[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 53 (Thursday, March 24, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1775-S1777]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Mr. KAINE (for himself, Ms. Baldwin, Ms. Smith, and Mr. 
        Murphy):
  S. 3913. A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act with respect 
to public health data accessibility, and for other purposes; to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused 
extraordinary challenges for our Nation's public health system and put 
a spotlight on longstanding gaps in public health preparedness. Our 
Nation's public health system needs accurate, timely, and high-quality 
data to protect the public from emerging health threats and to respond 
to existing public health emergencies.
  For far too long, gaps in data infrastructure have prevented 
policymakers and public health officials from quickly translating 
public health data into their decisionmaking. Outdated and inconsistent 
public health data systems have made it hard for Federal, State, local, 
Tribal, and territorial public health departments to get a full picture 
of the COVID-19 crisis. In turn, these data gaps have made it difficult 
for public health departments to tailor their responses. Specifically, 
inconsistent definitions of data, ambiguous reporting requirements, and 
data accessibility issues have hindered the U.S. response to the COVID-
19 pandemic and prevented the timely communication of public health 
data.
  We know that effective pandemic prevention and response requires 
coordinated efforts between public health

[[Page S1776]]

officials across all levels of government. Today, I am pleased to 
introduce with my colleagues, Senators Baldwin, Smith, and Murphy, the 
Improving Data Accessibility Through Advancements in Public Health Act, 
or the Improving DATA in Public Health Act, to use the lessons learned 
from the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that our Nation's public health 
system has the data capabilities to address and prevent future 
pandemics.
  The Improving DATA in Public Health Act amends public health data 
systems' modernization provisions in current law by establishing a 
timeline for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to 
disseminate data standards to improve the exchange of electronic public 
health data. The bill also directs the Secretary of the Department of 
Health and Human Services to expand the access, exchange, and use of 
public health data by improving data sharing between Federal Agencies 
and State and local public health systems when preparing for, 
identifying, monitoring, and responding to public health emergencies.
  The Improving DATA in Public Health Act also expands upon existing 
data modernization efforts by commissioning a study on improving 
electronic data standards and reporting between laboratories and public 
health data systems. Finally, the legislation calls for the development 
of best practices to improve the quality and completeness of 
demographic data to support equitable public health responses.
  The Improving DATA in Public Health Act will strengthen our public 
health data systems and take commonsense steps to improve our ability 
to prevent and respond to future pandemics.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. HEINRICH (for himself and Ms. Collins):
  S. 3918. A bill to establish programs to improve family economic 
security by breaking the cycle of multigenerational poverty, and for 
other purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I rise today to join my colleague from 
New Mexico, Senator Heinrich, in introducing the Two-Generation 
Economic Empowerment Act. Our bipartisan bill would support an 
innovative approach to fighting poverty, one that focuses on addressing 
the needs of children and their parents or other primary caregiver--
two-generations together--in order to help break the cycle of 
intergenerational poverty.
  Far too many American families are living below the poverty line, and 
the prolonged public health and economic crisis has exacerbated this 
problem. In 2020, when COVID-19 shut down our communities and economy, 
we unfortunately saw the first increase in poverty after 5 consecutive 
years of decline. Nearly 38 million people, or about 1 in 10 Americans, 
lived below the poverty line in 2020. Sadly, this includes nearly 11 
million children, 35,000 of whom live in Maine. Despite recent 
progress, Maine's child poverty rate is still higher than all of the 
other New England States except Rhode Island.
  While Federal programs have helped many of those living in poverty 
manage day-to-day hardships, they are falling short of breaking the 
cycle of poverty that has trapped too many families. As Tomas 
Philipson, an economist who served previously as the Acting Chairman of 
the Council of Economic Advisers, recently wrote in the Wall Street 
Journal, ``you don't cut poverty by increasing reliance on government. 
You do it by making them self-reliant.''
  Our legislation marks an important first step toward reevaluating our 
approach to poverty-reducing programs and encouraging innovative, more 
effective uses of taxpayer dollars. We support an approach aimed at 
equipping both parents and their children with the tools they need to 
have opportunities to succeed and become self-sufficient. Oftentimes, 
Federal programs intended to help low-income individuals address 
challenges in silos, over looking the fact that the needs of family 
members are usually interconnected. Our bill seeks to change that. For 
example, helping a mother secure safe, high-quality childcare can have 
a positive impact on her ability to succeed in the workforce, as well 
as improving her child's ability to be ready for school. While that 
child receives care and an education, her mother can connect with 
skills training that could lead to a better paying job. Connecting 
various Federal programs that target both parents and children with 
supports aimed at increasing economic security, educational success, 
social capital, and health and well-being has the potential to lift 
whole families out of poverty.
  Listen to the story of Kaytlyn Robbins, a mother of four who recently 
relocated to Windham, ME, from Aroostook County, where a two-
generation, or whole family, approach to economic mobility helped her 
turn her life around. I had the privilege of meeting Kaytlyn in August 
2020 at a roundtable hosted by the Aroostook County Community Action 
Program, ACAP.
  When Kaytlyn first connected with ACAP, she was living in a homeless 
shelter, battling with substance use, and had just lost custody of her 
young daughter. With the assistance of ACAP's Whole Family Program, she 
worked with a career counselor to set new goals for herself and created 
a customized plan to refocus and transform her life.
  ACAP established a work experience for Kaytlyn at a local recovery 
center in Caribou, which later became a full-time job. She was able to 
secure safe housing and was reunited with her daughter, whom the team 
assisted with childcare placement. Kaytlyn is now thriving and told me 
she is ``healing as a family unit.'' She is married and has a new baby 
who just turned 1. Professionally, she is now a registered recovery 
coach and recently started up a nonprofit dedicated to substance use 
disorder recovery coaching, peer groups, and community education. 
Kaytlyn and her family are just one example of how the two-generation 
approach can truly transform a family and put them on a path towards 
economic independence. With legislation like the Two-Generation 
Economic Empowerment Act, I am confident we can recreate thousands of 
success stories like Kaytlyn's and expand upon successful programming 
like that offered by ACAP.
  Specifically, the bill we are introducing would codify an Interagency 
Council on Economic Mobility to better coordinate Federal efforts that 
are aimed at supporting vulnerable families and moving them out of 
poverty. The council would also make recommendations to Congress about 
ways to improve coordination of anti-poverty programs and to identify 
best practices. While I applaud ongoing efforts across the Federal 
Government to implement two-generation strategies, this council is 
needed to tackle logistical challenges, such as lack of coordination 
and communication across Agencies--and in some cases different entities 
within a single Department--and to improve the dissemination of 
information and best practices. In fact, a recent nonpartisan 
Government Accountability Office, GAO, report that Senator Heinrich and 
I requested confirmed that more coordination at the Federal level would 
provide the critical assistance and flexibility States and localities 
need to develop and implement two-gen policies to improve family well-
being. This report from 2020 underscores why adoption of our 
legislation, particularly its emphasis on increasing the coordination 
of services, is critical to a robust two-gen approach.
  Our bill would also authorize a performance pilot program that would 
provide additional flexibility for States and local governments to 
improve the administration of poverty-reducing programs. To-Generation 
Performance Partnerships would be piloted in five States, which would 
be able to blend similarly purposed funds across multiple Federal 
programs. Two-generation approaches are often created ``from the bottom 
up,'' meaning local organizations and States are at the forefront of 
responding to local or regional needs. The Federal Government should be 
empowering States and local organizations with the flexibility to be 
creative problem solvers. For this reason, our legislation would reduce 
duplicative reporting and application requirements that may deter local 
agencies and organizations from making the most effective use of 
taxpayer dollars. To ensure accountability, the bill would require that 
these pilot programs be targeted at specific, poverty-reducing 
outcomes.

[[Page S1777]]

  With the Two-Generation Economic Empowerment Act, we have the chance 
to make a permanent difference in the lives of families and to break 
the multigenerational cycle of poverty. Just as a child's ZIP Code 
should not determine his or her future success, the current 
bureaucratic, siloed approach to aid should not stand in the way of 
helping families escape poverty. As Ascend at the Aspen Institute--a 
key partner on this legislation--recently observed, ``Today's economic 
and public health crisis demands the innovation, inclusiveness, 
collaboration, coordination, and flexibility that the 2Gen approach 
provides.''
  In addition to strong support from national organizations like Ascend 
at the Aspen Institute and National Community Action Partnership, the 
Maine Community Action Partnership and the Maine Head Start Directors' 
Association have endorsed this important legislation. I very much 
appreciate their support.
  I urge my colleagues to join in supporting this innovative approach 
to moving families out of poverty by giving them the tools they need to 
succeed.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. PADILLA (for himself, Mr. Menendez, and Mr. Warnock):
  S. 3929. A bill to provide for disadvantaged business enterprise 
supportive services programs at modal administrations of the Department 
of Transportation, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Environment and Public Works.
  Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of the 
Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Supportive Services Expansion Act and 
the Accelerating Small Business Growth Act, which I introduced today.
  The unprecedented investment in American infrastructure over the next 
decade provides a major opportunity to strengthen our most underserved 
businesses and communities. Providing resources to help develop women-
owned, minority-owned, and disadvantaged businesses will uplift our 
entire economy, and it is how we truly build back better.
  Last year, President Biden set a goal of increasing the share of 
Federal contracts going to small, disadvantaged businesses by 50 
percent by 2025, which would translate to an additional $100 billion 
for these businesses.
  To help accomplish this ambitious goal, we should empower Federal, 
State, and local agencies to deliver resources to underserved 
businesses to help them become self-sufficient and grow.
  Established in 1970, the Federal Highway Administration's 
Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Supportive Services Program already 
provides training, assistance, and services to minority- and women-
owned businesses to help them develop into self-sufficient 
organizations that viably compete for federally assisted highway 
project contracts. Unfortunately, Congress has not allowed this program 
to keep up with the needs of our underserved businesses.
  The Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Supportive Services Expansion 
Act would increase this program's annual funding cap for the first time 
in nearly 50 years from $10 million to $25 million. Additionally, the 
bill would create similar programs at the Federal Aviation 
Administration and the Federal Transit Administration.
  Local, regional, and State agencies have also been leaders in 
developing innovative programs to prioritize disadvantaged businesses, 
invest in efforts to create equitable competition, and promote diverse 
economic development initiatives.
  The Accelerating Small Business Growth Act would create a new grant 
program to help transportation agencies across our Nation carry out 
these innovative programs to help underserved businesses grow and 
achieve proficiency to compete, on an equal basis, for contracts and 
subcontracts in federally funded transportation projects. Agencies that 
receive funding through this grant program would be required to submit 
reports to the Department of Transportation evaluating the 
effectiveness of their activities, which would help inform future 
Federal procurement policymaking.
  I want to thank Representatives Pete Aguilar and Jimmy Gomez for co-
leading these bills with me, and I hope colleagues will join us in 
support of this legislation to minority-owned, women-owned, and 
disadvantaged businesses compete for contracts to develop and build 
Federal infrastructure projects funded by the bipartisan infrastructure 
law.

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