Rder. E pyer wil oer by the gue mullins, Christ Fellowship church, palm beach gardens, florida. The chaplain let us pray. Heavenly father, thank you for hearing our prayers today. Were humble that today as we call out to you you listen to us. We ask that you bless the they s of congress as lead our great nation. Grant them wisdom for the decisions they face and may we remain dependent upon you. Never forgetting they lead our great saum 33 12 that says blessed is the nation whose god is the lord. We pray for those in texas and florida and puerto rico and the caribbean recovering from the devastating hurricanes. Give them peace and courage as they rebuilt their lives. Bless the First Responders and those serving the people impacted by these storms. Grant them their strength for your assign. And guide our president. Give him clear vision to steer our nation during these troubled days and grant strength to the members of this house as they represent the people across our land. We ask this in the name of our savior jesus christ, amen. The speaker the chair has examined the journal of the last days proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. Pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1, the journal stands approved. For what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition . Mr. Thompson pursuant to clause 1, rule 1, i demand a vote on agreeing to the speakers approval. Journal. The speaker the question is on agreeing to the speakers approval of the journal. So many as are in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. The ayes have it. The journal stands approved. Mr. Thompson mr. Speaker. The speaker for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition . Mr. Thompson i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and make a point of order a quorum is not present. The speaker pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question are postponed. The pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentlewoman from california, mrs. Napolitano. Mrs. Napolitano i pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Mrs. Napolitano i pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Without objection, without obj the gentleman from florida, mr. Mast, is recognized for one minute. Mr. Speaker, i rise today especially pleased to have had my pastor, my personal pastor, todd mullins, giving our opening prayer this morning to the house of representatives. Im honored to welcome pastor mullins on to the floor of the house of representatives as our guest chaplain this morning. And i thank him for sharing those very important words with that lleagues and well. Ure as todd mullins is the Senior Pastor of the christ fellship in palm beach gardens, florida where he served since his father founded this church in 1984. I could say a great deal about my friend, pastor todd well. Todd mullins is the Senior Pastor of the christ fellship in mullins, but the most important thing that i could say about him is that he is a man of god and that he works every single day to try to help and change lives. And i think thats the most important thing any one of us can do. Thats why im so proud to call him a friend as a person that has devoted his life to working in the lives of others. With that i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The chair will entertain up to five further requests for oneminute speeches on each side of the aisle. For what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania eek recognition . Without objection. Mr. Thompson thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow marks the 40th annivsary of the food stamp actf 1977, which was landmark bill that made this program more effective and more efficient. Today we no longer refer to it as food stamps but as the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program or snap. In 40 years theres been numerous changes and updates but the goal remains the same. To end hunger in america. Snap lessens the effects of poverty on some of our most vulnerable citizens. The results are proven. According to the Census Bureau snap lifted five million americans, including 2. 2 million children, out of poverty in 2012 alone. Snap generates 1. 80 in Economic Activity for every dollar in new snap benefits. 2013, snap payment accuracy was 98ings 6 , a historic high. Participating in snap for six months decreased Food Insecurity up to 10 , including households for children. Mr. Speaker, over four decades the program has become more effective, more efficient, and more modern. I look forward to continuing our work to improve snap to serve those in need and provide pathways out of poverty. Thank you, mr. Speaker. 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 the gentlewoman from california eek recognition . Without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. Mrs. Napolitano mr. Speaker, i rise to join my colleagues in calling for a vote on h. R. 3440, the clean dream act, a bipartisan, bicameral with 200 sponsors in the house, it builds upon the Great Success of daca, which opened the door for nearly 800,000 dreamers who had come forward, passed background checks, and being granted permission to live and work legally in america without fear of deportation. They kept their promise to the nation. They know and they love. Our government must honor the commitment to protect them. The faith community, Business Leaders are imploring congress to pass the dream act. And polling shows the American People strongly believe and support the dreamers. 86 of americans support a right to residency for undocumented immigrants, who arrived in the United States as children, according to a recent abc News Washington post poll. I ask unanimous consent to insert into the record letters of support from the dream act for several california colleges and universities and the county of los angeles. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mrs. Napolitano as the proud nation of many immigrants around the world, the dream act honors our history and heritage. I thank my republican colleagues who have signed on and urge all others to join us. It is the right thing to do for our young people, support 3440, the dream act. The speaker pro tempore the gentleladys time has expired. For what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky seek recognition . To address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the is recognized for one minute. I rise today to recognize hope that binds, an organization based out of carlyle county, kentucky that aids in domestic and International Adoption services. It was recently recognized as a 2017 ainge unless adoption honoree. We need davis wilson, jeff and ba nita davis, and brook kelly have dedicated their time to bridging the gaps and complicated adoption is recogni minute. I rise today process. Wendy and brandon, adoptive parents themselves, have a sincere passion for ensuring resources are available for families wishing to adopt. Mr. Comer through hope that binds, a network of loving families is growing and expanding. Today more than 40 families have been assisted through the organizations fundraisers and grant programs. In addition, id like to recognize josh and mandy, who were also selected as angels in adoption honorees. After a twoyear adoption process starting in 2013, they brought their son home to Simpson County from ethiopia families like the davises and thurmans make a difference in the lives of children who need loving families. On behalf of the First District of kentucky, i congratulate both families in their efforts to make the dream of a family a reality for children in need. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time i yield to back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. For what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition . Mr. Kildee mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. You, mr. Thank speaker. Here were nine months into the year antirepublicanled congress has zero major legislative accomplishments to show you, mr. For it. While democrats continue to offer an agenda, gives americans a better deal, a better life, republicans are continually obsessed with their Republican Health care bill, this repeal and replace. Recently they have had to pull back again for from their grahamcassidy approach to this. Why . Because it means last care, less coverage, higher premiums, higher copays. Its badpolicy. We ought to be focusing on what we need to do to make it right, to fix the problems we see in health care. Not this obsession to check a political box and repeal the advance in health care for American People. Meanwhile, no infrastructure plan. Americas roads and bridges are falling apart. Nothing on the floor of the house to address that. Something the American People all agree we need to do. Nothg to make sure that 800,000 dreamers are not deported away. And the tax plan that rewards 5,400 American Families with a quarter of a trillion dollars in a tax hike. This is the wrong direction for america. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from indiana seek recognition. Unanimous consent to drem address the house for one minute. Revise and extend. The speaker pro tempore without objection. I rise today in recognition of a notable hoosier milestone, the bicentennial of the city of petersburg, indiana. Located in pike county, the Southern Indiana community was settled on land donated by peter drenton in 1817 and established one year later after indiana had become a state. From its earliest days as a pioneer settlement near the buffalo trace and white river, tate it is a vibrant commercial, Residential Community and seat of the county government. Mr. Bucshon it is a leader in indianas Power Generation industry. While rightfully proud of its favorite son, baseball great gil hodges, petersburg is squarely focused on a promising few tumplete it boasts wonderful new downtown housing, a new county public library, and just dedicated its new fire department. It looks forward to Exciting Development opportunities along i69. I proudly salute the city of petersburg, its mayor, and its loyal sit accidents on this citizens on this historic situation. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition . Unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman from illinois is recognized for one minute. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of bipartisan, commonsense legislation to help protect our seniors from elder abuse, fraud, and neglect. The Senior Citizen protection act would create a National Registry of convicted elder abusers that accredited health care provide earns the public could check before hiring ployees who will work with seniors. While some stas already have created elder abuse registries, there is currely no nationally searchable database of the state level data. As our population ages, the problem of those who seek to take advantage of vulnerable seniors continues to grow. While some states already have created elder abuse registries, there is currently no families deserve the peace of mind their parents and loved ones will receive the best possible care at senior facilities and Nursing Homes from qualified st. I urge my colleagues to join me and my colleague from florida, congresswoman ileana roslehtinen, on this senior protection legislation. R. Schneider i urge them to continue to support Social Security, medicare, and Medicaid Programs that millions of seniors depend on to live out their retirement years with dignity and security. With that i yield continue to support back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania eek recognition . Without objection, the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized for one minute. Mr. Fitzpatrick mr. Speaker, over the course of several weeks this s as the tragic news of missing teenagers led the news. Our heart goes out to the families of those boys and our entire community touched by this tragedy. In that darkness, we saw the best of our Community Shine through. Neighbors in prayer. Local businesses engaged in investigation efforts. And through it all, the commitment and dedication of our local Law Enforcement officers. One such officer, Middletown Township Police officer megan, was recently recognized at the National Liberty museum in philadelphia for her work. Middletown police chief, joe, noted well megan exemplifies our Law Enforcement who are committed to do the very best and day out day in to protect and safeguard our citizens. And day out to protect and safeguard our citizens. Mr. Speaker, im proud of officer freer and the entire Law Enforcement community in bucks county to include the District Attorney who committed to this investigation. Through their efforts our begin to heal begin to heal fr this terrible trage that we suffered. Mr. Speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. For what purpose does the gentlelady from illinois seek recognition . Ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection. The gentlelady from illinois is recognized for one minute. Thank you, mr. Speaker. Were here almost 10 months into this congressional session and what has been accomplished . Trumpcare while supporters have gone back and forth on a plan that would take Health Care Away from millions of americans, raise outofpocket costs, people with preexisting conditions, and force too many rural hospitals to close their doors. They have completely missed a Real Health Care crisis that is coming tomorrow. Thats when federal funding runs out for thousands of Community Health clinics for millions of lowincome children and for pregnant women across our country. For years, Community Health clinics and Childrens Health insurance received strong bipartisan support from both sides of the aisle here. So why arent we voting to protect these critical programs right now . Mr. Speaker, we were sent here to help hardworking families that we serve, offer them a better deal. Now that the trumpcare package has thankfully failed again, i hope we can start doing that. Mr. Speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleladys time has expired. For what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition . Without objection, the gentleman from california is recognized for one minute. The decision to end daca goes against the very core of our American Values of the American Dream. Mr. Ruiz the future of 800,000 young people who study and serve in our military and contribute to our economy, to serve and protect america is at risk. Dreamers are understandably worried, anxious, depressed, petrified terrified about what will happen six months from now. Dreamers like juan in my district who was brought here at a young age who is a medical student and wants nothing more than to be a doctor and save lives, even your life. For juan and nearly a million dreamers like him, we must act. That is why i have joined house and Senate Leaders to demand a vote on the bipartisan dream act. Mr. Speaker, put politics aside and bring the dream act to the floor for a vote as soon as possible. Rather than ending the daca program and tearing families apart, instead, lets work towards comprehensive Immigration Reform that will secure our nations borders, keep our citizens safe, help our economy and fix our immigration system. The speaker pro tempore the entlemans time has expired. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote or the yeas and nays are ordered or on which the vote incurs objection under clause 6 of rule 20. The house will resume proceedings on the postponed questions at a later time. For what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, i move the house suspend the rules and pass the bill s. 1866. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the bill. The clerk senate 1866, an act to provide the secretary of education with Waiver Authority for the reallocation rules and authority to extend the deadline by which funds have to be reallocated in the campusbased aid programs under the Higher Education act of harvey, to hurricane hurricane irma, and Hurricane Maria, to provide Equitable Services to children and teachers in private schools, nd for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from georgia, mr. Allen, and the gentleman from virginia, mr. Scott, each will control 20 minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from georgia. Mr. Allen mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and and their remarks include extraneous materials on s. 1866. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Allen mr. Speaker, i rise today in support of s. 1866, the hurricanes harvey, irma and aria education relief act of 2017, and i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Allen thank you, mr. Speaker. September has been a difficult month f many stud and families in areas such as texas, louisiana, florida, puerto rico and even my state of georgia. Just to name a few. We have all seen the truly saddening images of families who have been impacted by the likes of hurricanes harvey, irma and now marie ande we must come together to help from these lifechanging storms. These storms have left Many Americans with he questions how to live their daily lives as with questions how to live their daily lives. Students are no exception. Hundreds of thousands of students have been impacted by these storms and the federal government must address the needs of students as well as their institutions of learning so their education may continue. The hurricanes harvey, irma and maria education relief act of 2017 allows the department of education as well as other federal entities to use the emergency tools at their disposal to immediately assist students impacted by the storms of this past month without the need of additional appropriations from congress. First, the bill equips the department of education with temporary authority to waive certain rules governing campusbased aid programs for those institutions impacted by recent hurricanes. Second, the legislation ensures students and teachers at private schools receive services under the project serve grant program. This Program HelpsSchool Districts and institutions of Higher Education reestablish a Safe Learning environment after a violent or traumatic crisis. The program has issued grants to School Districts, state educational agencies and institutions of Higher Education after a natural disasters, including superstorm sandy. These funds have helped reopen schools or in some cases provided resources to operate a school at an alternative site while the original site is being repaired. Mr. Speaker, congress has the power to use its resources to help students and families return to a sense of normalcy after these terrible storms, and we should do everything within our authority to help them to a pathway of success even in the aftermath of these storms. I urge all members to support s. 1886, and i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from virginia is recognized. Mr. Scott thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Scott mr. Speaker, i rise in support of s. 1866, but i also stand concerned about the humanitarian crisis going on in puerto rico and the u. S. Virgin islands in the wake of Hurricane Maria and also the other hurricanes that have been in the area. More than 3. 4 Million People reside in puerto rico alone. U. S. Citizens who are in need of full support of the federal government. This is more than the population of wyoming, vermont, north dakota and alaska combined. U. S. Citizens, yet they have no voting members of congress. U. S. Citizens in puerto rico and the Virgin Islands serve in our military. In fact, Puerto Ricans serve in our military at a rate twice the general u. S. Population, and theyre hurting. Theyre fighting to survive and they are in desperate need of food, clean water, medical supplies and security. Hurricane maria essentially wiped out ports, roads, water, supplies, crops and homes. 90 of puerto ricos residents are still without power, and 40 do not have access to clean drinking water. So americans in puerto rico and the Virgin Islands are homeless, displaced and without food, water, fuel and medication. Congress and this administration have an obligation to act swiftly and act boldly to ease the suffering of our fellow americans in puerto rico and the Virgin Islands. This bill, the hricane relief act, is wellintentioned a good starting point but make no mistake, the limited flexibility offered to those affected by hurricanes harvey, irma and maria in this bill will be helpful but the bill does not go far enough to provide the kind of relief thats needed in puerto rico and the Virgin Islands. These americans do not have voting representation in congress that allows their representatives to most effectively advocate on their behalf. Therefore, its incumbent for all of us to stand shoulder to shoulder with our fellow citizens and provide them with the support that they desperately need. This is a life and death situation, and any further delay for aid will lead to unnecessary tragedy. So i urge this body to bring a full emergency supplemental bill to puerto rico and the Virgin Islands to a vote. The citizens affected by the hurricane are running out of time. I reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from georgia. Mr. Allen mr. Speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from georgia continues to reserve. The gentleman from virginia. Mr. Scott id ask the gentleman if he has additional speakers. Mr. Allen no, sir. Mr. Scott mr. Speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. I ask that we pass the bill but after we pass it get right to work on a full relief bill for puerto rico and the Virgin Islands, and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yiel back th bance of his time. The gentleman from georgia. Mr. Allen thank you, mr. Speaker. I would like tadd that this legislation does not call for additional appropriations on the part of congress and provides the department of education with limited authority to act until it has sufficiently assisted the students and families of these impacted regions. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation for the people impacted by hurricanes harvey, irma and maria. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of s. 1866, and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore all time is yielded back. The question is will the house suspend the rules and pass senate 1866. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, 2 3 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 speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentlelady from north dakota, mrs. Noem, seek recognition . Mrs. Noem well, thank you, mr. Speaker. Pursuant to House Resolution south dakota. Thats ok. I was going to say it eventually. Thank you, mr. Speaker. Pursuant to House Resolution ask call up the bill and for its immediate consideration. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the bill. The clerk Union Calendar number 226, h. R. 2792, a bill to amend title 49, United States code, to extend authorizations for the airport improvement program, to amend the Internal Revenue code of 1986 to extend the funding and Expenditure Authority of the airport and airway trust fund, a ide disaster tax to amend the Social Security act to make certain revisions to provisions limiting payment of benefits to fugitive felons under titles 2, 8, 16 of the Social Security act. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from south dakota, mrs. Noem, and a member opposed is recognized for 20 minutes. The gentlelady is recognized. Mrs. Noem i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on built currently under consideration. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mrs. Noem i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized. Mrs. Noem mr. Speaker, i rise in support of h. R. 2792, the control unlawful fugitive felons act of 2017. In 1996, congress and president clinton worked together to reform welfare and reignite the American Dream for families in need. Aligned with this goal was the provision prohibiting range of Welfare Benefits including supplemental Social Security income to felons. Because safety net programs need to be protected from abuse so they can remain in place for those individuals who need them. Individuals who evade justice, violate the social contract that grants them the safety net. Simply put, it is incoherent and selfdefeating that a nation of laws would pay a wanted person and prolong their flight from justice. Unfortunately, due to a number of factors involving the courts, these provisions have been watered down in recent years and rendered ineffectual. Congress can stand up once again on behalf of our communities and affirm what every participant in our society should understand if you have an outstanding warrant for your arrest, you have an obligation to face justice or clear your name. This legislation not only stops benefits from going to those who are not following the law but it also helps Law Enforcement apprehend those suspects. In 2007 report by s. S. A. s Inspector General found this policy aided Law Enforcement in apprehending almost 60,000 individuals who were evading arrests for outstanding warrants. In fact, Law Enforcement thinks this policy is so effective that the fraternal order of police, the National Sheriffs association and the south dakota Sheriffs Association have expressed support for the act. Despite the fact this commonsense bill is endorsed by Law Enforcement and has a proven track record of success, i anticipate my colleagues across the aisle may try to convince you otherwise. Ive heard many of their arguments when the ways and Means Committee considered the bill and when the rules Committee Also considered the bill. So lets take each of those concerns in turn. Some may say this is an old, failed policy. In reality this policy has a long track record of success. In 2015, the Social SecurityInspector General said in a hearing that this bill would stop hundreds of millions of dollars in payments to individuals with felony warrants. Some may say this bill targets people without dated warrants. In reality, s. S. A. Already has a wide authority to exempt individuals if the alleged offense is nonviolent and not drug related. Some may say this bill would throw beneficiaries off the rolls with no warning. In reality, s. S. A. Provides beneficiaries advanced notice of 35 days before suspending s. S. I. Benefits, and there is a robust appeal process for recipients who have had their benefits suspended. Some may say that this policy is burdensome to Law Enforcement. In reality, this bill is supported by the fraternal order of police, the National Sheriffs association and the south dakota Sheriffs Association because it helps them do their job to locate individuals. May raise concerns it targets minority populations. To those concerns i say these issues are absolutely important forward to us having forward t those conversations about criminal justice reforms here in congress. However that conversation is outside the scope of this legislation that we have before us today. My legislation does not speak to the content of a warrant, just the fact that one exists. The decision to grant a warrant is made by a judge in a court of law not by the Social Security administration. It should not be the duty of the american taxpayer to subsidize individuals who are wanted by the police. Simply put, mr. Speaker, if an individual has an outstanding warrant, it must be addressed and cleared. This bill does nothing to change that. Under my bill nobody would lose their s. S. I. Benefits because of misdemeanor offenses. Merely having a parking tket, petty theft, or even driving under the influence, this bill stops payments to individuals warns tore standing felonies. These are warns tore felonies. These are for felony warrants for felonies like murder and kidnapping. Probation and parole violation limiting their ability to evade arrest. Supplemental security income is lifeline to those who are in need. We must ensure were not further facilitating criminal activity in communities all too often already struggling. Mr. Speaker, im grateful for the time that were spending to consider this important legislation, and i appreciate the opportunity to stand in support of my bill today. With that i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady reserves. Gentleman from illinois is recognized. Mr. Davis thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Davis mr. Speaker, my mother used to say that right is right if nobodys right. And wrong is wrong if everybodys wrong. H. R. 2792 is wrong. It is cruel. And it is discriminatory. I strongly oppose this republican effort to strip lowincome seniors and those with severe disabilities of supplemental security income benefits or s. S. I. I join in opposition with over 110 civil rights disability and agent advocates who have warned that h. R. 2792s harsh cuts age, iscriminate based on race, ethnicity, ability, and income and will further criminalize poverty. Oppose the ly age, majoritys decision to condition the reauthorization of our successful Home Visiting program oppose the majoritys decision to condition the reauthorization of our successful Home Visiting program on this bills harm to the elderly and infirmed. S. S. I. Is only available to or le who are elderly oppose te severely or severely disabled, and who have little or no assets. The typical s. S. I. Recipient lives on less than 750 a month. Will design h. R. 2792 only harm very door, elderly, and disabled people. Within the population of adult recipients of s. S. I. , approximately 83 are disabled. It 1 3 are age 65 and older. And 2 3 are age 50 and older. I reject proponents claims that this bill will only target fugitive felons. In reality current law terminates benefits for fugitive felonies. This bill strikes the current restriion against fugitive felons and instead expands the benefit cutoff beyond those who are actually fleeing or encompasses everybody who had with the olved runin Justice System based on allegation not conviction. I reject proponents claim that only with the Justice System based individual Violent Crimes or costly financial theft are affected by this bill. By undermining the constitutional presumption of incense and depriving dividuals of due process via adjudication in a court of law, r. 2792 magnifies the deep inequities in our criminal race, system based ton ethnicity, and income. As a africanamerican man i am very familiar with the race, de of research documenting the racial ethnic discrimination in our Justice System. As an advocate for criminal justice reform, i know that dozens of studies documenting the faulty criminal justice data system on which benefit termination will pivot solely because this bill removes due process by adjudication. Claim that onents no one who has a misdemeanor or minor offense will be harmed. No uniform threshold for a felony exists. Claim that no indeed, four states, florida, massachusetts, virginia, and new jersey have the lowest hresholds in the country for defining felonies as losses of 300 or less. Vastly different than the 2,500 threshold set in texas and wisconsin. This bill cuts off an elderly or disabled persons lifeline benefit for a decadeold offense of 300. Also we know that courts across the country are criminalizing poverty and raising revenue with fines and fees. Individuals on probation for misdemeanor offenses like vagrancy, shoplifting, traffic olations get probation and fees. When poor people cant pay these fees, arrest warrants are issued for violation of their probation. As in the past h. R. 2792 clearly terminates s. S. I. Benefits for such alleged violations without due process. I urge my colleagues to do what they know is right. Stand up for our most vulnerable citizens, honor most fundamental rights, oppose 2792, and i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentlewoman from south dakota is recognized. Mrs. Noem mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent to insert into the record two letters of support. One is from the over 330,000 members of the fraternal order of police. The other is from the national oppose 2792, and Sheriffs Association. The speaker pro tempore without objection, so ordered. Mrs. Noem with that, mr. Speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman yields. The gentleman from illinois is recognized. Mr. Davis mr. Speaker, i yield four minutes to the gentleman from texas, mr. Doggett. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas is recognized. Four minutes. Mr. Doggett i thank the gentleman for his leadership. This bill is all about republicans refusing to pay for an Important Public Service that they know works. Its about their meager 6 solution where they decline to extend services that empower families that support Young Children and their parents to extend that to 94 of americans. Fact that there is evidencebased indication that hese services perform so well. S and in one area, help to prevent child abuse. It is about their refusal to respond in a fiscally responsible manner to support this program. Despite what their own experts say about the and in effectiveness of the program. Instead of providing a reliable source of necessary funding for public services, republicans insist upon being willing to remove Life Sustaining resources om some of our countrys most vulnerable citizens. Its really a punitive, meanspirited effort to demonize the poor. Lets look at who will be hurt by this retread proposal, because they tried this a few years ago and it was rejected. S. S. I. , supplemental security income, its an initiative to help some of our most disadvantaged americans. The s. S. I. Program pays modest cash benefits that can be obtained only by essentially showing that youve got nothing. Well, not exactly nothing, you can have total assets other than your home of 2,000. And you cant have more than 735 a month in income. If you are younger than 65, you must be disable. Perhaps a victim of cancer, chronic heart failure, or blindness. And theres strict enforcement of these standards with over 70 of those who apply being denied. What kind of person will they prevention Abuse Program from . A 50yearold man who had an arrest warrant. This is a true case. That had been issued when he failed to show up for court. Why Prevention Program the did he do that . Shouldnt he be punished . It turns out he was in a coma at the time the arrest warrant was issued. He was unable to breathe without a long plastic tube surgically inserted in his throat and connected to an oxygen tank on his wheelchair. By the time his case was judge, the re the medical supply company was taking away the breathing equipment. Or Rosa Martinez who got confused with another Rosa Martinez and had to go to court because she wasnt the person judge, the medical supply company was taking away the breathing equipment. Or rosa of these people and so many others like those suffering from dementia in a nursing home who may never have been convicted of anything are the type of people they will take resources from in accused. Each order to fund a necessary program. Republicans on our committee are so motivated by the rigid ideology that they would not even permit a discussion with our staff of how to move forward on this initiative unless we every dollar by taking it ay from some other vital social Service Program within our committees jurisdiction. It ought not to be necessary to rob paula in order to provide valuable services to little pauline. Even when they know how much is at stake, when child abuse and disadvantaged children are at stake and we have a way to address those problems and prevent that abuse, they if wont add a single dollar of additional revenue. Mr. Davis and i offered a variety of different ways to pay for this program and actually to see it serve more than 6 of our people. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. Mr. Davis 30 additional seconds. Mr. Doggett we suggested you dont have to raise taxes, just enforce our current law. If someone receives an alimony payment, require documentation so they will know and i. R. S. Will know that that money is due. That will raise a significant amount of money that would fund much of this. But because they are so opposed to adding a dollar to serve on even Effective Programs, they from the person with dementia at the nursing home. It is wrong. It demonizes people who deserve to be treated fairly. We should from the person with reject this bill. Sing home. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from south dakota is recognized. Mrs. Noem thank you, mr. Speaker. I wanted to clarify exactly what this legislation does. This legislation will take s. S. I. Benefits from individuals, stop payment of those, to those who have felony arrest warrants or have violated their probation and re the speaker pro tempore the parole. And i wanted to go through the process so that everybody recognizes that there is a lot of time, plenty of time, for individuals to go through the appe process, notice is given if there is a warrant that they need to get rectified with the jurisdiction that has authority. Let me step through this process. The office hrough of Inspector General. Law enforcement agencies give o. I. G. Information about individuals who have outstanding felony arrest warrants or who are violating conditions of probation or parole. Hen o. I. G. Compares this information to computer files with individuals receiving these dollars. If there is a match o. I. G. Verifies the identity of the individual, ensures that the warrants for the individual are still active, works with local Law Enforcement to attempt to locate the person, and then o. I. G. Refers the cases to s. S. A. To begin the suspension process. When this process gets to the Social Security administration, s. S. A. Sends an advance notice to the individual. This notice proposes the suspension of benefit payments and informs the individual of their right to appeal the suspension decision. The payment continuation and the time frame to take such ctions after receiving the advanced notice. This notice includes why s. S. A. Is suspending benefits, and where, why, and when the advanced warrant was issued. If s. S. A. Finds out through a data match 35 days is given for the individual to protest. If the individual protests, s. S. A. Will not suspend benefits until it figures out if the individual qualifies for a good cause exception. If the individual does not appeal his or her advance notice, then s. S. A. Will suspend the benefits. If the individual does appeal and gives his or her advance notice and provides evidence for the payment continuation, s. S. A. Verifies the evidence and then continues the payment. Other things that we should know about this legislation and what this includes is that warrants may only be resolved in the issuing jurisdiction. Grounds for the dismissal of a warrant include Identity Theft, administrative error, and the individuals own move from the jurisdiction. Especially if lowincome. Warrants for misdemeanors are warrants for misdemeanors and cannot be felonies. Special areas may be something to be considered such as dementia and lowincome abilities. So mr. Speaker, this bill has been thoroughly vetted and we are making sure that the only people denied their s. S. I. Benefits are those who have felony warrants for their arrests and have violated their probation or parole and have not gotten straight with Law Enforcement and rectified it. With that i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady reserves. The gentleman from illinois is recognized. Mr. Davis mr. Speaker, im pleased to yield three minutes to an icon for human rights, mr. Lewis of georgia. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from georgia is recognized. Mr. Lewis mr. Speaker, i want to thank my friend, mr. Davis, for yielding. Mr. Speaker, i rise in strong opposition to this bill. For many years i have been a proud member to serve on the ways and Means Committee, the oldest committee in the u. S. Congress. Our committee has the responsibility to put people before politics. We have a commitment to act in the best interest of all, not just a select few. Most importantly, we have a duty to protect and preserve the United States constitution. Today, mr. Speaker, it hurts my soul that our committee would pass a bill that attacks the constitutional princip that you are innocent until Proven Guilty. Where is the reason, where is the compassion, what is the purpose, how can you gamble with the livelihoods of those who are most in need . How can we punish the sick, the disabled and elderly . How can we pass a bill that targets latinos, africanamericans and native americans . Mr. Speaker, how can you rob peter to pay paul . Mr. Speaker, i urge each and every one of my colleagues to vote no on this mean and spiteful bill that should have never seen the light of day. The American People deserve better, much better. We can do better. This bill should not be on the floor of the house. Its not worth the paper it is written on, and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentlelady from south dakota is recognized. Mrs. Noem thank you, mr. Speaker. And i live in the state of south dakota. I have some of the poorest counties in the nation in my state and they happen to be my native american tribes. They face 80 to 90 unemployment, poverty like no other place in the country. Theyre isolated. They also have very high drug and crime rates. In fact, weve seen a Record Number of murders in these counities, especially on the pine ridge reservation. In this calendar year. T is deeply discouraging and disheartening to me who think someone who could have committed a murder in one of my communities in south dakota that there is a felony warrant out for their arrest and that we may not be able to find them. This bill will fix that situation. If that individuals receiving s. S. I. Payments, that helps Law Enforcement locate those individuals who have gone out and committed crimes against innocent people, rape, murder, kidnapping, they all happen in my native american tribes and this helps Law Enforcement find them and bring them to justice. Its one of the important things this legislation will help us do in some of our most vulnerable communities. I also recognize that the previous speaker talked about, you know, the fact that we need criminal justice reforms. That is a very good debate that we should be having in congress, but this is not the bill to talk about criminal justice reforms because this is not germane to the discussions we are having today. I want to speak for a minute on what is good cause because there is latitude of good cause within statute today and i think theres some confusion how this bill would be interpreted when it is signed into law. S. S. I. Will not suspend or seek an overpayment of benefits for good cause exceptions. There are two types. The mandatory good cause exception is s. S. A. Cannot suspend payments if a court has found an individual not guilty or it has dismissed charges. A court has vacated if the court has vacated the warrant or issued any similar exoneration, then they cannot suspend payment. They also cannot suspend payments if theres a mistake in identity due to identity fraud. The other exception in statute today is discretionary good cause exceptions. S. S. A. May suspend benefits for mitigating circumstances under two options. Option a is the individual must prove that the criminal offense was nonviolent and nondrug related. We also have, the individual has not been convicted of a felony crime since the warrant was issued. The other point is that the Law Enforcement agency that issued the warrant reports it will not act on the warrant. That is other exceptions for good cause. Option b, the individual must prove all of these factors. The criminal offense was nonviolent and not drug related. The individual has not been convicted of a felony crime since the warrant was issued. The warrant is the only existing warrant and was issued 10 or more years ago and the individual lacks the mental capacity to resolve the warrant which includes those living in a nursing home or mental treatment facility. So as weve listened to opponents to this bill talk, theyve discussed all of these issues as to how these benefits could be taken away from individuals that are clearly covered by good cause exceptions that are already in statute and those situations are not relevant to the debate that were having today. With that, mr. Speaker, i will reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady reserves. The gentleman from illinois is recognized. Mr. Davis thank you, mr. Speaker. And im pleased to yield three minutes to the gentlelady from california, dr. Chu. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from california is ecognized for three minutes. Ms. Chu miechv Home Visiting is an Effective Program that i am proud to support because i know it results in healthier families and stronger communities. But i am shocked at the way republicans are choosing to pay for it. Instead of enacting commonsense tax changes that could easily raise the needed revenue, republicans have reached to the bottom of the barrel to find Vulnerable People to harm. In order to come up with a way to pay for this important bipartisan program, they are choosing to take supplemental security income away from vulnerable seniors, lowincome individuals or those with disabilities, and theyre doing it by maligning them as fugitives and felons just because they have an outstanding warrant. But the truth is a very different story. The people who will be hurt by this bill are not hardened criminals. They havent even had their day in court yet. In fact, many may not even know about the warrant because the police have decided its not worth pursuing. Thats because the warrants are for small issues like writing a bad check or failing to appear for a hearing many years ago. Worse, these individuals are elderly, poor or sick. They deserve support and help, not to be treated as a piggy bank. Actually, piggy banks actually indicate savings. In is a policy equivalent reaching into a couch cushion for change. We are talking about individuals who have a warrant for when they were a teenager or someone with a Mental Illness who may not remember the incident in question. This is rule and unbecoming of this congress. I know because we tried this before. The last time this penalty was used, it meant catastrophe for very lowincome people with disabilities and for seniors. It hurt people lie j. H. , a californian with an intellectual disability and other mental impairments. J. H. Had his s. S. I. Benefits stopped because of an ohio warrant issued when he was 12 years old and running away to escape an abusive stepfather. This 47, 85pound boy was charged with assault for kicking a staff member at a Detention Center where he was being held until his mother could pick him up. Many years later, he had no recollection of the incident or the charges, but his s. S. I. Benefits were stopped, nonetheless. Is that really how we want to pay for home visitation, impoverishing one person to help another . Thats why i worked to curb this bills negative effects by offering amendments that would protect those with dementia or keep it from increasing homelessness. But unfortunately republicans rejected both my amendments on a party line basis. So now were stuck with this overly broad, punitive bill that i cannot support. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentlelady from south dakota is recognized. Mrs. Noem thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, taxpayers should not be subsidizing those who have felony warrants for their arrests or violating parole and probation. I wanted to remind everyone today that in 1996, the same provision was amended into other programs that we have at the federal government level. Temporary assistance for needy families, cash welfare has these same provisions included in that program. Supplemental nutrition assistance program, snap, food stamps, has these same provisions. Housing programs such as public housing, section 8 vouchers, projectbased section 8 all have these same provisions in that program. In addition, there are similar provisions added to Social Security disability and retirement programs, and the department of Veterans Affairs benets have the same provision we are putting back into statute today when it comes to s. S. I. Payments. So mr. Speaker, you can clearly see this is bringing this program up to the same level of accountability to taxpayers and not subsidizing those who commit crimes against innocent individuals in this entirely appropriate debate here toda wi that i rer the balance of mtime. Thgelen om illinois is recognized. Mr. Davis mr. Speaker, may i inquire as to how much time is eft . The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from illinois has 15 minutes remaining. The gentlelady from south dakota has 18 minutes remaining. The gentleman from illinois is recognized. Mr. Davis mr. Speaker, i yield three minutes to the gentleman from new york, mr. Nadler. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from new york is recognized for three minutes. Mr. Nadler i thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, i rise in opposition to h. R. 2792, the hopelessly misnamed control unlawful fugitive felons act. As become sadly routine in this chamber under the republican rule, this bill accuses those merely accused of a crime without convicted without bothering with nice its like due process. Nicities like due process. The bill cuts off vital government assistance to some of the most Vulnerable People in our society. Under current law, the Social Security administration helps Law Enforcement track down individuals with an outstanding arrest warrant for an alleged violation of probation or parole. Those actively fleeing Law Enforcement can also have their supplemental income benefit, or s. S. I. , benefits terminated. Under this bill, however, s. S. I. Befit which serves as a lifeline for lowincome people, Senior Citizens, to be terminated. The mere issuance of an warrant or an alleged parole violation with no trial, no conviction would be enough to cuff off vital benefits to the neediest among us. This is not just unconstitutional. Its inhumane. The bill will ensure that many lowincome people and seniors with disabilities would lose their benefits unfairly and unnecessarily. The vast majority of people affected by this bill have outstanding warrants that Law Enforcement chooses not to bother serving often because they are for very old or minor offenses. Many people do not even know that an arrest warrant has been issued for them, but this bill would consider them as felons fleeing justice. Many warrants are issued on the basis of mistaken identity, inaccuracies or paperwork errors. It can take months to resolve such errors, which might involve traveling to a distant jurisdiction, hiring an attorney and working through an overloaded court system. Supporters of this bill expect people making less than 750 to do all of this, to go to a different jurisdiction, to hire an attorney, to do all of this while the benefits they rely on are cut off. This is outrageous. We heard from the gentlelady from north dakota about very exceptions to the bill. You can go through this process and that process. With what attorney . With what money . Does this bill have an appropriation in it to supply attorneys for people facing with this cutoff, people who by definition are the poorest people that cant afford an attorney . This bill is a blatant violation of due process and it will cause untold suffering to the people who will need our help the most. At a time when republicans are unveiling the massive tax cuts for the wealthy, this bill is a shamefulllustration of the priorities. Its something weve seen too often, the assumption of anyone accused of something is guilty, that we dont have to bother with a trial, that we dont have to bother with the truth, we dont have to bother with due process. This eviscerates much of the reason of the existence of this country to give people rights and not assume anyone someone who thinks may have committed a crime is automatically guilty. We believe in due process in this country. I urge the bills defeat and yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from illinois reserves. The gentlelady from south dakota is recognized. Mrs. Noem thank you, mr. Speaker. Im very proud to represent the great state of south dakota in this body. Mr. Speaker, i will yield three minutes to the chairman of the jurisdiction Authority Committee and mr. Smith from nebraska. I thank him for his leadership on this issue and with that ill yield him three minutes. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from nebraska is recognized for three minutes. Mr. Smith i rise in support of this bill and thank the gentlelady from south dakota for her tremendous effort on this piece of legislation. Bill, improves existing law bill, improves existing law and the message is taxpayers should not provide money to individuals who are wanted for felonies and other crimes. This improves existing bipartisan law and its not a new concept. It only applies to individuals with outstanding warrants for serious crimes of the bill provides four years for the Social Security administration to implement this law and to ensure benefits are not unfairly or improperly disconnected. Discontinued. And o provides a process provides time for them to address the concern. In addition, s. S. A. Is provide to compassionate allowances for those with serious disabilities or medical concerns who are unable to clear their warrant in a provide compassionate timely fashion. Mr. Speaker, this is a narrow bill which protects both lawabiding beneficiaries and taxpayers. It is important that we have these funds to help the needy families who are benefiting from the miechv program, the home visitation program, actually a unique federal program that actually shows that it makes a positive difference in the lives of young people and young families. Mr. Speaker, it is important at the entire issue in a fiscally responsible way where we have the funds through this bill to pay for at the needs needy families across america w that, mr. Speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from south dakota reserves. The gentleman from illinois is recognized. Mr. Davis thank you, mr. Speaker. Im pleased to yield two minutes to the gentlelady from california ms. Lee. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from california is recognized for two minutes. Ms. Lee thank you, mr. Speaker. First let me thank the gentleman from illinois for tireless d for your leadership for families everywhere. Mr. Speaker, i rise in strong opposition to h. R. 2972, the socalled control unlawful fugitive felons act. This cruel and misguided bill would terminate supplemental security income leadership for families everywhere. Mr. Speaker, i rise in strong opposition to h. R. Benefits for vulnerable seniors and people with disabilities who have an outstanding warrant. Let me be clear, this is a horrible bill. Its meanspirited and unfair. Despite this bills misleading title, americans who would be harmed by this bill are not felons and they are not fugitives. In reality this bill would rip benefits from individuals who havent been arrested, tried, or evenon victed even convicted. They have only been accused. The basic es principle of innocent until Proven Guilty and would terminate benefits without due process. Whats worse, most of these outstanding warrants are decades old and involve minor infractions when people are unable to pay for court fines and fees. This is awful. This bill criminalizes families living in poverty and disproportionately harms communities of color. One in five s. S. I. Recipients are africanamerican. Without the this critical progr believe you me, africanamericans will struggle even more. Make no mistake. Cutting off s. S. I. Benefits would put our families at risk of being unable to keep a roof over their heads, put food on basic le, and meet other needs. And for what . To pay for the maternal, infant, visiting program. We know this is an Important Program and helps millions of struggling basic needs. And for what . To pay for families, but we to pay paul. Lives are at risk here. This is as sinister as it gets. Taking an ax to these lifeving benefits is cruel and heartle. That is why 120 civil rights, disability, and retirement organizations oppose this, including the naacp, the Leadership Conference on civil rights, the united labor american latin american citizens organization. The National Council of churches. The National Committee to preserve the speaker pro tempore the gentleladys time has expired. Ms. Lee 30 seconds . The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized for an additional 30 seconds. Ms. Lee mr. Speaker, this should really be a wakeup call to this chame perfect to defeat this bill immediately. Instead of ramming through a bill that would push people on to poverty, we should expand opportunity for all. I urge my colleagues to vote no on this meanspirited and heartless bill. Thank you. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from illinois reserves. The gentlelady from south dakota is recognized. Mrs. Noem thank you, mr. Speaker. I want to remind everyone that the bill were debating here today would suspend s. S. I. Benefits for those who have felony warrants for their arrest. And those who have violated probation or parole. That is the discussion were having here today. And lets go back over in summary of what the policy actually does and says. This policy should not be thought of in isolation. This is part of a larger effort to reauthorize the evidencebased outcome focused aternal, infant, and literal childhood Home Visiting program. H. R. 2824, which passed this chamber on tuesday, will be joined with this bill upon passage. It helps to improve the lives of families in atrisk communities, focusing on the first years of a childs life. Unlike most federal social programs, miechv funding is tied to real results which ensures limited taxpayer dollars are actually delivering the intended results and helping those that are most in need. Under current law, the program 100 federally funded, but introduced a federal match. Similar to what states must already do in other social programs such as foster care, medicaid, child support, enforcement, childcare, and others. The rest of the package ensures this Program Remains a shining example of evidencebased policy by expecting the program to introduced a federal match. Similar to what states must already do in continue to demon effective outcomes. That reauthorization is fully offset by the bill that were considering here today, h. R. 2792. Instead of focusing on our nations debt, we should be doing more of what were doing right here in these bills, prioritizing federal spending, focusing on what works by improving the integrity of one program to provide funding for another. With that, mr. Speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady reserves. The gentleman from illinois is recognized. Mr. Davis thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield three minutes to the gentlelady from texas, ms. Jackson lee. The speaker pro tempore le the gentlelady from texas is recognized for three minutes. Ms. Jackson lee i thank the gentleman. I thank the distinguished gentleman from illinois and the gentlelady for managing this bill. The crux of this bill, however, is, again, to support and fund the multitrillion dollar tax cuts that have just been introduced that will give trillions if not millions, if not billions to the richest of americans. Thats a very sad commentary. I oppose control unlawful fugitive felons act because it is not that. It will terminate essential benefits of poor people. Deprive poor people of due process, increase mass incarceration. If the rules committee had simply taken my amendment t. Would have remedied these criminal justice defects which struck the arrest warrant because it because it reckless targets vulnerableeople. The bill deprives citizens of due process, particularly where many poor individuals are unaware of a pending warrant. Let me be clear. What you have is a situation where you may have a mentally ill individual in a nursing home who has a warrant they are not aware of. You will then cut off their benefits. What does that do to those families . Prohibiting s. S. I. Payments to individuals with an outstanding warrant or parole or probation without due process is simply inhumane. This bill would terminate those benefits from very lowincome seniors and people with disabilities. They may not even know that they have these warrants. I am a strong supporter of the maternal infant Early ChildhoodHome Visiting program. And i tell you that the democrats on the ways and means had an amendment to pay for fiveyear reauthorization of that program, doubling the funding by closing a tax loophole. They were not allowed to even vote on that amendment. What does that say . This is a conspiracy. There are 110 organizations that are against this, including the alliance for retired citizens, the naacp legal defense, hand in hand domestic employees, coalition for human needs. I ask unanimous consent to put this in the order. The speaker pro tempore without objection, so ordered. Ms. Jackson lee in addition, let me share with you the reality of this. Rosa martinez, yes, the social was ity administration doing this before, but they had to stop it. Were now reigniting it because Rosa Martinez filed a suit and it was in 2008. She was a 352yearold disabled woman from redwood, califnia, who received a notice from s. S. A. Last decbeth she was losing her only source income. Her disability benefits because of a 1980 arrest warrant for a drug offense in miami, florida. Miss martinez has never been to miami. Has ver been arrested or used illegal drugs. In addition she is eight inches shorter than Rosa Martinez the warrant. Want this random, reckless cutting off of s. S. I. Benefits because of the misidentification, Identity Theft is rampant. And so this bill is want this r reckless cutting off of s. S. I. Benefits because failed. It is a failure, and it has a number of achilles heels that will not work. The bill will also increase mass incarceration. We should allow Law Enforcement to do their job. I dont mind giving them the speaker pro tempore the gentleladys time has expired. Ms. Jackson lee i refuse to allow individuals to suffer because the speaker pro tempore the gentleladys time has expired. Ms. Jackson lee i kneeled on this floor because of injustice. This is the speaker pro tempore the gentleladys time has expired. The gentleman from ill now time is reserved. The gentlelady from from illinois time is reserved. The gentlelady from south dakota. Mrs. Noem i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from illinois is recognized. Mr. Davis mr. Speaker, im pleased to yield three minutes to the gentlelady from alabama, a member of the ways and Means Committee, ms. Sewell. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from alabama is recognized. Ms. Sewell mr. Speaker, today i rise in opposition to h. R. 2792, the misleading title, control unlawful fugitive felons act of 2017. Which will prohibit the payment f supplemental security income benefits to anyone with an unresolved arrest warrant for an alleged violation of a condition of probation or parole, or any alleged felony offense. H. R. 2792s title falsely claims to target fugitive felons. In fact, fugitive felons are already prohibited from receiving benefits under current law. If this bill were enacted, some of our most vulnerable lowincome seniors and disabled americans who are neither fugitives nor felons would not be able to get their s. S. I. Benefit. While proponents of h. R. 2792 continue to claim that the bill only targets violent fugitive felons, h. R. 2792 threatens many other individuals like those who received arrest warrants because of an inability to Pay Court Fines or fees. Last week the united on s commission on the civil rights published a report titled, targeted fines and fees against lowincome communities of color. Which found that many local jurisdictions rely on court fees or other fines to support their municipal budget, including fees charged to those under court supervision. Some of the people charged with these fees are elderly or disabled s. S. I. Beneficiaries who are unable to work and have no way to pay court costs. When they cannot pay a warrant is routinely issued for their arrest. If this bill were enacted, these people would lose their s. S. I. Benefits which are is the only source of i come for many of these lowincome disabled individuals. During the markup of h. R. 2792, i offered a commonsense have nt which would prevented s. S. I. Benefits from being cut off if the result would be the loss of benefits for individuals whose arrest warrants were issued for have prevented s. S. I. Benefits nonpayment of court costs. Unfortunately, my republican colleagues rejected the amendment as well as all other democratic amendments to this bill. I stand united with over 119 national, state, and local organizations who oppose efforts to cut s. S. I. Benefits and urge opposition to the final passage of this bill. Further, i would like to go on the record to say that we should have a clean reauthorization of the maternal, infant, and Early ChildhoodHome Visiting program, miechv, which expires on september 30. The majoritys decision to tie Home Visiting to this horrible cut for our most vulnerable citizens only makes this harder to accomplish. Miechv programs are proven programs, evidencebased programs that work. We actually should reauthorize these programs, but we should not tie it to this horrible bill. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I urge opposition to the bill and yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleladys time has expired. The gentleman from illinois reserves. The gentlelady from south dakota is recognized. Mrs. Noem thank you, mr. Speaker. I have no other speakers at this time. I reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the reserves. The gentleman from illinois is recognized. Mr. Davis mr. Speaker, mr. Davis thank you, mr. Speaker. H. R. 2792 is a harsh, unfair bill. It would undermine the foundation of american justice. Innocent until Proven Guilty. And it would do so for americans who are impoverished and already at a severe disadvantage because of age, disability, education, race and ethnicity. It would strip people of basic income. In many cases, all they have to live on. Based on a merely accusation. I reject the majoritys contention that people in Nursing Homes, people with dementia and cognitive impairments and others with nowhere else to turn will not be harmed this this bill because of the very limited authority current law gives the Social Security commissioner to issue good cause exemption. We know the good cause process is complicated and very difficult to navigate. Not surprisingly, the last time the policy was in effect, only a tylenol fraction of the people who lost their only a tiny fraction of the people who lost their basic income were able to follow the instructions in the sixpage letter from s. S. A. And provide relief. The good cause process that the majority repeatedly touts as few as 10 days before benefit termination. S. S. I. Recipients have extremely limited financial resources. They are severely disabled or elderly. Resolving areas within the criminal Justice System is a long process that typically must be done in the geographic jurisdiction of the court and necessitates legal cause. E goal of h. R. 2792 is the same. Raise 2. 1 billion by cutting off benefits for tens of thousands of impoverished elderly and disabled people. These are cognitively impaired. Facing homelessness. Those who committed minors minor offenses. Those who are too poor to pay their court fees and fines. Mr. Speaker, there are no protections in this bill. Theres no reason, no rational benefit but there are instances where individuals who will be forced to suffer even more they currently do. So lets not cut off their Social Security income benefits. I urge a no vote and yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentlelady from south dakota is recognized. Mrs. Noem mr. Speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized. Mrs. Noem in closing, mr. Speaker, the cuff act is common sense. The american taxpayer should not subsidize individuals who are fleeing from Law Enforcement. Because the Social Security administration already possesses in place processes that will ensure due process and protect beneficiaries, claims about this bill are overblown and quite frankly theyre wrong. Im proud that this bill is supported by the fraternal order of police, the National Sheriffs association and the south dakota Sheriffs Association. I urge my colleagues to support this bill and i yield back the remainder of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields back the remainder of her time. All time for debate has expired. Pursuant to House Resolution 533, the previous question is ordered on the bill, as amended. The question is on engrossment and third reading of the bill. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. Third reading. The clerk a bill to amend the Social Security act to make certain revisions to provisions limiting payment of benefits to fugitive felons unders title 2, 8, 16 of the Social Security act. The speaker pro tempore the question is on passage of the bill. Mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. Mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman will suspend. He ayes have it. For what purpose does the gentleman from illinois rise . Mr. Davis i ask for a recorded vote. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman asks for a recorded vote. Does the gentleman ask for the yeas and nays . Does the gentleman ask for the yeas and nays . Mr. Davis yes. The speaker pro tempore the yeas and nays are requested. Those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. A sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on the question will be postponed. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to clause 1c of rule 19, further proceedings of h. R. 3823 will now resume. The clerk will report the title. The clerk h. R. 3823, a bill to amend title 49, United States code, to extend authorizations for the airport improvement program, to amend the Internal Revenue code of 1986 to extend the funding and Expenditure Authority of the airport and airway trust fund, to provide disaster tax relief and for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore the question is on engrossment and third reading of the bill. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. The ayes have it. Third reading. The clerk a bill to amend title 49, United States code, to extend authorizations for the airport improvement program, to amend the Internal Revenue code of 1986 to extend the funding and Expenditure Authority of the airport and airway trust fund, to provide disaster tax, and for other urposes. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition . Mr. Engel mr. Speaker, i have a motion to recommit. He speaker pro tempore mr. Nadler mr. Speaker, i have a motion to recommit to the bill. The speaker pro tempore is there objection to the gentlemans request . Without objection, the reading will be dispensed with. The gentleman is recognized for five minutes. Mr. Nadler thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, i offer this motion to recommit on behalf of ms. Velazquez. This is the final amendment to the bill which will not kill the bill or nd it back doe. If apted, the bill back to committee. Adopted, the bill will go to final passage. Our fellow americans in puerto rico and the u. S. Virgin islands are hurting. While i do not doubt the underlying bill was made with good intentions, it is not just inadequate for all the victims of the hurricanes, it is insulting to the people of puerto rico. They are hurting. They have no food, no water, no power. They need our help. Estimates suggest the storm caused 40 billion to 85 billion in insurance claims throughout the caribbean with 85 of those losses in puerto rico. Nearly half of all the islands, nearly all of the island is without power. 85 of cell powers were knocked out. The hurricane ravaged 80 of the crop value in puerto rico, a 780 million loss. This will result in higher food prices at a time when puerto rico faces shortages. These are only the initial estimates. Each day we learn more about the scale of devastation and likely wont know the measure of damage for some time. Fema has indicated that it has provided more than 1 1 2 million meals, 1. 1 leerts of water, nearly 12,000 roofing kits to the u. S. Virgin islands and puerto rico since Hurricane Marias landfall, thats the quote from fema. The population in puerto rico is 3. 4 million. The total in the u. S. Virgin islands is over 100,000. It has been seven days since the storm. The ma sply doesnt add up. And neither does the bill as its written. This motion to recommit would do more for the people of puerto rico and the Virgin Islands than the underlying bill. Unlike the underlying bill, this motion will give them funds to help them rebuild. The dollars directed for rebuilding and other economic support. It considers specific provisions to ensure longterm growth is capable on the island and strives to treat disaster victims equally. By taking the politics out of natural disasters, all of our constituents from new york and port to florida, louisiana and texas puerto rico to florida, louisiana and texas will have the aid to rebuild. Giving them the peace of mind will focus on what matters, their families and communities. Rather than putting forth a fig leaf to offer themselves cover as the underlying bill does, this motion will provide immediate greater benefits to the people of puerto rico and the Virgin Islands. They cannot wait for assistance. By voting for this motion youd be voting to help our fellow americans. I urge all members to vote yes, and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition . Mr. Curbelo mr. Speaker, i rise in opposition to motion to recommit. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Curbelo mr. Speaker, i believe in bipartisanship which means oftentimes i am disappointed in this institution, but today im not disappointed. Im shocked. Im shocked that some would politicize such a sensitive, desperate situation that so Many Americans from texas to puerto rico are facing at this hour. My colleagues say they want to help the people of puerto rico, the people of the florida keys in my others thugut the country. A lot of them have come here boasting about the fact they have never opposed a Disaster Relief package. Yet, theyre willing to do so today. Why . To try to attempt to score political points. I think thats wrong, and i cant help but take it personally because my constituents really need this help. The people of puerto rico, by the way, the person they chamber, this jenniffer gonzalezcolon, supports this. Stacey plaskett, our colleague to the Virgin Islands, she put her name to this legislation as well. Chairman brady, whose constituents are trying to recover in the houston area, hes asking for passage of this legislation. Yet, people were other parts of the country come to this floor saying, no, thats not good enough for your constituents. So if my constituents get nothing, i should tell them thats right. Someone from elsewhere said that because this wasnt good enough you get nothing. Thats just wrong. This is an important first step that we have to take to help people in all of these jurisdictions, especially the people of puerto rico because we know that the situation there is in no way comparable to anything that has happened on the mainland. And its personal for me in that sense as well because, guess what, when my wifes family was exiled from cuba, they went to puerto rico. And they were welcomed there. And my wifes two elder brothers were born in puerto rico. And my wife still has family in puerto rico. And i know that this legislation would improve their situation. Can we do more, should we do more, should we Work Together to do more in the future . Yes, we should and we will. But that is no excuse to vote against this legislation. That is no excuse to leverage the suffering of these people to try to achieve a political objective or even to advance different legislation. So i respectfully ask all my colleagues, republicans and democrats, and i thank the 26 democrats who stood with us on monday, and i ask them to do it again today and more to join us to send a strong message of National Unity for the people of florida, texas, louisiana, the u. S. Virgin islands and, yes, puerto ri thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. Without objection, the previous question is ordered on the motion to recommit. The question is on the motion. All those in favor say aye. All those opposed, no. The motion is not agreed to. Mr. Nadler mr. Speaker, on that i ask for the yeas and nays. The speaker pro tempore the yeas and nays are requested. Those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. A sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. Members will record their votes y electronic device. Pursuant to clause 8 and clause 9 of rule 20, this 15minute will be followed by followed by passage of 2792 and agreeing to the speakers approval of the journal, if ordered. This is a 15minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc. , in cooperation with the United States house of representatives. Any use of the closedcaptioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u. S. House of representatives. ] expressly prohibited by the u. S. House of representatives. ] the speaker pro tempore on this vote the yeas are 188. The nays are 227. The motion is not adopted. The speaker members will daycare their seats. Members d. N. A. Will take their seats. Members will please take their seats. The speaker the chair wishes to mark the return to the chamber of our dear friend and colleague from louisiana, mr. Steve scalise. Our prayers have been answered. His bravery and his familys strength have been such an inspiration to this house and to the people it serves. America is grateful for this moment. He chair now proudly asks, for what purpose does the gentleman from louisiana seek recognition . Mr. Scalise to speak out of rder, mr. Speaker. The speaker the gentleman is recognized for as much time as he may consume. Mr. Scalise thank you, mr. Speaker. You have no idea how great this feels to be back here at work in the peoples house. As you can imagine these last 3 1 2 months have been pretty challenging times for me and my family. But if you look at the outpouring of love, of warmth, of prayer, my gosh, jennifer and i have been overwhelmed with all of that outpouring. Us the strength to get through all of this and to get to this point today. T starts us the strength with. When i was laying out on