Getting Back on Track (Cong. Rec., March 9, 2021)
Summary
This is H1179 of the Congressional Record, House, March 9, 2021, with interleaved columns of one-minute statements. One speaker supports the relief bill, saying it provides $350 billion for States and localities, including $13.7 billion for Illinois, and that 524,000 American lives have been lost to COVID-19. Another speaker asks others to wear masks and says there are five variants of COVID-19 in the speaker's State, and Mr. Guthrie honors Kerry McDaniel, who passed away in February at 65 from COVID-19 complications. A further speaker praises House passage of legislation on workers' rights to unionize, with the views and figures attributed to the speakers.
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“Getting Back on Track (Cong. Rec., March 9, 2021).”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2021-03-09-crec-2021-03-09-pt1-pgh1179-6-91605cdbf4/
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March 9, 2021 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H1179
hands. We are vaccinating as fast as we work—our firefighters, our teachers, port of our Nation’s greatest asset, our
can, but I am letting you know that our frontline public health workers, workers, our essential workers—
Texas has all five of the variants of our first responders—we are going to nurses, teachers, mail carriers, trans-
COVID–19. They have long-haulers in provide $350 billion for States and lo- portation, sanitation, and food indus-
Texas, people who have continued to calities, including $13.7 billion for my try workers, among so many others—
have COVID–19. State of Illinois, to get you back to who have lifted the Nation with their
To save lives, I am asking my fellow work, too. sacrifice and bravery.
Texans—as I know President Bush al- We can’t fix everything. 524,000 Just as they have supported us, we
ways used to call us, his ‘‘fellow Tex- American lives lost to COVID are never must support them by supporting
ans’’—to wear your masks, wash your coming back. But tomorrow, when we unions. Attacks on unions, and a series
hands, socially distance to save lives. vote to pass the American Rescue Plan, of significant actions by the former ad-
Let’s ignore wrong-headed advice and we will honor their memory. We will ministration, have weakened worker
do what is right to save lives. make things a little easier for their protections and, in turn, destroyed the
loved ones. We will get their kids back middle class.
f
in school safely, their family busi- That is why I was proud to just vote
HONORING KERRY MCDANIEL nesses back in the black, cut child pov- to pass the Protecting the Right to Or-
(Mr. GUTHRIE asked and was given erty in half, create 4 million new jobs. ganize Act, the most significant up-
permission to address the House for 1 Most importantly, we will emerge grade for workers’ collective bar-
minute.) from this crisis with an economy that gaining rights in more than 80 years.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, sadly, is stronger, more equitable, and poised If we are to fully recover from this
Kerry McDaniel passed away in Feb- for growth for years to come. deadly pandemic and build back better,
ruary at just 65 years of age from Mr. Speaker, I thank all of my col- we must invest in and protect the
COVID–19 complications. leagues in the House and Senate who rights of our workers to unionize.
Kerry was described as ‘‘can’t be re- made this possible. Let’s get this done. American workers and their families
are depending on us.
placed,’’ ‘‘top-notch in every regard,’’ f
and ‘‘an exemplary model of generosity f
PRO ACT MUST HAVE
and selflessness.’’ EXEMPTIONS ENTREPRENEURS WILL BE
Kerry loved serving his community HARMED BY PRO ACT
and did so in various positions (Mr. LAMALFA asked and was given
permission to address the House for 1 (Mr. OBERNOLTE asked and was
throughout the years. For almost three given permission to address the House
decades, Kerry worked for the Ken- minute and to revise and extend his re-
marks.) for 1 minute.)
tucky Department for Environmental Mr. OBERNOLTE. Mr. Speaker, I fear
Protection, and most recently, he was Mr. LAMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I am
that H.R. 842 is going to have serious
the Hart County Emergency Manage- from California, and almost 2 years
long-term consequences for
ment Director and Solid Waste Coordi- ago, the State passed a bill known as
entrepreneurialism here in America.
nator. AB–5, where all workers would be pre-
Mr. Speaker, I started a company 30
As a frontline responder, he worked sumed as employees unless the worker
years ago out of my college dorm room
hard to obtain personal protective can show that they satisfy all three
at Caltech, and I grew it the way that
equipment and protect Hart County prongs of what is known as the ABC
most small businesses are grown in
from COVID–19. Throughout the coun- test.
America. I grew it organically. That
ty, Kerry was known for his service and It went into effect in January 2020,
means that when I had a little bit more
generosity to others. and it had quite a few exemptions in
business than I, myself, could do, I con-
Kerry is survived by his dear wife, it—barbers, musicians, translators,
tracted that business out to other peo-
Vicki; his son, Curtis; his daughter-in- home inspectors, golf caddies, things
ple who could do that business for me.
law, Tara; his grandson, Briar Allen, like that. But after the bill passed, Mr. Speaker, under this bill, that
and many other family members he flaws were found in it. They had to go practice will be illegal because it vio-
loved so dearly. back and legislate again to add news- lates the so-called B pillar of the bill
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to have papers. They had to go back and extend that prohibits any contracting that is
known Kerry; he was an exemplary cit- the time for others for when it would related to the core business that a
izen. Kerry was a great friend, and he kick in. company engages.
will be missed by all who knew him. So, what is happening? Here in this Mr. Speaker, if H.R. 842 had been the
House, we are on H.R. 842. Now, I had law of the land, I would not have been
f
an amendment that would provide for able to start my company, and the
b 2100 some of those exemptions. This pro- hundreds of jobs that we have created
vides for zero exemptions for this re- would not have been created here. But
AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN WILL
quirement that all would be presumed they will be created elsewhere, in other
MAKE ECONOMY STRONGER
as employees. countries, with more sane and less re-
(Mr. CASTEN asked and was given We are going to go ahead and do ac- strictive laws.
permission to address the House for 1 tually worse than the State of Cali- Mr. Speaker, I urge a ‘‘no’’ vote on
minute.) fornia, passing the PRO Act without H.R. 842.
Mr. CASTEN. Mr. Speaker, for the the exemptions. f
one in eight Americans who will go to Government should be here to foster
bed hungry tonight; for the 60 million economic growth, not restrict it. The GETTING BACK ON TRACK WITH
Americans out of work and the 40 mil- PRO Act would kill growth, squash in- AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN
lion who fear they might be evicted to- novation in the gig economy and the (Mr. VEASEY asked and was given
morrow; for the 2.3 million women, a American economy. permission to address the House for 1
million mothers, who have left the Why are we going backward here minute.)
workforce, the American Rescue Plan when we can learn from California’s Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, 1 year
is for you. mistake? ago, almost to this very day, is the day
It will put money directly in your f when COVID–19 was officially declared
pockets; expand access to affordable a pandemic. One year ago, we didn’t
healthcare and childcare; extend unem- SUPPORTING WORKERS BY know that this pandemic would infect
dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with HOUSE
ployment insurance and housing and SUPPORTING UNIONS millions of Americans or kill thou-
nutrition assistance; and support 27 (Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of sands of Texans in my home State and
million children with an expanded New York asked and was given permis- hurt so many disadvantaged commu-
child tax credit. sion to address the House for 1 minute.) nities.
Mr. Speaker, for the 1.4 million pub- Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New But after a year of darkness, we are
lic-sector employees who are out of York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in sup- finally seeing the light because the
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H1180 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE March 9, 2021
House will pass, tomorrow, the Amer- tribute to a dear friend, Peggy Daniel country and an understanding of what
ican Rescue Plan, a comprehensive of west Tennessee, who had recently happened in 2018 and 2019 when the
plan that the Biden-Harris administra- passed away. working poor, the value of their labor—
tion and our Democrat-led House and Today, we honor the life of her son and understand, for many of us who
Senate has crafted which will give con- and my friend, Drew Daniel, who left have graduate degrees and those
stituents in the district that I rep- us way too soon. Drew passed away last things, who can work behind a com-
resent, and all Americans, the chance week. He was a native of west Ten- puter, great. Our skill set is what we
for some relief. nessee, the son of my friends, Peggy are selling.
Our plan will help crush the COVID– and Jimmy Daniel. For much of the workforce, if you
19 virus and get the economy moving Drew moved to Shelby County in the didn’t finish high school or you have
again by getting vaccines into arms early 1990s for college, and he received moderate skill sets, your labor is your
across the country. Because in places his bachelor’s degree in political value. What is going on here right now
like my home State of Texas, where science from the University of Mem- is almost a type of economic violence
Greg Abbott, who is the Governor, is phis, where he then later achieved a to that labor value.
prematurely lifting COVID–19 restric- master’s degree in public administra- Yet, I am not sure my brothers and
tions, the best thing we can do to com- tion. Drew interned in the House of sisters on the other side even see it. So,
bat a potential surge against the virus Representatives for then-Congressman let’s first delve into a little bit of what
is to make sure that everybody has a Don Sundquist, who also was a close is going on at the border. Do under-
vaccine. and dear friend of Drew’s parents. stand, one of the things we see in the
Mr. Speaker, that is why I am a Drew loved to volunteer for his com- math from 2018 and 2019, when the
proud supporter and will vote for the munity, and he was an active member working poor got dramatically less
American Rescue Plan tomorrow, be- of the Boy Scouts of America, the Mid- poor, the first 2 years in modern times
cause we need a bold solution like this town Rotary Club, and Memphis City where income inequality shrank—not
one for our country and economy to Beautiful Commission. because rich people got less rich, but
get back on the right track and to get Drew was also extremely active in because poor people made money—the
back to normal. the Shelby County Republican Party value of their labor increased because
and the Tennessee Republican Party. they weren’t competing with armies of
f other unskilled labor.
He had served as the Shelby County
DELIVERING FOR THE AMERICAN Young Republican chair and was an Mr. Speaker, if we are going to be
PEOPLE elected member of the Tennessee State honest around here and say we care
executive committee of the Tennessee about the poor, that we care about the
(Ms. STEVENS asked and was given working poor, don’t you see the eco-
permission to address the House for 1 Republican Party. In 2019, Drew was se-
lected as a Tennessee Republican Party nomic violence we are allowing to hap-
minute.) pen at the border, making our folks
Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I rise Statesman of the year.
Drew was also a longtime valued em- have to compete with floods of
today as a Michigander as my home moderate- to low-skilled immigrants? I
State is recognizing 1 year from the ar- ployee for David Lenoir in the Shelby
County Trustee’s Office and then an know it is an uncomfortable conversa-
rival of our first cases of COVID–19. tion, but we need to see it in the total-
I rise today to say that more help is agent for New York Life.
Without a doubt, Drew was a dedi- ity of the people we claim we care
on the way, that today we are deliv- about.
cated leader with a heart for public
ering for the American people and de- Then, the other day, I made a mis-
service and also for volunteerism. I
livering for my home State of Michi- take on one of the hard-left-leaning
really don’t know many people who
gan. cable television shows. They were try-
were more passionate about politics or
I rise today to say that we passed the ing to compare what we did in tax re-
their community than Drew Daniel.
PRO Act to stand up for hardworking form to the Democrats’ $1.9 trillion
I have so many memories, seeing
Michiganders, that we will get rid of spending bill and said: Well, they are
Drew and Peggy cheering on the Mem-
right-to-work, that people are at the both $1.9 trillion. But look here, this
phis Tigers in the Liberty Bowl and the
heart of what we do here in this Cham- went to tax cuts, where this goes to
FedEx Forum. Truly, as good of a per-
ber, and that by prioritizing the legis- spending. Isn’t the spending so much
son as Drew was, he was a great son to
lation that stands up for hardworking more wonderful?
his parents and a terrific brother to
Americans, we are delivering for them.
Mike and Melanie. b 2115
Tomorrow, we will pass the Butch
We are all better because of Drew, Once again, I need my brothers and
Lewis Act. We will right the pensions
and he will be deeply missed by every- sisters on the left to go back to school
of almost a million Americans. That is
one. Roberta and I extend our deepest and spend a moment paying attention
what we came here to do. That is what
sympathies to his brother, Mike, and in their economics class. The elegance
unity is.
his sister, Melanie. Rest in peace, of the tax reform was that it made the
f Drew. value of workers’ labor more valuable
Mr. SCHWEIKERT. Mr. Speaker, because the economy grew. We specifi-
DEMOCRATS’ SPENDING BILL
when we have someone special in our cally made it so businesses would take
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under districts like that, sometimes with the part of that tax reform and put it into
the Speaker’s announced policy of Jan- chaos around here, it is hard finding things that made their businesses more
uary 4, 2021, the gentleman from Ari- time. productive, making it so you can pay
zona (Mr. SCHWEIKERT) is recognized Mr. Speaker, one of the things I people more.
for 60 minutes as the designee of the wanted to do this evening is to start to Remember, individuals’ wages go up
minority leader. build on a theme that I have done in on two things, inflation and produc-
Mr. SCHWEIKERT. Mr. Speaker, I the past, and I hope to be able to do tivity. It is one of the reasons in 2018
yield to the gentleman from Tennessee over the coming months. But it is a lit- and 2019 we had the fastest wage
(Mr. KUSTOFF), my friend, who had tle difficult right now because, let’s be growth of workers, particularly the
someone that was very special in his honest, the House is spending money at working poor in modern history.
life that he wanted to talk about. a pace where it is really hard for the So what is the Democrat solution to
HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF DREW Joint Economic Committee and even help these populations?
DANIEL my own staff to try to keep up. We are going to send them a check.
dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with HOUSE
Mr. KUSTOFF. Mr. Speaker, I thank We are going to talk about what is And maybe part of that is good. There
my friend and colleague from Arizona going on, a couple of things I really are people out there who are really suf-
for yielding. want us to start to put in the RECORD, fering and hurting.
Mr. Speaker, I stand here tonight talk about, and get our heads around. But what do we do next year?
saddened because a little over a year I have an absolute fixation of a moral The elegance of when you have some-
ago, I took to the House floor to pay obligation to the working poor in this one’s labor become more valuable is
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