Senate Statements on Coronavirus and Remote Voting, May 6, 2020 — Congressional Record

Summary

A page of the Congressional Record, Senate, dated May 6, 2020, at page S2281, with Senate statements on the coronavirus. Mr. Portman of Ohio describes joining a remote committee hearing that worked just like a regular hearing, calls telemedicine proven effective during the pandemic, and relays what he heard from small business owners, rural hospitals with about a week of cash left, educators, the Ohio Farm Bureau and a mother managing remote learning. He suggests the hearing could be a template and discusses trying remote voting. Mr. Cramer then marks the 50th anniversary of FirstLink and a parade for residents.

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“Senate Statements on Coronavirus and Remote Voting, May 6, 2020 — Congressional Record.” Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2020-05-06-crec-2020-05-06-pt1-pgs2281-306796779b/, SHA-256 61139cc6bba8126a6da1817b29d9ab7bd80ae8f4b6b73e4bb84e165c29eeeccf.

Full text

May 6, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2281
and didn’t want to do it in the house. upon our country. It is the fact that They have been fortunate. And now
So she got in the pickup truck with her telemedicine has been proved over the they have to.
laptop, and it worked great. It worked past couple of months to be pretty darn I have talked to people who started a
great. We were able to ask questions effective. In many cases, it has been small business and took a big risk to
and get answers. It worked just like a used because people are concerned or do that. They have five or six employ-
regular hearing. I was appreciative afraid about coming to a hospital or ees—it is a family-owned business—and
that the Rules Committee allowed us going to their doctor, but they can get they have been through the thick and
to do that. the advice through telemedicine. thin over the years, but this one has
By the way, the technology is, in a I talked to some educators today. In really knocked them out. They have no
sense, off-the-shelf technology because fact, I also talked to the Ohio Farm income coming because they are in one
it is their technology. They have it. We Bureau today. I talked to a mom who of these businesses that by government
didn’t have to recreate the wheel. It is at home with her kids during the day order were shut down and cannot con-
worked last week. We used it. I think it now because her kids are home from tinue to serve the customers.
can be a template for other hearings. school because schools have been I have talked to hospitals in a rural
By the way, I am pleased to say that closed. We talked about how much she area of our State that cannot continue
today, I participated in two more re- has been able to learn about tele- to operate. They have about a week
mote hearings. Even though we are learning and how there is an oppor- left of cash reserves. Luckily, they are
here in session, we are having remote tunity here to do more outside of the going to get some of this funding that
hearings because it is not wise for us to classroom. It is not that we shouldn’t Congress just provided with regard to
all gather together with the staff and get back to classrooms—I think we the phase 3.5, as we are calling it, legis-
with the Capitol Police and others. It should. I think that is an opportunity lation of the CARES Act. But they are
is safer for us to do this remotely. By for kids to interact, which is impor- really hurting. They have had to lay
the way, both of these hearings went tant. But we are beginning to acknowl- off more than half of their hospital
well. One was in the Finance Com- edge that we can also do more after staff. They can’t do elective surgery.
mittee, and the other was in the Home- school in terms of telelearning. So this They can’t have the normal work they
land Security and Government Affairs is just another example of it. are used to because people aren’t com-
Committee. This is a change that I think must be ing in to see the doctor. They aren’t
By the way, our hearing last week made to prepare us for the realities of coming into the emergency room.
was online. You can check it out at this 21st century, where these contin- The good news is, in Ohio and other
psi.gov. The two hearings today were gencies come up. It is a pandemic States around the country, we are
both online, live-streamed today. This today. It may be something else tomor- starting to open up and doing so safely.
does not mean that you cut out the row. We are doing more testing and that is
public. In fact, I would say it is just By the way, the way our legislation all good. It has been a tough time.
the opposite. works for voting is that it is tem- Like so many Americans, I have been
During these last 6 weeks, we could porary. So I don’t think this should be on the phone a lot. I have been on the
have had hearings every week and kept the norm. I think it should be only in phone pretty much all day, every day,
the public informed as to what we were emergencies and only when the major- into the night. A lot of what I have
thinking and gotten more input from ity leader and the Democratic leader— been doing is talking to constituents
the public in an official way and in a so in a bipartisan way—decide it is the and talking to stakeholders across the
way that was so transparent that ev- appropriate thing to do, and then, State and hearing their concerns and
erybody could have been engaged in it, under our legislation, every 30 days, trying to explain what we are doing
if they wanted to, just like C–SPAN, Congress would have to vote—presum- here in Washington, how it would af-
except it is online. This is something ably remotely—to reaffirm it. Other- fect them and their families, and get-
we can now do, and I hope we will con- wise, it ends. ting their input as to what we should
tinue to do it. So it would be temporary, it would be do, but also I have been working with
I hope we will be sure that, as we do in emergencies only, and it would be up the White House, and HHS, FEMA, the
this, we also take serious this idea of to Republicans and Democrats alike at FDA, Treasury, SBA, the Bureau of
not just having hearings and not just the leadership level to decide it is time Prisons, the U.S. Trade Representative,
having the ability to interact as Re- to try remote voting and to be sure State of Ohio, and others on corona-re-
publicans and Democrats but actually that we, as the Members of the people’s lated matters to be able to help Ohio
have the ability to vote remotely when House across the way and the Members companies and help Ohio individuals.
we shouldn’t be here. Again, it needs to of the world’s greatest deliberative We have had some success in that. I am
be safe, and I think we can do that. body here in the Senate, as we are proud of that. In terms of constituents,
I am convinced that if we put our called, have the chance to represent we held seven tele-townhall meetings
minds to it, the technology is not the the millions of people we are charged in the last 6 weeks where we hear di-
problem; the problem is tradition. I am with representing by being their voice rectly from people, thousands of Ohio-
not against tradition. A lot of them here on the Senate floor. ans. Again, there are a lot of heart-
make sense. But do you know what? I hope we can, along with the times, breaking stories and also a lot of really
Tradition around here has changed a change here and begin to be more effec- inspiring stories about people who
lot over the years. There didn’t used to tive in representing those constituents. stepped up and helped.
be a filibuster, as an example, which is f One guy lost his job and decided to go
how we live right now, to get 60 votes volunteer at a food pantry. He wears
for everything. That is OK. I am not CORONAVIRUS the PPE, the mask and the gloves, and
saying it is a bad tradition to have Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I am he delivers food to people who have
changed, but the point is that we also here to talk today about the work never had to worry about food security
change tradition here a lot, and it is that is being done to help my home before because they always had a job.
time for us to look at this. State of Ohio to get through this Now, they don’t have a job and are
It is time for us essentially to catch coronavirus. It is a crisis in so many waiting to get their unemployment in-
up. Most of the people I represent are ways. It is a healthcare crisis, but it surance, and they can’t put food on the
doing this. To one extent or another, has also become an economic crisis and table. Some of them feel funny about
they are teleworking. Most people in a family crisis. It is affecting every- going to a food pantry because they
America today are realizing that you body in ways that are truly heart- have never done that before. He makes
can actually get a lot done online, re- breaking for me to see in so many in- them feel more at home, he said, and
motely. stances. understanding and more welcomed.
Today, I talked to some healthcare I have talked to people who have I talked to people who are delivering
professionals who were telling me been unemployed for the first time in groceries to their neighbors who are
about one of the rare silver linings in their lives and have never had access to seniors and who are more vulnerable.
this dark cloud that has descended the unemployment insurance office. God bless them. I talked to people who

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S2282 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 6, 2020
are making homemade masks at home. ing now. Like many States, we didn’t systems that have contributed to this
I brought some with me on my trip to have enough testing until recently. coronavirus crisis all over the country.
Washington. They are doing it as vol- Now, we are getting it. We had 3,700 I have been working the last 6 weeks
unteers, not asking for anything other tests per day, 2 weeks ago. Within 2 or with them, making sure they have the
than, if you take this mask, you have 3 weeks from today, we will have 20,000 opportunity to do that.
to agree you are also going to be help- tests per day, a 600 percent increase. One of those key contributions from
ing your neighbor. We had to work at it because we were Ohio has been from a company called
The frontline workers, the hospital having trouble getting some of the Battelle. Battelle is a global research
workers, are putting their healthcare components for testing, particularly institution and happens to be
on the line for us. They are risking the reagent. The State of Ohio, to its headquartered in Columbus, OH. They
their own healthcare and the possi- credit, with Governor DeWine, reached do awesome work all over the world.
bility of getting this virus to help all of an agreement with Thermo Fisher, a They run some of our national labs for
us and to help our grandparents and private sector company taking the lead the Energy Department. We worked
our parents. God bless them. in providing us a guaranteed supply with the Trump administration and
I love when the healthcare workers chain of this reagent under their tests, with Ohio Governor Mike DeWine to
are being held up by everybody. I think which enables us to dramatically re- help them get approval for a really in-
today is official Nurses Day. We should novative technology where they can
spond to increasing our testing.
all be thanking our healthcare profes- We are getting to a point where you take an N95 mask—one like this, ex-
sionals and, specifically today, our can have a lot more drive-through test- cept even better because it is N95—and
nurses for what they do every day in ing at Kroger and Walmart and some of they can recycle that mask. They de-
every time period, but particularly our drug stores. We are starting to get contaminate it.
during this crisis, where they have the testing much easier for people be- These masks can be recycled up to 20
been working really long hours and cause you can drive through. You don’t times. Think about that, 20 times. It is
doing everything they can to try to groundbreaking because they have
have to get out of your car, and you
protect us. I appreciate the people who enough machines to spread out around
feel safer.
are doing everything else on the The saliva test, as opposed to a test the country. They have 60 machines
frontlines right now, whether working where they take a swab deep into your that they can recycle and decontami-
in a grocery store stacking shelves or nasal cavities, is a lot less intrusive, nate between 4 and 5 million masks a
whether you are driving a truck. I and that is starting to be used more. day. I worked with FEMA, HHS, and
drove my pickup truck from Ohio to We are beginning to have enough test- the White House to help Battelle se-
Washington on Sunday to be here for cure a contract with the Federal Gov-
ing where we can more safely say:
this week, and every time I went by a ernment to be able to take their tech-
Look, we are going to reopen, but we
truck, I said thank you just for being
are going to test people a lot. If we find nology and machines and spread them
out there and delivering the food and
a problem, we are going to do the con- initially to hot spots around the coun-
delivering the products. We thank
tact tracing to figure out who that per- try like New York, Boston, Chicago,
those folks for what they are doing, all
son has been with and quarantine those Detroit, and now other places.
of them. I would tell people who might be lis-
One thing I tried to do is to help in people. That is less hard than quaran-
tining everybody else. tening that, if you are connected with
terms of explaining what is going on in
For all of us, really, testing is where a healthcare entity, a hospital, a nurs-
getting input. We talked to more than
there is a problem. We will get to a ing home, EMS, if you are a firefighter
a dozen groups out there. I talked to
point where we can test people who are and you use these N95 masks, don’t
the Farm Bureau today in Ohio, but I
asymptomatic. Even if you don’t have throw them away. When you are done
also talked to the hospitals, small busi-
ness owners, food banks, the non- symptoms, you could be a carrier. I with them, put them aside in a sepa-
profits, and many others to hear how think dramatically increasing the test- rate bin for recycling and get them
we can support them during this tough ing is the key thing. This is a diag- picked up. We worked on a contract
time. nostic test. There are also the immu- with the Federal Government to help
This afternoon, we had a telephone nity tests coming up, which is also with the pick-up and delivery, which is
call with some of the largest businesses helpful, but nothing replaces the diag- also available now. You can get them
in Ohio, a group called the Ohio Busi- nostic test which says whether you picked up and take them to Battelle.
ness Roundtable. They talked about have it or don’t. Hopefully, they have a cleaning station
some of the things they are doing to We also have seen good news in Ohio near you, and for free, you get a recy-
keep their employees safe because and around the country on these cled mask back. The process takes
some of them are essential businesses. antiviral medications. That is the rea- about 8 hours. If you are close to one,
I encouraged them, as I always do, to son we can reopen safely, too. If some- you can get it overnight.
get your best practices out to all your one does get coronavirus, they have a We are not at full capacity on these
others business associates. Let them chance to take something like machines. We should be. It is a great
know how we can reopen safely. We are Tamiflu, which you take for the com- idea. Why spend the money to get some
starting to open in Ohio. We want to mon flu. Remdesivir is the most recent overpriced mask from China—because
know it is safe. The best advice will one the FDA has approved, which has a they are all overpriced now—when you
not be from a piece of paper—as impor- record of being very helpful. People can actually recycle what you have? It
tant as that guidance is from the White want to know, if they get the virus, is a lot less medical waste, too. If you
House or the State of Ohio—it is going that they can take something for it. are interested in that, go to
to be from other businesses who found That is helpful. Battelle.org and learn more about it,
out things you can do, like stagger the Finally, we are getting our hands or go to our website
lunch break. That helps to spread peo- around the PPE issue, the personal Portman.senate.gov, to find out more
ple out. protective equipment, the masks and about it. Find out if there is a machine
These things might not be obvious, gloves and the gowns. This evening, near you. Even if there is not, we can
such as do the temperature testing as after this talk, I am going to be work- send them, and we can help you con-
people come in. Be sure that you are ing with an Ohio company that is in- nect with companies, including Car-
doing everything you can do to explain terested in dramatically expanding the dinal Health in Ohio, providing some of
to people what they can do if they feel gown production. That would be great. the logistics to get the masks back and
like they are getting sick, who they We are working with the White House forth.
can go to and how they can be sure and others to try to ensure that can That is an example of some of the
that they are not infecting others. I happen. things we have been working on the
think there is an opportunity here to We have a lot of great world-class past 6 weeks to help with this effort. I
reopen and do it safely. businesses in Ohio. What I am talking want to, again, as I have done before,
One reason we are able to reopen in about tonight is an example of that. commend the folks at Battelle for de-
Ohio safely is we have a lot more test- There are others, too, in healthcare voting their time and energy to this

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May 6, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2283
project. As soon as this coronavirus our supply chains are global and they things they have never done before and
came up, they said to the engineers: are complex. Who would have thought respond to these crisis—that is what
Forget what you are doing, go work on that, on a GoJo dispenser for Purell, Americans do. We get knocked down;
this. They have also done a lot of test- there would be a Chinese patented we figure it out. We get back on our
ing with Ohio State, putting their folks product, but there is. Whether it is feet.
against that, and now, they are work- gowns,—most of which are made in Ultimately, I am optimistic. Think
ing on other interesting technology China—or masks or other products like about what has happened in the last
that could be very helpful in detecting something essential that is in a hand couple of weeks. There is substantially
coronavirus. It is an example. sanitizer dispenser, we have to pull new testing. In my own State of Ohio,
We had another company, Cardinal those products back. again, a 600-percent increase of tests
Health, that I mentioned, that are I think the way to do it isn’t to beat from 2 weeks to 3 weeks from now. In-
helping in terms of the logistics. They up on China, but rather to provide the creasingly, new antiviral medication
did something else early on. They came incentive—the carrot—to American has been approved. It is something peo-
to me and said: We have 2.3 million companies and other companies and ple can rely on—more testing and
protective gowns in storage. We are not say, Make it here, make it in America. antiviral medication is critical. There
using them. They are the kind of gowns I think we can do that as a group, Re- are more PPEs. Finally, we are fig-
that can be used as isolation gowns. publicans and Democrats alike. uring it out, like the recycling which
They are very effective. They are not I think there is consensus now that we can do right here in America. We
qualified as surgical gowns, but they we should do more to reshore, and in can recycle our own masks. There are
can be used as isolation gowns. They some cases, shore for the first time, the gowns we are trying to get pro-
were willing to donate them to the Na- products that have been moved over- duced more here in America right now.
tional Stockpile. We worked with, seas and particularly to China. We We are starting to catch up on things
again, FDA, HHS, and the White House wouldn’t have had to get that special that, frankly, we were pretty far be-
to get through some of the red tape be- permission on the 25-percent tariff if it hind in.
cause it is tough to get things approved was made here. On the testing, I will tell you that,
at times with the Federal Government. We also worked with the FDA to get for the first few weeks of this crisis,
There are reasons for that. We want to approval for a company called Second you couldn’t get a test in most parts of
be safe. We got approval for those Breath in Cleveland, OH. It is another Ohio unless you were so severely ill
gowns, and bingo, like that, they start- great example. There are so many in that you had to be hospitalized. That
ed to go out. They went to New York, Ohio, but this is a company that didn’t was wrong. We just weren’t prepared as
they went to Detroit, they went to make ventilators at all. It is a consor- a country.
places where are there are hot spots. tium of several manufacturing compa- By the way, the last administration
They are in the National Stockpile. nies that work together. But again, wouldn’t have been any more prepared,
They donated 2.3 million gowns. early on in this crisis, they said: We nor would the previous administration,
One company that has been very need ventilators. We can do that. We which I served, have been any more
helpful to so many Americans is GoJo. are manufacturers. We are Ohioans. We prepared. We were not expecting a pan-
It is a company that makes Purell. I are inventors. demic like this. We should have been,
see some up here on the desk. Purell is They went out and made these ven- of course. There were some warnings.
made in Ohio, outside of Akron. We are tilators on their own that were then The country now will be prepared.
very proud of Purell. They have been tested at three different Ohio hospitals. One thing we are doing is we are add-
going 24/7, producing all they can. It is The medical community loved them. ing to that stockpile with the PPE,
tough to find it in the grocery store be- They are relatively inexpensive, rel- with the ventilators, and obviously
cause, as soon as the shipment comes atively simple, and very effective. with the antiviral medications for this
in, they take it and use it. It is par- Again, the FDA had to go through its virus and the vaccine for this virus. My
ticularly helpful now that they have process. My job is not to say to the hope is that vaccine, which the admin-
Purell beginning to reopen. FDA, You need to approve this. My job istration calls their process warp
Reopening means doing things dif- was to ask them to please expedite this speed—and I appreciate that they are
ferently. It means wearing a mask process so, if it can be approved, we can working around the clock. There are
when you are in proximity with some- get this out to people who are literally some scientists who have devoted their
body else. It means using Purell and dying and need the ventilators. To the lives to this now. That is all they are
washing your hands more often. It FDA’s credit, Dr. Jeffrey Shuren, in doing.
means being sure you are following the particular, worked with us and got that And God bless them, and there are a
rules to be able to stay safe. Purell will product approved. bunch of them. And, by the way, some
continue to be needed. They already made a bunch of them. of these vaccines will not work. People
They had a problem because the Fed- They weren’t going to send them out if will have spent hundreds of millions of
eral Government was assessing a 25- they didn’t get approval. They didn’t dollars—even billions of dollars—on
percent tariff on two critical items care because they were willing to take stuff that is not going to work. But
they had to have for the dispensers. At a loss, with the opportunity to save kind of like those ventilators were
least one item had a patent in China. people. Now, those ventilators have made even though they didn’t know if
China had the patent on it. Things gone out to stockpiles and hospitals, they were going to get approval or not,
were coming in from China with a 25- including New York, when they needed we want to have that virus vaccine
percent tariff. We were able to go to a them all over the country. ready.
U.S. Trade Representative. I commend It is an example of the kinds of If it does work and it gets approval,
Bob Lighthizer, who is the Trade Rep, things over the last 6 weeks we have we want to have lots of doses of it al-
for working with us on this. been able to do in Ohio. The result is ready made. So there is going to be
For this period of time, they took companies in Ohio are now making some money spent, including by the
that 25 percent off. They were having a swabs, making masks, making face Federal taxpayer, but that is OK to en-
tough time getting the supply and be- shields, making hand sanitizer. sure that we end up with something
cause it was increasing the costs by 25 Proctor and Gamble converted some that really can be effective.
percent. We were able to do that. Now. of their perfume-making factory to On the testing, I will tell you that in
They are able to produce more of this making hand sanitizer. It probably my own hometown of Cincinnati, OH,
Purell and more dispensers and do it smells pretty good. I don’t know if it those first few weeks we really couldn’t
less expensively. actually has a particular odor to it. If get tested unless you were to be hos-
By the way, this leads me to a com- it comes from a perfume factory, it pitalized. And we had an interesting
ment on China. We need to pull back might not just be effective, but smell issue there, again, showing how Wash-
some of what we make in China and pretty good, too. Thanks to Proctor ington sometimes can make things a
make it here. It is a pretty simple con- and Gamble and all these companies little slower. The University of Cin-
cept. It is harder to implement because that are willing to step up and do these cinnati, which is our primary academic

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S2284 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 6, 2020
medical center in southern Ohio, had aren’t doing more testing there. I talk fully. Let’s not start to legislate again
ordered a testing machine back in Feb- to them constantly, and they are pro- and spend more money until we know
ruary. They ordered it because they viding more testing, but not enough— how what we have already sent works.
knew this was coming, and they want- not enough. I think it is inexcusable. The money is just being distributed
ed to get the best of the best. So it was I think, in a situation like a nursing now. In fact, most of our money in
a high-quality machine, with high ac- home or a prison, we should be focused Ohio that goes to the State and local
curacy, and it could do 1,000 tests a on getting the testing in there. These governments has not been distributed
day. By the way, at the time, they were are what they call congregant living yet. Let’s get that money out.
doing about 80 to 100 tests a day in situations. In this case it is a low-secu- By the way, they need it. They need
their own little lab, but they needed rity prison. So it is more like dor- it badly. They need it to pay police and
this equipment, and they had a con- mitory-type style living, and, unfortu- fire and EMS. Our cities in Ohio are
tract for it back in February. nately, if they were to test as much as really hurting because they depend so
Well, come March they kept hearing they should, I believe they would find much on income taxes, on earnings
next week, next week, next week, and out, as we found out in other State taxes. Other cities in America don’t be-
they called me and I got involved. I got prisons in Ohio, that more than half cause they can’t, but about four of the
to the company and got to the Univer- the prisoners there are carrying the top five cities in America that were
sity of Cincinnati and said: What is the virus, and you have got to separate most affected by the reduction in rev-
real problem here? And they said: Well, those people out from those who don’t enue from the coronavirus are in
we are being told by the Federal Gov- have it and do much more treating and Ohio—Columbus, Cleveland, Cin-
ernment that we can’t deliver it to Cin- tracing. But we have made progress cinnati, and Toledo.
cinnati. It needs to go somewhere else. there, and we will continue to. So they have a real problem on their
I said: Well, they contracted for this The phase 3.5 rescue package we hands. I strongly urge the Department
back in February, and we are desperate passed a few weeks ago does have fund- of Treasury to loosen up their require-
for testing. We may not be a hotspot ing for the PPP program, which is for ments to allow that State and local
right now, but we are going to be un- small businesses, to be able to keep funding to be used more flexibly, spe-
less we get some testing. their employees and keep their doors cifically for payroll, for public safety.
So, again, we broke through the red- open. It also has funding for Based on Monday’s guidance that we
tape and broke through what was some healthcare. But the piece that hasn’t just got a couple of days ago here, they
miscommunication. It turned out, with gotten much attention and may be the can now do that. That is just guidance.
the help of the White House, that we most important aspect of the bill of all It is not legislation. I would love in
got the approval to get the diagnostic is $25 billion in the bill for more test- whatever we do going forward to get
tests there that had already been con- ing. that in legislation, to say: Let’s pro-
Again, I am a broken record here on vide flexibility to the States but also
tracted for. It is called a cobas 6800 ma-
testing, but that money is so impor- to these municipalities.
chine. It can process more than 1,000
I will tell you that in my home State
diagnostic tests per day, and it is tant, and we are using it in Ohio right
of Ohio, again, at the municipal level,
working. It is every day giving more now. About $43 million has come to
we are really hurting. Budgets are
people the sense of security that they Ohio recently, I am told, and that fund-
being slashed because the revenue is
know whether they have this or not, ing will be helpful not just to ensure
not coming in because it is based on
and they know whether the person that that we have testing, but do we have
the economy. Most cities rely heavily
works in the store has it or not, and enough testing so that we will get a
on property tax. We don’t. Property
they know that we have more access to sense of what is going on in terms of
tax has not been affected in the way
testing. the healthcare crisis, and then, when
that income tax has or sales tax.
Now, I am not saying we are getting there is a hotspot, address it again im- So we do need to pay attention to
there, but that would be key to getting mediately and be able to stop the this, and people say: Well, we shouldn’t
us back to business but also reopening spread of the virus? It is so important send in more money to municipalities.
in a way that we don’t have to stop if to us reopening and getting people Let’s start with flexibility. Let them
there is an outbreak because we will back to work, back to their churches use the money they have more effec-
have the testing to be able to really and other places of worship, and back tively for what they actually need.
throw at it and then the contact trac- to school. I don’t want a situation where you
ing and be able to ensure that we can We need to get back to a normal life, have a 30-percent or 40-percent cut in
stop the spread of the virus. and we can, and we will. We will figure police, which is what is happening in
So those are some of the things that this out, but we do need the help of some of our municipalities, to affect
we have worked on. We have worked having the necessary testing capacity, the public safety of our communities at
with FEMA to unlock additional re- diagnostic testing, and then it is also a time like this. Police officers need to
sources for Ohio, and that has hap- helpful to have the antibody test so be on the street doing their jobs. God
pened around the country. you know whether you have developed bless them. They are out there. We
USDA has now allowed the Ohio De- an immunity or not. But those are both need them.
partment of Job and Family Services needed. You can’t do it just with the As for EMS personnel, if your grand-
to operate the Disaster Household Dis- antibody test. You have to also know mother needs to be rushed to the hos-
tribution Program. We appreciate through the diagnostic test whether pital, you want the EMS to come. You
them. We worked with them on that so someone has the disease or not to be don’t want to have a 40-percent cut in
that we can officially get meals to food able to pull that person out of a situa- their services. So we do have to deal
banks and families in Ohio. tion where he or she is with others and with this issue and be sure to provide
We worked with the Department of to find out whom they have been in flexibility is the first step.
Veterans Affairs to ensure that vet- touch with and do the contact tracing, And let’s codify that by statute and
erans could get an extension on their and, again, quarantining those people, make sure it is clear, not just guidance
filing of claims and appeals during this not quarantining everybody else. That that doesn’t seem to be consistent with
time period for veterans’ compensation is the effective way to do it. the underlying law, because the under-
benefits and other benefits during a Congress has now passed four of these lying law says it has to be directly re-
time when the VA offices have been legislative measures in an over- lated to the COVID–19, and some of this
closed. whelming, bipartisan fashion. It is a is not. You need police officers on the
We helped stop the Federal Bureau of lot of money. About $3 trillion have street whether you had COVID–19 or
Prisons from sending more prisoners to gone out the door from Federal tax- not. So let’s be sure we codify that and
one of our hotspots. It is a really sad payers. I hope we can continue to be bi- then let’s see what is needed.
case, the Elkton Federal prison in partisan. I hope we can work together But I also think that in this next leg-
Ohio. We also helped them bring more to figure out how to move forward. islation we also have to be sure that we
healthcare to the Elkton prison. In my view, moving forward means are not just looking at what has al-
Frankly, I am discouraged that they looking at what we have done care- ready passed but looking ahead. And

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May 6, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2285
looking ahead means the ability to re- I understand some of them are being kota organization which provides free
open, and that means stimulating the sued right now because they have stu- and confidential mental health, suicide
economy and creating—whether it is dents who are telelearning. Well, yes, prevention, and other services 24 hours
tax relief or whether it is smart invest- it is not their fault. You can’t bring a day, 7 days a week.
ment in infrastructure. Let’s say the students together right now in the dor- FirstLink offers listening and sup-
projects that are already on the books mitories. It is not safe. port, resource referrals and crisis inter-
in my State and yours, projects that I know there is, again, kind of a par- vention. Across the entire State of
are already shovel-ready because they tisan nature to this. It shouldn’t be North Dakota and parts of Minnesota,
are ready to go, they have gone partisan at all. We should all want peo- FirstLink answers calls for 17 agencies,
through the merit-based process in our ple to go back to work, to be able to go notably the 211 helpline and the Na-
States, but many of those projects will back to school, to be able to access the tional Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
not be able to be funded this year by healthcare system. Those reaching out for help now have
our States. Why? Because their reve- I also think that for my colleagues the ability to also communicate by
nues have collapsed, particularly their on my side of the aisle who might want text messaging at 898–211.
gas taxes have collapsed. So the State to make this broader than the Last year, FirstLink answered 60,148
match, which is based on the amount coronavirus, let’s keep it to the calls. Of those, 13,446 were related to
of gas you buy, has gone down because coronavirus, and I think that is what suicide. Its Caring Contacts service re-
people aren’t driving nearly as much. people intend. Let’s keep it to COVID– ceives referrals from hospitals and
What if we picked up some of that at 19, and let’s provide the kind of protec- clinics across North Dakota in addition
the Federal level? These are good tions—sensible protections—that are to the phone calls that come in. Caring
projects because they aren’t bridges to necessary to be able to allow people to Contacts offers informal resources and
nowhere. They have been through the get back to a normal life. coping strategies, encourages mental
merit-based process, and they are People say: Well, things are going to health treatment, and provides
ready to go. That is an idea. Why? It is
be so different now in America. They nonjudgmental listening and support.
good jobs, one, which are needed right
will be different. We will be more cau- These calls are offered around the
now, and good benefits, but also it is
tious. You know, we will probably, schedules of the individuals in need.
economic benefit. Those dollars will
therefore, have a less drastic flu season Additional training is also offered to
come back in terms of improved roads
too because we will be more careful. staff and volunteers from other State
and bridges and ports and airports.
Rural broadband would really help With this pandemic, you know, we organizations working with people of
right now. As people are telelearning don’t know if it is going to come back all ages.
and teleworking more and more, they again like it did a couple of months FirstLink began as a grassroots vol-
are finding out: Oh, my gosh, there are ago. Will it come back again in the fall unteer organization in the Fargo area,
big parts of our country that don’t or the winter like that, but we have to first taking calls 6 hours a day. It has
have broadband access, can’t get Wi-Fi, be prepared for that. So life will not be grown in hours and scope, thanks to
and if you can, it is way too slow. exactly the same. There is no question private and public support, a staff of 20,
Again, talking to the Farm Bureau about it. There will be some things a 12-member board, and many volun-
today, you would think they would be that will be different, too. There will teers.
talking about the price of corn and be more teleworking because it is has The profound impact of the work
soybeans, and they were, and the huge worked well. It is cost effective, and it FirstLink has done over these past 50
issues we have right now in the beef in- is efficient. There will be more tele- years can never be adequately meas-
dustry and the pork industry and poul- medicine because it has worked well. ured. On behalf of all North Dakotans,
try, but they were also talking about: I I have talked to a number of doctors I congratulate and sincerely thank ex-
got my kids at home and we can’t do who were actually very pleased with ecutive director Cindy Miller and all
the homework because we can’t get some of the things they have been able staff and volunteers for the difference
broadband in a lot of parts of Ohio— to do remotely. I hope we will have a their commitment has made to the
probably in about a third of our State. Congress that works more remotely so quality of life in our State. May your
Ohio is not viewed as a State that has when we are on our recesses, as we do next 50 years be just as meaningful.∑
huge, sparsely populated rural areas, every August, and as we do periodi-
f
but we have enough, and we have a real cally, that we could have remote hear-
lack of access to broadband to be able ings on a more regular basis because it TRIBUTE TO THE SALEM HIGH
even to do schoolwork, much less to is great information. SCHOOL CHEERLEADING TEAM
start a small business. But, ultimately, I think our country
So this is another area where we can will get back on track. Again, we, as ∑ Ms. HASSAN. Mr. President, I am
provide some help for that here, and it Americans, when we get knocked down, proud to recognize Salem High School’s
would come back in terms of increased we get back up on our feet, and that is cheerleading team as April’s Granite
dollars from having more economic de- what we will do. And we will have Staters of the Month for coming to-
velopment in some of these rural areas. again not just the greatest economy on gether, even while social distancing, to
So I think there are some things we the face of the Earth, but we again will help raise the spirits of residents at a
need to do there as well. be that beacon of hope and opportuni- local nursing home.
There has been a lot of discussion ties for the rest of the world. People Due to the COVID–19 pandemic, Sa-
about this issue of liability protection. will again look at America and say: I lem’s cheerleading team was unable to
Let me tell you my perspective on this. want to be like that. And we will be compete at their New England con-
It is very simple. This should not be a able to show that and how we get back ference meet, a moment that the ath-
partisan issue. I mean, we should not on our feet and how we get back to a letes had worked hard for all season. In
want these hospitals and these schools more normal life, and, once again, the an effort to cheer up her teammates, as
and these small businesses and any- greatest country on the face of this well as bring joy to residents at their
body to be able to be sued for some- Earth will be able to once again be able local nursing home, Gabrielle Driggers,
thing that was totally out of their con- to show the world an ideal for everyone a sophomore on the team, suggested
trol. This is not something anybody to aspire to. throwing a parade for the residents,
should be blamed for, certainly in this which included Gabrielle’s grand-
f
country. We know where it started, in mother.
Hubei Province, in Wuhan, China. But ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS Gabrielle, who has led previous ef-
as for the fact that this has come over forts to support her local community
here and people are affected by it, let’s by organizing donation drives and
not have a trial lawyer bonanza here 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF FIRSTLINK fundraisers with the help of her team-
because that will result in people not ∑ Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, I want mates, texted the team’s group chat to
getting back to work. It will result in to recognize the 50th anniversary this see if anyone would be willing to par-
more costs for our universities. month of FirstLink, a vital North Da- ticipate in a parade for residents at

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