quality physicians, as she described finding a new doctor into certain areas of our economy. rural america, or urban america. because physicians come out of medical school with a lot of debt and it is just not practical for them to go into a practice, for example, or almost all of the patients are in the medicaid program. because medicaid does not pay well enough for them to feel like they can pay back their student loans. so i agree with everything she said. there are disparities, no doubt. rural, urban america, different ethnic groups and racial groups. there are disparities, we know this. it is factual. >> and we'll leave this here to keep our over 40-year commitment to congressional coverage. you can continue watching this on c-span now. the u.s. house about to gavel in. today, lawmakers will debate four years on mental health,

suicide prevention and child nutrition. live coverage of the house here on c-span.

the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the prayer will be offered by chaplain kibben. chaplain kibben: would you pray with me. almighty god, give us eyes of faith. like little one who is live with open hearts, open minds and open hands, remind us that as your children you welcome us into your arms and you hear our prayers.

restore to us if not the incense of the young for we have seen and heard and experienced too much to be that naive, then grant us the ability to trust you and the people and purpose you put before us. disspell our cynicism and hurt and open our hearts to your movement in our lives. enable us to be respectful of differences of opinion. relieve us of our need to dismiss people who disagree with us with labels and stereotypes. and open our minds to find not only our shared passions but the value of diversity in the health of our society. then encourage us to reach out in ways that will bolster up the other, for woe to the one who is alone and has no one to lift him up. woe, too, to the one whose helping hands are bound by fear and contempt. open our hands, that we would be a strength and encouragement to those around us.

we give you thanks for the blessings you bestow on each of your children, and we pray your blessing that through what we seek to accomplish today all would feel your loving embrace. in the name of the one who gives us life that we may live it abundantly, we pray. amen. the speaker pro tempore: thank you, chaplain kibben. pursuant to section 11-a of house resolution 188, the journal of the last day's proceedings is approved. the pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentlewoman from illinois, mrs. miller. mrs. miller: 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. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will receive a message. the messenger: madam speaker,

messages from the senate. the secretary: madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: madam secretary. the secretary: i have been directed by the senate to inform the house that the senate has passed s.671, an act to require the collection of voluntary feedback on services provided by agencies, and for other purposes, in which the concurrence of the house is requested. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will entertain up to 15 requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york 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. >> madam speaker, biomedical research can accelerate discoveries to abelievate human suffering due to illness if we allow. mr. higgins: the speed with which the covid-19 vaccines were developed using groundbreaking r.n.a. technologies was one of the most important my buyo

medical stand vancements in 100 years. by establishing the advance research agency for health, known as arpa-h, we can harness those lessons for new discoveries and many other diseases. the potential for lifesaving treatments for devastating conditions bike a.l.s., diabetes, alzheimer's, and cancer is right in front of us. for millions of americans suffering and the people who love them, this can't come soon enough. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from north carolina seek recognition? ms. foxx: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. foxx: thank you, madam speaker. we always hear democrats preach about choice when it comes to the issue of abortion. however, we never hear them discuss the other side of the coin, choosing life instead of death. we do not hear them condemn criminal acts such as the defacing of churches or crisis

pregnancy centers being firebombed and vandalized by radical progressive activists f they believe choice is important, why don't they respect the people who refuse to choose death and instead choose life? democrats use choice as a subjective term. they agree with choice as long as you agree with them. choice on their terms. madam speaker, americans overwhelmingly choose life. we would all do well to remember that. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from ohio seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. brown: thank you, madam speaker. i rise to thank my communications director, connor fryer, for his commitment to the 119 congressional district of ohio and his invaluable contributions to my team and

that of my predecessor. connor joined the office in 2019 under the leadership of then congresswoman and now secretary marcia l. fudge and was pivotal in my transition in 2021. he consistently raised the bar and that of those around him. and when we arrived into congress, we had a skelton crew of a staff. connor always stepped in and stepped up filling those gaps whether it was from legislation to transportation and everything in between. his boundless energy, strategic creativity, and ohio pride has served my constituents well. i wish connor well as he moves closer to reaching his long-term professional goals. he will be missed. with that, madam speaker, i sadly yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. wilson: thank you, madam

speaker. american families are a greater risk of mass murder terrorist attacks than ever before due to the failing border policies of biden. intentionally opening the southern border with nearly three million illegal aliens from over 160 countries have intruded since biden took office. american jobs are destroyed. deadly drugs are smuggled by cartels leading to over 100,000 deaths last year. devastating american families. most gruesome is the imminent danger of known terrorists from the terrorist screening database crossing into america. last year in del rio, texas, officials would not reveal to me the number of terrorists crossing. now we see the threat is real. with 50 terrorists just this year. these terrorists are skilled, well financed, fully equipped, mass murderers. open borders for terrorists must be addressed. biden should now take every action to protection american -- protect american families. in conclusion god bless our troops who successfully

protected america for 20 years in the global war on terrorism as it continues moving from the afghanistan safe haven to america. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from hawaii seek recognition? mr. kehele: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. m kehele: -- mr. kehele: madam speaker, i rise today in strong support of the honoring our pact act. the pact act will finally expand benefits and comprehensive health care for millions of veterans who have been exposed to toxic substances while serving their country. included in this bill is the mark takai atomic veterans health care parity act championed by my dear friend, the late congressman mark takai, who served his country as a lieutenant colonel in the hawaii national guard and hawaii's first congressional district representative. the united states conducted 43 nuclear tests on an atoll

located in the marshall islands in the 1970's. u.s. service members risked their lives to take away radioactive material. veterans who served there are not eligible for much needed benefits. i'm honored to continue his legacy by proudly casing -- casting my vote to make sure we improve on our sacred obligation to care for our veterans and families. 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. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> madam speaker, i rise today to recognize a true musical prodigy with a kind of gift that many of us may only come across once in a lifetime. my constituent, tag. at only 17, tate is internationally recognized for

his outstanding ability in piano. he is a first place winner for the american protege award and performing a winning piece at the world renowned carnegie hall in new york city on june 26. despite the physical disability that left him 70% deaf in both ears, tate has achieve the great success in both music and scholastics. mr. miles: -- mr. nehls: i was completely loan away to be hearing and seeing such talent that can only be handed down by god himself. but the thing about talent like that is that it is meaningless without hard work, sacrifice, resilience, and an entire village to get you where you need to go. from myself and alt texas 22nd -- all the texas 22nd, we are extremely proud of you, tate, and can't wait to see how high you fly. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the

gentlewoman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, madam speaker. local journalism is the lifeblood of our democracy and back donne bohn of our communities -- backbone of our communities. i rise today to honor the life and legacy of a constituent who dedicated his career to that very american public service. joseph hart, an award-winning local journalist who spent his career telling the stories of our communities community, most recently as executive editor of the delaware county daily times, tragically passed away this week. ms. scanlon: he leaves behind a void in the heart of his colleagues who relied on his reporting for decades. joe grew up with the times starting was an as an intern 40 years ago and rising to executive editor in 2020. his friends and colleagues describe an incredible friend, mentor, journalists, calling him kind, witty, enthusiastic, knowledgeable, professional, and

passionate. in the words of retired editor phil, you can't replace the institutional knowledge he had of the county. he was the walking inpsych low media of delco politics. our hearts go out to his family and friends as they mourn this tremendous loss. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from indiana seek recognition? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. mrs. spartz: madam speaker, my district in central indiana represents a cross section of our nation. cities, suburbs, and rural farmland. none of which have proven them immune to the devastating possibility of opioid addiction. americans know we must use every tool at our disposal to combat the opioid pandemic, killing young and old. but unfortunately the federal government ties the hands of doctors, limit their ability to

hold injectionable treatment to just 14 days after received from farmcy to remedy this problem last november i introduced the impact act with congresswoman dean which passed the house as part of h.r. 1766. i am grateful for my colleagues for support of this legislation and i urge the senate and the administration to do the same. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition? >> madam 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 recognized for one minute. >> for 126 days now, brittney griner has been wrongfully detained by russia. mr. stanton: every single day that goes by is a lifetime for her wife, her family, friends, and teammates on the phoenix mercury. as mayor of phoenix i was so lucky to watch her develop and

grow as a professional athlete and also as a respected leader in the phoenix community. one of the best basketball players of our generation, she has won gold medals, representing the united states twice at the olympic games, and like many wnba players, she needed to supplement her income by playing professional basketball in russia. and she was proud to do so. but now she finds herself a prisoner of the russian government. her legal hearings continue to be delayed without good reason. it is unacceptable. it's time for the house to speak with one unified voice and call for brittany's safe return and to show support for every american wrongfully detained in russia. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise

and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. joyce: madam speaker, in the past 18 months president biden has shown the american people that he and his administration are not prepared to lead. according to a according to a new whistleblower report, problems at the michigan baby formula plant were reported to the u.s. department of labor in february of 2021. instead of addressing this crisis head on, the biden administration squandered precious time and as a result, american families were unable to buy the formula that their infant children so desperately need. as a father, i think back on shopping for children's formula for my own children. and i'm saddened by the thought of parents arriving today at the grocery store and seeing empty shelf after empty shelf.

the longer president biden remains in office, one thing continues to become clear. americans cannot afford the failed leadership that has allowed this crisis and so many crises to continue. thank you and i yield. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from illinois seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you. today is a historic day as the supreme court upheld the second amendment right to keep and bear arms. i want to thank president trump for appointing justices who defended the constitutional right of gun owners. it's unfortunate that at the same time the supreme court is upholding our second amendment rights, congress is working behind closed doors to push

unconstitutional red flag gun confiscation. i strongly oppose efforts by the house and senate to infringe on the second amendment rights of my constituents and i urge this body to reject the gun control legislation. thank you, madam speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from kansas seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i request permission to address the house for one minute and revise and extend may remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> madam speaker, i rise today to honor the leg sthoif mcgovern bill food for education and childhood education named in part after a kansas legend, the late senator bob dole. the mcgovern dole program provided five million school meals benefiting children in 48 countries over the last two decades. improving the food security, literacy and education of these

families. when schools close dude to covid the program distributed 23,000 metric tons of commodities to more than 1.7 million children and their families. this program is a success story of public-private partnership. representative mcgovern and i have a resolution before the house express this body's commitment to building on the d.h.s.'s mcgovern-dole program. mr. mann: i urge my colleagues to co-sponsor this resolution, submit appropriation requests for funding and ensure that this program can continue to support nutrition and education for children around the world. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my rashes. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, madam speaker. tennesseans are fed up with prices at the pump.

they're paying double what they were a year and a half ago because of the attacks on american energy that began on day one of the biden administration. now the president has asked congress to consider a gas tax holiday. how curious. this is what washington does when there's a big problem. politicians pretend they're looking out for you but they're just looking out for their own poll numbers. those aren't my words, madam speaker, that's a quote from president biden's former boss, barack obama, on the campaign trail in 2008. he said a gas tax holiday would threaten federal highways and possibly cost jobs. mr. rose: while only saving families pennys a day. he called the idea and election year gimmick. not a real solution. i agree. a real solution would be supporting policies that return our nation to energy independence. thank you, madam speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the

gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i seek per noition address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> madam speaker, god's word says to be absent from the body is to be present with the lord osmen june 221, 2022, after 7 -- on june 21, 2022, after 76 years, he went home to be with the lord. despite a battle with parkinson's that conquered his body it never conquered his spirit. he was the third generation cattle rancher, grocery store owner and decorated combat veteran of the vietnam war. mr. arrington: but his greatest legacy was his fierce love and commitment to his god and his family. wayne had just celebrated 50 years with his beloved wife edith and is survived by his six children and 11 grandchildren. his only son, john porter,

served as my chief of staff. and while i didn't know mr. porter, they say the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree so i felt like i knew the man. so it was clear to me, wayne porter was a man of immense character. quiet strength, with a texas-sized heart for god and people. the proudest of family men. and a patriot to his core. god has blessed america with men like donald wayne porter and may god continue to bless john, madison, duke, and the entire porter family in their great loss but in heaven's gain. go, west texas. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the house will resume proceedings on postponed questions at a later time.

for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition? i'm sorry, virginia. mr. scott: i move the house suspend the rules and pass the bill s. 2089 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: senate 2089, an act to amend title 38 united states code to ensure that grants provided by the secretary of veterans affairs state veterans cemeteries do not restrict states from the interment of certain components of the armed forces in such cemeteries and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: purr -- the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from virginia, mr. scott, and the gentlewoman from california, ms. steele, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia.

mr. scott: thank you, madam speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on s. 2089. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. scott: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the chairman is recognized. mr. scott: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, s. 2089 was amended to replace the language of that bill with the language of h.r. 8150, the bipartisan and bicameral keep kids fit act of 2022 in order to send the bill for expedited passage. roughly two years ago, our communities experienced a surge in child hunger spurred by the covid-19 pandemic. week into the pandemic more than one of every three households with children, nearly half of all mothers with young children, struggled with food insecurity. in response, congress took decisive action to ensure the

child nutrition programs are best tools for addressing child hunger could continue feeding hungry children during the pandemic. one of the most important steps we took was providing child nutrition programs with the flexibility they needed to expand access to school meals and address challenges of serving students who were not physically in the school buildings. this relief made a measurable difference in our fight against child hunger. by expanding access to child nutrition programs, we allowed an additional 10 million students to receive free school meals each day and from january, 2021, to april, 2021, food shortages among households with children fell by more than 40%. regrettably, unless congress acts, these key flexibilities will expire at the end of this month. the bipartisan and bicameral keep kids fed act of 2022, is

likely our best and last opportunity to preserve relief for child nutrition programs. this legislation will maintain school meal flexibilities that do not increase costs, continue flexibilities to support summer food programs this year, provide additional support for child and adult -- childhood and adult feed programs and reimburse rates for the upcoming school year. as we continue to recover from the pandemic, the keep kids fed act of 2022 will take a critical step to support child nutrition programs and prevent children from going hungry during the ongoing public health emergency. this is a step well worth taking. i want to thank ranking member -- the ranking member of the full committee, dr. foxx, for working with me and senator stabenow and boozman on this legislation. i urge a yes vote on the bill and reserve the balance of my

time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from california is recognized. mrs. steel: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. steel: thank you. madam speaker, i'm pleased to support this bipartisan legislation that will help ensure students receive healthy school meals. students need access to nutritious meals so that they can be their best, beth in and out of the classroom. today's bipartisan legislation does just that. during pandemic lockdowns, school food programs were critical to those in need. these programs play an important role in nonpandemic timestoo. it is important that we ensure this program is sustainable for schools and that means responsible oversight and a

return to regular order. we want to make sure that students who rely on school meals have access to them and that schools can continue to supply them. even in the face of skyrocketing record high inflation. as our constituents know, the price of just about everything has increased. the average family is spending $450 more per month. eggs are up 32%. milk is up 16%. bacon is up 15%. our school meals programs are no exception to these rising costs. this measure will help schools cope with rising food prices by temporarily providing supplemental reimbursements at these programs. trans-- as these programs

transition back to normal operations. i do think this is very important to emphasize that these increases are temporary and will last one year. i appreciate the democrats and the senate for working with us to ensure these are temporary supplemental funds to address inflation specifically. they're not an arbitrary increase in spending. using the crisis or supply chain problem to increase federal spending permanently would be easily unwise and irresponsible. i also am glad the legislation requires usda to provide school leaders and parents with support and guidance as the program transitions to normal operations. it is congress' job to ensure these programs are working as efficiently and effectively as

possible. it is our duty to make sure these programs are fulfilling their intended proposed -- purpose which is to help students. i'm happy to see this legislation put the school nutrition programs back on the right track. i urge my colleagues to support this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the jerusalem reserves. -- the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. scott: i yield one minute mr. scott: i yield one minute to a leading advocate to reduce and eliminate child hunger, the gentlewoman from minnesota, ms. omar. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. omar: thank you, madam speaker. and thank you, chairman, for your leadership on this legislation and for working tirelessly to negotiate a solution. i rise to express my support for the keep kids -- keep kids fed

act as food costs continue to soar, this critical legislation is a lifeline for millions of american families struggling to make ends meet. in my home state of minnesota, one in nine children are food insecure. this bipartisan legislation builds on my bill, the meals act, to ensure children continue to receive school meals this summer. i am proud to have been part of this fight. while i wish this agreement could have provided a permanent solution, this is a vital step to prevent millions of children from going hungry throughout the next few months. in the meantime, will i continue to fight for the -- i will continue to fight for the passage of my bill, the universal school meals act, to ensure no child in the richest country of the world goes hungry. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentlewoman from california

is recognized. mrs. steel: madam speaker, i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from virginia. mr. scott: madam speaker, i yield 1 1/2 minutes to the gentlewoman from north carolina, member of the education and labor committee, and chair of the subcommittee on work force protections, dr. adams. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. adams: i thank you, madam chair. i thank the gentleman for yielding. i rise today for the millions of children who will go hungry next week if congress does not extend child nutrition waivers. mono child should ever go hungry in our country. at the start of the pandemic congress authorized waivers to help make it easier for schools to deliver meals to kids and we gave 10 million more children access to healthy food. given the reality of higher prices at the grocery store, children and their families can't afford to lose the free nutritious meals available at

schools across the country. as a 40-year educator, i know hunger has been a crisis in our schools and our communities since long before the pandemic. one in seven households today has a child struggling with food insecurity. in my home state of north carolina, food insecurity has been a tragic fact of life for our kids and students. before the pandemic in north carolina, 92,000 students were participating in the summer food service program, and 441,000 children were receiving snap assistance. these numbers have only gone up. our choice is clear, we can choose to act or we can let millions of children go hungry. as always, i'm standing with our students and i urge all of my colleagues to support senate 2089 as amended. thank you. madam chair, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentlewoman from california is recognized. mrs. steel: madam speaker, i yield two minutes to republican

leader of the education and labor committee, the gentlewoman from north carolina. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. foxx: thank you, madam speaker. i thank my colleague for yielding time. evidence is clear that students are able to focus more at school if they are receiving adequate nutrition. too many students are still suffering from the harmful effects of school closures, and we cannot afford to let students fall further behind. the rise in food prizes -- prices is putting most americans in a tight spot. the same is true for schools of the the bipartisan keep kids fed act will empower schools to meet the crises our country is facing. from supply chain problems to record high inflation. it is, however, extremely important to emphasize that the support provided in this legislation is both targeted and

temporary as all aid should be. we also worked hard to ensure this legislation was budget neutral so it does not put additional burden on taxpayers. importantly, this legislation will return our nation's school meal programs to regular order. this is the primary reason i support this legislation. for over two years democrats used a permanent pandemic narrative to increase federal spending across the board. including within school meal programs. this has fueled inflation. this is not only irresponsible but ignores the narrow limits congress purposefully placed on these programs. congress kong never intended to provide -- congress never intended to provide universal free breakfast and lurches to all-d12 students regardless of need -- lurches to k-12 students regardless of need.

by returning to normal we can uphold our responsibility to taxpayers and the principle that aid should be targeted and temporary. the keep kids fed act offers a viable solution to the problems facing school meal programs while also refocusing these programs on their purpose. helping students in need. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. scott: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, i yield 1 1/2 minutes to a distinguished member of the committee on education and labor, the gentleman from indiana, mr. mrvan. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. mrvan: thank you, chairman. i rise today in support of the keep kids fed act which will aim to ensure our communities, school, takes can provide healthy meals to children this summer. at a time when parents are struggling to put food on the table and prices at the grocery store is at an all-time high,

i'm grateful for this bicameral, bipartisan effort to address food insecurity. throughout my career i have focused on making sure to stay in touch. i had the opportunity to sit with over 60 nutritionists for the school lunch programs who had a sense of urgency and concern not about their jobs but about rising costs and their ability to make sure young people. k-12, were able to have the meals in a anything dig any fied manner to be educated and overcome obstacles and make sure they were fed and ready for class. that being said, today i want to thank chairman scott and all my colleagues for their example to solve this immediate and pressing challenge. i look forward to continuing to work with all of my colleagues to ensure that we create the ideal environments that allow all students to learn and thrive. thank you, mr. chairman. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from california is recognized. mrs. steel: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from virginia is recognized.

mr. scott: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. scott: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to enter into the record a letter from no kid hungry, and from the food and research -- food research and action center. these two letters into the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. scott: madam speaker, i hav. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california is recognized. mrs. steel: madam speaker, i yield myself the balance of my time. the keep kids fed act is a bipartisan budget neutral bill that supports students and protects taxpayers. this bill will return our school nutrition programs back to normal, prepandemic operations. i appreciate the majority working with us to ensure this

is a true transition back to regular operation, which is fully paid for and includes a requirement to support parents and school leaders. this legislation will also support schools dealing with the supply chain and inflation crisis. this allows our nation's schools to focus on delivering healthy meals for students so they can focus on being successful in the classroom. i am pleased we were able to come to a bicameral and bipartisan solution, and i urge my colleagues to vote for the keep kids fed act. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. scott: thank you. madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: so ordered.

mr. scott: madam speaker, as i said at the beginning of the debate, the legislation before us is likely to be our last but best opportunity to protect millions of students' access to nutrition programs which have been critical feegd hungry children during the pandemic. the simple reality is that schools, children, and families are still dealing with the impacts of covid-19. the school meal programs continue to endure supply chain disruptions, inflation, and other challenges so that the keep kids fed act of 2022 will provide school meal programs that are urgently needed for stability and they will help continue providing students with nutritious meals they need. we know this bill alone will not end hunger in america, but it will be an important step to stand up for our nation's children and to fulfill our basic responsibility to keep them from going hungry. again i want to thank the ranking member of the committee,

dr. fox foxx, i want to thank the -- dr. foxx, i want to thank the gentlelady from california, mrs. steel, to help bring this bipartisan, bicameral legislation to the floor. and thank senators staby gnaw and boozman for their work in bringing this legislation to reality. i urge my colleagues to support s.2089 as amended. and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass senate 2089 as amended. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. >> madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: in the opinion of the chair, thirds third -- >> madam speaker, i request a recorded vote, please. the speaker pro tempore: 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended -- for what purpose does gentleman seek recognition? >> request recorded vote, please. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to section 3-s of house resolution 8, the yeas and nays

are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on h this question are postponed.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? mr. scott: madam speaker, i move the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 5407, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 293, h.r. 5407, a bill to amend the higher education act of 1965 to promote comprehensive campus mental health and suicide prevention plans, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from virginia, mr. scott, and the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. keller, each will control 20 minutes.

the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. scott: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. scott: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. scott: madam speaker, over the last two years our nation's college students have grappled with mental health crisis that was significantly worsened by the covid-19 pandemic. national survey last year found that 65% of students reported having poor or only fair mental health. according to the c.d.c., suicide attempts monks females age 15-23 increased by 87% from 2007 to 2020. the surge in mental health needs of students on college campuses have further strained campus-based mental health care providers. since the start of the pandemic, campus counseling centers have been forced to respond to an

increased demand for services without the funding, staffing, and resources that they need. regrettably insufficient access to mental health during the pandemic has exacerbated pree existing -- preexisting mental health inequities. students of color are significantly less likely to be treated for mental health conditions than might whiet students. the gaps between the increased mental health needs of students and limited capacity of institutions to address them demand urgent action. in response to this crycy, the gentlelady from pennsylvania -- to this crisis, the gentlelady from pennsylvania, along with the the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. keller, introduced the bill enhancing mental health and suicide prevention through campus planning act this would help develop comprehensive mental health and suicide prevention plans to better support mental health needs of college students. specifically the legislation would direct the department of

education to build on existing mental health care -- mental health programs to create evidence-based approaches to suicide prevention and mental health care. and it would encourage the department to collaborate with state agencies, nonprofit organizations, and stakeholders to help ensure these programs fully meet the needs of students. . in other words, the enhancing student care and suicide prevention through campus planning act is essential to ensure we care for student's well being. i want to thank ms. wild and mrn this critical priority and urge a yes vote on this bill. madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the -- for what purpose does -- the gentleman from -- the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. keller: thank you, madam speaker.

i'm here to discuss h.r. 5407 and yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> today i rise in strong support of h.r. 5407, the enhancing mental health and suicide prevention through campus planning act. the mental health of our nation's students is on the minds of many americans. mr. keller: mental health issues increased steadily over the past eight years among college students. in fact, 60% of students met the criteria for at least one mental health problem. including increased rates of anxiety, depression, and thoughts of suicide. according to the center for disease control and prevention, approximately 25% of 18 to 24-year-olds surveyed in 2020 had seriously considered suicide. unfortunately, these issues were

only made worse by the pandemic. clearly, something needs to be done. that's why i join my pennsylvania colleague, representative wild, in introdyings h.r. 5407. this legislation will encourage institutions of higher education to develop comprehensive mental health and suicide prevention plans to support college students. h.r. 5407 directs the secretary of education to encourage institutions of higher education to develop and implement comp rehencive campus mental health and suicide prevention plans. the bill also directs the department of education and the department of health and human services to work together in a way that will allow the institutions to draw from existing evidence-based approaches and programs enacted by the 21st century cures act. garrett lee smith memorial act and the suicide prevention resource center as well as other existing federal and state

programs. we all want to see our nation's students thrive and succeed yet many students are battling severe depression and contemplating suicide. we must all come together to prevent such tragedy. the best way to do this is to ensure that students know safe resources are nearby so they can get the mental health and support they need. it is time to break down barriers to mental access. this means breaking down stigmas and practical barriers associated with seeking mental health services. that is why this bill -- and that is what this bill seeks to do. i encourage my colleagues to vote for h.r. 5407 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, madam speaker. madam speaker, i yield the gentlelady from pennsylvania, the sponsor of the legislation, ms. wild, such time as she may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentlewoman is recognized. ms. wild: thank you, mr. chairman. i rise today to speak about this bipartisan bill, h.r. 5407, the enhancing mental health and suicide prevention through campus planning act, which will be taken up for consideration today. supporting the young people of our country is not a partisan issue. i would like to thank the co-lead of this bill, representative fred keller, and the original co-sponsors, rep.s fitzpatrick, raskin, stevens, trone, scanlon, moulton, grijalva, roybal-allard, dean, harder and deshul nay, for their support. in the last several years, young americans have faced unprecedented challenges resulting in a rise in mental health needs. college campus counseling centers have been tasked with responsing to this increased demand for mental health services with limited staff, funding and resources.

the mental health effects of the pandemic are widespread. with a study conducted by pennsylvania state university reporting that 94% of students seeking mental health services said that covid-19 negatively impacted at least one area of their life. and 72% reporting that the pandemic's main impact has been on their mental health. to help institutions of higher education better serve students, once passed, this bill will encourage colleges and universities to develop and implement mental health programs in concert with both state level programs and community based organizations. during my visits to colleges in the lehigh valley of pennsylvania, even before the pandemic, students shared with me the importance of improving mental health care access on campus. today, i am proud that the enhancing mental health and

suicide prevention through campus planning act will receive a vote and i look forward to casting mine in support. with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. keller: madam speaker, i have no further speakers. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. scott: i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. keller: madam speaker, i yield myself the balance of my time. in closing, i want to discuss the importance of what we're doing. covid-19 burdened young people with more anxiety, stress and isolation than ever before and new they need support that works. according to one study, mental health problems among young adults rose 50% over the past 10 years. many of us have seen the young people in our lives struggling

and it's devastating to watch. i am dedicated to serving the needs of students nationwide. to me this bill is a no-brainer. empowering postsecondary institutions to develop comprehensive suicide prevention plans and partner with community based organizations will do much to solve the mental health crisis. this critical investment in the mental health of our young people is an investment in the future of this country. lastly, i want to express my tbrat thud to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for working together on this important legislation and i encourage my colleagues to vote yes on h.r. 5407. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. scott: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself see balance of me of the time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. scott: madam speaker, the evidence is clear that our nation's students are continuing to grapple with an ongoing

mental health crisis, even as we continue to recover from covid-19 we are still see far too many students suffer from depression, anxiety and stress without the support and services they need to get back on their feet. madam speaker, students in this country should not have to grapple with serious mental health challenges on their own. however, we cannot expect campus mental health care providers to support students if we do not support them. with the resources that they need. enhancing mental health and suicide prevention through campus planning act is legislation that we need to help ensure that our institutions of higher education are equipped to support students' mental health both during the pandemic and into the future. i want to again thank the gentlelady from pennsylvania, ms. wild, and her colleague from pennsylvania, mr. keller, for their leadership and cooperation on the bill. i urge my colleagues to support the legislation and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the

bill s. 407 -- h.r. 5407, excuse me. as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative -- for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia rise? >> request the yeas and nays, please. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to section 3-s of house resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question are postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? mr. scott: madam speaker, i move the house suspend the rules and pass the bill 6493 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number

294, h.r. 6493, a bill to amend the higher education act of 1965 to prevent certain alcohol and substance misuse. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from virginia, mr. scott, and the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. keller, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. scott: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in the which to revise and extend their rashes and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: so ordered. mr. scott: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the chairman is recognized. mr. scott: across the country, students on college campuses are facing an increased incidence of substance misuse. even before the pandemic there's a rising demand for substance prevention and recovery programs on campuses. unfortunately, the pandemic has only exacerbated the mental health and student well being

crisis. in fact as a result of the covid-19 pandemic, a study found that 89% of college students experienced increased anxiety and one in four students surveyed said they had -- said that their depression significantly increased. college-age students misuse substances more than any other age group and in a lot of cateses substance misuse can lead to low performance and unemployment after graduation. tragically in some cases it can lead to illness and death. that's why the gentlelady from new mexico, ms. leger fernandez, acted and introduced the bipartisan campus prevention and recovery services for students act. this brings together the departments of education and health and human -- excuse me. this brings together the departments of education, and health and human services, to encourage institutions to develop evidence-based substance

misuse prevention and recovery programs for students with substance use disorders. this bill also encourages institutions to holistically address substance use and mental health concerns. importantly, it re-authorizes grants to help institutions carry out these efforts. madam speaker, if we want to tackle the mental health crisis head on and help our students reach their full potential, we must invest in their well being. this legislation will help deliver on that goal. i want to thank the gentlelady from new mexico for leading this effort and i urge a yes vote on this bill. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. keller: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. keller: i stand today in support of h.r. 6493, the bipartisan campus prevention and recovery services for students act of 2022.

sadly, college students were not exempt from the tremendous pressure brought by the covid-19 pandemic. for many students, these escalating pressures have resulted in behavioral and mental health challenges such as substance abuse. even before the pandemic, studies found that young adults were turning to dangerous substances as 18 to 25-year-olds were reported to have vie highest percent of opioid use of all age groups. this is why i'm proud to join my colleagues in support of this bill today. h.r. 6493 promotes evidence 46 based prevention and recovery effort orns college campuses by providing colleges and universities the tools they need to support students struggling with substance abuse. specifically, this bill requires institutions of higher education that receive federal funding to adopt an evidence-based program to prevent alcohol and substance misuse by both students and employees. but the bill also ensures that

the institutions are equipped with proven evidence-based methods by directing the secretary of education to coordinate with the secretary of health and human services to develop best practices for colleges and universities when implementing substance abuse programs. such coordination and cooperation are crucial. for those colleges and universities that may meet a-- may need additional help for student recovery service, the bill updates an existing federal grant for these uses. we know that colleges and university staff can serve a critical support system for students suffering from an addiction or mental health issue. this bill will also empower staff to do so. with college students experiencing increased loneliness, isolation and depression, it is important that these students have access to alcohol and substance misuse prevention programs. h.r. 6493 will keep students from falling into substance

abuse, thus ensuring they start their future out on the right foot and on a path to a successful career. i urge my colleagues to support this bill today. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. scott: thank you, madam speaker. i yield such time as she may consume to the gentlelady from new mexico, the sponsor of the legislation, ms. leger fernandez. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. leger fernandez: thank you, chairman scott and madam speaker. thank you, ranking ranking member keller, from the state of pennsylvania, for your support for there are much-needed legislation. alcohol and substance misuse is a devastating issue across the country and on college campuses. it steals the dreams and futures of too many of our community. i lost two brothers to addiction, alcohol, and drug

misuse. that misuse began during their time in college. my family has never recovered from the loss of those two beautiful brothers of mine, and i understand all too well the pain substance misuse inflicts on students, their families, and their communities. sadly, my family's story is not unique in new mexico or across this country. since the start of the pandemic, states have reported increased numbers of drug overdoses. campuses have reported increased mental health concerns in students as well. college students who deal with substance misuse and addiction often find themselves isolated and without a support network. congress has an opportunity to address this serious issue by making sure that colleges and universities support students through strong prevention and recovery programs. i don't want to see another

headline or owe bituary of a promising young one lost to overdose. that's why i introes deuced this bill along with representatives dusty johnson, lucy mcbath, and representative guest. i want to recognize david trone who is co-chair of the bipartisan mental health and addiction task force, of which i am a member, who led this bill during the last congress. our bill will help cut the chains of addiction and unlock access to treatment and prevention for countless students across the united states. specifically, it will re-authorize the drug and alcohol abuse prevention of the higher education act to promote intervention strategies on college campuses. i have met with college students across my district to hear from them what is needed. and what is needed is what is in

this bill. it is encouraging campus collaboration and surface integration to address substance use and mental health concerns in a holistic manner. the bill also authorizes $15 million to implement those grants for fiscal year 2023 and the five following years. i was pleased to see my bill pass unanimously during its markup in education and labor committee. i thank chairman scott and his staff for working to get this bill to the house floor. i urge all my colleagues to vote yes on h.r. 6493, to vote yes in support of our students. thank you, madam speaker. thank you, chairman scott. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. keller: madam speaker, i don't have anybody for any more remarks, so i would be prepared

to close. i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from virginia. mr. scott: madam speaker, i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. keller: madam speaker, i yield myself the balance of my time. though this commonsense bipartisan legislation will support institutions of higher education in their work to address the health and well-being of students and employees, this isolation brought on by the pandemic exacerbated by the mental health challenges of students in this country were already facing, data shows that substance abuse is a serious problem on college campuses. some students may feel anxious about pursuing a degree in higher education and moving away from home for the first time. the challenges surrounded the pandemic have ax esser baited those drsh exacerbated those feelings. future students will be well served with high-quality mental

health and substance misuse treatment services. the best thing postsecondary institutions can do is give students the tools to handle those pressures in a healthy way. today, i'm honored to stand in support of this legislation, h.r. 6493, as i believe it will give vulnerable students the assistance they desperately need. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from virginia. mr. scott: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself the balance of the time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. scott: madam speaker, as lawmakers, we have the opportunity to make a difference in students' lives and protect their health, including their mental health. the benefits of doing so are clear. students with higher rates of well-being have higher g.m. pvrment a.'s, more like -- g.p.a.'s and more likely to graduate. mental health and substance misuse are rising and that's a concern for our college

campuses. the campus prevention and recovery services for students act will provide both guidance and funding to help make sure students have the tools they need to reach their full potential. again, i want to thank the chief sponsor of the bill, ms. leger fernandez, the chief lead co-sponsor of the bill, the gentleman from south dakota, mr. johnson, and mr. keller for their leadership on this important bill and i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 6493, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is will the house sp suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 6493, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative -- for what purpose does the gentleman -- from virginia seek recognition? >> request a recorded vote, please. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to section 3-a of house

resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question are postponed.

for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 6411 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill, please. the clerk: h.r. 6411, a bill to amend title 38, united states code, to make certain improvements to the mental health care provided by the department of veterans affairs, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. levin, and the gentleman from illinois, mr. bost, each will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. levin: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on h.r. 6411, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. levin: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. levin: madam speaker, i rise today in support of h.r. 6411, as amended, the strengthening the resilience of our nation's great veterans act, our strong veterans act. chairman takano introduced this bill with ranking member bost and we're grateful to them and their staff for working together over many months to bring this vital package to the house floor. this represents a true bipartisan effort to address a pressing issue. although we are all glad to see the veteran suicide rate drop in the last year for which we have data, one death is one too many, and suicide is preventable. we must honor our veterans' service for getting them the care they deserve need and now. strengthen veterans' health and well-being is a top priority not only to the biden administration and the department of veterans affairs but also our committee. their prevention approaches and treatments that work and we must expand veterans' access to these lifesaving and life-improving services. while we're talking about

access, i want to make sure everyone has the crisis line phone number. if you or someone you care call 1-800-273-talk. that's 1-800-273-8255 and press five for military and veteran expertise. there's no reason to suffer alone. along with our colleagues in the senate, we have advanced bipartisan bills over the past year that now make up the 22 sections of the strong veterans act. i want to especially thank our colleagues, both on and off the committee, for their individual legislative contributions to this on bus pack -- omnibus package. congresswoman brownley introduced a cornerstone of strong. her native americans and alaskan american act. it will provide culturally competent in mental health and suicide prevention outreach to our tribal members.

the start act will ensure v.a. continues to contact and check in with veterans following their transition from act rfb duty during what -- active duty during what we know is a high time for stress, mental health challenges and even suicide. the committee was also pleased to include the veteran peer specialist act from congressman scott peters. this is an important provision directing v.a. to expand its peer specialist program which is extremely popular with veterans. although our colleague, former congressman delgado, recently left the house to become lieutenant governor of new york, i want to thank him for introducing the reach for veterans act in the house. it's a critical component of strong and will strengthen v.a. veterans crisis line. the v.a. governors challenge expansion act. mandates for the first time v.a. include tribes in addition to states in the successful governors challenge program to prevent veteran suicide. no sovereign nation should have to wait to wait to be invited to

a team. it will work directly with v.a. to tailor innovative suicide prevention ideas to the needs of their own native veterans. overall, strong will give v.a. important now authorities and resources to support mental health and well-being through increased training, outreach, mental health care delivery, and research in line with the committee's public health approach and president biden's strategy to address veteran suicide. it addresses gaps along the spectrum of prevention and care by expanding mental health out outreach to traditionally underserved veterans, delivering treatments, provide care and further strengthen veteran's crisis response system. with this legislation, we will help v.a. better meet veterans where they are, literally. strong directs v.a. to hire more mental health staff at vet centers close to where veterans live and work. strong also directs v.a. to assess and improve how well it serves veterans on college campuses. it requires v.a. to more consistently and comprehensively

reach out and provide mental health services to veterans who have been involved with the criminal justice system. strong mandates as the new three-digit crisis hotline number goes live across the country in july they strengthen the crisis line to meet the predictive surge in care in follow-up. and strong lays out important guidance for v.a.'s research guidance related to suicide, substance use challenges, and other mental health issues. while caring for veterans today, v.a. must always be investing in science and looking for tomorrow's innovative solutions to improve veterans' lives. strong and its component bills are endorsed by too many veteran service organizations and health organizations to list but let me leave you with the national commander of disabled veterans. quote, there's simply to greater or more urgent challenge within the veteran community right now than addressing mental health concerns and ensuring our nation's heroes have access to the support they need to both prevent and mitigate crisis.

we we're pleased to support the strong veteran act and urge its swift passage into law. end of quote. chairman takano and i support this important piece of legislation and i urge our colleagues to support h.r. 641 as amended. thank you -- h.r. 6411 as amended. thank you, madam speaker. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. bost: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. bost: thank you. madam speaker, i rise today in support of h.r. 6411, as amended, the support of our nation's great, or strong veterans act. this bill would improve v.a.'s mental health and suicide prevention strategy by doing a number of things. it would expand the vet center workforce and it would also allow student veterans the opportunity to seek counseling at vet centers during what can

be a vet's most stressful time in that period of transitioning into civilian life. additionally, the bill would allow family members of veterans who died by suicide to seek bereefment -- be-reevement counseling at vet centers. counselors who snow veterans and -- who know veterans would be a valuable resource for those in mourning. this bill would expand training scholarships, loan repayment programs for the v.a. mental health providers. it would direct a series of actions it would direct a series of actions to improve crisis response. it would codify an existing v.a. program that reaches out to veteransnary first year out of the military to provide them with information about relevant resources. this bill would require v.a. to conduct numerous studies with the goal of improving care for

veterans with sleep disorders, refining in-patient care for veterans struggling with addiction. identifying treatments for veterans suffering from mental health and substance use disorders and assisting with possible secondary impacts of ptsd and depression. -- and depression may have on vet rennes families. this bill is the product of a bipartisan, bicameral negotiations between the veterans affairs committee leaders and i would like to thank chairman takano for working with me to introduce this bill and move it forward today. i would also like to thank senator and colleagues chairman tester and ranking member moran for their work on this bill. this bill contains many provisions that were in standalone bills and now introduced by many of our other members. and i want to recognize them today. i want to send a particular

thank you to dr. murphy, congressman rouzer, and the -- and to two of my fellow committee members, veterans themselves, dr. miller meeks and congressman ellzey. each of them spearheaded vital pieces of this legislation that will help veterans and their families thrive for years to come. i want to encourage any veteran listening to this who is struggling with and in need of support to contact the veterans' hotline by calling 1-800-273-8255 and pressing 1. once again, 1-800-273-8255 and pressing 1. you can also get there by texting 838255 -- 838255 or actually visit the veterans crisis line all one word, crisisline.net.

there's r there's absolutely no shame in asking for help if you need it. i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill and with that i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman verves. the gentleman from california is recognized. >> madam speaker, i have in fourth speakers and am prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman verves. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. bost: i would like at this time to yield two minutes to my good friend from north carolina, dr. murphy. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. murphy: thank you, madam speaker, thank you, ranking member bost. i rise in enthusiastic support of h.r. 6411, supporting the resilience of our nation's great veterans act, known as the strong act. i'm proud this legislation includes language from my bill, h.r. 4233, the student veterans counseling centers eligibility act. i introduced this bill alongside

ranking member bost to aid veteran transition back to civilian life especially for those look to further their education. far too often we see the tragedy of our selfless defenders losing their battle to mental health issues when returning from service. the intention of our provision is to aid more of our veterans who are adjusting to civilian lives by providing them overdue access to ate vie tall mental health resources. this is especially personal to my district as i represent 89,000 veterans, many of whom will or are -- are or will be receiving benefits via the post9/11 g.i. bill. regardless of which side of the aisle we sit on we have an obligation to make sure counseling services are more accessible for veterans and i'm glad the strong act focuses on this obligation. my provision would expand counseling and mental health support to student veterans through the v.a.'s readjustment counseling centers, also known as vet centers. these centers provide

individual, group, marriage and family counseling as well as peer support opportunities for active duty service members, noaives national guard and reserve and certain military family members. vet centers are community-based, confidential and flee. a recent rand study showed 20% of vet roons the g.i. bill face feelings of depression from ptsd. that 20% amounts over 170,000 veterans, double the number of veterans in my district. currently the option of student veterans using school psychologists in actuality provides very little relief for our veterans. the director of policy and advocacy for the national association of school psychologists reported the national school ratio of school psychologists to students is one to 2,000 to one to 5,000. may i have another minute and a half? mr. bost: i yield the gentleman another two minutes.

>> i've heard of students who had to wait weeks even months if they weren't deemed in need of immediate attention. unfortunately many don't have weeks months to wait to see a provider. in addition, many of our university's meantal health counselors are not licensed professionals but instead graduate or doctoral students. our veterans deserve better than this, the best health care from qualified professionals. helping students succeed in school and civilian lives is one of the most important ways we can thank them for our service. -- for their service. tragically the suicide rate among our veterans now is estimated to be from 17 to 22 suicides a day. mr. murphy: 46% of military students have reported suicidal thoughts compared wonl 6% of their nonmilitary peers. if we can provide mental health services that are able to assist just a single veteran who is contemplating a suicide to

choose to live, i believe it is our sworn duty to do so. we have that opportunity now. i'm proud to support the strong veterans act and i'm grate to feel chairman takano and ranking member bost for including my bill, the student veteran counseling centers eligible act. i urge my colleagues to vote yes on h.r. 4611 in support of our nation's veterans. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. the gentleman reserves. mr. bost: thank you, madam speaker. next i'd like to yield two minutes to the gentleman from north carolina, representative rouzer. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. rouzer: thank you, madam speaker. after hearing from my constituent whose veteran spouse tragically died by suicide, and learning of the obstacles they face when trying to receive critical mental health support for themselves and their children following his death, i

introduced a bill to ensure veteran families struggling from such a loss have access to the support they need and deserve. my legislative language included in this bill before us today the strong veterans act expands vet center eligibility for counseling and mental health services to families of service members or veterans who died by suicide. this expansion of services is necessary so that these families can receive the critical mental health support needed to help them heal and move forward. we all know that grief can be extremely isolating. and the families of service members and veterans who have died by suicide should not have to worry about enduring this difficult journey alone. our military families who support a loved one that is serving or has served make a tremendous sacrifice for our country as well. we must ensure they have access to the care that they deserve and the help they need when

trying to move forward after a suicide has devastated them and their family. so madam speaker, i would like to thank the chairman and the ranking member for working with me to include this very important piece of legislation in this package and i encourage my colleagues to support it. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. >> reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman verves. the gentleman from california. >> prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. bost: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself as much time as i may consume. and i want to first off say thank you to all the people that have worked on this important piece of legislation for the support it's receive and the important thing is that we do get the care and treatment and support for all of the veterans that are -- that are considering suicide and the families who suffer from the fact that they

have done it. i encourage all my colleagues to support this bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from california. >> again i ask my colleagues to join me in passing h.r. 6411 as amended and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 6411 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended. the bill is passed. and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, proceedings will resume on motions to suspend the rules previously postponed. votes will be taken in the following order. senate 2089, h.r. 5407, and h.r. 6493. the first electronic vote will be conducted as a 15-minute vote. remaining electronic votes will be conducted as five-minute votes.

pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from virginia, mr. scott, to suspend the rules and pass senate 2089 as amended. on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title. the clerk: senate 2089, an act to amend title 38 united states code to ensure grants provided by the secretary of veterans affairs for state veterans cemetery do not restrict states from limiting the interment of certain veterans in such cemeteries and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill as amended. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the

united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina rise? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. lamalfa of california, i inform the house that mr. lamalfa will vote aye on s. 2089.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee rise? mr. fleischmann: madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. guest of mississippi, i inform the house that mr. guest will vote nay on s. 2089. and, madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. palazzo of mississippi, i inform the house that mr. palazzo will vote yea on s. 2089. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. correa: madam speaker, as the member designated by congress members swalwell,

costa, and bourdeaux, i inform the house that these members will vote yes on s. 2089. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from indiana seek recognition? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mrs. walorski from indiana and pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mrs. walorski will vote yes on s. 2089.

the speaker pro tempore: for

what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by john carter of the great state of texas, i inform the house that john carter will vote yea on s. 2089. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? >> as the member designated by mr. takano, i inform the house that this member will vote yes on s. 2089. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? >> thank you, madam speaker. as the member designated by ms. salazar, i inform the house that ms. salazar will vote yes on s. 2089.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from nebraska seek recognition? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by ms. vicki hartzler from missouri 4, i inform the house that mrs. hartzler will vote yes on s. 2089. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from colorado seek recognition? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by ms. porter, ms. strickland, mrs. hayes, mr. keating, mr. rush, mr. suozzi, mr. jeffries, mr. krishnamoorthi, i inform the house that these members will vote yes on s. 2089.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman -- the gentlewoman from north carolina seek recognition? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. hank johnson and ms. bonamici, i inform the house that these members will vote yea on s. 2089. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition? mr. pallone: as the member designated by mr. albio sires, mrs. bonnie watson coleman, mr. mike doyle, mrs. fletcher and mr. bill pascrell, i inform the house that these members will vote yes on s. 2089.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from georgia seek recognition? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by ms. bush of missouri, ms. wilson of florida, ms. cherf lirvetion s mccormick, i inform the house that meze members will vote yes on s. 2 2089.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina seek recognition? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by congresswoman boebert, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that congresswoman boebert will vote nay on passage of the house amendment to the senate 2089. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition? >> as the member designated by mr. rice of south carolina, i inform the house that mr. rice will vote yea on s. 2089. as the member designated by mr. katko of new york, i inform the house that mr. katko will vote yea on s.2089.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from michigan seek recognition? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by chairwoman eddie bernice johnson of texas, congresswoman stansbury of new mexico, and congressman moulton of massachusetts, i inform the house that these members will vote yes on s. 2089.

the speaker pro tempore: for what the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> as the member designated by representatives danny davis, tlaib, huffman, jayapal, allred, i inform the house that these members will vote aye on s. 2089. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. gohmert: madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. paul gosar, i inform the house that mr. gosar will vote nay on s. 2089.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? ms. wasserman schultz: madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. crist and lawson of florida, i inform the house that these members will vote yea on s. 2089. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> thank you, madam speaker. as the member designated by mr. hal rogers of kentucky, i inform the house that mr. rogers will vote yea on s. 2089.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from new hampshire seek recognition? ms. kuster: madam speaker, as the member designated by ms. frankel, i inform the house that she will vote yes on s. 2089.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by congresswoman dingell of michigan, i inform the house that congresswoman dingell will vote yes on s. 2089.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia wish to be recognized? mr. beyer: madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. garcia of illinois, mr. connolly, mr. cohen, mr. desaulnier, ms. moore, ms. newman, i inform the house that these six members will vote yes on s. 2089.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. jacobs of new york, i inform the house that mr. jacobs will vote yea on 2089.

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 376, the nays are 42. 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without

objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. without objection, the title is amended. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the the gentleman from virginia, mr. scott, to suspend rules and pass h.r. 5407, on which the yeas and nays are ordered the clerk will report the title. the clerk: union calendar number 293, h.r. 5407 a bill to amend to campus mental health and suicide prevention plans and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill as amended. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a

five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.] the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the lady from california seek recognition? >> as the member designated by mr. takano and mr. bowman, i inform the house that those members will vote yes on h.r. 5407. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina seek

recognition? >> as the member designated by congresswoman boebert, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that congresswoman boebert will vote nay on h.r. 5407. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina seek recognition? >> as the member designated by mr. lamalfa of california, i inform the house that mr. lamalfa will vote aye on h.r. 5407. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from indiana seek recognition? >> as the member designated by mrs. walorski from indiana and pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mrs. walorski will vote yes on h.r. 5407. the speaker pro tempore: for

what purpose does the gentlewoman from north carolina seek recognition? >> as the member designated by mr. hank johnson and ms. bonamici, these members will vote yes on h.r. 5407. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> as the member designated by mr. hall rodgers of kentucky, he will vote yeah on h.r. 5407. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from georgia seek recognition? >> as the member designated by ms. bush of missouri, ms. wilson of florida and i i inform the house these members will vote yes on h.r. 5407. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from many michigan seek recognition? >> as the member designated by mr. katko of new york, i inform the house that he will vote yes. as the member designated by mr. rice will vote yes on h.r.

5407. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does purposes the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> as the member designated by danny davis, tlaib, allred, these members will vote aye on h.r. 5407. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee seek recognition? >> as the member designated by mr. guest of mississippi and mri inform the house that mr. guest and mr. palazzo will both vote yes on h.r. 5407. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from colorado seek recognition? >> as the member designated by ms. porter, ms. strickland, ms. haze, mr. keating, mr. rush, mr. suozzi, mr. jeffries and mr. krishnamoorthi in a morty, these

eight members will vote yes. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from nebraska seek recognition? >> as the member designated by mrs. hartzler from missouri, i inform the house that mrs. hartzler will vote yes on h.r. 5407. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from michigan seek recognition? >> as the member designated by ms. beenees johnson of texas and ms. stance bury, mr. moulton and mrs. dingell of michigan, i inform the house that these members will vote yes on h.r. 5407. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? >> as the member designated by ms. salazar of florida, i inform the house that ms. sals czar -- salazar will vote yes. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? mr. beyer: as the member designated by mr. garcia, ms. new man, ms. moore,

mr. connolly and mr. desaulnier, these members will vote yes on h.r. 5407. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> as the member designated by mr. carter, i inform the house that mr. carter will vote yes. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from seek recognition? ms. wasserman schultz: as the member designated by mr. crist lawson, i inform the house that these members will vote yes on h.r. 5407. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition? mr. pallone: as the member designated by mr. donald payne and ann kirkpatrick and mike doyle and mr. pascrell, these members will vote yes on h.r. 5407.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> as the member designated by mr. paul gosar, i inform the house that mr. gosar will vote nay on h.r. 5407. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> as the member designated by congress member costa, bordeaux and swalwell, these members will vote yes on h.r. 5407. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from new hampshire seek recognition? >> as the member designated by ms. frankel, i inform the house the house she will vote yes on h.r. 5407.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek

recognition? >> as the member designated by mr. jacobs of new york, i inform the house that mr. jacobs will vote yes on h.r. 6493. the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 405, the nays are 16. 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the

bill is passed and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from virginia, mr. scott, to suspend the rules, pass h.r. 6493 as amended, on which the yeas and nays are ordered the clerk will report the title. the clerk: union calendar number 294, a bill to amend the higher education act of 1965 to prevent certain alcohol and misuse. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house pass the bill. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.] >> as the member designated by

mr. takano and mr. bowman, i inform the house that these members will vote yes on h.r. 6493. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> as the member designated by mr. rogers of kentucky, mr. rogers will vote yes on h.r. 6493. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> as the member designated by by the following members, costa, bordeaux and swalwell, i inform the house the house these members will vote on h.r. 6493. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from nebraska seek recognition? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by ms. vicky wartsler from missouri, i inform the house that ms. wartsler will vote yes -- mrs. -- mrs. vicky

hartzler from missouri, i inform the house that mrs. hartzler will vote yea on 6493. mr. correa: madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. guest of mississippi, mr. palazzo of mississippi, i inform the house that both mr. gegs and mr. palazzo -- mr. guest and mr. palazzo will vote yea on h.r. 6493. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from colorado seek recognition? mr. neguse: madam speaker, as the member designated by ms. porter, ms. strickland, mrs. hayes, mr. keating, mr. rush, mr. suozzi, and mr. jeffries and mr. krishnamoorthi, i inform the house that these eight members will vote yea on h.r. 6493. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from indiana seek recognition? mr. baird: madam speaker, as the member designated by mrs. walorski from indiana, and

pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mrs. walorski will vote yes on h.r. 6493. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from north carolina seek recognition? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by hank johnson and ms. bonamici, i inform the house that these members will vote yes on h.r. 6493. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina seek recognition? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. lamalfa of california, i inform the house that mr. lamalfa will vote aye on h.r. 6493. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from new hampshire seek recognition? ms. kuster: madam speaker, as the member designated by ms. frankel, i inform the house that she will vote yes on h.r. 6493. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina seek recognition? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by congresswoman boebert, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that congresswoman boebert will

vote nay on the passage of h.r. 6493. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition? mr. pallone: madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. albio sires, mrs. bonnie watson coleman, mr. donald payne, mrs. ann kirkpatrick, mr. mike doyle, mrs. fletcher, mr. pascrell, i inform the house that these members will vote yes on h.r. 6493. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. john carter from the state of texas, i inform the house that mr. john carter will vote yea on h.r. 6493. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. gomez: as the member designated by representatives danny davis, tlaib, jayapal, allred, i inform the house that these members will vote yes on h.r. 6493. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. jacobs of new york, i inform the house that mr. jacobs will vote yea on

h.r. 6493. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from michigan seek recognition? ms. stevens: madam speaker, as the member designated by congresswoman dingell of michigan, congresswoman stance burry of new mexico, congresswoman bernice johnson of texas, and congressman moulton of massachusetts, i inform the house that these members will vote yes on h.r. 6493. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? >> thank you, madam speaker. mr. diaz-balart: as the member designated by ms. salazar of florida, i inform the house that ms. salazar will vote yes on h.r. 6493. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from georgia seek recognition? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. carter of louisiana, ms. wilson of florida, ms. her her of -- mrs. cherfilus-mccormick, i inform the house that these members will vote yes on h.r.

6493. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. gohmert: madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. paul gosar, i inform the house that mr. gosar will vote nay on h.r. 6493. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. chuey garcia of illinois, ms. newman, ms. moore, mr. connolly, mr. desaulnier, i inform the house that these members will vote yes on h.r. 6493. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition? >> madam speaker, maas the memb designated by mr. katko of new york, i inform the house that mr. katko will vote yea on h.r. 6493. i inform the house that mr. tom rice of south carolina, i inform the house that mr. rice will vote yea on h.r. 6493.

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 371. the nays are 49. 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 gentlewoman from new york, mrs. maloney, seek recognition? mrs. maloney: mr. speaker, pursuant to house rule -- resolution 1191, i call up the bill h.r. 4178, the lgbtqi + data inclusion act -- it's 4176. the speaker pro tempore: is the gentlewoman calling up h.r. 4176? mrs. maloney: yes. h.r. 4176. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the clielt of the bill -- the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: already 4 -- h.r. 4176, a bill by requiring the collection of voluntary self-disclosed information on sexual orientation and gender identity in certain surveys and

for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to house resolution 1191, in lieu of the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the committee on oversight and reform printed in the bill, an amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of rules committee print 11 7-52 modified and the bill, as the bill shall be debatable for one hour controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member. the gentlewoman from new york, mrs. maloney, and the gentleman from kentucky, mr. comer, each will control 30 minutes. mrs. maloney: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend tear remarks and insert extraneous materials on the bill before us.

the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. maloney: i yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise in strong support of h.r. 4176, the lgbtqi plz inclusion act. this ensures that they collect data on sectional orientation and variation in sex characteristics so the federal government can serve. mrs. maloney: from the limited data currently available,

lgbtqi+ experience poverty, housing insecurity, adverse physical and mental outcomes, discrimination and more. for example, according to the williams institute, more than one in five, lgbtqi+ people live in poverty. according to the american psychiatric association, lgbtqi+ experience depression, anxiety and substance abuse than people who are heterosexual. there is violence against transgender across the u.s. an epidemic that killed more than 50 people last year. the lgbtqi+ inclusion act introduced by my friend and

chair of the natural resources committee, would close many longstanding gaps in the collection of data pertaining our nation lgbtqi+ communities by ensuring that federal surveys collect data on sexual orientation and this bill will equip congress and federal agencies with the information they need to better understand the specific challenges faced by the lgbtqi+ communities and help us develop equity solutions. this bill currently has 128 co-sponsors. the legislation has also received overwhelming support from more than 200 civil rights, health and scientific

organizations and the lgbtq plz equality caucus. this and this pertains to lgbtqi mr. + people. and the strongly supports passage of this bill. and i ask unanimous consent to make it part of the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. maloney: importantly, under this bill, asking questions about one's sexual orientation, gender variety would be entirely voluntary. and the bill also includes strong confidentiality and privacy protections. the design of the bill strikes

the necessary balance between informing policy making and protecting the personal information of lgbtqi+ people across the country. let me acknowledge the house taking this historic during pride month made by lgbtqi+ people in every aspect of american life. a reminder of our continued mission to ensure that every community in the united states is treated with equality and respect. i urge my colleagues to support this bill. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from kentucky is recognized. mr. comer: i yield myself such time as i may consume.

the lgbtqi+ requires federal agencies to collect highly sensitive information from the american people. with americans facing record inflation, record gas prices, supply chain shortages and drug overdoses and it is unbelievable this is a priority for the house democrats. mortgage rates are at its highest level since 2008. nationally, gas prices are averaging over $5 and there is shortage of baby formula and been a free-for-all at the southern border both for illegal immigrants and deadly drugs. the house majority is ignoring these issues. they have ignored the box withdrawal from afghanistan, the origins of the covid pandemic and impact of shutdowns and school closures on american people.

today we are considering a divisive bill, a bill that does nothing to address america's problems. it requires federal agencies to include questions regarding sexual orientation and gender identity on their surveys. there over 130 such surveys across the federal government. this includes a census. my colleagues oppose asking whether someone is an american citizen, but they want to ask about sexual orientation and gender identity? information many americans would not want to share with the federal government. this could reduce response rates in a host of statistical surveys our government relies on to inform important policy decisions. and i would remind my house colleagues asking these

questions during a job interview is illegal. title vii protects against sexual based on sex. and this includes sexual orientation and gender identity and democrats want to ask americans about this most private information. they say it will expand funding and services for those who identify as lgbtqi+ but haven't speaks side funding and what services and we don't know how agencies will use this agency and bad actors would exploit this information. there are cyberattacks and subject to leaks. a chinese attack exposed the date af ha.

internalal revenue has leaked high profile information. this could be used for harmful purposes and america caps may not answer a survey. they say it will remain optional but we know the pressure to answer a federal survey. the bill has been amended by the rule to strike the exemption from penalty provision which protected survey respondents if they refuse to answer a question. why did this language need to be removed if the questions are optional. are they going to penalize respondents if they don't answer? we do not know why and it's because this bill hasn't gone through due diligence. another part of this troubling part of this bill is or observers or proxies fill it out. should we have people answering

questions on a federal agency survey. republicans don't think so. a proxy could make a guess or the person would have to tell the proxy their sexual orientation or gender identity. when we considered the bill last week, committee republicans submitted an amendment to strike this provision but democrats rejected it and house republicans have concerns about presenting concerns about asking children. why should a minor be confronted about such topics. the national survey of fishing, hunting and wildlife includes respondents as ■young assi years old. federal surveys are no place to confront the american people with intrusive questions and concerns about sexual orientation or gender identity

especially when parents have a list of identities. it's hard to keep up. many parents have great concerns that add vow vaccinates are trying to drive a wedge within their families. and this bill confirms some of these concerns by allowing these questions to be directed to children. democrats have not acknowledged these concerns. in the committee markup of h.r. 4176, my colleague offered an amendment to prohibit the collection of this information from minors. but committee democrats voted the sensible amendment down. house democrat leadership has refused to make the amendments in order today. i wonder why the house majority refuses to consider an amendment aimed at protecting children? these amendments address important issues. the american people's

representatives should vote on them before sending this troubling bill to the senate. the american people deserve better from this legislative body. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. maloney: mr. speaker, i would like to point out to my good colleague, the national academies put out a report that important and demographic information on the lgbtqi+ should be standard adderrized and collected. only they collect data on sexual orientation and gender identity and none collect data on intersex populations. this would improve our collection efforts and would ensure our program and services can reach every person in the u.s. with the greatest effectiveness and help us to

better address longstanding health and economic inequities for america's lgbtqi population and from the limited research currently that these people disproportionately adverse mental health outcomes. collecting this data is critically important to ensure that our policies meet the needs of our lgbtqi constituents. i want to give one example of why this is so important. states were not able to measure the impact of the pandemic on the lgbtqi individuals and they were left out of all medical surveys leaving response programs and neglecting these

individuals and leads us to an inclusive society. i recognize the intlished chairman on the committee of natural resource is, the gentleman from arizona, mr. grijalva. i was proud to work with him and the committee members to bring it to the floor. i yield him as much time as he may want. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona, chairman grijalva is recognized. mr. grijalva: i would like to thank chairwoman maloney, the house and oversight and equality caucus for their work on this. as we celebrate pride month and remember the 5 #rd anniversary of the stonewall riots, we remember the experience and suffering of the lgbtqi+.

we have fallen short to include this because we lacked the necessary data affecting lgbtqi+ community. while some date af is collected and federal agents have made progress, far too many lgbtqi+ individuals remain overlooked in data collection efforts. . the census only has co-habitating same-sex couples. that's why i introduced this legislation to ensure we have robust and accurate data. the bill would require federal

surveys to include data collection on sexual orientation, gender identity, and variations of sex characteristics on a voluntary basis. again, let me emphasize with the chair on the voluntary -- on a voluntary basis of self-disclosed data. an individual would not be required to disclose this information nor would this information be used in a manner that would adversely affect any individual. it would ensure that lawmakers and federal agencies have the comprehensive data they need to address the lgbtqi+ issues. we cannot craft policies that remedy the disparities faced by these individuals, particularly people of color in issues of discrimination, unemployment, health care, housing instability and more if we do not have the adequate and correct data.

we've seen how the pandemic has impacted many americans and we're still learning how the lgbtqi+ community were disproportionately affected by the covid-19 crisis. this is just one of many areas that our federal government lacks knowledge and how to respond to these issues. in many ways, the tireless work of lgbtqi+ organizations in gathering this information has provided a better scope of the problems and disparities than the federal government itself. the lgbtqi+ community deserves to be visible and heard so public policy can better reflect their needs. it's critical to close the data gap that often invalidates their lives. perhaps more importantly, this bill comes at a time when republican state legislatures across this country have introduced more than 300

anti-lgbtq bills that target youth and their families. they would force individuals on denying rights to lgbtq individuals to have a reckoning. it would allow the community to be counted and, therefore, heard. not only is this bills in, it is a top priority of president biden. during his first day in office, president biden issued numerous executive orders to strengthen the rights and improve the lives of lgbtqi+ people across this country. he directed all federal agencies that enforce federal laws prohibiting sex discrimination to also prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. he established a new coordinated committee on sexual orientation and gender identity for data which will lead efforts across agencies to identify

opportunities to safeguard privacy protection and civil rights of individuals. these are all great initiatives, but we need to go further and codify them into law. this is why this bill is so important. in addition, in bill includes -- this bill includes implementation of a process where federal agencies will routinely assess changes needed in the collection of this data. this will provide enough flexibility for ferm agents to -- federal agents to use the best data collection for their agencies. we have more than 200 lgbtqi+ groups and allies that helped us get this legislation to where it is today. it could not have been done without them. this is an important piece of legislation for each and every lgbtqi+ individual in our nation. as a proud ally, i urge my colleagues to support this bill so that all our constituents are

seen, heard, and counted. ignoring -- we are not ignoring the current challenges facing americans. they are not being ignored, as was brought up. rather, we're treating all americans equally. and being inclusive. and in this great legacy of our nation, one of the great legacies that all of us who take pride in being part of this nation, we take pride of being americans, one of the great legacies is that this nation offers under the rule of law an inalienable right to equality. an inalienable right to access. and the policies to respond to the needs of all individuals. that bill takes us one step further in that direction. this bill is not punitive. it's inclusive. this bill is not mean-spirited. it is welcoming.

and this bill, above all, is american for all americans. with that, madam speaker -- madam chair, thank you for the time. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from new york reserves. mrs. maloney: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky is recognized. >> madam speaker, i yield three minutes to the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. grothman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized for three minutes. mr. grothman: i'd like to thank the gentleman for yielding. i rise today in strong opposition of h.r. 4176. this horrifying bill would require all federal agencies that collect demographic data to ask americans about their sexual orientation or gender identity. that goes all the way to including the census so ultimately could affect every american. i realize the majority party will claim you don't have to fill out this form.

but we all know as a practical matter almost all people presented with a form will fill out the whole thing. there are very few people that have the gumption or whatever to say i refuse to fill out such and such question. now, obviously, this bill affects adults. i'm old enough to remember when the gay rights movement was supposed to be about we're not going to poke around and see what people are doing in the bedroom. now we're kind of the opposite direction. we'll require everybody to talk about their sexual orientation which by itself is a little bit offensive. but i'm also going to iffocus me of the fact this bill requires -- doesn't require but asks for responses for people under 18 years of age which is just almost beyond belief. if a parent gets randomly selected to fill out the national survey on children's health, democrats want the federal government to ask parents to disclose if their

3-year-old son is attracted to boys or girls. this should be called steal our nation's childhood act. when they report to the civil rights data collection, schools will ask kindergarteners through 12th graders which sexual orientation or which gender they think they are. what exactly are you supposed to respond if you are an 8-year-old child? what are they supposed to do with this question? johnny, here we have a question for you. i'm gay because my favorite cartoon character is gay. i'm trains because -- trans because i like my mother's dress? i don't know what we are supposed to do with this question and it's be a soared -- absurd we should ask this of a child but clearly this is what the majority party's wants. we hear people you can tell what they are when they're 6 years old or 5 years old.

really beyond belief. and like i said, our corrupt popular culture today, we are told people are identifying as something or other when they're 7 or 8 years old. so in any event, i think it is obvious to vote no on this bill. i don't know how we got as a country to a place where we are asking 7 or 8-year-olds to declare a sexual preference but that's where we are today and the majority party thinks it makes perfect sense. the democrats must know this is wrong. mr. comer: i yield the gentleman another minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. grothman: i guess we can about wrap this up. i want the american public to stop and think where we are today. we'll pass a bill in which 7 or 8 or 9-year-olds are supposed to declare a sexual preference. the clergy of this country

should ponder how we should got this far and what they'll do about it. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from kentucky reserves. the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. mrs. maloney: i now yield one minute to the distinguished majority leader, the gentleman from maryland, leader steny hoyer. the speaker pro tempore: the distinguished majority leader, the gentleman from maryland, is recognized. mr. hoyer: thank you. obviously, in order to serve the american people and to serve those in favor say aye needs -- to serve their needs, we take a lot of information, in this case voluntary information, to determine what we can do to assist and make better the lives of people and the challenges they face. this pride month we celebrate all the progress we have made over the years to help lgbtg americans to help -- hgbtq

americans to help be free of danger, of violence perpetrated against them because of who they are. we must acknowledge, however, that the federal government does not do enough to ensure that that community is seen and considered when making key policy decisions. although there is evidence that lgbtq americans, especially transgender people, still face substantial prejudice in areas such as housing, employment, education, we need more data to determine the scope of these challenges and to devise policy solutions that work for all. to promote visibility, foster inclusion, build equity and equality for lgbtq americans. this legislation would ask the federal agencies -- to have the federal agencies collect voluntary information on orientation and gender identity whenever they ask for other demographic data. i want to emphasize, as i know

has been emphasized, that although this data will be processed anonymously, submission of this information will always be and continue to be completely voluntary. americans should never be forced to disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity to the government, period. to that extent, i think we all agree. i want to thank representative grijalva for introducing this legislation as well as chairwoman maloney and her colleagues on the oversight and reform committee for their efforts to advance this bill. although we still have much to do to address the disparities and marginalization of the lgbtq people and what they face in america, this bill will help equip policymakers with the tools and information needed to make further progress. our vote today is a continuation, frankly, of the efforts of johnson and milk and other leaders who showed courage in the lgbtq community come

forward and to say we are people and we needed to be treated as equal under the law. and this will, i think, help us meet that responsibility. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlelady from new york reserves. and the gentleman from kentucky is recognized. mr. comer: madam speaker, i yield five minutes to the gentleman from arizona, mr. biggs. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona is recognized for five minutes. mr. biggs: i thank the gentleman for yielding, and i -- madam speaker, today we heard impassioned arguments from house democrats about the need to geography better data on the american population. in fact, the majority leader just said, obviously, we take information to better provide services to americans. that's what he said. as required by the constitution, the census is carried out every 10 years to conduct an actual enumeration in such manner as

congress by law shall direct. it's well past time, it's well past time the congress directs the census bureau to have the respondents. i know that our colleagues don't believe there is a crisis on our southern border. there were 479,000 encounters at the southern border and what that means is it's either a s surrender or arrest. of those 25%, an individual who had one prior encounter in the previous 12 months. this does not -- this does not include the known and unknown getaways which is estimated to be one million individuals. if someone is a u.s. citizen, that's an important data point that should be recorded on the census and other federal surveyses. if we'll get information, as the

majority leader said, this should be in that pan plea of information. as we heard today from our colleagues across the aisle, data from these federal surveyss data. i believe we should know whether the federal government is serving its citizens well but how can we do that when we do not know how many citizens there are, how many actual citizens there are and where they live. i will offer a straightforward solution. if we adopt the the motion to reconsider -- motion to recommit to inquire that the u.s. constitution to ask respondents whether they are u.s. citizens. in contrast to asking object

strews i have questions that serve no legitimate purpose, the federal government should have a better understanding of the citizens residing in america. this will inform lawmakers and ensure they are bettering the lives and this is the stated goal of the democrats. time that the u.s. government and u.s. congress works to protect the prosperity of the american people. such serious work starts with strong borders and sound immigration policy that is actually enforced. contrary to what the chair woman stated, the supreme court has said it is not unlawful to ask, the supreme court has not said you cannot inquire about citizenship. that is false. it has been done historically. in the prior case, before the supreme court, the process leading up to putting the question on the census was flawed and upon that basis, the

question was decided. but, the decision states, quote, the enumeration clause permits congress and by extension the secretary to inquire about citizenship on the census questionnaire and that's what we are doing. we are following the constitution as has been recognized by the supreme court. and it is critical to having apportionment of representatives in the house based on the census, in this house and similar to your underlying bill. this information will be voluntarily gathered. today, the american people will see their representatives take a vote on this important pather. madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to insert the text of the amendment immediately on the vote prior to the motion to recommit. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. biggs: i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky reserves. the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. mrs. maloney: i would like to respond to his statements on the citizenship status and saying it should be collected with lgbtq data. the citizenship question should not be part of this bill. requiring that citizenship questions is a duplication and totally unnecessary, the census bureau and bureau of labor statistics already ask about citizenship status. the american community survey and the current population survey. this data is collected in addition to the volumes of citizenship records in the department ofhomeland security. the trump administration's efforts to add the citizenship

question to the census was a fear tactic intended to discourage specific people from participating in the census and to exclude them from the count. requiring citizenship data collection was and always will be about suppressing data sets and denying u.s. citizens and residents the representation and resources they need to contribute to their communities. now, the supreme court ruled that the trump administration stated reasoning for adding the citizenship question was quote, pretext thurl, unquote. unlike the citizenship, sexual orientation and gender identity and variations in sex characteristics will allow individuals to receive the care and resources they need while

helping to combat the discrimination they face every day and unlike the citizenship question, these questions will be voluntary and respondents' privacy will be vigorous ily protected and i yield as the distinguished chair of the ling -- i will not at this time. the chair is recognizing -- the gentleman is valuable and i yield two minutes to or as much time as he wants, the chair of the lgbtq + equality caucus, the gentleman from rhode island, representative david cicilline. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from rhode island is recognized for such time as he may consume. mr. cicilline: i thank the chair woman for yielding. i rise in strong support of the lgbtqi+ inclusion act.

it is troubling for me to hear of the ongoing effort by our republican to cancel the lgbtq community. efforts are underway that you are not allowed to speak about members, the don't say gay laws that have been passed. efforts underway to ban books that include did he pickons of our community and so you can pretend we don't exist. we are not going to tolerate that. lgbtq + members have and federal surveys have failed to collect federal data on our communities. we know with the limited data that we have that the lgbtq community is facing many, many great challenges. lgbtqi+ face poverty and worst

mental and physical outcomes. and these adverse experiences are not because who they are but the way the community is treated in our country and society. the disparities is a society with discrimination, rejection, harassment and bullying of lgbtqi+ community is still common. not as a result of our identity but how society treats members of our community. we are in perilous times because in the last year alone state legislatures have enacted more than two dozen anti-laws. any surprise that our community has so many obstacles to overcome? we know of some of these obstacles, we lack clear, comprehensive federal data.

the lgbtqi+ data will change that. good policy comes from good data. if we are going to serve the community, we need to be represented in federal studies and surveys so we can have policy solutions and those facing these americans. as states move to codify even more critical than ever that the federal government will have better data and better tools to tackle the many obstacles. the whole purpose of this is a recognition particularly for lgbtq + youth which is the center, they deserve to be treated with respect, kindness and empathy and it is imperative we collect data so young people can understand that they matter

and that when we think of mental health and housing, that we will develop policies. this is about making us much better, more inclusive, while preserving the privacy of people in the united states including children. and some people in this chamber want to deprive lgbtq youth of the care and the resources that they need to lead lives and making inaccurate comments. the trefer project released a report 45% of lgbtq youth seriously considered suicide. almost half of these kids considered killing themselves. 25% of lgbtq youth experienced homelessness or housing insecurity.

you are four times as likely to attempt to kill yourself. and 43 of transkids report being bullied in school. these are real challenges. nobody should be ok with that. we want to make sure as the -- so many leading medical organizations the importance of providing a safe environment for lgbtqi youth. and by ensuring we have robust inclusive data, today's legislation will ensure there are policies to provide every family in this country and every young person has access. we should all want that. you can't cancel a group of folks bus you don't like them. this is america. every single person deserves to be counted, deserves to be respected and access to their government in the collection of data is critical part of that work. i want to end chairman grijalva

for introducing this legislation and chairwoman maloney and i urge my colleagues, think about the young people who are being impacted when you vote and vote yes. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time the gentlelady reserves. mr. comer: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from arizona, mr. biggs. mr. biggs: madam speaker, i just want to cover and address some of the statements made by the chair woman regarding my previous statement. she admitted in her statement that several surveys gather the information they seek in the underlying bill. and yet that the rational for not asking for the citizenship. you are gathering this information and want to expand

it to 130 and you say you get it from the department of labor statistics on citizenship. let's get it all across the board. same rationale. the chair woman said the lgbtq question will be voluntary but the citizenship question is not. that is untrue. if you look at the amendment that would be there and we discussed this in the committee, all you are doing is adding in some cases the word citizenship to the questions that you are already asking or you are asking whether or not the respondent is a citizen of the united states. that is voluntary. it's not mandatory. that's untrue to say that. and the argument was made that the supreme court used the rationale that was inaccurate. the supreme court rationale for not allowing the trump administration through an executive agency to ask the citizenship question on the

census was this. it was because the process did -- was not initiated by congress. because the supreme court specifically stated, quote, the enumeration clause permits congress and by extension, the secretary to inquire by citizenship, closed quote. it had not been done by congress, it had been done by a lower-level agency. so all of those things should now dispel the arguments including this amendment. that's why i'm going to encourage everyone in this body to support the motion to recommit. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the i yield two minutes to the distinguished chief deputy whip, the gentlelady from texas, representative sheila jackson lee. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentlewoman is recognized for two minutes. ms. jackson lee: i thank the the gentlewoman from new york for her leadership and chairman grijalva for his dynamic leadership as well. i rise today because i just feel moved by the movement to really talk about truth in the moments that i have. i started this moment by citings the declaration of independences saying we are all created equal with the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. isn't it important that today in pride month as i recognize my constituents in houston, all of them and the caucus that has been a steadfast advocate in houston for the rights of all people in the lgbtqi community. so it is important to be counted and recognized and i want to emphasize again the distortion of how punitive this will be.

it's voluntary. i know my constituents. some of them don't fill out the census because they know they don't have to do it. some of them don't answer questions on the census. for anyone to suggest this will be punitive and people will be fearful and think not to do it, it is voluntary. and i can sure this community, the lgbtqi+ remain vulnerable to discrimination. 21 states have laws that prohibit discrimination on sexual orientation and 20 states have such protections for gender i had fient. h.r. 4176, this is to include, affirm and to be counted. .

we thought we'd be past that after years of working and fighting. but it is important to note that this bill will provide us with the appropriate information. mrs. maloney: i yield the gentlelady as much time as she may need. ms. jackson lee: i thank you so very much. it's high time we provide equal protection for all members of the lgbtqi+ community in accordance with the 14th amendment. h.r. 4176 is one step forward toward equality by creating a tool kit through which our lgbtqi+ community members can be repre represented and the demographic data can be taken. let me just say that the numbers speak truth. i said i wanted to discuss a moment of truth. when we have the data, we can help with housing, health care, schooling, special needs that this community would have. representation as it relates to

them being counted in federal funding that may be necessary to aid in their circumstances. i'm reminded of tragedies that have happened before. if anyone remembers, a young man being pailed against a fence because he was the lgbtqi+ community. i met with matthew shepherd's mother. so i remember these atrocities and i see in a state like mine where transgender families are threatened about trying to find resources for their children. we love our children. we love our families. the only thing i can see in this legislation is the importance of affirming and counting and treating with dignity and recognizing that this wonderful community, the lgbtqi+ community, they, too, are america. we, too, are america.

this is a moment of truth and it's simply collecting data, punishing no one, but of lifting all americans. i yield back to the gentlelady and ask for my colleagues to support h.r. 4176. i yield back. mrs. maloney: if the gentlelady yields back, the gentlelady reserves, and if the gentleman from kentucky has no further speakers, i'm prepared to close. mr. comer: i have no further speakers and i am prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from kentucky is recognized. mr. comer: thank you, madam speaker. the u.s. house of representatives should focus on helping the american people survive economic turmoil and defending our borders and national security. i urge house democrats to get back to what the american people elected us to do, conduct oversight over the federal government and the biden administration which is on a path to destroy america. we need to hold hearings, conduct oversight, and pass

legislation addressing the crises affecting americans today. that is our constitutional responsibility. that's the responsibility of the house oversight committee. but instead, we're spending valuable resources and time on divisive, political messaging bills, and that's what this is. i oppose h.r. 4176, and i urge my colleagues to do the same. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlelady is recognized. mrs. maloney: in closing, i want to thank my colleague, chairman raul grijalva, for introducing this important legislation. i am pleased that we were able to bring this bill before the house during pride month to show that we care about everyone in our country. we think everyone should be counted. everyone should be surveyed. and everyone's needs should be listened to.

i particularly thank the equality caucus for their attention and work on this bill. and the committee on oversight staff and all of the work of the people involved in the staff to make this happen. i am also very grateful to the more than 124 co-sponsors of my colleagues here in this body and more than 200 civil rights, health and scientific organizations that have supported this bill and affirm the need for comprehensive federal data collection on members of the lgbtqi+ community. this bill, h.r. 4176, moves this country one step closer to equality and gives us the tools to see and support all of our communities, all of our constituents. i, again, urge my colleagues to support this bill and i thank the leadership of this body, our speaker, our majority leader, our caucus chair, all who played

a role in supporting this legislation and moving it to a vote tonight. with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. all time for debate has expired. each further amendment printed in part b of house report 117-381 shall be considered 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 opponent, may be withdrawn by the proponent at any time before the question is put thereon, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject for demand for division of the question. it is now in order to consider amendment number 1 printed in part b of house report 117-381. for what purpose does the

gentlewoman from texas seek recognition? ms. jackson lee: madam speaker, amendment at the desk. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 1 printed in part b of house report 117-381 offered by ms. jackson lee of texas. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to house resolution 1191, the gentlewoman from texas, ms. jackson lee, and a member opposed, will each control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from texas. ms. jackson lee: i thank the speaker and, again, i thank the sponsor of this legislation and the chairwoman providing over the oversight committee. data collection is a tool to understand and address changes facing the lgbtqi+ community and other sexual and gender diverse communities. i ask unanimous consent to put into the record from american progress collecting data about lgbtqi+ and other sexual and gender diverse communities, i ask unanimous consent. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. jackson lee: i ask unanimous consent to enter into the record the new survey data shows lgbtqi+ youth mental health

crisis. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. jackson lee: and i ask unanimous consent the census bureau's first ever data on lgbtqi+ people has deep disparities. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. jackson lee: my amendment would have the comptroller general the impact of the implementation of this act on the provision of services to persons of lgbtqi+. it would ensure transparency and the correlation between the provision of services and one's gender identity, sexual orientation, and variation in sex characteristics. i emphasize, we want to have truth and discussion here. we want to be helpful and have people counted. data collection will monitor the flow of lgbtqi+ communities. this will have provision of services to the lgbtqi+ community and if there are shortcomings, congress and the public will be informed of them

so they can be remedied and soon thereafter. despite our many gains, the united states is not always a welcoming place for individuals across many spectrums. this is essentially true for people coming from unaffirming families and communities. so i ask my colleagues to support this amendment bus it affirms children, it affirms families, it affirms our fellow colleagues, soldiers, law enforcement, first responders, firefighters, teachersics people -- teachers, people who see us in the retail area. it affirms marek. and this knowledge -- it affirms america. and this knowledge will help us being a better america. i ask my colleagues to support the jackson lee amendment and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. for what purpose does the gentleman seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i rise in opposition to the amendment offered by congresswoman jackson lee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. comer: the amendment admits

that the ultimate purpose of this bill is to steer taxpayers' hard-earned dollars to yet another demographic subgroup. the amendment requires g.a.o. to report on how the bill will impact federal agency provision of -- provision of services to individuals. in other words, how federal grant programs and financial assistance will be provided based on people's sexual orientation and gender identity. house republicans believe that all americans deserve equal treatment and respect. in fact, that is guaranteed under our constitution. we oppose the continual dividing of americans for political purposes. this amendment is pure identity politics and an abuse of taxpayer dollars. i urge my colleagues to vote against this amendment and reserve the balance of miami time -- balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlelady is recognized. ms. jackson lee: i'm very pleased to yield to the distinguished chairwoman of the full committee, congresswoman maloney of new york, for one

minute. the speaker pro tempore: the chairwoman is recognized. mrs. maloney: i thank the gentlewoman from texas, representative jackson lee, and rise in support of her amendment. this amendment would require reporting to congress on the impact of data collection on the lgbtqi+ population, facilitated by this act and the provision of services extended to those groups. as the chair of the committee on oversight and reform, i'm committed to ensuring the effectiveness and efficiency of governmental operations for all americans. reporting on the impacts of h.r. 4176 will provide transparency into the data collection and help inform our policymaking efforts. i urge my colleagues to support this amendment and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from texas reserves. ms. jackson lee: continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman is recognized. mr. comer: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves.

the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. jackson lee: i'll close at this moment. can i have the remaining time, please? the speaker pro tempore: two minutes. ms. jackson lee: and for the gentleman? the speaker pro tempore: four minutes. ms. jackson lee: let me offer what we are living in. there are more than 300 laws that have been passed across the nation in a are discriminating against the lgbtqi+ community. in addition, we find few states, less than half of these 50 states that are not protecting this community. 21. so i should it the other way around. 21 states, which is two ten's

and one are not protecting this community. that means that there is a half loaf for many in this community. how do we remedy and educate states and local communities? we do so by ensuring that information is given. that is how we protect taxpayer dollars that you're constructive in the use of dollars. this is only to help with a better implementation of social services that are already rendered but such social services may not be geared toward addressing some of the populations here in the united states. my amendment, which is what we always ask for, is accountable, making sure we're accountable when we are addressing the concerns that have not been addressed in the lgbtqi+ community. that is what i hope most people will see. but at the same time, i hope my amendment characterizes what america is -- compassion with

passion -- compassionate with passion, caring, and humanitarian nation. we go all over the world to fight for human rights and justice and equality. our soldiers put on the uniform to dignify our constitution. why not here in america? do my friends on the other side of the aisle realize how many people in the united states military come from the lgbtqi+ community? they asked no questions. they put on the uniform. i know they fought real hard to not have -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. ms. jackson lee: not have questions asked. so i ask my colleagues to support the jackson lee amendment for accountability and fairness and to recognize we, too, all of us are americans. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman is recognized. mr. comer: i yield -- madam speaker, i yield the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields the balance of his time. pursuant to house resolution 1191, the previous question is ordered on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from texas,

ms. jackson lee. the question is on the amendment. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky seek recognition? mr. comer: madam speaker, i ask for a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to section 3-s of house resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question are postponed. . it is now in order to consider amendment number 2 printed in house report 117-381, for what purpose does the gentlewoman from new york seek recognition? mrs. maloney: representative sean patrick maloney has an amendment at the desk and i'm his designee. the clerk: amendment number 2 printed in house report 117-381

offered by mrs. carolyn b. maloney of new york. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from new york, mrs. maloney each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from new york. mrs. maloney: i rise in support of this amendment that clarifies the federal surveys governed by this bill can and collect deceased lgbtq individuals. due to mistreatment and being stigma advertised lgbtq + youth are four times to attempt suicides. the number of violent fatal attacks against transgender people have hit record highs, but important the actual number of fatal attacks is undercounted, allowing the proxy

of a deceased respondent tore respond and right this wrong. federal surveys do not collect key demographic information on gender identity or sexual orientation of a deceased person. as a result, we as policy makers do not have the full picture and cannot accurately identify disparities or policy solutions that serve each person we represent. the national's survey asked about the victim's sexual orientation but not depend iridentity. this undercut of targeted violence against the transgender community has left us making policies with one hand tied behind our backs. this amendment ensures that researchers and policy makers

can understand the experiences of deceased lgbtq individuals and make more informed decisions as we fight for equality and justice under the law. i urge support of this amendment and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. mr. comer: i rise in opposition to the amendment. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. comer: this amendment stoops to the lowest level possible. in fact, six feet under. it is better that house democrats seek to subject living people to intrusive questions about sexual orientation and gender i had at the present time and they would allow proxies to answer sensitive questions. but shockingly, this amendment expands that authority to allow proxies to answer census

questions about sexual orientation and gender identity on behalf of dead americans. if someone claims to be a knowledgeable proxy, this amendment permits that individual to answer the question on behalf of a deceased person who can no longer answer. with this amendment, someone who has guarded their personal privacy will have to worry that personal lives will be shared with the federal government after they die or it can be made up. and how is collecting this information even useful at all? it is hard toll imagine it make the underlying bill much worse. i urge my colleagues to reject this amendment and vote to protect america's ability to simply rest in peace. i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time the gentlewoman is

recognized. mrs. maloney: i am prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. maloney: i urge support of this amendment and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back, the gentleman from kentucky is recognized. mr. comer: i yield back. pursuant to house resolution 1191, previous question is offered on the amendment mrs. maloney. the question is on the amendment. those in favor, say aye. those owed -- those opposed, no. for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky seek recognition? mr. comer: i ask for a recorded vote. pursuant to section 3-s of house resolution 8. yeas and nays are ordered it is now in order tore consider amendment number 3 printed in part b of report 117-381, for

what purpose does the gentlewoman from new york seek recognition? mrs. maloney: i rise as designee for representative tlaib's amendment made in order by rule. the clerk: amendment number 3 printed in part b of house report 117-381 offered by mrs. maloney of new york pursuant to house resolution 1191, the representative from new york, mrs. maloney will be recognized. mrs. maloney: the agencies will create standards and protocols for analyzing and destroying identifiable information at the appropriate time. this amendment is a strong condition to the underlying bill as it ensures the demographic

information collected will be responsibly destroyed to fully protect an individual's privacy. this is essential to informing policies, laws and programs that address the needs of our communities. individuals who identify as lgbtqi+. this critical information has been missing from all areas of data collection and led to worsened outcomes to individuals who are fully counted in federal data collection. i am proud to have this pro-privacy amendment. and i urge my colleagues to do the same. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman are serves. mr. comer: i rise in opposition to the amendment.

i rise in opposition to this amendment offered by representative tlaib which highlights the intrusion into americans' privacy. when the government collects sensitive information as h.r. 4176, the data becomes the target of bad actors. we see this play out in our government. the overcollection being hacked. from the leaking of americans' tax records and believe of investigation files. and don't have a good track record. yet this amendment allows government agencies to place private data at risk for up to three entire years. republicans will not stand for subjecting americans' foyer to cyber hackers and other

wrongdoers, other information that shouldn't be collected. i urge my colleagues to vote against this amendment. and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time the gentlelady is recognized. mrs. maloney: if my colleague has no further speakers, i am prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. i urge support of this amendment and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized mr. comer: i yield the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time pursuant to house resolution 1191, the previous question is ordered on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from new york, mrs. maloney. the question is on the amendment. those in favor, say aye. those opposed, no in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it and the amendment is agreed to. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the

table. pursuant to clause 1-c of rule 19, further consideration of h.r. 4176 is postponed. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess subject to the call of the mr. rosen just discussed? >> it is critical that they conduct their investigations free from either the reality or any proposed political interference.