Congressman roy blau learned, clark, rankingn member cole, Ranking Member harris, congressman congresswoman butler, congresswoman mullen are, congresswoman gray. The subcommittee members participating remotely are congresswoman lois frankel and congresswoman Bonnie Watson coleman. Before i give an opening to offer ai require brief explanation of how the markup will work. Configuredm has been to maintain the recommended six foot social distancing between members, staff, and the press corps in the room. To usembers have opted secure video teleconferencing which allows them to participate remotely. For those on videoconference, once you start speaking, there will be a slight delay before you are displayed on the main screen. Speaking into the microphone activates the camera. Displaying the speaker on the main screen. Do not stop your remarks if you do not immediately see the screen switchover. If the screen does not change after several seconds, please muted. Re you are not to minimize background noise and ensure the correct speaker is displayed, we ask members participating by video remain on mute unless you have sought recognition. For members using the video option, you will notice a clock at the bottom of your screen that will show how much time is remaining. At one minute remaining, the clock will turn yellow. At 30 seconds remaining, i will gently tap the gavel to remind members their time is a most expired. When your time has expired the clock will turn red and i will move to recognize other members. In terms of speaking order, we will follow traditional order, chair and Ranking Member, then chairman Ranking Member and the full committee, then other members who wish to speak. Finally, there has been any mail address which has been and email address that has been set up for members who are here virtually, or who choose not to handle any paper. You can set anything you wish to submit in writing at any of the markups, including documents to be inserted in the record by unanimous consent, amendments, motions, other unanimous consent requests and so on. Been sent address has to your staff. You dont have to worry about it. I might remind members you must verbally request unanimous consent out loud separately from sending the document or written request to the email address. We thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate the technology and the platform. Myould like to turn to opening statement. The 2021 laborof health and Human Services education and related agencies bill is at the culmination of a lot of hard work from members and staff on both sides of the aisle. I want to thank my colleagues for being here, including my friend the Ranking Member, congressman tom cole, his friendship and our collaboration has allowed us to Work Together to advance americas needs. It is especially important during this tumultuous time that the Congress Continues its work to help our country succeed, to allow them to see that the congress is working on their behalf. We come today to this markup for the 2021 bill. I am going to bear with me, because i am going to deviate slightly from my remarks. Yesterday in the ag subcommittee i had the opportunity to recognize my dear friend nita lowey. Since labor hhs is clearly her favorite bill, i wanted to take a second to honor her decades of work. I received by appointment to this committee 25 years ago. At that time, there were three Democratic Women on the subcommittee, speaker pelosi, nita, and myself. We were trying to plot ways in which we could deal with Womens Health. A lot of the progress we made for women through this bill, through federal spending, started with side conversations that the three of us had. We were known as the delosis, pelosi. Theyo, and would see us on the floor oftentimes and they would say, what are they scheming . And we were scheming. Sometimes we talked about shoes and dresses. We were of that time, scheming, banding together, dreaming of the ways in which we includepand testing to women or invest in Early Childhood education. When nita became chair of the committee she had to decide which subcommittee she would keep. I joked about this being her favorite subcommittee, but it was genuinely a hard decision for her. She is so grounded in foreign policy, but we know so much of her passion and her lifes work stems from this bill. From access to quality education to the protections of working men and women, to the loweychool programs, nita has made this nation and the world a far better place because of her commitment on this subcommittee. I will miss her. We will all miss her. This is her last markup for labor hhs, but our friendship will endure. I love you, misses lowy mrs. Lowey. Thank you for being there for me and for others. Away, newm passed haven, connecticut, for the funeral service, nita lowey was right there. Thank you very much for allowing me to honor our good friend and our chair. 2021, the chairs mark includes 196. 5 billion in overall funding. That includes an increase of 2. 4 billion dollars above the 2020 enacted level, and 20. 8 billion dollars above the president s 2021 budget request. No more than ever, it is our job to give people a better chance at a better life. We will address the numbers, but it is also critical we speak about what they need, what they reflect of our mission. Are atnd its programs the center of the Health Crisis and the economic crisis. Both of which have exposed serious disparities. The virus continues to spike. 2. 9 million cases, tens of thousands of new cases are reported each day, 130,000 people in the United States have died. Biggestnavirus is the public Health Crisis we have experienced in the last century, and a few days ago, the president said 99 of cases were, quote, totally harmless. That is not true. Response, thehe administrations response to the coronavirus pandemic has been inconsistent. It has been incoherent, and above all, i believe it has been dangerous. In a typical Public Health emergency, it is historically the response would have been led by the cdc, the nations foremost Public Health agency based on science and Public Health expertise. However, the administration has sidelined the cdc in our response to the pandemic and chosen political expedience over Public Health. As a result, the u. S. Has had the worst response to coronavirus in many countries in the world. Honestly, when i said that to dr. Redfield a few weeks ago, i know that several in this room thought i was off base, but we are looking at the numbers now. What they were in march, when we had a state of emergency, and what they are now, on july 7, two point 9 million cases and 130,000 deaths. It is particularly egregious because our Public Health system should have been better prepared than almost any other in the world. But i am proud that in the absence of leadership from the white house, the congress has stepped in. Since march 6, the congress has emergencyr supplemental appropriations packages. The labor hhs committee is at the center of responding to appropriated have 280 billion for education, for health, for working people. I want to recognize and thank my colleagues and the Ranking Member and colleagues on the others of the aisle, because we passed those bills in a bipartisan way. We could add another 300 billion in the heroes bill, 197 billion dollars in health, 100 billion dollars in education, three point 1 billion in labor and we hope the senate will pass the heroes act in the president will sign it. We are building on those emergency supplemental packages. We worked to defeat this virus not to surrender to it, and to deliver the people in this country to the dawn of a inovery, not to abandon them an economic collapse. Making it safe for the economy to reopen. This bill supports some of our nations most critical programs. From Early Head Start to social security, they touch individuals and families throughout their lifespan. They create opportunity and they allow america to realize its values and its promise. Our members recognize that. The subcommittee received more than 15,000 requests for todays bill. From both sides of the aisle. We were able to fulfill either in total or in part, most of them. This bill has been informed by our briefings and hearings. Since the beginning of february, committee has had a dozen bipartisan briefing hearings including nine on the. Opic of covid working together, building on the efforts we have made thus far, we advanced the bill, making investments for the for health, for the nation, and to address the disparity in these areas that have been exposed by this virus. It is the mission of this bill. Let me move to the overview. Health, we approximately provided 96 billion dollars for programs at the department of health and Human Services. It is an increase of 1. 5 billion over the enacted level for 2020. In the bill, we seek to do more to help constituents access new treatments, new research, new protections, to help them and their families live healthier lives. To find to fight alzheimers, cancer, opioid addiction, gun violence, to support food safety, address maternal health, eliminate hivaids. Our nation faces Health Disparities. We seek to address them. For Early Childhood programs in todays bill we include an forease of 150 million head start. It is an increase of 100 million for child care. Millionncrease of 25 for preschool development grants. The first few years are essential to longterm outcomes for kids, but for our children to survive, we have to support them at this vulnerable time of crucial development. Especially when the twin health and Economic Crises we face have disrupted or exposed them to hardship, poverty, hunger, or trauma. So we invest in quality, affordable Early Childhood education and childcare. I dont know if folks have read the Washington Post on saturday, july 4, frontpage headline, lack of child care slowing recovery. Working parents swamped at home. Productivity slump pinned on schools and centers closing. The childcare crunch triggered by the pandemic has rapidly become a crisis for workers and companies. Hindering the economic recovery, it disproportionately harms women and threatens to leave deep scars for years to come. On childcare, not in this bill, we have put together standalone emergency bills. I introduced a bill with many in this room that provides 50 billion dollars for childcare stabilization funds within the existing child care and Development Block grant. Chairwoman lowey and representative clark introduced a bill to provide 10 billion for childcare infrastructure. Another critical component of which we are proud to support. Our Public Health infrastructure has failed. It has collapsed, which is why on an emergency basis, and congressman and i have talked about this and have discussed this for the last several billionwe provide 24. 4 in emergency supplemental appropriations to respond to the , to the centers for Disease Control and prevention, the National Institutes of health, the Biomedical Advanced Research and development authority, these moneys will support state and local Public Health departments of a Public Health laboratories, global Public Health activities for the resources to accelerate the development and production of vaccines and therapeutics. These are necessary to end this pandemic, to allow the country to return to economic and social activities. This also includes funding for Public Health emergency funds that would allow the secretary of hhs to draw down those dollars immediately, and not have to wait for congress to pass a supplemental. Emergencyn the funding, we want to ensure that the oversight and accountability , so scientists and the Public Health affiliate officials are in charge, not politicians. On education, we are witnessing the discussion around reopening schools. We need a safe space for children with trauma informed practices and resources to make up for lost learning time, especially for those youngsters who are the most vulnerable to slipping through the crack. That is what we are looking to address with education funding. The bill before us, 716 million to 73. 5 billion. That includes an increase for title i grants for k12 of 254 million above 2020. We know the title i grants are the cornerstone of all the federal k12 programs to help address those disparities and resources across school districts. Weboth sides of the aisle, are all committed to not eliminating this program, as was suggested in the president s budget. Special education, we provide an increase of 208 million. That would get us to about 14. 1 billion total. We wish we could have done more, considering the unbelievable challenges our children with disabilities are facing in this pandemic, their families are facing these difficulties with serious disruptions to their education, and it is our duty to be lifting them up. We eliminated a provision preventing federal funds to be used to overcome racial imbalance in our public schools. Higher education, we provide 45 million to increase over 2020 enacted level. For federal student aid programs to 24. 6 billion dollars, we provided 81 million increase to support institutes of Higher Education. Fornclude 1. 1 billion federal programs, 370 million for gear up. These programs are lifelines to low income students who are often the first in their families to go to college. There is deep support on both sides of the aisle for these initiatives. We include language, allowing incarcerated individuals to be eligible for pell grants and pursue a Higher Education. A prohibition has been on the books since 1994, but this bill takes steps to reduce recidivism and provide opportunity, and it was the request of many members. Career, technical, and adult education, we provide 25 Million Dollars above the 2020 level. For working americans, we must meet our obligations to working people. Unemployment remains higher than any in the previous periods since world war ii. During high employment it unemployment it is vital we provide good paying, safe, secure jobs. This bill provides an increase for the apartment of labor of 254 million above 2020. The investments help working people find good paying jobs. Million dollars increase for the Employment Training administration, including 50 million increase for workforce innovation and opportunity state grants, 10 million increase for registered apprenticeships as we try to block the administration from using these funds to support lowquality programs , alsoo evidencebased known as industry recognized apprenticeships. Our investments working people safe on the job. It is a responsible thing to do. We are responsible for the working conditions, and for their health. The administration has abandoned its obligations to people. These are the forgotten americans. The Migrant Workers on farms, the workers at Meat Processing plants, the men and women of this country at factories and retail, restaurants, clocking in and clocking out to feed their family and to support this nation. We are pushing to provide them with the protections they need, they deserved, and they have earned. Billion the bill 1. 7 for Worker Protection agencies, 12 million increase for osha, for enforcement efforts, more inspectors, and to expand worker Safety Training programs. We provide funding to help states meet the demand for Unemployment Insurance and inlude 925 million emergency contingency funding to help states deal with the massive spike in claims. It is vital that we provide this money for the people, to ensure that it gets to the people. Bill,e labor h education that includes strong oversight measures. We will not shirk our duty to ensure the accountability of taxpayer dollars. For example, the bill requires hhs to submit a weekly report on the inventory of ventilators and personal protective equipment in the Strategic National stockpile, as well as an annual professional judgment budget for necessary expenditures to maintain the minimum level of supplies and ppe, including in the case of a pandemic. I have to say a word about the discriminatory a policy. This is a longstanding issue of racial injustice, one that is routinely considered every year as a legislative rider. But we are in a moment to reckon with the norm, with tradition, and view it through the lens of Racial Justice. So although the bill includes the Hyde Amendment this year, let me be clear, we will fight amendment, tohyde ensure women of color and all women have access to the Reproductive Health that they deserve. I am proud to be a member of this institution, because of what we can do in moments like these. In moments of crisis, where federal leadership is vital yet missing, government must act, and we do so now as the virus is spiking. With this funding bill for 2021, we are building on our Emergency Response to provide emergency investment and longterm investment. We can and we must defeat the virus, and the Rac