Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 113 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION
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E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 113 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 160 WASHINGTON, THURSDAY, JULY 24, 2014 No. 117 House of Representatives The House met at 10 a.m. and was Senators MCCAIN and SHAHEEN intro- ment to the National Defense Author- called to order by the Speaker pro tem- duced identical legislation in the other ization Act on this floor by, I found, an pore (Mr. DUNCAN of Tennessee). body. inspiring 420–3 margin. Passing this bill f The need for this bill is urgent. In- is not only the right thing to do for deed, Congress should have acted yes- these poor souls, it is in our own na- DESIGNATION OF SPEAKER PRO terday. That is because the State De- tional security interest. TEMPORE partment has confirmed now that they As Secretary Kerry pointed out in The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- have completely run out of the visas urging Congress to grant more visas, fore the House the following commu- we authorized in December. In a way, ‘‘The way a country winds down a war nication from the Speaker: that is good news. in a faraway place and stands by those WASHINGTON, DC, Remember how in previous years the who risk their own safety to help us in July 24, 2014. State and other agencies never re- the fight sends a powerful message to I hereby appoint the Honorable JOHN J. motely came close to using the visas the world that is not soon forgotten.’’ DUNCAN, Jr. to act as Speaker pro tempore that were authorized, which consigned Whether or not you supported the on this day. these poor souls to the seventh circle wars in Iraq or Afghanistan, what mat- JOHN A. BOEHNER, of bureaucratic hell. Processing was so ters now is where we stand in keeping Speaker of the House of Representatives. slow and abysmal that only 32 of our our commitments. This bill, author- f Afghan allies received a visa in 2012. izing an additional 1,000 visas for the MORNING-HOUR DEBATE People were left in limbo—or worse— balance of this current fiscal year, is a while the Taliban hunted them down, Band-Aid—but a critical one. We are The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- kidnapped their siblings, murdered going to have to act again in the com- ant to the order of the House of Janu- their parents—capturing them, tor- ing months to deal with fiscal year ary 7, 2014, the Chair will now recog- turing, beheading them. 2015, starting in October. nize Members from lists submitted by But the administration responded to For too long, it was the State and the majority and minority leaders for the demand from Congress for signifi- other agencies that failed to make this morning-hour debate. cant reform in the program, and the the priority it needed to be. Now that The Chair will alternate recognition agency has aggressively attacked the they have upped the attention, the between the parties, with each party visa-eligible backlog. Despite the proc- focus, the resources, and the commit- limited to 1 hour and each Member essing—on average, 400 visas each ment, let’s not let Congress be the ob- other than the majority and minority month since January—years of a failed stacle. Innocent lives are at stake. leaders and the minority whip limited system means that, today, there re- American honor is on the line. to 5 minutes, but in no event shall de- mains an astonishing 6,340 brave men I urge my colleagues to do every- bate continue beyond 11:50 a.m. and women waiting in limbo. thing they can in the coming days to f If Congress does not act before we ad- bring this bill to the floor. It is our journ for the August recess, it means duty to save the lives of those who AFGHAN SPECIAL IMMIGRANT we will be slamming the door to safety VISAS risked so much to help us when we for hundreds of our Afghan allies and needed them. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The their families. With each day that Chair recognizes the gentleman from passes, these are people whose lives and f Oregon (Mr. BLUMENAUER) for 5 min- those of their families are left to the utes. tender mercies of the Taliban—seeking HELPING FAMILIES IN MENTAL Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I revenge. HEALTH CRISIS ACT rise this morning to urge—indeed, to Mr. Speaker, Representative The SPEAKER pro tempore. The plead—with my colleagues to cosponsor KINZINGER and I have a nonpartisan, Chair recognizes the gentleman from bipartisan legislation that Representa- fully paid-for bill—House leadership Pennsylvania (Mr. MURPHY) for 5 min- tive KINZINGER and I will be intro- willing—that could pass on the floor in utes. ducing this afternoon, which would au- the blink of an eye. All we have to do— Mr. MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Mr. thorize 1,000 additional special immi- what we must do—is choose to make it Speaker, this week, the largest ever grant visas to allow the United States a priority. Remember, we have done study of schizophrenia reported that to bring our Afghan allies to safety this before. Reforms that enabled the the condition is tied to more than 100 here in America. Earlier this week, program to work passed as an amend- genes. b This symbol represents the time of day during the House proceedings, e.g., b 1407 is 2:07 p.m. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. H6749 . VerDate Mar 15 2010 23:59 Jul 24, 2014 Jkt 039060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A24JY7.000 H24JYPT1 jbell on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with HOUSE H6750 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE July 24, 2014 This discovery shows more evidence As a result, 1 million Americans last district called the IDEAL Fastener that schizophrenia is a clinical condi- year attempted suicide, and 40,000 peo- Corporation. tion just like other medical conditions. ple died from suicide. There are 300,000 Recently, they announced a $5.7 mil- Severe schizophrenia, therefore, must homeless, 500,000 in jail, and 700,000 in lion expansion of their facility in Ox- be treated with a medical approach, other prisons. The mentally ill are also ford, North Carolina. This expansion using evidence-based therapies that more likely to be robbed, physically as- will create 155 jobs by the year 2019, work. saulted, raped, and sexually assaulted. and it is welcome news for Granville We know 50 percent of persons with So, while several States and counties County, which is an important part of schizophrenia suffer from a neuro- have taken bold action to help those my congressional district. Now, Mr. logical impairment that makes them who have been cast aside by our cur- Speaker, 155 jobs in some communities incapable of understanding that they rent system, the Federal Government across our great country may be rel- are ill. This lack of awareness, termed sits, oblivious to the problem, and, in atively small, but in this rural commu- ‘‘anosognosia,’’ is the leading cause of some cases, actually creates barriers to nity, this is a big deal. noncompliance with psychiatric treat- treatment for those who need help the IDEAL Fastener Corporation was es- ment. This neurological problem helps most. tablished in 1936 by Elie Gut, and it has to explain why 40 percent of Americans Serious mental illness is more detri- been a strong member of the Oxford with a serious mental illness do not re- mental to your long-term health than community since moving its corporate ceive treatment, and it explains how being a heavy smoker, and it increases headquarters there in 1966. IDEAL Fas- our system fails to help those most in your risk for diabetes, heart disease, tener Corporation is still family owned need. and cancer. It reduces your life span by and is operated by Ralph and Mary Gut Anosognosia occurs most frequently some 25 years. There is also a financial and their three children—Jeff, Steven, when schizophrenia or a bipolar dis- toll. A study conducted by Duke Uni- and Michelle. order affects portions of the frontal versity determined that assisted out- Since bringing their world head- lobe, resulting in impaired executive patient treatment saves taxpayers quarters to Oxford, IDEAL Fastener function. The patients are $50,000 per patient. It also increases Corporation has grown to become the neurologically unable to comprehend medication compliance and decreases second largest zipper manufacturer in that their delusions or hallucinations incarceration, hospitalization, and the entire world with production and are not real. This is different than de- homelessness. sales facilities in over 20 countries. nial; this is a change in the wiring of The problem is that four States still They are in the process now of launch- the brain. These individuals don’t rec- prohibit the use of this medical model, ing three new products and are making ognize they are ill. When they don’t and most county health systems major capital investments that will meet the 200-year-old definition of haven’t implemented it; and studies benefit their employees and the North being in imminent danger to harm have shown that each time individuals Carolina economy. themselves or others, their friends and with mental illnesses experience a Mr. Speaker, on Monday of this families are powerless to help them. break from reality, their brains actu- week, July 21, I marked my 10th anni- Uninformed observers wrongly believe ally suffer from permanent injury.