[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 130 (Thursday, September 11, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H7436-H7438]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EMPLOYEE HEALTH CARE PROTECTION ACT OF 2014
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 1(c) of rule XIX, further
consideration of H.R. 3522 will now resume.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
Motion to Recommit
Ms. BROWNLEY of California. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit
at the desk.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is the gentlewoman opposed to the bill?
Ms. BROWNLEY of California. I am, in its current form.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the motion to
recommit.
The Clerk read as follows:
Ms. BROWNLEY of California moves to recommit the bill H.R.
3522 to the Committee on Energy and Commerce with
instructions to report the same back to the House forthwith
with the following amendment:
Add at the end of the bill the following new section:
SEC. 3 PROHIBITING DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN IN HEALTH
CARE COVERAGE.
Nothing in this Act shall result in discrimination based on
gender, including higher premiums for women or loss of
contraception or pregnancy care.
Mr. CASSIDY (during the reading). Mr. Speaker, I reserve a point of
order against the motion to recommit.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. A point of order is reserved.
The Clerk will read.
The Clerk continued to read.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
California is recognized for 5 minutes in support of her motion.
Ms. BROWNLEY of California. Mr. Speaker, this is the final amendment
to H.R. 3522, which will not kill the bill or send it back to
committee. If adopted, the bill will immediately proceed to final
passage as amended.
My amendment would ensure that nothing in the underlying act would
result in health care discrimination against women. It would prevent
insurance companies from charging small businesses that employ women
higher premiums, and it would stop insurance companies from selling
group plans that deny women contraception or critical maternity care
coverage.
I hope that we can all agree that women should never have to pay more
for their health care than men would pay simply because of their
gender. Being a woman is not and must never be treated as a preexisting
condition.
Health care reform has created many new and needed consumer
protections, which are helping women live healthier lives and build
stronger families. Health care costs are the number one cause of
bankruptcy in the United States. Allowing insurance companies to charge
women more than men would hurt working women struggling to make ends
meet. It would hurt families raising children who are trying to give
them the healthy start they deserve.
Before this unfair practice was banned, the National Women's Law
Center reported that gender discrimination in premium prices alone cost
women approximately $1 billion per year more than men. That is $1
billion that could have prevented many women and their children from
living in poverty or being homeless.
That is $1 billion that women and their families could have spent on
rent. That is $1 billion that women and their families could have spent
on child care. That is $1 billion that women and their families could
have used to pay for college. That is $1 billion that women and their
families could have used to start a business. That is $1 billion that
could have been better used to strengthen the American economy.
In a nation where women earn only 77 cents for every dollar that men
earn, charging women more for health care compounds the financial
strain on women and their families. Stopping gender-based premium
discrimination is just one example of health care reform that works,
and it is a new consumer protection that women and their families
cannot afford to lose.
My amendment will ensure that insurers continue to cover critical
maternity care and contraception coverage. Until recently, many States
did not require all health care plans to cover maternity care.
Today, the law requires every new insurance policy to cover maternity
care. We must ensure that women continue to have access to this
critical coverage and access to contraception coverage that gives many
women the economic independence to succeed because when women succeed,
America succeeds.
Contraception coverage ensures women can prevent unplanned
pregnancies and choose the best time to start a family. When surveyed
by the Guttmacher Institute, 63 percent of women said that access to
contraception had enabled them to take better care of themselves and
their families. Over half said they were better able to support
themselves financially or complete their education.
Mr. Speaker, the majority of Americans support these policies. A
Kaiser health poll found that Americans support birth control coverage
by a 2 to 1 margin and 86 percent of Americans support coverage of
maternity care.
A vote for my amendment is a vote to protect women from unfair
discrimination. It is a vote promising our mothers, our sisters, and
our daughters that they will be treated fairly and equally.
These are the values of my constituents in Ventura County, and they
are the values of the American people.
I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the motion to recommit. Vote
``yes'' for equality for women.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. CASSIDY. Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation, and I claim the
time in opposition to the motion.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The reservation is withdrawn.
The gentleman from Louisiana is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. CASSIDY. Mr. Speaker, this bill empowers female-owned small
businesses and workers to keep the health care policies they prefer and
make their own decisions regarding health care.
Women make 95 percent of the decisions regarding health insurance and
families across the United States. I don't think we have to be
patronizing and assume that they cannot make their own decisions.
In fact, I am asked continually by women who are 50 years and above
why are they having to pay for maternity benefits. They are just
flabbergasted by that.
This is important economically. The Manhattan Institute reports that
the Affordable Care Act, so-called ironically, has increased insurance
premiums by 41 percent on average--for women, as much as 62 percent.
Imagine that woman sitting at home, lying awake at night, wondering
how she is going to pay her bills, being forced to pay for benefits the
opposition doesn't think she is smart enough to know that she doesn't
need and unable to afford her house. That has happened in an instance I
know of.
Now, today, the House has the opportunity to help Americans keep the
health care plan of their choice, and how we vote comes down to two
questions: First, do you think control over
[[Page H7437]]
someone's health care plan should reside with a Washington politician
or bureaucrat? Or do you trust that American woman to make the proper
decision for herself, for her family?
I will tell you where I stand: I think we should give power to the
patient, not to a Washington bureaucrat.
Secondly, do we think that politicians should keep the promises made
to constituents? Four years ago, supporters of the health care law
looked Americans in the eye and said, ``If you like your health care
plan, you can keep it, period.''
I tell you where I stand. Representatives in the people's House
should honor their word and uphold the commitment to those who sent us
here, period.
Let's protect the health care choices of America's workers. Let's
hold politicians accountable for the promises they made.
I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the motion to recommit. Vote
``yes'' to protect the health care plans of America's middle class.
Vote ``yes'' to keep the promises made.
Vote ``no'' on the motion to recommit, and I yield back the balance
of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the previous question is
ordered on the motion to recommit.
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion to recommit.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the noes appeared to have it.
Ms. BROWNLEY of California. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas
and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 and clause 9 of rule
XX, this 15-minute vote on the motion to recommit will be followed by
5-minute votes on passage of the bill, if ordered; and the motions to
suspend the rules and pass H.R. 5161; H.R. 5057, if ordered; and S.
276, if ordered.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 187,
nays 223, not voting 21, as follows:
[Roll No. 494]
YEAS--187
Barber
Bass
Beatty
Becerra
Bera (CA)
Bishop (GA)
Bishop (NY)
Blumenauer
Bonamici
Brady (PA)
Braley (IA)
Brown (FL)
Brownley (CA)
Bustos
Butterfield
Capps
Capuano
Cardenas
Carney
Carson (IN)
Cartwright
Castor (FL)
Castro (TX)
Chu
Cicilline
Clark (MA)
Clarke (NY)
Clay
Cleaver
Clyburn
Cohen
Connolly
Conyers
Cooper
Costa
Courtney
Crowley
Cuellar
Cummings
Davis (CA)
Davis, Danny
DeFazio
DeGette
Delaney
DeLauro
DelBene
Deutch
Doggett
Doyle
Duckworth
Duncan (TN)
Edwards
Ellison
Engel
Enyart
Eshoo
Esty
Farr
Fattah
Foster
Frankel (FL)
Fudge
Gabbard
Gallego
Garamendi
Garcia
Grayson
Green, Al
Green, Gene
Grijalva
Gutierrez
Hahn
Hanabusa
Hastings (FL)
Heck (WA)
Higgins
Himes
Holt
Honda
Horsford
Hoyer
Huffman
Israel
Jeffries
Johnson (GA)
Johnson, E. B.
Kaptur
Keating
Kelly (IL)
Kennedy
Kildee
Kilmer
Kind
Kirkpatrick
Kuster
Langevin
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Lee (CA)
Levin
Lewis
Loebsack
Lofgren
Lowenthal
Lowey
Lujan Grisham (NM)
Lujan, Ben Ray (NM)
Lynch
Maffei
Maloney, Carolyn
Maloney, Sean
Matheson
Matsui
McCarthy (NY)
McCollum
McDermott
McGovern
McIntyre
McNerney
Meeks
Meng
Michaud
Miller, George
Moore
Moran
Murphy (FL)
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal
Nolan
O'Rourke
Owens
Pallone
Pascrell
Pastor (AZ)
Payne
Pelosi
Perlmutter
Peters (CA)
Peters (MI)
Pingree (ME)
Pocan
Polis
Posey
Price (NC)
Quigley
Richmond
Roybal-Allard
Ruiz
Ruppersberger
Ryan (OH)
Sanchez, Linda T.
Sarbanes
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schneider
Schrader
Scott (VA)
Scott, David
Serrano
Sewell (AL)
Shea-Porter
Sherman
Sinema
Sires
Slaughter
Smith (WA)
Swalwell (CA)
Takano
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Tierney
Titus
Tonko
Tsongas
Van Hollen
Vargas
Veasey
Vela
Velazquez
Visclosky
Walz
Wasserman Schultz
Waters
Waxman
Welch
Yarmuth
NAYS--223
Aderholt
Amash
Amodei
Bachmann
Bachus
Barletta
Barr
Barrow (GA)
Barton
Benishek
Bentivolio
Bilirakis
Bishop (UT)
Black
Blackburn
Boustany
Brady (TX)
Bridenstine
Brooks (AL)
Brooks (IN)
Broun (GA)
Buchanan
Bucshon
Burgess
Byrne
Camp
Campbell
Capito
Carter
Cassidy
Chabot
Chaffetz
Clawson (FL)
Coffman
Cole
Collins (GA)
Collins (NY)
Conaway
Cook
Cotton
Cramer
Crawford
Crenshaw
Culberson
Daines
Davis, Rodney
Denham
Dent
DeSantis
Diaz-Balart
Duffy
Duncan (SC)
Ellmers
Farenthold
Fincher
Fitzpatrick
Fleischmann
Fleming
Flores
Forbes
Fortenberry
Foxx
Franks (AZ)
Frelinghuysen
Garrett
Gerlach
Gibbs
Gingrey (GA)
Gohmert
Goodlatte
Gosar
Gowdy
Granger
Graves (GA)
Graves (MO)
Griffin (AR)
Griffith (VA)
Grimm
Guthrie
Hall
Hanna
Harper
Harris
Hartzler
Heck (NV)
Hensarling
Herrera Beutler
Holding
Hudson
Huelskamp
Huizenga (MI)
Hultgren
Hunter
Hurt
Issa
Jenkins
Johnson (OH)
Johnson, Sam
Jolly
Jones
Jordan
Joyce
Kelly (PA)
Kingston
Kinzinger (IL)
Kline
Labrador
LaMalfa
Lamborn
Lance
Lankford
Latham
Latta
LoBiondo
Long
Lucas
Luetkemeyer
Lummis
Marchant
Marino
Massie
McAllister
McCarthy (CA)
McCaul
McClintock
McHenry
McKeon
McKinley
McMorris Rodgers
Meadows
Meehan
Messer
Mica
Miller (FL)
Miller (MI)
Miller, Gary
Mullin
Mulvaney
Murphy (PA)
Neugebauer
Noem
Nugent
Nunes
Olson
Palazzo
Paulsen
Pearce
Perry
Peterson
Petri
Pittenger
Pitts
Poe (TX)
Pompeo
Price (GA)
Rahall
Reed
Reichert
Renacci
Ribble
Rice (SC)
Rigell
Roby
Roe (TN)
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rogers (MI)
Rohrabacher
Rokita
Rooney
Ros-Lehtinen
Roskam
Ross
Rothfus
Royce
Runyan
Ryan (WI)
Salmon
Sanford
Scalise
Schock
Schweikert
Scott, Austin
Sensenbrenner
Sessions
Shimkus
Shuster
Simpson
Smith (MO)
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Stewart
Stivers
Stockman
Stutzman
Terry
Thompson (PA)
Thornberry
Tiberi
Tipton
Turner
Upton
Valadao
Wagner
Walberg
Walden
Walorski
Weber (TX)
Webster (FL)
Wenstrup
Westmoreland
Whitfield
Williams
Wilson (SC)
Wittman
Wolf
Womack
Woodall
Yoder
Yoho
Young (AK)
Young (IN)
NOT VOTING--21
Calvert
Coble
DesJarlais
Dingell
Gardner
Gibson
Hastings (WA)
Hinojosa
Jackson Lee
King (IA)
King (NY)
Lipinski
Negrete McLeod
Nunnelee
Rangel
Rush
Sanchez, Loretta
Schwartz
Southerland
Speier
Wilson (FL)
{time} 1305
Messrs. STOCKMAN and JONES changed their vote from ``yea'' to
``nay.''
Ms. SLAUGHTER and Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD changed their vote from ``nay''
to ``yea.''
So the motion to recommit was rejected.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
Stated for:
Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 494, had I been present, I
would have voted ``yes.''
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the passage of the bill.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Recorded Vote
Mr. COTTON. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.
A recorded vote was ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. This is a 5-minute vote.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 247,
noes 167, not voting 17, as follows:
[Roll No. 495]
AYES--247
Aderholt
Amash
Amodei
Bachmann
Bachus
Barber
Barletta
Barr
Barrow (GA)
Barton
Benishek
Bentivolio
Bera (CA)
Bilirakis
Bishop (UT)
Black
Blackburn
Boustany
Brady (TX)
Bridenstine
Brooks (AL)
Brooks (IN)
Broun (GA)
Brownley (CA)
Buchanan
Bucshon
Burgess
Bustos
Byrne
Camp
Campbell
Capito
Carter
Cassidy
Chabot
Chaffetz
Clawson (FL)
Coffman
Cole
Collins (GA)
Collins (NY)
Conaway
Cook
Cotton
Cramer
Crawford
Crenshaw
Culberson
Daines
Davis, Rodney
Denham
Dent
DeSantis
Diaz-Balart
Duffy
Duncan (SC)
Duncan (TN)
Ellmers
Enyart
Farenthold
Fincher
Fitzpatrick
Fleischmann
Fleming
Flores
Forbes
Foster
Foxx
Franks (AZ)
Frelinghuysen
Gallego
Garcia
Gardner
Garrett
Gerlach
Gibbs
Gibson
Gingrey (GA)
Gohmert
Goodlatte
Gosar
Gowdy
Graves (GA)
Graves (MO)
Griffin (AR)
Griffith (VA)
Grimm
[[Page H7438]]
Guthrie
Hall
Hanabusa
Hanna
Harper
Harris
Hartzler
Heck (NV)
Hensarling
Herrera Beutler
Holding
Hudson
Huelskamp
Huizenga (MI)
Hultgren
Hunter
Hurt
Issa
Jenkins
Johnson (OH)
Johnson, Sam
Jolly
Jones
Jordan
Joyce
Kelly (PA)
Kingston
Kinzinger (IL)
Kline
Kuster
Labrador
LaMalfa
Lamborn
Lance
Lankford
Latham
Latta
LoBiondo
Loebsack
Long
Lucas
Luetkemeyer
Maffei
Maloney, Sean
Marchant
Marino
Massie
Matheson
McAllister
McCarthy (CA)
McCaul
McClintock
McHenry
McIntyre
McKeon
McKinley
McMorris Rodgers
Meadows
Meehan
Messer
Mica
Miller (FL)
Miller (MI)
Miller, Gary
Mullin
Mulvaney
Murphy (FL)
Murphy (PA)
Neugebauer
Noem
Nugent
Nunes
Olson
Palazzo
Paulsen
Pearce
Perry
Peters (CA)
Peters (MI)
Peterson
Petri
Pittenger
Pitts
Poe (TX)
Pompeo
Posey
Price (GA)
Rahall
Reed
Reichert
Renacci
Ribble
Rice (SC)
Rigell
Roby
Roe (TN)
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rogers (MI)
Rohrabacher
Rokita
Rooney
Ros-Lehtinen
Roskam
Ross
Rothfus
Royce
Runyan
Ryan (WI)
Salmon
Sanford
Scalise
Schneider
Schock
Schweikert
Scott, Austin
Sensenbrenner
Sessions
Shimkus
Shuster
Simpson
Sinema
Smith (MO)
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Southerland
Stewart
Stivers
Stockman
Stutzman
Terry
Thompson (PA)
Thornberry
Tiberi
Tipton
Turner
Upton
Valadao
Vela
Wagner
Walberg
Walden
Walorski
Walz
Weber (TX)
Webster (FL)
Wenstrup
Westmoreland
Whitfield
Williams
Wilson (SC)
Wittman
Wolf
Womack
Woodall
Yoder
Yoho
Young (AK)
Young (IN)
NOES--167
Bass
Beatty
Becerra
Bishop (GA)
Bishop (NY)
Blumenauer
Bonamici
Brady (PA)
Braley (IA)
Brown (FL)
Butterfield
Capps
Capuano
Cardenas
Carney
Carson (IN)
Cartwright
Castor (FL)
Castro (TX)
Chu
Cicilline
Clark (MA)
Clarke (NY)
Clay
Cleaver
Cohen
Connolly
Conyers
Cooper
Costa
Courtney
Crowley
Cuellar
Cummings
Davis (CA)
Davis, Danny
DeFazio
DeGette
Delaney
DeLauro
DelBene
Deutch
Doggett
Doyle
Duckworth
Edwards
Ellison
Engel
Eshoo
Esty
Farr
Fattah
Frankel (FL)
Fudge
Gabbard
Garamendi
Grayson
Green, Al
Green, Gene
Grijalva
Gutierrez
Hahn
Hastings (FL)
Heck (WA)
Higgins
Himes
Hinojosa
Holt
Honda
Horsford
Hoyer
Huffman
Israel
Jackson Lee
Jeffries
Johnson (GA)
Johnson, E. B.
Kaptur
Keating
Kelly (IL)
Kennedy
Kildee
Kilmer
Kind
Kirkpatrick
Langevin
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Lee (CA)
Levin
Lewis
Lipinski
Lofgren
Lowenthal
Lowey
Lujan Grisham (NM)
Lujan, Ben Ray (NM)
Lynch
Maloney, Carolyn
Matsui
McCollum
McDermott
McGovern
McNerney
Meeks
Meng
Michaud
Miller, George
Moore
Moran
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal
Nolan
O'Rourke
Owens
Pallone
Pascrell
Pastor (AZ)
Payne
Pelosi
Perlmutter
Pingree (ME)
Pocan
Polis
Price (NC)
Quigley
Rangel
Richmond
Roybal-Allard
Ruiz
Ruppersberger
Ryan (OH)
Sanchez, Linda T.
Sarbanes
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schrader
Scott (VA)
Scott, David
Serrano
Sewell (AL)
Shea-Porter
Sherman
Sires
Slaughter
Smith (WA)
Speier
Swalwell (CA)
Takano
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Tierney
Titus
Tonko
Tsongas
Van Hollen
Vargas
Veasey
Velazquez
Visclosky
Wasserman Schultz
Waters
Waxman
Welch
Wilson (FL)
Yarmuth
NOT VOTING--17
Calvert
Clyburn
Coble
DesJarlais
Dingell
Fortenberry
Granger
Hastings (WA)
King (IA)
King (NY)
Lummis
McCarthy (NY)
Negrete McLeod
Nunnelee
Rush
Sanchez, Loretta
Schwartz
{time} 1312
So the bill was passed.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
Stated for:
Mr. FORTENBERRY. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 495 I was inadvertently
detained during rollcall No. 495 and missed the vote. Had I been
present, I would have voted ``yes.''
____________________