Senate Legislative Agenda

Floor Speech

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Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, the legislative year is quickly drawing to a close, but the lights on the 116th Congress haven't gone out yet. Before the House and the Senate gavel out for the final time this Congress, we still have a lot of work to do.

Headlines have focused on the large, ``must-pass'' legislation, which will require a good amount of debate and compromise in the coming days--things like government funding, the National Defense Authorization bill, and another COVID-19 relief package. But there are actually countless other bills that have already passed the Senate with broad bipartisan support and continue to linger in purgatory on the House's legislative calendar.

After weeks, months, and, in some cases, more than a year of waiting, the Speaker and the House leadership refuse to let these commonsense bipartisan bills have a vote on the House floor. Just to give you an idea of the type of legislation they are holding up, let's start with the Jenna Quinn Law. This legislation carries the name of an inspiring young Texan who is a survivor of child sexual abuse and who has made it her mission in life to end the cycle of abuse that harms our children in communities across the country.

Jenna was the driving force behind a 2009 Texas law requiring training for teachers, caregivers, and other adults who work with children on how to prevent, recognize, and report child sexual abuse. You can imagine the teachers, in particular, who spend--at least before COVID--day after day after day with children. They are actually in the best position, sometimes, to identify symptoms of sexual abuse, if properly trained.

Since 2009, a number of other States have passed similar laws, but the training often lacks adequate funding, and that is where our Federal legislation comes in. I introduced this bipartisan bill with Senator Hassan from New Hampshire to finally back that training with Federal funding through grants from the Department of Health and Human Services. At a time when the experts believe that abuse is on the rise as families are isolated at home due to COVID-19 mitigation efforts, this legislation could not be more urgent.

Despite the fact that this bill will deliver real change for the most vulnerable in our communities and that it passed the Senate with unanimous support, the House refuses to even vote on it. House Democrats have chosen to hold this lifesaving legislation hostage in order to advance a partisan bill that they know has no chance of becoming law.

Unfortunately, those are the types of games that, sadly, we have had to become accustomed to when it comes to House Democrats. But, as I said, this is only one of a long list of bills that they are sitting on.

Over the summer, the Senate passed legislation that had taken aim at another crisis harming our children, which is e-cigarettes. Prior to COVID-19, headlines were dominated by stories about mysterious vaping-related illnesses and healthy teenagers being admitted to emergency rooms with symptoms usually associated only with decades-long smokers.

Well, to state the obvious, the most effective way to prevent children from becoming addicted to these devices is to stop them from getting their hands on them in the first place. If the 16-year-old went to a gas station or convenience store and attempted to buy an e- cigarette, they would be turned away because that sale could not take place without a proper ID, but those same age-verification requirements don't apply to online purchases. Devices can be ordered and delivered without any proof of age or an ID.

Senator Feinstein, the senior Senator from California, and I introduced legislation to change that and ensure that online purchases are subject to the same age verification requirements as those made in person. Once again, this legislation passed the Senate unanimously, but the House has refused to take any action.

And here is another one. Last month, we passed a bill to provide mental healthcare to those transitioning out of the criminal justice system. More than half of the individuals in the criminal justice system have experienced a mental health issue, and our justice system too often fails to provided adequate diagnosis and treatment.

But even when these individuals do receive treatment while incarcerated, they are rarely given the tools they need to succeed upon release. Approximately 80 percent of the people are uninsured after being released, making it nearly impossible for them to continue mental health treatment without additional safety net provisions.

Senator Blumenthal, our colleague from Connecticut, and I introduced legislation to support those who have become part of our criminal justice system who have decided to turn their lives around and to provide them stable treatment if they suffer from a mental illness as they transition out of incarceration. That is not only in their best interest, but it is in the best interest of the larger community, because these people, rather than being a danger to the community, can contribute to the community.

This legislation passed the Senate with unanimous support, but, once again, no movement in the House, and the list goes on and on and on.

We unanimously approved legislation to provide justice to families of human smuggling victims and assistance to local communities battling the problem, to help State and local governments strengthen their cyber security and safeguard their elections, and to increase cross-border economic and educational partnerships with Mexico.

Those half dozen bills I just named are only a handful of the ones I introduced that have passed the Senate but are collecting dust on the House calendar. Add in the long list of bills led by our Republican and Democratic colleagues, and we have a major legislative logjam in the House.

As I understand it, next week is set to be the House's last workweek of the 116th Congress. That means that, unless Speaker Pelosi and House Democratic leadership allow movement on these compromise, commonsense bipartisan bills, we are going to have to start from square one. We are going to have to start all over again in the next Congress.

Now, I know it is not unusual for a Member of Congress to take legislative hostages to advance their own agenda, but this is not a time to play those kinds of politics, particularly on these kinds of subjects. These aren't controversial bills. We are talking about grants to prevent child sexual abuse, reform to stop kids from buying e- cigarettes online, a lifeline of hope for folks who suffer from mental illness and are transitioning from our criminal justice system, and so much more.

As I said, these bills are just one step away from heading to the President's desk for his signature, so it is time for Speaker Pelosi and the leadership of the House to quit playing games and allow the House to vote on these life-changing bills.

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