[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 149 (Thursday, September 15, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4632-S4633]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                       Business Before the Senate

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, the 117th Congress is drawing to a close, 
and there is a lot we need to do before the end of the year when the 
117th Congress is no more.
  At the top of that list, of course, are must-pass bills. In the next 
couple of weeks, the Senate is expected to pass a short-term funding 
bill to avert a government shutdown. Later this year, we will either 
have to pass another short-term extension or a full government funding 
package, otherwise known around here as an omnibus.
  On top of that, Congress needs to pass the National Defense 
Authorization Act, which it has done 61 years in a row. The majority 
leader has, so far, declined to put that bill on the floor. This is a 
piece of legislation that provides our men and women in uniform the 
training they need and the equipment they need to fight and win 
America's wars and, hopefully, to prevent a war. It also supports our 
military families, and with an all-volunteer military like we have, it 
is critical that Congress step up and not only provide for those who 
wear the uniform but for those who also serve as members of that 
military member's family.
  Even though these major pieces of legislation garner most of the 
attention, there are countless other bills that need to reach the 
President's desk before the end of this Congress. As the Presiding 
Officer knows, if a bill passes one Chamber but doesn't pass both and 
isn't signed into law, it literally expires. Many of these bills pass 
the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support but continue to collect 
dust on the House calendar.
  One of those bills is the Jenna Quinn Law, which I have spoken about 
many times here on the Senate floor.
  This legislation carries the name of a brave young woman from Texas 
who was a survivor of child sexual assault. Jenna, as a result of her 
own terrible experience, has made it her mission to end the cycle of 
abuse that harms children and communities across the country. Her work 
is having a big impact. She was the inspiration behind the 2009 Texas 
law that requires training for teachers, caregivers, and other adults 
who work with children on how to prevent, recognize, and report child 
sexual abuse. Since then, a number of other States have passed similar 
laws, but this training lacks a source of funding in many instances, 
and that is where the Jenna Quinn Law comes into play.
  I introduced this bill with Senator Hassan of New Hampshire to 
finally back those training sessions with Federal funding through 
grants from the Department of Health and Human Services. We initially 
introduced the bill last Congress, and it passed the Senate 
unanimously. Unfortunately, it became a political hostage and was used 
to try to exert leverage to advance a partisan bill that stood no 
chance of passage. So here we are, 2 years later, and the bill is, once 
again, stuck in House purgatory. It has now passed the Senate twice--
both times with unanimous support--but for some inexplicable reason, 
the House refuses to even hold a vote.

  This is an issue that is way too important for politics. The children 
who suffer as a result of child abuse and neglect continue to suffer. 
As for the caregivers who might be able, as a result of the training 
they receive, to identify a child who is suffering from the abuse, that 
training is not occurring as a result of the intransigence of the House 
of Representatives.
  So I would implore of Speaker Pelosi, Leader Hoyer, and other 
Democratic leaders in the House who control the majority to please pass 
this critical legislation.
  Here is another great example of a bill that passed the Senate but 
which is stuck in the House.
  Last year, the Senate passed a bipartisan bill I introduced with 
Senator Whitehouse of Rhode Island, called the Residential Substance 
Use Disorder Treatment Act, to help incarcerated individuals who are 
struggling with drug abuse.
  There is a well-established link between drug abuse and crime. In 
order for these individuals who have the requisite desire to try to 
turn their lives around to have the best shot at living healthy and 
productive lives, they need to break the cycle of addiction. The 
Residential Substance Use Disorder Treatment Act provides incarcerated 
individuals with access to treatment for their substance use disorders. 
This treatment is coupled with programs to prepare these men and women 
to reenter society, and it provides them with community-based treatment 
once they are released.
  We learned, from experience in Texas, that it is not enough just to 
give people who commit nonviolent crimes an opportunity to improve 
themselves while they are in prison. There also needs to be follow-on 
services to support them, particularly if they are trying to recover 
from their addictions.
  Our bill updates the program and expands access to treatment in jails 
and prisons around the country so we can reduce recidivism and build 
safer and healthier communities. More than two dozen organizations have 
endorsed this bill, including law enforcement, criminal justice, and 
behavioral health groups. It passed the Senate with unanimous support 
last year, but for some unknown reason, it still is lingering on the 
House calendar.
  This is a commonsense, nonpolitical bill that will help get folks the 
critical assistance they need in order to break the cycle of addiction 
and to live healthier, productive lives. So why won't the House pass a 
bill that will help fund law enforcement and bolster our fight against 
drug abuse? Well, we are not receiving any sort of answers.
  The third bill I would like to mention is one I introduced with 
Senator Padilla, the Senator from California, to support infrastructure 
projects and disaster relief across the country.
  Last year, State and local governments received huge sums of money 
for COVID-19 relief, but as more people have gotten vaccinated and we 
have learned, somehow, to live with this virus, many of these 
governments at the State and local levels have found themselves with 
huge amounts of cash that they can't use for the agreed-upon purpose 
and that they don't need anymore for that purpose.
  So the idea behind the bill is pretty simple: Give the State and 
local leaders the flexibility they need to invest in the most critical 
projects in their communities. In some places, that may mean pandemic 
relief-related expenses still, eliminating hospital staffing shortages, 
and supporting more vaccinations. But in places where the need is 
simply not there, our bill gives these leaders the option to invest in 
things that are actually needed and that will have a lasting impact. 
That includes infrastructure projects like constructing bridges, 
extending railways, modernizing ports, and expanding access to 
broadband. It also includes disaster relief, which is a major need in 
many States across the country.
  Both Texas and Kentucky, for example, have experienced devastating 
flooding in the last couple of months. Jackson, MS, is in the midst of 
a water crisis that has dragged on for weeks, with no end in sight. The 
Speaker's home State of California continues to battle destructive 
wildfires.
  If this bill becomes law--again, it passed the Senate 100 to 0--State 
and local leaders will be able to put a portion of the COVID-19 relief 
dollars toward disaster relief. This is voluntary on their part. There 
is no requirement that they do so, but if they need it and they don't 
need it for COVID-19 purposes, then, we ought to give them the 
authority to use it. Again, these funds are already appropriated. So 
there is no worry about an inflationary appropriation of additional 
funds. Local leaders know their communities best, and they should be 
able to use this funding in a way that makes the most sense for them.
  Senator Padilla and I worked with our Senate colleagues and the White 
House to craft language that everyone could live with. We built broad 
bipartisan support for the bill, and it passed the Senate, as I said, 
100 to 0. Once again, 8 months later, the House has done nothing. 
Speaker Pelosi, so far, has declined to let this bill pass even though 
it would support disaster relief in her own State and even though it 
passed by huge bipartisan majorities.
  Those are just three of the bills that are stuck in the House that 
have passed the Senate.
  The Senate has unanimously advanced legislation to support programs 
for those experiencing mental health crises, to provide tax relief to 
survivors of human trafficking, to equip law enforcement officials with 
the tools they

[[Page S4633]]

need to help people in mental health crises, to increase cross-border 
trade with Canada and Mexico, and to beef up security for cargo at 
ports of entry. There are bills to cut redtape, to increase payments to 
the child support program, and to ensure noncustodial parents have the 
opportunity to spend more time with their children.
  Our colleagues have even refused to pass a bill naming the post 
office in Arlington, TX, after their late colleague and my friend 
Congressman Ron Wright. There is no particular reason for it. They just 
haven't done it, with no explanation.
  All of these bills I have named are just a handful of the ones I have 
introduced that are waiting in House purgatory. Add in the long list of 
bills led by our colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and you have 
got a major legislative pileup in the House.
  Unlike the Senate, the House has not been in continuous session, and 
the House is only scheduled to be in for 6 more weeks this year. Unless 
Speaker Pelosi allows movement on these commonsense bipartisan bills, 
we are going to have to start all over again come January. It is time 
to get these bills moving.

  I know our colleagues in the House don't necessarily embrace all the 
legislation that is passed by the Senate, but when commonsense 
legislation passes with unanimity or broad bipartisan support, there 
just doesn't seem to be any excuse for not acting.
  These aren't controversial bills. We are talking about preventing 
child sexual abuse, breaking the cycle of drug abuse, strengthening 
disaster relief, supporting people in crisis, and so much more.
  As I said, these bills are just one step away from heading to the 
President's desk for his signature. So I implore Speaker Pelosi to 
please take up these Senate-passed bills and allow the House to vote on 
them, pass them, and send them to the President for his signature.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. King). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.