[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 186 (Wednesday, November 20, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H9064]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        SUPPORT THE K-9 HERO ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Wright) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WRIGHT. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to have introduced the K-9 Hero 
Act last week.
  Military and law enforcement K-9s work in tandem with the brave men 
and women who serve our great Nation. Once these heroes retire from 
service, the medical treatment they need is often significant enough to 
create a financial hardship for the individuals who care for them.
  The K-9 Hero Act creates a grant program to assist nonprofits that 
take in retired working dogs or provide financial assistance to the 
owners of retired working dogs. These grants will cover medical costs, 
such as veterinarian visits, medical procedures, diagnostic tests, and 
medications, which tend to average around $3,000 per year per dog.
  As most know, just a few weeks ago, a K-9 played a crucial role in 
the capture and ultimate killing of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. 
This K-9 took off, racing down an underground tunnel before cornering 
Baghdadi, leaving him nowhere to run. It is stories like these that 
inspired me to introduce the K-9 Hero Act.
  These dogs assist our Federal Government in ways that no man or 
machine could, and it is unacceptable to me for them to live with 
inadequate medical care--or even be euthanized, in some cases--after 
sacrificing so much for our country.
  This bill helps ensure these heroes are well taken care of during 
retirement and that their need for medical care never prevents them 
from finding a loving forever home. My K-9-loving colleagues on both 
sides of the aisle, I believe, should support this legislation.


                   Stop the Practice of Teleabortion

  Mr. WRIGHT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my outrage over the 
practice of teleabortion. This practice, which gets its name from 
practitioners conducting abortions over the phone or computer, occurs 
when chemical abortions are induced with no healthcare provider 
present.
  This practice sounds simple, except the woman taking the drugs isn't 
in a medical facility, no certified medical personnel are present, and 
if the drugs don't work as planned and the baby is not stillborn, it 
may still end up in a dumpster and the mother may end up in an 
emergency room.
  The obvious danger is why I filed H.R. 4935, the Teleabortion 
Prevention Act. This legislation protects women's health by making it a 
Federal offense for healthcare providers to perform a chemical abortion 
without first physically examining the patient, being present during 
the chemical abortion, and scheduling a follow-up visit for the 
patient.
  Chemical abortions are induced using a two-step abortion pill regimen 
that can be taken up until the ninth week of pregnancy. Given the 
serious risks, the FDA has put regulations in place, but pro-abortion 
groups are looking for ways to get around the law.
  If these FDA regulations are ever lifted, chemical abortion drugs 
could become available by prescription, enabling a single healthcare 
provider to mail chemical abortion pills to women and young girls 
across the country, regardless of State pro-life protections and 
whether they have seen a doctor and had an ultrasound performed. This 
legislation ensures these much-needed FDA regulations will not be 
lifted.
  No doctor should feel comfortable prescribing a life-ending 
pharmaceutical drug without physically being there to administer it to 
the patient.
  If the woman's health argument is really more than subterfuge that 
puts dressing on a tragedy, I urge my colleagues to join me in passing 
H.R. 4935, the Teleabortion Prevention Act.


                  National Medal of Honor Monument Act

  Mr. WRIGHT. Mr. Speaker, I rise because yesterday I had the privilege 
of introducing the National Medal of Honor Monument Act, with my fellow 
Texan, Congressman Marc Veasey.
  Over the course of our history, over 3,500 United States servicemen 
and -women have been honored with our Nation's highest military 
decoration, the Medal of Honor.
  The Medal of Honor is awarded to U.S. servicemembers who have 
distinguished themselves with extraordinary acts of valor. These men 
and women I am referring to went above and beyond the call of duty on 
the battlefield in order to preserve our families and way of life.
  This legislation ensures that their contribution and patriotism are 
never forgotten. These heroic individuals deserve to be memorialized 
with a monument in our Nation's Capitol, among the other great 
Americans that have helped shape our Nation.
  In Texas, we celebrate patriotism, American ideals, and our Nation's 
heroes. Earlier this fall, the National Medal of Honor Museum 
Foundation chose my hometown of Arlington, Texas, as the location for 
the new National Medal of Honor Museum. This legislation makes it 
official.
  Congratulations to Mayor Williams and the rest of Arlington's 
leadership for bringing it to the 6.8 million Dallas-Ft. Worth 
residents and the over 14 million visitors Arlington welcomes each year 
and, most importantly, the 1.8 million veterans and Active-Duty 
military that call Texas home.

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