use their comp. time whenever they choose as long as they provide reasonable notice and the lead is not overly disruptive. the provision included in h.r. 1180 is the same standard used

today for public employees who are using this benefit receiving comp. time. and this has worked for over0 years. this is a matter of fairness. if it is good enough for government employees, it should be good enough for private sector employees. id all remedies including are can't put enough emphasis. the anti-coercion, the anti- intimidation that are currently part of the law apply to the working families' flexibility act and improves flexibility while protecting the needs of the employer. but the employee is very protected from that type of

behavior and coercion by the employer. i have some other myths and facts. but i see that the chairwoman of the education and work force committee has joined us and i appreciate the gentlelady, the champlee and all the work she has done to support the working families flexibility act. i yield to you. virginia foxx from north, i yield to you as much as time as you need. ms. foxx: special thanks to you for introducing h.r. 11880, working families flexibility act of 2017. everyone in the private sector, men and women, are combrateful to you for doing this. and i may repeat some of the things that some of my

colleagues have already said. but mr. speaker, they bear repeating. this proposal, this bill is out freedom, flexibility and fairness. workers, not the federal government, should have the freedom to choose what's best for them and their families. hard-working men and women need more flexibility to balance work, life and family and there should be fair work force policies that don't put employees at a disadvantage to those in the public sector. there are moms and dads who had more flexibility. students who can't find enough time to study for college finals and individuals who are struggling to care for an aging

relative. hey want flexible work schedules. this bill will improve the quality of life of many americans by offering he workers eligible for overtime pay a choice between paid time off and cash wages. outdated federal labor rules currently prohibit private sector workers from exercising this choice. democrats and republic caps amended the law to give the exception toll comp. time. but it created a double standard. it's time toll ease this double standard between private sector employees and government workers. that is exactly what

this bill does. it is a commonsense idea that should receive the support of workers on both sides of the aisle. and as my colleague from alabama said, the decision to use comp. time is completely voluntary ap requires a written agreement. those who want to continue receiving cash wages as overtime pay are always free to do so. also explicitly prohibits employees from coercing workers into electing comp. time. mr. speaker, this bill is again, is about fairness and it i is so difficult for me to understand how democrats would be opposed to that. we should have the same rules in

the private sector as we do in the public sector. i think that democrats have run out of excuses not to provide workers this choice. all we are doing here is giving a choice. no one, republic caps or democrats should know what is best for individual workers and their families. mr. speaker, when we vote on this bill this week, i hope all of our colleagues will come to their senses and see they are discriminating against the private sector by denying the opportunity to take their overtime as comp. time and will vote with us. i thank my colleague from h for her leadership and her willingness to introduce this bill and take the lead in

promoting it. and with this, i yield back. mrs. roby: i appreciate your leadership for moving this bill through committee and we are getting ready it through the rules committee so we can be here on the floor. i appreciate your leadership on many issues that you do on a daily basis to fight for americans, and in case, american that are subject to the provisions that would benefit. i have a few more myths that i would like to address. here's the myth. the working families' flexibility act will allow employers to force them to take. the fact is that the working

flexibility act prohibits worker coercion. it is completely voluntary. an employee who prefers to receive cash parblingtsefer arkte is is free to do that. . . . it specifically prohibits an employer from directly or ndirectly coercing an employee into taking comp time. an employer found guilty of doing this will be responsible for paying double damages to the employee. it also ensures all existing enforcement remedies, including

actions by the department of labor are available to workers with an employer fails to pay cash wages for the overtime hours worked. myth: this bill is unnecessary because current law already allows for workplace flexibility. the fact is that the working family flexibility act empowers workers with more options under the fay lar boar standards act of 1938 private sector employees may only use paid time off in the same pay period in which it is accrued. paid time off cannot be save by the me for future use outside of that pay period. the law currently allows public sector employees to accrue comp time to be used at their discretion so long as reasonable notice is given and the leave does not unduly disrupt the workplace. my amendment to the fair labor standards act, the working families flexibility act, h.r. 1180 provides private sector

employees comp time benefits similar to what's already available in the public sector. here's how it works. an hourly wage employee would be able to voluntarily enter into an agreement with their employer to put all or some of their accrued overtime toward paid time off instead of cash wages. so a working dad could use the time and a half overtime he has earned to take a paid hour and a half off of work. no employee, again, could ever be forced to take the paid time off, just like no business would be forced to offer this benefit. upon introducing this bill four years ago, i heard from a very special lady named karen deloach, who worked as a bookkeeper in an accounting firm in my hometown of montgomery, alabama. in her line of work she would put in many hours in the busy season and build up a lot of overtime. so karen once approached her

boss and said, can i accrue my overtime to use as paid leave rather than taking the cash payment? because karen gave her time to serve on a mission trip in nicaragua every summer and she wanted to do so and go on her church's mission trip without interrupting her regular paycheck. montgomery, alabama, is the state capital and karen had heard her state employee friends talk about how they swapped their overtime pay for comp time in their jobs. she never imagined that a similar arrangement at her private business -- at the private business at which she worked would be against the law. but that's what her boss informed her. he wanted to give it to her but he couldn't under the law. to his credit, you know, he wasn't -- he wanted -- he wasn't

about to break the law. so karen's story isn't unique. as i've already referenced, think of all the parents in this country with young kids or caring or elderly parents or a military family with one or both of the parents deemployed or about to deploy. they need time to get ready to take care of their responsibilities. so the working families flexibility act is not going to end or solve the debt crisis or fix obamacare or simplify the tax code. i'm proud of our on fwoing efforts here in congress to repeal and replace obamacare, to put forth tax policy that is fair, flatter, and simpler. and to continue to cut out wasteful spending. this bill doesn't solve those problems. but the fact that we can't solve those problems overnight

shouldn't stop us here in the house of representatives from doing what we can do right now to help make life a little easier for working moms and dads. that's what the working family flexibility act does. helping americans better balance the demands of family and work. i want to thank all those members who have come here to the floor tonight to speak. on this bill. and as a working mom myself, i certainly understand all too well how challenging it can be to balance our responsibilities. again, i've sponsored this bill this congress, of course, and the two before that. and i've heard criticism from labor unions and their allies saying that this bill is somehow anti-union or anti-worker. this is just simply untrue.

of course many big labor -- they'll reflexively attack any proposal that would change a single word they have fay labor standards act. you know, ironically here, labor unions, see, they oppose this but they themselves can and often do negotiate similar agreements were their -- for their members already. that seems a bit unfair. so it's ok for those who are members of unions to negotiate similar compensatory time arrangements. it's ok for those who work in the public sector under the law to utilize compensatory time. but it's just not good enough for the hourly wage employee in the private sector. that is more than unfair. the legislation completely voluntary. for both the employer and the employee. it does not affect the 40-hour

workweek or change the way overtime is calculated. it strengthens provisions for workers and increases penalties for abuse. it contains strong anti-coercion provisions that would prohibit an employer from directly or indirectly trying to intimidate or coerce workers into taking comp time. workers have the option under the working family flexibility act to cash out at any time. if for some reason this agreement, this voluntary agreement, just isn't working out, an employee can always take the cash, no questions asked. finally, for workers represented by labor union, any comp time arrangement would have to be negotiated thunder bill as part of the collective bargaining agreement just as they already do. so mr. speaker, as i finish

tonight, i just want to say, , ain, as a mom, a working mom a family where both parents work outside of the homes, i certainly understand, for some of us the time, our time, the time that has been accrued by an hourly wage employee, is more important than the cash wages. that may not be true for everybody. and that remains in that the employee can determine what he or she wants to do with their time. again, i'm grateful for the many people who have worked so hard on this bill over the years, i'm grateful for the opportunity to represent alabama's second district, and to represent so many hardworking american families here tonight in this hour. i look forward to the debate tomorrow here on the floor on

this bill and i would just urge all of my colleagues to please the in favor of h.r. 1180, working families flexibility act. mr. speaker, with that, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from north carolina seek recognition? i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, as we celebrate national charter schools week, i want to highlight my recent visit to success academy harlem one, one of four charter schools -- largest rs and

district in new york city. it has more than 16,000 families on its wait list. founded in 2006, harlem 1 is success academy's first school moscowitz served at its first principal. with the focus on developing the whole child, it aims to make schools joyful places of learning and i'm here to tell you these schools are getting results, and they are joyful. five of the top five schools in the state of new york in math and two of the top five schools in english are success academy schools. every student in every school deserves abexcellent education but unfortunately we are falling far short of that goal as a nation. thankfully, innovative charter schools like success academy harlem 1 are providing thousands of families with new hope and opportunity. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back.

under the speaker's announced spoil jaff -- of january 3, 2017, the gentlewoman from the virgin islands, ms. plaskett is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader. ms. plaskett: thank you, mr. speaker. it is with great honor that i rise today to co-anchor this c.b.c. special order hour with my esteemed colleague from texas, mark veasey. for the next 60 minutes we have a chance to speak directly to the american people on issues of great importance to the congressional black caucus, congress, and the constituents e represent and all americans. this evening, the chair of the congressional black caucus, the honorable cedric richmond, we first would like to thank him for his continued leader shep of the caucus and on issues impacting black america and other minority communities across this great nation. i would also like to thank my

colleague, the honorable marc veasey for join me in chairing this evening's special order hour and my other c.b.c. colleagues who are joining taos speak on important issues. we are here tonight to address the first 100 days of the trump presidency and its impact on minority communities like the district i represent and those of my fellow c.b.c. colleagues. specifically we will highlight 100 actions taken by this administration in the last 100 days with less than positive impacts to the communities we represent. the president hailed his first 100 days as the most successful in the history of the united states. these actions, however, do not spell success for low-income and minority communities. actions that, in turn, roll back department of justice protections designed to ensure police accountability, actions that threaten to further restrict voting rights and undermine the public education system.

actions that threaten act stose quality, affordable health care for millions of americans, including children, senior, and those with pre-existing medical conditions. actions that propose gutting programs h.u.d. and others that provide housing assistance for extremely low income families and the homeless. mean-spirited actions that break up families and make imgrant communities less safe. and actions that roll back important environmental protections which serve to, among other thing, ensure safe air and drinking water and communities like tissue in communities like flint, michigan, and mitigating the effects of climate change in vulnerable coastal a communities like my home district of the united states virgin islands. mr. speaker, the congressional black caucus has reach out to president trump and is willing to work with his administration to continue to build upon the greatness of this country. and not just for the privileged few but for all. as representatives of the

congressional district that is home to the only hbcu outside the continental united states, i take exception to the administration's education secretary viewing hbcu's as pioneers for school choice even though these institutions were founded because white colleges and universities refused to admit black students. this statement illustrates a lack of understanding of the history of african-americans and the black community. president trump's proposed budget for the department of education plans to eliminate after school and teacher support programs. as well as slashing funding for federal supplemental education opportunity grants, pell grants, and instead divert federal funds to private school vouchers. this plan would be devastating to communities like my home district, where almost one third of the children live below the poverty line. and where public schools are already struggling to make the best with limited funding and

resources. president trump's budget proposal would also cut the department of health and human services, h.h.s. budget by $12.6 billion, a 16% cut. in my home district of the united states virgin islands, h.l. -- h.h.s. funds critical early childhood education and nutrition programs, provide assistance to seniors, low-income families, and funding for mental health programs. these and other actions are not to cite size the president but to highlight the funding of these programs. and more importantly, highlighting how important these programs and government functions are to american families and safety and progress to our communities. america, there is still more than 1,00 days to go. i would like to yield to my colleague, the honorable, marc

veasey from the congressional district of texas. the easey: i thank the gentlewoman from from virgin islands. she has a great commitment and i think the message are to talk about the first 100 days. but i'm disappointed in the first 100 days. there was a lot of things that we were told were going to happen, and many of those things didn't happen. there has been a lot of flip- flopping. we stalled on syria and nato and many other things that there was a whole lot of other talk that happened in 2016. but there ain't a lot of walking in 2017 as far as follow-up is skend and that is the thing that

all americans should be concerned about in these first 100 days that occurred on saturday. many of us hoped that the rhetoric that the foolishness and the tweeting would stop. that hasn't stopped. a lot of us actually hoped -- have you talked about bringing jobs back to somebody. i'm more committed to jobs having jobs this this country and he has president done anything. there has been no follow-up whatsoever when it comes to helping the american man and women to help pay for their child care, when it comes to davis-bacon and putting more money on the table at the end of the night, absolutely nothing. and the president promised on the campaign trail that he was

going to help the hard-working americans. and one of the things he talked about is buy american, hire american. ain't nothing happening on that. we know, not only did he fail, but he worked again the best interests of american workers and has contradicted himself on his commitment to job training and the trump administration has proposed 2.5 billion in cuts for the department of labor. we have, by many estimates about half a million of jobs that are high-skilled jobs that we can't fill, jobs that could fill. and jobs that could be filled up in other parts of the country.

and you want to cut back on job training where we need to be training people. these new manufacturing jobs, robe ots and different areas like that where the young people don't have the skills that they need to be competitive. you hear about these companies that have come to america and locate here and they have to work with the local community colleges to get the kizz on the work visa. now is not the time. that is what bothers me in the first 00 days. the administration has rolled back worker protections that keeps americans safe while on the job. president trump changed the law so employers have only six onths to replace illnesses

instead of the five-year reporting window. it does not allow them to get a full picture. and makes it more difficult to pot a trend of endangering employees. and it would have made it difficult if they have a history of labor law violations. that protection is now gone. it's gone. it's disappeared. president trump has still not ut forward a single concrete job-creating bill. e betrayed his and failed to mention a word to protect the davis-bacon act where workers are paid fairly. again, when you are talking about money, that is a very

serious topic and whether or not you put buy your kizz' clothes and make your car payment. if you cannot protect davis-bacon. that is a basic fundamental. if you cannot protect those prevailing wages and give people. you are talking, not walking. and that's what i'm worried about. you are going to hear a lot from the congressional black caucus on how the president has failed to deliver on his campaign promises and take away health care from 24 million americans. and one of the things that the obama administration, it gave chance. at and thinking about taking away insurance from 24 million people

and taking away those protections from those families, think is absolutely terrible and there are so many policies that have actually directly affect the american family. the very first day and there have been so many bad tings that happened, we don't have enough time to cover all of them, but you probably remember the very first day. there is nothing what it means to be an american than it means to own a home. what is the first action snr most anti-worker, anti-family action that anyone could take. that we are in the program that helped individuals have a piece of the american dream, home ownership. we see what it means to the

average american, wait meeps to stability of the family. kids to have that back yard to play in and go to the neighborhood school and call your own to raise your family. it is more than just to raise a home but who we are. getting rid of the first-time home buyer program. that isn't helping american workers. and i'm flad we have great voices in the c.b.c. that are going to talk about the first 100 days and the failings of the first 100 days and about the people that were there and the people they thought were going how theye real chages, have been misled and been taken down this word. it is a road of less prosperity.

it's a road of dismay and despair and less money, and no insurance and it's going to hurt the american worker and american family. i just appreciate everything you are doing today and hope we can continue to get the media and the newspapers and the capable news people out there to focus in and hone on some of these problems coming out of the white house. ms. plaskett: you are absolutely correct about staying focused. in the lexicon of the young people to stay yoke of what is happening and you gave great examples that should make us aware of how this is an assault on minority communities. one of the things i wanted to

highlight that is in the booklet plaque congressional caucus has put out. the budget would eliminate the budget. e.d.a. invested % of its funds, including communities with high minority populations with your districts and mine. his budget would alimb nate the fine shal institutions fund. that is an organizations that channels for housing and smalt is. that is the sole functions. the private sector did a good job which demonstrates how out of touch and ill in-informed.

they need to tell him and give the facts of what is going on. and as we well hear from our colleagues, there are areas which environmental protection, and climate change needs to take place. president trump's proposed dget would cut programs that work to ensure the fair treatment of all people regardless of race, color with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws and policy. simply cut it out of place. omp aaa cut national n programs including minorities living along the gulf cofse. we have other members of the

congressional am black caucus to talk about environmental justice. i yield to the freshman member who has stepped in and taken a hold of actions and demonstrating a love for his constituents and wanting to address environmental justice areas. at this d yield time point to the gentleman from virginia. >> every mopped you and congressman veasey lead discussion. and i'm glad to be joining you o discuss a crital priority. our country is built upon ideals like liberty, justice and equal protection and we fall short of those goals. while i believe we are making

progress, this is a critical moment. have seen how eager the administration by selecting scott pruitt to overturning anti-and dangerous contempt to a proven science. and pulling the united states from a global climate change prevention pakistan and could have consequences. mr. speaker, the list goes on and on and on. before i continue, i want to yield to my good friend and has i do.lous fir name like donald payne squr. thank you, congressman. your voice and add vow casey

will move us towards sounder policies and i look forward to orking with you. r. payne: let me thank the gentleman from virginia, the where lace of my mother, my grandfather was a tobacco farmer. i'm from newark, new jersey, the garden state. we didn't raise much tobacco there in the guard b state. but my friends used to think i was going on vacation when i would leave. i said i wasn't going to vacation, i was going to work and that's what we did for the

summer. ut it was great experience and always have great memories of he commonwealth. mr. speaker, last month, as part of a partnership with the national newspapers publishers association, i wrote an op-ed on environmental justice issues. i'll repeat what i wrote then which is that the environmental justice should be a national priority, not a problem confined to minority communities. african-american communities are disproportionately burdened with pollutants. across the nation, communities of color suffer from higher rates of exposure to air pollution, higher rates of lead poisoning and higher rates of water pollution. every single day, children in my

home city of newark, new jersey, are exposed to harmful levels of pollution from the port and other sources that rob them of their health just because of where they live. one in four newark children have sthma. the hospitalization rate for newark children is 30 times the ate of the national average. asthma is the leading cause of absenteeism in children in the city of newark, new jersey. yet too often, environmental justice is an afterthought or it's missing entirely in the challenges facing african-americans. the trump administration threatens to make the problem even worse. president trump has prioritized

rolling back environmental regulations from emissions rules for power plants to the mandate that federal decision making must be taken into consideration n climate change impact. president trump proposed slashing the e.p.a.'s budget by 31%, cutting enforcement of the agency's clean air laws by $129 million. with threats of excessive cuts to the e.p.a., air quality across the nation may be worse than expected. in the american lang association's state of air report my district and many other metropolitan areas ranked as having the most polluted air in the country. however, only one third of counties have ozone or

particulate pollution air monitors. we must fight to ensure that funding for air monitors are for all our communities. so what can we do to protect our communities from environmental degradation? newark city council has been a leader in that area and passed a first in the nation ordinance requiring developmenters to request environmental permits to inform the city of any environmental impact. as a result, decisionmakers aned the public will be able to make informed decisions about sustainable development. other municipalities would be smart to follow newark's lead. last november, i joined amy goldsmith and kim gatti of the clean water action and coalition for healthy ports for an

environmental justice tour of the port of new york and new jersey. we were also joined by congressman frank pallone from new jersey. organizations like theirs are doing excellent work in the fight against health-threatening pollution. expanding partnerships on environmental justice initiatives must be a central part of our strategy to secure environmental protections. to those listening at home, i encourage you to make it clear to your elected officials that you will hold them accountable for any efforts to dismantle environmental protections and any failures to fight environmental justice. to my colleague from virginia, it is really note worthy that you have taken the lead on this issue. , i stated in my presentation

newark, new jersey, 30 times, 30 times greater propensity for asthma in children than the national average. i mean that's -- that's almost criminal. and we -- we as a home, myself, not just have heard about it but have lived it. my middle sob, i'm the father of triplets, my middle son who is grown, grown up with asthma, the days we had to keep him inside. he's been fortunate to have not, knock on wood, have many instances throughout his childhood of asthma attacks but the one that i did see really brought me to tears. and to know that there are numbers and numbers of children

throughout this country who don't have the opportunity to go to the doctor, who rush to the hospital with asthma attacks, and god forbid sometimes don't make it to the doctor, is just -- to think that that could be my boy, you know, brings tears to my heart. i'm willing to make this fight not for just my son but for the hundreds of thousands of children throughout this country who suffer from this disease and make sure that the e.p.a. stays intact to fight these dreaded diseases, especially in minority communities, in our young people, and throughout the country. and i'll close with the drinking water issue in flint. congressional black caucus went out to flint when they -- when

the issue first qaem up. ms. pelosi was there as well. and we talked to the people of flint and heard firsthand their heart break in not being able to think they could trust anyone. their government had let them dun down, had lied to them. had given them poison to drink nd said it's ok. looked like rusty water but told them it was fine to use it for baths or whatever. i'm sitting there on that stage listening to all this. i'm thinking in the back of my head, i'm from newark, new jersey. the third oldest city in this country's history. so flint, michigan, can't be that old because, you know, lewis and clark went west. so the third oldest city, what were my pipes like? what was the condition of my

ater system? i went back and saw several mayors from my district and i said, i suggest you start looking at your water system. that was on a friday. that tuesday we got a report from the newark school system they found lead in the drinking water in 44 schools in newark. that next -- that -- not even a week. so we know how important these issues are and we will continue to fight for what's right in our communities and i appreciate the opportunity and your leadership n this issue and i yield back. ms. plaskett: thank you so much, mr. payne. at this time, i yield five minutes to the esteemed dwight evans of the great city of philadelphia. mr. evans: thank you, mr. speaker, thank you for the introduction to my great

colleague from the virgin islands, i appreciate her leadership, and my colleague from texas' leadership. this discussion that we've been having is relating to the president's 100 days and i think it's 102 at this particular point. the question that i and members of the congressional black caucus have been raising is what do we have to lose with president trump's cuts to e.p.a.? as i always said, what don't we have to lose? we have a lot to lose. in the time that i was there, i met with number of organizations in my community called mothers for clean air. they were extremely concerned about the cuts to the e.p.a. the president's budget cuts $2.6 illion from the e.p.a. budget.

they were concerned about the impact that that would have. as a matter of fact i talked to a mother who talked about her two twins and what kind of effect that would have. the president wants to cut programs like pollution prevention programs. lead risk reduction programs. which has been a problem in the case of the city of philadelphia. a problem we thought we dealt with but we were cut on -- but with a cut on the lead reduction program would reinforce the problem. the water quality research program. the environmental education programs. who do you want to help when you cut 31% of the e.p.a. budget? no one. the cuts would be horrendous and have a dangerous negive -- negative impact on not only the communities of co-already but anyone nationwide. two weeks ago, i sent a letter

to the e.p.a. administrator pruitt outlining how the planned cuts fundamental e.p.a. programs would have a negative impact on our children and most vulnerable in philadelphia, all across the state, and the nation. last week marks three years since the city of flint, michigan, decided to switch their water supply from the detroit area water system to the flint river water system, which resulted in lead contamination within the city. three years later and sadly not much has changed for the communities in flint. three days is too long to go without clean drinking walter. three years is simply heartbreaking. mr. president, we have seen how various communities across the u.s. are at greater risk of health problems due to overexposure to unsafe drinking

waters. now is no time to cut funding for americans in need. as is said, without science we are truly operating blindly. the cuts to the e.p.a. would increase the harmful impact, especially for communities of color and hard working families who do in the have the means nor the resources to fight back against their local governments about the safety of the watter they drink or question old paint in their house -- of the water they drink or question old paint in their house. according to the state department of health, in 2014, more than 10% of the children from philadelphia had elevated levels of lead in their blood because they were exposed to lead-based paint. exposed to lead-based paint is a chronic problem that goes undiscussed too often. no level is safe for our

children to be exposed to, no level of lead is safe for our children to drink. yet the president says rather boldly that things are moving in the right direction. i'd like to know what community is he talking about? he clearly couldn't be talk about the community i'm from. new more than ever, we need to keep the resistance alive. speak up, speak out, for our communities at risk. i will not stand silent while the vital e.p.a. programs that protect and enhance the lives of all americans are at risk of being cut. together, we are the voice of the people. so there is no way we will be silent. we will continue this message. i yield back the balance of my time. hank you, mr. speaker. ms. plaskett: thank you so much, congressman evans, for keeping us focused and giving us the

information we need to understand what real communities are going through and the environmental justice that we need to be fighting for in this administration. i appreciate that so much. of course, at this time i would like to yield again additional ime to congressman dan mceachin, has been at the forefront this evening of bringing environmental issues to our mind and explaining to the american people the assault on environmental justice taking place right now and appealing to president trump to be mindful of those communities we are going to be tissue who are going to be affected by the cuts and by other interest groups that are going after the basic needs that americans have to stay healthy and stay alive. thank you. has been in: as demonstrated tonight on nearly every facet of environmental policy we are in danger of back sliding irrep rahably.

i want to talk about an area where the danger is especially great and the stakes are especially high. today and for much of our history, certain communities have been the victims of profound voirmental injustice. lower income, rural, tribal and especially minority communities are at risk of exposure to the negative impacts of the pollution and climate change. for far too long, communities of color have been on the frontlines of environmental and economic injustice, shouldering the health burdens of living in health burdens of living in areas with dangerous pollution and lower rates of employment and income. an african-american child born in the united states has twice the chance of developing asthma of a white child and is four times more like throw die of an asthma attack. his is not a but the reality that the

families have been grappling. and segregation and red-lining and employment opportunities and environmental protections, families have received dwindling opportunities. which spews e seek some of the most and corner tam nature water supplies are loathe the in communities of color and little to protect themselves. they are unacceptable and did not arise in a vacuum. according to the fy 2015 progress report, many low-income

to unities are are not able participate due to barriers to engaging in the political process. these voices deserve to be heard. their voices are is incompatible. the consequence of that silence is dire. poor public health and decreased quality of life, to adjust these human civil rights issues, a movement grounded in the believe hat all sit accepts he ethnicity should share in the benefits of the resources. s policy makers we have the to

cregget the injustice, we can and must do better. many ue equity reckfieses communities need resource is and targeted assistance. our world will will be a more sustainable place. if we fail rpgts people will leave shorter lives. mr. speaker, i think it is worth noting that the moment began in had a hen north carolina poor poor rural locality over the object jeckses of the residents and many many

organizations have formed. during the clinton administration it became a priority. these improvements have not been enough ap the progress we have made is under grave threat. left uncheck, this administration would devastate communities of color. ey are attacking legislation aimed at curbing. the s on march 7, we saw resignation as the leader of the environmental justice program. communities.ur and seen their public health threaten and their quality of air. it has led, communities of color

and inding enus communities. these communities and live in urban areas. crumbling infrastructure led in the water. and ground fields, superfund and as well as other sources. espite the many changes we face. we have many effective tools ith a long track record and im profession those in favor say aye. public health. mr. speaker, i know my democratic colleagues are eager to represent the people i represent. i urge my friends in the

majority to join with us. in concludeing, i on like to thank my colleagues for discussing environmental justice. have amplified a simple truth. every american is entitled to clean air and water. when we fail to achieve these goals, public health suffers. and people lead shorter and harder lives. we know climate change is real. and if we fail to act, there is vunnerble know that pop ligses are poised to suffer the most. this kind of injustice is long history and it must stop. the past week, i announced

congressional task force with jayapal. we are going to fight every day to prevent climate change. for going to advocate stice and clean air and safe wraur. i think we look forward to working with you all. millions are working on us and represent activity are serving lives. their and fierce participation in the lanning processment that means demanding more compliance and enforcement and demanding great

create ment that will jobs. i know my col ease on this side of the aisle and i challenge my friends. urge them in greating more policy making and urge them to support a process between decision makers and the people those decisions and ensure that they are confronting the full effects and by whom they are borne. protecting the environment is my passion. i will continue to fight each climatey day to address change and green technologies and leave this planet for

future. i'm an eagle scout. the time is now to continue to fight the most important issue in the 21st century. i thank you for your indulgence nd i yield back. . plaskett: and thank you, don, for your passion and your commitment to your issues of environmental justice. in the virgin islands, we know it is real and feel it and how our environment is changing whether it be mosquitoeses and zika, we know the effects of climate change are impacting our health and impacting the livelihood of our environment.

we support policies that all americans have access to clean and healthy environment. staudies have shown ar location between waste facilities. 8 , a study found that 75% inland fills were located in presentdom narntly poor. where they live, work and learn are compromised, by soil,. and they are predispose directly linked to waste. cannot take awe funding the eradication. listen, we are not here as the congressional black cause us to disspearge our president. are not hear to put out her

policies. not swruss minorities and discussion the issues. to ask for support in funding and not not be a roll back. and supported our health and community. at the beginning of the 115th congress. what did trump do. h this of what did trump do? we are listing 00 actions that he has taken over the last 00 days. it has been millions of americans. including 17 million americans and mill yobs of americans we do not represent. we want this information to be

before the american people. not to show that work must be dn. we talked about environmental areas. i'm go to go list what has happened and we need to make sure that this is things did not take place. on february 28, attorney germ sessions said d.o.j. would pull ack its though authority for police conduct and by backing awe from legal commitment by john conyers as well as the 199 legislation. he september a legislation that the police misconduct laws will not be fully enforced. the president signed a bill that olled back a legislation

through the oose of background checks. o reduce the use of prisons. the use of prisons cre ace a financial incentives and in addition to comparison to the prison's, they are less safe. and cure to both staff inmates. and increased the likelihood that those released would return to a life of crime. prince are set to be more effective, they are not, because those who are in those prince will combat causing a burden not just on the american people and on the families and communities

reside. those vits m has appointed jackson as civil rights. affirmative action was claimed she was diss krim nailted. and an official with deep ties profit files. or and race ezz questions whether they can put questions. president trump's propped budget by the department of budget undermining education through divertingb nation and federal funds.

eliminating support for college students. nd slashing critical funding alling of these would severe corner sequences. not just african-americans, bull latinos. no support for teachers, what ill our teachers do? . . he did not think carbon monoxide identify was a primary driver of global warning, even though that's public position of e.p.a., noaa and nasa. we could go on and on. we have a document with over 100 actions that have been taken in the last 100 days. in housing and home ownership, president trump's proposed budget would cut the department of housing and urban development's budget by $6

billion. h.u.d. is responsible for providing housing assistance to extremely low-income families and homeless. and reinvesting in american cities and counties. those same proposed budgets would end, end low-income home energy assistance programs, which assist families with energy costs, including home energy bills, energy crisis, weatherization, and energy-related home repair. these are some of the many examples of what has happened. and we give these examples not merely to degrade what has happened with this administration, but to show that work must still be done. and that we as americans must stay woke to what is happening in this country. that we must keep our eyes vigilant and on the prize and ensure that americans will see what is really happening. not be moved by the medium, by the tweets, but see actual facts. we are working in real facts here, to let you know what needs

to be done. and that we, the congressional black caucus, as members of congress, we are asking our colleagues across the aisle and in the democratic caucus to support us and to support the issues that are relevant. not just to african-americans, but to all americans this day. at this time, mr. speaker, i would ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous material on the subject of this special order this hour. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. ms. plaskett: thank you. the gentlelady will yield back? ms. plaskett: i yield and i thank you, mr. speaker, for the opportunity to address the house and the american people. the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the house an enrolled bill. the clerk: senate 496, an act to repeal the rule issued by the federal highway administration

and the federal transit administration entitled metropolitan planning organization coordination, and lanning area reform. the speaker pro tempore: the chair would entertain a motion o adjourn. ms. plaskett: mr. speaker, i move that the house do now adjourn. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on the motion to adjourn. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the motion is adopted. accordingly, this house stands adjourned until 10:00 a.m. tomorrow morning for morning