[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 1167]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       NEW LIFE REFUGE MINISTRIES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Farenthold) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, January is Human Trafficking Awareness 
Month, and I would like to highlight a great organization that is 
fighting to end this modern day slavery.
  The New Life Refuge Ministries is working to bring an end to the 
domestic sex trafficking of children. In 2015, in my hometown of Corpus 
Christi, Texas, we had 29 cases of child sex trafficking. The youngest 
victim was only 8 years old.
  Founder and executive director Minta Moore has been working since 
2010 to build a home for survivors so that they will have a safe place 
to heal and a safe place from which to transition back to a healthy 
lifestyle. This all-volunteer organization has cleared land, has laid a 
road, has poured a foundation, and is now in the construction phase of 
opening its first cottage. It is its hope to open its doors this May.
  I applaud this organization and others like it that fight to 
eradicate human trafficking and that work to protect innocent children 
who have been victimized.


                             School Choice

  Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, as the father of two daughters, I 
understand the importance of giving a high-quality education to our 
children. That is why I am here today to bring awareness to National 
School Choice Week.
  School choice is a straightforward concept in that parents should 
have the choice about where to send their children to school and about 
picking the best educational environment for their children. This 
includes many options: traditional public schools, charter schools, 
magnet schools, private schools, homeschooling, and more. By choosing 
the appropriate educational options for their children, parents enable 
them to succeed.
  Nationwide, approximately 2.6 million students are currently enrolled 
in more than 3,200 public magnet schools; more than 3 million are 
enrolled in charter schools; and 2.3 million are homeschooled. 
According to the National School Choice Week's organizers, 70 percent 
of Americans support school choice, and those numbers are even higher 
among growing demographic groups.
  Some would say that school choice hurts public schools. I beg to 
differ. Studies have shown that student outcome in public schools 
actually improves with the more choices there are. I believe in 
competition in education and in giving control back to parents, 
teachers, and locally elected officials so that these groups can pursue 
initiatives that best help our children.


                     Congratulating President Trump

  Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I congratulate President Donald Trump on 
his inauguration last week. I look forward to working with him to 
accomplish many of our shared goals.
  One of the first goals we must accomplish is the repeal and 
replacement of ObamaCare, which has been hurting people nationwide with 
its increasingly high premiums and deductibles. I am confident we will 
have a better system in place that will provide great health care to 
all Americans.
  I also look forward to working with the President to improve our 
Nation's infrastructure, including ports like the Port of Corpus 
Christi and the Port of Victoria. By widening and deepening our 
Nation's ports and waterways, we will allow the United States not only 
to remain competitive, but to increase our exports to other nations, 
which will create jobs and make America great again.
  Another goal President Trump and I share is increasing border 
security and stemming the surge of illegal immigrants through our 
Southern border. As a Texan, every day I see the disastrous impact that 
illegal drugs, human trafficking, and other illicit activities have on 
our children, border communities, and the Nation as a whole. Together, 
we can work to secure our borders and make America safer.
  Finally, regulatory review and tax reform will put people in good-
paying jobs.
  The next few weeks are going to be busy for those of us here in 
Washington, D.C., but that is why people like me decided to come here--
to make a difference, to help people, and to restore American 
exceptionalism.

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