Transcripts For CSPAN U.S. House Of Representatives U.S. House Of Representatives 20240713

Program schedule. And now live coverage to the u. S. House here on cspan. [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2019] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] the speaker the house will be in order. The prayer will be offered by chaplain, father conroy. Chaplain conroy let us pray. Universe, weof the give you thanks for giving us day. Er lord, you are powerful and strong, yet, you bend to your show them mercy in sustaining grace. Elp the leaders of our nation make wise decision in our day. Ay they look to you for guidance every step of the way ntil we stand in your light forever. Set us all on a path that will security. Ace and bless us this day and every day and inspire us to be grateful blessings we enjoy and the good work that does take nations capital. May all that is done within the your s house be for greater honor and glory. Amen. Speaker the chair has examined the journal of the last days proceedings and announces to the house his approval the chamber her thereof. Pursuant to clause 1 of rule ne, the journal stands approved. The pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentleman from doyle. Vania, mr. Doyle mr. Doyle of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. The speaker the chair will for tain up to 15 requests oneminute speeches on each side of the aisle. The hat purpose does gentleman from new york seek recognition . Madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the to e for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. The speaker without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Madam speaker. Mr. Tonko i rise to recognize mr. Mark coble who after 34 ears with the National Association for Behavioral Health care is retiring. For the past 24 years as the and c. E. O. Of the association, mark has been a teadfast partner to me and to others in congress in the fight to improve our nations Behavioral Health system. Marks leadership, nabh paul the way for the neechy Mental Mental Health nd act. E supported patients and communities act. Marks leadership in Coalition Building as well as his work to relationships both in the field and in congress explain why hes been time at ive during his nabh. Today, i join others in the community in thanking mark coble for his decades of leadership, dedication and passion for millions of americans have access to quality Mental Health and Addiction Treatment services. Certainly miss marks contributions and wish him well in his next phase of life. With that, madam speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman ohio seek recognition . I ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Speaker. You, mr. Today, i rise to honor two Summit County deputies who went job and beyond their description to rescue an elderly fire. From a house on november 19, 2019, just before 10 00 p. M. , deputies boyd and bill were first to arrive on the scene when they yelling that the couple were still inside the in flames. Ed mr. Gonzalez while neither firefighters, are they felt compelled to help. The thick through smoke, they rescued them and their dog to safety. Hey were just fulfilling their job to sum imcounty. To Summit County. Showed the kindness, generosity and love of neighbor best of ects the northeast ohio. Thank you, chris and bill, for dedication to our community. Thank you and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition . I ask unanimous consent to body for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Speaker, i rise today to worgler spects to jim of williams, arizona. Sadly, jim passed away last month from a stroke. Known to many as doc, jim devoted his life to the health betterment of others. He served as an Army Physician and later as a doctor in several locations throughout the southwest. Including grand canyon clinic and Williams Health care center in my district. A lifelong mentor to others, jim yosemite d the National Park e. M. T. Training in 978, teaching advanced emergency medicine to park rangers. One of my proudest moments was f his proudest moments receiving an honorary park anger award and a new title, the rangers doctor. Well into retirement, jim worked his community, going to Great Lengths to recruit and areas. Doctors in rural always an optimist, jims family will be hong his honoring his wishes in holding a ceremony of his life in lieu of a funeral. Jim left an incredible mark on his loved ones and on state of arizona. Not soon be forgotten. Jims i are keeping family in our prayers this holiday season, and i hope all of you do. Back. You and i yield the speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition . Mr. Thompson mr. Speaker, request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. Withoutker pro tempore objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Thompson thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, food banks and food pantries play a valuable role in year long. Ties all around the holiday season, the in need is milies magnified. 1 million children were food insecured. Food insecurity is, quote, a lack of consistent access of active healthy life, end quote. Access to quality food and nutrition is necessary for families. As former chairman of the agriculture subcommittee on nutrition, this is an issue i passionately about. We can all help our neighbors in need by contributing to our food banks and food pantries by making a donation or time. Eering our just a small contribution and a few hours out of our day can ake a big difference in our communities. During this holiday season, it is especially important that we who have fallen on hard times. Thank you, mr. Speaker, and i ield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman sorry new jersey seek recognition . I ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, i rise today to for bold action to lower the cost of Prescription Drugs. Ive held 15 year, town halls across burlington and ocean counties and the number continue to hear about is the high cost of drugs and health care. We have a real chance right now pass critical legislation that will have a tangible and real impact on the lives of the people we serve. Kim by passing h. R. 3, we can help lower the cost of insulin for s like the 10s of thousands of tens f thousands of new jerseyians who are struggling with diabetes. We can save lives by making cancer medication more affordable. By passing h. R. 3, we can finally deliver comprehensive ental, vision, and hearing benefits for seniors under medicare, including over 130,000 people in our district. Passing h. R. 3, we can expand access to the medicare i ings program, a provision was proud to introduce and champion to help 3. 5 million afford Quality Health care. We must take big, bold action, our se the challenges that neighbors face in affording their health care is critical. I hope you will join me in and making an ll impact we can all be proud of. Thank you and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition . I ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Olson mr. Speaker, a texas legend, houston oiler coach bum philips, said this about hall of earl campbell. Quote, earl may not be a class himself, but whatever class hes in, it dont take long to roll, end quote. Apply to our rds etiring city manager alan bogart. Hes retiring after 19 years running our city. Sugarland is sugarland because of alan. Sugarland town bret , consolation field, minute maid headquarters to sugarland, made our airport one in their class in america. A. A. A. S while keeping an. A. A. Bond rating. On behalf of those that live in youve given us a motto for alltime. Sugar is so our have no equal. Back. D the speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman recognition . Seek i ask unanimous consent to address the house. Withoutker pro tempore objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Thank you, mr. Speaker. Rise in strong support of the Elijah Cummings lower drug costs act. Pinellas county residents, my bosses, are fed up with the high drugs. Prescription one young constituent said it best, taylor mckinney, you to choose between paying rent or paying for life. Taylor has ou see, type 1 diabetes, and when the insurance ran out, taylors had to pay 120 just for insulin. Ay supply of medicine she has to take every day simply to stay alive. A lifesaving drug shouldnt have a poisonous list price. Cosponsored h. R. 3 so that taylor can afford her insulin 600,000 of my constituents can get cheaper drugs. Doggett sponsored the amendment, because everyone, insurance,or without should be protected. Todays choice is quite simple. Stand for the people or you stand for big fapharmaceutical companies. For the people. Lower drug costs now. Back. D the speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from North Carolina seek recognition . For unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Thank you, mr. Speaker. To honor the life of scott brooks. And service of work ended tragically and senselessly early monday morning of this was murdered of business ince charlotte. Brooks sandwich house is an since 1973 run by scott and his twin brother david. Place. Modest buy a hop where you burger all the way and eat outside. I missed that treasure until three weeks ago when a friend lunch. Me there for scott spotted me as we came in and told the cashier, our house, not e on the because scott was a fan, but because he was a nice guy. Was holding down the fort hile david convoe lessed from an injury, thats what brothers like scott do. I could not know then that scott us all just n from 17 days later. m grateful for that brief meeting and for the opportunity to commemorate him to the history of our nation. And his wife and child should not be mourning him this day. Are. We all scott alan brooks, rest in peace. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous could be sent to address the house for one minute consent to address the house for one minute, to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Speaker, millions of americans are suffering from skyrocketing Prescription Drug prices. They have to choose between medicine and food. Or rent or utility bills. People are actually dying because theyve been forced to skip or reduce doses. Prices arent soaring because of the cost of developing Prescription Drugs. Some of these drugs are decades old. No. Prices are soaring because drug makers are jacking up prices wherever and whenever they can to maximize their profits. Mr. Doyle and they can do this because the United States is the only country in the world that subsidizes research on new drugs and then refuses to negotiate with drug makers for lower prices. This is insane. America shouldnt be dying because Drug Companies want bigger profits. Im supporting h. R. 3 because it will allow medicare to negotiate drug prices, cap annual price increases, set outofpocket maximums for seniors. It is way past Time Congress allowed medicare to negotiate for lower drug prices. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of h. R. 3 to lower drug costs now. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentlewoman from iowa seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Speaker, i rise today and call on congress to support our seniors and those on medicare by lowering the cost of Prescription Drugs. Seniors will get a 1. 6 cost of living increase this year, yet the cost of Prescription Drugs is expected to go up to 3. 8 . How can Older Americans on fixed income afford this . Mrs. Axne the answer is they cant. And we need us to act on this. Ive spoken with iowans who are rationing their medications or skipping meals just to cover the cost of the drugs they take. I heard from joan in West Des Moines who has an auto immune disease and her medication suddenly skyrocketed. But if she doesnt take it, shell need a liver transplant and she doesnt know how shes going to afford the medication. And john discovered his standard refill of insulin costs literally more than the price of gold. So something must change. Older americans need congress to act. And thats why im supporting h. R. 3, to protect our seniors. It means our Older Americans wont be robbed of their Retirement Savings and theyll live healthier lives. If you want to give seniors a healthier, happier, safer retirement, then i call on you to support this bill. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognize for one minute. Is recognized for one minute. Mr. Speaker, last week my state and our country lost three young and Remarkable Service members in a tragic Helicopter Crash out of st. Cloud, minnesota. Sergeant court plattenberg, james rogers jr. And chief warrant officer charles nord each served our country with valor and leave behind grieving families and friends and heartbroken communities. Mr. Phillips i recently flew with a crew from st. Cloud and lost my own father in a Helicopter Crash in the vietnam war back in 1969. So my heart is particularly heavy today for kaley nord, 2yearold lydia and her soon to be born sibling, both of whom will grow up without a father. But we will never forget and we will carry their legacies forward in the spirit of service, duty and, above all else, sacrifice. May their memories be a blessing. And i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition . I seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Speaker, Prescription Drug prices are out of control. Year after year we see prices rise, old drugs become unaffordable, and new drugs may cost more than a house. That is why i support h. R. 3, the Elijah Cummings lower drug costs now act. This bill would change the lives of the 89,000 seniors on part d in my district, and the over 600,000 people on private Health Insurance plans in my district. One of those in particular is liz. Liz lives in illinois and retired after 38 years of public service. In 2007 she had a double transplant, kidney and pancreas. Mr. Casten shes alive today for two reasons. One is the generosity of a donor and the second, the antirejection drugs she has to take to keep her alive. Those drugs alone cost 662 every three months, out of pocket. But because she needs additional medications, she hits the Medicare Coverage gap where shes on the hook for the balance of her costs. H. R. 3 would be a game changer for liz. Would lower her Prescription Drug costs to 2,000, because h. R. 3 would create, for the first time, a cap on how much seniors need to pay out of pocket in medicare. It would make sure that the drugs she needs to survive do not increase above the rate of inflation. For liz and for the millions of other americans who face highpriced medicines we must pass h. R. 3. Thank you, and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentlewoman from illinois seek recognition . I seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. Thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today is a historic day for patients in this country because today we will be voting for a piece of legislation that my community in illinois wants urgently. It cannot wait. Ms. Underwood i hear about unfortunate and unaffordably high drug prices every time im home. Recently a 15yearold boy in my district who relies on insulin wrote to me, im concerned with what my future holds. I need this medicine to live and if the costs continue to rise, im afraid that one day i wont be able to get the medicine and i will die. No one should be thinking about the possibility of death because they cant afford a common lifesaving medication and the lower drug costs now act delivers the reforms we critically need. Because the bill reduces outofpocket costs for Prescription Drugs, it creates a new 2,000 outofpocket limit for seniors, it allows the secretary of health and Human Services to negotiate a fair price for the highest cost drugs which reduce private insurance premiums and outofpocket costs. This legislation also incorporates my bill to prevent Drug Companies from taking outrageous unfair price hikes and with the savings from lower drug costs, we reinvest in medicare, expanded muchneeded hearing, dental and Vision Services to seniors. Im proud of this bill, its a product of countless hours of research and negotiation, and i would like to thank the committee chairs, leadership, members and the staff who made it possible. And i yield back. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition . I ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Takano thank you, mr. Speaker. Americans are skipping their medications because the cost of Prescription Drugs is too expensive. This is immoral. Americans are going into debt because the cost of Prescription Drugs is too high. This is immoral. Americans pay four times more for the same drugs than those in other foreign countries, this is immoral. And that is why i rise today in strong support of h. R. 3, the elionela cummings lower drug Elijah Cummings lower drug cost now act, legislation that will lower the cost of Prescription Drugs for millions of americans and benefit nearly 500,000 people in my district. No one in america should have to ration their medicine. No one in america should have to travel to another country because the medication they need is too unaffordable here. We have a moral obligation to put the needs of American People above the agreed of the pharmaceutical industry. I urge all of my colleagues to vote in support of this critical piece of legislation. Thank you, and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentlewoman from New Hampshire seek recognition . Without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. Ms. Kuster thank you, mr. Chairman. I have long called for congress to take meaningful action to lower Prescription Drug costs by allowing the direct negotiation of Prescription Drug prices by medicare. So i am proud to cosponsor h. R. 3, the lower drug costs now act, and im pleased to see it includes my legislation, the respond now act, as the basis for muchneeded funding to combat the opioid epidemic. H. R. 3 provides 10 billion in direct funding, including investments directly into our communities who are on the front line of this epidemic. Im also grateful to see that h. R. 3 includes funding to support children impacted by this crisis so that they can access trauma informed practices in schools. Thank you, mr. Speaker, for the inclusion of this critical funding to help Granite State families and communities across this country. I urge my colleagues to vote yes on the bill. And i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from New Hampshire seek recognition . Mr. Pappas i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Pappas thank you, mr. Speaker. I rise today on behalf of communities across the nation that have been contaminated with pfas. Pfas represents a clear and present danger to families in my district and im disappointed that certain provisions to protect Public Health and our environment were abandoned by negotiators of the National Defense authorization act. Im encouraged that several pfasrelated provisions were included, like the one i introduced which creates a clearinghouse of information for affected Service Members and their families, and one that phases out the use of pfas and Fire Fighting foam by 2024. But congress should have seized the opportunity to go much further in protecting people from these toxic forever chemicals. Using provisions for Drinking Water standards, environmental protections and cleanup was a shameful missed opportunity. People are getting sick from pfas contamination and families are scared and theyre looking to us for answers. They need action now and we must continue to fight for health information, stricter regulations and mitigation so we can protect families, communities and the environment from pfas. This fight is just beginning. And i look forward to working with my colleagues of both parties to pass additional legislation. Thank you, and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman rom colorado seek recognition . Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Speaker, i rise today in support of h. R. 3, the elijah e. Cummings lower drug costs now act. For too long we have seen the influence of big pharma on this chamber. Mr. Crow for every member of congress, there are three industry lobbyists looking to buy their vote. Meanwhile, back home in colorado, one in three of my constituents cant afford to pay for their medication. It needs to stop. Im proud to have helped introduce a provision to h. R. 3 that would prevent big pharma from raising the cost of Prescription Drugs past the rate of inflation. I stand here today for the 300,000 coloradans with diabetes who will save 75 on their insulin. I stand here today for the 400,000 coloradans with asthma who will save 80 on their prescriptions. And tomorrow i will cast my vote for my constituents, people like sue of aurora, who after seeing her insulin increase by 500 , was forced to ration her medicine, resulting in an user. Her story is the story of so many coloradans. The time is now to deliver on our promise to reduce the cost of Prescription Drugs. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore thank you. For what purpose does the gentlewoman from new jersey seek recognition . Without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. Ms. Sherrill thank you, mr. Speaker. On this sixth day of salt, my constituents have said to me that they want me to read a resolution from the new Jersey State League of municipalities. In a unanimous, bipartisan resolution signed this month, the mayors of new jersey urged congress to act on salt. Today id like to read part of this resolution into the record. New Jersey State League of municipalities conference resolution number 201914. Whereas our Tax Obligation is an issue that concerns all residents in every municipality in the state of new jersey, and whereas many new jersey families relied on the federal salt deduction to ensure tax fairness and capping the salt deduction has placed an unfair burden on new jersey homeowners. And whereas the salt deduction cap presents a barrier to affordable Home Ownership in new jersey, impacting the ability of new young families to prosper in the future, now therefore be it resolved that the new Jersey State League of municipalities in conference sameabled urges congress to restore the full salt deduction and provide more equitable taxation once again to the residents of new jersey. Mr. Speaker, its time to listen to our local elected officials and id like to thank the councilwoman for leading this resolution. Thank you and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the chair lays before the house a communication. The honorable the speaker, house of representativ representatives, madam, pursuant to the permission granted in rule 2 of the rules of the u. S. House of representatives, the clerk received the following message the secretary of the senate n december 11, 2019, at 9 20 a. M. , that the Senate Passed 2740. With best wishes i am, signed cheryl l. Johnson. The speaker pro tempore the chair lays before the house a communication. The clerk the honorable the speaker, house of representatives, madam, pursuant to the permission granted in lause 2h of rule 2 of the rules of the u. S. House of representatives, the clerk received the following message from the secretary of the senate 2019, at 9 46 a. M. That the Senate Passed without h. R. 4566, that the without amendment h. R. 5363. Signed t wishes i am, sincerely, cheryl l. Johnson. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the entlewoman from florida seek recognition . By thelala mr. Speaker, direction of the committee on rules, i call up house and ask for its immediate consideration. The speaker pro tempore the lerk will report the resolution. The clerk house calendar number 59, House Resolution 758, resolved, that at any time after adoption of this resolution the speaker may, pursuant to clause 2b of rule 18, declare the house resolved into the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for consideration of the bill h. R. 3, to establish a fair price negotiation program, protect the Medicare Program from excessive price increases, and establish an outofpocket maximum for Medicare Part d enrollees, and for other purposes. The First Reading of the bill shall be dispensed with. All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. General debate shall be confined to the bill and shall not exceed four hours, with three hours equally divided among and controlled by the respective chairs and ranking minority members of the committees on education and labor, energy and commerce, and ways and means, and one hour equally divided and controlled by the majority leader and the minority leader or their respective designees. After general debate the bill shall be considered for amendment under the fiveminute rule. In lieu of the amendment s in the nature of a substitute recommended by the committees on education and labor, energy and commerce, and ways and means now printed in the bill, an amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of rules Committee Print 11641, modified by the amendment printed in part a of the report of the committee on rules accompanying this resolution, shall be considered as adopted in the house and in the committee of the whole. The bill, as amended, shall be considered as the original bill for the purpose of further amendment under the fiveminute rule and shall be considered as read. All points of order against provisions in the bill, as amended, are waived. No further amendment to the bill, as amended, shall be in order except those printed in part b of the report of the committee on rules. Each such further amendment may be offered only in the order printed in the report, may be offered only by a member designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for the time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question in the house or in the committee of the whole. All points of order against such further amendments are waived. At the conclusion of consideration of the bill for amendment the Committee Shall rise and report the bill, as amended, to the house with such further amendments as may have been adopted. The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill, as amended, and on any further amendment thereto to final passage without intervening motion except one motion to recommit with or without instructions. Section 2, upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to consider in the house the bill h. R. 5038, to amend the immigration and nationality act to provide for terms and conditions for nonimmigrant workers performing Agricultural Labor or services, and for other purposes. All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. In lieu of the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the committee on the judiciary now printed in the bill, an amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of rules Committee Print 11642, modified by the amendment printed in part c of the report of the committee on rules accompanying this resolution, shall be considered as adopted. The bill, as amended, shall be considered as read. All points of order against provisions in the bill, as amended, are waived. The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill, as amended, and on any further amendment thereto, to final passage without intervening motion except, one, one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on the judiciary, and two, one motion to recommit with or without instructions. Section 3, upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to consider the conference accompany the bill senate 1790, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2020 for military activities of the department of defense, for military construction, and for Defense Activities of the department of energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes. All points of order against the conference report and against its consideration are waived. The conference report shall be considered as read. The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the conference report to its adoption without intervening motion except, one, one hour of debate, and two, one motion to recommit if applicable. Section 4, the chair of the Permanent Select Committee on intelligence may insert in the congressional record not later than december 13, 2019, such material as he may deem explanatory of intelligence authorization measures for the fiscal years 2018, 2019, and 2020. Section 5, it shall be in order at any time through the legislative day of december 20, 2019, for the speaker to entertain motions that the house suspend the rules as though under clause 1 of rule 15. The speaker or her designee shall consult with the minority leader or his designee on the designation of any matter for consideration pursuant to this section. Section 6, the requirement of clause 6a of rule 13 for a 2 3 vote to consider a report from the committee on rules on the same day it is presented to the house is waived with respect to any resolution reported through the legislative day of december 20, 2019. Section 7, on any legislative day of the first session of the 116th congress after december 12, 2019, a, the journal of the proceedings of the previous day shall be considered as approved, and b, the chair may at any time declare the house adjourned to meet at a date and time, within the limits of clause 4, section 5, article 1 of the constitution, to be announced by the chair in declaring the adjournment. Section 8, on any legislative day of the second session of the 116th congress before january 7, 2020, a, the speaker may dispense with organizational and legislative business, b, the journal of the proceedings of the previous day shall be considered as approved if applicable, and c, the chair may at any time declare the house adjourned to meet at a date and time, within the limits of clause 4, section 5, article 1 of the constitution, to be announced by the chair in declaring the adjournment. The speaker may appoint members to perform the duties of the chair for the duration of the periods addressed by sections 7 and 8 of this resolution as though under clause 8a of rule 1. Section 10, each day during the periods addressed by sections 7 and 8 of this resolution shall not constitute a calendar day for purposes of section 7 of the war powers resolution, 50 United States code 1546. Section 11, each day during the periods addressed by sections 7 and 8 of this resolution shall not constitute a legislative day for purposes of clause 7 of rule 13. Section 12, each day during the periods addressed by sections 7 and 8 of this resolution shall not constitute a legislative day for purposes of clause 7 of rule 15. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from florida is hour. Ized for one ms. Shalala mr. Speaker, for the purposes of debate only, i 30 minutes stomary , the gentleman from texas pending which i yield myself such time as i may consume. During consideration of this yielded is all time for the purpose of debate only. Ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and. Xtend their remarks the speaker pro tempore without objection. Ms. Shalala mr. Speaker, on committee met es and reported a rule, house 758, providing for theconsideration of h. R. 3, elijah e. Cummings lower drug 5038, ow act, and h. R. The Farm Workforce modernization act, and the conference report 1790, the y s. National Defense Authorization year 2020. Cal the rule provides for 3 under a on of h. R. Structured rule and makes in amendments, including the republican substitute. He rule provides four hours of general debate with three hours equally divided among and and theed by the chairs ranking minority members of the committee on education and energy and commerce, ways and one hour equally divided and controlled by the majority leader and minority leader. Rule also provides a motion to recommit. He rule provides for consideration of h. R. 5038 under closed rule, with one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and the judiciary ber of the committee. It also provides a motion to recommit. Further provides for consideration of the conference accompany s. 1790 with motion of debate and a to recommit, if applicable. The rule also authorizes the of the Intelligence Committee to insert in the explanatoryl record statements as he deems necessary. The rule provides housekeeping items to close out he first session of this congress, such as sameday authority, suspension authority, work period instructions, and language to convene the second session of 116th congress on january 7. Speaker, i rise today in in ng support of the bills this rule. Times iner, only a few our history has Congress Come ogether to pass legislation to dramatically improve the life of every american. Social security, medicare, childrens Health Insurance program, the americans act, medicares drug benefit and, of course, the act. Dable care we change lives. We save lives. Now we continue that work ith h. R. 3, the elijah e. Cummings lower drug costs now act. Will ssage of this bill take this legislation forward to those momentus commitments and security of all momentous commitments to he health and security of all americans. Mr. Speaker, we pay more for Prescription Drugs than any other country on earth. We have made incredible advances in medical science and developed not only for our own people but also for the rest of the world. And yet, even when our own researchers and scientists have lives to their creating lifesaving drugs, too fellow americans cant afford to benefit from their brilliance. In the United States today, a condition a chronic can force you into bankruptcy or require you to choose between medicine or paying for food or rent. H. R. 3 makes fundamental reforms to reduce prices, to keep the cost hikes to no more than inflation, outofpocket costs for those on medicare, employer plans, and private Health Insurance. Patient ecure these protections, we will require our overnment to negotiate prices directly with Drug Companies. As speaker, i served secretary of health and Human Services for eight years in the administration. I repeatedly asked for the with drug negotiate companies. Nly Drug Companies get to come to medicare and set their own prices. To do that. Nt get doctors dont get to do that. Agencies dont get to do that. Medical equipment providers that. Get to do negotiation is the hallmark of Good Governance and a standard feature of government policy. Mr. Speaker, we negotiate for everything. Including military equipment and work with contractors. If we can negotiate for big ships, we can negotiate for little pills. It is only Drug Companies that are able to write themselves a blank check from our taxpayers. Our legislation ends that practice. Now it is the time to join every other country on earth in allowing our government to bargain for better prices and to put a cap on our outofpocket costs. As citizens, weve always been willing to subsidize poorer countries. But subsidizing england and france and canada and germany, australia and japan, sweden and norway and denmark is not our responsibility. We are not their deep pockets. Mr. Speaker, we should not pay substantially more for the same medicines that people in those countries than people in those countries. The current broken system is costing our families and businesses hundreds of billions of dollars. We must not accept this waste or this unfairness any longer. Our bill is a solid plan to reduce outofpocket Health Care Costs for every american and it will create a huge savings for taxpayers. These savings will allow us to make significant investments in the extraordinary biomedical science institutions that foster innovation, such as the National Institutes of health and our Great Research universities. These savings will allow us to modernize medicare, hearing and vision benefits and dental coverage. This bill will expand our capacity for innovation and make Drug Companies more efficient. H. R. 3 is a historic step forward and it will make all of our lives better. Mr. Speaker, this rule also contains the bipartisan Farm Work Force Modernization act of 2019. This bill empowers families to build lives in the United States without the constant fear of being uprooted. It prioritizes the wellbeing of immigrant families, many of whom provide essential support for our nations agricultural sector. This bill is an important step forward in improving our immigration system, in helping to make sure that we treat everyone with compassion and dignity. Finally, this rule also allows for consideration of the National Defense authorization act conference report. The first ndaa under our new democratic majority fulfills one of Congress Crucial constitutional duties, providing for the common defense of our nation. The final conference report delivers a wide ranging list of priorities. The american priorities the American People strongly support. Such as paid parental leave, the end of the widows tax, Better Services to our men and women in uniform, and protections for dreamers. This report is a product of months of hard work by chairman smith and members of the committee and will undoubtedly keep our country safe. Mr. Speaker, i proudly support these historic steps forward. Lets pass this rule and these bills. Mr. Speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from florida reserves. The gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Burgess thank you, mr. Speaker. I thank ms. Shalala for yielding me the customary 30 minutes and i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Ms. Shalala mr. Speaker, today were considering a bill that does a lot of things. And if nothing else, this should be an object lesson on why you dont leave everything to the last minute. Because indeed thats what we have done in this year, in this session of congress. So, weve got a rule that has three fairly different bills contained. Were considering a bill to reform the h2a guest worker programs, the National Defense authorization conference report, and h. R. 3, a bill that will limit american patients from treatments and cures of tomorrow. H. R. 5038, the Farm Work Force Modernization act, allows aliens that have worked in the United States for 180 days, are deportable or have been continually present, to be granted certified agricultural work status. The status may also be extended to a recipients spouse and children. Certified workers can then apply for a green card path to citizenship and are not counted toward the statutory cap. In addition, the bill would subject h2a users to a private right of action and will not provide longterm wage relief. While the h2a guest Worker Visa Program arguably needs reform, this bill expands the ability to be a strain obtain legal status without adequate requirements, documentation or protections for the h2a program users. The other bill provides Security Assistance to our allies and holds the pentagon accountable through reports on auditability. The bill also protects the homeland by including my language to require an effort to identify hostile International Mobile subscriber identity catchers, known as stingrays, which are used to locate and spy on americans. Last, the ndaa repeals the widows tax and prohibits the use of a chemical compound known as pfas in Fire Fighting foam after october, 2024. I am pleased that we were able to reach an agreement to maintain the Strongest Military in the world. Now lets turn to h. R. 3. The third bill that is being contained in this rather wideranging rule. This bill attempts to address the high cost of drugs, a goal of which i am supportive, but this bill severely limits Patient Access to potentially new lifesaving drugs. Republicans have offered a substitute bill, h. R. 19, the lower costs, more cures act of 2019, that includes bipartisan policies to lower drug costs for americans. There are a lot of reasons that members should support h. R. 19, which will now be our amendment in the nature of a substitute, but since it is h. R. 19, let me limit myself to 19 reasons. One, h. R. 19 will lower drug costs for american patients while protecting access to new treatments and cures. Two, h. R. 19 is bipartisan, including more than 40 drug pricing policies that have passed through house and Senate Committees this year. Three, h. R. 19 would pass could pass both chambers of congress and be signed into law in calendar year 2019. Number four, h. R. 19 will cap outofpocket costs in Medicare Part d for seniors at 3,100 per year, ensuring protection from the high cost encountered with Prescription Drugs. Number five, h. R. 19 saves money for patients and their families rather than saving money just for the government. Six, h. R. 19 includes policies such as the creates act and pay for delay, to prevent pharmaceutical companies from gaming the system. Number seven, h. R. 19 promotes healthy competition for lowercost generics. Number eight, h. R. 19 corrects for the increased threshold it takes to reach catastrophic coverage in part d, which is not yet fixed for planned year 2020. This bill will provide seniors with a refund in 2020 for costs they should never have had to incur in the first place. Nine, h. R. 19 strengthens transparency and accountability in the existing drug pricing system. 10, h. R. 19 lowers the cost of insulin by capping costs for seniors in Medicare Part d at 50 per month, and adding additional incentives for insurers to cover their fair share of insulin costs. 11, hrment r. H. R. 19 lowers the cost of Drug Administration by not paying drastically more for the same service, whether it is provided in a hospital or other more traditionally expensive environments. The socalled siteneutral provision. Number 12, h. R. 19 establishes a new negotiator at the United States trade representative to ensure that america is not subsidizing the worlds drug costs. Number 13, h. R. 19 makes permanent a threshold of 7 been 5 of the a 7. 5 of the adjusted gross income for purposes of the medical expense Tax Deduction in the Internal Revenue code. Recall that under the Affordable Care act, this threshold was increased to 10 , which many seniors found onerous. It was reduced, if the passage of the jobs tax cut and jobs act of 2017, to the threshold of 7. 5 , but that threshold then expires and it goes reverts back to the 10 threshold at the end of this year. This would make that permanent. Number 14, h. R. 19 requires pricing information in direct to consumer advertisements. Number 15, h. R. 19 cracks down on pharmacy benefit managers by requiring more transparency in the reporting of aggregate rebates, discounts and other price concessions. 16, h. R. 19 helps access to Prescription Drugs in rural areas by reforming direct and indirect remuneration fees. The socalled dreaded d. I. R. Fee clawback that every Community Pharmacist dislikes so intensely. 17, h. R. 19 increases transparency into patient listings so that manufacturers of generics patent listing so that manufacturers of generics and biosims will have adequate information to enter the market. 18, h. R. 19 removes uncertainty at the pharmacy counter by requiring Insurance Companies to provide pricing information to doctors so that patients and their doctors can have discussions about what medicine is best for them and what the cost will be. Finally, number 19, h. R. 19 allows biomedical innovation to continue to thrive, it does not abandon the success of the 21st century cures bill. It lowers drug costs for americans while maintaining access to drugs that exist now and ensuring that that access is sustained in the future. Well, there are many more than three reasons to oppose h. R. 3, but lets limit ourselves to three reasons so compelling that really you shouldnt need to go into any more. Number one, the Congressional Budget Office, the council of economic advisors and the California Life Science Association have found that h. R. 3 will result in fewer drugs for americans. Theres no way to predict what these fewer drugs could what could be included in this fewer drugs. Could be the cure for alzheimers, could be the cure for a. L. S. , could be the cure for pancreatic cancer. There is some disparity of the number of cures that would be lost with the passage of this bill, but heres the central thesis. Every organization that has looked at this has said that there will be fewer drugs introduced after the passage of this bill. In addition, access to drugs that help procure or maintain a healthy life would be at risk. The six referenced countries in h. R. 3 have 30 to 60 fewer new medications than the United States of america. This is what is at stake today. H. R. 3 claims to negotiate drug excise but with a 95 tax for manufacturers who fail to reach a price agreement with the government, it is more akin to a hostage taking and then shooting the hostage. There are concerns this is unconstitutional under the takings clause of the constitution, this takeover of the entire drug industry in the United States is not only bad policy, but may be constitutionally perilous. Interestingly enough, when this bill was marked up in our committee, one of our members on the republican side spoke to this issue, tried to offer an amendment that would have provided severability so if the law was found to be unconstitutional, the part that was unconstitutional could be struck down and the rest could stand, but for whatever reason, the majority rejected that amendment and it was defeated on a party line vote. Number three, h. R. 3 will never become law. The majority leader in the other body said it is dead on arrival in the senate. And President Trump has related how h. R. 3 is not good for americans. I think it is important we fight or a world where research into lifethreatening illnesses never creases. With that, i urge opposition to the rule, opposition to underlying h. R. And i reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas reserves. The gentlewoman from florida is recognized. Ms. Shalala mr. Speaker, i yield two minutes to the the gentlewoman from california, the distinguished chair of the judiciary subcommittee on immigration and citizenship, mrs. Love green. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized. Ms. Lofgren a cause of joy for members on both sides of the aisle and for america, we have tried and failed for dozens of years to deal with the issue of the farm work force and never been able to get a majority vote on the floor of this house. This year, we tried a different approach. Starting last march, we had stakeholders, United Farmworkers Union and the growers and the farmers sit down together, listen to each other, understand each other and what their needs were. They were joined by a Bipartisan Group of members who cared about this issue and we came up with this bill, a compromise that does this, it secures the status of the million or so farmworkers who dont have their proper documentation by allowing them to get a certified agricultural worker visa that is renewable and ultimately, if they wish after a significant period of time, to apply for legal permanent residence. It streamlines the program so it works better for employers and works better for workers. E stabilize the wages. We allow the dairy industry to program s to the h2a and increase the availability of farm worker housing and lowering the cost to employers and once this is implemented, if you have a workable immigration system you ought to enforce. We implement everify after full implementation but only for the ag sector. Would like to know the aflcio, farm worker justice, the catholic bishops, over 300 agricultural organizations have asked that we pass this bill and i ask unanimous consent to put their letter into the record. Could i have an additional 15 seconds . Ms. Shalala yes. Ms. Lofgren i thank my colleague, mr. Nouse, mr. Impson, mr. Lamalfa, mr. Dediazbalart, mr. Costa, mr. Correa, ms. Escobar im going to get in trouble because there are more people than i can mention. This has been a very large bipartisan effort and should be a model how we can legislate and get something done for the American People. Nd i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from florida is recognized. Slal ms. Shalala i reserve. Mr. Burgess i yield two minutes to my good friend mr. Diazbalart, a valuable member of the appropriations committee. Mr. Diazbalart i rise in support of the underlying bill. Now, when you read the title maybe folks will think this is only an agricultural bill, but in reality, this bill helps to deal with a Vital National security issue, a stable supply of agriculture goods produced here in the United States of america. Not by a foreign power who does not have our interests in mind and could use our Food Security as a weapon. But, no. Agricultural products grown here by american patriotic farmers. And this issue will not happen by itself. The system that farmers now use for to get their work force when they are not able to find American Workers is absolutely broken. And its not responsive to the changing needs of our patriotic american farmers. That is why members from both sides of the aisle have come together with over 300 farming organizations to draft a bill that ensures that the United States of america, those who grow our food, will be able to continue to grow our food and have the adequate work force that they need. No bill is perfect and this one isnt either. Again, this bill, if it moves forward and gets to the president s desk and this bill, if it moves forward, can be changed and tweaked to make sure it gets to the president s desk. And if we dont do that, we will be letting down our farmers, letting them down one more time and opening up the door to a National Security threat that we do not need. I urge my colleagues to vote yes on the underlying bill. I would like to thank a few people. Food and Vegetables Association to ensure that Florida Agricultural interests were represented in the negotiations. I want to thank a few staffers nd i would like to thank david from the Judiciary Committee, who has been amazing all these years, terry from representative whouses staff and years trying to have solutions on an initiative that needs to take place. Thank you so much. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas reserves. The gentlewoman from florida is recognized. Ms. Shalala i thank the gentleman from florida, mr. Diazbalart, for representing florida in the negotiations so well. Mr. Speaker, i yield one minute to the gentleman from New Hampshire, mr. Pappas. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Pappas when i travel around New Hampshire asking constituents whats on their minds, no topic more urgent than combatting the skyrocketing cost of Prescription Drugs. Mother who shares a chronic condition with her daughter and has to decide whose prescription to fill because she cant fill both on her fixed income. Americans can no longer afford runaway costs. H. R. 3 makes reforms that dives down the cost of Prescription Drugs. This package includes my advancing enrollment in reducing drugs cost act which makes drugs more accessible for seniors and it automatically enrolls them in part d subsidy program. And its time to deliver transformational change and pass h. R. 3 to ensure the health and wellbeing of the American People. Thank you. And i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from florida reserves. The gentleman from texas. Mr. Burgess i yield myself 30 seconds. This bill, h. R. 3 runs the risk of quickly stifling innovation the new drug space, the Congressional Budget Office estimates it will have 15 fewer new drugs coming to market. Drugs are in the pipeline for longer and the average is 14 years, the second 10 years is the real risk where this bill becomes apparent. Next cure for alzheimers may be one of those that may be included in those list of drugs that are never developed. Thats why we need to defeat h. R. 3. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore gentleman reserves . Mr. Burgess reserve. Ms. Shalala i yield two minutes to the gentleman from vermont, mr. Welch. Mr. Welch today, the house is going to have an opportunity to do something that has long needed to be done and will benefit every single american in every single business that is providing Health Insurance for their valued employees. We have a chance to pass the Elijah Cummings lower Prescription Drug bill. Heres whats significant about it. But first a word about elijah. In april of 2017, we went to the white house and went to President Trump and said all the right things. Why cant we import safe medications, why cant we lower costs . Today, President Trump, we are going to do it. Two things finally being done, first, the house of representatives on behalf of all consumers, is going to allow the health and Human Services secretary to negotiate prices, not just pay the relationshipoff prices demanded. Second, we are adopting an idea that President Trump had, put a cap, 20 . We will not pay more than that what other countries pay for the same medication. President trump put it in a blunt way, we are suckers. We are putting a cap on that price. This will lower the cost of Prescription Drugs over 10 years by half a trillion dollars. Finally, our government is standing up on behalf of consumers and not protecting pharmaceuticals. What is inspiring about this, the benefits go to everyone. Employers in vermont want employees to have health care and the premiums keep going on up and up. So that means our employers are going to get the benefit of lower premiums. Our individuals are going to get the benefit of lower premiums drugs wont be getting killed on those. Insulin. Pass this for elijah. And i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. The gentlewoman from florida reserves. The gentleman from texas. Mr. Burgess im pleased to yield three minutes to the gentleman from washington state, mr. Newhouse, previous member of the rules committee. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Newhouse i want to thank my good friend from texas for yielding. I rise in strong support of h. R. 5083 important Farm Work Force Modernization act. This is important for my constituents and farmers and ranchers across the country. Im grateful for representative lofgren for including republicans in these negotiations and bringing together a diverse Bipartisan Group of members of congress, agricultural stakeholders, farmers and producers, labor unions and farm worker organizations to write a piece of legislation ta will go a long way toward providing certainty for our ag industry. The house has failed to address ag labor reform since 1986. The crisis facing farmers has been exacerbated and the need for fixes has been more clear. We have the opportunity to bring relief to farmers and ranchers, not just those i represent, but the Dairy Farmers in wisconsin, indiana, ohio, michigan and the northeast, new york and maine. The peach orchards of georgia and South Carolina and orange groves of texas and salad bowl of california and arizona. Like pass efforts, this bill may not be the perfect solution, but it is a significant improvement over the status quo. This legislation stabilizes our current work force by implementing the first of its kind meritbased Immigration Program who have spent decades. The bill streamlines our program and reduces the bureaucratic red tape and addresses rising cost of guest worker wages and implements everify for the ag industry, something republicans have been asking for. Despite the progress this legislation makes, there is still work to do. It does not address every sector of our nations ag industry and still have to find a solution for our processors and improve housing options. There are many aspects we must Work Together to fix. A yes vote today on this bill is a vote to continue the process and get this bill to the senate. I want to thank the staff, travis, terry and david and betsy. Many people put a lot of time into this effort. Our farmers and ranchers desperately need relief. Men and women need certainty. This bill is the first step. I urge my colleagues to vote for the underlying legislation and encourage their input as we continue to perfect the bill and send it to the president s desk. Mr. Speaker, tank you, and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentlewoman from florida is reckfiesed. Ms. Shalala i yield two minutes to the gentleman from texas, mr. Doggett. Mr. Doggett for those who are insured and rely on insulin or are fortunate enough to win the lottery to have their drugs selected to be negotiated, this is a valuable piece of legislation. But for 30 million americans who are uninsured, they are denied any guarantee of lower prices. Inexplicably, this rule rejects a propose albie me and proposal by me and 28 of our other colleagues to provide relief for the uninsured. It bars all of my amendments to improve h. R. 3, including those that address outrageous new drug launch prices, price spike protection, which, price spikes occurring at an alarming rate, by the thousands, and assuring negotiation for those drugs where the taxpayers are actually picking up the tab to finance the research that produces the drug. Of all of these, the most troubling concerns the uninsured. U. S. A. Today just published a powerful oped by nicole smith holt. Its entitled, my son died from rationing insulin, democratic drug pricing plan still wouldnt help him. She writes of her son, age 26, who aged out of his parents insurance and had a job with no benefits. She expresses the same concern that a group of michigan High Schoolers recently wrote me about in a compelling article that they are raising money to help those who lack insurance by their buy their drugs, saying drug manufacturers should not be able to determine who does and who does not get better, everyone deserves to be healthy and everyone deserves to be helped by our legislation. But some are left out. My goal has never been to turn this bill to the right or to the left, but to deal with those and provide assurances to those who have been left out by it. Under this legislation, it will still remain illegal, a violation of federal law, to negotiate lower drug prices on 2 3 of the drugs may i have another half a minute . Ms. Shalala i yield a half minute to the gentleman. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Doggett it remains illegal to negotiate on 2 3 of the drugs that are covered by medicare. Prescription drug price gouging enabled by government approved monopolies without any restraint is not limited to one disease or one class of drugs. The perfect should certainly not get in the way of the good in drafting such legislation. But we should be doing more to deliver the good we promised. I reluctantly oppose this rule and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman reserves the balance of her time. The gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Burgess yes, mr. Speaker. Let me yield myself 30 seconds. Mr. Speaker, i wanted to share a letter that i received, this is from a woman who had lost her daughter to suicide following an episode of severe postpartum depression. She writes that after many long years of research and development on 319, calendar year 2019, the food and Drug Administration approved the first medicine to successfully treat moderate to severe postpartum depression worldwide. Its a 60hour i. V. Treatment administered at a vertified hospital setting, in as effective as effective in as little as 20 hours. Had this medicine been available, i feel my daughter would be alive today. I reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentlewoman from florida is recognized. Ms. Shalala mr. Speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from florida, ms. Castor. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized. Ms. Castor thank you, mr. Speaker. I want to thank my colleague from florida, ms. Shalala, for yielding time. And also for your leadership throughout the years in fighting to keep drug costs low. It really matters to families all across this country. I feel like shouting this from the top of the capitol dome. Were going to pass a bill that will allow medicare to negotiate drug prices in america. This is kind of an allamerican concept. Isnt it . Negotiate fair prices. But for too long bill pharma, these Drug Companies, have gouged American Families and consumers. And theyve taken advantage of it, havent they . I mean, these prices are astronomical. Families across america are often paying four, five, 10 times the amount for their prescriptions than families in other countries. Thats not right. And its especially not right in this country where its the u. S. Taxpayer that is often providing the funding for the basic research to develop these drugs. So lets all shout it from the capitol dome. The very top. Were going to allow were going to direct medicare to negotiate prices to bring the cost of Prescription Drugs down. Were going to not just contain that in medicare, but make sure that it is spread and those cost savings are realized for all of the families who rely on private insurance. And then with the billions of dollars in savings, were going to improve medicare. For a long time medicare has not provided comprehensive benefits for vision, for hearing, for dental care. These are fundaMental Health services. So what a winning proposition for American Families. And im so proud that it is the democrats in our new majority that can deliver on this promise for the people, lower drug costs now. Thank you, and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from florida reserves. The gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Burgess thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as i may consume. If we defeat the previous question, republicans will amend the rule immediately to consider h. R. 2207, the protect medical innovation act of 2019. This bill, which now has 256 bipartisan cosponsors, will repeal the excise tax on medical devices that is set to go into effect january 1, 2020. Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent to insert the text of this amendment in the record, along with extraneous material immediately prior to the vote on the previous question. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Burgess now, mr. Speaker, im happy to yield two minutes to my good friend, the gentlelady from indiana, a valuable member of the energy and commerce committee. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized. Mr. Brooks mr. Speaker, if we defeat the previous question we can move to pass h. R. 2207. Why is it so important that we repeal this disastrous medical device tax . Since 2013, when i came to congress, my colleagues and i across the aisle have worked in a bipartisan way to delay and ultimately defeat this disastrous tax. And why is that so important . Its not just about the economics of a tax, it is about patients. This is about innovation for patients and higher taxes means fewer innovations will be developed for patients, fewer lives will be saved. Mrs. Brooks because when we tax this critical industry, it will make it harder for them to come up with and fund the next lifesaving technology. Tell that to the over Million People a year worldwide who receive implants with pace makers. These folks rely on these life saving devices. So many of the innovations will not come to market. Medical devices allow patients to undergo fewer intensive procedures with shorter hospitalizations and rehabilitation time, which ultimately lowers the overall cost of patient care. And beyond patient care, this is an amazing industry and if we tax these businesses, jobs will be lost. We already know that when the tax was in place, 29,000 job losses took place in this industry. These are highpaying jobs in states across the country. Indiana is one of the top states in the country to have these types of medical device jobs. These pay 30 higher. The degree of expertise and the skill of these workers, particularly in the area of research and development and manufacturing, sun believable. And these people is unbelievable. And these people work day in and day out to provide better medical devices to consumers, not just here in this country, but around the globe. So, reinstating this medical device tax, which will take place on january 1 of 2020, will hurt the success not just of these businesses, but it will roll back innovations, stifle r d of these life saving and life altering medical advances. We have a chance with 256 cosponsors to stand together and repeal this tax and i urge this body to pass the repeal of medical device tax and i yield back. Mr. Burgess ill reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentlewoman from florida is recognized. Ms. Shalala mr. Speaker, i yield one minute to the gentlewoman from massachusetts, mrs. Trahan. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized. Mrs. Trahan thank you, mr. Speaker. I want to thank my colleague from florida for yielding. Today the house considers historic legislation to lower Prescription Drug prices and deliver a transformational extension to medicare under h. R. 3, the elijah e. Cummings lower drug costs now act. The namesake of this bill inspired many members of this body, myself included, to act boldly on behalf of working families like the one i grew up in. It is time to flip the status quo on a system that has pocketed billions off the backs of patients like my dad who suffer from chronic diseases like m. S. I am proud to have champions a provision which added a critical lesker of transparency and accountability by requiring a g. A. O. Study on the negotiation program, essentially ensuring that there is no unfair manipulation or gaming at play. While i regret that my amendment to support baseline knowledge of addiction among prescribers rs prescribers was not made in order, i look forward to supporting this important bill. Im grateful to leadership, my colleagues and the committees of jurisdiction for bringing us all here to this point today. Thank you, and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from florida reserves. The gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Burgess thank you, mr. Speaker. At this time im pleased to yield to the gentleman from indiana, mr. Baird, 1 1 2 minutes to speak on the amendment as part of the defeat of the previous question. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Baird i thank the Ranking Member for yielding. Mr. Speaker, i rise today in support of the 60,000 direct and indirect jobs that the medical Device Industry brings to my home state. The last four years, congress has worked together to continually suspend the medical device tax because they know that it doesnt make sense. This tax damages our manufacturing sector, it rise raises health care prices, and it hurts highpaying jobs. What our medical Device Industry needs more than anything is certainty. Theres been enough upheaval in our Health Care System over the last decade to last us a lifetime. Lets show our support to the hardworking americans, good jobs, the patients and employers and permanently repeal this tax. Thank you, mr. Speaker. And i yield back the balance of my time. Mr. Burgess ill reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentlewoman from texas florida is recognized. Ms. Shalala mr. Speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from california, mr. Correa. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Correa thank you, i rise in support of this act. I want to thank representative lofgren for your leadership, as well as colleagues on both sides of the aisle, for making this vote today happen. It will be a historical vote. California, my home state, is our nations bread basket. Yet over 40 of californias farms dont have the work force they need to feed our population. The same is true for many farms across the country who depend on skilled immigrant farm workers. These men and women work in our fields to plant, care andujar vest our produce that feed our families, both in the u. S. And internationally. They do good work, good, honest work, but live in an uncertain situation. Farm owners and farm workers agree that this reform is desperately needed. This bill offers a stable work force for our farmers who need to compete in the global food markets and provides an earned legal status for farm workers. I urge passage of h. R. 5038 and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman reserves the balance of her time. The gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Burgess thank you, mr. Speaker. Continuing our speakers on the defeat of the previous question and in support of their amendment, i yield one minute to my good friend, representative from indiana, dr. Bucshon. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Bucshon mr. Speaker, there are over 150 medical Device Companies in the state of indiana, representing more than 20,000 jobs. These are highpaying, stable jobs with more than 1 billion in indiana payrolls. But more importantly, they provide lifesaving products for the american consumer. As a physician, i know the importance of the innovation and the technological advances these companies provide. And the medical device tax is an onerous tax thats helping to stymie this innovation and technology. By defeating the previous question, we can bring up h. R. 2207, the protect misdemeanor cal innovation act of medical innovation act of 2019, and permanently repeal the onerous excise tax on the sale of medical devices in our country. This will allow for more treatments and this will allow for more cures. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore ms. Shalala i yield two minutes to the the gentlewoman from california. Ms. Lofgren mr. Speaker, i just wanted to make a few additional comments on the Farm Workforce modernization act since the gentlelady from florida had a little bit of time to provide. There has been some who criticize, i think incorrectly that the bill does not actually tabilize wages in the h. 2a program. That is incorrect. The bargain made by the United Farmworkers Union and various employer groups was to first freeze wages for one year and cond dearl to limit how fast wages could rise or how low they could go to 1. 5 . And also to preclude changes in the middle of a contract so there would be stability. So i just wanted to get that issue out on the table, people who misunderstand it will be relieved to know that is not correct. I wanted to address another sue which has to do with the legalization provision. We have several million farmworkers in the United States today. Half of them dont have their proper papers. They are living in the state of fear. I was out in the central valley. These are hardworking people and have been here for decades. There is no line for them to get legal. They are afraid to go to mass. This allows them to apply for an agricultural worker visa that is renewable and allows them to go back and forth if they need to countryfuneral to their of birth and allows them to legally work. After an extended period of time, if they want they can apply to be a legal permanent resident of the United States or stay in their temporary visa. Their families are included because we should not be in in the business of breaking up hardworking families. I would just like to note that this bill is the product of a lot of time. It was introduced in october. It was marked up in the Judiciary Committee before thanksgiving and here we are today. Not that far from christmas. Finally, hopefully passing it, we have been in discussions with various senators. Theres nothing ever for sure with the United States senate, but i will say this. There is a recognition and interest that doing nothing is not acceptable for farmers or farmworkers. So i hope we can pass this bill today, and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman reserves. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas. Mr. Burgess if we defeat the previous question, i would like to yield two minutes to my friend from indiana. Mr. Pence as i think my colleague dr. Burgess for his leadership on this issue. I am proud to join 256 of my colleagues as a cosponsor of. R. 2207, the medical protect medical innovation act. I remind my fellow members that time is running out. We must repeal the medical device tax before it goes into effect on january 1, 2020. This bill has broad bipartisan support from members in both chambers who recognize the detrimental impact this tax has on constituents who rely on lifesaving medical devices or employed by the industry. If Congress Fails to act this year, the seemingly 2. 3 excise tax would have a Significant Impact on patients in the health care industry. The medical Device Industry mploys 400,000 hardworking americans including 20,000 hoosiers. 20,000 industry jobs were lost nationwide when the tax was in effect. 80 of these Manufacturing Companies are Small Businesses that need certainty and need certainty in order to continue their research and investment in critical lifesaving medical innovation. This is a tax on innovation and competitiveness, a tax on patients and a tax on working families. Its time to end this jobkilling tax once and for all. I urge my fellow members to vote know on the previous question, so we can support h. R. 2207. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentlewoman from florida. Ms. Shalala im prepared to close. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Burgess may i ask how much time i have remaining . The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas has 5 1 2 minutes. The gentlewoman from florida has 6 3 4 minutes. Mr. Burgess ill yield myself the balance of our time to close. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Burgess and i think, mr. Speaker, we have been hearing from our colleagues from indiana talking about excise tax on medical devices and how important it is to repeal that tax. That tax has been delayed several times but goes into effect january 1. Gross 2. 8 excise tax on receipts, we are talking about it in h. R. 3 a 95 excise tax. They are talking about the number of jobs killed with a 2. 8 fed ex ice tax, how many jobs are going to be lost with a 95 excise tax . This is not a good faith negotiation between the secretary of health and Human Services. This is akin to a hostage situation because the threat of that excise tax hangs over discussion. We have heard a lot about innovation. And let me share with you an excerpt from a letter that i received from a constituent after the introduction of h. R. 3. Letter goes, i started taking antidepressants since i was 15 and i have been hospitalized for three attempted suicides. Medication is possible through years of careful research, years of development and its in good supply because of a free market. If we had let this individual continues, if we allow h. R. 3 to pass into law, the medications that have helped me might not have existed and people like me would go without proper medication due to government overreach. Story is repeated over and over again. Mr. Speaker, Congress Passed at the end of the session in calendar year 2016 the last bill signed into law by president obama, cures for the 21st century. And you know what, mr. Speaker . Since the time the bill has been signed into law it has been impressive the number of new things that are coming onto the market and those new things just over the horizon. This bill, h. R. , strips that ability for cures for 21st century to deliver on the promise. Heres the good news. Rules committee in its wisdom made available an amendment in the nature of substitute and i discussed h. R. 19. The amendment in the fate of a substitute will be the text of h. R. 19. So members will have an opportunity to vote for bipartisan consensus agreements that will lower drug prices now, that will protect innovation in the future and most importantly, could be signed into law before the end of the year. Think about it. This is a deliverable that we have within our power to bring to the American People. We should not, we should not give up on that chance. In speaking against h. R. 3, the ndaa which is also included in this legislation, i do support. The guest worker bill, i cannot support. With that, mr. Speaker, i urge a no vote on the previous question. Lets take up the amendment on the excise tax on medical devices and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentlewoman from florida is recognized. Ms. Shalala i yield myself the remainder of my time. Iment gentlewoman is recognized. Ms. Shalala we heard doomsday predictions from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. Mr. Speaker, if i thought this bill would slow down or eliminate our brilliant Biomedical Research and development enterprise, i would not support it. Nothing could be further from the truth. The truth is that much of our drug innovation starts with our own governmentfunded research, paid for by the taxpayers, either at the National Institutes of health or at our Great Research universities, two of which i have led. This bill provides critical additional investments in n. I. H. , 10 billion to extend Research Investments in projects like cancer moonshot, to accelerate Cancer Research and make drug therapies available. It will help Fund Innovation and esearch for rare diseases, micro byal resistance. This bill makes explicit that pharmaceutical companies should be able to recoupe the cost of research and development and still make a profit. Nine out of 10 pharmaceuticals spend more on margetting sales and overhead than research. Maybe they wont be making as big a profit as they currently do, because theyll no longer be able to take the American People to the cleaners. But they will make a substantial profit. Medicare will continue to cover all of the drugs they cover today so that patients choices will not be limited. Rather patients choices will be expanded. Patients will no longer leaving drugs behind at the pharmacy counter because they cant afford them. Its time to end skyhigh drug prices and also time to reform medicare benefits for the 21st century and this bill does that by adding vision, dental and hearing benefits. Seniors have been asking this for a long time and the quality of life of millions of Medicare Beneficiaries will improve with access to these benefits. I look forward to the passage of the Farm Workforce modernization act and the conference report for the ndaa. These are bipartisan pieces of legislation that will improve our National Security and the lives of families and workers across this nation. Mr. Speaker, i urge a yes vote on the rule and the previous question. I yield back the balance of my time. And i move the previous question on the resolution. The speaker pro tempore the question is on ordering the previous question on the resolution. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. Mr. Burgess mr. Speaker, i ask for the yeas and nays. I clearly won that on a voice vote. 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 by electronic device. Pursuant to clause 9 of rule 20, this 15minute vote on ordering the previous question will then be followed by a fiveminute votes on adoption of the resolution, if ordered. And the motion to table, the motion to reconsider h. R. 1729. This is a 15minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc. , in cooperation with the United States house of representatives. 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