[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 115 (Wednesday, July 10, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H5332-H5334]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       21ST CENTURY PRESIDENT ACT

  Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 677) to amend gendered terms in Federal law relating to the 
President and the President's spouse.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 677

       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 ``21st Century President 
     Act''.

     SEC. 2. MODERNIZATION OF TERMS RELATING TO THE PRESIDENT AND 
                   THE SPOUSE OF A PRESIDENT.

       Section 879(b)(1)(A) of title 18, United States Code, is 
     amended by striking ``the wife of a former President during 
     his lifetime, the widow of a former President until her death 
     or remarriage'' and inserting ``the spouse of a former 
     President during a former President's lifetime, the surviving 
     spouse of a former President until the surviving spouse's 
     death or remarriage''.

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


                             General Leave

  Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 
5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California?

[[Page H5333]]

  There was no objection.
  Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, there will be a time in this country when the President 
of the United States will have a husband and not a wife. In preparation 
for that day, I urge the House to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 677, 
the 21st Century President Act, which removes gender terms from current 
law criminalizing threats against former Presidents and their families.
  Currently, we have a law that makes it unlawful to threaten to kill, 
kidnap, or inflict bodily harm upon a former President, President-
elect, Vice President-elect, or a major candidate for President, or 
Vice President, or their immediate family member.
  The statute, however, defines immediate family with terms such as: 
``wife,'' ``her,'' and ``widow,'' which makes presumptions that will 
not stand the test of the future of this country.
  At present, one member of the LGBTQ community and six women have 
declared themselves to be candidates for the Presidency. Whether or not 
any of these candidates is nominated or elected, it is clear that the 
terminology in our law is outdated and should be changed to refer to 
the spouse of a former President.
  The words we use shape the world in which we live. We should act 
accordingly. I support H.R. 677, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate this. I think the bill is a good bill. It 
does exactly what it needs to do, and it clarifies for the future. I 
encourage everyone to vote ``yes,'' and I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
Wisconsin (Mr. Pocan).

                              {time}  1600

  Mr. POCAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Representative for the time.
  The current field of Presidential candidates looks more like American 
society than ever before, and we are closer than ever to the 
possibility that a woman or LGBT person could hold the country's 
highest office.
  We have decades of activism by women and the LGBT community to thank 
for this fact, and the least Congress can do is to ensure the law 
recognizes the progress our country has made.
  We have come a long way from 1872 when Victoria Woodhull became the 
first woman to seek the Presidency, decades before women won the right 
to vote. Today, six women, more than ever before, are running for 
President.
  Almost 100 years after the passage of the 19th Amendment, and thanks 
to trailblazers like Victoria Woodhull, Shirley Chisholm, and Hillary 
Clinton, we are closer than ever before to having a woman in the Oval 
Office.
  In 2012, Fred Karger, a Republican, was the first openly LGBT 
candidate for President, and the 2020 Democratic Presidential field 
includes one openly LGBT candidate.
  The landmark 2015 Supreme Court decision making gay marriage legal in 
all 50 States means that a future President may have a spouse of the 
same sex.
  Unfortunately, current Federal law is outdated and does not reflect 
the reality that we could have a female or gay President as soon as 
2021.
  Today's bill updates Federal law to reflect the possibility of a 
female or LGBT President by replacing gendered terms like ``wife'' and 
``widow'' with ``spouse.'' It also replaces gender-specific pronouns 
when referring to the President and their spouse with gender-neutral 
terms.
  Without this change, the law that makes it a crime to threaten to 
kill, kidnap, or inflict bodily harm upon the President or the 
President's family would fail to include a future female or gay 
President.
  The words we use matter, and it is critically important that the law 
recognizes that soon we will have a President who is not a straight 
man.
  I thank the chairman, the ranking member, and all the members of the 
committee for their support of this important bipartisan bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the 21st Century 
President Act.
  Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, let me thank the gentlewoman for 
yielding and let me thank the sponsor of the legislation, the 21st 
Century President Act.
  I wanted to affirm Congressman Pocan for the leadership that he has 
given to an issue that many might not pay attention to, and the term is 
appropriate, the 21st Century President Act, which deals with 
criminalizing threats against former Presidents and their families as 
well as providing security for those individuals who may be impacted.
  For example, section 879 of title 18, enacted in 1982 after the 
assassination attempt on then-President Ronald Reagan, makes it 
unlawful to threaten to kill, kidnap, or inflict bodily harm upon a 
former President, President-elect, or Vice President-elect or major 
candidate for President or Vice President or an immediate family 
member. In the terminology, as has been indicated, the terms are 
defined as ``wife,'' ``her,'' and ``widow,'' which presumes that the 
President of the United States will always be a man and his spouse will 
always be a woman.
  We are very fortunate to have any number of wonderful Americans 
running who will have the opportunity to serve. Many women are running. 
Certainly, individuals from our LGBTQ community will be in the future 
mix for President of the United States.
  I thank the gentleman from Wisconsin for bringing us into the 21st 
century, being enthusiastic about recognizing the importance of 
ensuring the safety and security of those who may be running as 
candidates, those who may be serving who come from the wide, vast 
diversity of America.
  It is clear that the time has come for the language to change to a 
neutral term of ``spouse'' to refer to the partner of the President of 
the United States.
  It is also important that we update our laws to welcome 
enthusiastically the idea that America, excitingly, will have an 
opportunity to elect a unique and different person to the Presidency of 
the United States, competent, qualified, and able to serve.
  I rise to support the 21st Century President Act. The language speaks 
to the idea of the new and exciting opportunity for this great country.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 677, the ``21st 
Century President Act,'' introduced by my good friend, the gentleman 
from Wisconsin, Congressman Mark Pocan.
  I support this legislation, which updates the current statutory 
provision set forth in 18 U.S.C. 879 criminalizing threats against 
former presidents and their families.
  It does this by removing the gendered terms from the statute.
  Section 879 of title 18, enacted in 1982 after the assassination 
attempt on then-President Ronald Reagan, makes it unlawful to threaten 
to kill, kidnap or inflict bodily harm upon a former President, 
President-elect, or Vice President-elect, or a major candidate for 
President or Vice President, or [an] ``immediate family'' member.
  ``Immediate family,'' however is defined with terms such as `wife,' 
`her,' and `widow'--which presumes the president will always be a man 
and his spouse will always be a woman.
  H.R. 677, the 21st Century President Act makes an important 
contribution in recognition of the historic progress we have made in 
our country.
  In 2016, the Democratic party, one of America's two major political 
parties, nominated a woman to be its standard bearer and nominee of 
President of the United States.
  The change that will be made by enacting the 21st Century President 
Act is particularly appropriate at this moment.
  Competing for the 2020 presidential nomination of their party are six 
women candidates and a member of the LGBTQ community.
  It is clear that the time has come for the language to change to a 
neutral term of ``spouse'' to refer to the partner of the president.
  Under current law, it is assumed that the President of the United 
States is male, and the spouse is female.
  This accords with America's past, but does not reflect its future.
  It is time for Congress to change the law.
  Equality is a principle that we must always embrace and affirm, and a 
principle that we must always keep working to advance and secure for 
every American.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 677 
to amend federal law to recognize that persons other than men

[[Page H5334]]

can and will be President, and presidential spouses will not always be 
female.
  Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, it is essential that we update our statutes when 
necessary. H.R. 677 does exactly that. It simply amends current law so 
that it is more inclusive and reflective of our society.
  I thank the gentleman from Wisconsin, Representative Mark Pocan, for 
identifying this problem in the law and for introducing this bill to 
rectify it. H.R. 677 will indeed take this law into the 21st century, 
as the title suggests.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense 
measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Bass) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 677.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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