the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 189, the nays are 232.

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 191, the nays are 232. the motion is not adopted. he house will come to order. the house will come to order. members take their conversations off the floor.

members will clear the well and the aisle. and members will take their seats. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas, mr. carter, seek recognition? mr. carter: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. carter: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, yesterday afternoon, tragedy struck the heart of texas at fort hood. which we know as a great place. a gunman whose motives we do not understand took the lives of three american soldiers and wounded 16 more before taking his own life. unfortunately, mr. speaker, this is not the first time fort hood

has had to endure a tragedy like this. our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and the fort hood community. we pray far speedy recovery to the wounded and extend our deepest condolences to the friends and families of those soldiers who lost their lives. we stand ready to provide any and all assistance we can to support fort hood, the soldiers serving there, and the surrounding community. now i would like to recognize my good friend and colleague and ally in supporting this incredible community which we both have the honor to represent, congressman williams. mr. williams: thank you. it is said that all give some, and some give their all. once again, we've seen a tragedy at fort hood, the great place, and already we are witnessing the strength and resilience of a community of brave men and women who not only serve our country

overseas in enemy territory, but right here at home on military posts around the nation. our prayers are with the fallen troops, those who were injured and are still in recovery, and the families of all those involved. our thoughts are with the entire fort hood community and great leadership under general millie as they stand together and push through this tough time, we'll continue praying for the excellent medical team that assists the injured. perhaps most importantly, we kill not forget the troop -- we will not forget the troops whose lives were lost yesterday. the best and brightest is what we offer at fort hood. their service and sacrifice are an inspiration, reminding us that america doesn't give because it's rich, america is rich because it gives. it's given us all of those we honor today. may god bless all the fort hood community during this time and may god bless america. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman from texas, mr. carter. mr. carter: at this time i would like to ask the house to join me in a moment of silence and hopefully prayer for the fort hood community and all those families of the injured and dead at fort hood today. the speaker pro tempore: will all present rise for a moment of silence. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. without objection, five-minute voting will continue. the question is on passage of the bill. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. mr. levin: i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman ask for a recorded vote? mr. levin: yes.

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

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are -- the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 248.

the nays are 179. the bill is passed. and the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the house will be in order. he house will come to order. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i seek unanimous consent to remove my name as co-sponsor from h.r. 217. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the chair lays before the house a communication. the clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives, sir, i wanted to inform you that today i am resigning from the homeland security committee. i appreciate your attention to this matter.

si ned sincerely, tul gabbard, member of congress. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the resignation is accepted. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, by the direction of the democratic caucus, i offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 537, resolved, that the following named members be and are hereby elected to the following standing committees of the house of representatives , one, committee on armed services, ms. gabbard. two, committee on financial services, mr. horsford. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the resolution is agreed to and the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the chair lays before the house a communication. the clerk: the honorable the

speaker, house of representatives, sir, i am writing to step down from my current assignments on the house natural resources committee and the house homeland security committee, allowing me to fill the current vacancy on the house financial services committee. it has been an honor to serve on both these committees, and i look forward to continuing my work on behalf of the people of nevada's fourth congressional district. signed sincerely, steven a. horsford, member of congress. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the resignation is accepted.

the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. please take your conversations off the house floor. he house will be in order. he house will be in order. the chair will now entertain

requests for one-minute speeches. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? ms. ros-lehtinen: i request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. ros-lehtinen: madam speaker, there has been a lot of misinformation today about the cuba twitter program. this is not a secret program. cuba democracy programs are public. both usaid and states put out requests for proposals from different n.g.o.'s to administrator and implement our cuba drauks programs. the objective -- democracy programs. the objective is to provide greater access of information for those suffering under the repressive regime. the cuban dictatorship controls censors and blocks information going into the island to deny cubans the ability to hear about world events or about the human rights violations

occurring throughout the island in their very own country. the funds help provide technology-based training to get through -- to cut through the censorship of the castro brothers. our goal is to stimulate new ideas to help the cuban people, tackle pressing issues such as human rights abuses. these new technology programs are also aimed at reaching out to the cuban youth, to share experiences and provide them with the tools to build their capacity for grassroots organizing, to promote democracy, liberty and freedom. the cuban people deserve freedom. i thank the speaker for the time, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the house will be in order, please. the house will be in order. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? madam speaker,

request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. thompson: madam speaker, businesses across the country have stopped hiring and millions of americans are beginning to see less take-home pay as a result of the affordable care act's 30-hour workweek requirement. this -- that's the crux of the program with the affordable care act, madam speaker. the law's burdensome employer requirements dissuede businesses from putting workers from full to part-time work. government should be expanding job opportunities especially during tough economic times. this is the reason the house 2575, the d h.r. save american workers act, legislation that will allow businesses the opportunity to pand workers' hours by redefining full-time hours and reverting back to the

traditional 40-hour workweek definition. the save american workers act will lessen the burden being imposed on workers -- employers and help increase wages, especially those with limited means, can better provide for their families. thank you, madam speaker, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek ecognition? without objection the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, madam speaker. i want to thank the british embassy for including me in an exchange program with scientists, policy leaders, and members of the british parliament who are on the front battle our global against alzheimer's. ms. frankel: alzheimer's attacks our oldest population, stripping our grandparents of their dignity and placing debig tative

stress on devoted care takers. 44 million worldwide and five million right here in america are affected. an american develops alzheimer's disease every 5 seconds so by the time i finish this speech, someone in our country will have this heartbreaking disease. through the affordable health care act and the national alzheimer's project, congress and president obama have taken important steps to address this growing crisis. it is a moral and economic imperative that we continue to escalate our efforts. thank you, madam speaker and i yield my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. poe: madam speaker, the head cheerlead for the charge held a pep rally this week. standing in front of a

boisterous squad of bure rat from h.h.s. and democrats, the president declared mission accomplish. however not there, and not invited were millions who lost their plans and lost their doctors that the president promised they could keep. many citizens have seen their health insurance costs rise. their deductibles increase, and their coverage decrease. and they weren't there either. one single mom in my district wrote me that she had to send her son off to live with her parents because she could no longer afford to support him due to the rise in her health care costs under obama care. she wasn't there either. but the president declared the debate over repeal og ba macare is over. not so fast, mr. president. college pep rally campaigning in front of a hand picked audience won't change the fact that obamacare is bad medicine for america. that's just the way it is. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back.

the chair reminds members to direct their remarks to the chair. are there further one minutes? the chair lays before the house the following personal requests. the clerk: leave of absence requested for ms. castor of florida for today and friday, april 4. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the request is granted. under the speaker's announced policy of january 3, 2013, the gentleman from new york, mr. reed, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader. mr. reed: thank you, madam speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members have five lennell slative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject oif -- of my special order. the speaker pro tempore: without objection.

mr. reed: thank you, madam speaker. thank you to my colleagues that have joined me this evening to talk about an issue that is very personal to me and i think something that we need to discuss across america in an open and honest fashion. madam speaker, this month, april, is sexual assault awareness month. i am joined with many of my colleagues here today to discuss the issue of sexual assault, domestic violence, and in particular a national effort that we have become familiar with in our office and in my household called the no more campaign. more is a group that is represented by numerous entities across the country that are coming together to say no more to sexual assault and domestic violence.

madam speaker, you may recall, i this this floor of chamber on march 14 and i discussed the issue of no more week at that point in time. i shared my family's personal story that moved us in our household my wife my brother, my sister, my 11 older brothers and sisters to say no more because, madam speaker, over the last year and a half, we dealt with a situation where my niece was raped and i will tell you, going through that experience, it is time to say no more. and i just am humbled to see the outpouring of support that my colleagues are showing me this evening and coming together to say we need to talk about sexual assault, we need to talk about domestic violence across the country, we can't be shameful, we can't hide any longer, and we need to stand with the victims

and say this isn't something that's just going to be brushed aside and there's going to be excuses of, well, she wanted it, or they deserved it, or they were drinking and therefore it's ok. no more, madam speaker. no more to sexual assault and domestic violence. earlier today, my colleague across the aisle, gwen moore, and i introduced a resolution supporting the goals and ideals of prail as sexual assault awareness and prevention month. i'm glad to see we are coming together in this chamber on a bipartisan basis to identify this issue, speak about this issue, and coming together to solve this critical problem for americans across the nation. also, i just wanted to say, from this personal experience as a husband, as a father of a beautiful girl who is 15, the uncle of my beautiful niece who went through this horrific can't on, that we just

express enough how horrific and tragic sexual assault is when it comes to families, young men and women, men and women across the country. i stand here today to say no more. with that, i'd like to at this point in time yield some time to my good colleague, mrs. capito, to speak on this important issue. mrs. capito: thank you. i'd like to thank the gentleman from new york for bringing highlight to an issue that we all feel a certain sadness that has to be highlighted. i'm sorry for his personal tragedy for his niece and i wish her much healing and a bright future for her. i rise today to, too, speak as he did about april as sexual assault aware rns month. as we know -- awareness month. as we know, sexual assault can happen to anyone, regardless of

gender, age, race, or religion. it's always heartbreaking. and those are the ones we actually hear about. many go unreported. so we must say, no more. no more to sexual assault and the culture of silence and shame. one in six women in this country have been sexually assaulted, most by someone they know. hence the area of deep -- deeply troubling behaviors in the realm of domestic violence. college women have an even higher rate of sexual victimization than most women in the united states. our college and universities can and must play an important role in stopping sexual assault and joining this campaign in april by saying no more to sexual assault. this must be a priority in every college campus in america. as a mother of a daughter and now a grandmother of a daughter and also two sons who were lucky enough to go to college, i want to make sure that when they're

on those college campuses they're safe and that they know how to get help and they know how to recognize the signals that they might be getting into trouble. many of those affected by sexual assault struggle with depression and alcohol or drug abuse and even thoughts of suicide. we have to make sure they know they are not to blame and there is help available. they have to know people care. and places like the ywca, which i was an active board member with for many years, stand ready to help. they have counseling programs, residential programs, programs for batterers, programs to try to alleviate the scourge of domestic violence. we in congress have passed laws to provide federal funding for programs and organizations to help women seeking help from domestic abuse, stalking and sexual assault. i will continue to work to help the men and women affected by these heinous crimes and i'm

proud to stand here today and say, no more to sexual assault. i yield back and thank the gentleman for yielding me time. the speaker pro tempore: i thank the gentlelady from west virginia for her words and offer support and at this time madam speaker, i'd like to recognize my good friend on the other side of the aisle the co-chair of the victim's rights caucus, mr. costa of california. mr. costa: thank you, mr. speaker. as a co-chairman of the crime victims caucus along with our good friend and colleague congressman ted poe, our caucus wants to join in this effort to say no more. the crime victims caucus is active in a host of different areas and this is one that deserve ours attention. as we mark the national sexual assault awareness month, we must remember that every day, millions are struggling with the aftermath of sexual assault. we remember the survivors and we

honor the advocates who support them. awareness and action can help end the cycle of sexual assault and domestic violence. one in five women in this country, sadly, are raped other the course of their lifetime and half of all women will experience some type of sexual assault. these are horrific, horrific numbers. these are our sisters, our mothers, and our wives. we must act. millions of victims are not receiving the assistance they need and congress must act. a national survey in 2013 showed that 75% of the rape crisis centers have lost funding and -- resulting in layoffs and reduced services and program closures when in fact we need 24-7 service for this very, very important matter.

those must remembers -- numbers mean communities with shuttered emergency shelters that could have helped women and men find safe haven are no longer available. we must do better. that's why i, along with my of my colleagues here today are fighting to raise the cap on the crime victims fund that was -- that is one of the top priorities of the crime victims rights caucus. more than 80 members of congress signed -- signed our bipartisan legislation that congressman -- and congressman ted poe and i carried a letter to urge them to raise the cap of $1.5 billion this fund is oversubscribed and the fact of the matter is, this fund does not contain one ounce of taxpayer dollars. it is in fact ill gotten gains by criminals of all kinds in which those ill gotten gains are confiscated and placed in this restitution fund that president

reagan signed into law in 1981 with then a democratic-controlled congress system of we must raise these funds. crime victim fund provide money for our domestic violence shelters that provide shelters for families and women and children who are our vims of domestic violence. it funds rape crisis centers and child abuse treatment centers and programs. we must find the rape -- fund the rape prevention fund that provides moneys to our states in order to support this very important issue of rape prevention and education programs conducted by these rape crisis centers, sexual assault coalitions, and other nonprofit organizations that are attempting to educate the house -- to educate, to help, and to assist and to be there when these victims are violated by his most horrific crime. awareness, education, and

empowerment. we all have a role to play in combating the sexual assault and that's why we are honoring those this month. until we eliminate sexual assault and domestic violence and rape, we must continue to educate people on where to seek help when tragedy strikes. survivors must know that they are not alone. and it's not their fault. and that there is help and that we care. so that they can come out of the shadows and lead a productive life. so in closing, it is our job and solemn promise here in congress to guarantee that there is help for every victim in our country. no more to sexual assault. yield the balance of my time. >> i thank the gentleman for his kind words, and i yield to the co-chair of the victims caucus,

judge poe of texas. mr. poe: i thank the gentleman for yielding time and thank him for having this special order regarding the dastardly crime of sexual assault. also i want to thank my friend mr. costa from california for his work, we serve as co-chairs on the victims rights caucus and it's a caucus that does exactly what it says. we promote and advocate on behalf of crime victims throughout the country here legislately -- legislatively. mr. costa, he was the author of the three strikes, you're out law that many states have now adopted, it's a good law and i want to commend him for his work on the cause cus and his comments. madam speaker, i spent all my career before i came to congress at the criminal courts building in houston, first as a prosecutor and then 22 years as a criminal court judge. i heard about 25,000 cases as a judge. i heard a lot as a prosecutor.

all of those cases dealt with people, not just the defendant, but the victims of crime as well. i'd like to talk about one person. and it happened a long time ago in a case i prosecuted. i'm going to change the names to protect the privacy of the family of the victim. but this young student at one of our -- one of our schools in houston, texas, she's working in the daytime, went to night school to get a second degree. she's driving home on one of our freeways at night, she had car trouble. she pulled over to a service station looking for some help, because all the lights is on. she talked to a person who she thought was a service station attendant. billy smith wasn't a service station attendant. he was hanging around. he pulls out a gun, takes lucy to a remote place of our

county. he did a lot of bad things to her, including beating her up and abandoning her, left her for dead. in fact, when he was later arrested by the houston police department, he was mad he didn't kill her. remarkable lady. she recovered from those wounds, her medical needs were met, the bad guy was caught. i prosecuted him in front of a jury of 12 right-thinking americans in houston, and he was convicted of sexual assault in lucy and received the maximum sentence of 99 years in the texas penitentiary, but we would hope as a society that all would be well, life would go on and good things would happen. but that's not reality. that's not the world we live in now or then. because when you deal with a victim of a sexual assault, they are a special person. everything about their identity in many cases has been destroyed. in fact, defendants, i think, try to destroy the soul of

sexual assault victims. and lucy testified at that trial, but her life fell apart. she dropped out of school. in fact, she never went on that campus again. she lost her job. her husband, kind of guy he was, he divorced her and left her. e started using drugs, and she used drugs for a while. not too long after the trial was over with, i received a phone call from her mother telling me that lucy had taken her life. and she left a note and in that note she said, i'm tired of running from billy smith and my nightmares. you see, she got the death penalty because she was a victim of crime. real person. we would hope for the best. that's not reality. so we as a society have to understand the plight of victims. when the crime is committed against them, it's not like a theft case. it's a personal crime.

and some don't make it. they don't recover. and society needs to be there to help them. as mr. costa says, to let them know they are not alone anymore, that we are on their side and we are going to do what we can to see that justice occurs in their case because, madam speaker, justice is what we do in this country. and that's just the way it is. i'll yield back. mr. reed: i thank the gentleman. at this point in time, madam speaker, i am so pleased that this is a bipartisan special order, members on the other side of the aisle are joining us tonight to talk about the issue of sexual assault, domestic violence and us saying no more, and with that i'd love to yield as much time as he needs to my good friend from virginia, mr. scott. mr. scott: thank you, and i thank the gentleman from new

york for organizing this special order. today i join my colleagues in recognizing the importance of sexual assault awareness month. sexual assault is far too prevalent in modern society. it is estimated that one in five girls and one in 20 boys will be a victim of child sexual assault. nearly a quarter of all women attending college will also become victims during their academic career. this issue has been a key issue for the subcommittee on crime, terrorism, homeland security and investigations, which i have the privilege to serve as ranking member. the subcommittee's not only focused on investigating and -- the subcommittee is not only focused on investigating and prosecuting offenders, it also looks to provide law enforcement with the necessary funding and resources and training to immediately help survivors begin the healing process. just yesterday the full judiciary committee reported a bill that will re-authorize the debbie smith act. this will provide funding to reduce the d.n.a. analysis

backlog in our nation's laboratories and speed up justice to victims of sexual assault. debbie smith is a constituent of mine. the horror she endured while waiting 6 1/2 years for the d.n.a. to be tested is beyond unacceptable. what is even more unacceptable is that during the time of delay, her attacker abducted and robbed two other women. the d.n.a. sample had been tested in a timely manner, it is almost certain that those two women would not have been victims of crime. the debbie smith act helps ensure that we can bring perpetrators to justice more quickly and help survivors on the road to recovery. madam speaker, during sexual assault awareness month, we need to focus on actions that we can take to reduce the incidents of sexual assault. for example, we have a profound responsibility to the children within our foster care system, and unfortunately we have found that in the process -- those in foster care have experienced

sexual assault at a much greater rate than average. ensuring that that safety is a responsibility that we have. a study showed that nearly 70% of children who fall victim to child sexual trade are runaways from the foster care system. by the time they run away they've already been molested or assaulted by a family member or somebody in the foster care system. hen we find victims of sex trafficking, we need to make sure we treat them as victims and not criminals. a child cannot consent with sex and sex with a child is rape and needs to be prosecuted as such. i urge my colleagues and my counterparts in the state to implement safe harbor law so victims of child sex rafficking are not prosecuted. when rescued, efforts to help

these children must be improved. these survivors require a multidisciplinary care and resources that recognize the distinct and severe physical and psychological harms inflicted on them. the potential for victimize does not end at childhood. the rates of campus sexual assault far exceeds the rates during anytime of a young person's life. most of the victims know their attackers. colleges need to ensure the safety of those entrusted in their care. in the recently established campus safety center can go a long way in setting up the protocols to both reduce sexual assault for those on campuses and to properly respond when the assaults occur. last year we re-authorized the violence against women act to ensure stronger protections for female victims of crime. since its passage in 2000, the victims of trafficking and violence prevention act have significantly increased prosecutions of adult and child

sex traffickers. and just recently in the last few months, the new regulations under the prison rape elimination act, also gone a long way in reducing sexual assault in our prisons. as i've said before, prosecution of offenders is a critical part of the equation, but it's not the only part. we need to ensure that we prevent such assaults from occurring in the first place and ensure that survivors are provided with the resources they need -- and support they need. strategies will evolve over time, but during sexual assault awareness month, we need to encourage actions to limit -- to eliminate sexual assault. again, i thank the gentleman from new york for his support for this awareness month and for organizing this special order. i yield back. mr. reed: i thank the gentleman from virginia for joining us. at this point in time i'd like to recognize a good friend of mine from the great state of north carolina, mrs. ellmers.

mrs. ellmers: thank you to the gentleman, and i'd like to say thank you for helping out with this special order, being here holding this special order along with mr. costa, part of the caucus in this bipartisan effort. as you know and as we need to talk about with the american people, this is an issue that defies logic and it defies socioeconomic background. there are no barriers to sexual assault, human trafficking, violence, domestic violence, and i will say, i recently met a young lady who was the victim of human trafficking, not with sexual assault but with labor essentially. she was brought here to this country at the age of 3, and she was beaten every day by the woman that put herself forward as her mother, along with the two other young ladies that

were brought here that she knew as her sisters. and until -- i would say until 2007 she said every day that's what they endured, beatings by this woman that they referred to as mom. and the reason that the woman said that they can't speak out and seek help was because they were brought here illegally and they were illegal. so you see, this it problem is pervasive and it's one that we have to deal with and we are doing exactly what needs to be done. to my good friend from new york, thank you, again, for holding this because we have to show the american people this is an issue we care about, this is an issue that we need to solve and we need to work together for that effort. april being sexual assault awareness month is a perfect time for us to take part in this effort. you know, i was very distressed to find out recently that the county that i live in in north

is the , as of 2013 fifth highest county level of domestic-related homicide. that's not a number that i want to associate myself with in the very county in which i live. this month serves as an opportunity for all of us to unite on this issue, both democrat, republican, every american to speak candidly about the prevalence of abuse and generate a much-needed change in our culture. whether we're talking about our society, whether we're talking about those that are in the military, whether we are talking about those who oklahoma to this country for different purposes, we need to be a voice for all of those individuals. sexual assault is a persistent problem. it affects both women and men, and, again, as i pointed out, regardless of socioeconomic status.

to bring an end to this problem, we must equip young people with the knowledge and the resources needed to feel empowered, ask questions and seek support. sexual assault awareness month is about education and informing one another so that we can bring about an end. it's time to speak up and raise awareness, and i hope all that are listening will help in this effort to support this effort. thank you very much. i yield back my time. mr. reed: i thank the gentlelady. the speaker pro tempore: will the gentleman from new york suspend for just a brief moment? the chair will receive a message. the messenger: madam speaker, a message from the president of the united states. the secretary: madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: mr. secretary. the secretary: i am directed by the president of the united states to deliver to the house of representatives a message in writing. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. reed: thank you, madam speaker. i thank my colleague from north

carolina for coming today and i'm pleased to recognize a good friend from the other side of the aisle to talk about this important issue of sexual assault awareness month and the no more campaign. i can't encourage people enough across america to go online, become aware of the no more campaign and the sexual assault awareness month. and with that i yield to my good friend from florida, ms. frankel. ms. frankel: thank you, mr. reed. i am very pleased to talk about a subject that we can all agree on which is that freedom from sexual assault is a basic human right. it's not to be tolerated in any corner of society, and the issue is not talked about enough. so i'm glad we're bringing it up today. sexual o focus today on assault that's taking place in an alarming rate in a place we would not expect and that's our

military. the reports of sexual assault in the military are mind-boggling. the defense department estimated that in 2012 there were 26,000 sexual assaults. those numbers are shocking, but this is not about statistics, it's about real people. i want to share a story about one of my constituents. alicia morrow joined the coast guard at age 22. she started boot camp with so much pride and hope as she joined the coast guard because she believed deeply in their ission to save lives. which they do every day. her pride turned to humiliation and sorrow as her company commander sexually harassed her with innuendos night after night. this commander became etch more

emboldened and eventually raped the female recruit. shockingly, he was convicted of a lesser charge of cruelty and maltreatment and adultery, and not rape. because the victim could not prove that her life wasn't under physical threat and she didn't fear for her life, she had committed to his sexual advances under command. the law did not take into account situations in which a superior abuses his or her position to take advantage of victims. and that is not full justice. and that is why the victim felt even more humiliated. as a marine tissue as a mother of a marine -- as a mother of a marine veteran, when i heard this story i knew i had to do something about it. i wanted to thank my colleagues

because we joined together when we passed the national defense authorization act to direct the military to examine the need for a new definition of rape and sexual assault in cases when someone abuses their position in the command because no military recruit or service member should endure sexual abuse, our sons and daughters put on the uniform to protect us and now we must protect them. so we've made some good progress, madam speaker, which i'm proud of, but there's so much more to do. we have to be individual lant. there still remains a debate even within our congress whether to remove these type of cases from the chain of command so we have to be vigilant and make sure our laws are working and make sure our sons and daughters are protected and get the full

pport they need to heal when they are assaulted because in this country, every citizen has the right to be safe and protected and there should be no exceptions. mr. reed, i want to thank you again for allowing me to share this moment with you. i yield back my time. mr. reed: i thank the gentlelady for coming tonight and joining us and raising awareness on this critical issue facing men and women across the country and i appreciate the gentlelady's words. i'm reminded from the gentlelady's words how pervasive this is across our country. it does remind me also why we have to remain diligent and continue to raise awareness, to educate people on these issues, po empower victims and stand with victims such as my niece. with that, i'd like to yield the time to my good friend from mr. meehan.

mr. meehan: i would like to express my appreciation to the gentleman from new york, mr. reed and thank you for putting together this opportunity for us to talk to, not just our colleague bus our citizens across the country as we jointly focus on this issue of sexual assault and domestic violence and i'm moved by my colleagues who are telling stories from so many different perspectives. many of them are personal. i think that's really the way we have to explain these kinds of circumstances, through the personal stories in which it is driven home because you can understand how it affects real people on an everyday basis. i was former prosecutor before acame here to washington, d.c., and while this story is about 20 years old, it defines a particular problem in a

particular point in time. i remember distinctly engaging with a young woman and she had been the victim of a sexual assault. she had met a young man at a party, returned to a dorm room and believed that everything was going to be safe and he sexually and violently violated her. this was a very prestigious school in new england. she reported it later that week to the school authorities. but they took a position, since she really hadn't reported it immediately and she didn't have any other kind of particular evidence, it was her word against his word. and they took no further action. this young woman was completely abandoned on this campus, but orse yet, her perpetrator used that opportunity from thereafter to jeer at her and to taunt her, and not only was she the one who was violated but she was the one who finally was driven to a

point where it was so uncomfortable having to confront this guy each and every day, she's the one who had to leave her college. who had to go home and start to heal and start to try to start a life all over again in a whole new experience. i ran into her because some two years later she came to my district in pennsylvania. she came there as a witness because only weeks before, she had -- only weeks before she has arrived there was another party on a college campus nearby me and the same perpetrator happened to come to that college, visiting a friend, where he met a woman, and he went back to that woman's dorm and another woman was violently raped. fortunately, this victim, for the first time, was able to testify against him. we used pattern evidence to give her her first chance to hold him

accountable and based on that rape that we were able to prosecute, i think he may still be in jail. but her life didn't get put together immediately by virtue of that. in fact, she represents a story that's infrequently understood. as demonstrated by my clients. one in five women on college campuses today will report being victims of an attempted or sexual sexual assault -- attempted on actual sexual assault but only about a further of those -- about a fourth of those are reported to law enforcement. while there's been a great deal of work done on college campuses, many of which are taking prudent step, we have to encourage them to do more. president obama, and this demonstrates the bipartisan set up a his, has

white house task force on sexual assault. i am part of a committee to advise that committee. we are using testimony we have from experts at places like villanova and penn state. and expert who was worked on campuses. we're seeing issues that need to be addressed. we have reporting procedure this is a require victims of sexual assault, once they report their story to retell it two or three different times in order for them to fulfill the requirements reporting either at colleges and with rape crisis centers and with law enforcement. we're violating these victims again and again with procedures like that. we're seeing women who are subjecting themselves to rape kits. and it's appropriate and it may be necessary for the collection of evidence but we're finding a year later, and they haven't even taken the time to process the rape kit. how many years do we have to continue to deal with traumatic

backlogs in just the identification of straightforward evidence that would help us put some of these perpetrators back in the jail where they belong? examining a convoluted patchwork of federal rules and regulations that were well intentioned but often work at cross purposes. we're trying to strengthen the way partnerships can be generated between victim services groups, college representatives, among law enforcement. the biggest challenge we face in the victims is the confusion about the process. they don't know who to turn to or who to report to. that's what we must continue to work together as colleagues to help clarify the rules and regulation this is a we are creating to send the kinds of signals so there's certainty and the ability of these victims to reach out for help. i thank you, mr. reed, for your leadership on this i pledge my intention to continue to work with you and our colleagues on both sides of the aisle to assure that we are making not

only good, sound law, but we are making sure the procedures work for the benefit of those victims. thank you for your attention to this issue and i yield back. mr. reed: i appreciate the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. meehan's work, his experience and leadership and i don't think i could say it better, in the sense of victims being victimized repeatedly, not just by the terp traitor but by the system. hearing the gentleman give firsthand account as to what that means is very important as we deal with the no more campaign and sexual assault awareness month. at this time madam speaker i'm pleased to yield time to a new member but a great member of this great chamber, mrs. brooks of indiana. mrs. brooks: thank you, madam speaker. rise today to say no more. i want to thank my dear colleague, representative from new york, for bringing the attention of this body into the

country to this campaign of no more to sexual violence. it is sexual assault awareness monday and we need to take this opportunity to speak harsh, but true words. every two minutes which is about how long my remarks are going to be, another american is sexually assaulted. victims a year. this is a crime that touches people of all backgrounds and all walk of life. madam speaker, we have a sexual assault crisis in this country. it's time to do something about it. it is time to say, no more. perhaps nowhere is the pain and suffer caused by this crisis more aparent than on our great college campuses. 19% of women on campus, almost one in five, will be the victim of an attempted or completed sexual assault during their college experience. madam speaker, we have a sexual assault crisis on our college

campuses. it's time to do something about it and it's time we say no more. as a mom who has sent two kids off to college in recent years, these numbers scare me. and i know the truth of these numbers, having counseled one of my daughter's friends in college about four years ago. having recently counseled the mother of another person who has been assaulted on a college campus. this makes me angry, there's no excuse in this country for this problem. there's no valid reason for anyone to look in the other direction or to pretend this problem doesn't exist. let's once and for all say no more to this problem. we have to work together and i'm pleased that the democrats and the republicans in this body are working together. we have to offer victims more support. we have to bring offenders to justice. we have to analyze these daunting statistics and find real solutions. 84% of women who experience

sexually assault coercive behavior in college are victimized during their first four semesters on campus. 43% of sexual victimization incidents on campuses do involve alcohol, by the victim, and about 69% by the perpetrator. let's have a real conversation with our freshmen and with our young people in college about those risky decisions they make. more than half of me raped college women tell no one about the horrendous crime that can change their lives forever. we have to support the organizations and the coalitions and the families that are helping these women and yes, some men, and empower them to come forward and seek justice. because that's only a part of the healing process but it is a critical part of the healing process. no one should get away with sexual assault. we have to say no more to free passes. we have the greatest university

system in the world. we educate the best and the brightest. we graduate 21st century innovators with talent and the education necessary to make our world a better place. surely this is a sad challenge that we can work together on to address. this is an opportunity for us to say no more and mean it. let's take this opportunity. we have a sexual assault crisis on our college campuses. but it's also in our nation. and so let's do something and i want to thank my colleague from new york for leading. let's say no more. i yield back. mr. reed: i thank the gentlelady for her comments. joining us in this effort to say no more. the gentlelady's comments about the use -- alcohol an other intoxicants being part of sometimes, these situations, i can't express enough how many times i hear that story and how we need to makesu sure we're talking to our kids, we're talking to folks as they're

going off to college or in our high schools about the danger associated with the use of alcohol and being put into this situation and just be honest. just be honest and just say with that decision comes risk. with those risks are often horrific events such as what we are talking about tonight. young men and women being sexually assaulted, domestically abused by partners, people that they know, and it's time we raise this in a way that we speak openly and honestly about this issue and with that, i am so pleased to be joined by a new member of the house, my good friend, mr. davis from illinois. . mr. davis: thank you to my great colleague from the great state of new york. it's humbling for me to stand here with you and the others who have spoken before me. have a family member with experience with such a traumatic, traumatic

event. dealing with prosecutors who have convicted those criminals who deserve to go to jail. and to stand here with somebody like mrs. brooks who worked in the college arena and saw the devastation. for me to come up here, i got to tell you, i'm here as a dad. i'm here as a father to a 17-year-old daughter who in a year and a half will go to college. in my district in central illinois, we have nine universities and colleges, over 45,000 female students. what the -- with the c.d.c. estimating that 19% of women have experienced sexual assaults since entering college, let me do the math for you. that's 8,500 women in my district that have, if the statistics remain true, will experience sexual assault. i represent a district of 14 counties. this is unacceptable. that's why i rise with you, mr.

reed, to say no more today. i'm alarmed by the fact that my daughter is going to go off to school, get in her car. my wife and i are going to be very, very sad when we drop her off at school and i hope and pray that these statistics don't come right to my mind. but you know as a dad they will. and we have to do something in this institution about it. i'm proud to be a part of the victims rights caucus with you and mr. costa and my other colleagues and i'm committed to being a champion for the rights of victims. there are numerous events, i want to remind people, it's not enough to stand and be simet. it's not enough to recognize we have a problem. go participate in your local events that are going to be happening in your communities. throughout the month of april, as we know, that is sexual assault awareness month. including tomorrow's paint the town teal where hundreds of people will wear this color to raise awareness in support and -- for support and survivors of

sexual assault. i encourage everyone to get involved into these local events. i want to make sure that everyone here knows this is an issue that i and my colleagues will not forget about after the month of april. i look forward to the day when sexual assault is no longer a chronic problem that deserves national attention. however, until that day, the responsibility is on all of us to do what we can to stop sexual assault in this country and to say no more. thank you. mr. reed: i thank the gentleman from illinois for those very good and eloquent remarks on this important issue. of no more. and i am pleased to be joined by a member from the great state of indiana, ms. walorski, and i yield as much time as she may need. mrs. walorski: i thank the gentleman from new york for organizing tonight's discussion on this important topic. april is sexual assault

awareness month and i rise today to say no more to sexual assault. this tragic epidemic impacts every community. most of us know at least one sexual assault survivor. in my area, a report was released by saint mary's college, found an alarming number of hoosier girls affected by acts of sexual violence. indiana ranks second out of 46 states for the highest number of rapes among female high school students and this is unacceptable. 14.5% of indiana's female high school students and 5.2% of indiana's male high school students have reported being raped. this shocking number only accounts for those attacks that are reported. as we all know, most assaults go unreported. since joining congress, i've worked to put an end to sexual violence. working with the house armed services and the house veterans affairs committees, i have

authored and supported a number of provisions aimed at combating the growing number and the epidemic of military sexual trauma. today i call my colleagues to raise awareness about sexual assault and how we can all work together to prevent it, to respond to it and to say no to sexual assault together. and i yield back the balance of my time and i thank you for this opportunity to join you in saying no more to sexual assault. mr. reed: i can't agree any more with my colleague from indiana. no more. it's time. no more excuses. no more across america. and i'm honored to be joined by a great friend from our state of new york, one of the leaders down here in the house, mr. gibson. i recognize and yield as much time to him. mr. gibson: i thank my friend and neighbor from new york and, madam speaker, i'm honored to be here today with my colleagues as we jointly pursue the effort to prevent sexual

assault. i think this is something that really goes to the core of who we are as a people. reminded at this moment of some of my ideas at the very founding. inalienable rights. that among these are right, libts and the pursuit of happeniness. these rights come from god. the governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed to secure these rights, to secure these rights. and, you know, we have taken action here in this chamber. we've worked together to do that. the violence against women act, we passed a little over a year ago, and then the budget agreement that we enacted at the end of last year increased by $10 million, certainly we need to do more than that, but we are taking some action. i want to highlight how that can make a difference right at the local level. these resources go towards education for law enforcement professionals and for conduit

with the jish system. it's -- judicial system. it's also for shelters and supporting infrastructure and health care networks and i'm reminded of one of the visits my wife and i made recently to the washburn house in kingston. that's the largest city in my district. the 19th district in new york. where i met with michaelburg who heads the family of -- michaelberg who heads the family of woodstock shelters. and, you know, madam speaker, this is really hard work. i mean, these victims of sexual assault and domestic violence, when they first show up at the doorstep of the washburn house, security, the most basic of human needs. that is their biggest concern. for these leaders providing that security, and helping the family, to be able to trust again, and then for basic needs , some of these victims come

with children. and providing for them to get back into a sense of normalcy, to get them back into school, all the while to help our victimses to get back up on their feet and to be self-reliant going forward. and these resources are just critical to support these programs. i'm very proud of the work that's done there and i think it's illust rive of the kind of work that's done by very special people in our country, all across our land. but there's more to be done and there's an opportunity for us to do more and i'm talking about now h.r. 3571, this is the international violence against women act. this provides resources to help coordinate department of state efforts about our funding programs to make them more effective. as we work across with our friends and allies across the world. i will tell you, this will not only help i think prevent sexual assault and bring more security, but it also will make us a stronger country. it will make us a stronger country and it will bring us truer and in line with our

founding principles and i argue that when we do that, on our best day, other countries wants to be like that. and in that regard it makes us safer as well. i just want too thank the organizes -- want to thank the organizations that work with us on this effort and i'm talking about a number of organizations but i'd like to point out amnesty international, care and futures against violence. i thank them for their leadership on this issue. i thank everyone for being here today and i thank my friend from new york and i yield back. mr. reed: i thank the gentleman from new york for joining us tonight and i appreciate the friendship and support for the no more campaign shown tonight. with that, one might have best friends here in this great chamber, my fellow member of the ways and means committee, mrs. black from tennessee is joining us this evening. i yield as much time as she may need. mrs. black: i thank the gentleman for yielding. madam speaker, i'm proud to stand here with my good friend from new york and to say no more to sexual assault. this april is sexual assault

awareness month and i commend mr. reed for leading this effort to raise awareness and bring attention to this crucial issue. every two minutes an american is assaulted in this country. and one in five women is a survivor of rape. this aside -- this is sad and deplorable and we must do more to share the daunting facts about sexual assault in this country. as well as let people know where they can go to get help. we must act to protect our nation's women but it goes further than this. you see in this country, one in six men have been victims of sexual abuse before they reach the age of 18. and this kind of child abuse must be brought to light and perpetrators must be severely punished. during my time of working in the tennessee state legislature, i was proud to support numerous measures to help protect women and children

and in particular children from sexual assault. i sponsored legislation strengthening the penalties for the crime of rape of a child. but in order to root out perpetrators of sexual violence, victims need to know where they can turn. i'm grateful for the work of no more -- nomore.org. for raising the awareness on this issue and for offering resources where victims can can get the help that they so greatly need. these heinous crimes are unacceptable and it's it's why it's important, so important -- and it's why it's important to say, so important, to say no more to sexual assault awareness month. i thank my friend for bringing this issue to the floor tonight. it is so important and i yield back the balance of my time. mr. reed: i thank the gentlelady's remarks and comments. and at this point in time i'll yield to our great sheriff from the state of washington and enforcement he law

caucus, mr. reichert. mr. reichert: thank you, mr. reed, for inviting me to speak this evening on this important topic. i don't come here tonight with the statistics. i come here with 33 years of experience in law enforcement. so i was a cop for a long time before i came to congress. i've been through the homes, i've seen the faces of the mothers and the fathers. i've seen the faces of the victims of sexual assault. i've held them in my arms while they cried and fell to the floor in a puddle of tears. these are real people. these are our children. when i was on patrol back in the early 1970's i had a case where i was driving around all night, it was 2:00 in the morning, i found this young man wandering the streets.

i pulled up and asked him what was wrong, he was sobbing and crying and asking for help. it took him at least an hour, madam speaker, an hour before he could really finally tell me what happened to him. he had been abducted and taken to a remote home and raped and assaulted, humiliated and two for two days, for days. imagine being in that position. imagine being a victim of such horrendous crime. my own family has been touched by this, as i know some folks may be listening and some speaking tonight may have mentioned that. one of my own family members was raped. but i know this from a deeper experience. when i was a homicide decadive -- detective for the king

county sheriff's office in the early 1980's i was assigned a case called the green river serial -- cereal -- serial murder case where 50-plus women were killed. now, how did those young girls and women get on the streets? they were abused, they were sexually assaulted at home. they were physically assaulted, they were emotionally assaulted and they left home. they were raped at home. they were raped by their neighbors, they were raped by their family members and they ended up on the street. and whose arms did they fall into, madam speaker? but the arms of a pimp. again to be victimized and raped over and over and over. sometimes for money, sometimes not. lives destroyed. some survived. physically. but mentally and emotionally drained. their lives and spirit ripped from their hearts. this is a crime that until you

see, until you look into the eyes of the person who's been victimized in such a horrendous way, you never really truly understand the pain and the suffering that they've been through. if they survive, they have a long, long road of recovery. and we call these people survivors. we call them survivors. if they don't, like in the case of the green river case, they die. their lives are taken. madam speaker, we cannot allow this to continue in this country. i know that every day there's a cop on the street, there's a social worker out there that is dealing with this crime. we have got to stop this. we have got to save the lives of our children. thank you, mr. reed, for holding

this hour tonight. thank you for the opportunity to speak and share some of my story. i yield back. mr. reed: i thank the gentleman, the sheriff, for the words and experience and sharing them tonight in our efforts to say no more to sexual assault. madam speaker, i know we're coming to the end of our special order this evening so i will just close with a few words. madam speaker, i stand in this chamber today, joined by my niece, who is with us this evening. i can't tell you how impressed, how proud i am of that young lady who is now turned one of the most negative experiences, horrific experiences in her life and is doing something positive about it. it is her voice that has moved me to stand with my colleagues,

work across the country, to work with organizations like no more and the sexual assault awareness month and say, i'm going to do my part, madam speaker. i'm going to do my part to make sure that we scream from the mountains, across this land, that sexual assault, be it man, woman, child, adult, we've heard the stories all night tonight but in the great land of the united states of america, we're going to say, no more. because this tears lives apart. victims are not only victimized by the perpetrators who do these horrific acts, but they're revimized over and over again. and it's time we as a nation come together and say, you know what? we're going to stand with the victims. we're going to educate and make people aware of this issue so that we can empower people, our law enforcement agencies, our prosecutors, the people that do

god's work, intending for the people when they need the service this is a rape victims and assault and domestic violence victims need and turn to in their time of need. we're going to continue this battle, we're going to continue this fight. i have to applaud the efforts of men and women across the country that are coming together to say in one voice, no more. all 300-plus million people in america need to come together to highlight this issue and i can tell you, we unite as a nation, we can say an end to sexual assault and domestic violence. to my niece, i just say, i will always have your back, i will always stand with you, shoulder to shoulder, and to anyone who wants to say she deserved it or she wanted it or that she was drinking and it was the alcohol that caused the thing, no more.

she's not the person that's responsible for this. as i said on march 14 when i asked her what i should tell the american nation on her behalf, say no more because there are no excuses. i appreciate my colleagues, my friends, and the folks from the other side of the aisle coming together tonight to talk about this -- this important issue that we need to talk about. for once and for all, say no more. and i ask every american, have a conversation with your daughter, your spouse, your son, your mother, your father, your aunt, your uncle, speak about this issue. empower each of us as individuals to say, we're not going to accept this in our midst any longer. i am confident, madam speaker, that if we do that, that we won't have to say in the last 60 minute this is a we have joined

here together that 30 more of our fellow american citizens have just suffered from one of the most horrific crimes on the face of the earth and that is sexual assault. time to say no more and i ask everyone to join us in that campaign and i yield back the alance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i send to the desk a privilege red port if the committee on rules for filing under the rule. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title. the clerk: report to accompany house resolution 539, resolution providing for consideration of thebill h.r. 1874, to amend congressional budget act of 1974 to provide for -- provide for macroeconomicable sis of

legislation, providing for the consideration of the bill h.r. 1871 to amend the balanced budget and emergency deficit control act of 1985 to reform the budget baseline and provide for consideration of the bill h.r. 1872, to amend the plansed budget and emergency deficit control act of 1985 to increase transparency and federal -- in federal budgeting and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: referred to the house calendar and ordered printed. under the speaker's announced policy of january 3, 2013, the gentleman from florida, mr. murphy is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader. mr. murphy: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my special order. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. murphy: madam speaker, there are currently many concerns regarding health insurance in our country. especially among our nation's

seniors. at this time of major transition in our nation's health care industry, it is critical that seniors enrolled in traditional medicare and medicare advantage can keep the coverage on which they depend. unfortunately, proposed cuts to medicare advantage are putting these important benefits at risk. this is a very serious situation across the country and it is of great concern to me with florida being home to over four million seniors. my district alone has over 160,000 seniors with more than a third of them choosing medicare advantage plans which cover -- whose coverage would be severely impacted by the proposed cuts released in the draft rule that c.m.s. put out in february. we are already seeing what last year's cuts to medicare advantage have meant. smaller net works of doctors, cuts to add on benefits and higher out of pocket limits. the additional -- additional proposed cuts to the program

released in february have raised great concern for my constituents about their coverage and about the potential of having to pay more and having fewer benefits. that is why we are here today urging the administration to reverse course and keep rates flat for 2015. at this point, i would like to eld to my good friend, ms. sinema, from arizona, who has been fighting tirelessly to protect the seniors in her area as well. ms. sinema: thank you, congressman murphy, for hosting this special order so we can stand up and speak out for seniors in our districts. we are here today because c.m.s., the center for medicare and medicaid services has proposed cuts to medicare advantage. next week, c.m.s. will publish its final rule. i urge c.m.s. to not cut medicare advantage. these cuts will decrease choice, create uncentiand undermine actress -- access to care for

our seniors. i oppose these cuts. like mr. murphy and many of our colleagues participating in this porblerd tissue special order i have called on the federal government to reconsider this proposal and make no further cuts to medicare advantage. medicare advantage is a popular and effective alternative to traditional fee for service medicare, especially in arizona where statewide, 38% of medicare eligible beneficiaries choose a medicare advantage plan. in my district nearly 43% of medicare eligible beneficiaries choose a medicare advantage plan. medicare advantage plans consistently receive high customer satisfaction ratings and are helping to control costs, drive innovation and improve health outcomes for beneficiaries. i keep saying beneficiaries but what i should say is our parents, our grandparents, an our loved ones. these plans provide affordable, high quality care for our loved

ones. bonnie grant a proud arizonan in my district is in her 60's and lives in phoenix. through her mid care advantage plan, she has access to a transportation system called van-go. she uses the service to go shopping and other places instead of, quote, being stuck at home. she said that it helps because, quote, instead of being holed up in your home, she can be engaged in the community and enjoy her life. the van-go benefit is just the type of creative service offered by medicare advantage plan this is a improve the well being of enrollees. joseph ford, another constituent, lives in suburban phoenix. he was disabled in a car accident. the hands-on managed care he received through his medicare advantage plan, including in-home visits, allow mr. ford to stay in his home an live a fuller life. keeping individuals like mr. ford in his home instead of in institutional care facilities is better for the beneficiary and

presents a significant cost savings to the medicaid and medicare programs. i'm concerned that the proposed payment reductions for 2015 will undermine the choices made by my fellow arizonans, by ms. grant, by mr. ford, and by others in my congressional district. by causing our loved ones to lose needed services and to experience increases in premiums. these cuts could also have the unintended and costly consequence of putting our seniors at risk of being placed in institutions rather than staying in their homes. instead of cutting funding for these popular plans, we should work together to find reasonable solutions that drive down costs, increase choice, address waste, fraud, and abuse, spur innovation and ultimately improve the quality of life provided to our seniors. again, i urge c.m.s. to maintain payment levels so their loved ones don't experience increased out of pocket costs, negative

disruptions or confusion in 2015. thank you, congressman murphy, for working with me on this important issue and hosting this special order today. i yield back. mr. murphy: thank you. i want to thank the gentlelady from arizona for her comments and for reminding us that these aren't simply numbers on a ledger, that all these beneficiaries are folks we know. these are our parents, our grandparents, these are more than just numbers. thank you for that. and like ms. sinema, i'm constantly hearing from residents in my district about the negative impact these cuts would have on the well being of their spouses, their parents or personally, including sheryl from palm beach gardens in my district. after doing everything right to plan for her retirement, like many seniors do, sheryl and her husband saw their savings cut in half during difficult economic times. now they're seing their health care options limited and their out of pocket costs go up. these are changes they simply cannot afford. i agree with sheryl that it is unfair to shift the burden onto

those on fixed incomes, those who have little resources to make up the difference. seniors cannot afford further cuts and the negative con quens -- consequences if these misguided proposals move forward. at this point, i'd like to take a moment to recognize the general, mr. enyart, from illinois, and thank him for his leadership fighting for seniors on behalf of illinois and the country. mr. enyart: thank you. madam speaker, i rise today to show support for the 50 million americans enrolled in medicare. medicare is vital not only to my district, like mr. murphy's district in florida, but our entire nation, which is why my fellow colleagues and i should support its promise to all our citizens who have earned it, who have paid for it through their taxes, and who now rely on it for their medical care. for a stable health care system.

medicare has a long and valued history, since its inception in 1965. social security recipients have consistently benefited from the opportunity to access quality affordable health care, a right now guaranteed to those who orked hard for that privilege. 122,380 constituents from the 12th district of illinois participate in the medicare program. that's one out of every seven citizens in my district. many of these skits are disabled. almost tissue many of these constituents are disabled, almost all are on a fixed or limited income. medicare gives these citizens the opportunity to receive essential medical care and to take part in preventive care programs designed to maintain good health. which lowers the cost of health

care. lowers the cost of health care. of those 122,000 southern illinoisans, over 28,000 also participate in medicare advantage. that's one in four of those medicare participants, taking part in a program specifically designed for those seniors who have high rates of chronic disease. . medicare advantage focuses on prevention and disease management which -- which reduces the need of unnecessary hospitalizations. keeping our most vulnerable populations healthier and out of the hospital waiting room. medicare and medicare advantage serve our seniors, low-income families and those susceptible to disease. i ask, are these the populations we want to cast aside? are these the citizens that we

need not care for? i say no. yet the proposed budget unveiled this week, virtually eliminates medicare for future enrollees. it includes plans to shift health care costs to seniors. it removes the guarantees provided by our current medicare system to make quality, affordable health coverage available for those who need it most. it undermines the promise our nation made to its citizens that if you work hard, you pay your taxes, someday, should you need it, your health care needs will be met. the recently proposed budget also implements what they label a premium support system. that's a plan to move medicare o a voucher program. i oppose this proposition. our seniors don't need a health

care coupon, they need health care. they need the ability to choose their own doctor, they need the ability to access billions in savings for prescription drugs. they need access to wellness visits. all of which are in jeopardy under this republican budget plan. i'm tired of hearing proposals to eliminate vital government services simply because of party ideology. let us not govern blindly through rhetoric and sound bites, but rather let us work for our constituents, to better serve those who have paid into the medicare system their entire working life and now need it most. medicare serves those who have earned it, who have paid for it and who deserve it. should we take away that service, i fear what the future

may hold for our seniors. seniors like caroline morgan. caroline needed medicare's help in march of 2013. when she became ill, was hospitalized, put on oxygen and given a daily regimen of prescription drugs. i hold her letter to my office in my hand. caroline states, i cannot afford out-of-pocket health care. my supplemental insurance is useless without medicare. so it would have been wasted money every month. i know i'll be spending the remainder of this congressional term fighting for caroline. fighting for our seniors and disabled, to make sure that the health care promises we made so many years ago are not in danger from partisan budget cuts. my fellow colleagues, i urge

you to join me. let's avoid a grim future for the elderly, for the disabled and the fixed income citizens of this great nation. let's help caroline and the many more american citizens just like her. let's fight to keep medicare. i yield back. mr. murphy: i want to thank the gentleman from illinois for his generous words in reminding us of the importance of medicare and medicare advantage and what it means to so many folks across our great country. at this point i'd like to take a minute to let the gentleman from georgia talk about what's happening in his district, mr. barrow's been fighting for years up here in d.c. for medicare and seniors across the country. thank you. mr. barrow: i thank the gentleman for yielding. madam speaker, i'd like to thank my colleague, mr. murphy, for gathering us all here to talk about this important issue. this is an issue that affects folks in every part of this country. and in nye view is one of the

most important -- my view is one of the most important issues facing our seniors in our communities today. i applaud all of my colleagues gaggetted here for taking a leadership -- gathered here for taking a leadership role in fighting proposed reductions to the medicare advantage program. nearly 15 million seniors across the country are enrolled in medicare advantage, including more than 300,000 in my home state of jnl. this -- georgia. this program serves our seniors well, particularly those with high rates of chronic disease. nearly 30% of all met care -- medicare beneficiaries turn to medicare advantage to cover their health care costs. by focusing on prevention and disease management, medicare advantage plans reduce the need for hospitalization and that in turn reduces health care costs. it's a proven program that folks in my district have come to rely on. the centers for medicare and medicaid services recently proposed a 5.9% cut to this

program. which could result in a reduction of benefits and increased premiums on medicare beneficiaries by $35 to $75 a month. that's an added cost that many seniors simply cannot afford to pay every single month. my colleague from the other side of the aisle, dr. bill cassidy, and i have been leading the charge to urge the federal government to take any and all steps necessary to preserve this program. just last month more than 200 members of congress from this house, joined us in our effort to urge the centers for medicaid and medicare services to preserve the care seniors are currently getting. i for one do not want to put our seniors, men and women who have worked their entire lives, in the financial trouble these reductions will cause. i've urge the administration to take a -- urged the administration to take a long, hard look at how these cuts will affect the everyday lives of our seniors. if the goal here is to save money, there are better, more

suitable ways to do it than on the backs of our seniors. again, i'd like to thank my colleague for getting folks together to talk about how we can work together, to make sure medicare advantage isn't jeopardized. it's an issue that isn't for democrats or republicans but one that we all need to address. i've been proud to work on this issue in a bipartisan fashion with dr. cassidy and it's my hope that all of our colleagues will get on board and help us preserve medicare advantage. with that i yield back to the gentleman. mr. murphy: thank you. i thank the gentleman from georgia for sharing your thoughts and stories and reminding us that this isn't a partisan issue. it shouldn't be a republican, democratic, independent. these are seniors, these are folks that built this great country. many of which are veterans who fought for our country and laid the foundation for which we have today. so thank you for reminding us of that and being here today and taking a moment out of your schedule to share your thoughts. i'd now like the gentleman from arizona, who's been championing this issue back home, to talk

about what he's doing with medicare advantage and why he's here today. mr. barber, thank you. mr. barber: i want to thank the gentleman for bringing us together tonight to talk about the importance of preserving and protecting medicare advantage. i rise today, mr. speaker, on behalf of the citizens that i represent all across southern arizona. thousands and thousands of seniors who have come to rely on medicare advantage, to keep them in their homes, to keep them well, and to provide them with the support that they so dearl need as they age -- deerly need as they age in place -- dearly need as they age in place.

they range from communities all . ross my district and i am determined to fight on their behalf to make sure that medicare advantage continues to serve them and does not disappoint the delivery of services by losing funding. as is proposed by the president this month. medicare advantage offers seniors and individuals with disabilities quality and affordable health care that they can depend on and they depend on us, those of us who represent them, to fight for their right to continue this program. medicare advantage focuses on prevention and innovation and it is a proven fact that this program improves health

outcomes and contains costs. isn't that what we should be doing for our seniors and for everyone in america? but now the president -- the president is proposing harmful cuts to medicare advantage. so let's examine what these cuts would mean if they go into effect. they will mean fewer benefits, fewer doctors and less choice. this is wrong. and we cannot let it happen. i oppose these cuts and i have called upon the president to reverse course and protect this critical program. for the people in my second district of arizona and for seniors all across this great nation, there are over 390,000 medicare advantage enrollees or recipients in the state of arizona alone and it is working for them. they will attest to that and

they have to me. they have contacted my office in person and by phone. they have met with me in community gatherings all across the district over the last several weeks and they have expressed their deep concerns that they will lose this valuable program that they have come to rely upon. that keeps them well and keeps them in their homes. before i came to the congress and before i worked for congresswoman giffords, i administered a regional and then a state program for people with disabilities that focused on the same kinds of services that are provided to seniors and individuals with disabilities under the medicare advantage program. cost effective, in-home supports keeping people well, preventing more illness. this makes sense. it makes sense for them, it makes sense for our country, it makes sense for the appropriations that we're trying to protect in this congress and i certainly urge the president to reverse course and stop these cuts. we cannot stand for it.

and i will not stand for it and i will not back down until we are successful in reversing this impossible and irresponsible decision. i yield back. mr. murphy: thank you. i a thank the gentleman from arizona for his leadership -- i thank the gentleman from arizona for his leadership and for continuing to fight for seniors back home and continuing to be a champion here in washington, d.c., for those folks. thank you also for reminding us that this is a successful medicare program that has already had solid success record at reducing hospital re-admissions and improving health outcomes. it continues to be a popular option for seniors, reducing annual out-of-pocket expenses from traditional medicare, and offering expanded benefit packages. that include important dental, hearing, vision and chiropractic care. medicare advantage plans also normally include the successful and cost-saving part d prescription drug plan and come without an annual deductible. by offering great coordinated

care and innovative health care approaches, this program is highly effective at keeping seniors out of the hospital. but if they do end up in the hospital, medicare advantage helps them recover quicker and with less chance of returning. we should be building on this success, not stifling it. at this time i'd like to take a moment to yield to the gentleman from florida who, similar to myself, has many seniors in the great state of florida and will continue to be a champion for the seniors and going to share with us some stories. thank you. >> i'd like to thank my colleague from florida and my good friend, mr. murphy, for his fight for seniors. i rise today to express my strong support for medicare. and my opposition to any cuts to medicare. medicare is one of our nation's greatest achievements. for half a century, this program has lifted millions of seniors out of poverty and

provided seniors with the health care they need, they've earned and they deserve. in congress we have a responsibility to strengthen and modernize medicare. and to ensure that it continues to provide sheeners -- seniors who have worked all their lives , make sure that they receive those medicare benefits they've earned and they depend on. mr. garcia: medicare advantage serves over a million seniors in florida and it provides innovative treatments and care. in my district, i know firsthand, from so many seniors, how well medicare is serving them. this is not a political issue. this is not a partisan issue. but outside groups have been misleading my constituents and others on my record on medicare. i've been working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who oppose cuts to medicare. my colleagues and i are

strongly advocating against changes to medicare that would disrupt the lives of seniors. i've spoken to the president about this, i've spoken to the secretary and c.m.s. about this issue. we've written letters to the administration and we stand here today. i am committed to continuing to do everything i can to protect medicare for our nation's seniors. with that i want to again thank mr. murphy for all his efforts. he has been a leader in our caucus, he's been a leader in this congress, in fighting for seniors, and i am proud to stand by his side just like i am sure mr. murphy will fight against cuts like the one proposed in the ryan budget which cuts over $800 billion from seniors and medicare, which puts the hole back in the doughnut and i just want to thank him again for his leadership. . mr. murphy