[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 3]
[House]
[Pages 3328-3335]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 6, 2015, the gentlewoman from Wyoming (Mrs. Lummis) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. LUMMIS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on the subject of this Special Order.

[[Page 3329]]

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Wyoming?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. LUMMIS. Mr. Speaker, I welcome my colleagues for a Special Order 
about Women's History Month.
  This month of March we are blessed with the opportunity to discuss 
the opportunities particularly presented by the Republican Party and 
the philosophies of the Republican Party as they relate to women, 
women's history and women's future and the opportunity to be involved 
in building women up and providing opportunities in the future, an 
opportunity culture that is shared by men and women to make sure that 
our homeland is safe and secure, to make sure that our families are in 
an environment that will be uplifting. These are some of the topics we 
will be discussing today.
  I am joined by several colleagues, one of whom I would like to call 
on first. Incidentally, the first colleague I am calling on is a 
Republican man with whom I graduated from law school as a student at 
the University of Wyoming College of Law.
  My own home State of Wyoming is the first government in the world to 
continuously grant women the right to vote. That occurred in 1869. 
Colorado, the home State of this gentleman, is the first State to grant 
women the right to vote.
  I yield to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Buck).
  Mr. BUCK. I thank the gentlewoman from Wyoming, my friend and law 
school classmate, for her great leadership on this issue.
  I am proud to come from a State that was not only the first to give 
women the right to vote, but the first to elect women to the State 
legislature. My wife Perry is continuing that great tradition as a 
member of the Colorado General Assembly.
  Many women have impacted our neighborhoods, our communities, and our 
Nation. But I want to speak briefly today about the many women who will 
impact our world.
  They have ideas and ambitions and callings. They have machines to 
invent, deals to negotiate, people to heal, diseases to cure, and 
legislation to pass.
  Republicans are advancing an agenda to help these women impact our 
future. We are focused on making the country more secure, on creating 
jobs, on replacing ObamaCare with a patient-centered alternative, on 
extending opportunity to all children, and on protecting the freedom at 
the heart of our prosperity.
  Women don't need government getting in their way. That is why the 
efforts of Congress to reassert its authority and roll back executive 
overreach are so vital.
  Congress has the responsibility to create an environment where women 
thrive. In 100 years, I hope we are celebrating the women who made this 
country great, not lamenting the government that stopped them.
  Mrs. LUMMIS. I thank the gentleman for being here today and 
acknowledging the importance of Women's History Month and the 
involvement of women in politics and government and for his leadership 
in his home State of Colorado.
  Next I would like to yield to a longstanding colleague who is well 
known to the House of Representatives. Virginia Foxx has done more on 
workforce development issues in the last couple of years than have been 
done in many, many years in the House of Representatives.
  She is the first in her family to graduate from college, earn a 
master's and doctorate degree, and then went on to be the president of 
an institute of higher learning, a community college.
  Her presidency there also lifted education in her home State. She is 
the chairwoman of the House Subcommittee on Higher Education and 
Workforce Training.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from North Carolina's Fifth 
District (Ms. Foxx).
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Lummis for her 
leadership in this Special Order this afternoon and for all the great 
work that she has done.
  She is a wonderful role model for women. She has lent her expertise 
as the former treasurer of her State, and has brought much, much talent 
to the House of Representatives. I appreciate all that she has done 
since she has been here.
  We all know, I think, that March is Women's History Month, which 
honors and celebrates the struggles and achievements of American women 
throughout the history of the United States.
  Since 1917, when Republican Jeannette Rankin of Montana became the 
first woman to serve in Congress, 313 women have served as U.S. 
Representatives, Senators, or Delegates.
  Many Americans might assume that their congressional Representatives 
come from exclusive and rarified backgrounds. Well, my story could 
hardly be less rarified.
  As a child, my family's home didn't have electricity or running 
water. My parents, while dedicated and hardworking, were very poor, 
with little formal education. Girls with my background weren't likely 
to end up in Congress.
  Fortunately, I was pushed by the right people, teachers and 
administrators who wouldn't let me settle for less than my best.
  In the mountains of North Carolina, I learned firsthand the power of 
education and its vital role in the success of every American. Although 
it took me 7 years while working full-time, I became the first in my 
family to go to college and earn a degree.
  In the 1970s, I was a member of the League of Women Voters. Through 
the League, I attended school board meetings in my county as a public 
observer to encourage accountability of elected officials. I went to 
countless meetings, many times as the only person representing the 
general public.
  During one meeting of an all-male school board, a local reporter 
leaned over and said: These guys are incompetent. Why don't you run for 
the school board?
  My instinctive response was: I am not qualified.
  I think many women fall prey to this attitude of self-
disqualification and underestimate their abilities. I took another look 
at those board members and changed my mind.
  Eventually, I ran for the school board. While I lost that first race, 
I won the next election for school board, and I haven't lost an 
election since.
  So while I may not have had wealthy parents or an Ivy League 
education, I did have what every single American has: opportunity.
  A few weeks ago I spoke to a local Girl Scout troop about Congress 
and its role in our government. As the group was leaving my office, one 
of the parents pulled me aside and said how glad she was that the girls 
had the opportunity to hear from a woman in my position.
  Women are a stronger presence than ever before on Capitol Hill. We 
have rich and varied perspectives and a commitment to good ideas and 
teamwork. The women of the 114th Congress are shaping our Nation, and 
it is an opportunity and responsibility that we take seriously.
  Although I am now serving in my sixth term as a Representative from 
North Carolina, I am still really a teacher at heart, having spent the 
lion's share of my life working as an educator and administrator in 
North Carolina colleges and universities.
  I believe confronting the challenges facing American schools and 
workplaces is critical to providing opportunity for every individual to 
get ahead.
  That is why, as chairwoman of the House Subcommittee on Higher 
Education and Workforce Training, I have led efforts to modernize and 
reform the Nation's workforce development system. I appreciate very 
much my colleague mentioning that.
  In 2014, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act was signed into 
law. This bipartisan, bicameral compromise between the SKILLS Act that 
I authored and the Senate's Workforce Investment Act of 2013 
streamlines and improves existing Federal workforce development 
programs and fosters a modern workforce that American businesses can 
rely on to compete.

[[Page 3330]]

  House Republicans have also fought to limit one-size-fits-all Federal 
dictates that hamper innovation and limit the ability of States and 
local schools to address their students' needs.
  Last fall we passed the Every Student Succeeds Act, which reverses 
Washington's micromanagement of classrooms and gives parents, teachers, 
and local education leaders the tools they need to repair a broken 
system and help all children reach their potential.
  Unfortunately, many Americans still struggle to realize the dream of 
higher education because our current system is often expensive, 
inflexible, and outdated. Too many students are unable to complete 
college, saddled with loan debt and ill-equipped to compete in our 
modern economy.
  The United States is the world's summit of opportunity, and we have a 
responsibility to act now to preserve that role. House Republicans are 
pursuing reforms that will help all individuals, regardless of age, 
location, or background, access and complete higher education, if they 
choose.
  We are working to empower students and families to make informed 
decisions. We want to simplify and improve student aid as well as 
promote innovation access and completion. We are committed to ensuring 
strong accountability and a limited Federal role.
  By keeping college within reach for students and preserving the 
excellence in diversity that has always set America's colleges and 
universities apart, our country and our economy stand to benefit.
  While Women's History Month celebrates the incredible accomplishments 
of women throughout America's history, the most lasting tribute we can 
pay is our efforts to improve this Nation for the next generation of 
women.
  Rather than simply being discouraged by the many problems facing our 
country and our world, I have learned to be an agent of change focused 
on the problems that can be solved and the people who can be helped.
  I thank my friend who encouraged me back in the 1970s to run for the 
school board because of the opportunities it has provided me to help 
other people throughout my life.
  Mrs. LUMMIS. We are tackling five big priorities that women care 
about this year: national security, jobs, health care, upward mobility, 
and balance of power.
  You just heard from Congresswoman Foxx about jobs, about education, 
and upward mobility that comes through those avenues.
  The other areas we are talking about include national security and 
health care. No one in Congress is better prepared to address those 
issues than our next speaker.
  Mr. Speaker, I welcome the first woman to represent the Second 
District of North Carolina, which includes all of Fort Bragg, home of 
the airborne and Special Operations Forces.
  She has served on the House Energy and Commerce Committee since 2012 
and currently serves as chairman of the Republican Women's Policy 
Committee.
  Prior to running for office, she worked as a registered nurse for 
over 21 years and owned a general surgery practice with her husband 
Brent in Dunn, North Carolina.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield to the gentlewoman from North 
Carolina (Mrs. Ellmers), someone with real life experience in the areas 
of health care and who represents a district that is so profoundly 
influential in this Nation's national security.

                              {time}  1400

  Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina. I thank my friend and colleague from 
Wyoming (Mrs. Lummis). I just want to say how much I appreciate her 
leadership, especially today, as we are talking about Women's History 
Month and the different roles that we, as women in Congress, are 
playing, and how we want to formulate and build the structure into the 
future for all women. I thank her for her service to all of us in 
representing Wyoming.
  Mr. Speaker, this month is Women's History Month. It is an 
opportunity to highlight the various ways women in America are pushing 
the envelope to leave a positive and lasting imprint on society.
  As the first woman to represent North Carolina's Second District, and 
the first woman in our State to represent Fort Bragg, national security 
remains one of my utmost priorities.
  So when I learned of a proposal to deactivate the 440th Airlift Wing 
located at Pope Army Airfield in Fort Bragg, I rallied my North 
Carolina colleagues. For nearly 2 years, we went toe-to-toe with the 
Air Force on this misguided decision.
  The 440th is known for its ability to rapidly mobilize and execute 
last-minute exercises. It is unique in its mission and provides 
unparalleled levels of training to paratroopers of the 18th Airborne 
Corps.
  Deactivation of the Airlift Wing would undoubtedly affect our 
military readiness and it could jeopardize the safety of our 
paratroopers. Given the global uncertainty abroad right now, this 
decision just doesn't make sense.
  To fight this ill-conceived decision, I coordinated with my North 
Carolina colleagues to question top military leaders here at the 
Capitol. During these same meetings, we sought answers to tough 
questions and asked for data to back up their justification for the 
Wing's closure.
  As a woman representing the military base, I have remained unwavering 
in my work to acquire answers. I have asked for meetings with the Air 
Force Reserve, the Army, the Pentagon, members of the Joint Chiefs of 
Staff, and local Fort Bragg commanders.
  The threat of terrorism abroad and the growth of radical groups like 
ISIS makes the decision to deactivate even more baffling. Constituents 
back home in North Carolina feel the same way, so I have charged 
forward in my efforts to prevent its closure.
  In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, I think it is important to reiterate that 
the Republican women in Congress are making history in a variety of 
ways. As women, we are working to create new opportunities, restore a 
confident America, and ensure the safety and security of every family 
living in our country.
  Again I thank my good friend, Congresswoman Lummis, for hosting 
today's Special Order, for being the person that she is, representing 
Wyoming, being a leader amongst all of us, as women in Congress, and 
allowing us to speak about the individual initiatives that we are 
tackling as women.
  Mrs. LUMMIS. I thank the gentlewoman and acknowledge her expertise on 
health care, and want to raise an issue that I would love to hear her 
comments on.
  One of the bills that I am cosponsoring is a bill called the Research 
for All Act, and it would acknowledge that most medical research 
focuses on men, and studying women is suggested, but not required.
  Now, sometimes different drugs have different effects on women than 
they do on men, and vice versa. For example, there is a diabetes drug 
study that shows that their drug may lower women's risk of heart 
failure, but increase a man's; and unless we have adequate studies done 
on both men and women, we won't recognize those differences or nuances 
in treatment options that should be tailored differently to men and 
women.
  Based on your experience in nursing, your lifelong career there, do 
you have any comments about other healthcare initiatives that women are 
working on here in Congress?
  Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina. First of all, I thank the gentlewoman 
for her piece of legislation on that particular issue because it shows 
the importance and how incredibly accurate you are when you are saying 
that there are so many differences in treatments geared towards women 
and geared towards men.
  When you highlight heart conditions, that is the number one killer of 
women in this country, when we look at disease. Heart disease is the 
number one. When we look at this, we know that women respond 
differently to symptoms of heart disease than men do, and so do the 
drugs. So that is a perfect example of why we have to be focusing from 
a perspective where we consider both genders.

[[Page 3331]]

  There are so many things that are being worked on here in Washington 
by the women leaders that we have. For instance, some of the things 
that we have been able to pass on a large bipartisan scale have to do 
with breast cancer.
  The USPSTF came out with a decision saying that women between the 
ages 40-49 don't necessarily have to have mammograms, and so, 
therefore, their insurance companies shouldn't have to pay for it.
  I worked across the aisle on legislation to stop that from moving 
forward, and we were able to put a 2-year moratorium on that decision 
so that we can actually bring a consensus together.
  The last thing we want to do for women in this country is send out 
more mixed messages on breast cancer and the treatment of and the 
prevention of. So we are working with our colleagues, as Republicans 
and Democrats.
  Another perfect example of a healthcare decision that is being made 
by the USPSTF right now is essentially interrupting the process for men 
to get a PSA test, which is the only way we can diagnose prostate 
cancer. It is a simple blood test, and right now they are making 
decisions as to whether or not insurance companies should have to pay 
for that. I think that is devastating.
  And then, of course, I will just say, Medicare remains one of the 
major issues that we are working on. I will tell you that all of the 
women in the Republican conference are dedicated to this effort.
  There are some new rule changes that are coming out from CMS now that 
we are all targeting, and we have got to do that for every senior in 
this country who is receiving Medicare. They need the health care that 
they deserve, and we have got to do everything we can to make sure that 
it is accessible to them.
  But, obviously, the largest--the elephant in the room, if you will, 
is, of course, the Affordable Care Act, and we continue to be dedicated 
to this issue.
  In North Carolina, I can tell you it is a mess with the insurance 
plans. The individual plans themselves have skyrocketed from 30 to 40 
to 50 percent increase in premiums, with an equal increase on the 
deductible.
  The out-of-pocket costs that families in North Carolina now are 
spending is outrageous. They are literally making decisions to not go 
to the doctor when they need health care because they don't want to 
have to pay extra.
  This is unacceptable. It certainly was not the intention of the 
Affordable Care Act.
  As you know, my dear colleague, we have had many of the solutions to 
this problem, and I believe that the women in our conference are going 
to lead and be a strong voice to our leadership for us to move forward 
so that we can show the American people that we have alternatives to 
the Affordable Care Act that will continue to give them good coverage, 
but also continue to support good health care.
  The 21st Century Cures Act we passed in 2015 is another perfect 
example of all of us coming together to ensure the American people get 
the coverage, the cures.
  What better way to save dollars in health care than to come up with 
cures?
  If we could just find one on Alzheimer's alone, we would save 
incredible amounts of money.
  Listen, I am just proud and honored to be able to have a voice, 
especially when it comes to health care because, as we know, health 
care touches every life, and we have to do everything as Members of 
Congress, as mothers, as sisters, to do everything we can for the 
American people.
  Mrs. LUMMIS. Alzheimer's, which you mentioned, is a disease where 
two-thirds of the patients are women, which also means that men are 50 
percent less likely to get it. So the importance of having women making 
policy on these issues is very high because we are the ones who are 
dealing with frequently female relatives, be they mothers, sisters, 
aunts, who are suffering from Alzheimer's.
  When we have people like Congresswoman Ellmers, who has a nursing 
background, a medical professional background, we have the opportunity 
to use that expertise that she has gained in her prior career, in her 
capacity as a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, where much 
of the healthcare-related legislation originates in this Congress.
  In addition, our new Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, has put 
together several idea-gathering groups to make sure that we are 
building an agenda for the next Congress that will address these issues 
that have festered during the last 8 years; among them, the 
unacceptable consequences of ObamaCare that have created the situations 
which you described in your home State.
  Can you give us a sneak preview about what some of these idea 
meetings are bringing to light about the direction of healthcare 
policy, as crafted by the Republican Party, about your role in those 
idea sessions, and how we intend to roll out health care that truly is 
affordable?
  Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina. Well, I will just say that I have had 
the honor of being part of the Republican Study Committee group that 
has worked on alternatives to the Affordable Care Act, and we have come 
up with about 10 or 12 different issue-based sections that are good 
policy that really have been there for a while, that many of our 
members have had; and we have actually culminated it into a plan of 
action that would take care of the issue and cover those things that 
the Affordable Care Act is leaving the American people behind.
  One of the issues is choice, being able to choose a plan for your 
family that you feel is appropriate. Unfortunately, the Affordable Care 
Act, it was promoted as something that provided incredible choice. You 
were going to be able to go to your doctor. You were going to be able 
to go to the hospital you wanted. It was going to bring down the cost. 
And none of those things have come to be true. So now we have to go in 
and we have to change that.
  You should be able to buy insurance across State lines or from a 
different perspective rather than what you have within your own State. 
You should be able to have a healthcare savings plan where you can put 
dollars away and be responsible for yourself.
  Young people are in a different situation. They shouldn't have to 
spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars every month on a healthcare plan 
that they cannot afford when they can have a much more economical issue 
there, another situation that they can deal with.
  Another big issue is tort reform at the national level. I think this 
is something that will also save dollars. There are many, many ideas 
from the business side of it, with small businesses to larger 
businesses having better choices, being able to negotiate healthcare 
plans.
  So when we are talking about health care and we are talking about the 
affordable care, what we really are talking about is healthcare 
coverage. And I think that is one of the most important parts of this 
discussion that many times, I think, gets confused.
  We are talking about healthcare coverage, which leads to better 
health care. We should be doing everything we can to make sure that it 
is accessible to every American, and to take care of those who cannot 
take care of themselves.
  Pre-existing conditions is a huge issue. We have to be able to deal 
with that. We know that we cannot leave the American people hanging. In 
other words, when we talk about wanting to repeal it, we know that 
there has to be a process in place to make sure that there is a safety 
net for all of those families who have been forced off of their 
insurance plans and on to an affordable care plan that was not their 
choice, only they were forced to do it because it became law.
  Now we have to make sure that we are providing an option for them, 
one that will move them from one place to another, a much better place.
  I will just say again that we are dedicated to this issue. It is the 
main reason I ran for Congress to begin with. I will not let up on this 
until we actually have the solutions that we are looking for.

[[Page 3332]]



                              {time}  1415

  I am looking forward to our working together over this next year on 
this issue and just moving health care forward in so many different 
ways. Unfortunately, the Federal Government does have a lot to do with 
what is working and what is not working, and I am just very happy to be 
part of that conversation.
  Mrs. LUMMIS. I thank our colleague for her dedication and commitment 
to health care for Americans that will truly work for them.
  Speaking of which, and in recognition of a wonderful woman who is an 
example of the types of healthcare issues that we are addressing this 
afternoon as part of our focus on Women's History Month, we have been 
joined by the good gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Salmon), who would like 
to pay tribute to a woman from his great State of Arizona.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Arizona, Congressman Matt 
Salmon.
  Mr. SALMON. First, before I start honoring this wonderful woman, I 
would like to say that I learned early in my life, in my church, that 
if you want to talk about something, you convene a meeting with a bunch 
of men; if you want to solve something, you convene a meeting with 
women.
  Mrs. LUMMIS. My former Senator, Alan Simpson, used to say: ``The cock 
croweth, but the hen delivereth the goods.''
  Mr. SALMON. I thank the gentlewoman.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak very, very lovingly and admiringly 
about one of the most wonderful people I have ever gotten a chance to 
know in my life. Her name is Laura Knaperek.
  I first met Laura when I was a State legislator. I was assigned to be 
on the health committee, and Laura was a citizen activist that came 
down to champion the cause of families, and specifically families with 
children with developmental disabilities. I was amazed then at her 
passion, and I remember telling her: You ought to run for office some 
day.
  She was a beloved member of the Arizona community and a tireless 
champion for those with developmental disabilities and one of the 
strongest advocates for families I have ever met in my life. She sought 
to lift people's lives around her.
  She was first elected to the State legislature in 1994. She set 
herself apart as a selfless public servant. A few weeks ago, our 
Speaker, in talking to the Conference, mentioned that there are two 
types of people in politics: there are doers, and there are be-ers. 
Laura Knaperek was a doer. She was not interested in having the title 
of being a State legislator; she was interested in solving the problems 
of the day.
  She was diagnosed, in 2012, with ovarian cancer. I remember seeing 
her shortly after that diagnosis, and there was no despair and no 
concern. Without missing a beat, she just wanted to talk about how she 
could uplift other people's lives.
  I remember Laura decided to champion an idea in Arizona, which I 
believe is an idea whose time has come. It is the right called the 
Right to Try. I think it was one of the very first States in the 
country that has tried to pass this by referendum. Laura was successful 
in doing this.
  It basically allows individuals with terminal diseases access to 
things that aren't necessarily approved by the FDA yet. If it is their 
last-ditch chance, they ought to have a shot at life, and that was 
Laura's contention. She championed this idea, and it passed 
overwhelmingly at the ballot.
  I am sad to say that, 4 years after her diagnosis, she succumbed to 
this dread disease.
  I was shocked because Laura was on Facebook and every other social 
media outlet constantly championing ideas and thoughts of others, and 
she never said anything about herself. She never wallowed in self-pity. 
She was the kind of person that realized that the greatest service that 
we can do is serving other people.
  In my church, there is a saying that, when you are in the service of 
your fellow being, you are in the service of God. I think Laura 
understood that better than anybody.
  Because of Laura, I introduced H.R. 3012, the Right to Try Act, 
introduced the last session of Congress. I think that Americans deserve 
the same opportunity that Arizonans have to be able to try to save 
their life and do whatever is necessary to save their life if they are 
terminally ill and they have no other options, no hope.
  I think that we can honor Laura and others like her by allowing 
everybody across the United States who suffers from a terminal illness 
the access to every tool available to help them fight for their 
precious life. The Right to Try, to me, is, in reality, a component of 
the God-given right to life. The Right to Try offers hope to those who 
have nowhere else to turn.
  Laura Knaperek passed away at the age of 60, leaving behind her 
husband, Robert, their 6 children, 19 grandchildren, and 1 great-
grandchild.
  I ask my colleagues to join with me today in honoring Laura's life 
and pray that we continue Laura's fight to allow those with terminal 
illnesses another chance at life.
  I thank the gentlewoman.
  Mrs. LUMMIS. I thank the gentleman for that warm tribute to a woman 
who selflessly provided an option that women and men can use in the 
event that they are terminally ill where a possible drug treatment or 
other type of treatment has been identified that has not yet cleared 
the FDA drug analysis and has not yet been approved but may be 
tremendously helpful to preserving these lives that will be otherwise 
cut short so early, especially a woman of Laura's caliber, who, at 60 
years of age, died, leaving such a wonderful family.
  I thank the gentleman for sponsoring the legislation giving people 
the same opportunities that Arizonans have.
  Have you reintroduced that piece of legislation in this Congress?
  Mr. SALMON. Actually, we are going to be reintroducing it, and we are 
probably going to rename it Laura's Law in honor of Laura Knaperek.
  There are very few times in your life that you meet somebody that you 
think they got the memo mixed up in Heaven, that God sent a memo that 
said that this person that is supposed to be an angel actually got to 
come down to Earth. That was Laura. She was an angel, a living angel, 
and somebody that gave a lot of people reason for hope through the 
course of her life, and she never, ever sought recognition. All she 
sought was helping others and changing other people's lives.
  Do you know what? That is the standard I think we all aspire to, but 
there are rare occasions where we find somebody that just embodies 
everything that is good.
  Mrs. LUMMIS. As we celebrate Women's History Month, we look for that 
junction between women who have done historic things, women such as 
Laura, and the way that they have paved the way for policies that can 
be implemented that provide opportunities for people that are in a 
similar condition as hers to have some hope and a chance at a longer 
life.
  We are grateful that Congressman Salmon has been willing to pick up 
the torch of her good work and bring it to the attention of, and 
hopefully the approval of, this Congress.
  I thank the gentleman for his role in this Congress, for 
acknowledging the importance of Laura's life for today's Special Order 
on Women's History Month, and for carrying on her fine work in his 
capacity as a fine gentleman who is doing the best to represent his 
State, and in doing so, enhances the opportunity for every American in 
this Nation. I thank the gentleman.
  Mr. SALMON. Will the gentlewoman yield?
  Mrs. LUMMIS. I yield to the gentleman from Arizona.
  Mr. SALMON. I do want to say one other thing.
  I know that the gentlewoman is going to be retiring after the end of 
this term, and I just want to say what a true honor it has been to 
serve with a statesman such as yourself. You are truly one of the 
bright spots in this place.
  There have been a lot of times when I feel like I kind of had to kick 
myself

[[Page 3333]]

extra hard to get motivated to come back and get on that plane and come 
to Washington, D.C., and leave my family behind; but there are people 
that give me hope, and you are one of those people. You will be sorely 
missed. It doesn't matter whether you are a woman or not a woman. You 
happen to be. You are a fine, fine individual, and I am proud to know 
you.
  Mrs. LUMMIS. I thank the gentleman. It is an honor to serve with you.
  I know you are completing your second tour of duty in this Congress 
as well and will be returning to a lovely family in Arizona. Those of 
us who are from the West are blessed to live in beautiful places with 
people that create a society that matches the scenery, and you are an 
important part of that society.
  Clearly, Laura was an important part of that society. She enhanced 
your life; and you, in turn, enhance ours.
  I thank the gentleman from Arizona for his service.
  Here, in Women's History Month, I can't help but toot the horn of my 
great State of Wyoming, the first government in the world to grant 
women the right to vote. We also had the first woman Governor, the 
first woman justice of the peace, the first woman grand juror, the 
first women who were elected delegates to the Republican and Democratic 
National Conventions, and the first woman elected official in the 
country, who happened to be the State superintendent of public 
instruction, Estelle Reel.
  All of these women were trailblazers. This all happened 50 years 
before the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted all American 
women the right to vote.
  Wyoming territory, in 1869, became the first government in the world 
to continuously grant women the right to vote, and it has been my 
privilege as a woman from the great State of Wyoming to follow a woman 
colleague, Congresswoman Barbara Cubin, who served 14 years in this 
body. I now, in my eighth term, make a combined total of 22 consecutive 
years where our beloved State of Wyoming has been represented in this 
House of Representatives by women. And that is really saying something, 
since Wyoming only has one Member of Congress. It is, indeed, a great 
honor.
  These women, however, we cannot just celebrate their past, our past, 
and the opportunities that we enjoy in this great Nation. We have to 
use what we have learned as American women to enhance the lives of our 
fellow Americans as we serve here, which is one of the reasons that we 
are both celebrating Women's History Month and discussing specifically, 
today, what the Republican Party is doing.
  Women's History Month is our opportunity to celebrate the incredible 
accomplishments women have made to America. But the most lasting 
tribute we can pay this month is our effort to make history for the 
next generation of women. That is why House Republicans are building an 
agenda to restore a confident America where every American feels secure 
in their lives and their futures.
  The five big priorities that women care about that we are working on 
together this year include: national security, which was discussed by 
Renee Ellmers; jobs, which was discussed, of course, by Virginia Foxx; 
health care, where we have several nurses and medical practitioners 
that are women that are deeply involved in this legislative project; 
and upward mobility, something that is important to all Americans, but 
especially women.
  When you consider how many women heads of household there are; when 
you consider that a rising tide lifts all boats, and when women earn 
more money, families do better, children do better, women do better, 
and men do better, it is very important, when we are talking about 
upward mobility, that opportunities are provided for women by having a 
Tax Code that does not burden them and by having jobs that come back to 
this country that have previously left this country.
  We can do that by changing our Tax Code in a way that allows us to 
bring jobs back to this country so those employers and their employees 
are not penalized by higher taxes that we have through a Tax Code that 
makes sure that corporations pay more taxes here than they do in other 
countries. That is why we have what are called inversions. That is why 
people are leaving this country to take their jobs to other countries. 
We need to bring them back, providing more opportunities to have great 
jobs here in this country for women, heads of household, and for all 
members of our society and culture.
  With women making the majority of healthcare decisions in this 
country, we need to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act with an 
act that will provide opportunities for a marketplace for insurance 
that acknowledges that some people have preexisting conditions and you 
will not be penalized for such, that acknowledges that some people just 
want catastrophic coverage and later in their life can move into a 
system that maybe provides more specific coverage, and that allows you 
to shop for insurance across State lines. You can find a product that 
works specifically for you and that has a pool of participants large 
enough so that a very small population State like mine can be involved 
in a bigger pool, thereby bringing down the risk and bringing down the 
costs for those of us in very small States.

                              {time}  1430

  We have to be looking also at specific healthcare issues. Multiple 
sclerosis is much more prevalent in the Intermountain West than it is 
in a lot of other areas.
  Research being done right now at Cornell University is showing that 
there is a possible connection between multiple sclerosis and a fungus 
in the soils.
  These are the kinds of unusual connections when research is done that 
will allow us to address certain healthcare issues that may be more 
prevalent in one region than another, a healthcare system that is 
flexible and affordable and recognizes that not all healthcare issues 
are the same for men or women, for the Intermountain West versus the 
coastal States, for the African American population, for the Hispanic 
American population, for the White population.
  These are all things that need to be discussed in the context of an 
affordable healthcare system that recognizes the tremendous scientific 
advantages that we enjoy by virtue of having a first-class higher 
education system.
  We have to make sure that that higher education system continues to 
advance opportunities for all people that can contribute to the body of 
knowledge that have made America the greatest country in the world.
  Women currently making up the largest component of the higher 
education population will be leading the way among them.
  Mr. Speaker, before I wrap up this Special Order that has 
acknowledged women's history in this country and acknowledges the work 
that is being done here in Congress to make sure the future for 
American women is brighter, better, more prosperous, and more 
fulfilling than ever, I yield to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. King), a 
champion of healthcare revision that will benefit both men and women.
  Mr. KING of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Wyoming 
for yielding to me on this important topic. I am privileged to be here 
on the floor listening to this discussion that we have today.
  I think of the many, many hours that roll back as far back as 2009, 
when the healthcare debate began to get intensified here in this 
Congress. From the beginning, for me, it was about freedom.
  I often say to people that the most sovereign thing that we have is 
our soul. We are in charge of that. We are in control of that. With 
God's help, we are in the management of our own soul. The Federal 
Government hasn't figured out how to tax it, how to nationalize it, or 
how to manage it.
  That may be a point of profundity, but what is the second most 
sovereign thing that we have, aside from our soul? Number two is our 
skin and everything inside it, our bodies.
  The Federal Government has figured out under ObamaCare how to 
nationalize that, how to do--I call it a hostile

[[Page 3334]]

takeover of our skin and everything inside it--and tell us: We are 
going to tax your paycheck and we are going to command you to take that 
money and pay a health insurance premium, not the policy of your 
choice, but the policy of Uncle Sam's choice.
  Then that policy, the rules written within it and the thousands of 
pages of rules that have been written on ObamaCare since, will 
determine whether you get health care or at least whether you get it 
paid for out of your health insurance policy or not. That I call a 
hostile takeover of my skin and everything inside it.
  It is abhorrent to me for a free people to be subjugated to such a 
law. Yet, the other side of this is that we have had elections in 2010, 
2012, 2014, and now an election coming up in 2016.
  The results of this upcoming election might be the one where we 
finally set the full 100 percent ``rip it out by the roots as if it had 
never been enacted'' ObamaCare.
  ``Repeal it completely and entirely as if it had never been enacted'' 
actually are the last words of the repeal bill that I wrote in the 
middle of the night after it passed here on March 22, 2010, a sleepless 
night, I might add.
  The question was: What is the other side of the glorious repeal of 
ObamaCare? A number of really good things that we would have done by 
now if it weren't obstructed by the policy that exists in front of us 
that is named after our President.
  The first and I think most important one is to provide for selling 
insurance across State lines. There is legislation there that has 
existed for years called the McCarran-Ferguson Act.
  It is legislation that enables the States to write the mandates and 
the specifications in such a way that the States can be lobbied by 
large health insurance companies whose goal is to have a monopoly 
within each of those States.
  That is trade protectionism that is allowed. It is in violation of 
the Commerce Clause in the Constitution, I might add. But the McCarran-
Ferguson Act enables that.
  We need to repeal the components of the McCarran-Ferguson Act so that 
a young man, while at the beginning of this dialogue in 2009 or 2010--a 
23-year-old young man would be paying about $6,000 a year for a typical 
health insurance policy in New Jersey, but a young man, same age, 
similarly situated in Kentucky, would be paying about $1,000 a year.
  This would let the young man from New Jersey buy the policy from 
Kentucky, which, eventually, the competition would bring the price down 
in New Jersey, probably wouldn't bring it up in Kentucky, and we would 
see that the opportunities we would have as Americans we could trade 
for health insurance in any State.
  Free trade zones on health insurance, what a wonderful thing. Then 
the Federal mandates would be gone. They would be away.
  That would mean that especially young people that could wisely manage 
their investments would be able to buy a health savings account. The 
way they were set up in 2003, a couple at age 20 could have invested 
$5,150 a year. That was the max-out in an HSA.
  If they spent about $2,000 a year for normal medical costs and 
accrued the balance of that at the 40-year average of interest rate, 
they would arrive at 65 Medicare eligibility with approximately 
$950,000 in their health savings account.
  Uncle Sam's interest in that HSA at that point, that nearly $1 
million, would be to tax it as real income when it comes out of the 
HSA.
  Well, I would say instead, if you could buy a Medicare replacement 
policy in the dollars, when we did the math on this, for the couple for 
$144,000, the government would tax the balance. I would say keep the 
change tax free.
  If you take yourself off of the Medicare rolls, the entitlement 
rolls, by buying a replacement annuitized, paid-up-for-life policy to 
replace the Medicare liability, keep the change tax free, say, 
$150,000, around $800,000 tax free, that becomes your retirement 
account.
  The HSA has become now a life management account where you would be 
planning your health insurance. The more money you had in your HSA, the 
more deductible you could sustain, the higher deductible and the higher 
co-payment.
  With that nest egg of an HSA, you could negotiate the health 
insurance premiums down. You would manage your way, get your exercise, 
get your check-ups, because you would want to be able to live long and 
healthy to spend all of that mad money, if you choose, that balance of 
$800,000.
  That is the kind of thing that is in front of us if we can get 
ObamaCare out of the way. Sell insurance across State lines, expand 
HSAs, address the tort reform piece of this, which is billions of 
dollars a year that is unnecessarily spent on tests that are done to 
protect from the liability that is there.
  With these packages, other good ideas that come from other Members 
doing this in the fashion and vision by our Founding Fathers, we go out 
to where all of the solutions are, out to the voices and ideas of the 
people, bring those ideas here.
  Each of us, our job, the gentlewoman from Wyoming's job and mine, is 
to sort through the good ideas, bring the best ideas here to 
Washington, let our best ideas compete with the other good ideas, and 
put that out on the President's desk for the solutions that we really 
need.
  I appreciate the attention and the opportunity to speak.
  Mrs. LUMMIS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Iowa for his 
leadership on this issue, for being a devoted husband, father, and 
father-in-law.
  I know that the women in his life have influenced his perspective on 
these healthcare issues, as have so many of us. I thank him for 
participating in this discussion, this Special Order, celebrating 
Women's History Month.
  I want to conclude the Special Order by highlighting two Republican 
women with whom I serve in Congress who are truly doing courageous 
things in their lives with their families.
  First of all, Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who is the 
highest ranking Republican woman in this conference, is our conference 
leader. She is the mother of three children.
  One is a special needs child, a friend to all of us, a delightful 
young man who was born while she was serving in Congress, as were her 
other two children.
  The devotion that Cathy McMorris Rodgers has to her family and to 
parents of special needs children has brought about important 
legislation that is good for parents and special needs children all 
over this country.
  As we celebrate this Women's History Month, I want to acknowledge our 
colleague Cathy McMorris Rodgers for her important role in this 
Congress as a leader on this issue and many others.
  I also want to acknowledge our colleague Jaime Herrera Beutler, who 
is from the State of Washington. Jaime, during a pregnancy which 
occurred while she also was serving as a Member of this Congress, as 
she still does, experienced a pregnancy that would have brought about 
the death of her child.
  But because she was courageous enough to test and, like Laura's Law, 
allow a rather experimental treatment where she was injected with a 
saline solution in utero that allowed that baby to continue to mature 
until its birth, at which point it was allowed to grow and had 
dialysis, and then, at a point at which that child had become big 
enough and healthy enough, received an organ transplant from Jaime 
Herrera Beutler's husband, the father of the child.
  That child and that father and that mother, who we continue to serve 
with here in this Congress, are all doing well. This is the first known 
child to survive, given the condition that that child was identified as 
having before it was born.
  Most doctors recommend that a parent terminate that pregnancy or, in 
many cases, that pregnancy will be terminated on its own without any 
involvement outside of the womb.
  But in Jaime's case, she took the extraordinary step of having a 
saline injection to allow that child to continue to grow and mature in 
a way that allowed it to be born.

[[Page 3335]]

  This is a lovely child, another friend of all of ours, because, 
occasionally, that child visits us here in the Cloakroom behind this 
floor of the House.
  What an honor to serve with these two courageous mothers who, while 
having these children and going through these extraordinary issues, are 
serving their States, their districts, their Nations in this Congress, 
and contributing to uplifting women in this country through their 
service to this Congress.
  As I conclude this tribute to Women's History Month, I want to remind 
people that women in this Congress are making a difference with regard 
to legislation that affects all of us, whether they are in the avenues 
of natural resources, water, air--the areas that I spend most of my 
time on--whether they are in the areas of health care, jobs, or higher 
education.
  The areas that women in Congress are interested in are as diverse as 
the areas that men are interested in, but women bring a different 
perspective to those same issues. Women look out into the future.
  When I served in the Wyoming Legislature, our chief clerk, who sits 
up there just as these folks do and observes what is happening, was one 
day asked: Can you tell a difference between the way men and women 
legislate, regardless of whether they are Democrats or Republicans?
  He said: Absolutely. Women are looking to the future. They are not 
focused on the next election. They are focused beyond the next election 
for what will be good for their children, their grandchildren, and 
future of the Nation.

                              {time}  1445

  As I observed his comments throughout my legislative years in Wyoming 
and now throughout my legislative years here, I think there is some 
truth to that. That is why I think it is so important that women be 
involved in the legislative process and participate in this great 
institution, which is the Congress of the United States, for the 
betterment of future generations.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________