clinic is surrounded by protesters who taunt patients as they enter for care. 2005 her clinic was burned to the ground in an arson attack but she has continued to provide high-quality and compassionate care despite the fact that she's had to endure so much. . mrs. lawrence: it also goes significant to note that the majority of the diversity in coning is represented by the women members of congress. i now would like to call a fighter for e.r.a., chairwoman maloney. mrs. maloney: thank you for your extraordinary leadership. 19 1, 100 years ago after ratifying the 19th amendment,

they had another constitutional change. they knew we needed to put gender equality into our constitution. and so these women among them alice paul wrote the equal rights amendment. and first introduced in congress in 1923 in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the sen he cana falls convention, the first women rights' convention in our country and introduced in the house by daniel anthony, nephew of the great sufficient fra gift leader, susan b. anthony to honor her work like the like elizabeth katey stanton. we honor these women as constitution makers. what verbal praise alone is not

enough. we must also carry out their wishes because now, a full 100 years later, the equal rights amendment is still not part of the u.s. constitution. i thank jackie spir and all the women and like-minded men in this congress that voted to move the equal rights movement forward. 85% of u.s. states have constitutions that guarantee equality for women and girls. these constitutional guarantees have enabled national legal reforms that eliminated discriminatory laws and usher in new laws protecting girls and women. once the u.s. was a leader on gender equality, when it comes to our constitution, we are now far, far behind. today, we must fulfill fulfill

this and make equality a reality in our nation's most fundamental document. and i must say that throughout this struggle, i have always said, where are the women? when i walk around the mall, they have museums for everything, but not women. and it is far to empower women if we don't recognize them. this women's caucus put in a bill to create a national women's museum on the mall. i thought this would be easy and took us two decades to finally pass it last year, but it is now going to be built. it was a priority of this caucus and we made it happen. i just want to close to say our smithsonian women's history museum will inspire all generations to come. i join my colleagues for tonight's special order to

celebrate the historical achievements of women and look forward to creating a more equal future for all and preserving this history and contributions in the new smithsonian women's museum which is going to be built on the mall due to this congress and women's caucus. i thank my colleagues to helped this happen and i yield back with great gratitude. mrs. lawrence: we want to bring another leader and fighter for women's rights, barbara lee from california.

ms. lee: congresswoman lawrence, thank you for hosting this special order on women's history month and i thank brenda lawrence for insisting that black women and women of color be seen in this body. thank you very much. last year we celebrated the centennial of the ratification of the 19th amendment which gave some women the right to vote. women of color were able to vote -- not able to vote until decades later and plaque women fought until they got suffrage until 1965. my bill, with the support of both republican and democrats in this body and in the senate passed called the women's history and 19th amendment centennial act that was signed into law.

prominent women from american history can be honored on our quarter dollar coin. the currency we use is the most important ways we have in memorializing what we have as americans and making sure that prominent americans are featured is important step in recognizing the contributions that women have made in making this country a more equitable place. as public input for these coins, it's my hope that women will be chosen and celebrate our nation's leaders, thirst and innovators. our last election brought a number of women in congress and 120 number of house. congresswoman shirley chisholm would be so proud. we brought our folding chairs, but we are here to stay. i salute my late mother tonight

who blazed so many trails and she instilled in her three girls that women are equal to men. that's from day one. she was one of the first 12 black students to integrate the university of texas at el paso and first black female civilian at forth bliss, texas to work there for years and first in so many segregated places. she told me and my sisters and me is can't is not in the dictionary and we can fulfill our dreams but we have to break these barriers so that others can enter and insist that we open the doors for other women and girls. and so, it is so important that we celebrate women's history month and honor the women

trailbraisers who came before us. not only should we celebrate women but ensure they are protected and granted equality. i can't think of a better woman women to guarantee and enshine women's equality. one important action we can take to do that is remove barriers to ratify the equal rights amendment and i thank jackie spir for her efforts. way past time. for 244 years, women have not claimed the full protection and opportunities afforded by the constitution. women and girls, they face the devastating inadequate access to health air and the list goes on and yet our constitution does not explicitly protect them. i yield back now.

thank you, congressman lawrence. it is an important time for women in our country. mrs. lawrence: thank you so much. i want to bring forth one of our members who is one of our fighting members, january shah could you ki -- jan schakowsky. ms. schakowsky: i want to begin my remarks about women's history month with a little quiz. who was the first woman of color to serve in this body, in the united states house of representatives? i think i hear somebody saying maybe it was shirley chisholm. and she was a ground-breaking leader.

but not the first woman of color. it was a woman called patsy minching, who was born in then the territory of hawaii in 1927. she became a lawyer at the university of chicago. that's my hometown. not frequent for women to do that and set up her own practice and got interested in politics. and she served in the territorial house and senate. and guess what? the first woman ever to be in that body. she was a ground breaker. in 1964, now this is five years after hawaii became a state, patsy ran for the united states congress. the first woman of color. and the first asian-american.

and the first woman to represent hawaii. so she championed early childhood education, introduced the first child care bill in congress. and she was a ground breaker by introducing title 7. this was legislation that itself was groundbreaking, an amendment to the higher education act, title 9 ensured that women could be -- could not be excluded from participating in school activities, participating in collegiate athletics. and believe me, this was not an easy bill to pass. that same year, she actually did run for president. two years before shirley

chisholm did, a very short race. she was an anti-vietnam war candidate and then dropped out to run for senate and lost that race. so she came back to the united states congress to serve once again. and i have to tell you, that i had the pleasure when i came here in 1999, patsy minching was here, a -- mink, a fierce and tiny woman who you could not resist. we need to lift the name of patsy mink higher. people don't know who she was and what she accomplished for women and i'm determined we will do something in this house of representatives to acknowledge and honor the great work of patsy mink. and i yield back.

mrs. lawrence: i bring forth a woman who is a trailblazer, emma adams. ms. adams: i want to thank the gentlewoman from michigan and for all of the chairs and co-chairs of this committee. mr. speaker, i rise to honor the women of the united states house of representatives for women's history month. this marks the 101st year of women's suffrage in the united states and women have had the right to vote for 101 years, we still don't have equal justice under the law and that's why earlier today we passed the resolution to remove the deadline for the ratification of the equal rights amendment. because there is no expiration date on equality. to this day, women facing

workplace harassment and discriminated against because of who we are. women who work full-time year round make 82 cents on the dollar. ensuring our policies are reflective of the whole country and having every woman of government. in our house, state house and even in the white house. this month in particular, we draw strength and inspiration from those who came before us and those women working among us from shirley chisholm and nancy pelosi to kamala harris, first female and swrpt in the united states history and she was sworn in by the first latina by justice sotomayor. 100 years ago, mary robinson was

elected to serve. and 144 women were elected with 120 women. and i'm proud to say when i was elected and sworn in 2013, i became the 100th women. there are a lot of work to be done. 144 out of 435 members, that is not what our country looks like. women make up 50% of this nation. women's history month is a reminder of the importance and urgency of that work, the need for us to continue to break those glass ceilings. i yield back. i thank the lady. . . mrs. lawrence: now we have congresswoman fernandez from new mexico.

how much time is left? the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady has 31 minutes remaining. ms. fernandez: thank you so much for gathering us all here tonight in celebration because in celebration is what we must do. ms. leger fernandez: we must celebrate that we passed the violence against women act, that we passed the act to lift women and children out of poverty. i come from a place where for many years they didn't give us the vote. they didn't give us statehood. and there was much discrimination.

but it's also a place where women and women with of color have a long history of transformative leadership. i honor a few of them today. 100 years ago, the suffragist abalena warren helped lead this charge in new mexico. she became the first latina to run for congress. unfortunately she wasn't successful but 100 years later, i am the first latina to represent my district. in my familying, my grandmother, isabel lopez leger helped integrate the city of las vegas new mexico. refusing to move when neighbors rerealized she was a small, brown, spanish-speaking grand masm my big graman as we called her understood how important the vote was in achieving exy fir our communities, making calls to mobilize voters from our hospice

bed. she was a democrat until she died. my mother, manuelita, was punished for speaking spanish in the school-yard. she took this bigotry and turned it into advocacy and she and my father helped pass the 1973 new mexico bilingual education and multicultural education act because she knew that language was so essential to identity. new mexico also claims our leader who told us yes we can, and i end with deb haaland, new mexico has shed tears of joy over her confirmation. she brings a fears voice born of a love for our community which she inherited from the 34 generations of new mexico women

before her. new mexico's and history -- and women's history is still unfolding but we have hard work ahead of us, don't we? and as women of color, especially, are disproportionately impacted by the pandemic health dispairties and economic hardship. so i am so thankful to be here with my hermanas to celebrate our history and to recommit ourselves to the hard work we have ahead of us. thank you. mrs. lawrence: thank you so much. we are standing on the shoulders of deb haaland and my amazing eric men -- my amazing mentor, and friend, marcia fudge, who have left congress to go serve in the administration. i now call up a community organizer who put her boots on and walked the streets to make change and then came to congress

to continue to fight. lucy mcbath of florida. mrs. mcbath: i want to give a great sense of thanks and debt of gratitude to my colleague, brenda lawrence. thank you so much for bringing this special order hour today as we are really celebrating womanhood. that's truly what we are doing tonight. thank you so much and mr. speaker, this month, we celebrate the amazing and just absolutely inspirational women that are all around us. and as it has been said over and over again, we have so many amazing women who reside right here in this body. i have to personally say i have never met in my lifetime a greater number of courageous and intelligent and just amazing women that are so committed to democracy. and protecting their constituents and their

communities. and i feel very humbled and honored to actually get to serve with each and every one of them. whether it be a mother, a scientist, a congresswoman or the vice president of the united states, we are eternally thankful for the work that women do to help us thrive here at home and across the globe. this week, i had the opportunity to speak with four women, amazing women, who are fighting for change in my community in georgia's sixth congressional district. cobb county chairwoman lisa cupid has become the first african-american and first woman to serve in her position on the board of commissioners. iesa pascal has advocated for

georgia's latino population. after 15 years of teach, sharice davids joined the cobb school board to implement ideas she learned if her experience as an educator. and dr. colleen kelly, a physician at emery university school of medicine, has worked on the moderna vaccine trial a grady hospital. i truly want to thank these incredible women for all of the amazing work that they have done in our community because it not only serves my communitying, my district, georgia, but also the rest of the nation. i wish everyone a truly happy, happy history month but i have to honestly say as i'm sitting here today and listening to all my colleagues talk about the amazing women that we know and amazing women who have done so much work throughout the course of history, i would be remiss if i did not mention my own mother.

wilma cecilia holman. i owe her such a great debt of gratitude because she was one of the very first women, black women, in illinois to receive a masters in nursing. to actually teach nursing. soy know that everything that i am, all of my couraging, my strength, my imagination, my creativity, and my drive, an my willingness to put my boots on and get down in the dirt in the trenches for the people i love and care for in my community comes from here. thank you and i yelled back the balance of my time. mrs. lawrence: thank you so much. i know there's a tradition that says as long as you say the names of your forefathers that will never leave you. i want to introduce into the record, etta cranford, my grandmother, at the age of 5 it's -- 55 inherited a 3-year-old and 5-year-old when my mother died and gave

everything she had until her death to ensuring i would be a strong black woman in america. i am so proud to bring forth mary gay scanlon. from pennsylvania. ms. scanlon: thank you, representative lawrence, for bringing us here together nor special order hour. in honor of women's history month, i rise to celebrate the league of women voters nonpartisan work to encourage active and informed participation in our democracy since 1920. founded shortly before the ratification of the 19th amendment, the league has always believed in women's power to help create a more perfect democracy. in recent years, the league of women voters of pennsylvania has worked to combat 21st century voter suppression tactics, including strict voter i.d. laws and extreme gerrymandering. in 2018, the pennsylvania supreme court issued a decision in the league of women voters

vs. pennsylvania that declared our congressional districts have been so extremely gerrymandered that they violated our state constitution. in doing so, that decision created districts including mine, that are more compact, contiguous and constitutional. the league of women voters decision paved the way of -- for the election of four women, myself included, to serve in our state's congressional delegation at a time when there were none. from the first suffragists to the present day i want to applaud the league of women vote ers for its ongoing work to empower voters and defend our democracy. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: thank you so much. i am now proud to bring to the podium, representing kany manning from north carolina, a woman who has made a difference and i know i'm looking forward to your brilliance in the future.

ms. manning: i rise tonight to celebrate women's history month by highlighting the multiple and irreplaceable roles that women play in our communities. generations of women have worked to balance jobs with raising children and caring for aging loved ones. this isn't new. women have always disproportionately shouldered the burden of caring for families but for the first time this pandemic has highlighted the toll these various rolls -- roles take on women as so many have been forced to lee the work force to care for others. over the last year, 2.3 million women have left the work force. nearly 3% drop in female participation in the labor force. several factors have contributed to this drop, but none more than

the closing of childcare facilities an schools. the american rescue plan is helping women recover from this pandemic and return to work. by bolstering the child care sector, increasing the child tax credit, expanding paid leave, and safely reopening schools. we must treat women with dignity and respect and put into place systems that allow women to care for their families and excel at work. i proudly voted to support the american rescue plan because it is an important step in the right direction. and i yield back. mrs. lawrence: mr. speaker, i would like to at this time bring forth representative deborah ross of north carolina. ms. ross: thank you so much for your leadership, representative lawrence, and for organizing this special order hour.

mrs. lawrence: representative from pennsylvania. >> thank you, mr. speaker. you know, so many of the leaders that we hear about are public figures and legitimated officials, people with loud voices in the community but there are other kinds of leaders and in particular in connection with this month's women history month, i rise to pay tribute to some that are not often noticed, the women who have battled the covid pandemic in my exuent and across our nation. this historic crisis has devastated my community. ms. wild: more than 330,000 of our fellow americans have died and millions have lost.

and putting the health and safety of their neighbors ahead of their own. one woman in greater lehigh valley made sure our heroes and vulnerable neighbors are not forgotten. she has served the people of our community for more than 20 years as a counselingor, a therapist and public health researcher. she has served in one of the hospital systems in my community st. luke's, a senior director of ep deemiology and strategy and vice president of community health. dr. reed has been instrumental in keeping our. dr. reed has incisive when speaking of the impact of covid throughout the 7 of district helping all of us recognize and

he that the states can change depending on a life's circumstances. by groupeding every conversation in easy to understand data, dr. reed has made sure that first at all levels have a shared understanding of constituents reality and the challenges they face particularly the stark racial that have only grown during the pandemic and still throughout it all, dr. reed's warm and calm delivery has softened the plow of what was devastating news. her help mobilized our community of taking care of our own and putting the most vulnerable amongst us first. to dr. reed and front-line workers including many low wage workers who don't have the support or pay they need, i

stand with you. i stand with you today and every day. i yield back. mrs. lawrence: mr. speaker, how much time do i have remaining? the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman has 14 minutes remaying. mrs. lawrence: i will not take all of them. i want to take this moment to thank all the speakers. i want everyone to know that women are making so many strides. we are currently on target to send women to the moon. we are op target to make sure that -- we are on target to make sure that women continue to be leaders in education, health care. i'm proud 20 say -- to say not only do we have a woman as a vice president we have our amazing speaker of the house as a woman. we have six chairs of our congressional committees headed by women. we also have over, as i said,

194 women in congress currently. and i am proud to say that women's history month, and sometimes the men will roll their eyes in the back of their head, women, why do you need a month? because so often the strides and the hard work that it took for us to accomplish what was given to privilege, to men, are often overlooked. and i'm proud to stand here today to lead the special order hour to honor the women. as congresswoman wild said, the one who is often don't get a platform. they don't get a mike, they do the work every day. women are the predominant member or group of educators. so if you are educated in america, you are probably touched by a woman. nurses, those who are in hospitals and went through covid and all the suffering, the caregivers, and the nurses are predominantly women. we all owe a mount of debt to

the mother who gave birth to us. we are often in the kitchens and in other places that women are so strong leaders. now we have women in the c suite, we have women in manufacturing and designing. we have women in every area of america working. and the only thing that any woman wants is the opportunity to have a seat at the table. to be able to show her brilliance. as my brand mother told me, never apologize for your hard work, for your brilliance or your skills. and talents that you have been blessed. use them and you do a good thing with them. and as john lewis said, get in good trouble. and the suffrage taught us that. the good trouble that they went through gave us the right to vote in america. with that, i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: under the speaker's announced policy of january 3, 2019, -- of january 4, 2021, the gentleman from texas, mr. arrington, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader. mr. arrington: thank you, mr. speaker. i stand here on behalf of the freedom loving members of the republican sfuddy committee -- you is study committee. the conservative conference of the g.o.p. conference. and the largest caucus with over 150 members and our friend and fearless leader, jim banks, from the hoosier state, and, mr. speaker, we come to this chamber with grave concerns, with profound grief over what's happening to this great nation at the southern border, along the border of states like my

home state of texas. my citizens are on the frontlines and the citizens of the lone star state and border states are at ground zero of this self-inflicted crisis. just because the president won't acknowledge that there is a crisis doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. mr. speaker, it is raging out of control. it is an unmitigated disaster. as i said, it is self-inflicted . reinstating catch and release while we are recovering from a pandemic? are you kidding me? we have put mandates and restrictions on the american people who have sacrificed by staying at home. some have lost their jobs. they don't know how they are going to make ends meet for their family. everybody stepped up, mr. speaker. they did what they were told to

do. in some cases, but they all acting responsibly for the sake of our country and their fellow man and the country that they love. and now we are just letting people cross our border illegally, violate our off rept, break our laws, and then -- sovereignty, break our laws, and be released in the interior of our country with no testing, no screening. in texas, mr. speaker, we are coming back. we got folks back to work. kids are in school. my kids are in school. we feel normal again. and we are blessed to be in a state that puts a premium on individual liberty. and personal responsibility. and we worked hard to get to where we are now. and we didn't like everything that was done to us by our government, we didn't like all the protocols and mandates, but

we did the best job we could for the sake of our fellow americans. and now, now we have the potential for a flareup in the pandemic because our hospitals are going to be overwhelmed again. our schools are already overwhelmed as they try to do right by their students. let them come into the classroom, have that support structure. knowing that to close your doors on these kids is to close a bright future for them. it's to hock them out of their greatest -- lock them out of their greatest potential and to give them grief and all kinds of heartache and mental health concerns. and now we've got our police who have been disparaged with cries of defund the police. they have been -- they would be dismantled if the bill that passed the house supported by the democrats ever became law

and ripped the tools that they have to not only keep our communities safe but to protect them in the process. we have stripped them, or would, if the bill passed, of their legal liability protections. all the while we are putting more pressure on our local law enforcement to do the job that the federal government under this commander in chief has failed to do. the commander in chief is supposed to provide for the common defense. he is supposed to be the exemplar for rule of law. he is the chief enforcer of the law. what kind of example, what kind of example is our president to just throw caution to the wind and to let folks come into this country who are not our citizens, prioritizing them over the safety and health of our citizens. i got to hear some of my colleagues express concerns over women's rights and

protecting women from abuse. we all support that. our hearts go out to any victims of abuse in this country or in any country. but meanwhile, because of the policies that have been passed by this president, reinstating catch and release, empowering sanctuary cities. repealing the stay in mexico policies. halting funding for the border wall. all of these things have sent a message that we are open for illegal business. and if you ask the cartels, business has never been better. we are lining their pockets while they exploit vulnerable people who are hopeless and they are being exploited, mr. speaker, one out of every three women are sexually assaulted on their trek to this country. that statistic is from the doctors without borders.

children are used as a passport, trafficked by these cartels. we have empowered these cartels. this is a disaster on so many levels. i'm glad my colleagues are here to express these same sentiments in their own words. mr. speaker, i believe and i'll end can with this and yield time to my colleagues, it is clear there is a cause an effect here. it is clear policies have consequences. they innocent behave -- incetn behavior and the behavior is causing chaos at the border. i believe this president is obsessed. when i ask why, just the fundamental question why would our president allow this to happen? well, i believe he's obsessed with undoing anything that has the name president trump on it, regardless of its merits.

and i believe he's equally obsessed with placating the left and their red cal agenda. i have come to that conclusion. we are going to speak to this. we are going to tell the truth. we are going to lay out the facts. we are going to call on our president to do the right thing and prioritize the american people and their safety and security. mr. speaker, i'd like to yield four minutes to the gentleman from virginia's fifth congressional district, mr. bob good. mr. good: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you to my distinguished colleague and fellow member from texas. our country's future will forever be changed based on how we manage our refuse to manage biden's border crisis. and, yes, it is a crisis. steady merit-based legal immigration is stabilizing. provides a talented pool of workers. effectively permits patriotic assimilation. and enriches our culture. and we can debate how best to

achieve those objectives and immigration levels or numbers are in the best interest of our nation and citizens. what is not opened for honest debate or at least debate that honestly places the interests, safety, and security of american citizens first is the need to secure our border and eliminate illegal immigration. president biden's open border policies threaten our security, overtax our resources, jeopardize public health, and turn every town into a border community. as others have said, without a border we don't have a country. we have a landmass. one that is currently under invasion. that is an invasion that's with complicit approval from the president's policies and the support of the democrat policy, democrat party, and this is especially egregious and inexcusable. the fact is that in the 56 days

since president biden was sworn in on january 20, illegal immigration has surged and our southern border has been overrun. we are not stopping illegal immigrants based on their inability to provide themselves and not be a burden on our economy, our social services, our education system, or our health care system. we are not stopping illegal immigrants based on whether or not they testify positive for covid. we are not stopping illegal immigrants based on whether or not they have a criminal record. we are not stopping illegal immigrants based on whether or not they intend to do us harm. the bottom line is, we don't even know who is coming and whether or not -- we don't know why they are coming. the president sends fema to the border not to help but help illegal aliens get into our country. how do they respond? with two new amnesty bills that will incentivize and reward with

amnesty and citizenship. memo to the president and democrat majority get more with what you incentivize. this is what they want. these two bills will provide amnesty to five million illegal aliens. these two bills make it more difficult for law enforcement to detain or deport illegal aliens and will facilitate chain migration. and these two bills inexcusebly provide no provisions to address the biden border crisis. just today in apparent recognition that the crisis is not playing well with the american people, you know, the forgotten citizens of the country, nbc news is reporting that the biden administration is telling border patrol they can

no longer to the media or do ride-alongs to see what is happening. border patrol is supposed to let all communication come from washington. the american people don't want america could be turned spoo a sanctuary nation. we are going to fight for them and fight for the country we are going to have today and what we want tomorrow. and i yield back to my colleague from texas. mr. babin: i thank the gentleman from virginia and talked about incentives and cause and effect and talked about the consequences of bad policies. mr. arrington: we had double the and prihentions this year in january over last year in 2020, well over twice as many illegal

crossings in the month of february. we are now 5,000-plus a day, people pouring into this country, 500 a day illegal minors, trafficked here by the car tills and the c.b.p. tells us there will be over 120,000 by the end of the year. it will be a record year. those are the results. and the facts don't lie whether this president or our colleagues believe it or not. i yield to the great state of texas, four minutes and represents texas 36th mr. babin. mr. babin: thank you so much. as co-chairman of the house border security caucus, i very much the opportunity to come to the floor with the republican study committee to talk about the most pressing issue our

nation is facing today. right now and sadly, it was entirely avoidable. there are no ifs, ands and buts. it is a direct result of president bide hen's failed policies. my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have done what they do best, blame president trump and his administration. but anyone with a pulse can see that this border crisis started the very day that president biden was sworn in. in his first day of office he ended the national emergency declaration on the southern border. he stopped the protocols so asylum seekers would have to wait in mexico during this pandemic, biden and his administration are releasing

covid-positive illegal aliens into texas and fan out across this country and go on to stop deportation and stop enforcing immigration laws and end the hard one changes that president trump initiated to control our southern border. he has said that americans will not be prioritized, i repeat will not be prioritized for access to covid-19 vaccines and promised citizenship to migrants here that does nothing but incentive illegal crossings. who on earth is surprised that there is a massive border crisis. president biden owns this border crisis. the true sad reality isn't biden's first rodeo. he saw surges on the border and

knows full well what that means. he saw children being used and recycled by smugglers and women and children abused, raped and murdered by the cartels who control our southern border empowered by president biden and saw american families torn apart . he should know better and you know what? he does no better. unfortunately, he is controlled by politics and his radical left-wing base and won't turn back now. the american people need to know that president biden is taking advantage of them and while you were locked down for a year, illegal aliens roamed free while you worked hard and paid your taxes. illegal immigrants cost you billions every year with free education, health care. migrate state of texas and the

other states cannot take another minute of biden's border crisis. the president of the united states needs to step up and needs to lead. lives are at stake and i yield back. >> the democrat leadership of the house under speaker pelosi have lined the streets with the national guard. the hype of hypocrisy. the american people aren't buying this. the speaker called the walls at the southern border protecting our fellow americans and communities immoral.

until she erected razor wire fencing around the people's house. it's offensive and shameful and outrage and it is a double standard if i ever seen one. i'm going to yield to a good friend of mine colleague on the house ways and means committee representing oklahoma 1st district, to mr. kevin heroin. mr. hern: i appreciate you leading this on such an important issue. mr. speaker, we are here today to shed light on a situation that is getting worse by the minute. the longer joe biden and this white house ignore the crisis on our border, the more dramatic it comes to get it under control.

after finding and scratching away our democratic. it has been to diss mount everything that president trump touched over the last four years, no matter who it may hurt. on day one of his presidency, he halted congresses gregsally funds meant to secure and strengthen our southern border. he indicated a complete reversal refusing to condemn democrats who called for open borders and led to thousands of immigrants toll pleve our borders were open and could enter with no

consequences and even had shirts promoting the idea that biden should let them in. less than two months since biden has taken office and it has reached levels that we haven't seen in 20 years. border agents reporting that the number of illegal entries is higher than we have seen in decades. detainment facilities, what the democrats have now called reception centers are concentration camps is what they call them under president trump. are over capacity. children are being sent to dallas to be held at the convention center. americans returning from abroad are required to take covid tests before re-entering our own country but biden is allow thousands of mige grants into the country without testing them

for covid. hypocrisy is nothing new to this administration. biden refuses to call it a crisis. cnn, cn nmp has called it a crisis but biden doesn't want to own it. calling it an inherited mess from the trump administration. every single person in america knows it is not true. house democrats rejected any amendments on their partisan immigration bills. my amendments asked that known gang members not be eligible for amnesty, how could you not allow that to be added to this bill, that we create a tax credit for employers who want to do the right thing and verify e-verify and make sure they are hiring legal american workers and

illegal immigrants who have committed crimes in our country, would be eligible for amnesty. now, everywhere except for in congress, any good american would want those in the bill. but not here. not my democrat colleagues. these are commonsense ideas that americans support but democrats would have open borders with no consequences for those who break the laws. this week four people on the terrorist watch list were attempting to ellie attempting our country. if we lower the restrictions on our border, we know we would have never caught them or never known they were here. that should scare us all to death. i and many of my republican colleagues have been to the border to see this terrible situation first happened and encourage every member of

congress to go see it. and for that, i want to thank my colleagues for standing up here tonight at this hour for speaking up on this crisis. it is so important to the american people and sovereignty of our nation. to my colleague, i yield back. mr. arrington: i thank the gentleman from oklahoma. he mentioned that some political people were characterizing the detention facilities under the leadership of president trump as concentration camps. they called the men and women in uniform, our sons and daughters who were called to come along side the border secure eight to secure our border and they were called storm troopers. they referred to our attempt to

humanely and safely detained the unaccompanied minors as kids in cages. where are they now, mr. speaker? where are they now? where is the indignation? where is the name calling. how soon we forget, mr. speaker. 13,000 children are being detained right now. far worse conditions. far more crowded than before. where are those colleagues of ours that were klanging gongs and sounding the alarm. i would like to yield three minutes to the the gentleman from wisconsin. he represents the 7th congressional district. >> i thank the gentleman for yielding. america's border is under siege and a siege and continues to

surge. they say it is not a crisis or an emergency. even as they have dispatched fema, the federal emergency management agency to help manage the disaster that they have created. in february alone, the shortest month overwhelmed border agents and encountered thousands crossing our southern border and 4,000 unaccompanied minors and children and the those who slipped through undetected. . . 4 not all are being tested. thanks to the administration's catch and release policies, many of these aliens immediately board buses and fan out across the country, making every state a border state, including my state in the far

north, wisconsin, because i hear it from sheriffs and law enforcement all over northern wisconsin. especially the drugs that flow in, the fentanyl and methamphetamine that flow into our communities killing our citizens. drug seizures were up more than 50% this month driven by huge spikes in meth and heroin. in what is fast becoming a washington tradition, the other side has tried to pass the buck and blame the border disorder on the last administration. this is a tired talking point. one we will hear repeated over and over to explain away the policy failures of the one-party government they control. but facts are stubborn things. this tightal wave of drug and human trafficking is a direct result of white house promises of amnesty and rollback of the

commonsense border security safeguards put in place by president trump. that's why it began at the end of january. so what is their answer to this crisis? it is to pour gasoline on the fire by passing two amnesty bills that will give legal status to at least half of the estimated 11 million illegal aliens already in this contry, including criminal aliens who have been convicted of multiple d.u.i.'s, drug and weapons violations, and even voter fraud. one of the bills even includes an unbelievable provision allowing for the reimportation of foreigners who were deported as long as four years ago. bringing them back and giving them green cards. this is a slap in the face to the legal, the legal immigrants who have followed our laws. this is a slap in the face to american taxpayers, millions of unemployed americans, and countless american families who have lost loved ones to the

scourge of drugs like meth and fentanyl. even worse, it is a financial bonanza for the human traffickers. foreign drug cartels who prey on the vulnerable and profit from their misery. so let's get this straight. the first act of this president was to open the borders and close our schools. or make sure that they stay closed. the first act of this president was to open the borders, the pipeline that brings the drugs and the hue manch trafficking -- human trafficking into america, but they close the pipeline that gives us energy independence in america. mr. speaker, it is time for the administration to stop pretending that this crisis isn't happening and to start defending the american people. i yield back. mr. arrington: listening to the

gentleman, mr. speaker, it's just hard to believe that in the greatest country on planet earth that this is what we are allowing to happen. reimporting people who violated our laws had due process, and we did what the law says. detain and deport. today under president biden's deluge of executive orders, they are released and rewarded. free health care. compliments of the taxpayers of the united states. free education, compliments of the taxpayers of the united states. we spend $12 billion in texas alone on illegal immigration. and the price has just climbed higher and higher under this president. mr. speaker, i'd like to yield four minutes to my dear friend from the great state of north carolina, representing the

ninth congressional district, mr. dan bishop. mr. bishop: i thank the gentleman from texas, my friend, mr. arrington, for hosting this special order. it's an extraordinarily important topic. here's another angle on it. tomorrow on the floor of this house democrats will pass two amnesty, mass amnesty bills, h.r. 6, and h.r. 1603. consider that at the very time democrats are bringing these amnesty bills to the floor, what promises to be the largest surge of illegal immigration on the southern border, in at least 20 years, is building toward an unknown climax. the biden administration has precipitated a humanitarian crisis so bringing that even they can no longer deny it. less than two months after terminating petroleum's --

president trump's declaration of emergency on the border, secretary mayor kiss -- mayorkas of the department of homeland security has been constrained to send fema, the federal emergency management agency, to facilitate the nation's response to this crisis. today in the committee on homeland security, i asked secretary mayorkas about the deliberate and absurd rhetoric used by the administration, come, but don't come now. i was unable to secure from secretary mayorkas a straightforward acknowledgement that it is always wrong to incite migrants to enter the united states illegally. and amazingly when i asked the secretary whether he was -- he

and the biden administration, have been expected or were surprised by the crisis that is now blooming on the southern border. he was caught off guard. he said he had no expectation whatsoever. i don't believe it, and i don't think the american people can believe it. just like the biden administration's rhetoric, these bills signal economic migrants, that if they make the dangerous trek through central america and mexico, they will be met with amnesty. taxpayer funded health care. housing, and anything else you can think of. whether it is gutting the migrant protection protocols, otherwise known as remain in mexico. stopping border wall construction. the administration's message to migrants is clear. come. take your lives in your hands,

brave the gangs, the coyotes, the smugglers, take the risk of sexual abuse, come. today the democrats are august meanting that clear as day message with more promises of amnesty. and that will be the bills tomorrow. which everyone here knows will fuel more illegal migration. let's face it. democrats are committed to a regime of open borders. where any person from anywhere in the world has a right to enter the u.s. for any reason, even if that means migrants are assaulted or killed on their way to the border. and democrats feel better about themselves. they assume a superior moral position by pursuing such a policy. it's no wonder. but apparently no cause for reflection by the biden administration that the c.b.p.

apprehended four individuals on the terrorist watch list crossing the southwest border. secretary mayorkas admitted that today. then went on to say, well, it's nothing unusual, or more less. amazing. i have heard some of my friends on the other side of the aisle complain that republicans are not offering solutions. let me offer three. end all talk of amnesty. reinstate the migrant protection protocols that provide more for their safety than the policy that's now arcontinuing lated -- articulated. finish building the wall. let's resume a responsible border policy. let's consider for once the interests of the american people. and i yield back. mr. arrington: i thank the gentleman from north carolina.

and again i would say, mr. speaker, that america is the most generous nation, not only the most powerful, but the most generous. we represent 5% of the world population, and we represent 20% of the immigrant population. we welcome freedom-loving, law-abiding people who want to make america their home and a better life for their family. but only if they respect our laws and our sovereignty and the safety of the american people and millions of people wait for years to have a legal status in this country. this president has just created lawlessness and chaos just like that. with a pen and a cell phone. and the unilateral actions that

have been reckless and endangered not only our citizens, but the poor people that are making this trek on account of his message. don't come now. is what he says. but come now, come one, come all it's a free-for-all at the border is what his policies say loudly and clearly. i'd like to yield five minutes to my dear friend from the great state of arkansas, he represents arkansas' fourth congressional district. i yield to mr. bruce westerman. mr. westerman: mr. speaker, the republican party has historically, i believe still today, the voice for those who have no voice. we value life and believe all people should be treated with dignity. i appreciate the gentleman from texas for leading this discussion tonight, for his compassion for people and for his passion to serve texas and america.

mr. speaker, tonight i not only rise to address the growing crisis on our southern border, but to be a voice for the persecuted. in an interview aired this morning, president biden told migrants not to come to the united states. but still refused to recognize the situation as a crisis. actions speak louder than words. it doesn't matter what you say when it doesn't match what you do. such a directive is pointless considering there are no policy changes to demote vate the migrant surge. -- demote vate the migrant surge. the likes of which the united states hasn't even in 20 years. our facilities and agencies are being overwhelmed by the surge. president biden offered an open invitation for parents to send their children across the border without fear of being turned away.

the result is catastrophic. while there have been migrant surges in the past, there's never been such a prolive number of unaccompanied minors. these policies are a driving incentive for parents to give their children to coyotes and traffickers who will abuse and use them, causing lifelong trauma. over 500 children are crossing the border daily, including unaccompanied kids as young as 6 years old. these children are threatened and coerced by cartels to carry drugs over the border, and exploited by sex traffickers. one in three women, one in three women, mr. speaker, will be assaulted as they attempt to make the journey. i just witnessed my colleagues from across the aisle spending an hour honoring women's history. what kind of history is the

left's policies writhing for these women? young women. young women as young as 13 years old are being lured to texas with the promise of a job in the service industry. and instead are being sexually abused and trafficked. what we are seeing now is but a fraction of what we could see in the coming months. this is the biden administration's responsibility and president biden owes the american people answers. but president biden is not alone. the majority party is negligent -- neglecting their oversight responsibilities and aiding and abetting these dangerous actions. i'm calling on president biden and congressional democrats, who i remind you are the majority in both chambers, to take responsibility for the border crisis and work to fings it -- fix it. take responsibility for the trauma these children will

endure on their journey across the border. customs and border protection has informed congress that four people on the f.b.i.'s terror watch list were apprehended at the border. if four were caught, how many got through and what is their intent? one day democrats arearsonnists, and next week the firefighters. they have pulled this trick on every issue, including energy, medicare, and now our border. to bring partisan immigration bills to the floor without even an opportunity to amend the bills is bad governance any time, but it is down right insensitive during this cross criecies. . i support all legal immigration but open border policies are a direct threat and created a humanitarian crisis. we should secure our borders and work on bipartisan legislation

to address immigration issues that democrats refuse to even enforce existing laws. mr. speaker, what good is a new immigration law when there's no evidence that it will be enforced? i yield back. mr. arrington: i thank the gentleman from arkansas for his comments. mr. speaker, how much time remains on our special order? [indiscernible] mr. arrington: there are many levels, many dimensions to this crisis. it's a national security crisis. it's a public health and safety crisis, and it is a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions. and it's only going to get worse until this president embraces

the reality and resists the left influence and steps up and becomes the leader that our country needs at a time like this. i thank the gentleman from wisconsin for joining us in this special order. and i would like to yield to him, mr. speaker, three minutes. he represents wisconsin's 6th congressional district, mr. grothman. mr. grothman: we talked tonight about the numbers which come from the crisis at the southern border. during the obama administration if you had 1,000 contacts a day with people trying to go sneak in, that was a lot. we are around 3,000. up 1773%. shocking. and it didn't have to be. what incompetence did it take to get a massive swing of people

coming across our border. trump had a migeglant call. they were sent back and held by the mexican government pending a hearing. this was a great victory for president trump. if you don't like him and had to get to the protocol. rather than being held south of the border, you are escorted to the united states and turned over to a nonprofit organization and you will show up for a hearing and why we have this problem. other things they have changed. president trump worked out a deal with central american countries so people coming up here from central american countries were held south of the border. and policy was thrown overboard and see what happens. then by doing this, we enrich

and empower the drug cartels. the drug cartels are charging about $3,000 and $5,000 and $8,000 for bra zillians. and when you are making that kind of money you know the drug cartels will recruit as many people they will recruit. and used to find marijuana when people come across the border, it is fentanyl, meth and we have that many more drugs to kill the people of our country and i'm sure the american people know the numbers we are losing 80,000 people every year to illegal drug use.

so much of which comes across the southern border. as was mentioned, increase in sexual assaults as people try to come across the border. i want to point out that the drug cartels control that southern border. if you come here without their approval. three people tried to is correspondent. two of them were skinned alive and told to go back south to mexico and tell everyone what happened if he tried to come across the border without going through the drug cartels. just as another indication of the huge problem we have at the border. last year was a hot year, they found 100 bodies in the tucson sector who dehydrated trying to come here. under president trump, you know how good it could be. letting 100,000 people across

the border down to at the time around december, we were back down to about 10,000 people crossing the border and did that with the protocol and they did that by being concerned about the covid. so, what to do now? i'm sometimes asked how the united states got in this mess and talking about a wide variety of issues. where were the founding fathers say they screwed up. and until this, i felt looking at the three branches of government, the legislative, executive and judiciary our founding fathers would never believe that the judiciary would have a lack of respect for the constitution. but now i have to answer something else. the press considers themselves the fourth estate. there are rumors right now that

the department of homeland security has put a gag order on the border patrol agents who have so many interesting stories down there. if i think of my founding fathers who wanted a free press as disappointing they would be in our presidents and our congress and disappointing they would be in our judicial branch, i think the area they would be most disappointed the boot-licking they are ruining the country. wake up. insist of talk to the border patrol and find out what is going on. my final plea tonight is for the press corps to wake up and get to the southern border and report what's going on down there. thank you. mr. arrington: i think that this

administration and our current president joe biden would take a page out of president trump's playbook and i mean this with all sincerity. the reason why people follow this unconventional nonpolitician businessman and leader is because they were convinced he would fight for them. it's because they watched as he followed through on what he promised he would do for them. and lastly, mr. speaker, it's because he put america first. perfect, he was not. and but i tell you what, with every fiber of his being and ounce of strength and every waking moment, he was vigilant in keeping those promises. and one of them was to secure

the border and stop illegal immigration once and for all. politicians have come and gone and made the same promises but to no avail and this president, president trump reduced illegal crossings by 75%. we know what to do in this chamber. we know the policies that would work to protect our fellow americans and secure our border and to stop this chaos and madness that has ensued as a result of these reckless, unilateral decisions. we know what to do, mr. speaker. but there is no political will to do it. and the message, as we have said, is clear, and it's demoralizing and it's insulating

that the leadership of this administration and our commander in chief has prioritized illegal immigrants over his own citizens. i'm wearing a mask in the people's house. most of our colleagues, mr. speaker have had been vaccinated and we have social distancing. we are still wearing masks. what a pathetic posture as we release hundreds, thousands, upon thousands. some say the infection rate is upwards of 20 rs of% boo into the country while we have spent trial ons of dollars and made untold sacrifices to help our country get back to its feet.

it's just unbelievable. and those poor border patrol agents that they, too, should be defunded, they are hamstrung at best. how would you like to go to work every day with the clear mission and a righteous and patriotic mg mission to secure the border and protect your citizens and have a commander in chief who says come one, come all and has little regard for the rule of law and for those who risk their lives every day to enforce it. and this is -- it's just the cold hard facts. it's the truth. and i believe, always have, in the american people's good judgment. and while some folks may have had an aversion to the style and

personality of the last president, and i can appreciate that, they got to look back and say, he achieved unprecedented results that left this nation safer, stronger and more prosperous than we have been in recent history, if ever. i pray our country will return to that level of strength. and i pray this president will embrace the reality. i hope he comes to visit border states like texas and listen to the cries that have gone unheard from his administration, from the people of texas, arizona, new mexico, california and throughout this land who need him to step up and be our commander in chief. so, mr. speaker, i am done and i yield back the balance of my

time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. under the speaker's announced policy of january 4, 2021, the chair recognize the gentleman from florida, mr. soto. for half of the time remaining until 10:00 p.m. 16 minutes. mr. soto: thank you, mr. speaker. in honor of women's history month, i would like to recognize sammy merrera is the president and of a firm that assists with government sectors in overcoming diversity, inclusion and marketing challenges. under her leadership, she received the diversity in

business helping hand award for their work for helping underserved. she started in new york city in public relations and marketing and publishing. her career highlights include handling its first ever spanish language presidential media campaign which led to winning and publisher of the national hispanic magazine and and msnbc, "florida trend" and canada c bmpcrmp news. she learned a master of education from the university of puerto rico and recognized as one of "vision" magazine. she has served on boards such as visit orlando, united arts for

hispanic and business women's association and technical assistance committee. in 2017 after hurricane maria, she ran a nonprofit. it creates social mobility programs such as -- [speaking spanish] >> the azalea project. s.o.s. is the gender advancement projects of fiscal sponsor that supports lgbtq and people of color. . . . mr. cordero appointed sammy to the arts and culture council where she serves as chair equity and inclusion committee. she was an official delegate of the second annual latino leadership summit held at the

united nations by the we are all human organization. for this and more, miss heyman, we honor you. in honor of women's history month, i would like to recognize randy -- wendy. wendy was appointed the chief executive officer for the osceola council on aging in 2019. wendy's career with the ocoa is expansive, spending the past 20 years in key positions within the council including serving as the director of housing and finance. during the past two decades wendy's multidisciplinary approach led to her appointment to the agency's top position. she was effectively managed six separate housing communities and successfully developed negotiated and managed many commercial contracts while leading the implementation of strategy planning and marketing strategies.

since 2019, they have seen exponential increases in sustainable operations, collaborations with the osceola and central florida community. and new initiatives which have increased revenue, profitability, and reimbursement growth. the osceola council on age's mission is to provide service to enable independence and self-sufficiency with osceola county seniors, disabled adults, disadvantaged individuals, and impoverished families. wendy's colleagues states she's always committed to achieving the highest standards of performance and leadership while embodying the heart of the council's mission. wendy is a graduate of the university of central florida's business school and will be completing her mba degree in july of this year. she holds housing and urban development certifications with

assistant housing manager and housing credit certified professional designations. she was recently awarded two certificates of achievement for h.u.d. for superior real estate' assessment center outcomes, recognized for implementing the senior kid companion program at the state of florida national community service conference for recognition designated by formente secretary of state colin powell. further, wendy is a member of the kissimmee police department's crime free nish testify and graduate of the university of florida leading aids leadership academy in 2009, along with leadership osceola 2019. wendy has been married to her husband chip for 11 years, she has two children and two grandchildren. for this and more, wendy ford we honor you. in honor of women's history month, i would like to recognize beyacka.

-- bianca. she's the administrator at the florida department of health in osceola county. she spent more than 20 years in public health experience with 15 years dedicated to leading health departments and federally qualified health centers. during her career, she has collaborated with county governments, governing boards, and community partners to address health issues and ensure the provision of programs and services for vulnerable populations. her public health career began in tennessee where she was the state's first african-american county health department director. she directed operations at one of the largest rural health departments which received recognition for its diabetes and communitywide weight loss programs. after accepting the executive director position with primary care, medical services, a federally qualified health center operated by the health department, she relocated to osceola county in 2008 with her husband and son.

she oversaw the federal health resources and services administration grant and the delivery of comprehensive culturally competent health care and dental services to the community. in 2012, she accepted a leadership position with the community health centers ink -- inc. to oversee multispeciality sites serving vulnerable and underserved populations. in 2018 she returned to the floor to the department of health in osceola county as the administrator. she is currently leading the agency through an unprecedented and extended response to the covid-19 pandemic. she -- her dedicated team at the health department have worked tirelessly to maintain essential public health services during the large-scale emergency response effort. she continues to work closely with community partners to mitigate the impact of covid-19 in osceola county, florida. she's a member of the national association of county and city

health officials. florida public health association. health leadership council. advent health kissimmee advisory board, and osceola council on aging board. for this and more miss bianca, we honor you. in honor of women's history month i would like to recognize rhonda wilson. miss rhonda wilson, who has her m.s., m.b.a., and m.s. is a victim services administrator with over 32 years of professional nonprofit criminal justice and military experience. she's earned three graduate degrees, a master of human services with a criminal justice specialization, a masters of business administration, and master of administration justice and security. since 2009, rhonda has been a leader for the victims service center of central florida where

she has worked as a victim advocate and crisis counselor. community education coordinator, and most recently as an advocacy services supervisor where she oversees 10 masters level crisis counselors and interns. prior to her work with the victim service center, ms. wilson proudly served in the united states navy for 20 years, specializing in military justice. she took that knowledge and experience and upon retiring from the navy served as the director of an 88-bed residential re-entry center, helping federal inmates transition back into the community. rhonda has extensive training related to sexual assault and assisting victims of crime. she is a member of the sexual assault response team and the florida crisis response team. she was one of the initial first responders in the aftermath of the pulse mass

shooting tragedy and is often called upon to provide emotional support to law enforcement professionals when impacted by violence. rhonda is a respected leader and professional in the field of victim services and was recognized as victim advocate of the year in 2017 by central florida victim services network. for this and more, miss rhonda wilson, we honor you. in honor of women's history month, i would like to recognize evidenter --ester sanchez colon. at the age of 17 she began her health care journey as a secretary for a medical services and transport company in puerto rico. her interest has sparked through each e.m.s. call which offered her a chance to help a person or family in need. she eventually became a dispatcher and discovered her passion for caring for others

was her calling. not just a career focus. the pair metics -- paramedics she worked with encouraged her to follow that passion. in 2000 she became a registered nurse. she now lives in florida and is a clinical coordinator. she has been with the hospital for more than seven years and demonstrates exceptional leadership both with the e.r. and the area community. she serves as a pastor in her church and is currently finishing her doctorate in ministry. specializing in both nursing and ministry has helped her be an uplifting resource for patients and their families in their time of need. because of her immeasurable compassion and efforts to make a positive impact in the lives of others, she received the daisy award for extraordinary nurses in 2018. today her dedication to helping others is stronger than ever.

and she feels blessed to be of service during difficult times. from supporting her colleagues to caring for patients and their families, she continues to excel in her role and live out the h.c.a. health care mission. above all else, we are committed to the care and improvement of human life. for this and more, missester -- miss esther sanchez colon we honor you. in honor of women's history month i would like to recognize belinda johnson cornet who has her m.s., r.n.b.c., and m.b.a. she is a board certified registered nurse with years of experience in the health care industry as a practitioner and health care executive. she has earned a masters of science and masters of business administration degree. she is currently pursuing a

doctoral degree in business. during the 2008 through 2017 period, she served as the administrator and health officer and chief executive officer of the combined detcht health in osceola county and services. she rind re-mained as chief executive officer of the community health services as the agency transitioned into 2017 to a private nonprofit federally qualified health center. ms. johnson cornet is recognized as a dedicated health advocate, having led many initiatives to increase health care access for uninsured and underserved populations. she's a strong supporter of decreasing health disparities by improving social determine nance of health for at-risk populations. she has worked tirelessly to advance community partner engagement in collaborative strategies to improve health care access and enhance

community resources. her leadership was the key driver in 2010 in mobilizing community partners in health, business, government, elected officials, community organizations, faith-based, and osceola health summit which continues as an annual event. ms. johnson cornet has had many and numerous achievements and recognitions, some of which include the national leadership academy for public health, 2012, inaugural leadership program. selection as florida's outstanding woman and public health in 2014. a 2019 inaugural graduate of the national association of county and city health officials. survive and thrive fellowship. and osceola county's lieutenant lloyd burton jr. service award in 2020. miss johnson cornet's leadership has brought many tang inl results into osceola county, including 8.3 million

in federal capital improvement funding in 2011, 5.5 million in resources for the disadvantaged minority community, and many millions in federal and private grant funding. for this and more, miss belinda johnson cornet, we honor you. >> thank you, mr. speaker. in honor of women's history month i would like to recognize ann clawson. mr. soto: ann clawson has served in various leadership positions for 29 years in polk county, florida. during her career with state farm insurance company, she's held many different leadership positions in the life and health company and served as the credit union manager for nine years, overseeing a $240

million credit union with 1,100 members throughout the state of florida. in january of 2014, she took a leap of faith to start her new career as the c.e.o. of central florida health care. serving in this role has allowed her to follow her lifelong passion. for making a difference in her community by providing a patient centered medical home to over 56,000 patients. with growth in 14 clinics, and 500 employees, miss clawson's passion for serving her community is demonstrated each day by her genuine compassion to be a servant leader. with an understanding of the building relationships and partnering for a healthier community, she serves on the united way board, junior by dye betees research foundation, and other -- diabetes research foundation, and other boards and communities to ensure our communities are working together in providing quality health care for everyone,

regardless of their ability to pay. miss clawson's goal is to continue to focus on expanding health care and create creating a positive work environment surrounded by people who share her passion for making a difference in our community. with her caring heart, she leads by example. and has been instrumental in partnering with other community leaders who have the same passion to serve. . she is married to jim and they have two sons, justin and ryan. for this and more, ms. ann clawson, we honor you. in honor of women's history month, i would like to recognize ms. jenny serand, who currently serves as a fifth grade language arts teach for the polk county public school shesms transferred schools to hetch overcome

turnaround status and provide a consistent quality education to all students. she is an accomplished, visionary lead we are five years of teaching experience in polk county. she stops at nothing to advocate for what is best for our students an teachers all over the state of florida. some of her most notable accomplishments in education include being names to npr's best commencement speeches ever list in 2014, for her grguation speech from niagara university, being nominated for the touchdown for teachers award in 2010, 2011, 2014, and

given by the national football league's buffalo bills for dedication to the community in which you live, the distinguish aid lum nigh award from niagara university and the polk county teacher award for 2019. since moving to florida she's become very involved in polk downy special olympics and helped coach sports such as bowl, softball, swimming and bocce. she plays unified sports with her brother phillip who as autism. unified sports gives the opportunity to teach acceptance through competitive play while mentoring athlete who was a cognitive disability so they can build relationships with others to be more successful in everyday life. in the sum over 2018 she was named polk county's most inspirational unified partner of the queer. she's currently completing her doctorate in educational leadership from florida southern college and aspires to be a principal someday. she's a living example of rita pearson's quote, every child deseaverbs champion, an adult who will never give up on on them, who understands the pow over connection and insists that they become the best they can possibly be for this and more,

ms. jenny serand, we honor you. in honor of women's history month we would like to recognize amaya brandon. amaya brandon is a 10-year-old resident of auburndale, florida, and an active, enjerrett -- energetic and personable young woman in the community. she live whers aunt michelle and uncle brian along with her sisters jiana and jalah. she ebb joys playing soccer, packtiesing jujitsu with her uncle brian and being active outdoors. as a straight a student she participates in multiple school activities, including the fuel up to play 60 program. amaya has aspirations of a future career in public relations or reporting while hone her skills as an artist.

she has a heart for giving and helping others in world. most recently, amaya represented her community as the nfl play 60 superkid ambassador and the "good morning america" super bowl kid correspondent. she received v.i.p. access during the super bowl week, throughout the week she interviewed players from both teams, hosted a virtual kids play day, was interviewed live on the taste of the nfl show, practiced with the buccaneer cheerleaders and was featured during the second half of the super bowl. amaya also reported abher experience multimillion -- multiple times throughout the week on "g.m.a." amaya pledged to eat healthy and move 60 minutes each tai. despite bad weather and a tough year she's been able to remain active. she believes, quote if you are healthy and active you can

achieve great goals in life. for this and more, ms. amaya brandon, we honor you. i would like to honor francisco dehay us is. he was born on march 9, 2924, in the small town of panuelos, puerto rico. he was one of the ones deployed to the war. he served for one year in the korean war and then transferred to panama for a tour as a military police member. upon completing his active service, he returned to puerto rico, rejoining his young family in san juan. francisco was an entrepreneur, pursuing numerous business

ventures before establishing a well known men's store called hurick's men's store. in 1976 he sold his beloved store and moved his family to orlando, florida. for 20 years, francisco worked for the orange county school board as a community liaison in the immigration department. he played a pivotal role in registering migrant families an their children to enable attend abc at local schools during the year. francisco is a beloved husband, father of seven children, a grandfather of 14, and a great grandfather of 16. he is still an avid story teller, loves listening to music and is a great domino's player. he recently celebrated 97th birthday in orlando, florida. for this and more, mr. francisco h. dejesus, we honor you.

mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize the life of officer kevin valencia of the orlando police department who was a courageous and heroic officer, a loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend. on june 11, 2018, officer kevin valencia was shot and critically injured while responding to a domestic violence call where a deranged individual took his own life after killing four children and shooting officer valencia. officer valencia risked his life for people he didn't even know, a risk that many in the law enforcement profession take every day without question. since that tragic night, officer valencia has been fighting for his life with his family by his side. regretfully, officer valencia passed away this week on march 15, 2021, after succumbing to

the injuries sustained. officer kevin valencia will be remembered by his loved ones as a hero who selflessly gave to others and always had the best humor. he is survived by his wife, megan valencia, and their two sons, caleb and colton. thank you, kevin valencia, officer of o.p.d., for your great sacrifices. we mourn your passing and may you rest in peace. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. pursuant to section 11-b of house resolution 188, the house stands adjourned until noon