e e e e e e e e e e
e e e e e e e e the committee will please come to order a quorum is present the committee meets
today pursuant to notice to consider five bills and a resolution we are also meeting on a very significant day for our country this is the 23rd anniversary of the horrific attack on
our country um on 911 2011 and um excuse me 2001 and uh it's important that we never forget the
victims of the 911 attack we've had commemorations this morning around the capital their commemorations going on in New York and it's very important again that we always
remember the victims of that heinous attack on this country let's take a moment of silence thank you the chair announces that requests for recorded votes as to amendments may be postponed pursuant to
Clause two of rule 11 of the rules of the House of Representatives and committee rule 14b without objection the chair May recess the committee at any point today the committee on education and Workforce is taking actions on several bipartisan bills that will
improve the health safety and well-being of the American people we start with a tranch of bills aimed at student and child safety including HR 5646 the stop campus hazing act introduced by representative Lucy mcbath
hazing is a persistent issue that endangers young lives and undermines the Very promise of an education environment conducive to learning by strengthening the policies around hazing prevention and Reporting where reinforcing the
message that student safety comes first and I want to welcome the parents who are here today whose children were victims of hazing incidents next we turn to HR 7233 the Jenna Quinn law of
2024 introduced by representative Nathaniel Moran of Texas this bill Story begins with its name namesake Jenna Quinn a teenage sexual ual assault Survivor legislation in Jenna's name was
enacted in the state of Texas in 2009 and has already save countless children for from abuse now the committee has a chance to apply some of its key protections across the country this bill allows for grants for child sexual abuse
prevention programs in schools equipping Educators to recognize and Report signs of abuse early Jenna Quinn's story reminds us of the urgency to act and this bill ensures that we continue to safeguard vulnerable children from
preventable cases of sexual assault I also want to highlight HR 736 the protect kids act thank you to representative Tim Wahlberg for introducing this bill that requires schools to obtain parental consent
before making changes to a minor child's name pronouns or sex-based accommodations it's a simple but critical way to ensure parents are involved in the decisions that impact their children's lives while respecting
the privacy of students this bill reinforces the role of parents as the primary decision makers in their children's education and well-being the committee will always fight for parental rights finally committee is marking up three bills dedicated to our continued
goal of helping lower health care cost for working Americans HJ resz 181 also introduced by representative wallberg is a great step in that direction HJ resz 181s a
congressional review act resolution disapproving the Biden Harris Administration rule making it harder to form Association Health Plans ahps ahps unlock affordable health insurance options yet the Biden Harris
Administration rule restricts small businesses from accessing this vital tool in in passing this resolution the committee will help small businesses provide their employees with high quality coverage at lower cost
additionally HR 3120 the healthy competition for Better Care Act introduced by representative Michelle Steele is a bold step forward in ensuring our health care System remains competitive and transparent by
targeting anti-competitive ative terms too often included in contracts this bill encourages a more open market where employers have better leverage to lower cost and expand access to care we know that competition drives Innovation
improves quality and reduces cost this legislation aims to do just that particularly in the face of ongoing consolidation in the healthc care industry the last bill today aimed at tackling health care cost is HR
9457 the transparent telea Health bills Act of 2024 introduced by representative Aaron Bean it seeks to ban unnecessary Hospital facility fees for teleah Health Services access from the comfort of
one's home with 82% of Americans opposing these fees this legislation is a common sense solution that will protect pay patients and employers from unjustified cost and further reduce overall health care expenses the bills
before us today touch on some of the most important issues facing our country from student safety and Child Protection to healthcare access and parental rights I'm grateful to all the members who've worked diligently to bring these bills
to the Forefront and I'm confident that by advancing these pieces of legislations we are making meaningful strides in the well-being of our constituents and accountability from our government with that let's move these bills forward with the urgency they are due and that
the American people expect from their elected representatives thank you with that I yield to the ranking member for an opening statement thank you madam chair and good morning on September 11th I'd like to say a brief word and remembrance
of the nearly 3,000 people who tragically lost their lives 23 years ago after four commercial airliners were hijacked and used to strike Targets on the ground in particular I want to recognize the actions of the 40 passengers and crew aboard one of those
planes late 93 because of their bravery the attack on the US capital was thwarted we'll never forget the represent reprehensible attack that occurred in several locations 23 years ago on this
day now the time ask in front of us today the committee will consider six bills and I'm pleased that the committee will mark up multiple bipartisan bills today and deliver Real Results for the American people by working together across party lines bills such as the
stop campus hazing Act and the jna Quin law represent a meaningful step forward in ensuring the safety of children at home and at school that being said some of the bills the committee will take up today would take us backwards by putting uh unreasonable regulations in
bureaucracy in the path of schools and government agencies and raising costs for Americans first proposal will consider this morning the stop ha stop campus hazing act aims to prevent students from dangerous hazing on college campuses since the year 200
there have been more than 50 hazing related deaths on college campuses and many of those victims are represented as you've indicated here today but we know that many harmful hazing incidents occur each year go entirely unreported this
bill aims to protect the health and safety of students by improving hazing reporting and prevention standards includes mandates for colleges and universities to report to report hazing incidents in their annual clear reports established campus-wide anti-hazing
education programs increase transparency about past hazing incidents so that students and parents can make informed decisions about joining campus organizations and I'd like to thank repres representatives mcbath and Duncan for their leadership on this issue and I
encourage my colleagues to support the legislation second proposal will consider only addresses one small part of a much broader Child Abuse Prevention and treatment act or Capa through the reauthorization of Capa Congress can make meaningful steps in preventing and
addressing child abuse and neglect by providing states with the necessary resources to strengthen community-based Child Abuse Prevention Services despite after reauthorization passing the house on a bipartisan basis in the last two congresses the bill has yet to become
law the bill before us the J J Quinn law essentially essentially specifies that the HHS secretary can award projects aimed um aimed at preventing child child sexual abuse moreover I must point out
that the J Jina quinnn law regrettably does not authorize any new funding for such projects this project this subject matter has been a top priority of mine because one of my constituents he Heaven Watkins was failed by the child welfare
system which allowed her to remain with Abus of parents after moving from Minnesota to Virginia and led to her tragic death I'll will offer an amendment today to create a nation Nationwide Interstate data exchange that would provide case workers with appropriate background information on a
family's interaction with the child welfare system while ultimately I support the intent of jna Quin law this problem requires a more comprehensive approach we can and should do more to reduce child abuse and neglect but this bill will be a step in the right
direction unfortunately the next bill will considered takes a sharp turn away from bipartisanship and politicizes culture wars over children's well-being in the classroom the so-called protect act would require schools to seek and acquire parental consent before allowing
a child to be called a different name than the one on their on their birth certificate let me be clear a parents involvement in the child's school life is essential to a child's success however this bill provides no protections for parents it just creates
more paperwork and bureaucracy while fostering a culture of fear and distrust between parents and schools and between students and teachers beyond the obvious fear-mongering that this bill promotes it makes makes no sense kids give each other nicknames all the time and we've
never needed paperwork for that it would have been ridiculous in a colassal waste of time every time a single teacher I had in elementary school had to write to my parents to get permission to call me Bobby instead of Robert but lo and behold this is what the Republicans
would would do create a federal paperwork bureaucracy to make sure that this paperwork and permission slip went back and forth between home and school well all my colleagues preaching about local control is baffling why they think
it's not federal overreach to mandate that teachers get parental permission to call a student by their preferred name I've been in public service for most of my life and I can't recall a single constituent ever calling me about this and what I do hear from my constituents
is about the lack of action by this body to address the epidemic of gun violence and school shootings I can assure you that this is what parents would rather us be talking about today rather than culture wars and for this reason I'll urge my colleagues to vote no next we'll
consider a resolution to nullify the Department of Labor's repeal of an illegal 2018 Trump Administration regulation which s which sought to expand circumstances under which Associated health plans or ahps could be offered the Biden administr the Biden
Harris administration's final rule finalized in April of this year is simply eliminating confusion for the regulated community in complying with a federal Court's ruling by removing an invalidated Rec regulation from the books because it was found to be
inconsistent with the law frankly the committee is wasting valuable time by considering this resolution because it would accomplish nothing other than reinsert the vacated regulation that will never take effect beyond the futility of the resolution the
Republicans goal to expand HPS as a way to lower cost actually is actually misguided HPS May provide lower cost for some Cherry Picked and R Lees who are younger and healthier but they do so by avoiding ACA consumer protections and
shifting cost to everyone who's left behind if you take some lowcost people out of the insurance pool the average cost for everybody else goes up this resolution is not a serious effort and prompts up a discredited approach that
Republicans have been pushing for years that it will lower cost it will lower the quality of care and raise the cost of care for Americans so I'll oppose the resolution and urge my colleagues to do the same the healthy competition for a better Care Act attempts to address the
problem of non of anti-competitive practices in health care which will lead to higher pra prices for patients lower wages for health industry workers and lower quality of care this bill aims to prohibit certain anti-competitive terms in group plans it
also includes vague and potentially expansive carbs these anti-competitive practices must be reigned in and I'm hopeful the committee will take action on this issue in the future but the that the Bill's loopholes an unprecedented option for states to exempt certain
arrangements from the provisions of Orissa undermine what I believe is a good legislative intent for those reasons I regrettably cannot support the bill but do look forward to additional deliberations on this issue in the future finally we will consider the
transparent telea Health bills Act of 2024 since the start of the pandemic our healthcare system has made significant advances in tah health and many patients receive care virtually unfortunately some providers still charge patients
unnecessary facility fees even if the treatment did not occur at a facility all although my colleagues across the aisle describe the bill as an attempt to protect consumers from facility fees the bill as circulated only prohibits health
care plans from paying what these paying these fees in other words it does not prohibit providers from charging the fees nor does it protect consumers from paying them Democrats are prepared to offer needed amendments to protect patients from these fees and hopefully
the committee can further work together on this issue it would have been far more productive to address many of these issues in the front end and produce a bipartisan comprehensive proposal but hopefully an amendment for my colleagues would ensure that there is a commitment to getting things moving in the right
direction so thank you madam chair and I yield back the balance of my time thank you Mr Scott without objection all other members who wish to insert written opening statements into the record may do so by submitting them to the committee clerk electronically by
the end of of the day today house rules require that a copy of the measure be made available to members and the public at least 24 hours in advance pursuant to the notice for today's meeting a copy of the measures was made available to members and the public at least 24 hours
in advance the resolution and bills being marked up today shall be open to Amendment at any point and the chair will allow members to offer amendments in a manner not prohibited by house or committee rules with without objection members who have more than one Amendment
to the resolution or to a bill and wish to offer their amendments on block may do so the committee now proceed the committee will now proceed to consideration of the bill HR
5646 for Amendment this bill was circulated in advance and printed copies are available the clerk shall designate the bill hr5 646 a bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require
institutions of higher education to disclose hazing incidents and for other purposes without objection the first reading of the bill is dispensed with without objection the bill will be considered as red and open for Amendment
at any point and any Amendment offered shall be considered as R does anyone before I recognize um a member uh I want to um announce to
all of our members that uh our wonderful colleague Joe Wilson is in the hospital um last night he collapsed at an event and I hope everyone will keep him in our prayers normally he'd be
sitting right there so um does anyone seek to be recognized Mr Thompson for what purpose do you seek recognition well Madam chair I um I have an amendment at the desk the clerk will the clerk shall designate the amendment in
the nature of a substitute amendment in the nature of a substitute to HR 5646 offered by Mr Thompson of Pennsylvania identify HR 5646 anore 01 without objection the amendment shall be considered original text for purposes
of further Amendment the amendment in the nature of a substitute has already been distributed I now recognize Mr Thompson for five minutes to explain the amendment in the nature of a substitute well thank you madam chair uh today I'm proud to offer this amendment in the
nature of a substitute for a piece of legislation that is long overdue hr54 5646 the stop uh campus hazing act will lead to real impactful and meaningful change as we look look to end hazing on
college campuses around the country uh first want to take a moment to recognize Jim and Evelyn pza who are here with us today Jim and Evelyn are the parents of Tim pza who tragically passed away in February 2017 at Penn State as a direct result of
a hazing ritual at his fraternity it's admirable that in the face of this unspeakable tragedy Jim and Evelyn are here representing their son and advancing changes around the country in Tim's honor they supported the establishment of the Timothy J Piaza
Center for fraternity and sorority research and reform at Penn State whose uh research helped to shape the legislation before us today they've also used their voices to enact some of the strongest anti-hazing laws anywhere in
the country in Pennsylvania and I'm glad that they could be with us here today thank you for being here HR 5646 as many in this room know is a commin of two previous anti-hazing bills including a piece of legislation I
was proud to lead on called ending all hazing act the stop campus hazing act before us today would improve hazing reporting and prevention on college campuses including requiring hazy hazing incidents reported by their institutions
and their annual security report also known as the Clary report to enable this reporting the bill outlines a definition of hazing so so the campus safety professionals can analyze if a reported incident May constitute hazing for the clarity report this amendment I'm
offering today also respect state laws like those in Pennsylvania by clarifying that state definition of hazing are to be respected and used when conducting investigations finally this bill includes a number of transparency measures to ensure that students parents
and the public have access to information about hazing incidents within any student organization unfortunately hazing has almost become an acceptable part excuse me of an acceptable part of College culture let
me be clear today those days are over and we will continue to work to protect every college student Nationwide I'm grateful this legislation received broad support as well as support from the national panh helenic uh conference in North American interfraternity
Conference and the clarity Center and the anti the anti- haazen coalition and many others who also work tirelessly over the years to bring this bring us to this point thank you as well to the primary sponsor of this legislation congresswoman mcbath for your work and
Leadership on this issue and I encourage all of my colleagues to support this substitute Amendment and the underlying legislation and Madam chair I yield back gentleman yields back are there any members who wish to be recognized for
further discussion on the amendment in the nature of a substitute Miss mcbath you're recognized thank you madam chair and I want to thank every witness people that have actually been through these horrific incidences I want
to thank the families I want to thank all the friends that are with us today uh as many of you know my only son Jordan was killed in a shooting in 2012 while the circumstances may be just somewhat different I know the pain pain
of losing a child I know the whole that it leaves in your soul and the questions it leaves you to continue to dwell on for the rest of your life the feelings of guilt and
the yearning to do anything that you can to reverse the irreversible and to spend just a little bit more time with that person that you lost to tell them all the things that you wish that you could have during
their very short time here on Earth but we know that we're not that lucky the only thing that we can do now is try to harness our pain and do something positive with it
try to make a lasting change that will prevent other families from suffering a similar tragedy and creating a longlasting legacy Legacy that truly speaks to the person that you loved so
deeply it's the same reason that I decided to run for Congress and the same reason that drove Jing clear's parents to take their power back as parents and
get the Cleary act signed into law after the tragic killing of their daughter on campus in 1986 Je 's parents made the same argument that I've heard time and time again from families who have lost loved
ones to Colgate hazing if only we had known if only we had been made aware sooner if only we had been given a clear picture of the real situation on the ground maybe I could have done something different and maybe my son or my
daughter my brother and my sister they would still be here with me that's what this bill simply is about it's about empowering students and families so that they can make an informed decision for themselves about
what school they or their loved one attends or the club that they may join and hopefully save their lives I want to say thank you to the diverses the pazas the hip family the Groovers the Brams
the coaks and all the families and the loved ones that are here today and watch watching from home those that are watching from home that have been fighting for these changes to honor their children and their loved ones that were taken from us far too soon I also
want to thank Representatives Jeff Duncan and Glenn Thompson for their commitment to seeing this through as well as ranking members Scott I want to thank chairwoman Fox for using the majority's limited
time to mark this bill up today and for your and your team's hard work on this incredibly important issue that we have been trying to get something done on for so
long and I encourage all of my colleagues to support this truly bipartisan piece of legislation that saves our children's lives they are the least of these they deserve to be kept safe in
their homes in their communities and simply when they go off to college I look forward to getting this Bill signed into law by the president in this Congress and providing a sense of
relief and closure for all of you that have been left behind and I yield back the gentle woman yields back Mr Scott you're recognized for for 5 minutes thank you thank you madam chair and I want to extend my appreciation to
you for making this legislation a priority and working in a bipartisan manner also want to thank representatives mcbath and Duncan for their leadership in HR 5646 uh tackling the problem of hazing in our college
campuses to the families here today uh and those who may be watching on on television I want to extend my appreciation for your tireless advocacy to ensure that we move forward with this legislation to ensure that we prevent future students from being harmed by
hazing I support the N amendment in nature of a substitute because it contains core policy pillars of the stop campus hazing act to improve reporting and prevention of hazing while also providing transparency about tasing
related misconduct by student organizations taking together these policies create a road map for a culture shift in hazing on our campuses that'll save student lives Research indicates that hazing is widespread underreported and is too often accepted as part of
comp Campus of Campus culture moreover hazing is the campus safety issues that threatens the the health and safety of students too many lives have already been lost including in my home state of Virginia with the 2021 death of Adam
Oaks a freshman at Virginia Commonwealth University University and this is why our work to stop to stop campus hazing Act is so important over the last 30 years Congress has enacted the uh Gan clar the
Jean Clary disclosure of campus security policy and campus crime statistics act better known as the Clary act as part of the Higher Education Act that was championed by a former chair of this committee bill goodling of Pennsylvania
who failed students and parents deserve to know about the safety conditions of their schools since its enactment the Clary Act is served as a federal consumer protection statute ensuring transparency concerning crime statistics and crime policies uh to students parents and the
larger Community largest Campus Community today this legislation and today with this legislation we ensure that students and parents will be better uh informed about the culture of hazing on their college campuses this legislation amends the Clary act to
require schools to report on the incidents of hazing as well as to disclose the institutions hazing policies and student organizations engaged in hazing related misconduct finally the legislation requires schools to adopt a campus wide research informed
program to prevent hazing and I'm pleased to offer my support for the amendment in nature of a substitute as it maintains the core provisions of HR 5646 to comprehensively address Haz in in our college campuses with the hope of preventing future tragedies thank you
madam chair and I your back thank you thank you Mr Scott Dr Adams you're recognized for five minutes thank you madam chair um I'm move strike the last word I I want to uh first of all acknowledge all the parents and and um
uh families and and thank you so much for being here and certainly um I I have a lot of compassion for the hurt that you felt in losing uh in losing your your children uh I I I do want to commend my my colleagues uh
congresswoman mcbath Duncan on bringing forth this bipartisan Common Sense piece of legislation uh the stop the campus hazing act uh hazing has absolutely no place on college campuses I served on a college campus as a professor for 40
years um but parents send their students away to school to be part of a safe learning environment where there are only uh the only opportunities uh to thrive hazing threatens the health and safety of students and it undermines an
institution's educational Mission many of the Greek lettered organizations and I am a 44 year member of alphac cap Alpha sorority and so I do understand uh the problems that we've had uh but many of our organizations are the leading source of anti-hazing educational
programming on their college campuses Nationwide wide but unfortunately we still see instances where members violate the the very values uh they make a promise to uphold by hazing fellow students nearly every state in our in
our Union has some form of an anti-hazing law on the books but they often don't go as far as they need to go uh this bill would would offer expansive Solutions on hazing and it would give colleges and organizations and students
the tools to address and instead of keeping hidden the the varying small scale violations of the student code of conduct that if not addressed will continue to threaten student safety Congress must take the lead in pushing
for the eradication of hazing within campus organizations where it exists today we must do that and so this is what this bill strives to do and that's why I support it and I appreciate my colleagues for bringing it forth I do
want to urge all of my colleagues to vote uh uh vote and I yield back the remaining of uh remainder of my time thank you thank you Dr Adams are there any other members who would like to offer
amendments there being no amendments question now occurs on the amendment in the nature of a substitute to HR 5646 all in favor say I I all oppose no
in the opinion chair the eyes have it and the amendment in the nature of a substitute is agreed to we'll now move to consider the next bill the committee will now proceed to consideration of the bill HR
7233 for Amendment the bill was circulated in advance in printed copies are available the clerk shall designate the bill hr7 233 a bill to amend the Child Abuse Prevention and treatment act to provide for Grants and support of
training and education to teachers and other School Employees students and the community about how to prevent recognize respond to and report child sexual abuse among primary and secondary school students without objection the first
reading of the bill is dispensed with with that without objection the bill will be considered as read and open for Amendment at any mo at any point and any Amendment offered shall be considered as read does anyone seek to be
recognized Mr Moran for what purpose do you seek recognition Madam chairwoman I have an amendment in the nature of a substitute at the desk titled ANS 7233 or01 the clerk shall designate the
amendment in the nature of a substitute amendment in the nature of a substitute to HR 7233 offered by Mr Moran of Texas identify ours 72331 without objection the amendment shall be considered original text for purposes of further Amendment the
amendment in the nature of a substitute has already been distributed I now recognize Congressman Moran for five minutes to explain the amendment in the nature of a substitute thank you chairwoman fox chairwoman today I Rise to voice my
strong support for this bipartisan piece of legislation HR 7233 the Jenna Quinn law of 2024 this bill be comes at a critical time child sexual abuse has become a
silent epidemic it is one of the most underreported crimes in the nation sadly in America alone there are estimated an estimated 42 million survivors of sexual abuse that's one in four girls and one in 13 boys
Nationwide and tragically more than 90% of children who are the victims of sexual abuse know and trust their abuser instead of serving as a safe haven for these kids these trusted adults misuse their positions at the life-changing expense of these young kids one part of
the solution to this tragic reality can be found through preventive education and giving other adults in the lives of these kids the training and tools needed to recognize child abuse and help stop it immediately education combined with a comprehensive set of prevention policies
is an important tool to prevent child sexual abuse School Personnel report 52% of all identified child abuse cases classified as causing harm to the child this is more than any other profession or organization including child
protective services and the police for that we are extremely grateful to our education partners and that is one of the reasons why my colleagues and I have introduced uced HR 7233 the Jenna Quinn law of 2024 this legislation will authorize the
Department of Health and Human Services to allow existing federal grants to be used by eligible entities for increasing evidence-based or informed education instruction on sexual abuse prevention education and reporting to teachers and
School Employees students and caregivers as well and other adults who work with children importantly this bill also includes clud a provision that requires the comproller General of the United States to provide oversight and submit a report to the respective committees not
later than 5 years after enactment to ensure that the funds are used effectively and transparently over over the past year I've had the privilege to meet and get to know the Nam sake of this bill Jenna Quinton she is an incredibly Brave woman
from Texas and she has an incredible story of recovery as a teen she traumatically experienced sexual abuse at the hands of a trusted adult tragically her story is repeated far too often in homes schools and other environments that should be safe for our
young children yet because of Jenna's tireless work and her bravery and her dedication the Texas legislature passed the Jenna Quinn law which led to more education for educators students and parents to help them identify early warning signs of child abuse Jenna's law
has been heralded as a resounding success and it has prevented countless young children from experiencing the same trauma as she did in fact a study found that after Jenna's law passed in Texas in 2009 Educators reported abuse
at a rate of almost four times more after receiving education and instruction about that kind of abuse now thanks to Jenna's Relentless efforts more than half of the 50 states in our country have adopted similar legislation that reflects this Texas
statute each life is precious madam chairwoman and each life deserves protection I am confident that this legislation will prevent the evil of child sexual abuse more than we are today and it'll help identify children who are have experienced that or are
currently experiencing that and will find Pathways of healing for them notably Senator Corin from Texas also introduced a counterpart bill in the Senate earlier this year and it passed by unanimous unanimous consent in
February now it's our turn in the house to take a meaningful step towards preventing and protecting the most vulnerable in closing let me Express many thanks to my Democratic colleague Susan wild for her work on this legislation and her support of it for
these reasons and many many more and on behalf of Jenna Quinn I urge the rest of my colleagues to support the passage of the Jenna Quinn law of 2024 I yield back are there any members who wish to be recognized for further discussion on the
amendment the nature of a substitute Miss wild you recognize for five minutes thank you madam chairwoman and thank you to my colleague representative Moran I move to strike the last word you're recognized I would like to submit a letter for the record from the National
Children's Alliance and support of the Jenna Quinn law I am proud to speak today in strong support of the bipartisan jenquin act a crucial piece of legislation that directly addresses the pervasive issue
of child sexual abuse in our country this bill is a necessary and Urgent step toward protecting the most vulnerable members of our society our children as hard as this may be to believe in this country child abuse is an epidemic the
CDC estimates that one in four girls and one one in 13 boys will experience sexual abuse before the age of 18 let that sink in for just a moment those aren't just numbers they represent real children whose lives are being forever
altered by acts of violence and betrayal they represent Futures that are being derailed often before they even have the words to describe what has happened to them in my home state of Pennsylvania child abuse laws reflect the sobering reality of this crisis
between 2019 and 2023 there were 32,7 individuals charged in 36,38 child abuse cases leading to
10,915 convictions of those charged a striking 56% were between the ages of 19 and 35 and 23% of these defendants were charged with endangering the welfare of children according to the unified judicial system
of Pennsylvania these numbers highlight the widespread and deeply rooted problem in our communities they also reinforce the need for proactive measures to prevent child abuse before it occurs which is exactly what the Gen Quinn act
seeks to accomplish this bill recognizes that Educators and school Personnel are on the front lines when it comes to identifying and stopping child sexual abuse teachers School nurses counselors and coaches are often the adults who
children interact with most outside their homes they are uniquely positioned to notice changes in Behavior or signs of abuse that might otherwise go unnoticed however many Educators lack the necessary training to recognize and
respond to the signs of abuse and let me just say here I do recognize the many roles that we call upon our teachers to fill the Jenna Quinn Act aims to change that by providing schools with trauma informed training and helping staff
recognize report and ultimately prevent child sexual abuse this training is not about turning teachers into investigators it is about equipping them with the tools to create a safer environment for children it's about making sure that every teacher knows
what to do if a child discloses abuse or if the teacher happens to notice warning signs it's about giving children the chance to be heard and to be helped the Jenna Quinn act will amend the Child Abuse Prevention and treatment act providing grants to states to fund
trauma informed child sexual abuse awareness and prevention programs this will allow schools across the country to implement comprehensive training programs tailored to their specific needs the bill emphasizes flexibility
allowing states to develop the right programs for their schools while ensuring that Federal support is there to back them up let me be clear this bill is a bipartisan solution to a problem that knows no political
boundaries protecting our children is not and must never be a partisan issue it should be and is a moral imperative our Educators deserve the training and resources that they need to effectively intervene in situations of abuse and our
children deserve to feel safe in their classrooms it's also important to note that this legislation recognizes the long-term consequences of child sexual abuse Health experts have repeatedly shown that survivors of child sex sex abuse face a significantly higher risk
of mental health issues substance abuse and even suicide in adulthood by intervening early we will protect children from immediate harm and we will prevent these tragic long-term effects passing this bill is more than just the right thing to do it is a commitment the
jet Quinn act sends a clear message we are listening we are watching and we will act to protect those who cannot protect themselves I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this vital legislation because together we can ensure that schools are places of
safety and healing not environments where abuse goes unnoticed with that I yield back Madam chair thank you Miss wild Mr mervan you're recognized for five minutes thank you chairwoman uh I would like to thank representative Moran and representative
wild for their leadership on this issue uh protecting children from abuse and predatory behavior is personal for me uh as prior of becoming a member of Congress uh my I was a nor Township Trustee and we worked a program my
sister-in-law uh who was a survivor of child sexual abuse uh turned to opiods and left three children behind uh she was trying to mask what was going on so two nieces and a nephew who have lived without a mother and my wife uh who also
is a Survivor wanted to be able to make a difference and so we went into the schools and we partnered up with uh the uh US District Attorney's office and child protective services and put a curriculum together with professionals and we talked to 12,000 K through 12
individuals in the state of Indiana and with that 73 young people came for forward which I wasn't prepared for because of the Enlightenment and up uplifting the stigma of what was going on and the media picked up on those stories and uplifted the stigma of
survivors and what it takes to go through that and with that data we went to the Indiana State legisl Legislature and passed a piece of legislation that was called no more secrets that mirrors what this piece of legislation is and so the success of this piece of legislation
for representative Moran and representative wild and all survivors will be you will see going forward when this passes there will be an article in the paper that a child was saved or recognized or life was changed because
this piece of legislation allowed them to go to an adult to be able to make a difference so you'll see that in real time and that will be the measure of success of this bipartisan piece of legislation and so not only do we have to pass this and make sure that
the United States understand that but we Al also have to reauthorize the Child Abuse Prevention treatment act and also make sure the CDC has the funds to be able to protect more studies to protect survivors that are going through this so
I commend this bipartisan approach and uh have dedicated five years of my life to making sure that we lift the stigma and protect children and survivors against predatory behaviors and this is a step in the right direction so with
that for all of you who are here today who have a stake or stakeholders in this uh I proudly support this bill and yield back thank you thank you Mr mvan Dr Adams you're recognized for five
minutes I move to strike the last word I I do rise in support of this bill I want to thank representative wild and and representative Moran uh this bill would be an excellent step in the right direction to address the silent epidemic of child abuse far too
often child abuse goes unreported too many children never receive Justice too often offenders commit abused for years without being reported it's estimated that one in four girls one in six boys are sexually abused before the age of 18
this is an unacceptable reality research shows that with the right training uh the the the the rate of identifying abuse and Reporting goes up significantly we owe it to our kids to create environments where their parents
and their teachers know the signs and can stop and even prevent abuse from happening in the first place teachers and other school staff account for over 50% of identifying and Reporting cases of child abuse more than child
protective services and the police we must do more by equipping them with the knowledge of the signs of abuse and the tools to report we also owe it to our children to teach them what the signs are and who to talk to if they
experience early signs of abuse so that they can be empowered to report and to report early and we know this does work when Texas passed Jen's law and required child abuse uh prevention education we saw results
teachers were reporting s sexual abuse nearly four times more often post training this bill would allow federal funds to be used to expand prevention training and education throughout the
country we can do better by our children by passing this bill which is why I'm very proud to support it and I yield back the balance of my time Madam chair uh thank you Dr Adams um Mr Scott you recognized for five minutes thank
you madam chair um Madam chair I'd like to also thank uh representatives moranda and wild for their leadership and while the legislation would take an important step to improve prevention awareness and reporting of child sexual abuse in schools it comes really too short of a
comprehensive reauthorization of the Child Abuse Prevention and treatment act capta that is greatly overdue Capa was last reauthorized over a decade ago 2010 and a timely reauthorization is a solution needed to prevent child abuse
and neglect from happening in the first place and provide better treatments to address child Mal treatment in both the6th and 117th congresses have passed a bipartisan comprehensive captive reauthorization Bill the stronger Capa
regrettably a captive reauthorization still has not become law now if the bipartisan strong to captor Bill had been signed in a law it would have provided states with necessary resources to expand locally driven prevention strategies which strengthen families and
invest in child protective services agencies unfortunately the bill we're considering today does not provide any additional funding to implement its proposed grant program on child sexual abuse prevention and awareness while the stronger Capa would actually provide
states with the resources to strengthen their prevention efforts research shows that the best way to support families is to provide both targeted prevention to families at high risk of of child Mal Mal Mal treatment and provide Prevention Services that reach families before they
become vulnerable to the factors associated with Mal treatment additionally stronger cap would have streamlined communication between child protective service agencies across the country so that critical information is not lost across state lines such a
system would likely have saved the life of Heaven Watkins an 11-year-old old girl from my community who tragically died because local Child Protective Services had no way of knowing that our parents had a history of child abuse in another state had the reforms in child
in in stronger Capt been in place Heaven's death would have likely been prevented by investing in prevention strategies and improving the collection and sharing of Vital Information we can keep children like heaven from slipping through the cracks the bipartisan stronger captive bill was was based off
a mutual understanding that Congress must do more to support Children and Families there's no doubt that Congress has a vital role in helping states to protect children from immediate injury injury and lifelong emotional trauma associated with child abuse and neglect so I look forward to working in a
bipartisan man to build an HR 7233 through a re through a comprehensive reauthorization of Child Abuse Prevention and treatment um AP but in the meanwhile HR 7233 does go in the
right direction I'll offer an amendment to cover the inter say data strategy and while we wait for comprehensive uh reauthorization I will support the amendment nature of a substitute and the underlying Bill thank you madam chair i y
back thank you Mr Scott there being no further discussion on the amendment in the nature of a substitute the committee will move to consideration of amendments for what purpose does the gentleman from Virginia seek to be
recognized um mam chair have an amendment at the desk Scott VA 037 the clerk will report the amendment Amendment to the amendment the nature of a substitute to HR 7233 offered by Mr Scott of Virginia identifier
svore 037 okay I got it Madam chair I reserve a point of order uh the um a point of order is reserved the gentleman from Virginia is uh recognized for five minutes in
support of his Amendment thank you madam chair Madam chair well I appreciate that the bill St steps to improve the prevention awareness and reporting of child abuse in schools I think we need to do more to strengthen the Child Abuse Prevention and treatment act as stated
in my opening statement I think we need a full reauthorization and one of my key priorities for food reauthorization is Interstate data exchange system I truly believe we need to strengthen the system to provide case workers with additional background and information on a family's interaction
with the child welfare system in another state so since we are amending Capa with HR 7233 I'm offering an amendment to also add something else that would be critical in helping prevention uh services to for children my Amendment
would require the secretary of HHS to establish an electronic Interstate data exchange system that allows states to share information from their child abuse and neglect Registries with other states for the purpose of child safety this would streamline Communications between
child protective service agencies across the country so that critical information is not lost across state lines which was the case in the death of Heaven Watkins an 11-year-old a girl from my community who tragically died because the local child protector agencies had no way of
knowing that her parents caregivers had a history of that her parents had a history of child abuse in another state and she's not alone other children have experienced abuse abuse at the hands of Abus of caregivers for example in 2017 a
2-year-old was found dead of neglect by his parents in Pennsylvania and this came after years of reported neglect in Pennsylvania and other states another example is the death of a 4-year-old in Texas who was killed by an adult in her
life though the through the though the local protective agencies had been warned and her mother had run-ins with child protective services in another state an interstate data exchange system would have also prevented needless deaths of countless children at the
hands of abusive parents whose actions are not monitored across state line so I urge my colleagues to support the amendment I recognize the gentlewoman from Illinois and ask if you insist on the point of
order Madam chair I insist on the point of order pursuant to Clause s of rule 16 of the rules of the House of Representatives the amendment is not gerain to the underlying bill as the subject matter of the amendment offered is different from that of the amendment
in in the nature of a substitute the subject matter of the amendment to HR 7233 is about transmitting data on existing child abuse offenses HR 7233 on the other hand relates to a
subject matter that is different than the proposed amendment because the underlying bill is limited to addressing child abuse awareness and prevention programs thank you the chair's prepared to rule
does any other member wish to be heard on the point of order um yes Madam chair that there's no mandatory uh reason why the amendment would have to be ruled out of order it's an important addition to the bill and I would hope that the chair
would allow it to be heard thank you Mr Scott the chair is prepared to rule the Goman has made a point of order that the am is beyond the Bill's subject matter gerain this is construed narrowly in order to support
informed consideration of legislation the chair finds the amendment as beyond the bill subject matter the amendment is a proposition on a subject different from that under consideration within the meaning of clause 7 of rule six 16 of
the house rules therefore the amendment is not Germain the point of order is sustain does anyone else wish to uh are there any further amendments to the amendment in the next natur of a
substitute to HR 7233 we will we will now move to consider the next bill excuse me sorry sorry Bobby are there any members who would
like to offer Amendment M ments there being no amendments the question now occurs on the amendment in the nature of a substitute to HR 7233 all in favor say I I all oppose
no in the opinion of the chair the eyes have it in the amendment in the nature of a substitute is agreed to Madam chair request a recorded vote M parliamentary inquiry is is the gentleman asking for a recorded vote on the amendment nature of a substitute on
Final passage on Final passage this is the amendment nature of a substitute okay would Mr Moran cor say again what he means the gentleman withdraws his motion
uh the we'll now move to consider the next bill the commit the committee will now proceed to consideration of the bill HR 736 for Amendment the bill was circulated in advance and printed copies
are available the clerk shall designate the bill HR 736 a bill to require elementary and middle schools that receive federal funds to obtain parental consent before changing a minor child's gender markers pronouns or preferred name on any school form or allowing a
child to change the child's sex space accommodations including locker rooms or bathrooms without objection the bill will be considered as red and open for Amendment at any point and any Amendment offered shall be considered as read does
anyone seek to be recognized Mr Wahlberg for what purpose do you seek recognition Madam chair I have an amendment at the desk titled uh 8736 under sl02 the clerk shall designate the amendment in the nature of a substit
amendment in the nature of a subtitute to HR 736 offered by Mr Wahlberg of Michigan identifier H 736 aore 02 without objection the amendment shall be considered original text for purposes of further Amendment the amendment in
the nature of substitute has already been distributed I now recognize Congressman wallberg for five minutes to explain the amendment in the nature of a substitute I thank the chair for including HR 736 the parental rights over are you speaking the Education and
Care Act of their kids or protects protect kids act in today's markup across the country we're seeing a rise in policies aimed at keeping parents in the dark about what's happening at their children's School the latest and most noteworthy example of this is
California's AB 1955 which prohibits schools from having policies that require parental notification about their child's Behavior while in school however this is nothing new more than 1,000 school districts across our
country have enacted policies that withhold information from parents about their own children parents defending Freedom or defending education reports that over 20,000 schools have these policies impacting roughly 12 million
children or approximately one out of every five students this is simply unacceptable teachers at olair Area School District were told during a professional development session and I quote remember
parents are not entitled to know their kids identities that knowledge must be earned For Heaven's Sake don't birth P pains and stretch marks and paying school taxes earn that
right what about house clothing feeding loving aren't that aren't those things enough as well this is just one example in a Litany of tragic but damaging policies that seek to cut parents out of the
important decisions and conversations with their own children these policies are out of step with a vast majority of Americans and importantly the parents of these children who simply want the best for their children
the protect kids act which I IND introduced with Senator Tim Scott would require that federally funded Public elementary and middle schools obtain consent from the parents before changing a student's gender markers on a school
form pronouns or sex-based accommodations including bathroom or locker room assignments why would schools require parental consent for the child to go on a field trip or acknowledge ment of a failing grade on a
test but something as significant as sex-based accommodations or going by a different identity is deemed too much to share with parents and therefore must be hidden from them this is unacceptable and runs counter to the constitutionally
affirmed right that parents have over the education and upbringing of their children let alone the god-given authority responsibility and accountability placed in the parents hands at the birth of their child their
child they have the right to know when their child is attempting to make major life changes and so I urge my colleagues to support this Common Sense bill and I yeld back my time are there any members who wish to
be recognized for further discussion on the amendment in the nature of a substitute Mr Tano you recognize for five minutes uh thank you m m chairwoman i moveed to Strike last word and rise in strong opposition to this bill you're
recognized for five minutes Madam chair when I came to uh Congress uh I came to Congress because I wanted to make sure schools were properly funded well staffed and that every child had access to a quality education instead I find
myself sitting in yet another markup of a bill that furthers none of these aims but spends our valuable committee time resources and taxpayer money to play political football with the lives of kids and families it's a waste uh but
what's worse is the destructive impact on real people's lives what HR 736 the purported protect kids act does is insert politicians into the parent child relationship and put School staff in
control of how and when families have deeply personal conversations this the text which is riddled with false assertions and bad faith arguments in the findings of the introduced version requires parental consent to be obtained before changing a
child's gender markers pronouns or preferred name on any school form or allowing a child to sex to change sex-based accommodation this it does not amend the family educational rights and Privacy
Act which already requires parents be permitted to inspect and review their child's educational records maintained by the school but instead accuses School schools of a concerted effort to hide information from parents now as an
educator I know the importance uh of Parental involvement as a former educator I should say but I also know firsthand that not every child lives in a safe supportive home years ago when I was a public high school teacher teacher
one of my students was outed to his parents by School Employees he was viciously beaten by his father then transferred to another school it's fair to say that all School Personnel involved regretted how it was handled
his story tragically is not an uncommon one a staggering 40% of all homeless youth are lgbtq largely due to familial rejection nearly seven in 10 lgbtq report anxiety and over half experience
symptoms of depression and 40% have already seriously considered suicide in the past year good teachers care about their kids and good teachers know that a relationship with parents is important
but when home is not safe for lgbtq kids school becomes their safe place and teachers should be their cheerleaders not their first bullies this bill frames School personnel as involved in a concerted conspiracy to quote deliberately hide
information end quote quote encourage children to keep secrets end quote and quote sabotage the parent child relationship end quote I resent that characterization of our Educators and I reject it I can tell you from my own
experience as an educator the requirements that this bill imposes will put educational Professionals in an impossible bind as a teacher in California I had a duty to report suspicion that a child may be in dangered home a duty which teachers
in many other states also share if I were required to report a child's identity to a family that I knew would not be supportive I would be subjecting that student to a home situation that I knew would harm them no matter the
eventual result I can be sure that the trust the student had in me would be broken this bill forces good teachers to be in a situation where they do bad things it alienates students from their parents it outs children it forces kids back in the
closet it is a fundamental invasion of privacy that puts young people in danger now transgender transgender children are already over represented in the foster care system juvenile detention centers and homeless shelters our focus should be on giving parents and teachers the
tools to ensure that children don't fall through the cracks not close off their options now I will always vigorously defend the rights of parents to raise their children and to be actively involved in their education and I will defend the rights of children to learn
and grow in a healthy safe environment HR 736 needlessly puts the safety and well-being of transgender youth at risk imposes government interference in relationship between parents and children and demonized as Educators so I
oppose this bill and I urge my colleagues to do the same and I yield back thank you Mr Tano Miss Miller you recognize for five minutes thank you chairwoman fox and Congressman Walberg for your leadership on this important
legislation that upholds parental rights protecting parental rights is not a waste it is a number one priority and I'm proud to be co-sponsor of parental rights over the education and care of their kids act parents are the only ones who should be
making decisions that shape their child's development and well-being this bill mandates that elementary and middle schools secure parental consent before making any changes to a child's gender
or preferred name as well as before changing which locker rooms or bathrooms they are permitted to use under the Biden Harris Administration safeguarding gend specific spaces has become more
critical than ever time and time again we have seen Joe Biden and Camala Harris attempt to force our girls to use the same bathrooms as biological men with no say from parents the American people are
fed up with these policies and it's long past time for us to stand up in defense of American parents this l legislation does exactly that by forcing schools to involve parents in decisions that have
profound and lasting impacts on their children I urge my colleagues to vote in support of this bill and I yield back uh thank you Miss Miller uh Dr Adams you're recognized for five minutes thank you madam chair move
to strike the last word you recognized I rise in in opposition to this bill Bill uh this bill is another effort by the majority to further harm and marginalize transgender students in our schools these students are there to to get an
education in a safe and welcoming environment something I believe we all want for all of our children legislation like this would further alienate students from their teachers and classmates and affect their mental health which then impacts their ability
to focus and learn this bill is is one of count others that the majority has put forward this Congress attempting to reduce the rights and dignity of our transgender students the majority has decided this takes priority over reducing student debt School violence
and student hunger and homelessness the majority is once again hiding from its responsibilities to the American public by focusing on another one of its culture wars and so in the wake of school shooting just last week this is
an insult we need to refocus our agenda on taking care of our students and setting them up for success and that includes upholding an environment of respect and dignity in the classroom for all students as an educator of 40 years
I know the future of America resides in the classroom and so we must take that reality more seriously and focus on the big issues impacting our students this bill would do harm to many of our students so I stand in opposition
against this bill I yield back the balance of my time Madam chair thank you Dr Adams Mr Good you recognized for five minutes thank you madam chair and I move to strike the last word you're recognized the bill before us simply
requires the elementary and middle schools who willingly take federal dollars must obtain parental consent before changing a child's gender pronouns or name on any school form sadly parents defending education
has collected data showing there are over 20,000 schools across the country that have policies that prevent or prohibit faculty and staff from disclosing a student so-called gender identity to his or her parents without
the students permission so these schools permit the child to self diag diagnose and then support them in deceiving their parents in a most life-altering decision in my own District Alam Maro
County Public Schools outside Charlottesville says quote gender expansive youth often experience significant family challenges prior to contacting a student's parents or Guardian the principal or designate should speak with
the student if the student does not want the school to contact the students parents the school shall honor that request this is heartbreaking and has terrible consequences for our nation's children it's also the epitome of the
progressive Nanny state that says that the government can manage your family better than you can this is what they do in police states around the world schools with these policies are driving a wedge intentionally between parent and child
worse yet they're doing irreparable harm to the child the left's gender ideology feeds on confusion and exploits the vulnerability of children adults must stand firm on the truth that there are only two Sexes and two genders we should
not perpetuate the lie that there are any other genders by keeping secrets from parents is there anything worse you could do to a parent and to treat a child at school as a different gender without telling the parent I disagree so much with what with the
federal government's General involvement in education uh but the federal government does have a fundamental job to protect the god-given rights like those of a parent towards the care of his or her own child so I support this legislation
I urge all my colleagues to do the same and I yield back thank you Mr good miss bonamu you recognized for five minutes uh thank you madam chair I moved to strike the last word in speaking opposition to the amendment in the nature of the substitute and the underlying Bill
you're recognized thank you madam chair this bill is yet another attempt to micromanage Educators continue the ongoing attack against lgbtqi plus students and legislate parent child relationships school should be a place
where children and teens feel safe to live and learn as their authentic selves sometimes School may be the only place where students feel safe at all and although many trans gender and non-binary students have supportive parents unfortunately this is not always
the case students May fear negative repercussions or even outright abuse at home if their preferred gender identity or chosen name becomes known to unsupportive family members and as Mr Tano made clear a large percentage of homeless youth are lgbtq because they
are afraid to go home or kicked out of their homes forcing schools to out students to their families is not only unnecessary it very well could be dangerous for the students and their mental health and well-being additionally it's unclear
what counts as a school form under this legislation Does it include attendance sheets or seating charts or students or teachers required to address their students only by their full legal name and the pronouns they were assigned at Birth can a teacher label a student desk
or put a name tag on the classroom door without fearing that their school's Federal funding may be revoked that's not clear requiring schools to get parental consent before using students preferred names and pronouns frankly is ridiculous any child who uses a nickname of any kind would be affected by this
legislation for example if my colleague who introduces Bill Mr Wahlberg went to an elementary or middle school if he were a student there he'd be forced to submit a request for his teachers to call him Tim instead of his legal name Timothy now this is a needless requirement that would further burden
Educators and School staff now finally I want to publicly call on the committee majority if we truly care about kids let's take action on an issue that really matters to school safety in our schools gun violence there have been 27
school shootings on K12 campuses in 2024 alone with six school shootings since the beginning of the 202 425 school year including the recent massacre at appalache High School in Georgia families are sending their children to
school not knowing if they will see them again at the end of the day and we're spending our time discussing names and pronouns and bathrooms instead of Performing these pointless political stunts we should be considering bills with the potential that will save lives and keep students safe it won't matter
what the children call themselves if their lives are cut short by senseless acts of violence committed by individuals who should not have access to Firearms especially weapons of war so for these many reasons I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill and I yield back theill balance of my
time thank you Miss banamichi Mr Kylie you recognize for five minutes thank you madam chair a few weeks ago uh the governor of California signed a a truly shocking law unlike anything that exists uh anywhere in the country uh which
requires schools to keep secrets uh from parents when it comes to issues of profound importance to their child's uh development in fact it's worse than that it actually requires schools to lie to parents it could require them to create a whole dummy file where uh the child is
referred one way uh in uh you know Communications within the school and is reverred to another way uh in Communications with parents and you know just think about how perverse this is uh several of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle have noted uh that students who are uh questioning their
gender identity uh are at a higher risk of suicidal uh ideations and so here you have a bill that orders schools to keep parents in the dark when their child is at a higher risk of suicide it's hard to overstate
just how perverse that is and so uh this bill the protect kids act uh is very simple it says that we ought to just keep parents in the loop when it comes to these things I think it's common sense but you know I will say I think we should ask why is it that this law in
California uh exists what's what's motiv ating it and uh in my view I think it is an intentional provocation uh it is an attempt to turn our schools into a culture War uh Battlefield in order to
Shield them from scrutiny when it comes to the things that actually matter when it comes to whether students are actually learning in California we have among the worst education outcomes in the country we have absolutely disgraceful achievement gaps in our
schools we have the lowest literacy rate in the entire country we had the longest covid School shutdowns in the entire country and frankly the governor of California and the super majority legislature would rather not talk about those things let alone do anything about
it they'd much rather provoke culture War battles around issues like this so I'm glad that this legislation uh is being proposed I think its passage will restore some common sense and hopefully allow us to refocus uh the purpose of
our schools on teaching kids to read teaching them to write and preparing them for success in life I yield back thank you Mr Kylie Mr Scott you're recognized for five minutes thank you mad Madam chair
Madam chair I oppose hr7 73 736 so-called protect kids act this is just another chapter in the majority's culture War campaign B would require schools to seek and acquire parental consent allowing a child to be
called a different name other than their birth name without any exception for obvious safety of the child let me be clear I believe pral engagement is Central to Student Success pral engagement in schools is closely linked
to better student Behavior higher academic achievement and enhanced social skills unfortunately this bill not does nothing to increase or support parental engagement nor does it do anything to protect students it's simply creates more paperwork and bureaucracy while
fostering a culture of fear and distrust between parents and schools and between students and teachers it's also inappropriate to insert schools into the middle of a conversation occurring between many parents and their children this bill is another obvious example by
this maor majority of promoting bigotry and fear-mongering instead of prioritizing issues that would actually help families students and schools ining instead of addressing learning loss and closing achievement gaps by dedicating funds for evidence-based interventions
that respond to students academic and social needs such as after school extended day and summer learning programs the majority is choosing to promotee The Bullying of marinized Youth instead of addressing gun violence here
we are addressing uh this culture War instead of addressing The Chronic neglect that has forced students and Educators across the country to learn and work and out ated and has the school buildings across the country majorities promoting over Brad legislation that would burden all St teachers parents and
students instead of working to support students mental health needs by dedicating funding to additional school counselors and mental health professionals majority is choosing to further marginalize vulnerable transgender students risk increasing the risk of adverse mental health outcomes
so here we are focusing on the whether the could should be allowed to be called by name other than the one in their birth certificate something the children have been doing since time IM Memorial as I said earlier if federal law required every single teacher I had in
school to write to my parents to get permission to call me Bobby instead of Robert that would have been ridiculous and it would have been a waste of their time and my parents' time and we're wasting our time today for these reasons I urge my colleagues to vote no on the
amendment nature of a substitute and no on the bill and I Y back thank you Mr Scott there being no further discussion on the amendment the nature of a substitute the committee will move to consideration of
amendments are there any members who would like to offer amendments there being no Amendment the question now occurs on the amendment in the nature of a sub substitute to HR
736 all in favor say I I all oppose no in the in the opinion of the chair the eyes have it and the amendment in the nature of a substitute is agreed
to we'll now move to consider the resolution the committee will now proceed to the consideration of the resolution HJ res 181 for Amendment the resolution was circulated in advance and printed copies of are available the
clerk shall designate the resolution HJ res 181 providing for Congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of Title 5 United States code of the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to definition of employer Association health plans without objection the first
reading of the resolution is dispensed with are there any members who wish to be recognized for further discussion on the resolution Mr Wahlberg you're recognized for five minutes thank you madam chair and I thank the committee for considering this
Congressional review act in today's markup which pushes back against the Biden Harris administration's efforts to block Americans access to high quality lowcost health care options through Association health plans in 2018 the
Trump Administration published its ahp rule that did two things first it allowed non-industry based groups to offer a fully insured ahp that is treated as one single plan and regulated like a large employer plan second it
allowed self-employed individuals to participate in a fully insured or self-insured ahp ahps that were established in accordance with the Trump rule produce Savings of up to 29% on average while
the rule was in effect in fact realtor groups saw average savings of up to 50% additionally CBO predicted that 400,000 people who had have been uninsured would enroll in ahps and 3.6
million people would choose an ahp over their current coverage resulting in 4 million people enrolled in ahps this is a problem to some unfortunately Democrats have made it a priority to limit Choice when it comes
to Affordable Health Care oper options and 11 Democratic Attorneys General sued to block the rule furthermore just eight days after Biden took office the Biden Harris Administration intervened in the court
process and asked the appell at court to hold the appeal in AB bance the Biden Harris Administration did this to despite oral arguments having already been held and despite the evidence that ahps provided quality and affordable
coverage that Americans wanted the Biden Harris Administration continued to block the appeal until this year when the Department of Labor issued its rule surprise surprise to resend the
Trump ahp rule we know why the Biden Harris Administration is choosing to kill this rule if Americans have more affordable and better coverage options than the Obamacare Marketplace Americans will choose to leave the
marketplace vice president Harris Harris and the Democrat nominee for pres regardless of what she's saying now has previously promoted the idea of ending employer sponsored health insurance my Democratic colleagues are
so focused on propping up Obamacare and forcing Americans into one- siiz fits-all Health Care model that they'll block better options that Americans are demanding passing the CRA is a good step Congress can take to demonstrate our
strong support for providing flexibility to small businesses while expanding health coverage options for employees we can go further by enacting the Association Health Plans act my bill that would codify the Trump HP rule that
bill has already cleared this committee has passed the house last year as part of the choice Arrangement act I urge the Senate to stop standing the way of innovative coverage options for small businesses and pass the Bill let's get
back to Common Sense reforms that put American workers and Families First and improve choice and freedom in health care and so I urge my colleagues to support this CRA to stop the Biden Harrison Administration repeal and I
yield back Madam chair Mr Scott you're recognized for five minutes thank you madam chair um Madam chair HJ res 181 is an exercise in futility the resolution would nullify
the Biden Harris administration's recision of a 2018 Trump Administration regulation which if I might remind my Republican colleagues was invalidated in 2019 by a federal court finding it to be inconsistent with the law now the Biden
Harris administration's final rule just simply eliminates this no longer effective language from the federal regulations and just removes an invalidated rule in compliance with a federal court final ruling hjr 181 would
accomplish nothing but ex except create confusion as to what the what law actually governs if we set aside setting aside the resolution Republican fervent advocacy for the Trump administration's 28 rule
uh which illegally expanded the circumstances under which the association plans or HPS could be offered is wholly misguided and that rule was illegal and has been set aside and would be reinstated I guess but still invalid if
this resolution were to pass the invalidated 2018 rule relied on a discredited approach to health care that Republicans have been pushing for years it would create a two-tiered insurance Market that benefits a small number of younger healthier people and leaves
everyone else behind reminisent of the ideas heralded in the Republicans U project 2025 H the ahc relies on the fundamental principle the Affordable Care Act relies on the fundamental principle that everyone should pay a reasonable rate
based on a modified form of community rating this ensures that premiums are reasonable across the entire Market including those who are more likely to have higher health care costs now if you let people who are younger healthier and
overall cheaper to ensure form their own plans they might get lower costs for themselves so long as they stay healthy but the people who are left behind on average will have to pay more that's just simple arithmetic so like proposals
the Republicans offered during their failed attempts to repeal the ACA the Trump administration's 2018 rule would have shifted more costs on the workers particularly those who are older and sicker while undermining the key consumer protections of both state and
federal law 2018 rule would have allowed more small employer groups and individuals to joints associations that would be subject to far fewer regulations than traditional Health PL and would not have the 10 essential health benefits under the Affordable
Care Act such as Emergency Services Behavioral Health Care prescriptive drugs maternity care and others they can they don't have to provide coverage for those this would make it easier for associations to cherry pick small employers with younger healthier
workforces small employers with those whose workers are older or sicker would obviously have to remain in the traditional Market where they would see their their premiums on average increase even the Trump Administration acknowledged as much in its 2018 rule
saying that it would quote will necessarily lead to some favorable risk selection towards Association health plans and adverse selection against individual and small group markets in short the resolution is a waste of the committee's time but the majority were
seriously interested in lowering healthc care costs would not be marking up a resolution to return to to an invalidated regulation that will never go into effect we would instead be working to reduce premiums on the Affordable Care Act Marketplace and
lower drug costs as we did in the inflation reduction Act without a single Republican vote so I urge my colleagues to oppose the resolution and you'll back the balance of my time thank you Mr Scott Mr good you're recognized for five
minutes thank you madam chair I move to strike the last word you recognized the resolution today will nullify the Biden administration's efforts to repeal a trump Administration rule that was favorable to Association
health plans I support this resolution because the Biden administration's regulations are once again anti- small business yesterday in this committee room a witness from the national Federation of Independent businesses or nfib testified
repeatedly that small businesses want the freedom to band together to create a larger negotiating pool or to form an association health plan this provides them with the leverage to offer similar options and benefits that large employers can provide for their workers
the small business Community views ahps as an important solution to Soaring health care costs that prevent many small businesses from offering the desired benefits to their employees so why is the Biden Harris Administration trying to prevent small
businesses from having stronger negotiating power in the insurance Market because it threatens their vision for Washington controlled health care and damages the regulatory power of Obamacare bottom line they want to eliminate employer provided Health Care
you see if these smaller groups these smaller employers can be forced onto Obamacare Washington has more of their coveted control if they band together to become like more like large businesses they have more Independence more freedom and are subject to less government
regulations my home state of Virginia knows this all too well in 2022 Virginia passed a state law allowing Realtors to join together and form Association Health Plans months later the heavy hand of the Biden Administration center for Medicare and Medicaid services sent a
letter to our governor yunan trying to block Virginia from implementing the law because it doesn't comply with their beloved Obamacare the people of Virginia have already spoken they want access to Association health care plans the the
federal government needs to get out of the way the best solution to permit associate Health Association health plans to prosper is to pass legislation that would codify the practice into federal law which this committee has already done but this resolution today
is another way we can show solidarity with small businesses and self-employed individuals who are just looking for better Healthcare options and I urge my colleagues to support this resolution gentlemen back are there any members who would
like to offer amendments to the resolution there being no amendments the question now occurs on the resolution HJ resz 181 all in favor say I I I all opposed no no in the opinion chair
the eyes have it and the resolution is agreed to Mr Scott requests a recorded vote a roll call vote is ordered pursuant to the chair's previous announcement this vote will be postponed
we now move to consideration of the next bill the committee will now proceed to consideration of the bill hr3 3120 for Amendment the bill was circulate in advance and printed copies are available the clerk shall designate the bill HR
3120 a bill to ban anti-competitive terms in facility and insurance contracts that limit access to higher quality lower cost care the first reading of the bill is dispensed with without that objection the bill will be considered as read and open for Amendment at any point and any
Amendment offered shall be considered as read does anyone wish to be recognized Miss steel for what purpose do you seek recognition thank you madam chair I have an amendment at the desk titled H
3120 e w AI ns01 this the clerk shall designate the amendment in the nature of a substitute amendment in the nature of a substitute to HR 3120 offered by Mrs Steel California identifier H 3120
Ewen a ns01 without objection the amendment shall be considered original text for purposes of further Amendment the amendment in nature of a substitute has already been distributed I now recognize congresswoman steel for five minutes to
explain the amendment in the nature of a substitute thank you madam chair I'm offering an amendment in the nature of of a substitute for the healthy competition for Better Care Act or HR 3120 a bill that will give consumers
more choices and control over their health care decisions it is clear for far too long hardworking families have been forced to pay more for Health Care due to consolidation across country we have
seen large Health Systems engage in anti-competitive practices that rest restrict transparency reduce choices and drive up health care prices these systems Shield themselves from
competition through contract terms that restrict Health insurers from incentivizing patients to use higher quality lower priced providers importantly this anti-competitive
Behavior behavior skyrockets health care costs for employers and working families who are restricted from accessing the best care possible sadly our constituents are cut in the middle due
to this unfair behavior that artificially drives up cost today health care cost and medical inflation continue to rise and we must address this Market manipulation the healthy competition for
Better Care Act makes Health Care better for patients and lower health care cost it pro promotes transparency in health care cracks down on anticompetitive practices and removes restrictions
preventing competition in health care markets this legislation will allow employers and insurers to contract with the right hospitals and providers for their patients the policy will also
enable employees employers and insurers to give discounts and incentives for Working Families who choose highquality and lowcost providers these Provisions were included in the 2019 lower health care cost act and last year our Senate
leads senator Tammy bwin and Mike Brown let the charge of including our legislation in the bipartisan primary care and health Workforce act which passed the senate committee on health education labor and pensions in
September 2023 CBO estimates that this legislation as included in the Senate bill would reduce reduce premiums and increase federal revenue by $3.2 billion over the
budget window as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of orisa the healthy competition for Better Care Act is timely in strengthening employer sponsored Health Plans the changes made
by the are meant to reflect feedback from employers and the Department of Labor and to align the bill with the provisions passed on a bipartisan basis by the Senate help committee last year
to clarify the ANS makes changes only to the Arista Provisions in the bill but not the Public Health Service Act or Internal Revenue code Provisions which are outside the committee's jurisdiction
my Amendment ensures employers can contract with the right hospitals and unable plans to offer discount and incentives for annual Lees who choose high quality lowc cost providers and ANS
also removes unnecessary requirements for group health plans to attest to do their compliance with the Arisa requirements in the bill employers and health plans agree that these
attestation are burdensome and do tells us that aestate stations Play No factor in enforcement additionally my Amendment adds a state grandfathering option regarding tenure Network agreement in
Pennsylvania that was resolved in 2019 this provision only pertains to University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and High Mark contract which has a unique structure that the Bill's requirement would
negate the UPMC High Mark contract is unique in that both entities operate insurers and Hospital Systems to ensure that patients do not lose Health Care access this grandfathering Clause is
narrowly constructed to incorporate one contract only and not to set a precedent or loophole for other contracts finally the removes ex strainers clarifications
regarding antirust and health Privacy Law which do not impact the Bill's requirements or enforcement we need to strengthen patients access to health care we need to improve affordability
and we need to restore value of our health care System I urge committee to adopt my Amendment and vote Yes on healthy competition for a better act I yield back insired Mr Scott you're recognized for
five minutes thank thank you madam chair uh well I appreciate the sport and intent of the healthy competition of Better Care Act this legislation as written includes deficiencies that fail to meaningly address the anti-competitive Contracting practices
it's abundantly clear that the cost of healthc care is rising rapid in the United States stretching the finances of millions of Working Families since 20 since 2013 the average yearly premium for since since 2013 the average yearly
premium for a job-based family plan is skyrocketed from just under $6,000 to nearly $24,000 in 2023 the average deductible has jumped almost 78% in in those 10 years we can
point to a variety of different causes however one of the primary drivers is the rise of National Health spending one of the primary drivers is the consolidation of the provider Market in the in the provider Market in the
hospital industry the Congressional budget office has found a positive correlation between Market concentration and the prices for Hospital services in other words the greater in the market con concentration among hospitals lead the greater the price increase Hospital
systems with sufficient Market power can force health plans to accept anti-competitive Contracting terms that raise costs for consumers examples of these practices include the all and nothing Contracting which forces insurers to contract with all providers
in a system or none at all anti- teering and anti- steering Clauses which impede competition by preventing insurers from steering patients to competing providers and most favored nation Clauses which allow which disallow providers from
offering lower prices to other insurers this legislation which in part codifies a settlement won by then California attorney general aier Basera was now our secretary of HHS on behalf of consumers in California is well-intentioned effort
to prohibit these unfair Contracting terms that are designed to impede competition and protect Hospital monopolies however I appreciate however while I appreciate the goals of the legislation I'm disappointed that the exemptions provided in the introduced text and in
the ens are Broad and threatened to undermine the effectiveness of the policy most notably the bill carves out any contract that involves a health maintenance organization a center of excellence or a vague and undefined value based Network Arrangement but also
provide the secretary virtually unfettered Authority to provide further exemptions and in an unprecedented move it would also allow states to opt out of the requirements and Grant father certain contracts entered into on specific dates in addition to being a
loophole that undermines intenal legislation this is an erosion of orisa's preemptive provision with these exemptions in place I'm concerned that the bill does not sufficiently reign in the anti-competitive Contracting Clauses that rise that raise costs for Working
Families conclusion I want to reiterate that I support the legislative intent of the healthy competition for Better Care Act and I look forward to meaningful conversations in the area these are complex issues that require thorough solution and I fear that rushing this
legislation through a committee markup with sizable carve outs and other deficiencies undermines the bipartisan interest we have in addressing the issue and while I cannot support the legislation today I certainly hope that we can work together as this legislation
moves forward to clo to it to close at least some of these loopholes to ensure that it achieves our shared bipartisan goal of improving competition and lowering health care costs thank you madam chair and I you back are there any other members who
wish to be recognized for further discussion on the amendment in the nature of a substitute there being no further discussion on the amendment and the nature of a substitute the committee will move to consideration of
amendments are there any amendments are there any members who would like to offer amendments there being no amendments the question now occurs on the amendment in the nature of a substitute HR
3120 all in favor say I I all all oppose no in the opinion chair the eyes have it and the amendment in the nature of a substitute is agreed to we'll now move to consider the last
bill committee will now proceed to consideration of the bill HR 9457 for Amendment the bill was circulated in advance and printed copies are available the clerk shall designate the bill HR
9457 a bill to amend the employee retirement income Security Act of 1974 to prohibit increased pays under a group health plan or group health insurance coverage for teleah Health Services fished by a provider located at facility without objection the first
reading of the bill is dispensed with without objection the bill will be considered as read and open for Amendment at any point and any Amendment offered shall be considered as read does anyone seek to be recognized Mr Bean for what purpose do
you seek recognition Madam chair I have an amendment at the desk titled Tel facility dore1 the clerk shall designate the amendment in the nature of a substitute amendment in the nature of a substitute to HR 9457 offered by Mr Bean of Florida
identifier teyen facility hyphen a nsor 01 without objection the amendment shall be considered original text for purposes of further Amendment the the amendment nature of a substitute has already been distributed I now recognize Congressman being for five minutes to explain the
amendment in the nature of a substitute thank you very much Madam chair a very good morning to you a good afternoon to you madam chair and good afternoon education and Workforce uh committee uh Madam chair in a recent uh bipartisan survey published in the hill nearly all
it was bipartisan nearly all participants said they support the federal government requiring true price transparency uh for health providers in fact uh to be specific the survey said
that nine out of 10 voters are in support of price transparency which begs the question who is that one person that doesn't want uh transparency I've been on a mission to try to find them I don't know if they're here today but uh hopefully with such an overwhelming
bipartisan support uh will lend uh will all agree that uh more transparency is better than uh less transparency in yesterday's help subcommittee a witness Elise Schuman who
is from the American benefits Council sat in that chair right there and talked about one of the tools that can help bring down the cost and efficiency of Health Care is tele medicine uh it is has exploded the use of tele medicine has exploded since the pandemic and uh
it has great promise to bring uh Better Health Care more efficient Health Care timelier Health Care to the American worker and the Americans in uh in general but she told about a problem with teleah health uh
with its uh with its onset it's something that we need to nip in the bud and uh it's is surrounded by transparency or the lack thereof Madam chair what what's happening members what's happening is people who engage in
tella Health are unknowingly many times receiving an additional fee a uh a hospital fee a facility fee you name it but it comes without uh the clear picture of what could be so right now
it's a problem that we can solve and then Embrace tele medicine as a as a way to deliver faster cheaper care and all the promises that uh that tele medicine uh the witness talked about a poll yesterday that she talked about from the
Winston group that found that Americans agree bipartisan American agree by an overwhelming majority 82 to9 that patients should not be charged a facility fee when they receive a tele medicine report me often Madam chair
this this bill will come from afar separate bill you just get a bill you thought you saw the the Prov and then uh you get a bill you pay for it then you get a separate bill so this bill this the amendment and uh the bill it's great news we're going to fix that problem
should we go forward and pass this bill we will fix that problem uh the exciting news that should we come together and uh unite pass this bill the Department of Health and Human Services has already indicated in their recent fiscal year
2025 budget estimate that this bill when combined with similar prohibit uh a similar ban of other facility fees for mental health services would save the Americans taxpayers and Congress $2.3
billion over 10 years the the amendment in the nature of the substitute I'm offering just makes a minor technical change to the underlying bill I urge everybody to join us let's all come together save money deliver Better Health Care Embrace teleah health and
let's go forward Madam chair I yield back the gentleman yields back are there any other members who wish to be recognized for further discussion on the amendment in the nature of a substitute
in the nature of a substitute there being no further discussion I'm sorry Mr Scott you're recognized for five minutes thank you madam chair Madam chair I share the stated goal of the author of this legislation Congress should take STS to
reform with facility fee billing practices to protect consumers however however this bill is flawed and completely fails at its stated purpose for protecting consumers from unnecessary facility fees instead of banning or even restricting the fees the
bill attempts to do this indirectly by simply insulating health care plans and insurers from financial responsibility of paying the fees in other words in a bill proposed to re in unnecessary fees there are no AC protections to prevent
consumers from being charged the fee the facility fees are symptom of increasing consolidation of a Health Care system when a hospital acquires a physician's office they often charge a second fee on top of the professional Bill charged by
The Physician nothing has changed other than the name on the door yet the the price of receiving the same service has been increased charging a facility fee is especially difficult to justify when the service is provided by teleah health
does not make sense and it is time for Congress to address this issue many states have actually done so in recent years however instead of addressing the issue directly the bill takes the roundabout approach by simply stating that the health insurance and group
health plans may only pay for an amount for telea Health Service provided by a facility based provider cannot pay any more than one that is not facility based this approach this approach while it
insulates insurance companies employers and health care plans from liability does not actually prohibit hospitals from charging the fees and it leavs the consumers exposed to these fees in both in network and out of network situations in the in network situations consumers
are ofly charged often charged a separate cost sharing for both professional and Professional Service and the facility fee because it provide the bill provides no protections from these double bills even when a patient sees a doctor who is in their plants
Network they will still be exposed to facility fees in an outer Network situation under the bill providers will have free reain to Simply bill patients for the balance of any fees not paid for by the health plan if our experience with no surprises act and our bipartisan
uh efforts to protect uh patients from balanced billing has taught us anything it's the unexpected balance bills are financially devastating to Consumers for bill with the sole aim of preventing prohibiting facility fees this doesn't
prohibit facility fees even though the um Republicans control the committee's gavel and thus have the owners of passing the legislation Democrats are ready to step in and improve the legislation and to achieve a status goal I hope that one of my esteemed
colleagues will offer a an amendment to the ANS to protect consumers and I urge my colleagues to support the amendment to fix the shortcomings in this legislation in the future I hope my colleagues will consider working together to draft a bipartisan bill that
accomplish the stated goals on behalf of consumers it's my understanding the majority May support the Democratic amendment to actually protect consumers and if that happens it will solve most of the problems in the bill I you
back Mr Scot whe back there being no further discussion on the amendment and the nature of a substitute the committee will move to consideration of amendments for what purposes the general woman from Connecticut seek to be
recognized Madame chairwoman I have an amendment at the desk um the clerk will report the amendment Amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to HR 9457 offered by Mrs Hayes of Connecticut identifier H
9457 minen amdor 01 the Goman is recognized for five minutes in support of the amendment thank you facility fees are often used by hospitals to maximize Revenue by
covering operating and Staffing cost in addition to professional service fees facility fees for care provided via tah Health when the patient never sets foot in a facility are very hard to J justify Additionally the imposition of facility
fees can significantly increase out-of-pocket cost for patients leading to higher premiums and overall spending this creates an added financial burden on consumers and can cost as much as $11,000 there is often little
transparency regarding when and how hospitals charge facility fees patients are frequently unaware of these costs until after receiving care leaving them surprised by unexpected charges as we know Democrats have worked
tirelessly to bring down the cost of health care for average Americans in the inflation reduction act Democrats made changes to improve drug affordability for seniors and people with disabilities who rely on Medicare Part D Democrats CA
the cost of insulin at $35 a month for seniors Democrats extended enhanced financial help for those purchasing plans on the ACA Marketplace saving enroles money on their premiums Additionally the bipartison
infrastructure law was the largest INF internet affordability program in the history of this nation helping 23 million households save $30 to $75 on their monthly internet bills and bringing affordability reliable
highspeed internet and an accessibility into served communities as we modernize delivery of care we must also appropriately adjust for billing while I appreciate my colleague for introducing the
transparent teleah Health bills act to address the issue of facility fees I fear the most important person has been forgotten altogether the patient patients are often charged separate costs Shar separate cost sharing for
both the Professional Services and the facility fees if we are going to do some work on this we have to make sure we are addressing the patient this results in consumers receiving double bills so even when a patient sees a doctor who is in
their Network they will still be exposed to facility fees and when consumers receive care from an outof network provider they often receive a separate balance bill for the amount not covered by their plan this includes the facility
fee this bill does not address these situations and therefore does not protect consumers from the cost of the facility fees my Amendment would address both situations by preventing Health Care Facilities from charging consumer rate from charging consumers a separate
facility fee under my Amendment facility fees for teleah health would only be permitted when there is no professional fee available to the billing provider this approach is fair to healthcare providers who will get paid for their services and to patients who will only
only receed one bill for the care they received through tahel while it would have been more fruitful to have had more time to work together on this legislation to get this important policy right I believe that my Amendment will greatly improve the bill
by doing what the underlying tax fails to do and protecting consumers from unnecessary facility fees I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and I yield back thank you Miss Hayes uh does anyone else seek
recognition on the amendment Mr Bean you're recognized for five minutes uh thank you very much uh Madam chair uh I wish to thank the gentle lady from Connecticut who is offering an extra blanket of protection it is the uh aim
of the original bill and the amended bill that we're we're discussing now to uh to protect the consumer so I look forward to partnering with my new partner from uh from Connecticut as we seek to harness the power of tella
Health by giving the consumer the greatest protection possible so I would urge my colleagues to uh welcome the amendment and let's partner together to deliver Better Health Care to the American people I yield back the gentleman yields back does
anyone else wish to speak on the amendment I recognize myself for five minutes I thank Miss Hayes for offering this amendment also the transparent telea Health bills Act of 2024 protects Group Health Plans from
paying unnecessary and inflationary facility fees for teleah Health Services when patients often never even enter the hospital to receive the remote virtual care the committee's goal is to ensure this bill like any Bill does not leave
loopholes for Bad actors to bypass the law specifically the bill is intend is not intended to permit hospitals and providers to charge teleah health facility fees directly to patients a
practice known as balance billing this amendment is in keeping with the intent of the bill and clarifies that there is an onus on the providers themselves not to charge these unnecessary facility fees to begin with the amendment also
increases enforcement for violations by providers if they charge teleah health facility fees with appreciation for the bipartisan work on this bill and this amendment I join Mr Bean in supporting the amendment and urge my colleagues to
vote Yes on the amendment does anyone else seek recognition on on the amendment if not the question is on the amendment by Miss Hayes all in favor say
I I in the opinion chair excuse me all oppose no in the opinion share the eyes have it and the amendment is agreed to there being no further amendments pursuant to the previous order the chair
declares the committee and recess subject to the call of the chair let's back up a second there being no further amendments the question now occurs on the amendment in the nature of a substitute to HR
9457 as amended all in favor say I I all oppose no in the opinion Che the no the eyes have it and the amendment in the nature of a substitute is agreed to
now for there being no further amendments pursuant to the previous order the chair declares the committee in recess subject to the call of the chair will reconvene promptly at 3:45 thank you the committee stands in
recess e e e e e e e e e
e e e e e e e e e e
e e e e e e e e e the committee will reconvene and come to
order following our recess we'll proceed to postpone requests for recorded votes I now entertain a motion to report the bill HR
56 46 and recognize Mr Owens thank you I move the committee of education on education and Workforce report the bill HR 5646 to the House of Representatives as as amended and with
the recommendation that the bill be agreed to and pass and do pass thank you Mr Owens the question now occurs on reporting HR 5646 to the house with a favorable
recommendation all in favor say I I all oppose no in the opinion chair the eyes have it and the motion is agreed to yes recorded vote the ranking member request a recorded
vote a recorded vote has been requested the clerk will call the rle Miss Fox I miss Fox foots I Mr Wilson Mr Thompson Mr
wallberg wallberg Mr Wahlberg votes I Mr grothman Mr phonic where that mean Mr Allen Mr Allen votes I Mr Banks Mr Banks votes yes Mr comr Mr
smucker Mr Owens Mr Owens votes I Mr good no Mr Good votes no Miss McLean Miss Miller Miss steel Miss steel votes I Mr Estus
miss llo Mr Kylie Mr Bean Mr Bean votes I Mr burles Mr Moran Mr Moran votes I miss jaiser Mr
Williams Mr Williams votes I miss hin miss hin votes I Mr Ry Mr Ry votes I Mr Scott Mr Scott votes I Mr Gava Mr Courtney Mr Courtney votes I Mr
saon Mr Wilson Miss Wilson Miss vichi Miss bonami votes I Mr Tano Mr Tano votes I miss Adams Miss Adams votes I Mr Dan Mr votes I Mr
Norcross Miss jaul Miss wild Miss mcbath Miss Hayes hi Miss Hayes votes I miss Omar Miss Stevens Miss Stevens votes I
miss lger Fernandez I miss lger Fernandez votes I miss Manning I miss Manning votes I Mr mvan I Mr Maran votes I Mr Bowman would the clerk call the vote on any members who did not respond in the
first Ro call Mr Wilson Mr Thompson Mr growman Mr growman Mr stonic Mr comr Mr
smucker Mr smucker votes I miss McLean Miss Miller Miss testas Miss Leto Mr Kylie Mr Kylie votes
I Mr Burleson Miss shavis dreamer Miss shavis dreamer votes I Mr gal vot Mr Sablon Miss
Wilson Mr Norcross yes Mr Norcross votes yes Mr Thompson I Mr Thompson votes I miss jaul miss
wild Miss mcbath Miss MC baths I miss Omar Mr Bowman how is Mr Burleson recorded Mr Burleson is not
recorded Mr Burleson votes no is barique saying somebody the clerk will report the tally Madam chair on this vote there are 28 Y and two Nays the eyes have it and the motion is agreed to HR 5646 is reported is ordered
reported to the House of Representatives the chair notes for the record that a quorum is present I ask unanimous consent that staff be authorized to make necessary Technical and conforming changes to the resolution without objection so ordered pursuant to house
rule 11 Clause 2L I give notice that all members have the requisite number of days to file supplemental minority additional or dissenting views without objection so ordered we'll now move on to HR
7233 I now entertain a motion to report the bill HR 7233 and recognize Mr Moran Madam chairwoman I move the committee on education and the workforce report the bill HR 7233 to the House of Representatives as
amended and with the recommendation that the bill be agreed to and the bill do pass question now occurs on reporting HR 7233 to the house with the favorable recommendation all in favor say I I all
oppos no in the opinion the eyes have it and the motion is agreed to Madam chair request a recorded vote Mr Moran requ request a recorded vote a recorded vote has been requested
the clerk will call the role Miss Fox I miss Fox votes I Mr Wilson Mr Thompson Mr Thompson votes I Mr Walberg Mr wber votes I Mr growman Mr stonic Mr stonic votes I Mr Allen Mr Allen votes I Mr
Banks Mr Banks votes yes Mr comr Mr comr votes yes Mr smucker Mr smucker votes yes Mr Owens Mr Owens votes I Mr Good Mr Good votes yeah Miss McLean Miss McLean votes yeah Miss Miller Miss Miller votes yes Miss steel Miss steel votes I Mr
Estes miss llo Mr Kylie Mr Kylie votes I Mr Bean Mr Bean votes I Mr brison Mr Bron votes I Mr Moran Mr Mor votes i m Chavis dreamer M shis Dre votes I Mr Williams Mr Williams votes I
Mr hin Mr hin votes I Mr Ry Mr Ry votes I Mr Scott Mr Scott votes I Mr Gava Mr Courtney Mr Courtney votes I Mr saon Miss Wilson Miss banamichi Miss banamichi votes I Mr Tano Mr Tano votes
I miss Adams Miss Adams votes I Mr s Mr vot ey Mr Norcross Mr Norcross VES I miss ja Paul Miss wild Miss mcbath Miss Hayes Miss Hayes votes I miss Omar Miss Stevens I miss Stevens votes I
miss leder Fernandez I miss lger Fernandez votes I miss Manning Miss Manning votes I Mr Maran I Mr Manan votes I Mr Bowman the clerk will report the tally Adam chair on this vote there are 33 Ys and zero Nays
the eyes have it and the motion is agreed to HR 7233 is ordered reported to the House of Representatives the chair notes for the record that a quorums present ask unanimous consent that staff be authorized to make necessary Technical and conforming changes to the
resolution without objection so ordered pursuant to house rule 11 Clause 2L I give notice that all members have the requisite number of days to file supplemental minority additional or dissenting views without objection so ordered we'll now
move on to HR 736 I now entertain a motion to report the bill HR 736 and recognize Mr wallberg Madam chairman I move the committee on education the workforce
report the bill HR 736 to the House of Representatives as amended and with recommendation that the bill be agreed to and the bill do pass question now occurs on reporting HR 736 to the house with a favorable
recommendation all in favor say I I all oppos no in the opinion cheer the eyes have it and the motion is agreed to the eyes have it and the Motions agreed to HR 736 is ordered reported to
the House of Representatives the chair notes for the record that a quorum is present I ask unanimous consent that staff be authorized to make M chair I ask for a recorded vote please you have to speak up okay all
right Mr Wahlberg requests the recorded vote the clerk will call the role Miss Fox I miss Fox votes I Mr Wilson Mr Thompson Mr Thompson votes I Mr Wahlberg Mr Walberg votes I Mr Gman Mr Gman votes
I Mr phonic Mr phonic votes I Mr Allen Mr Allen votes I Mr Banks Mr Banks votes yes Mr comr Mr comr votes yes Mr smucker Mr smucker votes I Mr Owens Mr Owens votes I Mr Good Mr Good votes yes Mr McLean Miss McLean votes yes Miss Miller
Miss Miller votes yes Miss steel Miss steel votes I Mr Estes Miss Leto Mr Kylie Mr Kylie votes I Mr Bean yes Mr Bean votes yes Mr Bron Mr Bron votes I Mr Mor Mr Mor votes i m shavis dreamer
shavis dreamer votes I Mr Williams Mr Williams votes I miss hin m hin votes I Mr Ry Mr really VES I Mr Scott Mr Scott votes no Mr Gava Mr Courtney Mr Courtney votes no Mr saon Miss Wilson Miss banamichi Miss
banamichi votes no Mr Tano Mr Tano votes no Miss Adams Miss Adams votes no Mr Mr Sonia votes no Mr Norcross Mr Norcross votes no Miss jul Miss wild Miss mcbath Miss hay Miss Hayes votes no Miss Omar Miss
Stevens no Miss Stevens votes no Miss leer Fernandez for the safety of our children no Miss lger Fernandez votes no Miss Manning Miss Manny votes no Mr Maran Mr Moran votes no Mr Bowman the clerk will report the tally madam on
this vote there are 22 eyes and 12 Nays the eyes have it and the Motions agreed to HR 736 is ordered reported to the House of Representatives chair notes for the record that a quorum is present I ask unanimous consent the staff be authorized to make necessary Technical
and conforming changes to the resolution without objection so ordered pursuant to house rule 11 Clause 2L I give notice that all members have the requisite number of days to file supplemental minority additional or dissenting views without objection so ordered we'll now
move on to a motion to report HJ re81 M Madam chair I think I had a request for a recorded vote on a previous motion on this bill I'd like to withdraw that um request and ask for
recorded vote just on the motion to report thank you Mr Scott so ordered I now entertain a motion to report the resolution hjr 181 and recognize Mr Walberg I move the committee on
education and the workforce report the resolution HJ res1 181 to the House of Representatives and with the recommendation that the resolution be agreed to and the resolution do pass question now occurs on reporting HJ res 181 to the house with a favorable
recommendation all in favor say I I all opposed no in the opinion chair the eyes have it and the motion is agreed to Mr Scott requests a recorded vote a recorded vote has been requested the
clerk will call the role Miss Fox I miss Fox votes I Mr Wilson Mr Thompson I Mr Thompson votes I Mr wallberg Mr Walberg votes I Mr grman Mr Gman votes I Mr phonic Mr phonic votes I Mr Allen Mr Allen votes I Mr Banks Mr Banks votes
yes Mr comr Mr comr votes yes Mr smoker Mr smucker votes I Mr Owens Mr Owens votes I Mr Good Mr Good votes yeah Miss McLean Miss McLean votes I miss Miller Miss Miller votes yes Miss steel Miss steel votes I Mr Estes Miss llo Miss
Leto votes I Mr Kylie Mr Kylie votes I Mr Bean Mr Bean votes I Mr Burson Mr buron votes I Mr Mor Mr Mar votes I Mamer Mamer votes I Mr Williams Mr Williams votes I miss how M hin votes I Mr Willie Mr Willie votes
I Mr Scott Mr Scott votes no Mr Gala Mr Courtney Mr Courtney votes no Mr Sablon Miss Wilson Miss banamichi Miss banamichi votes no Mr Tano Mr votes no Miss Adams Miss Adams votes no Mr sonier Mr son votes no Mr
Norcross Mr Norcross votes no Miss ja Paul Miss wild Miss mcbath Miss Hayes Miss Hayes votes no Miss Omar Miss Stevens Miss Stevens votes no Miss ler Fernandez Miss leer Fernandez votes
no Miss Manny Miss Manny votes no Mr Manan Mr Manan votes no Mr Bowman clerk will report the tally Madam chair on this vote there are 23 Ys and 12 Nays the eyes have it the Motions agreed to HJ resz 181 is ordered reported to the
House of Representatives the chair notes for the record that a quorum is present I ask unanimous consent that staff be authorized to make necessary Technical and conform ing changes to the resolution without objection so ordered pursuant to house rule 11 Clause 2L I
give notice that all members have the requisite number of days to file supplemental minority additional or dissenting views without objection so ordered we'll now move to HR
3120 I now entertain a motion to report the bill HR 3120 and recognize Mrs deal I move the committee on education and the workforce report the bill hr320 to the House of Representatives as
amended and with the recommendation that the bill be agreed to and the bill to pass question now occurs on reporting HR 3120 to the house with a favorable
recommendation all in favor say I I all opposed no in the opinion of the chair the eyes have it the motion is agreed to HR 3120 is ordered reported to the House of Representatives the chair notes for the
record that a quorum is present I ask unanimous consent that staff be authorized to make necessary Technical and conforming changes to the resolution without objection so ordered pursuant to house rule 11 Clause 2L I give notice
that all members have the requisite number of De days to file supplemental minority additional or dissenting views without objection so ordered we now move on to HR 9457 I now entertain a motion to report
the bill HR 9457 and recognize representative Bean thank you very much Madam chair I move the committee on education and Workforce report the bill HR 9457 to the House of Representatives as a amended with the
recommendation that the bill be agreed to and the bill do pass the question now occurs on reporting HR 9457 to the house with a favorable recommendation all in favor say I I I'll oppose no in the
opinion chair the eyes have it and the motion is agreed to um Mr Scott request a recorded vote a recorded vote has been requested the will call the row Miss Fox I miss Fox
votes I Mr Wilson Mr Thompson Mr Thompson votes I Mr Walberg Mr Walberg votes ey Mr gothman Mr gothman votes I Mr toonic Mr toonic votes ey Mr Allen Mr Allen votes I Mr Banks Mr bsws yes Mr comr Mr
smucker Mr smucker votes I Mr Owens Mr ens votes I Mr Good Mr Good votes yes M McLean M McLean votes I miss Miller m M Miller votes yes Miss steel Miss steel votes I Mr Estus Miss Leto Miss Leto votes I Mr Kylie Mr Kylie votes I Mr
Bean Mr Bean votes I Mr brison Mr Bron votes I Mr Moran Mr Mor votes I maver maver votes I Mr Williams Mr Williams votes I miss hin hin votes I Mr Ry Mr willly votes I Mr Scott Mr Scott votes I
Mr Goa Mr Courtney Mr Courtney votes I Mr Sablon Miss Wilson Miss Bon I miss bichi votes yes Mr Tano Mr Tano votes I miss Adams M Adams votes I Mr Mr
son votes I Mr Norcross Mr norcros votes I miss ja Paul Miss wild Miss mcbath Miss Hayes Miss Hayes vot I miss Omar Miss Stevens Miss Stevens votes I miss Ledger Fernandez m
l Fernandez votes I miss Manning Miss Manning votes I Mr Maran Mr Manan votes I Mr com the clerk will report the tally Madam chair on this vote there are 34 Ys and zero Nays eyes have it the motion is agreed to HR
9457 is ordered reported to the House of Representatives the chair notes for the record that a quorum is present I ask unanimous consent that staff be authorized to make necessary Technical and conforming changes to the resolution without objection so ordered pursuant to
house rule 11 Clause 2L I give notice that all members have the requisite number of days to file supplemental minority additional or dissenting views without objection so ordered without objection any members who wish to insert
materials into the record may do so by submitting them to the committee clerk electronically by the end of the day today if there's no further business before the committee without objection the committee stands adjourn e
but