gentleman for yielding. mr. speaker, as co-chair of the career and techny -- technical education caucus, i rise in strong support of the strengthening career and tech nidal education for the 21st century act. this bill is long overdue. the carl e. perkins c.t.e. act has not been re-authorized now in over a decade. i want to thank my colleagues, particularly chairwoman foxx, ranking member scott, representative thompson, and representative krishnamoorthi for their leadership and collaboration on this important bill and particular thanks to my co-chair of the c.t.e. caucus, mr. thompson, for his outstanding leadership and partnership on this issue other the years. c.t.e. provides students of all ages with the skills they need succeed in a high demand, high paying, high skilled jobs. at a time when hundreds of thousands of jobs in manufacturing, i.t. and other skilled trades remain unfilled, congress has has the responsibility to empower work

wers appropriate education and training. we fail to modernize and invest in c.t.e., we'll be unable to build the skilled work force and american businesses will pay the price. h.r. 2353 aligns c.t.e. programs with industry needs, promotes work based support and supports career counseling. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time is expire 678ed mr. krishnamoorthi: i'd like to yield 30 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. langevin: this promotes work based learning and supports career counselors while strengthening federal investment in c.t.e. i enurge my colleagues to support students, businesses and their local economies by supporting this bill. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from illinois reserves, the gentleman from pennsylvania. . mr. tomorrowson: i -- mr. thompson: i now yield to mr. walberg. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. walberg: thank you, mr.

speaker. i thank the gentleman for sponsoring this legislation. i rise today to voice my strong support for the strengthening career and technical education for the 21st century act, h.r. 2353. in today's economy we know that not everyone follows the same path into the work force. whether a student wants to pursue a job in the auto industry, health care, energy, or i.t. the reforms we're advancing will help aspiring workers get the hands-on experience they need to thrive in the 21st century work force. this bill is particularly important for my home state of michigan. the heartland of american manufacturing where high-skilled jobs are a vital component of our state's economy. i'm also glad it includes my bipartisan provisions to address outdated and burdensome occupational licensing requirements. as i meet with educators, workers, and manufacturers across my district, i consistently hear about the need to improve c.t.e. programs and

close the skills gap. let's pass this bipartisan bill and help more men and women in michigan and across the country secure fulfilling and good-paying jobs. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from pennsylvania reserves. the gentleman from illinois. mr. krishnamoorthi: i now yield one minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from massachusetts, ms. clarke. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from massachusetts is recognized for one minute. ms. clark: thank you, mr. speaker. and thank you to my colleague from illinois for his leadership on this bill. and also to congressman thompson for all you have done to bring this to where it is today. because millions of students and workers are eager to advance into good-paying, high skilled technical careers. from childcare to manufacturing or computer science, jobs that require

technical training are in high demand and we want to or make s that students across the country have the skills they need to get hired and develop their careers. with this bill, we will help strengthen the perkins career and technical education program that reaches over 11 million students every year. this bill will help policymakers measure what does and does not work in career and technical education, allowing us to build on past successes. it will ensure our c.t.e. programs are aligned with the needs of high demand growth industries to make sure that america is competitive globally. and it will support work-base learning and apprenticeships and our early education and childcare work force. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for 15 seconds. ms. clark: thank you. and this will bring the perkins program into the modern 21st century global economy. this has broad bipartisan

support. i urge my colleagues to vote yes on this act and urge them to economy fund the c.t.e. programs and reject the proposed cuts of $168 million. . thank you, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois reserves. and the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. thompson: mr. speaker, i now recognize the gentleman from south carolina, mr. wilson, member of the education and work force committee, one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from south carolina is recognized for one minute. mr. wilson: thank you, speaker pro tempore judge ted poe. thank you congressman glen thomson for yielding. i appreciate your effective leadership on strengthening america's work force to create jobs. i'm grateful to speak today on the importance of career and technical education. a critical tool in closing the skills gap and creating jobs. south carolina's been successful in promoting career and technical education programs, recruiting michelin, b.m.w., bridgestone, and now volvo.

i hope all communities across america can experience the success we achieved creating jobs, leading to the lowest unemployment rate in 16 years. the 21st century career and technical education training act will reduce regulations and allow state and local leaders to create c.t.e. programs best for their communities by providing i greater flexibility of federal resources, allowing states to respond to their unique and educational economic needs to create jobs for fulfilling lives. i appreciate the opportunity and encourage my colleagues to pass this bipartisan legislation. efforts amplified by president donald trump's executive order last week expanding apprenticeship programs will be an important step forward in our educational efforts training america's meaningful he skilled jobs. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from pennsylvania closing the skills gap and reserves his time. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. krishnamoorthi: mr. speaker, i now yield one minute to the gentleman from minnesota, mr. nolan. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from minnesota is recognized for one minute. mr. nolan: thank you, mr.

speaker. i, too, rise in support of the perkins career and technical education act. i would be remiss if i didn't compliment my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and all of their respective staffs who have worked so hard to bring this really good strong, bipartisan measure here before the congress for the benefit of the american people. i got to tell you everywhere i go back in minnesota and around the country i hear two things when i'm talking to businesspeople. and they say, you know, the people who are trained under this career and technical education program are the best employees that we have. and the other thing i hear is that we need more of them. so again, thanks to my colleagues for bringing this bill forward. there's some good new provisions in it that give states an opportunity to focus better on what the needs are in their particular region. there are other tools they help communities and the program itself and the businesses to form partnerships, to expand the program. at the end of the day it's all

about creating good, strong, jobs with living wages and strong futures. it's about creating opportunities for the working men and women in this country and for the businesses that are at the heart of our economy. and it's about creating a dynamic economy where people can grow and prosper in the 21st century. it's a good bill for workers. it's a good bill for business. it's a good bill for our economy. and it's a good bill for our national security. i urge its adoption in the strongest language possible. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from illinois reserves. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. thompson: mr. speaker, i now recognize the gentlelady from wyoming, ms. cheney, for a minute and a half. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from wyoming is recognized for a minute and a half. ms. cheney: may i ask my colleague from north carolina, the chairwoman of the education and work force committee to engage in a brief colloquy. ms. foxx: i will.

ms. cheney: wyoming has used this to promote the career readiness of our students. protect the funding in wyoming for cut-edge programs like the pathway education center in csapr is crucial in part because the previous administration's harmful energy policies that devastated our economy. we must now work to address a depressed labor market and hedge against future energy market downturns. i want to commend you and your committee colleagues across the aisle and on this side of the aisle for your efforts to reform and re-authorize the c.t.e. programs. however, i have concerns that the bill as drafted could negatively impact my state in its current form. i can't support it therefore. additionally i know some members from west virginia and louisiana share my concerns. therefore, madam chairwoman, would you be willing to work with us as this process moves forward to help address these concerns so we can get a bill to the president's desk that we can all support? ms. foxx: i thank the gentlelady for sharing her perspective and look forward to working to

address her concerns as we move forward in the legislative process. ms. cheney: thank you very much, madam chairwoman, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from wyoming yields back her time. the gentleman from illinois. mr. krishnamoorthi: mr. speaker, i now yield one minute to the gentleman from connecticut, mr. court nifment the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from connecticut is recognized for one minute. mr. courtney: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise in strong support of re-authorizing the carl perkins career an technical education act which should be called the jobs act. as we heard from members from all across the contry, members are hearing the same thing from their employer community which is jobs exist but skills don't. what this bill does is it connects people to that job market and responds to the fact that the 21st century market is dynamic and changing and this bill really gets it in terms of getting to that point. the u.s. department of labor in may reported that there are 5.9 million job openings in the u.s. economy, a record high since they started even collecting that data. and really so our job as members

of congress is to update the law and update these programs, to align it with the work force investment act, passed in 2014, and the every student succeeds act, which was passed again in the last congress. and this will be the final piece of the puzzle which will, again, make sure that millions of americans will have the opportunity to have good-paying jobs that they can support themselves and their families. in sector after sector, whether it's i.t., health care, whether it's advanced manufacturing are going to benefit from this measure. i congratulate both their spopsors for their great work. i urge members to support it and yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois reserves. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. thompson: mr. speaker, i'm pleased to now recognize the distinguished gentleman from pennsylvania for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized for one minute. >> i thank the gentleman for yielding. mr. speaker, i rise today in strong support of h.r. 2353. mr. smucker: this bill will

reform our career and technical education system and strengthen the programs in my district in pennsylvania. mr. speaker, there are jobs available in my district right now, but there aren't enough train workers. this bill will help businesses and schools partner to prepare students for jobs in today's in demand industries. we need to accommodate the needs of many different types of students like steve who at the age of 47 graduated from thaddeus stevens college of technology with a degree in engineering computer aided drafting. c.t.e. programs are vital to training workers for new careers. and the jobs that are available are good, family sustaining jobs. so many people in this country are ready to learn and eager to work. i'd like to thank again representative thompson and krishnamoorthi for their leadership. i rise to urge my colleagues to support this bill. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from pennsylvania,

mr. thompson, reserves his time. gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. krishnamoorthi: i now yield one minute to the gentleman from colorado, ranking member of the subcommittee on early childhood, elementary and secondary education, mr. polis. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado is recognized for one minute. mr. polis: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of h.r. 2353, the strengthening career and technical education for the 21st century act. i recently had the opportunity to visit our new pathways and technology early college, or p-tech program at skyline high school in colorado. it's a partnership between the school district, the community i.b.m. and it allows students to earn a i.b.m. ool diploma it allows students to earn a high school diploma and associates degree in five or six years through dual enrollment. i spoke with a number of students participating and they shared with me how the program equips them with the skills they need to get a well-paying

reliable job after graduation. that's the kind of innovation congress should be supporting and i'm proud that the perkins re-authorization bill does just that. i urge this bill's final passage in the house and i call on my colleagues in the senate to take up this bipartisan legislation shared with me how as soon as possible so more students can enjoy the kinds of opportunities that the students at the p-tech high school do. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado yields back. the gentleman from illinois reserves his time. the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. thompson, is recognized. mr. thompson: mr. speaker, pleased to recognize a member of the house education and work force committee, mr. ferguson from georgia, for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia is recognized for one minute. mr. ferguson: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of h.r. 2353. not only does this legislation authorize more available funding for c.t.e. programs, it also ves states more freedom to support c.t.e. activities in rural districts like mine. this bill also gives authority back to the states to approve c.t.e. plans rather than requiring the federal approval. in the short time i have been in congress, i have seen firsthand

the unique differences across each of our states and districts. increasing flexibility will enable states to have the flexibility to create and support programs that fit their unique work force needs. i'm excited to be an original co-sponsor of this legislation and look forward to its passage later today. helping our young people transition from school into meaningful careers is one of the best ways we can move our nation into a vibrant 21st century economy. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia yields back. the gentleman from pennsylvania reserves. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. the gentlelady from florida is recognized for one minute. ms. wilson: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm a strong supporter of career and technical education. while this bipartisan bill makes needed improvements to current law, during committee markup i offered an amendment to provide more federal support for skill development and training programs for ex-offenders who need a second chance, an opportunity.

ex-offenders who are disproportionately young men of color due to the bias in the criminal justice system face numerous hurdles when they try to reintegrate into society after serving their time. finding a decent job is a necessary first step towards developing self-esteem and jobs. unfortunately and too often, a proud criminal history is a barrier to ex-offenders seeking employment. i withdrew my amendment because of the important work. nevertheless, it is my view that my amendment should be considered as this bill advances to future conference consideration. let's help stop recidivism for this special population. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from florida yields back. the gentleman from illinois reserves his time, and the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. i now recognize for one minute the distinguished gentleman from georgia, mr. allen, a member of the education and work force committee. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman from georgia is recognized for one minute. mr. allen: i thank the gentleman from pennsylvania for yielding. mr. speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 2353, the strengthening career and technical education act for the 21st century. last week president trump laid out his plan to expand educational opportunities for american workers. president trump's dedication to work force development is admiral, and i'm glad -- admirable, and i'm glad we have a president that's made this a priority. as someone who's worked in the construction industry for my entire career, i know firsthand how difficult it can be to find skilled workers. in fact, i spoke at the association for builders and contractors breakfast this morning and they reported there will be over one million job openings in the the construction industry in the next few years. i have met with many industries in my district. the work force is aging. there aren't enough people who currently have the skills to take over, and it can take nearly two years for people to be fully trained for these positions.

first and foremost, it is our responsibility to make sure that young people today are equipped for the job market of tomorrow. getting an education is essential, but it is equally important that our education efforts are aligned with the in-demand jobs in our communities. this bill will bridge the gap between the business community and education which is critical to -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman's time has expired. mr. thompson: i yield the gentleman an additional 15 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for 15 seconds. mr. allen: this bill will bridge the gap between the business community and education, which is critical to prepare america's future work force. i am happy to co-sponsor this important bill and i hope that my colleagues will join me in voting for h.r. 2053, and i yield. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time. the gentleman from pennsylvania reserves. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. critz moralityy: mr. speaker -- mr. krishnamoorthi: mr. speaker, i yield ms. bonamici. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentlelady from oregon is recognized for one minute. ms. bonamici: thank you, mr. speaker. the strengthening career and technical education act is an important step in educating students and preparing them for the work force. it increases opportunities for historically underserved students. it strengthens aliement between c.t.e. programs and stakeholders -- alignment between c.t.e. programs and stakeholders and it encourages c.t.e. programs to integrate arts and design skills. this bill will support more programs that respond to local force demands and teach advanced skills and creative thinking like the one i just visited at portland community college. employers, including intel, support the school's new lab where they are pursuing certificates and degrees in fields like microelectronic technology. the federal government does have an important enforcement role, and i'm disappointed the bill weakens the department of education's ability to hold states accountable for improving low-quality c.t.e. programs, but despite that concern, this bill is worthy of

support. i thank chairwoman foxx, ranking member scott, representative thompson and representative krishnamoorthi for your bipartisan work, and i urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from oregon yields back his time, and the gentleman from illinois reserves his time and the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. i now recognize for one minute the gentleman from minnesota, education and work force committee member, mr. lewis. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from minnesota is recognized for one minute. mr. lewis: thank you, mr. thompson, for your leadership and hard work on this important legislation. too often students across the country leave school without the necessary skills to compete in the modern economy. as the cost of a four-year degree continues to soar higher and higher, students taking on greater debt, employers across the country are struggling to find skilled workers, though, to fill good, high-paying jobs. career and technical education brings the gap between the classroom and the workplace, offering students a clear pathway to a meaningful career. i am pleased this legislation

includes my amendment supporting dual and concurrent enrollment, by allowing high school students begin earning postsecondary credit, dual enrollment can shorten a time for a degree or credential completion. it puts students on the fast track to a good job and saves families significant amounts of money. they are more likely to continue and pursue postsecondary education, less likely to need remediation and more likely to complete a degree. my home is home to a great technical college. for example, in rosemont, minnesota, they partner with local employers to provides customized training that fits employer-specific needs. i am proud to support this legislation that will increase opportunity and prepare students with the skills to succeed, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from pennsylvania reserves. the gentleman from illinois. mr. krishnamoorthi: mr. speaker, may i inquire how much time we have left on our side?

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois has 8 3/4 minutes left. mr. krishnamoorthi: great. mr. speaker, i now yield one minute to the gentlewoman from north carolina, ms. adams. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from north carolina is recognized for one minute. ms. adams: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank the gentleman for yielding. since coming to congress, i visited with business leaders across my district, such as cindy, a plant manager in charlotte, and educators of local colleges like central piedmont community. each stress the importance of educating our work force to fill existing available jobs and to train for jobs of the future. we must choose -- close the skills gap and work-based learning opportunities such as those provided in the career and technical education act. c.t.e. improves the collaboration between secondary and postsecondary schools, employers, industry and community partners, giving students, regardless of their background, access to quality job training and the opportunity to earn well-paying jobs without having to complete

a four-year degree. this training is critical to closing the opportunity gap that exists in communities like mine. i.b.m. employs more than 1,300 people in the 12th district, wrote to me just last week that jobs and growing technology fields demand candidates with high tech skills that don't ways require a traditional degree. i ask my colleagues to join me to re-authorize c.t.e. to continue modernizing today's work force training and securing america's future. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from illinois reserves his time. the gentleman from pennsylvania has 5 1/4 minutes remaining and is now recognized. mr. thompson: i now recognize one minute the distinguished gentleman from wisconsin. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. grothman: the rhetoric we're hearing from this chamber today that sounds like the rumbeat from high school

guidance counselors, college recruiters and those cowtowing to a lobby that everybody has to go to a four-year college or that it's wise to go to a four-year college is beginning to come to an end. i am glad under this bill we are going to make it easier for students to get a degree focused on skills. some said it could be one year, some said it could be two years. frequently these degrees lead to jobs that are higher paying than jobs you get after you have a four-year degree. now, they are higher paying but i think the result is more job security because you are not a generalist when you get laid off at 45 or 50, but if you have a skill that skill is something which you can still get a job when you're 50, 55, 60, 65. therefore, i am proud to support this bill today. one of the other things i like about even though it's something i disagree with my good friend from oregon is this

bill will result in less -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman's time has expired. mr. thompson: well, that's ok. we can move on. i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from pennsylvania reserves. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. krishnamoorthi: thank you, mr. speaker. i now yield one minute to the gentleman from california, mr. desauliner. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for one minute. mr. desauliner: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to congratulate my friend from illinois and also my friend, mr. thotches, for this bipartisan bill. i'm -- mr. thompson, for this bipartisan bill. i'm here to support it. career and technical education gives students the opportunity to get technical experience regardless of whether their next step out of high school is immediately to join the work force or to go to college. in my district, i've had the opportunity to visit many students and programs that benefit from the inclusion of career pathways in their high school curriculum. one students creates a

farm-to-table restaurant experience while in pittsburgh high school design -- they design computer animation as part of the school's green engineering academy. and another high school, in richmond, california, they run an information technology academy focusing on i.t. career skills while providing their community i.t. services free of charge. by enacting this bipartisan legislation, congress will affirmatively take steps to update our nation's educational vision and will propel today's students into tomorrow's work force. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from illinois reserves. the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. i am now pleased to recognize education and work force committee member mr. brat from the state of virginia for 30 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. brat: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in strong support of strengthening career and technical education act. the economy is not growing as it should be, about .7% last quarter, and according to many of the employers in my

district, our work force is not prepared to meet the needs of today, let alone the future. this legislation is important because it recognizes we need an education system that best prepares kids for the future, a future in business, as soon as they hit the k-12 and they should be ready to enter the job market or move on to additional training. traditional four-year colleges and universities cannot be the only pathway for the next generation of students. in virginia, there were nearly 110,000 postsecondary students enrolled in c.t.e. courses in the 2014 year, and programs i am privileged to represent in virginia's seventh congressional district including the chesterville governor center, chesterville governor's health science academy. while these innovative programs in my district have excelled technical skills and on-the-job training must be ingrained in the thinking of our entire k-12 education system across the curriculum in every class and i believe this bill is a positive

step in that direction. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from pennsylvania reserves. the gentleman from illinois. mr. krishnamoorthi: mr. speaker, i now yield one minute and 30 seconds to the distinguished gentleman from new jersey, mr. norcross. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized for a minute and a half. mr. norcross: thank you to my colleague from illinois. certainly we're in the house today and sending a very clear message that career and technical skills matter and i rise in support of this bill. for a four-year college, that pathway is certainly great for some, but not all. technical training helped shape my life from community college to the construction site and, yes, here to congress. career and technical education, or c.t.e., is often overlooked and it shouldn't be. we need electricians and computer programmers just as much as we need doctors and engineers. in my state of new jersey, nine out of 10 of the fastest

growing occupations don't require a four-year degree, but they do require a certificate or on-the-job training. this is an important re-authorization bill that will go a long way to providing students with opportunities to build skills that they need for those fast-growing, high-paying jobs. and i want to thank the sponsors for including my provision that will allow high schools to get more information on that career path and technical education. don, president of camden county college, in my state says that we have the understanding the types of educational programs we need to provide to our students, and that will lead to meaningful employment. this is about employment and careers, to train the students on available curriculum and available jobs. i support this jobs bill. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time, and the gentleman from illinois reserves. the gentleman from pennsylvania

is recognized. mr. thotches: mr. speaker, i now -- mr. thompson: mr. speaker, i now recognize for 30 seconds, the gentleman from kansas, mr. estes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kansas is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. estes: i would like to thank mr. thompson and chairwoman foxx. i rise today in support of h.r. 2353, the strengthen career and technical education act. i urge you all to vote for this bipartisan bill that allows our educational institutions the better to better adapt their programs to the specific needs of their students. this bill will give states and localities more flexibility in how to use federal money for career and technical education programs which will ultimately help americans find the jobs they need. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time. the gentleman from pennsylvania continues to reserve, and the gentleman from illinois is recognized. . mr. krishnamoorthi: i now yield to the gentlewoman from from delaware. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from delaware is recognized for a minute and a

half. >> i thank jot for yielding. i rise today in support of h.r. 2353, the strengthening career and technical education for the 21st century act. ms. blunt rochester: this important legislation would allow more americans to enter the work force with the skills needed to committee for high schooled -- compete for high-skiled, in demand jobs. employers tell me they need a skilled work force. c.t.e. support is a vital tool in addressing the skills gap in many industries in our country. our support ensures that all students have access to high quality c.t.e. programs. it allows states to strengthen these programs, providing hands on learning opportunities that lead to higher graduation rates as well as better post secondary and career options. in 2012, delaware started pathways to prosperity to give high school students an industry recognized certificate, college credits, and relevant work experience all before they

graduate. in two years it has grown from 30 students to over 6,000. who are now better suited to determine their next steps and build a career. i want to thank mr. thompson and also mr. krishnamoorthi for their leadership and i want to urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation. thank you. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from delaware yields back. the gentleman from illinois reserves. the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. thompson: mr. speaker, now pleased to recognize the gentleman from ohio, mr. davidson, for 30 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio is recognized for 30 seconds. thank you.n: i'd like to thank the congressman from pennsylvania for yielding to me. as a former manufacturer, i have experienced firsthand the importance of career technical education in promoting meaningful work. it's especially helpful for helping people transition from a social safety net or a second chance program, but i have seen it first hand for high school students, for adults who change

careers, it can truly change lives. i encourage my colleagues to support this legislation. i'm confident it can do for our country what it's done in the eighth district of ohio. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from pennsylvania continues to reserve. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. krishnamoorthi: i now yield one minute to the gentleman from illinois, mr. dan lipinski. the speaker pro tempore: gentleman from illinois is recognized for one minute. mr. lipinski: i thank the gentleman for yielding and thank him for his great work on this bill that would re-authorize a program that is critical to both american workers and businesses and the future of our american economy. i'm continuously hearing from family owned manufacturers across my district such as odm that they cannot find workers with the skills they need to fill good-paying jobs. i hear this from comes also like

boeing, intel, and others. at the same time millions of americans are struggling to find jobs but they don't have the skills that they need. this bill addresses this problem by supporting career and technical education programs that are matched to regional, state, and local labor markets. these applied science technology engineering and math metics, or stem education programs, are an important component of the innovation engine that drives our economy. as we work to move innovative technologies into the marketplace, we need a skilled work force to build and implement them. we also need to make sure that our innovation economy benefits all americans, especially the middle class. i thank my colleagues for this bill and urge all my colleagues to support it. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized from ill

now for 30 seconds. mr. will pin i ask: i want to thank mr. krishnamoorthi for his work on this bill. and -- mr. lipinski: i want to thank mr. krishnamoorthi for his work on this bill. it's a bipartisan bill and something america needs to help strengthen our economy and strengthen america's middle class. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from illinois reserves. the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. thompson: continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. krishnamoorthi: we're prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois prepared to close. the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. thompson: prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois is recognized to close. mr. krishnamoorthi: thank you, mr. speaker. i would like to thank my staff and committee staff for all their work on this bill. i especially want to thank alex payne, the lead committee staffer on career technical education from our side, who unfortunately couldn't be here with us today due to the death of his father. i want to thank congressman

thomson -- thompson for your incredible leadership on this bill all these years. i also want to say the main purpose of this bill is to coordinate what is taught in c.t.e. classes with work force demands. h.r. 2353 requires state plans to show how c.t.e. curricula align with in-demand careers. school districts must consult business leaders, educators, parents, community leaders, representatives of special populations and others to determine the most promising career fields. this bipartisan bill gives everyone a seat at the table and makes sure no one is left behind. i also want to thank chairwoman foxx and ranking member scott for their incredible leadership on this bill. i also want to take note of the fact that this is a bipartisan bill at a time when bipartisanship is so needed in this town. i urge the senate to take up our bill and urge a yes vote.

i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois yields back the remainder of his time of the the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized for the remainder of his time. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield my southwest remarnede of the time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, h.r. 2353 has the power to improve the lives of countless americans. by modernizing career and technical education we can help prepare more men and women from all walks of life to succeed in the work force. i'd like to note that it is important we continue to fund these programs at the authorized levels. so the programs can adequately serve students. of all ages. we really have an opportunity to make a positive difference today and i couldn't be prouder of the bipartisan work that went in to this. once again i want to thank representative krishnamoorthi wells all the members of the house committee -- as well as all the members of the house committee on the education and work force. i would be remiss not to thank certainly my education staffer

on my team, katie brown, education work force staffers, james redstone and alex payne, and all our colleagues for their diligent work on this important piece of legislation. i urge all members to vote in favor of h.r. 2353. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. all time has expired. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 2353, as amended. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from colorado seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the bill. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. pursuant to house resolution 392 and rule 18, the chair declares the house in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for the consideration of h.r. 1654. the chair appoints the gentleman from texas, mr. poe, to preside over the committee of the whole. the chair: the house is in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for consideration of h.r. 1654 which

the clerk will report by title. the clerk: a bill to authorize the secretary of the interior to coordinate federal and state permitting processes related to the construction of new surface water storage projects on lands under the jurisdiction of the secretary of interior and the secretary of agriculture, and to designate the bureau of reclamation as the lead agency for permit processing, and for other purposes. the chair: pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered as read the first time. the gentleman from colorado, mr. lamborn, and the gentleman from california, mr. huffman, each will control 30 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from colorado. mr. lamborn: mr. chairman, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for as much time as he wishes to use. mr. lamborn: today the house meets for the second day in a row to consider another infrastructure bill that has come from the house natural resources committee and its subcommittee on water power and oceans, which i have the honor of chairing. my subcommittee has a strong

infrastructure agenda. already hearing testimony on a number of bills aimed an improving our nation's infrastructure and advancing an all of the above energy and water strategy. many of our bills including h.r. 1654, which we're considering today, apply simple solutions to expedite maintenance or construction of water and power infrastructure throughout the nation. it is vital to rebuild our nation's infrastructure and one of the biggest roadblocks to doing that is the excessive regulatory red tape that applicants have to wade through before they can even move one shovel of dirt. in colorado where i live, a water project was recently completed where water owned by the city of colorado springs was taken from a reservoir 60 miles to the south, to the city of colorado springs for treatment and distribution. the project took six years to build. but before that could happen, there were over 200 permits and

applications that had to be granted. any one of which could have stopped the whole thing. and that cost $160 million of application fees, lawyers time, and mitigation. and that took eight years. that took longer than the project itself. now, congressman tom mcclintock's water supply permitting water coordination act seeks to cut regulatory red tape by creating a one-stop-shopper mitting process through the bure of of -- bureau of wreck la clation to streamline the permitting processes for new or expanded nonfederal surface storage facilities. however this bill is not a one-size-fits-all approach. mr. mcclintock's bill allows water storage project sponsors the flexibility to opt out of this process and instead choose the agency process that works best for them. while the water supply

permitting coordination act will allow for much needed relief in the sponsor's state of california, this bill will benefit states throughout the west, including my own state of colorado. mr. mcclintock's bill goes hand in hand with language in the winn act signed into law that is year that supports additional water storage capacity across the west. i commend my colleague, mr. mcclintock, for bringing up this commonsense legislation that simply looks to cut regulatory red tape for water storage projects that are essential to survival in the west. and i urge all of my house colleagues to support this bill. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado reserves his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. huffman. mr. houghman: thank you, mr. chairman. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for as much time as he wishes to use. mr. huffman: mr. chairman, we're debating today what is being

called a infrastructure bill. i wish that were actually the case. our country certainly needs congress to take action to address our country's infrastructure needs. yet this congress is spending its time today debating another sham infrastructure bill that won't actually provide a single cent for real infrastructure. our nation currently spends less ton infrastructure as a percentage of our g.d.p. than at any time in the past 20 years. and it shows. far too many areas around the country have infrastructure that is crumbling before our eyes. we have seen this occur with the recent tragedy and situation for water with the orville damn in california. this bill offers no solutions for these issues. in truth this bill is simply an environmental deregulation bill disguised as a infrastructure bill. . the bill's proponents claims environmental laws and specifically nepa are blocking new dam construction. this claim, mr. chairman,

simply put is bunk. according to the bureau of reclamation, not a single dam has been denied construction because of lack of coordination between reclamation in other agencies or because of delays associated with environmental review or permitting. so why do we not see all sorts of new dams sprouting up around the west like we did for years and years in the previous century? because there's no new water to be captured and because frankly all the best dam locations around the west were taken in the previous century. when we had a heck of a dam building spree. new dams don't get built because they don't yield enough water to justify their multibillion-dollar price tags. you can ask the c.r.s. if you don't believe other experts. in 2012, the congressional research service found the most likely causes of delay for major infrastructure projects are lack of funding and state permitting issues, not environmental laws.

now, new surface storage may be appropriate in some cases. the fact is, however, that much of the united states is already saturated with dams because of that dam building spree we had in the previous century. the united states built tens of thousands of dams in the 20th century. california alone built 1,400 major dams. the best dam sites are already taken, and other than an extraordinarily wet years, like this one, thankfully, in california, we have a hard time filling up the reservoirs that we already built. despite these facts, my republican colleagues continue to peddle this fiction that we have to gut our nation's environmental laws to build new dams and other infrastructure. i guess we should not be surprised because this crusade against our nation's environmental laws is being led by a president whose relationship with the truth is complicated at best. a couple weeks ago, president trump claimed that projects

like hoover dam were built in five years because they didn't have to go through years of permitting and regulation that current infrastructure projects are subjected to. well, the independent fact checkers at "the washington post" evaluated this claim, and they awarded the president's claim, as you can see to my right, three pinocchios, which is the rating for statements that include, quote, significant factual error and/or obvious contradictions. now, the fact checkers noted that according to the u.s. g.a.o., 95% of infrastructure projects are excluded from environmental reviews under current law. they further pointed out the president ignored the many years of permitting, planning, negotiating to make sure that projects like hoover dam were financially feasible and actually had public support. in fact, dam planning on the colorado river began in 1902, and yet hoover dam was not

37 until the l 19 roosevelt administration put actual infrastructure dollars on the table to get that project financed and moving. the project took many years because even despite the absence of modern environmental laws, big complicated projects take time to plan and finance and they always have. i'm sorry that my republican colleagues refuse to let such facts get in the way of their decades' long crusade against our country's bedrock environmental laws. but i hope we will eventually move on from this debate and get to work addressing real problems affecting our infrastructure. and that real problem is investment. in terms of water infrastructure, our nation is still not making necessary investments like water reuse projects and recycling projects. these are 21st century infrastructure projects that can provide us with water supplies that don't depend on the whims of an increasingly

unpredictable hydrology and given our change in climate, we can no longer rely exclusively on our 20th century infrastructure projects like dams. despite this, we've barely scratched the surface on building modern water infrastructure projects like reuse, desalination, groundwater storage, stormwater capture and water use efficiency projects. our country currently reuses less than 10% of our waste water. climate change will require us to do better. as george w. bush's reclamation commissioner once said, the reuse of waste water and recycled water could actually be the next river for the western united states to tap for critical water supply. this congress should be working across the aisle to fully tap that next great river for the 21st century. reoperating existing facilities, modernizing those operations is another example of something we should be working together on across the

aisle. all around the west, we're dealing with dams and reservoirs that are being operated with the best technology from decades ago. the flood control manual at orville dam, for example, hasn't been updated since 1970, which actually makes it cutting edge when compared to many of the reservoirs that are operating on 1950's flood control manuals. we are using slide rules nstead of computers with meteorological prediction that's based on backward looking data instead of looking up at the sky and using the data from modern satellite technology. at fulsom dam we are watching a long overdue update as part of a new auxiliary spillway. forecast informed operations, which is something i have long advocated as part of comprehensive water legislation, is something we could work on together and it would provide significant increases in water supply. if my republican friends are interested in expediting

environmental reviews for infrastructure projects, then there's another thing we can work on together and that is we can end the slashing of budgets in federal agencies that are in charge of environmental reviews for infrastructure projects. budget cuts do nothing but hamper the ability of these agencies to participate in the review process and to protect our nation's fisheries and other natural resources. this bill before us today compounds the problem by further undercutting the important role these agencies play to protect our natural resources, and that's why several conservation and fishing industry groups have warned that this congress should reject this bill, that it threatens tens of thousands of jobs in the fishing industry across the pacific coast. in many of our nation's iconic fisheries they're already on the brink of extinction. we heard firsthand from our committee from the fishermen struggling to pay their mortgages, boats being scrapped because they can't pay fees, restaurants, hotels and other

retail and service businesses struggling just to scrape by. let's not pass an ill-conceived bill that does nothing to actually improve our infrastructure. i urge my colleagues to vote no, and i reserve the balance of my time. chris: the gentleman from california reserves his time. --bers are advised the chair: the gentleman from california reserves his time. the gentleman from colorado. mr. lamborn: mr. chairman, i am very pleased to yield one minute to the golden state, the great state of california, our majority leader, mr. mccarthy. the chair: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. mccarthy: i thank the gentleman for yielding. i thank him for his work on this. mr. speaker, i always get excited when i hear people speak on the floor, especially when they come from california. mr. speaker, it's always interesting when people want to tell us what's the best way to make things happen. it's interesting, in california when the legislature was controlled by democrats, they did waive not for a dam, it

wasn't to prepare for a drought we were going through but they waived it twice, all for sports. one was in san francisco and one was in l.a. it seems odd but sometimes people have their priorities, i guess, not in the right place. now, mr. speaker, california and the west recently endured the worst drought in our century. though it was the worst drought, this was not our first. we have faced droughts for generations, and each time the rain and snow came back and delivered the water that we needed to survive. just like previous years, this past winter was a god send to californians. the wettest on record. now, living in a naturally dry renal that we do, you'd think -- dry region that we do, you'd think it would be common practice by capturing water

when mother nature blesses us with the rain and snow, but the fact is we aren't doing enough to store the water we do get for the times we don't get it. so what can we do now? what would help the people in our district and across california and across the west to prepare for future droughts that we know are coming? we should start by building more dams and reservoirs. so what's stopping us? well, some is a ridiculous permitting process that forces us to wait and wait and wait when actually we should be acting. just look at history. ake the high savery dam in wyoming. it -- savory dam in wyoming. it took 14 years to permit but two years to build.

think how much the world change in those 14 years time. in 1990, somewhere around five million people had cell phones, and only about 15% of americans owned a computer. by 2004 when the dam was finished, about 180 million people had cell phones, and 62% of americans owned a computer. in 1990, the most popular movie was "total recall." 2004, we were already on to "shrek 2." now, looking to my home state, we can't wait 14 years after starting the permitting process to finish our projects. one reservoir, once fully operational, can provide enough water to meet the needs of 172,000 households for an entire year. finishing the site's reservoir

proposal could provide two million california homes with enough water for a year. that's an astounding number. mr. speaker, i'm sure on this floor we'll hear those two , lion should actual he wait but i guess it was for a baseball -- if it was for a baseball stadium, no need to wait. fixing this problem is not saving a few headaches. it's about making sure millions of people in california and across america have the water they need and deserve. mr. speaker, i want to thank congressman tom mcclintock for this legislation. fixing this permitting process for water storage is more than just common sense. of it's about making us a nation of doers again, to get the american people what they actually need. mr. speaker, mr. mcclintock has

worked. he's tried to work with both sides of the aisle. he's been through this process, but you know what, mr. mcclintock has been home. he's been listening to his constituents on both sides of the aisle that don't have water. we've been through these droughts. we know these droughts will come again, and they've only been worse in the last couple of years. why? because of what has been imposed by the federal government. even in the years where we have more than 170% of snowpack, we don't keep the guarantee of 100% of the water. so as environmental laws continue to take water away and put it out to the ocean instead of providing for the fruits to be grown and the fiber across our country and provide the water for the citizens of california, we should build more dams and they should not have to wait 14 years with only

two years to build it. we can do better. we should do better, and we will do better when we pass this bill. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman from california yields back his time. the gentleman from colorado reserves the remainder of his time. the gentleman from california, mr. huffman, is recognized. mr. huffman: thank you, mr. chairman. i was in the california legislature for at least one of those environmental waiver bills that the majority leader referenced involving an nfl stadium, and i'm glad to hear him criticize that because that, -- i, too, criticized it. there was a bit of vindication because at least one of those stadiums ended up not getting built anyway despite the environmental waiver and it sort of exposed the fact these environmental laws are often put forward as scapegoats. we're told if you clear away the environmental permitting we can do these things. there were many other reasons why that stadium didn't get built. complicated issues involving nfl franchises and financing, which is usually the real

scapegoat when these projects aren't moving forward. so it's a worthy example to talk about in the context of this bill. i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from california, mr. huffman, reserves. the gentleman from colorado, mr. lamborn. mr. lamborn: mr. chairman, i yield five minutes to the sponsor of this excellent piece of legislation, the gentleman from the great state of california, mr. mcclintock. the chair: the gentleman from california, mr. mick colin to e, is recognized is recognized. mr. mcclintock: droughts are nature's fault, they happen. but water shortages are our fault. water shortages are a choice we made a generation ago when we stopped building new reservoirs to meet our needs. the unvarnished truth is we went stop our water shortage until we build more reservoirs and we can't build more reservoirs change there.

for years we have heard testimony from frustrated water districts unable to navigate the byzantine maze of regulations nd the phalanx of competing, overlapping, duplicative federal agencies. after years spent trying to satisfy one agency, another pops up to claim jurisdiction with an entirely new set of demands in an often endless permitting process, despite the fact that they're studying the same project, in the same location work the same data. the burden this places on our ability to deliver water for the next generation is crushing. the leader mentioned the high savory dam in wyoming. 14 years to her mitt -- permit, only two years to actually build. the federal government is literally -- has literally

studied four storage projects in kale nearly to death. one project had over 50 alternative locations studied and there's no end in sight for the feasibility process on that potential reservoir. similar delays prevented the expansion of shasta vezzvoir for 39 years. mr. huffman tells us no dam permits have been denied because of this the problem is, very few dam permits have been approved because of this. and the costs are caused by cost prohibitive delays in time that run up millions and millions of dollars in costs until the agencies simply throw up their hands and give up. h.r. 1654 will bring order from this bureaucratic chaos. it establishes a framework in which federal agencies with permitting responsibility for the construction of new reservoirs must work together, coordinate their schedules, share data and technical

materials, and make their findings publicly available. the end result will be fewer delays, more efficient use of taxpayer dollars, and ultimately more abundant water supplies. it's modelen on the obama administration's approach to constructing new electric transmission lines to kay acome date its reliance on wind and solar generation. there's nothing new in this process. in october of 2009 the administration formed the rapid response team for transmission a consortium of five federal agencies to coordinate a single, unified environmental review document for each project analysis. it's also modeled on provisions sponsored by house democrats and expedited improvements on the dam serving the san francisco region this bill simply says if there's a potential project on interior or agriculture department lands, the agency

will be the coordinator for the permits. it will call together the agent circumstances local and state jurisdictions and tribal governments of our indian nations, establish a time frame for study and decision making and then coordinate all the reviews andage cease and opinions and statements and permits and licenses and other federal approvals required under federal law. it also requires transparency, assuring that all data is available to the public online. so the science guiding these decisions can be rigorously scrutinized by all interested parties. it also allow water agencies to fund the review process if federal funding isn't provided, removing one of the excuses federal agencies made in slow walking or stalling reviews. i want to make this clear. it does not by pass or alter or waive any environmental or safety laws. it doesn't waive see qua or

e.s.a. or any other law. it simply says the process needs to be more efficient and the government agencies should coordinate and cooperate with each other rather than talk past each other as isolated and often inscrutable fife doms. five years of -- fief doms. five -- fiefdoms. five years of drought is now followed with the wettest record on record. we have helplessly watched our dams spilling millions of acre-feet to the the oceans because we have no way of scoring -- storing for the next drought. pratches that's nature's way of reminding us if we don't store water in wet year, we won't have water in dry ones. if you want to misuse our environmental laws -- >> i yield an additional minute, mr. chairman. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. mcclintock: if you want to misuse you are environmental laws to block any environmental

storage, you should vote against this bill. we'll continue to see increasingly severe water shortages and spiraling water and electricity bills. if you want to preserve our environmental laws, you ought to preserve these laws because it places the laws back within a workable, practical framework and it places our society back on the road to an era of abundance, where our children can enjoy green lawns and gardens, brightly lit homes and abundant and affordable groceries from america's agricultural cornucopia. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from colorado reserves. the gentleman from california, mr. huffman. mr. huffman: thank you, mr. speaker. the state of california is being mentioned quite a bit in this conversation. it bears noting that the state of california is not asking for this legislation. and in fact the state of california has consistently opposed the rolling back of environmental standards and is busy passing bill after bill in

this state legislative session to try to backfill for anticipate rollbacks in federal environmental standards. so certainly if we're talking about the state of california and what it wants and it needs, its elected leaders are taking a very different direction than posing the false choice between environmental standards and infrastructure. again, the united states bureau of reclamation has emphasized that there are other factors that it is not environmental review that's stopped any water projects in the west. the congressional research service has reached the same conclusion and i just heard from my friend, mr. mcclintock, that we can't build new reservoirs in the we change these laws. well, i've got to point out that california has built new reservoirs under current law. you can ask the folks in contra sta county about las vacares reservoir they didn't need environmental waivers or

legislation, they built their dam. they're getting ready to move forward with an expansion of that surface storage project. it should be broadly supported. they're not asking for any special tweaks to the environmental laws. the same would apply to diamond valley reservoir in southern california. in fact we actually added nearly six million acre-feet of new surface an groundwater storage over the past few decades in california, all while honoring bedrock environmental protections like e.s.a. and nepa. i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from colorado is recognized. mr. lamborn: mr. chairman, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from my great state, the centennial state of colorado, mr. tipton. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. tipton: thank you, mr. chairman. mr. speaker, i'd like to be able to thank my colleague, representative mcclintock, for putting forward a very sensible piece of legislation. colorado water congress who support this is bill stated in

their letter, the economic viability of the state of colorado is dependent on safe and reliable water supply. recent years, the ability of water managers to meet growth demand and to create water storage has become more challenging. in colorado, the windy gap project, whose permitting process began in 2003, won't see construction start until at least 2019. with water storage ready by 2022. 16 years to permit, three years to build. for too long, federal agencies have failed to properly coordinate and time their reviews of water supply project aplyizationsing resulting in missed opportunities for increased water storage during our wetter seasons. water is the life blood of western communities. without it, most communities in western united states could not survive. so it only makes sense to store as much of it as we reasonably can during those wetter years.

yet the federal government presents roadblock after roadblock that prevents timely and cost effective completion to many of these projects. this legislation will streamline the permitting process, increase agency accountability, by placing a bureau of reclamation at the center of the process and ensuring all other agencies are required to enact it in a timely fashion. it's an approach to a problem that should not exist. i urge my colleagues to support this and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. huffman: i yield two minutes to my colleague from the fresno area, mr. costa. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. costa: this is an issue that is, i think, one of the most important long-term issues that we deal with, not only in

california and western states but really in the world because the fact is, is that water is a crucial element of the sustainability of all of us. and it always has been. and with the planet clicking seven billion people a couple years ago, soon to be nine billion people by the middle of this century work climate change clearly impacting our ability to manage our water supplies, we must look at the long-term needs of using all the water tools in our water toolbox. and this is one effort to, in fact, look at how we can provide additional storage capacity, not only in california but elsewhere, so that when we have these periodic times, and we measure water on 10-year basis averages, we have had near record rainfall and snow in the snow packed mountains of california which we're blessed

with the last four months and after five of the most ex-trially dry periods of time to have this rain and snow is wonderful. but we know that you've got to plan for the future. and so in cases like california, where it's either feast or famine, having additional water reservoir supply is one of the important water management tools in our water toolbox, along with conservation, along with better irrigation technology, which we were implementing, along with conservation of all sorts of kind, desalinization, all these matter. as does storage. this year, millions and millions of acre-feet of water have gone unused. because of the lack of storage. this measure will help but there are other things that we have to do to fix the broken water system in california, in the west and really we can be a template if we better manage our water resources for the entire planet in the light of climate change. i ask that we support this legislation, it's helpful and we must do much more.

i yield back the balance oif my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from california, mr. huffman, reserves, the gentleman from colorado, mr. lamb born is recognized. mr. lamborn: i'm pleased to yield two minutes to the gentleman also from the golden state, mr. rohrabacher. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. rohrabacher sprk thank you very much -- mr. rohrabacher: thank you very much, mr. speaker. all of us in california have experienced what happens when you have radical environmentalist nonsense determining policy. we have just gone through one of the worst droughts in our history. yet during that drought, those wonderful california environmental planners saw to it that billions of with gallons of fresh water were dumped into the ocean instead of being redirected toward producing food

crops in our central valley area or providing water to drink or providing water so that people could afford to have water throughout our state. so instead, it was dumped into the ocean. now what we needed and what we need now that the drought is over is more water storage. because we are in favor of people, not some grandiose ncepts of what a better view counts, without people in it, that is, of course. we need to think about what our policies will impact on average people. and what we have in this radical environmental approach is opposition to storing water now that we have some extra water right after a drought. whose side are you on? you can't tell me you're on the side of ordinary people because when water prices go up and there's not enough water for the crops, the price of food goes up and the price of water goes up, who is the worst hurt?

america's lowest income people are the ones who are hurt the most. the ones who can't afford to pay the little extra for food that it costs when it costs more money to grow crops in the middle of a drought. so with that said, i dramatically set forward, let's do something for the people, not some environmental theory, nonsensical theories in most case, that we are facing doom if we don't store, you know if we store water, that's going to be bad for the environment? i would the chair: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. rohrabacher: that doesn't make sense to me or ordinary people. that after a drought, it is against the environment makes it easier to store water so we don't have the same destruction or the same lowering of the standard of living of our poor

people when the next drought comes around. this act by mr. tom mcclintock will make it easier and quicker for us to build these dams. by the way, if we don't do this, many of those dams will be built. we are sfalking about the evaporation of money after you have to go through years and years of paperwork, what evaporates is the money that should be going into education and transportation. no, it's wrong all the way around not to permit people to go as fast as we can to build storage for our water supply today so when the next drought comes around, ordinary people won't be hurt. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from colorado reserves. the gentleman from california, mr. huffman is recognized. mr. huffman: i thank my

colleague from orange county for his comments. i have seen the water management work taking place in mr. rohrabacher's district. they are doing amazing groundwater recharge and water recycling and one of the most systems. ttable and it is their reliance on these water management tools instead of large reservoirs that enabled them to get through the most critical drought we have ever seen and much better shape. so kudos to the forward-looking water managers in orange county. if the gentleman is concerned about low-income people being impacted by water shortage and water management issues, i hope he will visit my district. in my district you get the other end of this challenge.

the fishing communities have been hammered by the fact that our salmon runs are teatering on and this of extinction exacerbated the problem. i'm representing people who have been deeply impacted that needs to be part of this conversation instead of water wasting out of the eastu area. and this has been the lifeblood. just to infect a couple of facts into what is a radical environmental agenda ta caused waste of water during the drought, that didn't happen. in 2014, only 4% of all the runoff in thening tire watershed flowed to san francisco bay solely for environmental protection. in 2015, 2% for the runoff for the entire watershed made it out

to san francisco bay for environmental purposes. the rest of the flow was to control sa lynnity in the delta so you could serve municipal and industrial needs. most of that water was diverted and used and we have to remember the facts. i reserve. the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from colorado. mr. lamborn: i'm pleased to yield three minutes to the gentleman who is a subcommittee chairman on the committee of natural resources from the grand canyon state, mr. gosar. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. gosar: i rise in strong support of h.r. 1654, legislation sponsored by tom mcclintock. western states have fought over scares water supplies. we have an expression that says whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting over.

we need to build water projects to provide water, recreation, flood control and environmental benefits while adhering to state water rights. these are nonpartisan endeavors as evidenced by president kennedy dedicate ina dam in california. while the central arizona project came after president kennedy, it brings prosperity to arizona cities and ranchers. the glen canyon dam and other projects provided the backbone of a regional economy that produced year-round water and free hydropower. lake powell, the reservoir allows for millions of millions of dollars and provided the scene erie in the science fiction "the planet of the apes." this these projects provide benefit to a growing society,

but what the federal government helped give, it is taking away. to construct new surface water he storage is a maze from a multitude of federal, state and local agencies, conflicting requirements continue to cause delays, kill jobs and not capturing precious water supplies, agriculture and municipal water providers need a clear process without the bureaucracy. h.r. 1654 establishes such a process by creating a one stop shop permitting shop. but the bureau of reclamation in charge for these important water projects in 17 western states. this makes a lot of sense as the bureau of reclamation has made the west what it is today. generations of our prior leaders focused on the need to capture water and deliver to cities and fields. our communities always need water and with the projected

population increases, we are going to need a lot more of the let's build on the good work of previous generations. pass h.r. 1564 so we have a clear process moving forward in pursuing worth while infrastructure projects. save for a rainy day. this act facilitates that concept. i thank the gentleman from california for sponsoring the needed legislation and i urge my colleagues to vote in support of this bill. i yiled back. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from colorado reserves. the gentleman from california. mr. huffman: i continue to reserve. the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from colorado is recognizeded. mr. lamborn: i have no more speakers and i'm prepared to close. the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his ime.

the gentleman from colorado reserves. the gentleman from california is prepared to close. mr. huffman: mr. chairman, it's been a good conversation, but i hope one thing is clear, this is not an infrastructure bill. this is an environmental deregulation bill that is massacre aiding behind the issue of infrastructure. environmental laws, environmental reviews are not the reason new dams have not been built and it's not the reason that new dams will not be built. don't analysis is they enerate. they are rarely financeable. so let's not scape get the ep tall laws to try to address that problem. if my colleagues are interested in an honest infrastructure bill including a water infrastructure

bill, they'll find a lot of willing partners across the aisle including myself. we put forth all sorts of ideas. surface storage and new dams can be part of it, but we have to put real dollars on the table. and not hide behind thisal terrier agenda of gutting our environmental laws and repack acknowledging that and being responsive to our nation's critical need for new infrastructure. this bill doesn't meet that test. i request my colleagues vote no. and i yield. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from colorado. mr. lamborn: as i close, i want to point out a bit of circular reasoning that my friend from california is saying. he said it's not the environmental regulations or the red tape that slows down the construction of dams, it's the high cost. but what he doesn't recognize,

it's the high cost is caused by all the red tape and environmental regulations. that's arguing in circles and i don't accept that. i commend the bill's sponsor for this bill that looks to promote additional and much needed water storage throughout the west. and i urge the passage of the bill and i yield back. the chair: all time for general debate has expired. the bill shall be considered under amendment under the five-minute rule and shall be in order to consider as an original bill for purpose of amendment under the five-minute rule the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the committee on natural resources printed in the bill. the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be considered as read. no amendment to the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be in order except those printed in part b of house report 115-186. each such amendment may be

offered by a member designated in the report, shall be considered read, shall be debatable for the time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment and shall not be subject for division of the demand of the question. it is in order to consider amendment number 1. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. lamalfa: i have an amendment at the desk. the clerk: amendment number 1 printed in part b of house mr. 115-1886 offered by lamalfa of california. the chair: mr. lamalfa and a member opposed each will control five minutes. mr. lamalfa: i want to thank my subcommittee chairman mr. lamborn for your leadership on this and mr. mcclintock for

bringing the bill forward. this amendment assures that state-led projects can also enjoy the coordination that the bill itself will do. state-led sforge projects such sykes reservoir will be eligible under h.r. 15 64. doing so enables states at lower costs to partner with the federal government on projects. adopting this amendment to include state-led projects will allow the development of more water infrastructure, more rapidly and at no additional costs to the federal government. for example, in my home state of california, the voters have approved billions of dollars towards infrastructure projects such as sykes reservoir, which will include enough water sforge for millions more people in my

state. if you know the reservoir, the locals will tell you they have been talking about it, poking it, prodding it for about 40 years. 40 years. bureaucracy plays a major role. the bill in chief is not looking to change environmental laws or get rid of environmental laws. my colleague talked about having an honest discussion in this area. an honest discussion would show that the bill in chief is one is merely coordinating and not changing the water quality act or nepa or anything else other than getting these people in one room to coordinate at one time. yes, we have costs involved because people give up whether it is private sector money or people who pass bonds give up after a while because they don't think money is going to the project when they hear about

ndless delays when we have . ocking one idea to another a lake is in my own back yard. what we have seen what happened there, coordination under an emergency where people finally recognized even though they are trying to throw rod blocks and when 188,000 people have to evacuate an area due to some unknown factors, then they saw the need to fix it. and the spill way at the lake is going to be fixed pretty rapidly over a two-year period and made usable in this short amount of time. so that's how coordination can work to get a needed project done. what we need to quit doing is

waiting for emergencies like this when we know levee projects, other infrastructure that has this bureaucratic badminton played need to be coordinated. my amendment adds to it. again ability for state dollars on state-led infrastructure projects to be included in that. i think it makes a heck of a lot of sense and help our voters to have this being enjoyed. i reserve. . 'm happy to yield. mr. lamborn: i support this amendment and urge its adoption, i yield back the balance of my ime. the chair: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from fresno. the chair: does the gentleman

from california claim time in opposition? r. huffman: yes. mr. costa: members of the congress of the house, i rise to support this amendment offered by my colleague, congressman lamalfa. as i said earlier, we need to fix the broken water system in california because reliability is key. we have a water system that was designed for 20 million people. today we have 40 million people living in california. by the year 2030, we'll have 50 million people. in the this san joaquin valley where i live, which has been ground zero for the impacts of an unreliable water supply because of the broken system, we have felt the devastation of the drought this lack of reliability is due to many factors that have intensified as a result of climate change, impact on regulations and other factors. luckily this year, as i noted, it's been a deluge of rain and snow, and for that we're

thankful. but we know in california that it's either feast or famine so sadly we must plan for the future and that means including surface storage and using subsurface replenishment of our ground water and all the other water tools that are part of this water tool toolbox that is critical for the long term. we need more storage, we need underlying legislation that this provides while not completely fixing or resolving our challenges is a small step and it was noted before this does not amend nepa or see qua, it simply provides a -- or ceqa. it simply provides a timeline. this timeline is not too different from the collaboration that the governor is working with the department of interior on the proposal to fix the plumbing system in the delta. they have a record of decision that has a timeline. so surface storage water is going to receive funding and support under the wind act we passed in december.

matching state funds along with this effort to provide the timeline will be helpful. let me finally say that sustainability of our agricultural economy, sustainability of putting food and fiber on america's dinner table every night, and helping feed other parts of the world is really what we're talking about here. reliability is key to making sure that we are sustainable and that the adversion -- adverse impacts of a lack of fixed water system we need to address this legislation is a small step in providing timelines for certainty for this collaboration for this process to work better. i urge the support of this amendment. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman from california, mr. huffman is recognized. mr. huffman: i reserve. the chair: the gentleman from california, mr. lamalfa. mr. lamalfa: i appreciate my colleague, mr. costa, for his bipartisan support and effort in ensuring we have a proactive way of doing things in california on

water infrastructure. i appreciate that a lot. so for anybody to say that the amount of effort it takes to get past a bureaucratic process, to simply get the existing permits under existing laws, is not burdensome, is naive. indeed, whether we're talking hi prgts, levee projects, bridge projects, or in this bill water storage projects, we need this coordination. so the coordination will mean more for the american people, more for the people of my own state, with less dollars, less delay, and they can start enjoying the fruits of this project, the fruit of their tax dollars. so my amendment simply adds to that, state-led efforts, whether it's been a bond passed by a state or state -- other state funding in california and other states, that they too can enjoy that coordination that this bill would provide. with that, mr. speaker, -- mr. chairman, my colleagues, i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields

back. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. huffman: i'm prepared to close and reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from california, mr. lamalfa has no time. the gentleman from california from mr. california mr. huffman may close. mr. huffman: thank you, mr. chairman. i must oppose this amendment. i'm not sure if this was the intent of my friend mr. lamalfa but it appears this amendment would prioritize permitting of surface storage projects, not ground water storage. the wynn act authorizes money for surface and ground water storage projects. these projects are yet to be named and prioritized. yet this amendment apply this is bill's streamlining provisions to, quote, state-led projects for new surface storage projects. now providing surface storage is in keeping with some of the obsession with new dams we have heard from my colleagues across the aisle.

but the truth is, there are all sorts of other worthy projects that are needed if we're going to get serious about water infrastructure in california and to put a him on -- thumb on the scale for one particular kind is not the right way to go. so mr. speaker, i respectfully request a no vote and yield the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from california, mr. lamalfa. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair the ayes have it. he amendment is agreed to. it is now in order to consider amendment number 2 printed in part b of house report 115-186. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. lowenthal. mr. lowenthal: i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number printed in part b of house

report 115-186, offered by mr. lowenthal of california. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 392, the gentleman from california, mr. lowenthal and a member opposed each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. lowenthal. mr. lowenthal: thank you, mr. chairman. i, like many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle are concerned about the long-term prspects for water infrastructure and storage in the west. as the western climate continues to get hotter, we're going to have more hot, dry, drought years. that's why many states and communities, including the cities that i represent, are doing all that they can to make their water infrastructure more resilient, to reduce unneeded runoff, to recycle water, and to store as much ground water as possible. to support these critical activities, kuok needs to invest in our country's water infrastructure. the bill before us today does

not do any of these things. it does not authorize new or additional funding for water projects. it's not an infrastructure bill. instead to the bill before us today make miss americans nervous because it loosens key environmental safeguards and imposes arbitrary deadlines for the approval of dams on our rivers and streams. this bill threatens the health of our streams, our rivers, and coastlines which could harm official populations important to commercial fisheries. therefore i'm offering a straightforward amendment. it simply requires proposed new dams to go through the normal project review process if they are likely to harm commercial fisheries. the construction of poorly permitted dams has been a major cause of mortality for california's fisheries. california's central valley,

they currently block chinook salmon and steelhead from more than 90% of the historical spawning habitat. my amendment will help protect my state's economically important officiallies -- fisheries from further harm. commercial fisheries from my home state sustain thousands of jobs across eavel and -- california and the west coast and currently we have what can only be described as a fisheries crisis. many fisheries are at record low population levels. according to some estimates, 7 % of california's native salmon will be extinct or disappear within the next century -- if current trends continue. simply put, many west coast fishermen and fisherwomen that depend on california's fish -- fish runs are hanging on by a thread. the thousands of fishermen and

fisherwomen and other employees of restaurants, hotels and other businesses that depend on healthy fish runs have been struggling mightily. even now many fishermen and fisherwomen are still recovering from the total closure of the ocean salmon fishery along the west coast in 2008 and 2009. because of poor california salmon returns. the closure devastated the pacific coast fishing industry and ultimately required millions of dollars in disaster aid from congress. in recent years, fishery managements -- managers have also had to severely restrict commercial fishing season because of low population levels. my amendment will help prevent future harm opeople who are already struggling to just get by. i urge my colleagues to vote yes on my amendment and reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman reserves his time. who seeks recognition?

does the gentleman wish to claim time in opposition? the gentleman from california, mr. mcclintock is recognized. mr. mcclintock: thank you, mr. chairman. first i'd point out to my friend from california if the climate continues to warm, we're not going to be able to store as much water in our mountains as snow and we are going to need much more surface water storage reservoirs than the laws have allowed us to build because of the delays they've imposed in planning and construction. the gentleman's amendment gives the secretary of interior the ability to ignore this streamlining law if he determined it could, quote, cause harm to commercial fisheries. well, now, remember, this bill makes no changes to any of our existing laws or regulations. it makes no changes to the licenses and permits required for a project or the criteria for obtaining those licenses and

permits. it makes no changes to any law or regulation that could affect commercial fisheries or for that matter anything else. it simply says that the agencies and jurisdictions involved with these projects have to cooperate and coordinate and communicate with each other and it requires the science guiding these decisions to be available to the public to review and scrutinize. so why the amendment? well, for one reason and run -- and one reason only, i think. because for the last eight years, we've had an administration that was actively hostile to constructing new reservoirs that administration has used the fragmented nature of the approval process as a way to delay projects indefinitely. that's what this proposal corrects. mr. lowenthal's amendment would allow any administration so inclined to make a specious finding as an excuse to ignore this law.

project applicants would not know from one election to the next whether their millions of dollars of studies and investments would suddenly come to naught and projects already well along in the planning and approval process could find their efforts coming to a screeching halt. for our laws to work, they must be predictable and fair. mr. lowenthal's amendment is a poison pill to rend they are law unpredictable and capricious. the irony is this. the gentleman's constituents in southern california have the most to lose from his amendment. because southern california depends on surplus watter from northern california and let me make this very clear to the gentleman, and his constituents, northern california has first claim on northern california water. if we can't store the extra water in the north there's no surplus for the south. and the gentleman's constituents

can look forward to dead lawns and gardenings, brown parks, empty swimming pools, astronomical water and electricity price, spiraling grocery prices, and a future where they will have to ration and stretch every drop of water and every watt of electricity in their parched and sweltering homes. they might want to ask him about that someday. i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from california, mr. mcclintock reserves. the gentleman from california, mr. lowenthal is recognized. mr. lowenthal: how much time do i have left? the chair: the gentleman from california has a minute and a half. mr. lowenthal: i yield one minute to my colleague from northern california, mr. huffman. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for a minute. mr. huffman: i thank the gentleman. i rise in support of this amendment. my colleague across the aisle just asked the retorical question why is this amendment needed? it's needed because fishing jobs matter. the people who i represent on the north coast of california

and also other fishing communities up and down the pacific coast, including in oregon and washington, their jobs matter. and their limited opportunity to have their interests considered when a dam project is moving forward is what is shortened by the streamlining in this bill. their interests are already subordinated often time bus thaw get subordinated even further by the streamlining in this case which places the bureau of reclamation, the proponent of the new dam , in charge of the administrationive record which places the fish agencies, which often advance the interests of protecting fisheries, in a subordinate role to the bureau of reclamation that criminals the administrative record which imposes shortened timelines to make it even harder for their interests to be considered. fishing jobs matter and the truth is right now in my district and in many other fishing communities, people are hurting because they have been damaged by poorly operated and

poorly permitted dams. let's not make things worse. this amendment is abue absolute -- is absolutely necessary and i urge an aye vote. mr. mcclintock: i would first point out that commercial fisheries are controlled and regulated by the secretary of commerce, not the secretary of interior. and yet the secretary of interior to whom the gentleman would give the power to ignore this streamlining law and impose endless and representative delays in the consideration of these projects. i would again point out that all of the considerations that are given to fisheries, that are given to environmental laws and engineering laws, everything that goes into the planning process in our dams under our laws and regulations are fully

respected under this measure. all that it does is say that the agency -- the bureau of reclamation when an application is provided, will pull these agencies together and all of the jurisdictions and the affected parties and establish a timetable according to their best judgment, have them talk with each other and then stick to that plan. that's what the bill does and why it is so desperately needed in a state that hasn't built a major reservoir since 1979. i reserve. the chair: the gentleman from california, mr. lowenthal. mr. lowenthal: i would like to put in three letters, the largest organization of commercial fishing families on the west coast collectively representing thousand of family wage jobs and commercial fishing

industry, strongly opposing this bill, h.r. 1654 and supporting the amendment. the chair: covered by general leave. mr. lowenthal: i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from california, mr. mcclintock. mr. mcclintock: i would like to include the support of the united states chamber of commerce as well as the family farm federation in support of this bill and the jobs that will expand as a result of its adoption. the chair: that will be covered by general leave. the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from california, mr. lowenthal. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the noes have it. the gentleman from california. mr. lowenthal: i request a recorded vote. the chair: a recorded vote is requested. those in favor of taking this vote by recorded vote will rise.

a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]