will see him engage with the community and try to offer them some support. host: morgan chalfant covers for the hill and marianna sotomayor the speaker pro tempore: now available in the c-span shop, the 2022 congressional districtly. -- directly. go there today. this compact spiral-bound book is your guide to the federal government with contact information for every member of congress, including bios and committee assignments. also, contact information for state governors and the biden administration cabinet. order your copy today at c-spanshop.org. or scan the code with your smartphone. every c-span shop purchase helps supports c-span's nonprofit operation. >> the u.s. house is about to gavel in for legislative

business. today, lawmakers are scheduled to debate 19 bills, including several dealing with cybersecurity, law enforcement, and veterans' issues. live coverage of the house here on c-span. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2022] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] the player today will be offered by chaplain kibben. chaplain kibben: would you pray with me. omnipotent god, ruler of the universe and source of all life, help us to love all that you are and all that you have created. may we show respect to both people and planet. in all that we see may we regard everything as a precious gift from you to be revered and appreciated. at the same time, as we enjoy the amazing opportunities you have afforded us, the bounty of bitches you have bestowed on us, the honor and privilege to have

dominion over the earth and all her resource, may our regard for the world never eclipse our love for you. we pray, instead, you continue to reveal yourself in the beauty of this earth. then may we have faith to love you first. to look around at the remarkable creation that surrounds us and to see your handiwork in all that we see. like wise, we ask your guidance that in the enjoyment of these countless gifts that we worship the love that has provided them and not become so preoccupied with the gifts themselves that we cannot see the affection to be found in the hands that offer them. in all that surrounds us may we know the love of the giver and may our lives ever be lived in worship of you. by the power of your name we may. amen. the speaker pro tempore: thank you, chaplain kibben. pursuant to -- section 11-a of house resolution 188, the

journal of the last day's proceedings is approved. the pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentleman from new jersey, mr. malinowski. mr. malinowski: i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will entertain requests for one-minute speeches. for what purpose does the the gentlewoman from ohio seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, rising prices are straining families' budgets and robbing them of the full

benefits of our strong economic recovery. ms. brown: last year we experienced the fastest rate of economic growth in four decades and the single greatest year of job creation ever. thanks to this robust growth, workers are securing better jobs with higher pay. wages have risen more than 4% since president biden took office. yet even as inflation has slowed, rising prices are eating into family's paychecks. to help cut costs for families, the house recently passed legislation to cap the price of insulin at $35. and this week the house will consider new legislation to address pain at the pump. the could be seumer fuel price gouging prevention act would establish the first ever federal law against price gouging by oil and gas companies. cutting costs and preventing profit aying, this is how we get our prices under control and put money back in people's pockets. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. lamalfa: seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from california is recognized for one minute. mr. lamalfa: thank you, mr. speaker. president biden's assault on dmes domestic energy production isn't just limited to gas and oil. a new report revealed that a quarter of nuclear power plants in the u.s. are at risk of closure in just a few years. raising already high energy costs to struggling families across the country. despite being carbon free, which my colleagues on the other side of the aisle love to talk about carbon, even though it only represents .04% of the gases in our atmosphere, let's play along. nuclear reactors make zero co-2. so why are we making it so difficult to put in place, indeed, only one nuclear reactor started construction in the u.s. in the last three decades. since 2013, 12 reactors have closed. none new have eapped oapped.

why are they making it so difficult to relicense existing plants or new ones. why does it have to cost hundreds of millions or more to do the job to keep a co-2 free,.04% of our atmosphere, keep that co-2 down and keep the plants operating and homes lit up? i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the minority leader seek recog recognition? mr. mccarthy: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the minority leader is recognized for one minute. mr. mccarthy: mr. speaker, i come from the part of the country where people are used to working hard and making things. for some it's producing oil and natural gas. for others it's farming. for me it was owning a small business. what we do may be different, but why we do it is not. we want to provide a better life for our family and our children.

that's the american dream. that's what we strive for. that's what we sacrifice for. that's what democrats' radical policies are destroying. today the ex-chairman of the federal reserve said the u.s. economy is heading towards stagflation for the first time since the 1970's. remember, the 1970's democrats had control in the late 70's of the white house, the senate, enand house just like they do now. the c.e.o. of goldman sachs also said that the risk of falling into a recession is very, very high. did you ever think that would happen in just one year of one-party rule? the last time we went through stagflation was in the 1970's. after an oil supply shock.

today democrats' radical policies are leading to a similar shock in terms of energy. since april, 2021, prices have risen@least 5% every month. and this year under one party control prices have risen at least 7% for five consecutive months. what does that mean to the average american? it means every single american, in cass cost alone families will pay an extra $2,000 this year to fill up at the pump. that's $2,000, mr. speaker. that's money that could have been used for a children's education, summer vacation, or just paying the house payment or rent. democrats are presiding over one of the costliest years in recent history. the next year could even be worse.

americans need stable, competent leadership that understands the problems our country is facing. want to lower the gas prices? republicans' answer is unleash american energy. democrats answer is to hire another six figure out-of-touch washington bureaucrat who has never run a business to tell people who work for a living what to do. or just what the president did just a week ago, shut down more leases and opportunity for america to produce oil. but, no, try to buy it somewhere else. maybe russia. they are attacking energy producers to shift blame from their own failures. they have no better answer to the problems they created except demand more control. but, mr. speaker, that's what got us here in the first place. last march do we all remember, the democrats dumped $2 trillion into a recovering economy and

paid people not to work. i remember very well, mr. speaker, on this side of the aisle we warned you, if you go through -- through with this you will create inflation. every single democrat said no. they voted for it. every single republican knew what would happen. and they said no. they believed in the american people. don't punish them. don't cost them more. then we heard the likes of it was transtary -- transitary inflation. every month, 5% growth. then 7%. now we have the ex-fed chair saying stagflation. something we haven't seen since the 1970's. one party rule. and over a year and a half. not only has created inflation like we haven't seen in 40 years, it's putting the punishment on to the american people.

this $2 trillion you claim would go for covid when less than 9%, the scheme worked well for the well connected when you are in one-party control. blue states got bailouts. washington democrats got more power. but working families got crushed by the worst inflation in 40 years. this is why americans don't trust democrats. mr. speaker, for all those watching, for all those struggling to put gas in the tank and food on the table, we know democrats think they forward -- afford to stay in power for two more years. the question is, can you? i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous

consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. every day more and more families are struggling to find the basic goods they need to run their lives. this latest shortage, 40% of all baby formula out of stock. highlights exactly how out-of-control this crisis has become. mrs. steel: orange county families are no stranger to the pressure of our broken supply chain. for months we have been under the strain that millions of americans are now experiencing. i have been calling on this administration as well as governor newsom to ease the restrictions that are further burdening our already crippled supply chains. from removing unworkable regulatory standards impacting the trucking industry to

embracing american energy independence, there are concrete steps that the governor and president can take to address this crisis. they should do so immediately to provide relief to southern californians and all americans. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? >> i rise to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. it. >> thank you, mr. speaker. during this national police week i'm delighted to rise today to honor police chief clarisse and more than four decades of selfless service to our community, including 11 years as police chief. mrs. kim: throughout his many roles, he set an example of excellence in our police department and created the first

five-year strategic plan in the department's history. while he's a well-known active member of our community, his impact can also be seen across neighboring cities. he helped create the orange county public task force, a partner shep between cities that works to address pressing public safety issues such as homelessness, incarceration, and gang and youth violence. thank you for your unwilling dedication to safety to our community. i wish you a wonderful retirement. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? mr. thompson: mr. speaker, request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, lions club international is on capitol hill this week for their annual meetings with members of congress. i'm a member of my hometown

organization, the howard area lions club, i know firsthand the good that this organization, this club does around the world. just a few years ago during a lions club reception in the capitol visitors center, i spoke with a lion named jimmy ross. he's a past president of lions club international and organized the capitol hill visit that year. we shared an idea to create a congressional caucus to highlight the work and policies of nonprofit service organizations like lions, ro rotary, opt miss, and others. i love the idea. together with congressman panetta of california, we founded the caucus in 2019. tomorrow the congressional service organization caucus will host its first briefing. speakers from lions, rotary, and opt misclubs will share how their mebs strive to make the world a better place one community at a time. mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to join the congressional service

organization caucus to ensure service to others remains a vital part of american life for generations to come. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the chaim forewhere minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute mr. roy: i wasn't going to use this one-minute seemtime, i just got a text from some contacts down in the border in south texas from eagle pass with drone footage of yet another enormous group that is crossing illegally on private property around eagle pass. a texas soldier told us there were-v been 2,000 plus krottings in the last eight days. . yet, quote, he and thisadministl control of the border. this is factually incorrect. and my colleagues on the other

side of the aisle don't seem interested in having a debate or a discussion here on the floor of the people's house about a crisis facing the state of texas and this entire country. with over 107,000 americans dying last year from drug poisonings and drug overdoses, yet i get crickets from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. you want to know what's happening in south texas? hispanics in south texas are flocking away from a party that doesn't care if they suffer or if my grants suffer while -- migrants suffer while bodies pile up. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the house will now resume proceedings on postponed questions at a later time. for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek

recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 6924, as amended. 6824. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 6824. a bill to authorize the cybersecurity and infrastructure security agency under the department of homeland security to hold an annual cybersecurity competition relating to offensive and defensive cybersecurity disciplines and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from new jersey, mr. malinowski, and the gentleman from kansas, mr. laturner, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new jersey. mr. malinowski: 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 this measure. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. malinowski: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman is recognized. mr. malinowski: mr. speaker, before i begin debate on today's legislation, i would like to take a moment to acknowledge the tragic, bloody events of this weekend. in milwaukee, buffalo and orange county, california. the loss of life and injury to innocent people, as we all know, are staggering. these incidents are all under investigation. but from a homeland security perspective, i'd like to zero in in particular on the events in new york. where we have, i think, a fairly good picture of what motivated a man to gun down innocent people. an event that has happened too many times in recent history in our country. this young man clearly was motivated by an idea. a hateful idea. a racist idea. and one that is, sadly, familiar

to us. it's the same idea that motivated another man to gun down african-americans in charleston, south carolina. the same idea that motivated yet another man to gun down hispanic americans in el paso, texas. the same idea that motivated another man to gun down jewish americans in pittsburgh, pennsylvania. it's an idea that spreads on the internet, but it doesn't just spread organically. social media companies write algorithms distributely designed to connect -- deliberately designed to connect people who are susceptible to this hateful idea, to others who may be propagating it. it's an idea that sadly is sometimes amplified and legitimatized by political leaders and media personalities in our country. we have a domestic terrorism problem in america. we all understand that on the

homeland security committee. if this problem was coming from outside the united states, it would be easy for us to come together to deal with it. imagine if after the september 11 attacks there were cable news hosts who night after night propagated ideas straight from al qaeda's propaganda materials. we wouldn't tolerate it. nobody would for one moment think that that was acceptable in the united states of america. but because it is a domestic problem, rooted in our own society, it's harder. we have to find a way to come together nonetheless. i think there are two kinds of leaders in america today. not democrat, republican, liberal, conserve. there are leaders who when they see a fire burning, they reach for a bucket of water to put it out. and there are leaders who when they see a fire burning reach

for a can of gasoline to make that fire burn even more. we desperately need leaders in this country of both political parties who will try to calm things down, who will tamp down these horrible, hateful ideas, whether they're coming from the left, the right, wherever they're coming from. because these ideas are leading to people being gunned down in our country and it's unacceptable and it has to stop. with that, let's turn to the legislation before us today. mr. speaker, as a nation we're fortunate to have so many dedicated public servants who work for our federal government, help keep us safe. unfortunately they frequently go without the recognition they deserve for their hard work. the president's cup cybersecurity competition act, authorized -- act ate authorizes an -- authorizes a competition. today it is critical to our homeland and national security

that the federal government attract, develop and retain dedicated and talented employees to carry out cybersecurity and cyberdefense activities. it's not lost on me that by choosing to work for the government rather than the private sector, these in-demand professionals often forego more lucrative career opportunities. h.r. 6824 would authorize the cybercompetition that is hosted and ensure the financial rewards can be provided to the winning individuals and teams in recognition of their achievement. in the short period that the president's cup has been around, it's become a much sought-after prize among talented federal cyber practitioners, many of whom are civilians or active military. by permanently authorizing this competition, congress can ensure that it remains a vital part of our strategy to identify, retain and reward the best cybersecurity talent in the federal government. i applaud representative luria for her leadership in authoring

this legislation. with that, i urge my colleagues to support this legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from kansas is recognized. mr. laturner: thank you, mr. speaker. i imlield self such time as -- i yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise today in support of h.r. 6824, the president's company cybersecurity competition act. you merely have to turn on the news to hear about the latest ransomware problems that continue to vex our country. according to research funded by the national institute of standards and technology, there's a deficit of almost half a million cybersecurity employees in the u.s. now more than ever it's critical that the federal government provide cybersecurity education and pathways to federal employment and make federal retention of this limited skill set a priority. one very important effort is underpinned by the president's cup cybersecurity competition act. since it launched the first

competition act in 2019 as a national cybersecurity competition for both individuals and teams, aiming to identify, challenge and reward the best cybersecurity talent in the federal work force, this bill grants the authority to fully implement the cybersecurity competition with certain parameters and provide prizes to winning individuals and teams. by codifying the cybersecurity competition we further incentivize a skilled cybersecurity work force. we also signal that congress is committed to addressing federal cybersecurity recruitment and retention challenges. i urge members to join me in supporting h.r. 6824 and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. malinowski: mr. speaker, i have no more speakers so i'm prepared to close after the gentleman closes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from kansas is recognized. mr. laturner: i have no further speakers and i urge members to support this bill. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. malinowski: mr. speaker, i yield myself the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. malinowski: mr. speaker, the president's cup cybersecurity competition has been an important part of our strategy to support a strong federal cybersecurity work force in recent years. unfortunately without congressional authorization it lacks the stability it needs, so thanks to this legislation authored by my committee colleague, representative luria, we have the opportunity to authorize it and preserve a key retention tool in the federal tool box, to ensure thatle at that entered federal -- to ensure that federal professionals get the recognition they deserve. i urge my colleagues to support this bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from kansas -- the gentleman is not recognized. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 6824, as amended.

those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative -- >> mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to section 3-s of house resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings are now postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition? mr. malinowski: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, s. 2520. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: senate 2520. an act to amend the homeland security act of 2002, to provide for engainlts -- engagements with state, tribal, territorial governments and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from new jersey and the gentleman from kansas each will control 20 minutes.

the chair recognizes the gentleman from new jersey. mr. malinowski: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. malinowski: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. malinowski: mr. speaker, in recent months, the world has watched in horror as russia launched its unprovoked, illegal invasion of ukraine. russia's actions have once again reminded us of the potential for cyber attacks on critical infrastructure here in the united states. with state and local governments operating large amounts of critical infrastructure, including essential public services like schools, emergency response agencies and water ewe tits, -- utilities, it is essential that we have strong cybersecurity practices. in march, in response to the current threat landscape, president biden sent a letter to

the nation's governors urging them to take actions to enhance their cyber defenses. the federal government must continue to expand these partnerships with states as they carry out our important national security work. congress has already taken some critical steps in this effort, in this congress, thanks to the leadership of my colleagues on the homeland security committee. last year the house passed congresswoman clarke's state and local cybersecurity improvement act, which created a new grant program to help state, local, tribal and territorial governments with strengthening their cybersecurity. this legislation was signed by president biden in the fall as part of the bipartisan infrastructure law. it will provide $1 billion in much-needed help over the next four years. additionally, last year congress passed the k-12 cybersecurity act, introduced by senator peters and congressman langevin. that bill directs the cybersecurity and infrastructure

security agency to study the cyber risk posed to k-12 educational institutions, and provide them with additional resources to better defend themselves. and right now i'm proud to be working on a bipartisan basis with senators peters and corner and -- cornyn and my homeland security committee, representative garr bino, on the -- garbarino, on urgently needed legislation to better protect critical infrastructure used at the municipal, state and federal level that relies on commercial satellite data to work properly. passing s. 2520 will build on these efforts, by further strengthening the relationship between d.h.s. and state and local governments as they work to defend our country against cyberattacks. more specifically, it would permit d.h.s. to provide state and local governments with access to cybersecurity resources and encourage collaboration in using these resources, including joint

cybersecurity exercises. additionally, the bill will strengthen the relationship between d.h.s. and the multistate information sharing and analysis center to help state and local governments receive the most updated information regarding potential threats and gain access to greater technical assistance. i thank senators peters and portman i think senators peters and portman in introducing this bill. i ask my colleagues to support the legislation. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kansas is recognized. miss laturner -- mr. laturner: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. laturner: i rise today in support of s.2520, the state and local government cybersecurity act of 2021. today state and local governments are not in a position to defend their networks against cyber attacks from sophisticated foreign adversaries. or cyber criminals. state and local governments are rich targets for cyber

adversaries and the frequency of attacks is only accelerating as budgets are increasingly constrained. the federal government needs to redouble their efforts to support state, local, tribal, and territorial government entities to bolster their cybersecurity posture. to help remedy this, this bill amends the homeland security act of 2002 to provide for engagements with sltt entities to increase federal support and information sharing. additionally, the bill expands d.h.s.' responsibilities concerning grants and cooperative agreements. the bill also provides d.h.s. the ability to coordinate with sltt entities to conduct exercises provide technical and operational cybersecurity training, as well as promote cybersecurity education and awareness. s.2520 will help shore up sltt vulnerabilities against malicious cyber attackers and go a long way to strengthen our more localized entities that are closer to everyday americans. i urge members to join me in

supporting s.2520. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. mr. malinowski: i yield myself -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. malinowski: mr. speaker, i yield my southwest balance of the time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. malinowski: we rely on state and local governments for some of our most basic and necessary public services. we have he seen many communities across our country experience disruptions in those services due to ransomware attacks originating from russia n this current environment with a heightened risk of even more dangerous cyber attacks, s. 2520 would enhance d.h.s.' collaboration with state and local governments in addressing this pressing national security threat. by passing this bill, sending it to the president, we will continue our ongoing efforts to expand critical federal cybersecurity assistance to

state and local governments. i urge my colleagues to support s. 2520. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass senate bill 2520. 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 -- for what purpose does the the gentleman from north carolina seek recognition? >> to request a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to section 3-s of house resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings are now postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition? mr. malinowski: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 6873, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will read the tidele. the clerk: h.r. 6873, a bill to

amend the homeland security act of 2002 to establish the office for bombing prevention to address terrorist explosive threats, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from new jersey, mr. malinowski, and the gentleman from kansas, mr. laturner, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new jersey, mr. malinowski: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. malinowski: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. malinowski: mr. speaker, between january 4 and february 16 of just this year there were over 50 bomb threats. disproportionately targeted historically black colleges and universities, black churches, mosques, and synagogues across our country. these racially and ethnically targeted bomb threats have continued through the spring.

they sssowed fear, and interfered with the ability of americans to worship safely. they have also brought into focus the diversity of the current homeland security threat picture. reminded us that conventional threats like bombings deserve sustained attention even as efforts to counter mass shootings and cyber threats have to be intensified. i introduced h.r. 6873, the bombing prevention act of 2022. for the first time to authorize the office of bombing prevention. for the past 15 years the office for bombing prevention has been responsible for coordinating d.h.s.' efforts at preventing protecting -- and protecting against and responding to improvised explosive devices here, domestically, and helping our partners and allies around the world do the same. the office is squarely focused on protecting critical

infrastructure, working with private sector partners, supporting our federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial entities to mitigate explosive effects on critical infrastructure. to that end it regularly naidges with stakeholders, including educational stakeholders ab abot accessing the tools. h.r. 6873 would bring needed permanence and predictability to the operations of this office and position it to build capacity to meet growing demands for its services. importantly, my bill directs the office to develop a strategy that aligns its operations with the threat environment and stake holder needs. improves the sharing of information about explosive threats. and enhances awareness of the office's capabilities to those around the country who are most at risk. the bill also directs the d.h.s. secretary to provide to public

and private sector entities technical assistance services related to countering these explosive threats. finally, to kept office accountable, h.r. 6873 requires an annual report to congress. this bipartisan legislation, which i was pleased to introduce with my colleague from arkansas, representative rick crawford, will better position the office for bombing prevention to provide counter explosive resources to stakeholders as our threat environment changes, making communities across america more secure and helping to ensure that in this country no person should have to work, study, or worship while living in fear of a terrorist bombing. with that i urge my colleagues to support this legislation. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from kansas is recognized. mr. laturner: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. laturner: i rise today in support of h.r. 6873, the

bombing prevention act of 2022. between just january 4 and february 16 of this year, the f.b.i. reported more than 50 bomb threats against domestic targets. the d.h.s. office of bombing protection or o.b.p. has a mission to protect life and critical infrastructure by building capabilities within the general public and across public and private sectors to prevent, protect against, respond to, and mitigate bombing incidents. to that end, this bill will more aptly enable o.b.p. to conduct its mission by requiring a strategy for securing critical infrastructure against terrorist explosives. promoting awareness of risks posed by the misuse of bomb making materials. and database of capabilities and requirements to track public and private terrorist explosive threats. this legislation is a critical step towards ensuring that threats to our domestic security posed by bombings and malicious use of explosives is mitigated

to the best of our ability. i urge members to join me in supporting h.r. 6873. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. malinowski: i have no more speakers. i'm prepared to close after the gentleman from kansas closes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from arkansas -- sorry from kansas is recognized. mr. laturner: mr. speaker, i yield four minutes to the gentleman from arkansas, mr. crawford. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. crawford: i thank you, mr. speaker. i thank the gentleman for yielding. i thank my co-sponsor for his work on this. i can't tell you how thrilled i am to see this bill come to the house floor for consideration. as a former army bomb tech i know how critical it is for our military to be adequately equipped on the frontlines for explosive threats. this is also true on the home front where public safety continues to be threatened by terrorists who consistently use bombs to aadvance their agenda. we should not take a tragedy to

enact sensible change and continue to equipped our homeland security officials with the tools they need. the office of bombing prevention was created in response to terrorism events both at home and abroad, including the events of pan am flight over lockerbie scotland, the world trade center, oklahoma city in 1995, madrid train in 2004, london in 2005, the boston marathon in 2013, and nashville on christmas day in 2020. o.b.p. leads the department of homeland security's efforts to implement the national policy for countering i.e.d.'s and enhances the ability to respond to and mitigate the use of explosives against critical struck teumplet the private sector of the federal, state, local, and tribal entities. currently they sit underneath the cisa, our recent history has proven o.b.p. needs a promotion to adequately inform the secretary of homeland security on ongoing threats and keep the

general public out of harm's way. i say recent history because unfortunately our nation has not been safe from threats. most of which thankfully never led to serious injury, destruction, or death. the 2010 times square car bombing attempt, the i.e.d.'s left outsigh the rccc. and hbcu's mosques and synagogues. we must simultaneously reduce the a threats designed to instill fear in the public. i applaud my colleague for these events seriously in responding appropriately. i have full confidence the o.b.p. will have the tools necessary to carry out this mission. our bill authorizes them for further securing critical infrastructure against terrorist explosive threats and atacks and evaluate -- attacks and evaluate technologies to defend against them. they will be required to promote security awareness of risk posed by the misuse of explosive

precursor chemicals, technical assistance to the public and private sectors to support security and preparedness. assist other agencies in information sharing and responding to various threats and working with relevant stakeholder interests in berting this overall efforts. it's come to my attention in response to the bomb threats at the hbcu's, they led a briefing with 150 leaders and stakeholders about accessing the counter i.e.d. development programs, information, training and schools. this responsiveness to a dire situation only threatens my confidence that the men and women are ready and informed to respond to ongoing bomb threats and prevent further incidents and devastation. we should be proud as americans to feel a sefns security each day. security and strength are what brings us together and foundation for what we fight for. unfortunately we live with the reality that anyone can be threat to the security and strength even when we least expect it. from grocery stores, worship, and schools. we must ensure americans live

free from fear. and the threat of a terrorist agenda. our citizens should remain secure at their jobs, and schools and their families. i support h.r. 6873. i thank my co-lead, representative mall now scirks and representative cat koarks and for meeting with me to discuss my priorities. i encourage my colleagues to support this bill. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from kansas is recognized. mr. laturner: i have no further speakers. i urge members to support this bill. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. malinowski: mr. speaker, i yield myself the balance of the time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. malinowski: mr. speaker, in my home state of new jersey there have been more than 25 bomb scares since 2020. threatening public schools, universities, community centers, and religious institutions.

just last fall in my district the rocks bury township school district received a threat that led to panic and k nine sweeps on school property during teaching hours. hopewell valley central high school encountered an explosive threat that forced the school to evacuate and shut down early for the day. in addition, seven years ago this september over a two-day period, communities in sea side park and elizabeth, new jersey as well as the chelsea neighborhood of manhattan were rocked by three bombings that wounded 31 people. subsequent analysis done by the office for bombing prevention at d.h.s. determined that each of the devices planted by the assailant was completely different from the others. two of the bombs were pipe bombs. two were homemade pressure cooker bombs. some used modified christmas tree lights. and cell phones. one of the pressure cooker bombs used two different chemicals that alone are not dangerous but

ignite when combined. the office concluded that while each of the bombses are different, all included elements detailed in several issues of al qaeda's inspire magazine. the invaluable analysis carried out by the office in the wake of the september, 2016 new jersey area attacks was shared with first responders and homeland security stakeholders all across the country, underscoring the expertise of the office of bombing -- for bombing prevention and the important role it plays in eequipping our communities with the best information available. . today the office provides critical support to help defend communities across america from the threats posed by explosives but we need to empower it to do more. the bombing prevention act does just that. it's been endorsed by the anti-defamation league, by the jewish federations of north america. with that, i urge my colleagues

to support h.r. 6873, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 6873, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, -- >> mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina seek recognition? >> to request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. pursuant to section 3-s of house resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings are now postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition? mr. malinowski: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 6825, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 6825, a bill to amend the homeland security act

of 2002, to echance the funding and administration -- enhanls the funding and administration of the nonprofit security grant program of the department of homeland security and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from new jersey, mr. malinowski, and the gentleman from kansas, mr. laturner, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new jersey. mr. malinowski: 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 this measure. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. malinowski: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. malinowski: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in support of h.r. 6825, the nonprofit security grant program improvement act. more than 20 years after the september 11 attacks, the terrorism threat landscape has grown significantly. significantly more complex. and houses of worship and other nonprofits have been targets for

domestic and foreign terrorists. earlier this year four americans were held at gun point by a terrorist at a synagogue in colleyville, texas. during the colleyville attack, the rabbi used security training to help bring the standoff to an end without injury to his congregants. the training that proved so crucial that sabbath was funded by the department of homeland security's nonprofit security grant program. the nsgp as it has come to be known is a competitive grant program that provides funding to nonprofit organizations such as religious institutions at high-risk of a terrorist attack, to help bolster their security. grant funding is primarily used to pay for active shooter training, fencing barriers, and surveillance cameras. in recent years, demand for the program has grown. it's grown exponentially. given the heightened threat environment that we face.

over the past three years, to meet this demand, congress has increased funding almost three-fold, to $250 million in fiscal year 2022. even with significant new resources, fema reported that in fiscal year 2021 there was a $200 million gap between applications and funding. to provide fema with more resources to help bolster the security at more at-risk nonprofits, this authorizes $500 million in grant funding for fiscal years 2023 to 2028. this bipartisan bill, which was introduced by the leaders of the committee on homeland security, chairman bennie thompson, and ranking member john katko, also includes a range of enhancements to the program's operations. h.r. 6825 would establish a dedicated program office to carry out education, outreach and engagement, to provide

technical assistance and support. among other things, it includes technical changes to eliminate or prevent administrative or operational obstacles that may impact access by eligibility applicants, set base lien -- eligible applicants, set base lien requirements, and prevent -- baseline requirements, and prevents waste, fraud and abuse. this was unanimously supported by the committee in march. before i conclude, i'd like to address an article that appeared in the jewish link, a prominent news outlet for the jewish community in new jersey and new york, which -- in which questions were raised about the grant guidance for the program for the current fiscal year. on behalf of chairman thompson, let me express my appreciation to representatives pascrell and gottheimer in particular for learning -- alerting the committee to these concerns and the chairman's commitment to engage fema about the questions that were raised. with that, i urge my colleagues

to support this legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from kansas is recognized. mr. laturner: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. laturner: i rise today in support of h.r. 6825, the nonprofit security grant program improvement act of 2022. fema's nonprofit security grant program is an important resource available to nonprofit organizations, especially our houses of worship. as we all know, faith-based communities across the country face varying levels of discrimination and it is vital that we strengthen our nation's emergency preparedness posture to prevent violence against all religious groups. h.r. 6825 expands the use of nonprofit security grant program funds to include alteration or remodeling of existing buildings or physical facilities, and facility security personnel costs, including costs associated with contracted security. this bill requires more

accountability on the part of fema to congress, by requiring it's ad straighter of fema to include -- administrator of fema to include the number of applications submitted by eligible nonprofit organizations to each state. the number of applications submitted by each state. and specific operations of the grant office in fema's annual report to congress. finally, this legislation also establishes an office within fema to provide outreach, engagement, education and technical assistance to support eligible nonprofit organizations. this will better ensure that eligible organizations, including houses of worship, know the resources available to them. i urge members to support h.r. 6825, and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. malinowski: mr. speaker, i yield four minutes to my colleague from new jersey, bill pascrell. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pascrell, is recognized. mr. pascrell: thank you.

mr. speaker, as an original member of the homeland security committee, i have the pleasure of serving with chairman thompson. it's only been lately that we understand what he means to this country. together we work so establish and grow the nonprofit security grant program into what it is now. and i want to associate myself with the words from the chairman today, mr. malinowski from new jersey, and our associates from arkansas and kansas. i hope people listen to what they had to say on the previous bill. because knowledge is power in trying to keep the american people safe. from jersey city to pittsburgh, our faith-based communities have become targets. our churches, our synagogues and

mosques are facing increased volatility. unpredictability and threats. now, that's either a fact or it's not a fact. the nonprofit security grant program is a vital tool to help keep people safe from this dire threat. h.r. 6825 recognizes this growing threat by increasing the program's authorization, as you just heard. it is money that will be well spent. we must ensure every community, mr. chairman, can get these resources. too many communities do not have the ability to even write a grant, believe it or not. but revising the formula should not create obstacles for high-threat communities or

regions like our own state of new jersey. so i'm closing -- closely monitoring the new formula fema has offered. it will give preference to applications with a higher social vulnerability index. it is one of the pillars of america that our neighbors are secure in their houses of worship. i will fight hard for fairness in distributing these funds. i applaud chairman thompson for bringing this bill to the floor. domestic terrorism threatens every community in our nation and we blew it 12 years ago. it is something i have warned about over a decade and it is not abating, but growing. this funding will save lives and secure houses of worship. i urge swift passage of

h.r. 6825 and i thank you, mr. chairman. and i yield back my time. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from kansas is recognized. mr. laturner: thank you, mr. speaker. i have no further speakers. i urge members to support this bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. malinowski: mr. speaker, i yield as much time as he may consume to the chairman of the homeland security committee, bennie thompson. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from mississippi is recognized. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. chairman. i thank the gentleman from new jersey for yielding. mr. speaker, violence-shattered communities -- violence shattered communities across the country this weekend, making it a very sad one for this nation. first, on friday night in milwaukee, 21 people were injured in a mass shooting as the city hosted the nba playoffs. then on saturday a gunman who

posted a manifesto online he is spousing -- espousing violent white is you premmist viewpoints -- is you premmist viewpoints -- supremist view points drove two hours and opened fire on customers, killing 10 innocent people. finally yesterday in california, an armed intruder burst into a predominantly taiwanese christian congregation meeting in a presbyterian church, killing one congregant and critically wounding four others. today we mourn with these communities and families who were rocked by this violence. but we also must continue asking tough questions about what is fueling such racially motivated violent extremism. just months ago f.b.i. director wray told congress domestic

terrorism is metastasizing through this country and was not going away any time soon. the intelligence community recently warned that racially motivated violent extremism poses the most lethal domestic terrorism threat. while americans may not see eye-to-eye on what factors contribute to the current threat landscape, there seems to be general agreement that public places in general and houses of worship in particular need to be more secure. that is where the nonprofit security program comes in. this grant program is incredibly important to at-risk nonprofits who need to bolster their security against mass shootings and terrorism threats. in 2020 i was proud to offer legislation that was enacted into law to authorize this program.

today i'm here to support h.r. 6825, legislation i introduced in the wake of a terrorist attack on a synagogue in colleyville, texas, to expand the availability of crucial funding to more at-risk nonprofits and improve the program's operations. my legislation, mr. speaker, does so by increasing the authorization for funding to $500 million annually through fiscal year 2028, and by establishing a dedicated program office. this past february the national terrorism advisory system bulletin stated, quote, threats directed at historically black colleges and universities and other colleges and universities, jewish facilities and churches caused concern and may inspire extremist threat actors to mobilize to violence, unquote.

with each passing day, the list of potential targets for mass violence seems to expand and fema has already told us that even with funding for the program increasing roughly three-fold in just a few short years, the demand for funding is still outpacing available funding. the additional resources provided under my bill will help fema do more to help more at-risk nonprofits. importantly, h.r. 6825 requires fema to provide outreach, engagement and technical support to nonprofits with particular attention to eligible at-risk nonprofits in underserved communities. in recent days, questions have arisened how fema plans to bring new at-risk nonprofits into the

program, a goal that many of us support. i strongly believe that with the enhanced funding that congress provides in this year's appropriations, fema can expand the program's reach while preserving funding to existing grantees that continue to be at risk. to that end, together with my colleague, mr. pascrell, and engaging fema about this approach, i look forward to resolving it. with that, i urge my colleagues to support and pass this critical legislation. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. >> mr. speaker, i yield myself the balance of the time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> mr. speaker, back home in new jersey, i make a point of checking in on faith communities as often as i can. we gather together, we talk about the issues of the day, we talk about how their members can help the community at large.

and in every one of these conversations, i'm sad to say the issue of security comes up and we talk about this grant program and how it can help them protect themselves. and it saddens me because i know that bulletproof glass is not the solution to hatred. mr. malinowski: security guards and security cameras are not the solution to the violence that is plaguing our society. security at the point of the religious institution is not the solution. it is the last resort. and yet, it is something that we have to do. until we defeat the hatred, until we deal with how it spreads through our society, we have to harden our institutions so people can worship and gather peacefully in safety. so mr. speaker, i'm pleased to

be here with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in support of a bill that addresses this need. h.r. 6825, the nonprofit security grant program improvement act. it's a timely measure that's responsive to the current threat picture. instances of anti-semitic crime, for example, hit an all-time high in 2021 in america, and my home state of new jersey, the neighboring state of new york accounted for nearly 30% of the reported total. the bill is endorsed by the jewish federations of north america, the anti-defamation league, the sikh coalition, the union of orthodox jewish congregations of america, the national baptist convention u.s.a., inc. just today, ahead of our consideration of the bill, the jewish federation of north america reached out to say, and i quote, the nonprofit security grant program is critically

important to the safety and security of faith communities and others who are at risk. the jewish federations would like to thank chairman thompson, ranking member katko for advancing an authorization bill that will strengthen the nonprofit security grant program and increase much-needed funding for at-risk institutions. so for all these reasons, while it is not enough, i do strongly believe that enactment of h.r. 6825 will position this program to be effective in the future. it will enable us to provide these essential grants to every faith institution that needs them. none of us want to be able to say to folks in our district that we were able to help this synagogue, this mosque, this church, but the one across the street, the one in a different neighborhood, we're sorry. we can't help you because we ran out of money. that's absolutely unacceptable. and we're going to solve that problem. so with that i urge my

colleagues to support h.r. 6825, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 6825. as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative -- for what purpose does -- >> i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to section 3-s of house resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings are now postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey rise? mr. malinowski: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 6871. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 6871, a bill to amend the homeland security act of 2002 to provide for certain acquisition authorities for the under secretary of management of the department of homeland security, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore:

pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from new jersey, mr. malinowski, and the gentleman from kansas, mr. laturner, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new jersey. mr. malinowski: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include toerl materiel on this -- extraneous material on this measure. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. malinowski: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. malinowski: mr. speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 6871, the d.h.s. acquisition reform act. the committee on homeland security has examined for several years the department of homeland security's challenges in managing its acquisition programs. the department uses its acquisition system to carry out its critical missions, such as screening travelers, cybersecurity, border security, and disaster response. in 2016, the government accountability office reported that 1/3 of the d.h.s. major acquisition programs it reviewed

experienced cost overruns and scheduled delays, increasing costs by $1.7 billion. just last year, g.a.o. reported that 10 of the department's 24 programs that it reviewed had failed to meet their cost or scheduled targets during fiscal year 2020. to address d.h.s.'s acquisition challenges, h.r. 6871 would centralize oversight of the department's portfolios of acquisition programs to guard against waste. the bill designates the under secretary for management as the department's chief acquisitions officer and authorizes related oversight responsibilities for other key officials. under this act, the chief acquisitions officer is charged with advising the secretary of homeland security regarding acquisition activities that incorporate widely accepted program management, best practices and standards. h.r. 6871 establishes an office of test evaluation, office of

test and evaluation to provide oversight of test and evaluations of major acquisition programs to ensure those programs meet operational requirements. additionally, the bill establishes a program accountability and risk management office to identify problems with cost, schedule, or performance that may need to be addressed to prevent cost overruns, scheduled delays, or performance issues. the increased oversight provided in the d.h.s. acquisition reform act will help the department to manage its major acquisitions more effectively. with that, i urge my house colleagues to support this legislation and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from kansas is recognized. mr. laturner: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. laturner: today, i proudly rise in support of my bill, h.r. 6871, the d.h.s. acquisition reform act. the department of homeland security has many critical

missions, including protecting the nation from terrorist attacks, enforcing our trade and immigration laws, and securing our borders, among many others. the goal of this legislation is to make d.h.s. a better steward of taxpayer money. we need to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent in a way that's transparent and accountable to the american people. d.h.s. continues to face challenges in its acquisition programs, such as the oversight structures, the variability and application of department policies. in january, 2021, the government accountability office reported that of the 24 acquisition programs it audited, 10 had been in breach of their cost goals, schedule goals, or a combination of both. at some point during fiscal year 2020, this means it will cost the department and subsequently the taxpayer more money to get what the department needs. we need to do what we can to stop this. further, in 2018, the inspector

general reported the d.h.s. components have a habit of acquiring goods and services before they adequately define the requirements or develop performance measures. the more d.h.s. accepts this type of behavior in its programs, the more program costs can be expected to grow. given these challenges and the significant level of d.h.s. investment in these programs, it is vital we ensure the proper oversight and organizational structures are in place for d.h.s. to acquire goods and services in the most efficient and effective way possible. this bill designates the d.h.s. under secretary for management as the department chief acquisition officer, or c.a.o., and outline specific responsibilities and authorities regarding acquisitions. these responsibilities include overseeing the d.h.s. acquisition review board, exercising acquisition decision authority to approve, modify, or cancel acquisition programs, and establishing and distributing

policies regarding acquisitions. the bill also lays out in statute two critical offices at d.h.s. -- the office of test and evaluation and its responsibility to oversee independent testing of acquisition programs and the program accountability and risk management office and its roles in d.h.s. acquisitions. in addition, the bill describes the acquisition responsibilities of other senior d.h.s. leaders, including the chief financial officer, the chief information officer, and the under secretary of strategy, policy, and plans. this bill will ensure that d.h.s. has the appropriate mechanisms in place to succeed and will make its acquisition process open and transparent to the american taxpayer. i want to thank my good friend, mr. torres, for co-sponsoring this measure as well as ranking member katko and chairman thompson for bringing it to the floor. i urge members to join me in supporting h.r. 6871, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new jersey. mr. malinowski: mr. speaker, i yield myself the balance of the time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. malinowski: mr. speaker, h.r. 6871 will help ensure that d.h.s. acquisition programs remain on budget and on schedule while meeting performance requirements. in committee, this measure, introduced by my colleague from kansas, mr. laturner, received strong bipartisan support. so i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 6871, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 6871. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative -- for what purpose does the gentleman -- >> i ask for the yeas and nays. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to section 3-s of house resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings are

postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition? mr. malinowski: mr. speaker, i move the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 6868, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 242, h.r. 6868, a bill to amend the homeland security act of 2002 to provide for financial assistance to fund certain cybersecurity and infrastructure security education and training programs and initiatives, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from new jersey, mr. malinowski, and the gentleman from kansas, mr. laturner, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new jersey. the speaker pro tempore: mr. speaker -- mr. malinowski: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that members have, let's say, five legislative to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. malinowski: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. malinowski: mr. speaker, whenever you talk to experts working in cybersecurity, one of

the first priorities they emphasize is how important it is to address the shortage of trained cybersecurity professionals. we can invest in the latest technology but if we don't have the talent to implement cybersecurity practices, we will be vulnerable. there are many programs in the federal government designed to help address this problem, but one particularly essential one is the cybersecurity education and training assistance program, or ctap, operated by d.h.s.'s cybersecurity and infrastructure security agency, ctap educates k-12 cybersecurity education across the country. h.r. 6868 will strengthen this existing program by giving cisa the authority to provide grants to spllowly governments -- stat and local governments, colleges, to help address the shortage of cybersecurity professionals in the united states. the bill also includes an important amendment from

representative jackson lee to ensure that cisa reports to congress on how these grants are supporting the cybersecurity education of women and underrepresented communities. as we address our cyber workforce challenges, we must make sure that no groups are excluded from that effort. so i thank the sponsors of h.r. 6868, representatives garbarino and titus, for their work on this bill, and i urge my colleagues to support the legislation and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from kansas is recognized. . mr. laturner: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. laturner: i rise today in support of h.r. 6868, the cybersecurity grants for schools act of 2022. last year cybersecurity authorities observed incidents involving ransomware in nearly every critical infrastructure sector. given the rise of cyberthreats to our country, it's more important now than ever that we grow an expert cyber work force, capable of defending america

against malicious cyber actors. research estimates a deficit of $3.1 million -- 3.1 million cybersecurity professionals needed to keep our country safe. there are a multitude of issues contributing to our cyber work force shortage, which is particularly acute in the federal sector. lack of exposure, uneven education and federal agency onboarding issues all exacerbate the problem. this is why it's more critical than ever to support efforts that deliver cybersecurity, stem and other computer science curriculum and resources to our k-12 educators. the cybersecurity grants for schools act of 2022 enables the cybersecurity and infrastructure security agency or cisa to award grants or other financial assistance for cybersecurity and infrastructure security training and education programs at the elementary and secondary education levels. the ability to offer financial support for the cybertraining will enhance cybersecurity education to bolster the

country's next generation of cybersecurity professionals. i thank my colleague on the homeland security committee, representative garbarino, for his consistent leadership on cybersecurity and i ask unanimous consent to enter into the record a statement on the bill by representative garbarino. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. laturner: thank you, mr. speaker. i urge members to join me in supporting h.r. 6868, and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. malinowski: mr. speaker, i yield myself the balance of the time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. malinowski: mr. speaker, expanding access to cybersecurity education in our k-12 schools will develop the next generation of cybersecurity professionals who have the knowledge needed to protect us in today's connected world. ctap has shown great success in addressing this challenge and this bill will help us build on that progress. so i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 6868 and i yield back the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 6868, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, -- for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina seek recognition? >> to request a recorded vote. the president: pursuant to section 3-s of house resolution -- the president: spur seunt -- the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to section 3-s of house resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the proceedings are postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition? mr. malinowski: i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 5658, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union dal calendar number 175. h.r. 5658. a bill to require the secretary of homeland security to submit a report on the cybersecurity roles and responsibilities of the federal government and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from new jersey, mr. malinowski, and the gentleman from kansas, mr. laturner, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the

gentleman from new jersey. mr. malinowski: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks, and to include extraneous material on this measure. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. malinowski: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. malinowski: given the magnitude and complexity of the current cybersecurity threat landscape coordination among d.h.s. components to address growing and evolving risks in cybersecurity is critical. it's important that d.h.s. components coordinate in a way that reflects how their respective expertise can fit into the broader d.h.s. cybersecurity strategy. while the cybersecurity and infrastructure security agency has the most notable role in cybersecurity at d.h.s., other components also have considerable cyber expertise. for example, the secret service has a critical role in investigating cyber crimes and

the transportation security administration and the coast guard provide cyber security support for the transportation sector. as d.h.s. develops its cybersecurity strategy and incident response planning, it must consider how best to use each of these components and must carefully define roles and responsibilities so that they all understand their duties during a cyber incident. to that end, h.r. 5658 directs d.h.s. to provide a report to congress that explains the roles and responsibilities of its components in cyber incident response. the report is to include information on how d.h.s.' authorities and incident response plans are used in the federal government's overall cyber incident response efforts. the report will help ensure that d.h.s. is developing a coordinated effort to provide congress critical information regarding the authorities needed to facilitate effective cyber incident response.

i thank representative bacon for collaborating with the homeland security committee on this legislation. with that, i urge my colleagues to support it and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from kansas is recognized. mr. laturner: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. laturner: i rise today in support of h.r. 5658, the d.h.s. roles and responsibilities in cyber space act. many recent cyber events, to include the russian probing of u.s. critical infrastructure, have shown that enhancing the security and resilience of our critical infrastructure must be a top priority for congress and for the nation. the cybersecurity and infrastructure security agency or cisa is the lead federal agency for asset response during a significant cyber incident. as directed by presidential policy directive 41, cisa is also the lead federal coordinator for securing critical infrastructure across all 16 sectors, in coordination with designated sector risk

management agencies. this bill outlines specific reporting requirements that d.h.s. in concert with cisa must submit to congress. these requirements include review of utilization of federal cyber incident response plans, explanation of roles and responsibilities of d.h.s. and the federal government's response to a cyber incident, explanation of d.h.s. authorities and how its components respond to a cyber incident and recommendations to provide further clarity on roles and responsibilities of d.h.s. in cyber incident response. this bill will help clarify federal roles in cyber incident response, thereby eliminating confusion in the midst of an actual cyber event. i thank the gentleman from nebraska, representative bacon, for sponsoring this legislation. and i ask unanimous consent to enter into the record a statement on the bill by representative bacon. thank you, mr. speaker. i urge members to join me in supporting h.r. 5658, and i yield back the balance of my

time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. mr. malinowski is now recognized. mr. malinowski: mr. speaker, i yield myself the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. malinowski: mr. speaker, in recent years we've seen several cyber incidents that have demonstrated the importance of effective incident response planning. with cyber incidents occurring through many sectors, d.h.s. plays a unique role as the lead federal coordinating for securing critical infrastructure. passing this bill will help ensure that d.h.s. and its components have the properly defined roles and responsibilities necessary to carry out this mission effectively. so i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 5658. i'm sure we all look forward to spending quality time together as we do roll call votes on all of these noncontroversial bipartisan bills this week. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 5658, as amended.

those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative -- >> mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman rise? >> for a record vote. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to section 3-s of house resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings are postponed.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from maryland seek recognition? >> i move the house suspend the rules and pass s. 3527. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: senate 2537 -- 3527. an act to authorize the secretary of veterans affairs to transfer the name of property in the government of -- department of veterans affairs designated by law to other property of the department. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman from maryland, mr. trone, and the gentleman from illinois, mr. bost, will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from maryland. mr. trone: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks, to insert extraneous material on s. 3527. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. trone: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. trone: i rise in support of s. 3527, a commonsense piece of legislation introduced by the chairman of the senate veterans' affairs committee, john tester. the purpose of this bill is to ensure the secretary has the authority to transfer the name of a facility to another physical property should the v.a. decide it needs to relocate the facility. such a relocation could occur if there's a need to increase clinic space or to move a facility closer to the veteran

population. i hope my colleagues see the benefit of such authority and will join me in supporting this legislation. thank you, mr. speaker. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. bost: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. bost: thank you. mr. speaker, i rise in support of s. 3527. when congress asks to name a v.a. medical facility if law, the name should stay with that facility, even if it moves to another location in the same area. that's common sense and it's what the bill would allow it to do. a lot of thought and hard work goes into honoring a veteran or other individual by naming a v.a. facility after them. the person who is honored this way often has a story, a history that becomes an important part of the -- and service to that facility. that should not be taken away and should not be taken lightly.

i'm grateful to senator tester for the work on this legislation and i urge all of my colleagues to join in support of it today and with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. trone: mr. speaker, i have no further speakers and am prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. bost: thank you, mr. speaker. i encourage my colleagues to support this bill and with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. trone: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask all of my colleagues to join me in passing s. 3527. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass senate bill 3527. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, -- for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina -- >> on that i request the yeas and nays.

the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to section 3-s of house resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings are postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from maryland seek recognition? mr. trone: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass s. 1760. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: senate 1760. an act to designate the community-based outpatient clinic of the department of veterans affairs planned to be build in oahu, hawaii, as the daniel can kina akaka department of veterans affairs community-based outpatient clinic. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland and the gentleman from illinois will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes now the gentleman from maryland. mr. trone: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five lelgtive days -- legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on s. 1760. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. trone: thank you, mr.

speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. trone: i rise to offer my strong support for s. 1760, a bill to designate the veterans health facility in oahu, hawaii, as the daniel kahikina akaka department of veterans affairs community-based outpatient clinic. named after the first united states senator of native hawaiian ancestry, the late daniel c akaka. i'd like to recognize mr. kahele bringing this forward. this will bring countless services and benefits to our nation's veterans for years to come. i'd also like to thank representative kahele whose constituency includes parts of

oahu for leading this effort on the house side. he grew up the son of native he grew up the son of a -- can may had a may had a -- mrs. cammack: -- he witnessed first hand japanese fighter planes attacking pearl harbor in 1941. like most patriotic americans during world war ii, senator ak akaka wanted to join in the u.s. effort to defend our freedom. he ultimately ended up joining the army corps of engineers and served throughout the pacific theater. after the war, senator akaka earned both his bachelor's and master's degree at the university of hawaii. after working several years in state government, akaka was

persuaded to enter elected office to ensure there would be a native hawaiian presence in the decision-making process. elected to the house of representatives in 1977, daniel akaka became a congressional champion of indigenous and veteran issues and in 1990 was elected the representative of hawaii in the united states senate. for his recognition of the aapi community, more than 30 medals of honor were awarded to asian and asian american world war ii veterans, a recognition of their patriotism and bravery that was long overdue. when it comes to naming the v.a. outpatient clinic in this body, i asked, who better than daniel

kahikina akaka, a hawaiian born, hawaiian-serving veteran whose life philosophy was sharing aloha and a true public servant for over three decades? s. 1760 has letters of support from our colleagues in the hawaiian congressional delegation, the american legion, the veterans of foreign wars, and the disabled american veterans. i'd like to ask unanimous consent that they be included in the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. trone: once again, i urge my colleagues to support s. 1760, to designate the soon to be constructed v.a. community-based outpatient clinic in o'hau, hawaii, named after a friend and former colleague, daniel kahikina akaka, and doing so, this body will appropriately commemorate the significant achievements of america's first

senator of native hawaiian ancestry. mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. bost: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. bost: i rise in support of s. 1760, a bill to name the outpatient clinic veteran outpatient clinic from sno daniel kahikina akaka. he has a long record of service in his army. he represented his fellows hawaiians in both the house and the senate. and during that time, the senate -- in the senate he served as chairman of the veterans' affairs committee, where he also represented his fellow veterans. it is only fitting that the community-based outpatient clinic in his hometown of o'hau

be named in honor, and aim' -- and i'm proud to support this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. trone: at this time i'd like to yield as much time as he may consume to my good friend, who serves on the appropriations committee and the natural resources committee, the gentleman from hawaii, mr. case. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from hawaii is recognized. mr. case: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to join my colleagues in, including my colleagues kindly speaking here today from maryland and illinois, in strong support of house passage of s. 1760, introduced by my colleague, senator mazie hirono, and passed unanimously by the senate. this critical measure, companion legislation to h.r. 3406, which i co-introduced in the house with its principaled sponsor, my colleague, mr. kahele, will have

the new community-based outpatient clinic of the department of veterans affairs and known to date as the advanced leeward outpatient health care access, or the aloha project, as the daniel kahikina akaka department of veterans affairs community boift outpatient clinic. -- community-based outpatient clinic. daniel k. akaka was many things during his 93 years of life. teacher, member of this house from 1977 to 1991, the first u.s. senator of native hawaiian ancestry from 1991 to 2002, beloved mentor to generations and on and on. and of all of these, he was a deeply proud veteran. having served in the u.s. army corps of engineers in the second world war, deploying to the western pacific in support of the critical island hopping campaign, which won the pacific war.

senator akaka carried his pride and passion and commitment to our nation's veterans into his work in congress. as member and chair of the u.s. senate committee on veterans' affairs, he produced an unmatched record of progress on health care, compensation, and other benefits for veterans, including crafting the new veterans g.i. bill in congress to ensure more education benefits for veterans of iraq and afghanistan. and in this asian pacific american heritage month, it is fitting to recognize his work focusing on specific issues affecting our asian american, native hawaiian, and pacific islander veterans. the importance of the aloha project to our veteran, ohana, or family throughout hawaii and the pacific cannot be unstated. on the projected completion in late 2023, it will bring our v.a. health care system to our veterans, relieving significant and growing pressure in hawaii on that system, increasing health care access for hawaii's over 110,000 veterans and more,

and alleviating significant and growing logistical and capacity challenges at tripler army medical center and the spark v.a. center. i cannot think of any more deserving and appropriate individual to grace this facility and those who work and are healed there with his name and his still living, breathing spirit than daniel kahikina akaka. i urge adoption of this measure so that it may be sent directly to the president for his consideration and enactment. mahalo, thank you very much. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. trone: mr. speaker, i have no further speakers and i am prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman now from illinois is recognized. mr. bost: thank you, mr. speaker. i encourage all my colleagues to support this bill. and with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. trone: thank you, mr.

speaker. i ask all of my colleagues to join me in passing s. 1760, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass senate bill 1760. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative -- the gentleman is recognized. >> on that i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to section 3-s of house resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings are postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from maryland seek recognition? mr. trone: mr. speaker, i ask that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2514. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 2514, a bill to rename the provo veterans center in or em -- orem, utah, as the colonel gails. halvorsen "candy

bomber" veterans center. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from maryland, mr. trone, and the gentleman from illinois, mr. bost, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from maryland. mr. trone: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on s. 2514. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized. mr. trone: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. trone: i rise in support -- to offer my support for h.r. 2514, a bill to recognize and remember the life of colonel gail seymour halvorsen who passed away on february 16, 2022, at 101 years old. i thank senator lee and my colleagues from utah's congressional delegation for their work to pay tribute to colonel halvorsen. colonel halvorsen was born in salt lake city, utah, and in 1942, he joined the army air corps and trained as a fighter

pilot. while stationed in germany, he flew c-47 and c-54 cargo planes as part of the operation. he noticed hunger starved german children outside a barbed-wire fence. he gave candy to share among the children. he committed to more. frequently distributing candy from his plane to them. earning his nickname, the candy bomber, halvorsen dropped m miniature parachutes of candy to feed the children. at the end of the berlin airlift, halvorsen and his fellow airmen distributed 250,000 parachutes with over 20 tons of candy throughout operation little vittles. the provo vet center plays a

vital role in the community and provides important services such as counseling for veterans with ptsd and confidential counseling sessions for those who experienced military sexual trauma all free to the veterans. revervists and members of the national guard, regardless of service connection, or v.a. health enrollment status. to remain this important vet center after colonel halvorsen will be a fitting honor for one of the beehive state's most selfless members of the u.s. armed services. s. 2514 has letters of support for the -- from the veterans of foreign awars, the disabled american veterans, the american legion. and i'd like to request unanimous consent that they be included in the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. trone: once again, i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting s. 2514. mr. speaker, i reserve the

balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. bost: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. bost: thank you. mr. speaker, i rise in support of s. 2514, a bill to rename the provo veterans center in utah after colonel gail halvorsen. colonel halvorsen is a salt lake city native who joined the army air corps in 1942 in the midst of world war ii. he served as a transport pilot and participated in the berlin airlift. it was in berlin where he earned the nickname the candy bomber for handing out pieces of candy to local children and later dropping candy from his aircraft while flying missions over the city. colonel halvorsen retired from the military in 1974 after 31 years in uniform. he spent his civilian life as an

active volunteer in his church and community. he passed away in february of this last year at age 101. it is with the deepest respect for colonel halvorsen's long life of service that we support the bill to allow the provo vet center to bear his name. and with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from maryland is now recognized. mr. trone: mr. speaker, i have no further speakers and i am prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. bost: thank you, mr. speaker. i encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. mr. trone: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask all of my colleagues to join me in passing s. 2514, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass senate bill 2514. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative -- for what purpose

does the gentleman from north carolina rise? >> on that i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to section 3-s of hugs 8, the -- house resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings is now postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from maryland seek recognition? mr. trone: i move the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 7500. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 7500, a bill to authorize major medical facility projects for the department of veterans afirs for fiscal year 20202 -- 2022, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from maryland, mr. trone, and the gentleman from illinois, mr. bost, will control 20 minutes each. the chair recognizes now the gentleman from maryland. . mr. trone: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on h.r. 7500. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. trone: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman is recognized. mr. trone: i rise today in support of h.r. 7500, the fiscal year 2022 veterans affairs major medical facility authorization act. i'd like to thank my colleague from dallas for his work on this bill. i'd also like to thank the chairman of the senate veterans' affairs committee, senator tester, for introducing the senate companion to this important legislation. each year the department of veterans affairs submits an annual budget request to congress and it's our job to authorize and appropriate the funding the v.a. needs to care for america's veterans and their families. within that larger funding request is the v.a.'s request for funds to replace and modernize its medical facilities. this year's request totals just over $3.4 billion, and it will build a much-needed spinal cord

injury center in dallas, texas. erect a new surgical intensive care unit and renovate operating rooms in oklahoma city, construct a new critical care in west los angeles, and allow for the seismic retrofit and renovation of buildings in portland, oregon, among other things. mr. speaker, this congress, the committee has highlighted v.a.'s aging infrastructure. during our oversight efforts, the committee has learned that in order to fully recapitalize the department's portfolio, v.a. would need roughly $90 billion. delivering 21st century health care in buildings that were built during the later half of the 19th century is far from ideal. and certainly not what our veterans deserve. given the severity of underfunding as it relates to the v.a.'s capital assets, we

cannot afford to wait until the a.i.r. commission provides recommendations to congress and the white house, as my colleagues across the aisle would advocate for. life safety and seismic issues across the portfolio must be recognized now. regular maintenance should not be delayed because of budgetary concerns. nor should we delay retrofitting facilities to meet the v.a.'s fastest growing population, women veterans. or delay addressing the lessons learned from this nation's first pandemic in more than 100 years. if we're going to build back veterans' trust in the v.a., we need to start making serious investments in the outdated fration meant to serve them -- infrastructure meant to serve them and nearly 3/4 of americans agree. mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to support and pass this legislation.

mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. bost: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. bost: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of h.r. 7500, the bill that would authorize v.a. major medical facility construction projects in mississippi, new york, texas, california, kentucky, oklahoma, oregon and missouri. it is well known that the v.a. health care system has very serious infrastructure issues. the average v.a. medical center is decades older than the average private sector hospital. authorizing this -- these projects won't fix that, but it will help thousands of veterans who live in those eight states to have better access to the care that they have earned and deserve. i appreciate congressman allred and congressman ellzey for their work introducing this bill. it has my full support today and with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from maryland is now recognized.

mr. trone: mr. speaker, i have no further speakers at this time and i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. bost: thank you, mr. speaker. i encourage my colleagues to support this bill and i reserve the yieldback the balance of my. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. trone: thank you, mr. speaker. i urge all my colleagues to pass h.r. 7500. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 7500. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative -- for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina seek recognition? >> to request a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to section 3-s of house resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings are now postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from maryland seek recognition? mr. trone: i move the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 7153, as amended.

the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman prefer to call up -- h.r. -- 5754? mr. trone: mr. speaker, i'd like to correct that. we move the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 5754, the patient advocate tracker act. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 5754. a bill to amend title 38, united states code, to improve the ability of veterans to electronically submit complaints about the delivery of health care services by the department of veterans affairs. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. trone: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman will suspend.

pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from maryland, mr. trone, will have 20 minutes and mr. bost will also have 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from maryland. mr. trone: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on h.r. 5754. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. trone: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. trone: i rise today in support of 5754, the patient advocate tracker act sponsored by representative lisa mcclain. this bill will require v.a. to create a system to allow veterans to electronically submit complaints about the delivery of v.a. health care services and to track the resolution of those complaints by local v.a. patient advocates through online system in realtime. v.a.'s existing i.t. systems

only allow v.a. employees to track complaint resolutions, but not patients. this bill has garnered the bipartisan support of an impressive 115 co-sponsors since it was introduced seven months ago. h.r. 5754 has also -- is also endorsed by numerous veteran service organizations, including the veterans of foreign wears, disabled american veterans, paralyzed veterans of america, and student veterans of america. once again, i urge my colleagues to support this bill and with that, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. bost: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. bost: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of h.r. 5754, the patient advocate tracker act. this is an excellent piece of legislation that is the brain child of veterans named cameron

zabikowski. cameron worked on v.a. patient advocacy program as a student veteran following the v.f.w. and student veterans of america. during his fellowship, he recognized that veterans would be better served if they could submit complaints to v.a. patient advocates online. and track the status of those complaints online as well. cameron was spot-on. and this bill will require v.a. to make that happen. this will make patient advocates more accessible to veterans than ever before. and i will -- and it will increase transparency and accountability of the v.a. patient advocates program so that we can make sure that it is working as it should for veterans across the country. i know cameron is watching today and from one veteran to another, i want to thank him for his great work. this bill is sponsored by congresswoman lisa mcclain from michigan. i also want to thank her for her

hard work on this legislation. and i'm a proud supporter of this bill today and i hope that all of my colleagues will join me in supporting it. with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. trone: mr. speaker, i have no further speakers and am prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. bost: thank you, mr. speaker. i urge my colleagues to support this bill and 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 -- the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. trone: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask all of my colleagues to join me in passing h.r. 575 4-rbg the patient advocate -- 5754, the patient advocate tracker act. and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 5754. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, -- for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina seek recognition? >> to ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to section 3-s of house resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20,

further proceedings are now postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from maryland seek recognition? mr. trone: mr. speaker, i move the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 6604, as amended. the vets credit act. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will -- does the gentleman intend to call the bill up as amended? mr. trone: as amended. h.r. 6604, as amended. the vets credit act. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 6604. a bill to amend title 38, united states code, to improve the method by which the secretary of veterans affairs determines the effects of a closure or disapproval of an educational institution on individuals who do not transfer credits from such institutions. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from maryland, mr. trone, and the gentleman from illinois, mr. bost, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from maryland. mr. trone: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five

legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on h.r. 6604, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. trone: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. trone: i wish to speak in strong support of h.r. 6604, as amended, the veterans eligible to transfer school, veterans, credit act. this bipartisan legislation is a product of work from both representatives buchanan and greg murphy and that together will make it easier for veterans and their dependents to use their earned benefits. representative buchanan's legislation would provide students that qualify a new provisional certificate of eligibility for benefits that may have been unfairly lost due to circumstances outside of their control. that means if a student veteran is left in the unfortunate

situation when their school closes, they'll be provided detailed information from the v.a. on how to reserve their benefits, have their benefits restored or transferred to a new institution. h.r. 6604, as amended, would also ensure that clerical errors don't rob veterans of transferring their benefits to a dependent. under current law, if a service member accidentally makes a mistake on their paperwork, such as indicates expiration date for the benefits, the service member pass -- and the service member passes away before the benefits are used, there's no way for the paperwork to be changed to allow the dependent to use the benefits. this bill clarifies existing law, ensures clerical errors do not prevent dependents from receiving educational assistance. mr. speaker, i appreciate the hard work of members of the committee on this legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from illinois is

recognized. mr. bost: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. bost: thank you. i rise in support of h.r. 6604, as amended. the veteran eligibility to transfer school act. this bill, authored by my friend, congressman buchanan, would help student veterans continue to use their g.i. bill benefits if their school closes in the middle of a semester. under current law, when school closes, an eligible student can have their g.i. benefits restored for the time they spend attending and the -- that the shuttered school. this bill would streamline that process for these students and use their restored benefits at a new school. this will help student veterans quickly transfer to a new school and complete their degree using their g.i. bill benefits. h.r. 6604, as amended, also includes the text of congressman

murphy's bill, h.r. 6458. this bill would eliminate the existing requirement for the service member to set a specific date for when transfer -- transfer. post-9/11 g.i. bill benefits weeks pire. these bill would prevent those who are entitled to these benefits from accidentally inputting the wrong date. these wrong dates have led to dependents being barred from taking advantage of their education benefits. for example, there have been instances where a service member has put in their child's 18th birthday by accident which then prevented the child from using the benefit. if the service member is alive, they can easily change this date in the system. however, if the service member has passed away before they make this change, it is irreversible and the child can't use the g.i. bill benefit.

i want to thank the tragedy assistance program for survivors, taps, for bringing this transfer issue and solution to us. and i also want to thank both congressmen buchanan and murray, for their hard work -- murphy, for their hard work on this bill. i ask members to support h.r. 6604 as amended, and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. trone: mr. speaker, i have no further speakers. i am prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. bost: thank you, mr. speaker. at this time i'd like to yield three minutes to my good friend from north carolina, greg murphy. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from north carolina is recognized. mr. murphy: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you, ranking member bost. i'd like to rise today to advocate for h.r. 6604, as amended, the veterans eligible to transfer school, vets, credit act. it will help those after a school closure. it includes provisions from my

bill which would eliminate the requirement to specify an effective period of transfer post-9/11 educational assistance to a dependent. i'm grateful to representative vern buchanan for attaching my bill, h.r. 6004. as members of congress who realize the importance of the post-9/11 g.i. bill, it's been a huge success in recruiting and retaining service members. they use the added benefit of being able to transfer their educational benefits to their family members. yet, today, with the cost of college education so astronomical, many service members are using this opportunity. under current law, service members are eligible to transfer 36 months of post-9/11 g.i. eligibility to their dependents if they have served at least six years and incur a service obligation to an additional four years. the nonprofit tragedy assistance program for survivors, otherwise known as taps, has brought to our attention current practice, if a current service member puts on their g.i. transfer form

benefits for a child and other dependents expire on a certain date and the service member late remember dies before the benefit is used, there's no such way for the record to be changed to allow a dependent to use the benefit. if the veteran were still alive, they could go back in the system and change the date at any time. taps has seen this happen of several family members and asked us to look into and try to correct the problem. when we contacted the department of defense to see if they can add address this with their administrative fix, we were told a legislative correction is needed, and that's why we're here today to introduce my bill. the bill, as amended, includes this change that would eliminate the requirement of transfer to dependent. this would have those post-9/11 g.i. transfer inputting wrong data. it may seem a small detail but for those individuals, it is a very, very large benefit. i'm grateful to taps for

identifying this issue and grateful for congressman buchanan as well as chairman takano and ranking member bost for their support. i'd like to thank the house veterans' affairs committee -- committee on veterans' affairs for their assistance. thank you, mr. speaker. i will yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the gentleman from illinois -- mr. bost: reserves. the speaker pro tempore: you reserve. the gentleman from maryland is now recognized. mr. trone: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask all of my colleagues to join me in passing this important piece of legislation. h.r. 6604, as amended. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. bost: thank you, mr. speaker. i encourage my colleagues to support this bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 6604, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative -- >> mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina seek recognition? >> to request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to section 3-s of house

resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings are postponed. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from maryland seek recognition? mr. trone: madam speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass s. 2687, the strengthening oversight for veterans act. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: senate 2687, an act to provide the inspector of the department of veterans affairs testimonial subpoena authority, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from maryland, mr. trone, and the gentleman from illinois, mr. bost, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from maryland. mr. trone: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all

members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on s. 2687. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. trone: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. trone: i rise in support of the bipartisan bill s. 2687, the strengthening oversight for veterans act,ing introduced by senator tester. i'd like to thank representative rice and radewagen for introducing the house companion to this bill. this bill seeks to strengthen the v.a. office of inspector general by granting the office testimonial subpoena authority, an essential tool for conducting oversight. too often, individuals with important information relevant to an investigation retire or move to a position in another agency, thereby evading o.i.g.

investigations. currently, the inspector general cannot require testimony of these former employees. questioning these individuals could shed light on the wrongdoing or mismanagement that puts the care and safety of our veterans and their families at risk. this bill has bipartisan support in congress as well as from the veterans of foreign awars, iraq and afghanistan -- wars, iraq and afghanistan, the project on government oversight. again, i urge my colleagues to support the legislation. thank you, madam speaker, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from maryland -- illinois is recognized. mr. bost: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman may proceed. mr. bost: thank you, madam speaker. i rise in support of s. 2687, which would provide the v.a. inspector general with the limited subpoena power. in some investigations, v.a. empl employees, who may have

important information, have left the department. at that point, the i.g. had no authority to compel their testimony, which can leave investigations weak or incomplete. this bill would give the i.g. the authority to subpoena those former employees. however, this authority is not without checks and balances. the bill would require the i.g. to notify the attorney general before using the subpoena power. the attorney general may object and prevent the i.g. from issuing the subpoena. if doing so would interfere with an ongoing investigation. this authority would sunset in may of 2025 and which would require congress to then evaluate the need for this authority and if it should be continued. this is a good bill to expand oversight of v.a. and it has my

full support. and with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. trone: madam speaker, i have no further speakers and i am prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. bost: thank you, madam speaker. i encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. trone: thank you, madam speaker. i cask all of my colleagues to join me in supporting s. 2687, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass senate 2687. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative -- >> madam speaker. madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina seek recognition? >> to request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to section 3-s of house resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings are postponed.

for what purpose does the gentleman from maryland seek recognition? mr. trone: madam speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 7375. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 7375, a bill to direct the secretary of veterans affairs to update the payment system of the department of veterans affairs to allow for electronic fund transfer of educational assistance, administered by the secretary, to a foreign institution of higher education. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from maryland, mr. trone, and the gentleman from illinois, mr. bost, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from maryland. mr. trone: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on h.r. 7375. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. trone: thank you, madam speaker.

i yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise in support of h.r. 7575 -- h.r. 7375, introduced by representative mikie sherrill. this bill will direct v.a. to update the educational payments to be transmitted electronically to an institute of higher education, as long as it is providing an approved course of study. our committee heard from students and schools about the impact of the v.a.'s inability to modernize its systems for student payments. this bill has bipartisan support as well as from the disabled american veterans, student veterans of america, veterans education success, and the veterans of foreign wars. madam speaker, representative sherrill's legislation is a response to a strong advocacy for our student veterans studying abroad who are often unsure how their benefits will translate overseas.

i thank her for offering this legislation and urge support in passage. thank you and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from illinois's recognized. -- the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. bost: thank you. madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman may proceed. mr. bost: thank you, madam speaker. i rise today in support of h.r. 7375, a bill which would streamline the payment of the g.i. bill benefits. specifically, the bill would require that within 90 days of enactment, v.a. update the electronic fund transfer system for education benefits. without this change, the overseas schools are required to maintain a u.s.-based bank account so that v.a. can electronically transfer payments for v.a. beneficiaries that attend their institution. this requirement has kept some schools from participating in the g.i. bill. this leads to fewer educational choices for our veterans. and i am pleased that this bill would address the issue and

expand opportunities for vicious to use their hard-earned education benefits. i urge all of my colleagues to support h.r. 7375, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. trone: madam speaker, i have no further speakers and i am prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. bost: thank you, madam speaker. i encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. trone: thank you, madam speaker. i ask all my colleagues to join me in passing h.r. 7375, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 7375. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair -- >> madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: 2/3 having responded in the affirmative -- for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina seek recognition? >> on that i seek the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to section 3-s of house resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings are

postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from maryland seek recognition? mr. trone: madam speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 6376, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title. the clerk: h.r. 6376, a bill to amend title 38, united states code, to extend eligibility for a certain work-study allowance paid by the secretary of veterans affairs to certain individuals who pursue programs of rehabilitation, education, or training on at least a half-time basis, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from -- pursuant to the rule -- pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from maryland, mr. trone, and the gentleman from illinois, mr. bost, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from maryland. mr. trone: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on

h.r. 6376, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. trone: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. trone: i strongly support h.r. 6376 as amend -- as amended, the student veteran work study modernization act. this will create a pilot program to allow part-time student veterans to access v.a. work study programs for the next five years, ensuring they can complete their certification or degree without taking an unmanageable amount of student debt and still care for themselves and their families. i would prefer this be a permanent change to the law but i understand the need to review these changes in a poi lot program. i hope when the pilot program

concludes and we have an idea of how many veterans were helped, congress will make this change permanent. currently, student veterans must maintain a full class load to be eligible for work study which is not feasible for many veterans who are balancing families or other work obligations. with this change, part-time veterans, student veterans, will be able to earn a paycheck while also earning work force skills. i would like to thank representative axne for her hard work on the introduction of this bill. i also want to thank student veterans in the department of veterans' affairs for their feedback which improved the bill and will bring more student veterans into the work study program. i urge my colleagues to support this legislation. thank you, madam speaker, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from illinois is

recognized. mr. bost: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman may proceed. mr. bost: i rise in support of h.r. 6376 as amended, the student veterans work study modernization act. this bill would make changes to the v.a. work study program to allow student veterans who are using the g.i. bill part-time to take advantage of the work study benefit. the work study benefit provides veterans with the opportunity to be paid for helping other veterans on campus or v.a. facilities that whip-winner in school and the veterans as the school does not have to pay the veteran for their work and the veteran receives a paycheck and a great work experience. i'm pleased that my amendment at the markup of this bill was accepted and the bill is now fully offset. i encourage all my colleagues to support h.r. 67 -- 6376 as amended. i reserve the balance of my

time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from smd recognized. mr. trone: i have no further speakers and am prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman verves. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. bost: i encourage my colleagues to support this bill and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. trone: thank you, madam speaker. i ask all my colleagues to join me in passing h.r. 6376 and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 6376 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative -- >> madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina seek recognition? >> on that, i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman requests the yeas and nays. pursuant to section-s of house resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings are postponed.

for what purpose does the gentleman from maryland seek recognition? mr. trone: i move the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 7153 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 7153, a bill to direct the secretary of veterans affairs to plan to update information technology sthoasms veterans benefits administration and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule the gentleman from maryland, mr. trone and the gentleman from illinois, mr. bost, will control 20 minutes each. the chair recognizes the gentleman from maryland. mr. trone: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on h.r. 7153 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. trone: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. trone: madam speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 7153, as

amended, the department of veterans affairs principles of benefits automation act, introduced by ranking member bost. this bill provides clarification on the sense of congress on the automation of benefit claims and requires v.a. to submit to congress a plan for modernization of the information technology systems of the veterans benefits administration. as the v.a. moves toward greater automation, we must ensure the v.a. does automation the right way for all stake holders. including both veterans and the work force. it's also important for the v.a. to identify systems in need of modernization to support successful implementation of bills such as the pact act, an important -- and important initiatives such as the secretary's announcement of several new presumptions. i'd like to reinforce the topic of automation, it is not the

intent of congress or the v.a. to use automation of claims to eliminate, reduce, or contract out the duties of the v.b.a. work force. we intend to conduct close oversight of the use of automation and potential expansion. this bill is part of those efforts. when implemented in the right way, automation has the potential to reduce the day-to-day burden of employees by diminishing menial tasks and allowing the dedicated v.a. staff to focus on the kind of work that duly needs a human touch. such an approach stands to benefit the ultimate consumer of the v.a., our veterans. as such, i support this bill and encourage my colleagues to support it as well. thank you, madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. bost: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i

may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. bost: i rise today in support of my bill, h.r. 7153, the department of veterans' affairs principle of benefits automation act. v.a. is embracing automation more than ever before. the early results are promising. when using -- when used properly automation can improve claims processing for veterans. however, i am concerned that the v.a. has already started multiple automation projects without a clear plan of measuring goals. there is no consistent guidance from the v.a. on when, why, or how automation should be used. h.r. 7153 would establish the sense of congress that the v.a. should increase automation in benefits processes according to certain principles. automation should increase the

speed, accuracy and consistency of claim processing. automation should also enhance employee productivity. automation should always protect the vet rennes privacy and preserve their rights to due process. however, automation should not necessarily eliminate or reduce the v.b.a. work force. employees should always make the final decision about approving claims and granting benefits. let me be clear. the sense of congress is that automation should enhance and support v.b.a. employees, not replace them. i think these guiding principles will improve the claims process for veterans and beneficiaries. finally, my bill would require v.a. to submit a plan to congress to modernize its benefits i.t. system over the next five years. this plan is crucial.

the explanation -- expansion of benefits for toxic exposure to veterans will put an incredible strain on these i.t. systems. we need to be ready. i ask all my colleagues to support this legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. trone: i have no further sweekers and am prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois. mr. bost: i encourage my colleagues to support this bill and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. trone: thank you, madam speaker. i ask all my colleagues to join me in passing h.r. 7153 as amended. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 7153 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair -- >> madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina seek

recognition? >> to request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays have been requested. pursuant to section 3-s of house resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings are postponed. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess until approximately 6:30 p.m. today.