[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 24 (Thursday, February 7, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H1403-H1406]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      TIFFANY JOSLYN JUVENILE ACCOUNTABILITY BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM 
                      REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2019

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (H.R. 494) to amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets 
Act of 1968 to reauthorize the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant 
program, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 494

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Tiffany Joslyn Juvenile 
     Accountability Block Grant Program Reauthorization Act of 
     2019''.

     SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF JUVENILE ACCOUNTABILITY BLOCK 
                   GRANT PROGRAM.

       Part R of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 
     Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796ee et seq.) is amended--
       (1) in section 1801(b)--
       (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``graduated sanctions'' 
     and inserting ``graduated sanctions and incentives'';
       (B) in paragraph (3), by striking ``hiring juvenile court 
     judges, probation officers, and court-appointed defenders and 
     special advocates, and'';
       (C) by striking paragraphs (4) and (7), and redesignating 
     paragraphs (5) through (17) as paragraphs (4) through (15), 
     respectively; and
       (D) in paragraph (11), as so redesignated, by striking 
     ``research-based bullying, cyberbullying, and gang prevention 
     programs'' and inserting ``interventions such as researched-
     based anti-bullying, anti-cyberbullying, and gang prevention 
     programs, as well as mental health services and trauma-
     informed practices'';
       (2) in section 1802--
       (A) in subsection (d)(3), by inserting after 
     ``individualized sanctions'' the following: ``, 
     incentives,'';
       (B) in subsection (e)(1)(B), by striking ``graduated 
     sanctions'' and inserting ``graduated sanctions and 
     incentives''; and
       (C) in subsection (f)--
       (i) in paragraph (2)--

       (I) by inserting after ``A sanction may include'' the 
     following: ``a range of court-approved interventions, such 
     as''; and
       (II) by inserting after ``a fine,'' the following: ``a 
     restorative justice program,''; and

       (ii) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
       ``(3) Incentives.--The term `incentives' means 
     individualized, goal-oriented, and graduated responses to a 
     juvenile offender's compliance with court orders and case 
     disposition terms designed to reinforce or modify the skills 
     and behaviors of the juvenile offender. An incentive may 
     include a certificate of achievement, a letter of 
     recommendation, a family or program activity, a meeting or 
     special outing with a community leader, a reduction in 
     community service hours, a reduced curfew or home 
     restriction, a decrease in required court appearances, or a 
     decrease in the term of court-ordered supervision.'';
       (3) in section 1810(a), by striking ``$350,000,000 for each 
     of fiscal years 2006 through 2009'' and inserting 
     ``$30,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 through 2024''; 
     and
       (4) by adding at the end the following:

     ``SEC. 1811. GRANT ACCOUNTABILITY.

       ``(a) Definition of Applicable Committees.--In this 
     section, the term `applicable committees' means--
       ``(1) the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate; and
       ``(2) the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of 
     Representatives.
       ``(b) Accountability.--All grants awarded by the Attorney 
     General under this part shall be subject to the following 
     accountability provisions:
       ``(1) Audit requirement.--
       ``(A) Definition.--In this paragraph, the term `unresolved 
     audit finding' means a finding in the final audit report of 
     the Inspector General of the Department of Justice that the 
     audited grantee has utilized grant funds for an unauthorized 
     expenditure or otherwise unallowable cost that is not closed 
     or resolved within 12 months after the date on which the 
     final audit report is issued.
       ``(B) Audit.--Beginning in the first fiscal year beginning 
     after the date of enactment of this section, and in each 
     fiscal year thereafter, the Inspector General of the 
     Department of Justice shall conduct audits of recipients of 
     grants awarded by the Attorney General under this part to 
     prevent waste, fraud, and abuse of funds by grantees. The 
     Inspector General shall determine the appropriate number of 
     grantees to be audited each year.
       ``(C) Mandatory exclusion.--A recipient of grant funds 
     under this part that is found to have an unresolved audit 
     finding shall not be eligible to receive grant funds under 
     this part during the first 2 fiscal years beginning after the 
     end of the 12-month period described in subparagraph (A).
       ``(D) Priority.--In awarding grants under this part, the 
     Attorney General shall give priority to eligible applicants 
     that did not have an unresolved audit finding during the 3 
     fiscal years before submitting an application for a grant 
     under this part.
       ``(E) Reimbursement.--If an entity is awarded grant funds 
     under this part during the 2-fiscal-year period during which 
     the entity is barred from receiving grants under subparagraph 
     (C), the Attorney General shall--
       ``(i) deposit an amount equal to the amount of the grant 
     funds that were improperly awarded to the grantee into the 
     General Fund of the Treasury; and
       ``(ii) seek to recoup the costs of the repayment to the 
     fund from the grant recipient that was erroneously awarded 
     grant funds.
       ``(2) Annual certification.--Beginning in the first fiscal 
     year beginning after the date of enactment of this section, 
     the Attorney General shall submit to the applicable 
     committees an annual certification--
       ``(A) indicating whether--
       ``(i) all audits issued by the Inspector General of the 
     Department of Justice under paragraph (1) have been completed 
     and reviewed by the appropriate Assistant Attorney General or 
     Director;
       ``(ii) all mandatory exclusions required under paragraph 
     (1)(C) have been issued; and
       ``(iii) all reimbursements required under paragraph (1)(E) 
     have been made; and
       ``(B) that includes a list of any grant recipients excluded 
     under paragraph (1) from the previous year.
       ``(c) Preventing Duplicative Grants.--
       ``(1) In general.--Before the Attorney General awards a 
     grant to an applicant under this part, the Attorney General 
     shall compare potential grant awards with other grants 
     awarded under this part by the Attorney General to determine 
     if duplicate grant awards are awarded for the same purpose.
       ``(2) Report.--If the Attorney General awards duplicate 
     grants under this part to the same applicant for the same 
     purpose, the Attorney General shall submit to the applicable 
     committees a report that includes--
       ``(A) a list of all duplicate grants awarded under this 
     part, including the total dollar amount of any duplicate 
     grants awarded; and
       ``(B) the reason the Attorney General awarded the duplicate 
     grants.''.

     SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

       It is the sense of the Congress that the use of best 
     practices is encouraged for all activities for which grants 
     under part R of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 
     Streets Act of 1968 may be used.

     SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR JUVENILE 
                   ACCOUNTABILITY BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM.

       Section 1001(a)(16) of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control 
     and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10261(a)(16)) is 
     amended to read as follows:
       ``(16) There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
     projects under part R $30,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
     2020 through 2024.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Collins) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Texas.


                             General Leave

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
include

[[Page H1404]]

extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a very special bill to my heart and to my 
constituents and to the many, many advocates dealing with the 
reformation of the juvenile justice system and the importance of such.
  I would like to take note of many of them, but, in particular, the 
National Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Council and 
Coalition that represent decades of work all over the Nation, 
organizations that recognize that the best place for our young 
juveniles that have had some encounter with the system is not in a 
detention-like jail.
  I hope that as we move forward on criminal justice reform and 
juvenile justice reform that we can reform the places and the attitudes 
toward juveniles who run awry of the system all over the Nation.
  This bill is named for Tiffany May Joslyn, a champion for criminal 
justice reform, who formerly served as deputy chief counsel of the 
Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations Subcommittee, 
and whose life tragically was cut short on March 5, 2016, in a car 
accident, which sadly also claimed the life of her brother Derrick. She 
was just 33 years old.
  Her family loved her. Her family still remembers how much she talked 
about her work on the House Judiciary Committee and the Subcommittee on 
Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations that I served on 
at that time as the ranking member.
  So passage of this bill last Congress in this body was both bitter 
and sweet, but I would understand that Tiffany, in the place where she 
is, would have been proud as she championed these causes fearlessly. 
This moment is for both her and for all of the millions of young people 
that will be helped by this bill.
  We worked very hard on this bill, and it is a bipartisan bill. It 
has, I believe, those who have an interest in doing the very best for 
our Nation and for our young people.
  The Tiffany Joslyn bill will help stem the epidemic of juveniles 
within the criminal justice system by reauthorizing the juvenile 
justice system and the juvenile accountability block grant program and 
providing funding to State and local governments for the creation of 
antibullying and antigang prevention programs and intervention.
  It is clearly important to recognize that it is only us that can 
begin to reframe the old-fashioned attitudes about ``lock'em up.'' We 
know that there was a period of time, Mr. Speaker, when it was a shift 
so that schools and the education system were saying: Get the bad 
apples out of your classroom, not even into the principal's office or 
not even into the auditorium for detention.
  They leaped from the classroom into the hands of law enforcement 
officers who then, as we have seen some of the untoward actions, had to 
wrestle them down or there was emotional encounters, but they went 
downtown, as many of us would say, to the county jail or to the 
detention center.
  We hope that we will provide other tools to be able to intervene on 
behaviors by way of providing resources to some of our well-documented 
groups and organizations and new ones that have creative ways of 
intervening in a juvenile's life. How many of us have heard the story 
of how a pilot, a lawyer, a doctor started out their life, and then how 
they wound up as being contributing citizens because someone 
intervened. This bill is about intervention.
  In addition to reauthorizing the juvenile justice programs, the 
Tiffany Joslyn Juvenile Accountability Block Grant, and the Bullying 
Prevention and Intervention Act clarifies how to address the 
occurrences of bullying through developmentally appropriate 
intervention and prevention techniques, which center on evidence-based 
models and best practices.
  Best practices bring people together, because it doesn't matter 
whether you are Republican or Democrat, it brings people together, and 
that is best practices that rely on schools and communities rather than 
the involvement from law enforcement and the justice system.
  What we want is to put a big red stop sign in front of the life of 
every juvenile that might be awry with the system, and procedures and 
rules to be able to find an alternative way.
  H.R. 494 is designed to help both the victims and perpetrators of 
bullying. Research studies have shown that approximately 25 percent of 
school bullies will be convicted of a criminal offense in their adult 
years. Let's put a stop sign there. Let's not have that happen.

                              {time}  1300

  We also recognize that cyberbullying has become an epidemic, 
particularly for young people. Their life is centered around 
technology. Many times they are in their home, bedroom, et cetera, only 
with technology, and they use that in a way--because their brains are 
not matured until 25 and over, they use it in a way that they don't 
fully comprehend how vicious, how devastating this could be to the 
receiver of that information, how exposing that could be to the 
receiver of that information.
  Let's get in their lives. Let's use this legislation to do so.
  It also includes provisions for gang prevention programs which will 
help guide our children toward socially beneficial paths. If we want 
our children to learn, we must be able to maintain a safe and healthy 
school environment.
  Bullying is a massive issue in our Nation's schools. Over the years, 
I have worked with young children as young as 10 or 12. Some of them 
have organized their own antibullying organizations, looking to us to 
affirm them, and I hope in this legislation we will have the 
opportunity to do so. If we want our children to learn, that is what we 
must do.
  The National Center for Educational Studies shows that 14 percent of 
12- to 18-year-olds surveyed reported being victims of direct or 
indirect bullying. One out of four kids is bullied. Cyberbullying is in 
the midst of that. That is why I urge my colleagues to support this 
important legislation.
  I also urge them to consider that we may have short memories on some 
things, but I am sure many of us can go back and remember that middle 
school, that early age leading up to 18 and then going off, some to 
college and some on, at some point, to work. We remember that 
indecisive moment. We remember wanting to have friends and wanting to 
be liked. And then we remember the alternative of those who might take 
advantage of that.
  With that in mind, here we are with an opportunity to deal with best 
practices and to help our young people in the best way possible.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support the ``Tiffany Joslyn Juvenile 
Accountability Block Grant Reauthorization and the Bullying Prevention 
and Intervention Act'', which we passed in the last Congress, here in 
the House.
  This bill is named for Tiffany May Joslyn, a champion for criminal 
justice reform, who served as Deputy Chief Counsel of the Crime 
Subcommittee and whose life tragically was cut short on March 5, 2016, 
in a car accident, which sadly also claimed the life of her brother, 
Derrick. She was just 33 years old.
  So passage of this bill last Congress in this body, was both bitter 
and sweet. Tiffany would have been proud, as she championed these 
causes fearlessly. This moment is for both her and for all the millions 
of young people that will be helped by this bill.
  The Tiffany Joslyn bill will help stem the epidemic of juveniles 
within the criminal justice system by reauthorizing the Juvenile 
Accountability Block Grant program (JABG) and providing funding to 
state and local governments for the creation of bullying and gang 
prevention programs.
  It also includes provisions for gang prevention programs, which will 
help guide our children towards socially beneficial paths.
  If we want our children to learn, we must be able to maintain a safe 
and healthy school environment. Bullying is a massive issue in our 
nation's schools.
  The National Center for Educational Studies reports show that 14 
percent of 12- to 18-year-olds surveyed, reported being victims of 
direct or indirect bullying. One out of 4 kids is bullied.
  This is why I urge my colleagues to support this important 
legislation.
  It will authorize such appropriations as may be necessary, which is 
anticipated to be at least $30 million per year.
  In addition to reauthorizing juvenile justice programs, the Tiffany 
Joselyn Juvenile Accountability Block Grant Reauthorization and

[[Page H1405]]

the Bullying Prevention and Intervention Act clarifies how to address 
the occurrences of bullying through developmentally appropriate 
intervention and prevention techniques, which center on evidence-based 
models and best practices that rely on schools and communities rather 
than involvement from law enforcement and the justice system.
  H.R. 494 is designed to help both the victims and perpetrators of 
bullying. Research studies have shown that approximately 25 percent of 
school bullies will be convicted of a criminal offense in their adult 
years.
  Bullying is not just in a schoolyard anymore; it is a crisis that's 
taking over our nation. Gone are the days that children can come home 
and seek solace and escape from their bullies; technological advances 
have made it easy for young people to be tormented on social networks 
at any time from any place.
  They are never out of harm's reach. This needs to end. Americans 
children should be protected, and no child should be persecuted for 
exercising their American right to be themselves.
  It is time for us to come to a conclusive solution to America's 
bullying crisis so that we may keep all of our children safe.
  My bill, H.R. 494, provides the solution that we need.
  This is why I support this bill and ask my colleagues to do the same.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  I rise today in support of H.R. 494, the Tiffany Joslyn Juvenile 
Accountability Block Grant Program Reauthorization Act of 2019. The 
bill reauthorizes the Justice Department's Juvenile Accountability 
Block Grant--JABG--program, strengthens the program to reduce youth 
crime, and contains vigorous accountability and oversight mechanisms to 
ensure taxpayer dollars are efficiently and wisely utilized.
  I would like to say thank you to the sponsor of this legislation, 
Congresswoman Jackson Lee, for her hard work and, as she just explained 
in great detail, the many things about this bill that are good for us 
and why I would support this bill.
  When young people commit crimes, it has a serious and long-lasting 
detrimental impact. Our children represent the promise of a bright 
future and the hope for continued prosperity. That means improving the 
juvenile justice system and reducing juvenile crimes is crucial to 
preserving and protecting the future of our children and our Nation.
  The JABG program provides grants to States, Tribes, and localities to 
strengthen juvenile justice systems and reduce recidivism among 
offenders.
  The program currently has 17 authorized purpose areas, including the 
implementation of graduated sanctions for juveniles; support for 
prosecutorial initiatives aimed at curbing drug use, violence, and 
gangs; accountability-based school safety initiatives; the 
establishment of juvenile drug courts; and bullying and cyberbullying 
prevention.
  The JABG has a long history of bipartisan support among members of 
the Judiciary Committee and in Congress as a whole.
  Again, I thank my colleague, Congresswoman Jackson Lee, for her hard 
work on this legislation, and I would encourage my colleagues to 
support this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Let me, first of all, thank the ranking member for his kind support 
of this legislation. I think we have been together long enough to know 
how important this kind of work is; and a tribute to his father, who 
certainly probably ran across a few juveniles in the course of his work 
as a law enforcement officer. So I thank the gentleman so very much.
  I want to thank the chairman of the committee, Mr. Nadler, for his 
support of this legislation and continued work in this area.
  Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to yield such time as he may consume 
to the distinguished gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Johnson), the chair on 
the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise in support of H.R. 
494, the Tiffany Joslyn Juvenile Accountability Block Grant Program 
Reauthorization Act of 2019.
  We cannot, as a nation, continue to condemn our children into the 
criminal justice system. African American youth are significantly more 
likely to be tried as adults. In 2014, although Black youth were only 
14 percent of the juvenile population, they represented 52 percent of 
the youth tried as adults in this country.
  This legislation reauthorizes important programs that ensure 
sentences for our young people are appropriate and not excessive, and 
it funds accountability-based programs to intervene when youth are most 
vulnerable in the system. I support this legislation, and I urge my 
colleagues to do the same.
  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I have no other additional 
speakers for this and would inquire of the gentlewoman from Texas if 
she is ready to close on this piece of legislation.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, let me thank the gentleman.
  We are inquiring, and I am just going to say it publicly. We were 
about to engage the ranking member, but we are inquiring to be sure 
that the bill is complete. Its language was, ``and Anti-Bullying and 
Intervention Act.'' That is what the bill has carried over a period of 
time, so I was trying to get a ruling about that addition to the title.
  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Is it my understanding the gentlewoman is 
asking for a correction to the short title? Is that what we are looking 
for?
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. That is clearly what we are trying to do. If I might 
engage the gentleman in a dialogue: it reads, ``the Tiffany Joslyn 
Juvenile Accountability Block Grant Program Reauthorization Act,'' and 
it has always read, over the years, ``and Anti-Bullying and 
Intervention Act.'' It is in my text here, ``and the Bullying 
Prevention and Intervention Act.''
  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. I see the gentlewoman's concern here on lines 
4, 5, and 6 of the bill. I mean, are we awaiting a ruling from----

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. We are awaiting a ruling, and may have to--but I at 
least want to get it on the Record. You see what I am saying?
  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. I understand.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. And that is the name that has been carried over the 
years that we have had----
  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Look, personally, from my perspective, to 
continue our colloquy here, I have no problem with the name. I think it 
was probably an oversight in drafting from a previous time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. I believe so.
  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. But I am not sure how we would do it at this 
point, unless we could agree.


                        Parliamentary Inquiries

  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, parliamentary inquiry.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will state his parliamentary 
inquiry.
  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. From an inquiry position, is it possible here 
that we could unanimous consent a change to this title?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman may withdraw her pending 
motion and re-offer the motion with the amended text.
  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, continuing my parliamentary 
inquiry, could it also be a possibility for the gentlewoman to 
understand that this is the intent, and we have this into the Record; 
that if she was to move ahead with this, that I am sure this will be 
probably well-respected and well-founded in the Senate; that we could 
make the change in the Senate and have it back over for us so that we 
could make this, and not hold up the further proceedings today?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. That is not a proper parliamentary inquiry.
  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Well, it is a proper question.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, if I might, I assume I can proceed.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from Texas is recognized.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. First of all, I want to thank the ranking member for 
his courtesies, and thank the committees for their courtesies.
  I would not desire to not move forward H.R. 494. So any motion for 
amending at this time, I would like unanimous consent to withdraw and 
to emphasize what the bill is in my debate.

[[Page H1406]]

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Does the gentlewoman seek to withdraw the 
pending motion?
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. I seek to not withdraw H.R. 494, just any request 
for editing the legislation.
  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Will the gentlewoman yield?
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. I yield to the gentleman.
  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. If I hear the gentlewoman correctly, what she 
is asking is continuing as we were 5 minutes ago into this process and 
continuing on. Is that the gentlewoman's intention?
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. That is my desire at this time.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. Does the gentleman?
  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. No, I do not.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  So I will close at this time asking for support of this legislation. 
But as I do so, I cannot help but thank--I think we have had----
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from Texas will suspend.
  The gentleman from Georgia is recognized to close debate on his side, 
and then the gentlewoman will close.
  The gentleman from Georgia is recognized.
  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, obviously, the gentlewoman from 
Texas has ultimate passion on this bill and I would not say anything 
except that we support this legislation. We look forward to moving it. 
I am sure that she will be able to make any changes she needs to.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I thank the gentleman from Georgia for engaging in the colloquy on 
this important issue, and I think we have created a record that 
indicates that this bill is the Tiffany Joslyn Juvenile Accountability 
Block Grant Program Reauthorization Act, and it does cover bullying 
prevention and intervention, and we will move forward with that 
understanding and recognize the importance of those elements of the 
bill.
  I want to just take a moment in my closing to acknowledge again the 
National Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Coalition and to 
indicate their support for a bill that has gone unfunded now for 6 
years, and to indicate in their letter that H.R. 494 updates the JABG 
to reflect current research and practices; incentivizes States to use 
graduated sanctions and incentives grounded in positive youth 
development; enhanced antibullying measures, gang prevention programs, 
and additional youth violence prevention and intervention services. It 
also updates the JABG to include evidence-based practices such as 
trauma-informed practices and mental healthcare.

  I am excited about this legislation. And I close by saying bullying 
is not just a schoolyard action anymore; it is a crisis that is taking 
over our Nation.
  Gone are the days that children can come home and seek solace and 
escape from their bullies. Technological advances have made it easy for 
young people to be tormented on social networks at any time from any 
place. They are never out of harm's reach.
  This needs to end. American children should be protected, and no 
child should be persecuted for existing or exercising their American 
right to just be themselves. It is time for us to come to a conclusive 
solution to America's bullying crisis so that we may keep all of our 
children safe. I think we are on the right path by passing H.R. 494 and 
moving it to the Senate. That is why I support this bill and ask my 
colleagues to do the same.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 494, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________