Lisa Blunt Rochester

Nemours also appreciates the subcommittee's consideration of the Quit Because of COVID-19 Act introduced by Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester and Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick.

Nemours supports the Caring for Social Determinants of Health Act and commends Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester and Congressman Gus Bilirakis for introducing this bill.

The more someone has to pay out of pocket for a vaccine, the more likely they are going to refuse or not even show up for that vaccine.

Due to investments from the American Rescue Plan and leadership from the Biden administration, we have seen healthcare providers, community-based organizations, civil rights and religious leaders come together around targeted COVID-19…

While the United States has vaccinated more people than anywhere else in the world, we are still working on connecting vaccines to individuals at that last mile, especially among racial and ethnic minorities.

President Biden declared June a month of action in order to help the country reach the target goal of 70 percent of adults immunized against COVID-19 by the Fourth of July holiday.

How would long-term investments in water affordability programs contribute to resiliency of these communities?

I know you were helpful as Congress provided funding, the $1.1 billion for emergency low-income household water and wastewater affordability program to be managed by the Department of HHS.

How can a low-income water customer assistance program, like the one outlined in my legislation, help low-income communities maintain critical water and wastewater infrastructure networks as well as meet public health standards?

The ongoing public health crisis has heightened the importance and the important role of clean water that it plays in our society in keeping communities safe and healthy.

This legislation would establish a permanent program at EPA to help utility companies assist low-income households with their drinking water and wastewater bills.

Every person in this country regardless of race, income, or ZIP Code deserves the right to clean, reliable, and safe drinking water and sanitation services.

The Open Back Better Act does just that. And I am looking forward to further discussing this bill with you and working with you and your team.

As we continue to move toward greater reliance on electricity, we need to do more to fix the vulnerabilities in our energy systems and better guard against future disasters.

Thank you, Secretary Becerra, for joining us and presenting the administration's fiscal year 2022 funding request for HHS.

I am proud to colead with Mr. Veasey the Enhanced Emergency Broadband Act, because all households need reliable, affordable access to the internet.

That is why I joined my good friend Mr. Veasey of Texas in advocating for Emergency Broadband Connections Act inclusion in the December COVID bill.

Ultimately, we must ensure that high-quality broadband is truly accessible for all.

In the wake of a pandemic, we have seen a phenomenal growth in telework, telehealth, distance learning, and the urgent need for digital literacy.

The current system is not sustainable and that the focus really needs to be on making sure that Americans are well and safe.

As a matter of fact, you preempted me. In the American Rescue Plan, we appropriated $50 million to EPA for air quality monitoring programs under the Clean Air Act.

That is why I introduced the Public Health Air Quality Act, and I am proud it is included in the CLEAN Future Act.

Fewer than one-third of U.S. counties have monitors, meaning that families don't have access to real-time information about the air they are breathing.

Clearly, we still have a lot of work to do to clean up our air.

COVID-19 has only exacerbated this and shown us just how dangerous air pollution is to human health, particularly in our frontline communities.