[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 106 (Tuesday, June 25, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H4124-H4125]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1215
                       FAIRNESS IN REDISTRICTING

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Nickel) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. NICKEL. Mr. Speaker, last week, I joined the All Veteran Group to 
raise awareness and draw attention to my bill, the FAIR MAPS Act, by 
skydiving from 14,000 feet in Cumberland County, North Carolina, just 
outside of Fort Liberty. I was proud to elevate the issue of partisan 
gerrymandering to new heights and call out the need for fair maps in 
North Carolina and across the country.
  My bill, the FAIR MAPS Act, combats partisan gerrymandering by 
establishing independent, nonpartisan redistricting commissions in 
every State. The FAIR MAPS Act has the potential to double the number 
of competitive House seats. If signed into law, that is a big deal.
  In North Carolina and across the country, partisan gerrymandering has 
been used as a tool by politicians to manipulate the outcomes with 
surgical precision. Gerrymandering disenfranchises voters and leads to 
hyper-partisanship. It is the main reason we are on track to be the 
least productive Congress in our Nation's history.
  It is simple. Voters should choose their politicians, not the other 
way around. While my name won't be on the ballot this year, I am not 
giving up or going out quietly. I am going to do everything I can to 
fight for fair maps, end partisan gerrymandering, and protect the right 
to vote for every single North Carolinian.

[[Page H4125]]

  



                             Women's Rights

  Mr. NICKEL. Mr. Speaker, this week was the second anniversary of the 
ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which 
overturned Roe v. Wade in an extreme attack on women's rights in 
America.
  In North Carolina, the aftermath of the Dobbs decision has been 
devastating. In July 2023, North Carolina's Republican majority general 
assembly enacted a law prohibiting abortion after 12 weeks with few 
exceptions and mandated in-person, State-directed counseling 3 days 
before the procedure.
  Other States have outlawed abortion and similar reproductive health 
services altogether. In Alabama, a State Supreme Court ruling has 
effectively stopped access to in vitro fertilization, or IVF.
  I am pro-choice and a committed member of the House Pro-Choice 
Caucus. I want my daughter to grow up in a world where she has the same 
rights that her mother and grandmother had for the last 50 years. I 
will continue working in Congress to restore and protect the right to 
choose by codifying Roe v. Wade into Federal law.


                       Diversity is our Strength

  Mr. NICKEL. Mr. Speaker, former President Donald Trump recently told 
wealthy donors and CEOs that foreign nationals who graduate from U.S. 
colleges and universities should automatically be given a green card. 
After doing nothing on immigration reform for 4 years, he is a bit late 
to the party.
  Unlike the former President, I believe that diversity is our 
strength. That is why I introduced the bipartisan Keep STEM Talent Act 
in September to provide permanent resident status to international 
students who have completed advanced STEM degrees from U.S. educational 
institutions and are interested in continuing their work in the United 
States. They should automatically be given a green card.
  To remain at the forefront of cutting-edge scientific and 
technological innovation, we should ensure that international students 
who come to North Carolina for higher education can stay in the United 
States once they graduate.
  This commonsense effort will help ensure that America retains its 
position as the world leader in science and technology by retaining 
talented workers in the STEM workforce. Let's get this done in a 
bipartisan way and move it through this Congress.


                 Access to Safe and Affordable Housing

  Mr. NICKEL. Mr. Speaker, more than 343,000 households in North 
Carolina spend over half of their monthly income on rent, leaving too 
little for other expenses like healthcare, transportation, and 
groceries. Access to safe and affordable housing is essential to the 
well-being of working families and individuals in North Carolina and 
throughout the country.
  That is why I am proud to introduce the Keep Housing Affordable Act. 
The Keep Housing Affordable Act is a crucial solution that incentivizes 
developers to maintain the affordability of homes for a long time to 
come.
  My bill will bolster and expand the low-income housing tax credit, 
which currently only requires affordable housing units to remain 
affordable for 30 years. My bill will provide incentives for units to 
remain affordable for decades to come.
  This will help boost the affordable housing supply, enhance home 
quality, and create long-term stability for low- and middle-income 
communities across North Carolina's 13th District. I will keep working 
to put forth commonsense ideas and solutions to lower housing costs and 
increase the supply of affordable housing.

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