Given. Encourage the members of this house, o god, to use their abilities and talents in ways that bring righteousness to this nation. And to all people. Ever remind them of the needs of the poor, the homeless, or forgotten, and those who live without freedom or liberty. May they be instruments of justice for all americans. We are grateful for the success of the recent negotiations between the president and congressional leaders on the debt limit and the budget caps deal. And ask your blessing on them and on those now charged with moving the business of government and the National Economy forward. May all that is done within the peoples house this day be for your greater honor and glory, men. The speaker the chair has examined the journal of the last days proceedings and announces to the house her pproval thereof. Pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1, the journal stands approved. For what purpose does the gentleman from indiana seek recognition . Madam speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule 1, i demand a vote on agreeing to the speakers approval of the journal. The speaker the question is on agreeing to the speakers approval of the journal. So many as are in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. The ayes have it. The journal stands approved. For what purpose does the gentleman from indiana continue to seek recognition . Madam speaker, i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and make a point of order a quorum is not present. The speaker pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on the question are postponed. The pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentleman from utah, mr. Mcadams. Mr. Mcadams i pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. The speaker the chair will entertain up to 15 requests for oneminute speeches on each side of the aisle. For what purpose does the gentleman from utah seek recognition . Mr. Mcadams to address the house for one minute. The speaker without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Mcadams thank you, madam chair. Passage of the Affordable Care act nearly a decade ago while not a perfect bill helped thousands of utah families gain insurance coverage, many for the first time. And i am working in congress to ensure we meet the laws goals to improve access to care and protect all americans coverage, particularly those with preexisting conditions. Utahs hardworking families struggle with the rising cost of care, fueled to large degree by skyrocketing Prescription Drug prices. Everywhere i go people talk about how the cost of an illness or accident sparks the fear of being one Health Crisis away from financial ruin. Thats why i have voted for a dozen bills to seek to lower the cost of Prescription Drugs and strengthen Consumer Protections and i urge my Senate Colleagues to act, too. I continue to meet with utahans about their Health Care Concerns and i recently had a conversation with moms of kids with type 1 diabetes who explained to me how the high cost of insulin is affecting their childs treatment. We have a bipartisan consensus that our Health Care System needs work. So its past time we act on Bipartisan Solutions that allow americans costs and assure their access to quality and Affordable Health care. Thank you, madam speaker. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from maryland rise . To address the house for one minute. Revise and extend. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Sarbanes thank you, mr. Speaker. Last year the American People embraced the democrats for the people agenda. Lower health care costs, raise wages, and clean up corruption. Americans hate corruption. They hate the idea that people are cutting the line, breaking the rules, and getting ahead. Cheating on the system. They want to see us clean that up in washington. And they sent us laws year with a very, very powerful message. Three things, they said. The first was, make it so that i can get to the ballot box in america without running an obstacle course. Make it easier to register and vote in this country. And in h. R. 1 the for the people act, we did that. We put that proposal forward to strengthen voting. The second thing they said was, when you get to washington, behave yourselves. Its that simple. Be ethical. Be quibble. Answer to the people. We put he equitable. Answer to the people. Last thing is when you goat washington dont get tangled up in the money, remember where you came from, work for us not the special interests and insiders and the lobbyists and we fixed that in h. R. 1. That was part of the for the people agenda. I yield back my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. For what purpose does the gentleman from michigan rise . Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. Revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Speaker, i rise today to pay tribute to judge cohen who turns 95 years young today and marks 40 years of service in the Eastern District of michigan. Although he is technically been on senior status for two decades, judge cohen maintains a remarkably active docket and his chambers are a landmark for anyone interested in an astounding range of history, legal doctrine, and public policy. Mr. Levin i count count myself among the many michiganders of all communities and stations of life who know room 218 is the place to go when you have a particularly thorny problem to solve or need advice on a sensitive matter. You just have to be ready because the judge dispenses his wisdom unvarnished. Judge cohens work ethic is legendary. In any room hes generally both the most wellread person on history, philosophy, culture, and also somehow the most uptodate on Currents Affairs as he devours numerous newspapers and websites every day. Its hard to overstate judge cohens impact on the law and the people who have passed through his courtroom. Whether they be defendants, attorneys, or staff. Hes left an indelible imprint on so many lives. I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating judge cohen on 40 years of service and wishing him continued success. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote or the yeas and nays are ordered or votes objected to under clause 6 of rule 20. The house will resume proceedings on postponed questions at a later time. For what purpose does the gentlewoman from texas seek recognition . Miss johnson mr. Speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h. R. 1665, the Building Blocks of stem. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the bill. The clerk h. R. 1665, a bill to direct the National Science foundation to support Stem EducationResearch Focused on Early Childhood. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from texas, ms. Johnson, and the gentleman from oklahoma, mr. Lucas, each will control 20 minutes. The chair recognizes the gentlewoman from texas. Ms. Johnson mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and and their remarks include extraneous materials on h. R. 1665, the bill under consideration. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Ms. Johnson i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized. Ms. Johnson i rise today to support h. R. 1665, the Building Blocks of stem act. Employment in computer and Information Technology jobs is projected to grow faster than any other occupation between he years of 2016 and 2026. Despite the opportunity for good highpaying jobs when they graduate, women earned only 19 of undergraduate Computer Science degrees in 2016. Disturbingly the ratio of women to men earning Computer Science degrees declined between 2006 and 2016. H. R. 1665 devotes resources to ensure girls in prekindergarten and Elementary School are exposed to stem activities and encouraged to pursue stem studies from a young age before many are dissuaded or discouraged from doing so. The legislation includes a focus on Computer Science education to help ensure we will have the talent to fill the jobs for the future. We must act now to increase the participation of women in stem and it starts with a focus on Early Childhood education. I want to commend my colleagues , representative stevens for their leadership in this legislation and i urge my colleagues to support it. I reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady reserves. The gentleman from oklahoma. Mr. Lucas mr. Speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Lucas thank you, mr. Speaker. Research shows that early exposure to science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and Computer Science has positive impacts on a Broad Spectrum of students. For example early math knowledge not only predicts later math success, it also predicts later reading achievement. Studies have also found children to engage in Scientific Activities from an early age develop positive Attitudes Towards Science and are more likely to pursue stem expertise and careers. H. R. 1665, the Building Blocks of stem act, directs the National Science foundation to support Stem EducationResearch Focused on Early Childhood and to award grants to encourage young girls to pursue Computer Science learning. Across the country, the share of stem jobs has expanded significantly. With stem employment increasing from 9. 7 million to 17. 3 million from 1990 to 2018. Data suggests this trend will continue and the u. S. Is struggling to meet that demand. To meet it we must engage children, particularly young girls, in stem and Early Childhood and sustain that interest as they grow. More graduates with stem degrees means more advanced American Technologies and moreau bust economy. And more robust economy. Its not just about the economy. Stem graduates have the potential to develop technologies that could save thousands of lives. Jumpstart a new industry, or even discover new worlds. By supporting more handson stem engagement for younger ages, we are supporting and investing in americas future. In the 115th congress, the house passed this legislation unanimously and i hope it will do so again today. I want to thank representative baird and representative stevens for reintroducing this bipartisan bill and moving it forward. I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves his time. The gentlelady from texas is recognized. Ms. Johnson mr. Speaker, i yield five minutes to the gentlelady from michigan, ms. Stevens. The speaker pro tempore ms. Stevens from michigan is recognized for five minutes. Ms. Stevens thank you, chairwoman johnson. I rise today in support of h. R. 1665, the Building Blocks of stem act, which supports Stem EducationResearch Focused on Early Childhood education. There is a lot of discussion about the gender disparity in the stem work force and the leaky pipeline that widens the gap as women and girls continue through school. Although women make up half of the u. S. Work force, they make up less than a quarter of those employed in stem occupations. The Building Blocks of stem act addresses these disparities by ensuring an equitable distribution of Stem Education, Research Funding for projects focused on Young Children and helping us understand why girls are encouraged or discouraged from participating in stem activities. It also ensures that the National ScienceFoundation Grants are awarded to entities that are working in partnership such as Research Universities with local education agencies to increase participation in Computer Science education. Computer science is particularly struggling to recruit and retain women who make up less than 18 of the Computer Science work force. The number is trending down not up. This has a Ripple Effect on our countrys ability to fill the highskilled jobs of today and tomorrow. We need the next generation of young women to pursue stem degrees and we are not seeing the numbers we need. It is critical that we continue to work on stem opportunities for middle schoolaged children and older, but we also need to ensure our federal resources start at the beginning and support research on Stem Education of younger students starting at the beginning of their educational career. We know this all too well in michigan. We know the structural and cultural barriers that exist for women interested in stem from a very young age. Lack of support, unconscious or conscious, gender bias, and stereotype threats are a few. In several studies when children were asked to draw a mathematician or scientist, girls were twice as likely to draw a man as they were a woman. While boys almost universally drew men often in a lab coat. The science is clear. Children who engage in Scientific Activities from an early age before middle school develop positive Attitudes Towards Science and more likely to pursue stem experiences and Career Opportunities later on. We need to be working towards interventions to increase the number of girls and women in these fields and that is why i am so proud to sponsor this bill. I want to thank chairwoman johnson for her leadership on the House Science Committee towards increasing stem opportunities for women and particularly women of color. I introduced this Bipartisan Legislation with my colleague, congressman jim baird, along with our counterparts in the senate. I urge my colleagues on beth sides of the aisle and in both chambers of congress to support this bill and send this important legislation swiftly to the president s desk. Mr. Speaker, i yield back the remainder of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields back. The gentlewoman from texas reserves. The gentleman is recognized. I yield five minutes to the gentleman from indiana, dr. Baird. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. Mr. Baird mr. Speaker, i rise in support of h. R. 1665, the Building Blocks of the stem act. I was proud to join my colleague, the chair of research and technology subcommittee, representative haley stevens, in introducing this legislation. As one of only two members of congress with a ph. D. In science, i understand how important it is to start children off tone right food. On the right food by teaching stem concepts and principles at an early age. Research shows kids as young as 1, 2, or 3 are capable of performing stem concepts. Children have a natural curiosity that can be fostered into an interest in science, technology, engineer, math and Computer Science. Equally important is ensuring that we get more girls involved in stem fields. So that we can have as many people as possible contributing to the Knowledge Base of our society. H. R. 1665 directs the n. S. F. To Fund Research in studies that focus on Early Childhood and young women in stem at the k through 12 level. Investing in children early ensures that we are laying the ground work to develop young innovators in stem. Hoosiers know that to grow our nation, we need everyone involved. This bill helps ensure that we are preparing students to fill the jobs of the future, continuing americas Global Leadership in science and technology. I ask my colleagues to support this bill and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from indiana yield back. The gentleman from oklahoma reserves. The gentlelady from texas is recognized. Ms. Johnson i have no more requests for time. I have no additional requests for time, i would close if the chair is prepared. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady reserves. The gentleman from oklahoma is recognized. The gentlelady from texas will close. Absolutely and i yield