Bonnie Watson Coleman: “I thank the gentlewoman from California for giving me this opportunity to speak on what I think is a very important and…”

“I thank the gentlewoman from California for giving me this opportunity to speak on what I think is a very important and very good bill. I am here to speak on H.R. 2740, which contains the fiscal year 2020 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education; Defense; State and Foreign Operations; and Energy and Water Development funding bills. As a new member of the Appropriations Committee this year, I am particularly proud to support this bill, which includes, among many other things, $100 million in programming for reentry programs; $250 million for registered apprenticeships; and $128 million for Youth Build, a program that provides critical skills to youth in my district, which is New Jersey's 12th Congressional District. I thank Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro for her leadership of our subcommittee. I was pleased to work with her to include language and funding that addresses maternal mortality, including various provisions to address the persistent gaps in our healthcare system that result in Black mothers being 2 to 6 times more likely to die than White moms. I also thank her for working with me to include funding to address the suicide epidemic among our youth. This is needed urgently, as the suicide rate for children has increased 70 percent in the last decade, with a disproportionate increase among Black youth.…”