you go into the army for one thing and that is to eliminate the opposition. we have forgotten that. when i was drafted and put in the service, i was told what is the purpose of the bayonet? to kill. you are there to save our country and people. that is all i have to say. host: general? guest: we probably disagree about the draft. i take nothing away from the generations of people who served their country in uniform. >> we're leaving this to honor our more than 40-year commitment to live gavel-to-gavel coverage of congress. the house is coming in now to debate some 27 bills including one calling for a study on how covid-19 impacts brain function. and another requiring safety standards to help prevent choking on batteries.

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the speaker: the house will be in order. the prayer will be offered by chaplain kibben. chaplain kibben: would you pray with me. holy and gracious god, thank you for the countless times you demonstrate the intimacy of your love for us. through the affection of a loved one, a desire met, moments that grace our days with evidence of your hand in our lives. how easy it is to believe, having seen your power at work, your creative activity in the living of our days, in the healing of those we love and care for. we are truly blessed. lord, we believe. help our unbelief. we ask your blessing when we can't see, when the hurts, the evil and the confusion of the world obscure any evidence of your concern for us and deny your willingness or ability to bring order to our chaos. in this confusion, may we find

certainty that transcends doubt. in our fear, may we find faith that sees beyond our hopelessness. and as we wait upon you, may we trust in your sovereign power by which all things are possible for those who, even without seeing, believe. in the power of your name we pray, amen. the speaker: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house her approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1, the journal stands approved. the pl pledge of allegiance wile led by the gentleman from texas, mr. williams. mr. williams: 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: the chair will entertain requests for one-minute speeches on each side

of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee seek recognition? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> madam speaker, what do arkansas, delaware, idaho, kansas, maine, mississippi, montana, nebraska, new hampshire, new mexico, north dakota, south dakota, vermont, west virginia and wyoming have in common? they all have populations smaller than the number of illegal immigrants that have been apprehended at our southern border since the joe biden administration began. we're talking about 3.1 million migrants in a year and a half. this is indeed a national security threat. border patrol officials encountered more than 207,000

migrants last month alone. six, by the way, were on the terrorist watch list. how many more are making their way here right now? how many will succeed at slipping through the cracks? how many caravans will it take? how many needless deaths will occur under this president? every month thousands more will come to this administration -- will come in if this administration doesn't begin to take this issue seriously. this president must do better. thank you, madam speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from north carolina seek recognition? without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. foxx: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, i rise to recognize an impeccable family-owned company in north carolina that is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. pine hall brick. in 1922, a man by the name of

flake steel sr. founded pine hall brick and today the steel family's fourth generation owns and operates the business. in the construction industry, pine hall brick is a force to be reckoned with. from building schools to major production facilities, this company has a reputation that spans the entire country and one that is highly regarded within the tar heel state. congratulations to the steel family and all the employees at pine hall brick on 100 years of excellence. here's to many more. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> president biden has repeatedly tried to deflect blame for all the economic problems americans are currently

facing. instead of blaming inflation on out of control government spending, he claims it's the fault of greedy corporations and the profits -- and that profits are bad. instead of realizing his hostility toward the oil and gas industry is decreasing investments and increasing inner costs, he blames russia. well, i can tell you, the american people are not buying it. the american people are not stupid. peopling are facing the real-life consequences of biden's failed economic policies at the grocery store, at the bank, and in their paychecks. instead of working to address these economic challenges, the white house is trying to change the definition of a recession. before dismal g.d.p. numbers are released later this week. the american people deserve a lead that are offers solutions -- leader that offers solutions, not semantics. in god we trust. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the house the following enrolled bill. the speaker pro tempore: senate 144, an act to authorize the secretary of health and human services, acting through the

director of indian health service, to acquire private land to facilitate access to the desert sage youth wellness center in california and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote or the yeas and nays are ordered. or votes are objected to under clause 6 of rule 20. the house will resume proceedings on the postponed questions at a later time. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 6552, the frederick douglass trafficking victims prevention and protection re-authorization act of 2022, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 6552. a bill to re-authorize trafficking victims protection act of 2000 and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the

gentlewoman from california, msm new jersey, mr. smith, each will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentlewoman from california. mr. bass: i ask unanimous -- ms. bass: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.r. 6552, as amended. i also ask to include in the congressional record an exchange of letters between me and the chairs of the ways and means committee and the judiciary committee on the bill. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. bass: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. bass: i rise today in strong support of h.r. 6552, the frederick douglass trafficking victims prevention and protection re-authorization act of 2022. i want to thank the ranking member of our subcommittee on africa, global health and human rights, representative chris smith, who i have worked closely with for many years to develop this bill. this joint effort has served as a daily reminder that

collaboration in congress is both imperative and far from finished when it comes to combating and eliminating human trafficking. this legislation is the overdue re-authorization of the trafficking victims act of 2000 which expired last september. to continue this essential fight to end global human trafficking, this measure must be passed by the house today so that more than 20 years of work is not undone. this bill is especially important in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic, when virtual k-12 education made it harder for teachers to identify and report human trafficking, prosecution of traffickers were delayed as courts closed, and the demand for social services for survivors increased as many of them lost their jobs and homes. critically this re-authorization strengthens provisions in the original bill that protect and support trafficking victims while re-authorizing $1 billion to fund programs across justice, homeland security, health and human services that are

dedicated to addressing human trafficking and aiding victims. this funding includes $35 million in housing assistance grants for the victims of human trafficking, which offer temporary housing that provides trafficking survivors with meaningful alternatives to living with their abusers. it also funds education programs on trafficking warning signs for educators and law enforcement personnel who may otherwise unknowingly encounter trafficking victims. and it further requires greater accountability measures to protect people who are trafficked, while appropriately punishing traffickers. in the u.s. the population's most vulnerable to -- populations most vulnerable to human trafficking includes migrant labors, minority, people with disabilities, those in the lgbtq community, and especially runaway and homeless youth and those in the child welfare and juvenile justice system. and in regard to sex trafficking, which is where the child welfare system comes in, the average age of the victim is 12 years old. as a former health care

professional and chair of the subcommittee, i have been a champion of child welfare issues throughout my time in congress. i've seen too many instances of human rights violations against children and other vulnerable populations falling victim to the abuses of human trafficking, both in the u.s. and around the world. we must take this issue seriously and continue taking a whole of government approach to addressing it. sometimes, however, we focus on the international and forget that this is a problem right here in many cities around our nation. the frederick douglass trafficking victims prevention and protection act adds several new provisions to the original legislation that will substantially improve our efforts against trafficking here at home, while only slightly modifying existing provisions that have been successful throughout its passage. one important example is the modifications made to existing h.h.s. grants that would train elementary and secondary school teachers, children, guardians and trainers in the recognition

and response to child trafficking. child trafficking in the u.s. is not labor trafficking, but it's sex trafficking. this section now authorizes -- focuses authorities to ensure that grantees will use proven best practices, trains personnel with equitable approaches, and identifying service gaps, amongst other things. it also calls on state child fare agencies to prioritize the implementation of protocols to report on missing and abducted children to the national center for missing and exploited children and law enforcement. additionally, the bill requires states to submit annual reports on child sex trafficking victims to health and human services, which is just one of the many steps that we can take to trace, track and find those missing and hopefully create a system that prevents further disappearances of our youth. it is our job to protect those in this country who cannot protect themselves. especially children in the child

welfare system. when we remove them from their parents from their homes, then we, the government, become the parents, and we cannot be guilty of neglect. when these children disappear. h.r. 6552 also strengthens anti-trafficking efforts abroad. human trafficking is the second largest criminal industry worldwide, with more than 25 people -- 25 million people, women and girls, being the largest identified demographic. these numbers are alarming and i'm humbled to be a part of a measure that will focus on expanding prevention efforts at usaid by taking steps to further integrate countertrafficking in persons activities into already existing international development programs. this bill moves not only to support those who have already fallen victim, but also to prevent further trafficking and bring perpetrators to justice. we must swiftly pass this bipartisan measure to protect those who are the most vulnerable among us. it is our duty to stop this heinous crime whenever and

wherever it is discovered. whether it be here in the united states or abroad. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. smith: thank you very much. i rise in support of the bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. smith: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. smith: madam speaker, thank you. i want to convey my very special thanks to chairwoman karen bass for her exceptional leadership, partnership and friendship. for years we have worked together to combat the unspeakable crime and abject cruelty of sex and labor trafficking. the frederick douglass trafficking victims prevention and protection act is just the latest bold initiative to end modern day slavery. i want to thank speaker pelosi, majority leader hoyer, minority leader kevin mccarthy, and especially chairman meeks and ranking member mccaul for having favorably reported the bill from the foreign affairs committee on february 9.

majority leader hoyer was especially helpful, as ensuring timely consideration during this month of july. just in time to commemorate world day against trafficking in persons. as my colleagues know, we've all been through this, but in this case, there were five full committee reevery -- referrals for this bill. it can be very challenging, getting the committee chairmen and ranking members to agree, and i thank them for their good faith in coming together for this important human rights cause and making sure that this legislation was brought to the floor. i have been working on human trafficking since 1995. i have written five anti-trafficking laws including the landmark trafficking victims protection act of 2000. many of the united states, i'm grateful that this is so bipartisan, and many around the world have rallied to stop this hideous abuse. yet it couldn't be clearer that much more needs to be done.

traffickers never take a holiday. nor can we. because traffickers and the in fairous networks they -- nefarious networks they lead find ways to exploit the vulnerable. we must aggressively strengthen our laws and aggressive in the implementation of those laws. the frederick douglass trafficking victims prevention act is a bipartisan survivor informed bill. we introduced it, karen and i, nearly 11 months ago on frederick douglass' 183rd anniversary of his self- we were joined by his great, great grandson. he has been a tremendous friend and ally in the human rights struggle and helped us write the bill. born a slave as i think many people know in 1818, frederick douglass disguised himself as a sailor and traveled from baltimore to new york.

a renowned abolitionist and statesman and a republican he continued to lead the fight to end slavery. and jim crow laws and to advance respect and equality. the frederick douglass t.v.r.pra strennens our new laws and accountability for programs at the department of justice, health and human services, homeland security, and state to prevent human trafficking and offer sustainable solutions and solutions that work. this bill ensures robust prevention through trafficking prevention education. situational awareness for our children, their teachers, and parents. stabilization of survivors once they are no longer in the hand of traffickers. and long-term solution that is facilitate the healing and survivor empowerment. fed rick douglas once said it's easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.

we want to prevent trafficking from occurring in the first place. that's why we authored this legislation. we create an age appropriate scalable program to train the trainers. use proven and tested best practices, and include training parents and guardians in trafficking prevention education. this bill also properly designates these prants as the fed rick douglas prevention education grants. my colleagues, i know all of us are aware about megan's law which protects children domestically. in 2008 i introduced international megan's law. passed the house three times. almost died in the senate until the very -- third iteration of it. it was signed into law in 2016. that's being re-authorized in this bill as well. megan was from my former hometown of hamilton. she was just 7 years old when she was kidnapped, raped, and brutally murdered in 1994. they are assailant lived right across the street unbeknownst to

her family and other residents in the neighborhood. he was a convicted repeat child sex offender. her heartbroken parents to this day, maureen and richard, have been amazingly effective, courageous and heroic in successfully pushing every state of the union to enact megan's law. why international megan's law? we know from law enforcement, academia, and media documentation that americans on the u.s. sex offender registries are frequently caught abusing children all over the world. asia, central, south america, everywhere. now under international megan's law a convicted child sex offender who travel abroad must provide notice to the u.s. government through the angel watch center prior to departure of all planned destinations. failure to do so carries a significant jail term. upon receipt of the travel, the u.s. government informs the destination country or countries of those plans. in just a few years of working,

that's with people not traveling as much during covid-19, the pandemic, the u.s. government has notified foreign governments of the planned travel of 19,000 covered child sex offenders. and more than 7,000 individuals who were convicted of crimes against children were denied entry to these nations. the douglas act -- douglass act, requires international programs to focus on best praks -- practices in their efforts, into their developmental portfolios. the way we make the best use of our foreign assistance at the department of state and u.s. agency for international r. the bill realizes efforts to meet fundamental needs of survivors through wrap around social services with case management, including assistance with obtaining housing, life stills, training -- scilts, training, and -- skills, training and mental health care.

with obtaining employment education. this approach is a fundamental, very fundamental. what survivors need. as fed rick douglas once said, knowledge makes a man unfit to be a slave. rather than quick fix it is leaves survivors vulnerable to retrafficking. the frederick douglass bill invests in dignified solutions by providing survivors opportunities for education and jobs. so they can become self-reliant and even leaders. it provides a first time $35 million for housing assistance grant for victims of trafficking. the number of people without housing in the u.s. continues to climb. while trafficking victims are extraordinarily vulnerable if they don't have a place to live. we cannot forget what is happening in ukraine and good language in the bill calling to attention all of those who have been so horribly mistreated and trafficked. it also points out, i would say,

i thank the chairwoman bass for bringing a focus to foster care and so many of our foster care children have been trafficked. it's a place extreme vulnerability. she has very good language she put into this bill. it says there is nearly 25 million people in the world who are enslaved. most are women and children. that is unconscionable. every human life is of value. we as lawmakers have a duty to protect the weakness -- weakest, most vulnerable from harm. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from -- the gentlewoman from california is recognized. ms. bass: i yield myself as much time as i may consume for the purpose of closing. i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from new jersey. mr. smith: madam chair, i yield such time as he may consume to mr. roy of texas.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. roy: i thank the gentleman. i just want to speak up in favor of not necessarily the bill because i need to review the bill, but the slayings' purpose and -- legislation's purpose and intent of the authors to approach this issue of human trafficking because it is so critically important. i'm glad that we are working on a bipartisan basis to do that. i'm going to demand the yeas and nays in a minute because of other issues involving the floor. i'm not going to get into right now about time to review bills and other things we are discussing with the majority. that's why we are making decisions on the floor to force votes. but on the substance, human trafficking is devastating. it's devastating to the people of texas. to the district i represent. devastating to young children. people that i have met and gone to various septemberers in texas wherer -- centers in texas where they are dealing mainly children but adults. and trafficking goes well beyond the sex trafficking trade and goes to the slave labor that

exists in the united states of america today. it's unconscionable. i appreciate the bipartisan work on this topic and delighted to work with you. i didn't want the fact that i'm going to demand the yeas and nays to be an indication of not supporting the purpose of the bill. there are other factors that play involving the floor and spending and other stuff. i appreciate it. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas yields back. the gentleman from new jersey. mr. smith: we are prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman virginia tech. mr. smith: -- the gentleman is recognized. mr. smith: i thank the gentleman from texas for his fine statement and look forward to the recorded vote. i want to say very clearly we have a very, very broad bipartisan group of stakeholders who are for this. including as i mentioned a moment ago frederick douglass' family initiatives. the foundation, along with 300, let me say that again, 300 anti-trafficking human trafficking organizations. over 500 advocates and survivors. they worked tirelessly with us over the last 18 months with

both karen bass and i in crafting this legislation of the we had more. some did drop out. we'll come back in the future to get some of that. it's a good, solid bill. survivor leaders like bela and robert provided valuable insights and expertise for the bill. as i said kenneth morris was outstanding in the work that he provided for us. as the special representative of human trafficking for the osce parliamentary assembly, a couple years ago i brought him to one of our big meetings and there were at least 100-plus lawmakers from the european space that heard him speak about the importance of prevention. if young people know what is out there and what is waiting, particularly run aways, they will be forearmed and forewarned at hopefully can mitigate the possibility of being trasked themselves. he hit -- trafficked themselves. he think the out of the park. we also have three strands,

global foundation, the safe house project, america first policy institute, and child prostitution -- end child prostitution. the american hotel and lodging association. alliance to end slavery and trafficking. that's known as a test. and they have a great group. the international justice mission. world vision. the united states catholic sisters against human trafficking. shared hope international. hope for justice. national child protection task force. rape and abuse and incest. also he known as rain. the national center for missing and exploited children. who also worked with us closely on touch the national center on sexual exploitation. the coalition against trafficking in women. and all provided valuable insights like i mings add moment ago. i want to -- like i mentioned a momenting a -- a momenting a.

a mom ag -- a momenting a. january tis, i want to thank her for her help as she's done in trafficking legislation. i also want to thank mary, sitting right behind me, who for the last 18 months has been meeting with all the groups working -- drafting this legislation. she has done an amazing job. i want to thank her for her leadership. she used to work at usaid. she's got a heart for vulnerable people and i can't thank her enough for that. and our chief counsel for the lantos commission. and my chief of staff. karen's staff were also outstanding. it was a full-court press. and a great deal of corroboration. i want to thank you. i thank my distinguished staff and all the members who got behind this. i yield back the balance of my

time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey yields back. the gentlewoman from california is recognized. ms. bass: madam speaker, i yield myself as much time as i may consume. for the purpose of closing. madam speaker, h.r. 6552, the fed rick douglas trafficking victims prevention and protection re-authorization act as amended should be supported by every member participating in this vote. this overdue re-authorization strengthens laws that not overwhelm support those who have fallen victim but prevent future risk of trafficking both at home here in the u.s. and abroad. we must supply housing for victims so that they can have a safe place to go when they leave their abusers. we also must ensure that child welfare, foster children are prioritized, particularly young women, girls, and those part of the lgbtq community are protected and aided with resources. without housing, these children often have no choice but to return to their pimps, their

traffickers. our departments must have the funding they need to offer the best training and personnel to respond to this crisis. it is our duty as public servants to protect the vulnerable and stop this heinous crime when and where it is discovered. human trafficking we know is a heinous violation of human rights. we must do everything within our power to combat it. that includes passing this bill. again, i want to thank the staff who have worked very hard on this and especially want to thank the ranking member who we have worked together for 12 years and as my time in congress draws to a close, i am very happy that this is one of the last pieces of legislation that we move forward together. i encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 6552. so many as are in favor say aye. as amended. so many as are in favor say aye.

those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative -- for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. roy: request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. so many as are in favor say aye. the yeas and nays are ordered. further proceedings on this question will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? >> i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 6845, the commercial remote sensing

amendment act of 2022, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 307. h.r. 6845. a bill to provide for transparent licensing of commercial remote sensing systems. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from virginia, mr. beyer, and the gentleman from oklahoma, mr. lucas, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. beyer: thank you, madam 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 h.r. 6845, the bill now under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. beyer: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. beyer: i rise today to support h.r. 6845, the commercial remote sensing amendment act of 2022. i want to thank science committee ranking member lucas for introducing this bipartisan bill, and for recruiting representative ed perlmutter, a member of our subcommittee on space and aeronautics, for being an original co-sponsor. this bill will provide increased transparency in the licensing of

commercial sensing systems by requiring the regulatory agency, the national oceanic and atmospheric association, to provide additional reporting on the systems. the bill also amends the statute to make sure the time required for issuing these licenses aligns with updated regular laces. i'm -- regulations. i'm pleased that this strengthens the bill. an amendment we sponsored added further annual reporting requirements on the applications. the amendment also sustains a sunset clause on annual reporting. the sunset date of 2030 will ensure we go back, review the law, and make changes in this rapidly growing sector. this is a highly competitive global industry with $2.6 billion in revenue for 2020 alone. commercial remote sensing data are used in energy, agriculture, disaster monitoring, mapping and much more.

this bill provides congress with transparency and information that will benefit our oversight of the licensing regulation of this important and growing industry. i urge my colleagues to support passage of h.r. 6845 and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia reserves. the gentleman from oklahoma is recognized. mr. lucas: madam speaker, i yield myself as much time as i might consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. lucas: thank you, madam speaker. i rise in support of h.r. 6845, the commercial remote sensing amendment act. i introduced this bipartisan legislation along with my colleague, representative perlmutter, to update reporting requirements for noaa's office of commercial remote sensing regulatory affairs. so that congress can monitor how regulations are impacting the growth and improvement of the commercial remote sensing industry. remote sensing uses data collected from satellites to produce images of the earth. it has become a critical resource in fields like agriculture, finance, trade and energy. for instance, imagery and data from commercial remote sensing

allows us to improve crop production, by helping farmers more ficialtly apply water -- efficiently apply water and fertilizer. it informs future commodity prices by monitoring weather and crop health. commercial remote sensing also improves our ability to prepare for and respond to natural disasters, by informing flood plane mapping, tornado tracking and draft monitoring, topics that are -- drought monitoring, topics that have very important to the people of oklahoma. it can also be helpful in humanitarian relief efforts and monitoring treaty compliance, among other applications. as you can see, commercial remote sensing provides us with critical information for many important applications. this technology is constantly evolving and the industry is seeing tremendous growth. to effectively support and manage remote sensing activities, it is critical that congress receives timely and comprehensive reports so we can evaluate the state of the industry and how regulations are

affecting its growth. the commercial space launch competitive activeness act of 2015 established a reporting requirement from the department of commerce on the status of commercial remote sensing licensing and regulation. that requirement expired in 2020. h.r. 6845 will reinstate the reporting requirement and keep congress informed of agency actions, their impact on licensees, and state of the commercial remote sensing industry. these reports to congress will give us the information we need to ensure that the u.s. remains a global leader in this important field. madam speaker, h.r. 6845 is a no-nonsense, bipartisan bill that will help ensure that the u.s. remains the global leader in the commercial remote sensing industry. i want to thank my friend, representative perlmutter, for working with me on this legislation and urge all of my colleagues to support this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from virginia. mr. beyer: madam speaker, i have

no further requests for time to speak at this time and i am prepared to close. i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from oklahoma. mr. lucas: madam speaker, i yield myself as much time as i might consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. lucas: as i said before, commercial remote sensing provides us with critical information to a number of fields like agriculture, finance, trade, energy and more. this in turn allows us to better be stewards of our resources. 6845, the commercial remote sensing amendment act, will help us ensure that congress receives the updates necessary to monitor industry regulations. by updating these reports requirements, -- reporting requirements, we can make sure the u.s. remains the global leader in this important field. i want to thank representative perlmutter for co-sponsor this bill with me and -- co-sponsoring this bill with me and urge my colleagues to support this legislation. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. beyer: i urge my colleagues to support the bill 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. 6845, 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 texas seek recognition? 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? mr. beyer: madam speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 7569, the energy cybersecurity university leadership act of 2022. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 320. h.r. 7569. a bill to direct the secretary of energy to establish a program to provide financial assistance to graduate students and postdoctor al researchers pursuing certain courses of study relating to cybersecurity and energy federals. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from virginia, mr. beyer, and the gentleman from

oklahoma, mr. lucas, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. beyer: madam 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 h.r. 7569, the bill now under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. beyer: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. madam speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 7569, the energy cybersecurity university leadership active 2022. this bill authorizes the secretary of energy to establish a program to support graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. in doing so, the bill aims to empower the department of energy to train a new generation of scientists and engineers who can design and develop energy infrastructure systems with cybersecurity considerations from the very start. in addition to financial assistance for scholarships, fellowships and research prong project -- projects, awardees

will be awarded with traineeships to gain practical, hands-on experience while developing new tools and technology. further morning the bill explicitly encourages the department to leverage this program as a tool for diversifying the h high-skilled work force, by outreaching to historically black colleges and universities, tribal colleges and universities and minority-serving institutions. in sum, this bill represents a necessary and fundamental change from our current approach to securing our infrastructure where cybersecurity solutions are retroactively applied only after an attack has actually occurred. i want to thank representative ross for introducing this thoughtful legislation. i urge all of my colleagues to support h.r. 7569. thank you, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from oklahoma is recognized. mr. lucas: madam speaker, i yield myself as much time as i might consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. lucas: thank you, madam speaker. i rise in support of h.r. 7569. the energy cybersecurity university leadership act. broadly this bill is meant to expand the cybersecurity work

force for our energy sector. before i explain how it will do that, i'd like to impress upon my colleagues why this is necessary. our energy sector is facing more threats now than ever before. russia's attack on the ukraine has heightened threats to our infrastructure and liquefied natural gas industry, has been the target of numerous cyberattacks recently. the f.b.i. has also been issuing warnings about credible threats to our energy infrastructure. in addition to staying vigilant now, we need to prepare ourselves for a future in which threats like these continue to grow. the way we do this is by building our energy sector cybersecurity work force. this bill does just that with a three-pronged approach. first, it encourages further study by creating a program at the department of energy that provides financial assistance to graduate students and postdocs who are working on cybersecurity and energy infrastructure. second, it provides an energy

cybersecurity training through traineeships at our national labs and utilities, giving students practical skills and experience to bring to the work force. third, it ensures that we have access to the broadest possible range of potential cybersecurity experts by conducting outreach to historically black colleges and universities, tribal colleges and universities, minority serving institutions. taken together, these three provisions in this bill will expand and improve our cybersecurity work force and help us protect our critical infrastructure from growing threats. i'd like to thank my colleague, representative ross, for introducing this important legislation and representative gary for joining her. it deserves our full support. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. beyer: madam speaker, i yield three minutes to the gentlelady from north carolina, ms. ross. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from north carolina is recognized for three minutes. ms. ross: thank you, madam speaker. i rise today in support of

h.r. 7569, the energy cybersecurity university leadership act. as all members know, the united states has witnessed an alarming rise in cybersecurity threats and attacks against our energy infrastructure. my home state of north carolina is no exception. just over a year ago a disastrous cyberattack on colonial pipeline caused the company to halt all pipeline operations, leading to panicking buying of gasoline -- panicking buying of -- panick buying of gasoline. nearly 2/3 of north carolina's gas stations ran out of fuel, including over 70% of gas stations in raleigh, the leancht city in my district -- the largest city in my district. our constituents rely on dependable energy sources for their lives and their livelihoods and we cannot afford continued exposure to these types of attacks. the energy cybersecurity university leadership act, a

bipartisan bill i co-led about congressman kerri, will help address this vulnerable. our bill will confront growing cyberthreats against our country's critical energy infrastructure by making real investments in a strong and diverse work force that's ready to meet the challenges we face. it will provide financial assistance, support graduate students studying the convergence of cybersecurity and energy infrastructure, in addition to providing hands-on training and experience at our national laboratories and utilities. it will also expand the department of energy's outreach to hbcu's, minority-serving institutions, and tribal colleges. i represent much of the research triangle. home to institutions and universities that are propelling our nation's innovation and cybersecurity, as well as clean energy. from n.c. state to shaw to st. august's and wake tech, this legislation will better equip our brilliant students and

researchers in north carolina and beyond to tackle the changing cybersecurity landscape. i want to thank chairwoman johnson and ranking member lucas for their leadership in bringing forth this bill and the other science committee bills we're considering today. i urge my colleagues to support the bill and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from north carolina yields and the gentleman from virginia reserves. the gentleman from oklahoma. mr. lucas: madam speaker, i have no further speakers and am prepared to close whenever it's appropriate. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from virginia. mr. beyer: i agree with the ranking member. no further requests for time. i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from oklahoma. mr. lucas: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself the balance of my time. madam speaker, our energy industry infrastructure quite literally keeps our country running. cyberattacks that damage our grid, shut down our pipelines, interrupt our energy transmissions can have real and dangerous consequences for families and businesses across the country.

we know our energy sector is an attractive target for our foreign adversaries so we need to do everything within our power to keep it secure and reliable. h.r. 7569 will help develop the most important weapon we have in our arsenal against cyberattacks, a highly skilled and engaged work force. i appreciate the work that representative ross and carey have done to get this bill to the house floor and i urge our colleagues to support it today so we can move quickly to begin developing cybersecurity resources. with that, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oklahoma yields back. the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. beyer: madam speaker, mr. beyer: with great thanks to ms. ross for her leadership an my friend, ranking member lucas, for his support i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 7569. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 7569. 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 gentleman from wisconsin seek recognition? >> madam chair, i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be poation opponented -- postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? mr. beyer: madam speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 6933, the cost share accountability act of 2022. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 278, h.r. 6933, a bill to amend the energy policy act of 2005 to require reporting relating to certain cost share requirements. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from virginia, mr. beyer, and the gentleman from oklahoma, mr. lucas, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the

gentleman from virginia. mr. beyer: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.r. 6933 the bill now under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. beyer: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman virginia tech. mr. buyer: -- mr. beyer: i rise to support h.r. 6933, the cost share accountability act of 202t the many of the clean air technologies deployed throughout the nation today have benefited from the support of the decht energy. this act would spenten propertying -- strengthen reporting requirements related to cost share requirements at the department of energy. better reporting will help us ensure taxpayer dollars are being spent wisely. thanks to investigations of oversight subcommittee ranking member obernolte and chairman foster for their work on this important legislation. i urge adoption of this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oklahoma is recognized. mr. lucas: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman virginia tech. mr. lucas: i rise in support of

h.r. 6933, the cost share accountability act of 2022. as ranking member of the house science committee i'm proud of the work my colleagues and i have done to support innovative research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities for the department of energy. to give just a few examples last summer the full house passed h.r. 3593, our comprehensive re-authorization of the office of science. additionally, the committee passed bipartisan legislation authorizing the cutting edge r&d activities across a variety of fields such as biomanufacturing, abandon well remediation. microelectronics and low emission manufacturing. however, directing the department to conduct these activities is only a part of our job. congress must be an active partner for the department of energy in ensuring we get the best return on our federal research and development investments. this legislation institutes a basic, commonsense reporting

requirement that facilitates congressional oversight of the department of energy's fiscal financial awards. as a bit of background for each research development demonstration or commercial application award, the department of energy issues, it must require that a nonfederal source pay a certain percentage of the cost of the project. however, the department has the authority to reduce or eliminate this requirement under certain circumstances and fund a larger percentage of the project's cost. this authority who modify these cost share requirements is useful for supporting the development of novel technologies and encouraging new potential partner organizations to compete for awards. however, the department must yield this authority carefully and be a responsible steward of the taxpayers' dollars. the cost share accountability act of 2022 requires the department to submit quarterly reports to congress on the use of its authority to modify or eliminate the statutory cost

share requirement for researching, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities that it funds. this legislation requires the department to make these reports public. increasing public awareness and transparency regarding the department's funding decisions. the reports will be an important tool for congress in monitoring the department's energy technology programs and holding it accountable for its fiscal decisions. additionally, these reports can inform future legislation on research and development programs and any potential adjustments to the cost share requirements. this basic reporting requirement will is -- in no way impedes the department's ability to waive the cost share requirement. it simply provides congress and the public with more data on how and when the department exercises its authority. i strongly urge my colleagues to support this simple reporting requirement. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from virginia. mr. beyer: mr. speaker, i have

no -- madam speaker, i have no further requests for time and prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia reserves. the gentleman from oklahoma. mr. lucas: madam speaker, i wish to yield the gentleman from california, mr. obernolte, five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for five minutes mr. obernolte: thank you, madam speaker. thank you to my friend and colleague, the gentleman from oklahoma, for yielding. research and development grants from the department of energy play a vital role in katjaizing the -- cattallizing the development of new technology in the united states. the awarding of those grants is governed by the energy policy act of 2005. among other things the act requires the d.o.e. to impose a cost sharing requirement on nonfederal am kapts for those grants -- applicants for those grants. this is appropriate because it gives the grant applicants some skin in the game. some financial participation of this their own -- of their own. they can be as low as 20% in the respect of research and

development grants and as high as 50% for grants like commercialization or demonstration projects. as the gentleman from oklahoma said, the d.o.e. is empowered to in appropriate circumstances waive those cost sharing requirements. several months ago the s.s.t. investigations and oversight subcommittee had a hearing in which we examined some of the circumstances under which that discretion to waive or reduce cost sharing had been applied by the d.o.e. to be clear, we actually concluded that the d.o.e. had appropriately used its authority in these circumstances. however, we were very surprised by the lack of transparency in this process and how difficult it was to obtain the information about how often the d.o.e. was using this authority and under what circumstances. this bill is a very simple answer to that difficulty and a solution to this problem. h.r. 6933, the cost share accountability act of 20 it

22 -- 2022 will impose a reporting requirement on the d.o.e. where it will be required to quarterly make reports to both the relevant committees of juries dirks in the house and senate and the number of occasions and circumstances it has wielded this authority to reduce or eliminate cost sharing in grants that it awards. this will allow us here in congress to bert fulfill our over-- better fulfill our oversight responsibilities toward the department of energy. but also and equally importantly it will provide transparency to the applicants for these grants under what circumstances it is appropriate for the d.o.e. to wave these cost sharing requirements. this is a basic good governance bill and i urge my colleagues to support it. i'd also like to thank my friend and colleague, the gentleman from illinois, chairman foster, for being my bipartisan co-lead on this legislation. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california yield back. the gentleman from oklahoma reserves. the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. beyer: i have no further requests for time. i reserve.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from oklahoma. mr. lucas: madam speaker, i yield myself the balance of my time to close. the cost share accountability act of 2022 institutes the simple reporting requirement to assist congress in monitoring the department of energy's financial awards under its research demonstration and commercial applications programs. the reports required by this bill will provide valuable information to congress on how the department administers the statutory cost share requirement. they will also assist congress in fulfilling its responsibilities to oversee our federal agencies' use of taxpayers' resources. this legislation is a simple improvement to support accounting at the department of energy for its spending decisions and helps maximize the value of our r&d dollars. i urge my colleagues to support this bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oklahoma yields back. the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. beyer: i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 6933.

i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 6933. 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 gentleman from virginia seek wreck -- excuse me, wisconsin, seek recognition? >> madam chair, i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until count. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20. further proceedings on this question will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? mr. beyer: madam speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 7289, the pfas evaluation act as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 7289, a tboil provide for the national academies to study and report on the federal research agenda to advance the understanding of

pfas and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from virginia, mr. beyer, and the gentleman from oklahoma, mr. lucas, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. beyer: thank you, madam 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 h.r. 7289, the bill now under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. beyer: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. beyer: thank you, madam speaker. i rise in support of h.r. 7289, the pfas research evaluation act. they are a class of substance commonly referred to as forever chemicals because of their persistence throughout the environment. these chemicals are found within countless household items such as cooking fleaances, even food packaging. while this heat, water chemical was created over 80 years ago to solve problems, it has become clear it created more problems than it it solve. it can be found within the human

body. animals, drinking water, fish, and soil. a recent report by the c.d.c. pfas in the blood of 97% of americans. despite the shocking finding on the prevalence of pfas in the human body, there is little data that examples of long-term health and environmental implications of these artificial chemicals. there are many research gaps in our understanding of the substances overall. h.r. 7289 would help address these gaps. they authorize the environmental protection agency to enter into agreements with the national academy of sciences, engineering, and medicine to study the impact of pfas through a series of reports. they touch on questions such as human exposure patways to pfas. they help to identity paths and example safe chemicals attorneys. alternatives. finally a policy implementation plan for federal research development and demonstration activities for pfas. i want to thank my colleagues on the science committee,

representative lizzie fletcher and peter meijer for introducing this commonsense and bipartisan legislation. i encourage my colleagues to support its passage. thank i. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia reserves. the gentleman from oklahoma is recognized. mr. lucas: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman virginia tech mr. lucas: thank you -- the gentleman is recognized. mr. lucas: i rise in support of h.r. 7289, the federal pfas research evaluation act pfas is an acould he nim for manufacturing chemicals that are strong and deurl and the ability to withstand high temperatures. these characteristics make them incredibly valuable in countless products from cell phones to wind turbine components to military aircraft and everything in between. the high strength and durability of pfas also means they don't break down easily in the environment. but their essential use in industry and consumer products is why it's important we remember not to villainize the entire category of chemicals. the hazard and risk provials of

various pfas's are different. using certain pfas in a controlled responsible manner is safe and effective. understanding the distinct properties of each of these chemicals will allow us to continue the important uses and benefits of pfas technologies. that is why i rise in support of h.r. 7289. this bill seeks to i crease our understanding of pfas by directing the environmental protection agency to work with the national academies to conduct two studies. the first study is to bert understanding human exposure, behavior, and toxicity of pfas. but it will allow us to better address research and knowledge gaps that were identified by the national academies in 2020. the second study is focused on understanding the extent and implications of pfas contamination. as well as research needed to manage and treat contamination and develop safe alternatives. together these studies will help us better address pfas using the

best available science. at the end of the day removing harmful pfas from production and cleaning up legacy contaminations to protect human health is a bipartisan issue. but we need to understand the fully extent of what we are seeking to remove, how to best do it, and the potential implications if executed. i want to thank my colleague on the science committee, mr. meijer, for leading this bill and being an informed, smart advocate on this issue. i urge my colleagues to support this bill and i reserve the balance of my i urge my colleagues to support this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from virginia. mr. beyer: madam speaker, i have no further requests for time to subpoenaing this bill. and i'm prepared to close -- to speak on this bill. i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oklahoma. mr. lucas: i yield five minutes to the gentleman from michigan, mr. meijer. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. meijer: thank you, madam speaker. thank you to mr. lucas for yielding time. h.r. 7289, the federal pfas

research evaluation act, is a bipartisan bill that offers both a reasonable and pragmatic action on pfas. i was proud to introduce it with my colleague and friend, representative fletcher. pfas chemicals can be found in nonstick pans, firefighting foam, food packaging, medical devices and many other everyday products. there are hundreds of pfas compounds and the makeup of these forever chemicals makes them difficult to break down in nature. but given the sheer number of compounds and the complexity of each, there's. we still do not -- there's. we still do not know about -- there's much we still do not know about these chemicals. there could be 11,000 potential sites where pfas may have been used in michigan. the response to pfas requires a balanced approach and i do not believe we should have to pick between encouraging economic growth or protecting human health and the environment. we need to ensure that any potential regulation is based on strong and science-based evidence. and that is where h.r. 7289 will

play a critical role. with this bill, we will learn more about both the human health and environmental effects of pfas. it includes the health effects related to exposure and toxicity of pfas, as well as the effects of pfas on the environment, including contamination, treatment, but also alternatives. the studies that the bill authorizes will be conducted by our leading national academies, widely regards as the most prestigious and accurate institutions for objective scientific evidence. once completed, these studies will provide us with a clearer picture of federal research related to pfas and will be able to -- we'll be able to better understand the extent of problems and where the federal research enterprise can best assist seeking solutions. with such information, we can take meaningful steps toward eliminating pfas contamination because we'll know exactly how and where it exists in our world today. but the first step toward solving any problem is understanding exactly what you're facing. h.r. 7289 offers this commonsense solution to support pfas research, our understanding of contamination and how the

chemicals behave. so again, i want to thank my colleague on the science committee, representative fletcher, for introducing this legislation and working with me to amend it in a bipartisan manner before coming to the floor. i urge my colleagues to support this important piece of legislation 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 oklahoma. mr. lucas: madam speaker, i have no additional speakers and am prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. lucas: madam speaker, i yield myself as much time as i consume. in december of last year, the science committee healed a -- held a hearing on the research and development relating to pfas. i was impressed to hear just how far along the companies are when it comes to technologies that can safely and effectively destroy pfas in the environment. i mentioned that -- i mention that because it's part of why i'm optimistic about our ability to improve our environmental stewardship. when it comes to protecting human health and the environment, we are making tremendous progress through technology. there are very few problems, if

any, that innovation cannot address. we can spur that innovation by arming ourselves with the best possible information, data and scientific knowledge. h.r. 7289 does exactly that for pfas. it doesn't label all pfas as deadly, and it doesn't ban using it. it simply identifies areas of research that will help us address pfas using the best available science. i want to thank representative fletcher for introducing this legislation and working in a bipartisan manner to advance it. and i also want to thank science committee members for co-sponsoring this bill. i urge my colleagues to support this legislation 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 virginia. mr. beyer: madam speaker, i too urge my colleagues to support h.r. 7289 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. 7289, 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 wisconsin seek recognition? >> i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? mr. beyer: madam speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3952, the noaa chief scientific act, as amended. the clerk: h.r. 3952, a bill to strengthen the role of the chief scientist of the national oceanic and atmospheric administration in order to promote scientific integrity and advance the administration's world class research and development portfolio. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from virginia, mr. beyer, and the gentleman from

oklahoma, mr. lucas, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. beyer: madam 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 h.r. 3952, the bill now under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. beyer: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise in support of h.r. 3952, the noaa chief scientist act. scientific integrity is a critical component of scientific research. noaa supports the american public in a variety of ways, bt it's well known for weather forecasts, watches and warnings. this is why it is important that the agency be considered a trusted scientific authority. the role of noaa's chief scientist is pivotal in this respect. while this position is defined prior to this bill, the role lacked clear expectations and responsibilities or even qualifications. this has led to inconsistencies in how the role has been carried out historically. this bill clarifies the role of the chief scientist to ensure that they adhere to and uphold

scientific integrity directives at noaa. this commitment to scientific integrity at the highest levels of noaa's leadership further underscores the importance to the agency's mission. this bill also requires the noaa administratorto consider candidates with an established background of practiced-led research and scientific achievement in fields relative to noaa's mission. this ensures the chief scientist will have pertinent experience and expertise to draw from while carrying out this role. this also establishes an office of the chief scientist within noaa. critically, this office will support the chief scientist's efforts to foster an environment that would encourage the recruitment and retention of a diverse scientific work force. diversity is a key component of ensuring that all voices and research perspectives are heard. attracting scientists with a diversity of backgrounds and expertise will allow noaa to have new perspectives. i'd also like to take a moment to acknowledge noaa's chief scientist. the doctor has a rich background

that includes experiences in physical scientist at noaa and more recently in the private sector. she embodies many of the qualities identified for consideration in the chief scientist that this bill requires and i congratulate her on her selection. i'd also like to thank representative sherrill of new jersey and representative feenstra from iowa for working together to introduce this bipartisan bill. i urge my colleagues to support this bill's passage. thank you, madam speaker. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from oklahoma is recognized. mr. lucas: madam speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 3952, the noaa chief scientist act, and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the national oceanic and atmospheric administration, oronoa to most of us, has -- or noaa to most of us, has a broad mission of strengthening fisheries, forecasting severe weather and improving emergency management. that's just a small sample of what they do. their work either involves directly consult -- conducting research or using research to inform how they can provide the

best services to american industries and communities. that's why the position of chief scientist at noaa is so important. the chief scientist is tasked with advising the noaa administrator, providing direction for noaa's science and technology policies, and leading scientific integrity efforts. this bill doesn't create a new role for the chief scientist at noaa. that position has been utilized by the agency for a long time now. instead in recognition of how important it is for the agency to have a chief scientist, this bill simply makes that role's existing responsibilities into law. it also ensures the position will never be vacant for long, by creating a process for naming an acting chief scientist when the role is empty. and having an office support staff for the chief scientist will make sure critical activities don't slip through the cracks. we rely on noaa to perform critical r&d and to implement sound scientific policies. doing so requires capable scientist research and this bill ensures that noaa will always

have that. it's especially timely given that earlier this month someone was named to the role of chief scientist at noaa. i wish her luck there. i hope she'll continue noaa's lock history -- long history of scientific excellence and with that i urge my colleagues to support this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. beyer: madam speaker, i have no further requests for time and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from oklahoma is recognized. mr. lucas: madam speaker, i am prepared to close and would yield myself as much time as is left. madam speaker, the noaa chief scientist act is smart legislation that codifies an important existing role at noaa. a scientific agency needs scientific leadership and h.r. 3952 ensures that noaa will always have that in place. i want to thank representative sherrill, chair of our environmental subcommittee, for introducing this bill. and representative feenstra, the ranking member of the research and technology subcommittee, for

leading the republican side. this is a smart, simple bill and i urge my colleagues to support it and with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oklahoma yields back. the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. beyer: madam speaker, i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 3952 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. 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 wisconsin seek recognition? >> i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? mr. beyer: madam speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 7361, the national weather service communications

improvement act. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 319. h.r. 7361. a bill to upgrade the communications service used by the national weather service and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from virginia, mr. beyer, and the gentleman from oklahoma, mr. lucas, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. beyer: madam 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 h.r. 7361, the bill now under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. beyer: i yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise in support of h.r. 7361, the national weather service communications improvement act. this bipartisan bill, introduced by representative randy feenstra, directs the national weather service to improve its current instant messaging communications service, also known as nws-chat. it is a vital tool used by national weather service professionals to communicate with emergency managers, the

media and other strategic partners during high impact and severe weather events. this tool ensures that the media and emergency response managers can retrieve real-time information to help protect americans and their property during dangerous events. however, it has experienced several incidents recently which have caused delays in the national weather service's ability to share critical weather information. this would help to address these issues by requiring the national weather service to transition to an up to date cloud-based commercial platform. just last week the national weather service announced it would be upgrading its chat service to use the commercially available slack collaborative platform. it was reassuring to see the weather service take this step to address the recent outages and issues with n.w.s. chat. this will help support the agency, to help ensure a seamless transition to the new platform. reliable and uninterrupted communications is critical

during severe weather events. the n.w.s. communications improvement act will support the improvement of this life saving tool. i urge my colleagues to support this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia reserves. the gentleman from oklahoma. mr. lucas: madam speaker, i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. lucas: thank you, madam speaker. i rise in support of h.r. 7361, the national weather service communication improvement act. right now the national weather service is years behind when it comes to the internal communications system known as n.w.s. chat. this instant messaging system is how forecasters and local emergency managers communicate with each other before, during and after a severe weather event unfolds. this communication is critical to their ability to quickly and accurately warn and prepare communities for disaster -- for dangerous storms. it was developed decades ago out of necessity by the employees within the national weather service. not by a company that specialized in application development. therefore, n.w.s. chat has had

its fair share of hiccups, especially when a large number of users try to access it at once. and unsurprisingly, the heaviest user traffic is usually during a large, destructive weather event. when officials are trying to anticipate what is coming toward their communities. h.r. 7361 will help solve this problem by authorizing the weather service to upgrade their instant messaging service to a commercial off the shelf solution. these services can handle a large number of users these server can handal large number of users and upgrade. living in tornadoall lee i'm familiar with how quickly storms can form and change directions. if an upgrade like this makes storm warnings even a few seconds faster that will be the difference between life and death. i'd like to thank my science committee colleague, mr. feenstra, for introducing this bill and urge my colleagues to support this legislation and

i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oklahoma reserves. the gentleman from virginia. >> i have no further requests to speak on this time and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oklahoma. mr. lucas: i yield to the gentleman from iowa, mr. feenstra, for three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. feenstra: thank you, representative lucas, for yielding. madam speaker, the national weather service communications improvement act is born from a tragedy in my home state of iowa. a tornado outbreak killed seven people, the deadliest storm in our state since 2008. during this storm an issue at the national weather service caused up to a seven-minute delay when meteorologists issued warnings to when the public was alerted. in iowa, we know even the smallest delay can be a matter of life and death.

then just a month later, in april, eight tornadoes were confirmed during a storm, luckily, this time around, there were no deaths, but despite that we had 135-mile-per-hour winds and severe building damage. that didn't stop some weather service websites and n.w.s. chat, the national weather various' outdated chat system, from crashing due to traffic. n.w.s. must have functional and reliable communication system to keep people informed and out of harm's way during severe weather crisises. h.r. 7361 specifically authorizes an internal messaging service upgrade by giving noaa the authority to transition from n.w.s. chat to a commercial, off the shelf solution. this type of commercial solution will allow nearly unlimited users so future growth and increased traffic will not be a

problem. it also allows n.w.s. chat to take advantage of new technologies as they emerge. in fact, earlier this month, n.w.s. signed a contract to use slack as a basis for the next generation of n.w.s. chat service. while this is a step in the right direction, the legislation is still needed to ensure that the upgrade is fully supported and completed. the sooner this quick and easy solution is implemented, the faster local emergency managers can alert the public to severe weather that will save lives. i want to thank my iowa colleagues, representative axne, miller meeks, and henson -- hinson for working with me to put this legislation forward. i want to thank the science committee colleagues for helping me co-sponsor this bill as well. i look forward to its passage and encourage all my colleagues to support it. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from oklahoma.

mr. lucas: i have no additional speakers and am prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. lucas: as my colleagues have made clear in their support of this bill today, every second matters when it comes to extreme weather events. n.w.s. chat is yet another tool in our toolbox to make sure communities have the earliest possible warning of what's headed their way we feel need a fast and reliable messaging service that doesn't glitch when we need it most. that's why h.r. 7361 is a simple but necessary bill. by upgrading weather service's communications we can give our most vulnerable communities the information they need to protect lives and property. i again want to thank my colleague, mr. feenstra, for bringing together the entire iowa house delegation to support this bill after witnessing the destructive pow over a tornado outbreak in their state. i you remember my colleagues to support this legislation and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from virginia is recognized.

>> i also urge my colleagues to support h.r. 6371 and -- 7361 and yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is on the bill. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. 2/3 being in the affirmative -- for what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin seek recognition? >> madam chair i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having risen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3588. the mathematical and statistical modeling education act as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the tight thofl -- title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 35 8, a bill to coordinate development and research efforts focused on

modernizing mathematics and stem education through mathematical and statistical modeling including data driven and computational thinking, problem solving and performance based assessment and career connections and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from virginia, mr. beyer, and the gentleman from oklahoma, mr. lucas each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. beyer: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.r. 3588 the bill now under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. beyer: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. beyer: i rise in support of h.r. 3588, the mathematical and statistical modeling education act. i want to thank representatives houlahan and baird for introducing this bill. u.s. capabilities in science and innovation are critical for our future, security and global competitiveness. i was thrilled this week that

the house will consider legislation to accelerate progress in science and technology. however we cannot fully realize this vision unless we develop a stem work force poised to turn these investments into breakthrough discoveries. we must address the long-standing channels. h.r. 3588 will advance research to impreux mathematics education by incorporating statistical modeling into mathematics curriculum. we know student from diverse backgrounds are attracted to stem if they can see it as a tool for solving real-world channels. this will help develop innovative teaching methods to do just that. i urge my colleagues to support the bill and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from oklahoma is recognized. mr. lucas: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. lucas: i rise in support of h.r. 3588, the mathematical and sstatistical modeling education act. this will direct the department of education to provide come

teat pettive grants to support curricula and teaching methods to support mathematical education. ensuring our teachers are well-equipped to encourage student interest and involvement in stem fields is a key component of bolstering our competitiveness. mathematics underpins the critical thinking skills we use every day from managing a aged budget to following a recipe to estimating how long votes will take today. as more and more jobs become tech reliant our students need mathematical and computation skills to keep up with the changing work force and fill the growing demand for domestic stem literal work force. h.r. 3588 is supported by the american statistical association, the national association of teachers of mathematics, the american society of mechanical engineers and the business ashrines among

other stake holders. aye -- i'd like to thank my colleague, dr. baird, for working if a -- in a bipartisan way to advance this legislation and i urge my colleagues to support this legislation and i yield back the -- i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves, the gentleman from virginia. mr. beyer: i yield three minutes to the gentleman from pennsylvania, ms. houlahan. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for three minutes. ms. houlahan: thank you. i rise in support of my bill, h.r. 35 8, the bipartisan mathematical and statistical modeling education act. this is a straightforward bill and bipartisan and it will modernize the math curricula and improve k through 12 science, technology engineering and mathematics, otherwise known as stem education in the united states. we know that stem education taught in schools today is simply not keeping pace with the rapidly evolving needs of the public and private sectors. and we also know that this lack of skills has a direct correlation with the stem skills shortage across our nation. to fix this, my bill will help

schools update their math curricula to make them more relevant and applicable to real world scenarios. the national science foundation would be tasked with providing competitive grants focused on modernizing stem education through mathematical and statistical modeling including kata driven and computational thinking. it will address the -- direct the national academies to conduct study on the same topic. as an engineer myself and former chemistry teacher and entrepreneur i know how vital this is for the next generation and the future of the work force in our nation. according to the bureau of labor statistic, the united states will need one million additional stem professionals than it's on track to produce in the coming decade alone. thankfully with this legislation we have the you want to provide tangible critical thinking skills to the next generation that will enable them to succeed in the workplace and beyond. it is far past time to bring problem solving into the 21st century. when i was in school, math was

often portrayed as a one-dimensional skill that existed solely in the math classroom. let's now show our students a skill set in stem is invaluable tunnellizing trends on social media, predicting sports outcomes and it is as valuable for that as it is to succeed in any chemistry clasmsz i'm grateful to representative jim baird for joining me and to chairwoman johnson and to ranking member mr. lucas for their leadership on this topic and for everyone else who played a role in bringing this important, bipartisan bill to the floor. i urge my colleagues to vote yes on this bill and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from virginia reserve, the gentleman from oklahoma. mr. lucas: with that, i'd like to close. as teachers prepare for the next generation of the american work force it's vital we invest in the best teaching methods. that's why i support this legislation which will bolster

education in mathematics and statistical molding. i thank mr. baird for his hard work on this legislation. i urge my colleagues to vote in support of this bill. er yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. beyer: so far this year i've completed two undergraduate mathematics courses at george mason university. calculus ii starts august 22. the evolution in teaching math has come so far since i graduated from college, i was very excited by this legislation. the thought that we tan take so much progress in teaching and in software to our next generation of students is very exciting. as i sit sometimes in despair watching my friends get out a calculator to figure out a 15% or 20% tip this would be wonderful legislation to move forward. i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 3588 and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back.

will the house spleuls and pass the bill h.r. 3588 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative -- for what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin seek recognition? >> madam chair, i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing. a sufficient number having risen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? mr. beyer: for one last time, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 718 -- 7180, the brycen gray and ben price covid-19 cognitive research act. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar 282, h.r. 7180, a bill to direct the director of the agency to researching tonitive processes

related to covid-19. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia, mr. beyer and the gentleman from oklahoma, mr. lucas, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. beyer: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.r. 7180, the bill now under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. beyer: i wield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. beyer: i rise in support of h.r. 7180, the brycen gray and ben price covid-19 cognitive research act. i want to thank representative gonzalez for introducing this bill. the covid-19 crisis has disrupted our lives in downless ways. as many of us continue to pick up pieces and set intool a new normal we can't lose sight of those who haven't been as fortunate. early research shows a covid-19 infection may leave individuals at increased risk of developing mental health conditions. millions who have been infected

find themselves saddled with crippling anxiety, depression and sleep problems and they may be at increased risk of death by suicide and drug overdose. research eshes are raising alarms about the risk, improved data collection is needed to better understand the mental health implications of a covid-19 infection. this bill directs the national science foundation to rally the research community to take on this task. i urge my colleagues to support this thank you, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from oklahoma is recognized. mr. lucas: madam speaker, i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. lucas: thank you, madam speaker. i rise in support of h.r. 7180 and want to thank my colleague, mr. gonzalez, for introducing and championing this important legislation. the brycen gray and ben price covid-19ing couldnyity research act directs congress to study covid, particularly in adolescents. it also instructs the n.s.a. to

commission a national academy study on the disruption of cognitive processes associated with covid. this bill is named for two men who died by suicide after suffering neurological problems caused by covid-19. tragedy he cannily -- tragically there have been numerous instances of psychosis developed after covid illnesses. the neurological effect of this disease is not well understood. h.r. 7180 will help to change that. research on this issue has been progressing as we continue to learn more about the long-term effects of the disease. this bill will help accelerate these efforts to better inform the public and medical community and hopefully it will prevent more tragic deaths from occurring. i'd like to again thank representative gonzalez for his hard work on behalf of his constituents. i urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation and i reserve the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oklahoma reserves. the gentleman from virginia reserves. the gentleman from oklahoma is recognized. mr. lucas: madam speaker, i yield to the gentleman from ohio, mr. gonzalez, as much time as he may use. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio is recognized. mr. gonzalez: thank you, madam speaker. i rise in support of my bill, the brycen gray and ben price covid-19 cognitive research act. i was proud to introduce this legislation alongside my friends, ms. wild, mr. kinzinger, mr. cardenas, mr, mr. joyce and mr. gibbs, and i would like to thank each of them for their leadership on the issue. i also want to thank the leadership at our committee, two wonderful leaders, chairwoman johnson and ranking member lucas. and their staffs for moving this important legislation forward. before i get into the heart of the bill, i'd like to take a minute to share a little bit about who brycen gray and ben price were. brycen gray was a 17-year-old young man from my district in northeast ohio. adored by his parents, sean and tara, as well as his brothers, rickie and patrick, brycen sadly

passed a little over a year ago. known for his quick whitt and sense of humor, with just the right amount of sarcasm, he could inspire the kind of laughter that makes you cry. he was loving, he was charismatic, he was selfless. he was the kind of kid every parent dreams of. ben price was a 48-year-old loving husband to his wife, jennifer, and a devoted father to their two amazing children, jet and maya. sadly, we lost ben at the beginning of last year. ben was a busy small business owner and farmer from the outskirts of chicago. but his life revolved around his family, friends and community. one of his passions was to jump-start the special connections of grundy county, whose mission is to connect people with disabilities like his beloved son, jet, to their community. he led by example and loved without reservation. both brycen and ben tragically passed after battles with cognitive impairments caused by covid-19. despite having no history of mental illness, each of them began to battle symptoms such as

paranoia, anxiety. the disease took them from two of the healthiest, most vibrant people you could find, to individuals so debilitated that they could not bear to live another day. while they fought to the bitter end, each chose to end their pain. there's no greater joy than being a parent. for those of us blessed to have children, we know it's the most important job any of us will ever -- will ever have. there are plenty of challenges attributed to the job. but there's nothing more rewarding than watching your children grow, while at the same time there's nothing more terrifying than watching your children experience the tragedies that befell brycen and ben. that's why the health and safety of our children should always come first. it's exactly why i started working on this bill. if we believe in protecting our families, we need to act now and start finding answers to why covid-19 can have such a significant impact on the brain. the legislation before us today is another important step in that effort. thus far we've learned that as many as one in three covid-19 survivors experience a cognitive

impairment following their acute infection. more alarming, nearly one in eight covid-19 survivors are diagnosed with an illness for the first time. with nearly 80 million documented cases of infection in the u.s., the health implications could be massive. while anxiety, mood and brain fog are among the most common symptoms, researchers have also uncovered a prevalence of serious complications such as psychosis, dementia, paralysis and brain hemorrhagings. moreover, additional impairments like impairment in memory, executive function, attention and speed of information, are among -- are common among covid-19 survivors. despite the significant progress made by researchers to improve our understanding of covid-19, it remains unclear how the virus alters brain function, who is most at risk and what can be done to quickly diagnose and treat impacted patients. the brycen gray and ben price covid-19 cognitive research act aims to close these gaps by

accelerating our research efforts. specifically it authorizes the n.s.f. to award grants on a competitive basis to support interdisciplinary research on thedy ruption of regular cognitive processes associated with covid-19. grantees will be tasked with carrying out foundational studies on the effects ofing couldnition, emotion, neural strug tuck -- structure and function, developing new tools to evaluate cognitive disruptions from covid-19, and examining the relevance of psychological and psycho social factors. in addition, the bill stands up a team at the national academies to study and produce a report on the issue. we can't bring brycen and ben back. but we can ensure that their memories live on. i don't want to lose any more americans because we weren't bold enough to take on an issue that might scare us. an issue we don't fully understand, an issue that is far more common than many in this body realize. no family should have to endure the tragedy of losing a loved one from covid-19's cognitive

impacts. the brycen gray and ben price covid-19 cognitive research act ensures we'll do everything in our power to find answers and deliver solutions. we cannot afford to lose any more time. again, i want to thank chairwoman johnson and ranking member lucas for their constant, incredible leadership in our committee. with that, i urge my colleagues to support the bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio yields back. the gentleman from oklahoma. mr. lucas: prepared to close, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. lucas: t thank you, madam speaker. this legislation reflects how congress can work in a bipartisan way to address difficult issues that our constituents are facing. the deaths of brycen gray and ben price due to covid psychosis were unexpected and tragic. while their memories will live on through their families and friends, we can give them a further memorial through the passage of this legislation and hopefully prevent more tragedies like this in the future.

h.r. 7180 represents a grassroots effort to address the issue of a thoughtful and meaningful -- in a thoughtful and meaningful way. again, i want to take a moment to thank my friend, mr. gonzalez. many times people who would observe this body may think that it's all about political tit for tat, where it's making noise and directing time and energy in a fashion that's less than productive. what congressman gonzalez has demonstrated here today, in the case of both brycen and ben, is that we are people too as members. and just as this tragedy touched him and compelled him to respond legislatively, to make sure that other families can be spared what the g grays and prices have gone through is a testament to my colleague from ohio,

mr. gonzalez, and i think a statement that we are basically good and decent people in this place, we just need to focus on the priorities that are important to our fellow americans. as congressman golf ball disal ez is doing -- gone disal sez doing today. with -- gonzalez is doing today. with that i urge passage of the legislation 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 virginia is recognized. mr. beyer: thank you, madam speaker. i too would like to thank congressman gonzalez for offering this bill. i suspect there's nary a family represented in this body that has not been touched by mental illness at one point or another. the tragedy and the suffering that involves. and we've all seen what happens with the loss of a child. so thank you for that. i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 7180 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. p 180 -- 7180. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3

of those voting having responded in the affirmative, -- the gentleman from wisconsin. >> i ask for the yeas and nays, please. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h. h.r. 7132, the safe connections act, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 7132, a bill to preserve safe access to communications services for survivors of domestic violence and other crimes and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from pennsylvania, mrn from ohio, mr. latta, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. doyle: thank you, madam speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.r. 7132. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. doyle: madam speaker, i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. doyle: madam speaker, i rise in strong support of h.r. 7132,

the safe connections act. a cell phone may be one of the most important items a survivor of domestic violence, human trafficking or other related crimes has when living in an abusive relationship. this device will not only allow a survivor to stay connected to family and friends, but it also provides them with access to outside help and support networks. there is no question that a cell phone is an important lifeline for survivors of these devastating and horrible crimes. however, in some instances survivors use a cell phone with a shared mobile service plan. this can subject these survivors to ongoing digital abuse like bullying, stalking or intimidation. h.r. 7132 addresses these unfortunate circumstances by requiring mobile service providers to separate the phone line of victims from an account shared with their abuser within two business days, without

financial penalties or other potential obstacles. the legislation also requires mobile service providers to publicly provide information about the availability of line separation requests on their websites, in their stores, and in other public-facing consumer communications. h.r. 7132 also directs it also dlects f.c.c. to establish emergency community cases support nears survivors and explore how to keep calls and texts to hotlines for domestic violence, human trafficking and other related crimes from appearing on a customer call and text log. for these reasons i am pleased we're bringing this critical legislation forward on a bipartisan basis, i commend representatives kuster, eshoo and walberg for their work in advancing this out of committee. i know the senate passed a companion bill a few months ago

led by senators schatz and fisher. i urge all of my colleagues to support this life-saving legislation in a bipartisan manner and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from ohio is recognized. >> thank you, madam speaker. i rise in support of h.r. 7132, the safe connections act, introduced by kuster, walberg and eshoo. it will help streamline the process for survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking and related crimes as well as their independence to leave a shared mobile phone contract with their abuser. mr. latta: abusers can continue stalking and abuse through a shared cell phone plan. this can make it even more difficult for a victim to escape

an abuse i have relationship. abusers who share a plan with a victim of abuse monitor the location of the victim as well as their call and tech history which could providen sight into a victim's support network, family, friends and co-workers. as survivors begin the process of rebuilding their lives, following domestic violence, it can be difficult to share -- to lee a shared mobile phone contract with your abuser. no federal law requires mobile service providers to allow victims to leave their plans easily. while some states require a court order to leave a family plan, others allow them to leave without a court order but compel victims to supply phone companies with evidence of the abuse. the safe connections act would require a mobile service provider to complete a line separation request within two business days, provide clarity to survivors on how to submit

the qurk and permit survivors to receive confirmation that the request is complete by remote means. the legislation would also limit mobile service providers from making the line separation request contingent on paying an early termination fee, maintaining a contract with a provider or require approval of separation by the primary account holder. the safe connections act is a step forward in helping domestic violence survivors and their dependents leave abusive situations. i urge my colleagues to support the legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio reserves. the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. doyle: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia. mr. latta: i think we're ready

to close. then you're thinking about domestic survivor -- survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking and other crimes go through and their independence, it's essential that this piece of legislation be favorably acted on by the house. because again you know, we want to make sure that an individual can leave these plans but also still be able to remain connected with their friends and family and other individuals out there. so with that, madam speaker, i ask that the house support this legislation and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yield back. the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. doyle: having no further speakers, i also want to urge members on both sides of the aisle to support h.r. 7132 and i yelled 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. 7132 as amended. those in favor say aye.

those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the -- the gentleman from texas. >> i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having risen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? mr. doyle: madam speaker, i move to spruls and pass h.r. 7624, the spectrum innovation act, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 7624, a bill to make available additional frequencies in a 3.1 through 3.45g.h.z. band for nonfederal use, shared federal and nonfederal use or the combination thereof and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the

gentleman from pennsylvania, mrn from ohio, mr. latta, each will control 20 minutes. the dhair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. doyle: thank you, madam speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.r. 7624. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. doyle: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. doyle: i rise in strong support of h.r. 7624, the spectrum innovation act. our nation's airwaves are a critical component in building next generation wireless networks. these networks can make a meaningful difference in american's lives. they can expand the reach of telehealth services, extend educational experiences beyond the classroom, and provide critical communication for public safety activities. but in order to achieve these important goals we must continue

to expand the ability of commercial users to access our airwaves, include big using innovative spectrum management technologies. h.r. 7624 extends the federal communication commissions auction authority by 18 months. from its expiration date late they are fall. this extension will allow the f.c.c. to hold its planned spectrum auction in july without disruption as well as any future auctions. it is essential that we extend this authority. after all, congress has never allowed this spectrum authority to lapse and to maintain our nation's imloabl leadership on wireless innovation, we must come together to ensure the smooth management of spectrum and that includes the auctions that will have -- we'll -- that have for years made these airwaves efficiently available. i'm also pleased this will use auction proceeds in a budget

neutral manner to fund two significant programs. the f.c.c.'s rip and replace program and the transition to next generation 911 networks. funding these two long-standing priorities will provide consumers with access to safe and secure networks that are able to meet the public safety demands of the 1st century. the federal investments in next gen911 will save lives. in an instant we can text a photo to a family member across the country or upload a video to social media for all to see. that same kind of instant communication should be available toed 911 centers next generation 911 allows people to call or send texts, images or videos to 911 to help first responders and emergency personnel to better assess the nature of the emergency and reach people in need. it will help enhance emergency response by shaving precious minutes off response times and

equipping first responders with life-saving information before they reach the scene. in my time on the energy and commerce committee, the next generation 911 act has passed out of the committee and the full house of representatives on multiple occasions. both as a stand alone bill and as part of larger infrastructure packages. this bill marks the most significant progress we've made in this effort thus far. and i remain committed to working with my colleagues to see it signed into law. the energy and commerce committee has traditionally worked in a bipartisan fashion on key telecommunication matters. i commend chairman pallone and ranking member mcmorris rodgers and communication and technology subcommittee, my good friend bob latta, as well as representatives eshoo, matsui, davids, welch, hudson, guthrie, joyce and johnson, for continuing in this tradition on this legislation.

madam speaker, i urge all my colleagues to support this important legislation in a bipartisan manner and hope the senate will soon follow suit. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from ohio is recognized. mr. latta: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. latta: i rise in strong support of h.r. 7624, the spectrum innovation act which i am pleased to lead with my good friend, the gentleman from pennsylvania, the subcommittee chair, mr. doyle. i want to thank mr. doyle for working with me and my colleagues over the last several months to make improvements to the spectrum innovation act. it earned broad republican support through the committee process. the legislation passed the energy and commerce committee by a vote of 52-0 which is a testament to the bipartisan achievements that are included in this bill. the spectrum innovation act pr pro vids clarity and directions

to ntia to repurpose spectrum currently used for commercial use. by providing this certainty we'll ensure this auction receives the necessary oversight and certainty result in a success for both federal agencies and the american taxpayers. it also includes the extending america's spectrum auction leadership act of 2022 which will extend the federal communications general auction authority for 18 months. currently this authority is set to expire on september 30. without action, the f.c.c. will not be able to make more airwaves available for 5g and wireless broadband services in rural areas. with the proceeds of these actions -- auctions, congress is funding critical public safety and national security priorities. the f.c.c. is currently facing a $3.08 billion shortfall in funding to rip and replace

untrusted communications from our system like huawei and z.t.e. which this bill would address. recent news reports further underscore the need to remove this equipment quickly to protect americans from chinese espionage. additionally, this legislation would provide up to $10 billion in future auction proceeds toup grade our 911 infrastructure. for nearly a decade, congress has worked to identify a path forward on facilitating a coordinated, nationwide transition to next generation 911. today's legislation will bring that foition -- that vision to life and i thank my colleagues, ms. hudson and ms. eshoo to bring the public safety community, 911 professionals and states together on the solution. finally the spectrum innovation act also includes a smart spectrum act, legislation sponsored by my colleague from kentucky, mr. guthrie, which provides the national telecommunication and information administration another tool to help ntia better

manage the use of spectrumly federal agencies. i'm pleased we are fund these important priorities without add manager to the national deficit. i urge my colleagues to support the legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. doyle: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio. mr. latta: at this time i would like to yield as much time as the gentlelady would require, the ranking member of the energy and commerce committee on our side, mrs. mcmorris rodgers. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from washington is recognize. mrs. rodgers: i thank the gentleman for yielding. i rise in support of h.r. 7624, the spectrum innovation act led by chairman doyle and republican leader lat tasm the spectrum innovation act preserves united states leadership in wireless technology and ensures americans stay connected. through this legislation congress is taking steps to protect national security,

improve our public safety communications and continue to push the administration to manage our nation's airwaves more effectively. the energy and com p commerce committee is leading on finding bone solutions to ensure america leads a new era of entrepreneurship and development. today's bill is a result of this work. the spectrum innovation act extends the federal communications commission's authority to conduct spectrum auctions by 18 months. without congressional action the f.c.c.'s authority to issue spectrum licenses expires on september 30. with the upcoming 2.5 gigahertz auction congress must act now to make sure that spectrum can be used to provide faster mobile connectivity across the united states. for the american people, it will mean faster internet, better connectivity and stronger cell service. in order to fully utilize our communications network we must make sure that they are secure

in. 2020, congress passed the secure and trusted communications network act to ensure communications networks in the united states were secure. this provided funds to carriers that contained dangerous equipment in their networks like huawei and z.t.e. so those carriers could maintain service while replacing that communications equipment with secure components. the f.c.c. determined they needed more money to secure our network. this legislation addresses that shortfall. if we fail to act dangerous equipment from c.c.p. connected companies could remain in our networks indefinitely. this is a serious national security threat that must be addressed as quickly as possible. the spectrum innovation act contains legislation from mr. guthrie to establish a capability at the national

telecommunications administration. his legislation, the smart spectrum act will provide another tool to help us win the future by making more spectrum available for commercial use as the demand and uses for wireless technologies grows. finally, the spectrum innovation act would facilitate a nationwide transition to next generation 911. this legislation will help bring 911 fully into the 21 century by improving the public's ability to contact and share information with first responders during emergencies. it will enable our first responders to more safely respond to emergencies by providing them with additional information gathering tools to strengthen their response when they arrive at the scene. i thank mr. hudson and ms. eshoo

to upgrade our aging 911 infrastructure. this bill advances innovation and improves public safety and strengthens america's economic leadership all while remaining budget neutral and costing the american taxpayers nothing by using the proceeds from future spectrum auctions. i thank chairman pallone, chairman doyle to come together on a bipartisan agreement. this legislation is the only proposal moving through congress to address these challenges. and there are imminent consequences to our national and economic security if congress fails to act. i am pleased to see the house lead, take up the spectrum innovation act with bipartisan support and i urge my colleagues to vote yes. and i yield. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from washington yields back.

the gentleman from ohio reserves. the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. doyle: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio is recognized. mr. latta: i'm ready to close. there are many points that are too important in this legislation. number one the spectrum innovation act provides for federal agencies. and will extend the federal communications general auction authority for 18 months. third, it is important because we remove this untrusted equipment from our communications networks and fourth will help provide up to $10 billion to upgrade our 911 systems and make sure that our upgraded because as time goes by it is absolutely essential and help better manage our spectrum. i urge passage of this important

legislation. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio yields back. the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. doyle, is recognized. mr. doyle: i have no further speakers, but i would like to reiterate how important h.r. 7624 is to future technologies to next gen911. this was a bill that passed out of our committee unanimously. 52-0. i urge my colleagues to give it their support when it comes up for a vote and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from pennsylvania yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 7624 as amended. those in favor, say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative -- for what purpose does the gentleman from texas, mr. roy, rise for? mr. roy: request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the

yeas and nays are requested. those in favor of taking this vote will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, yeas and nays are ordered pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition? mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 5313, reese's law as amended. the clerk: union calendar number 344 h.r. 5313 a bill to protect children and other consumers with hazards of the accidental ingetion of coin batteries by requiring the safety commission to promote a safety standard to require child enclosure on consumer products that use this. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone and the gentleman from ohio, mr. latta, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone. mr. pallone: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to include extraneous material on

h.r. 5313. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized. mr. pallone: i rise to rise in support of reese's law and i thank consumer protection and commerce chair schakowsky to protecting consumers from dangerous products and representatives kelly, arrington and lieu for introducing this bipartisan legislation. reese's law is named after an 18 month old girl who lost her life caused by swallowing a button battery. they look like a button. today they are used to common household electronics like television remotes. because of their small size and availability around the house, they pose serious harm to children under six who could

suffer harm or death. reese was a spunky sassy full of life little girl who took the attention of the entire room. while her mother was in the hospital with reese, she wanted to spread the aware of button batteries. tries tay said about reese, her earthly battle may be over, but her true purpose has just begun. reese's law requires to establish mandatory safety to the standard should include requirements for button cell or coin battery more difficult to access and include warning labels about the dangers of inguessing these projects and keeping new and used batteries out of the reach of children.

this is a legislation to the bravery of tries tay and parents everywhere. and this is crucial legislation that will save kids' lives and i call on my colleagues to support it today. and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey reserves. . >> thank you. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio is recognized, mr. latta. mr. latta: reese's law will establish safety standards to protect children from ingesting button cell batteries and includes an education component for consumers to ensure they're keeping new and used batteries out of the reach of children. i want to thank representatives arrington and kelly for spear heading this effort and to trista hamsmith for her tireless

efforts. we're all inspired by trista who has been willing to share her daughter's tragic story and channel it into action that would help save lives. i urge all 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 new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone. m mr. pallone: i'd like to yield as much time as she may consume to ms. schakowsky. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. schakowsky: thank you so much, mr. chairman. i want to thank all the co-sponsors of the legislation, particularly i want to mention robin kelly, who is not able to be here today. i know she wanted to be able to speak to this legislation. but it was -- it was brought to our consumer protection

subcommittee by a really brave mom and that is trissa ham -- trista hamsmith, a woman who lost her 18-month-old daughter, reese, tragically after she ingested a tiny button cell battery. and i am just so proud of not only the subcommittee but the full committee that unanimously has passed this and brought it now to the floor. we give a special thanks to trista's -- to trista hamsmith, mom of reese. so as the chairman mentioned, these batteries are found in many household devices and even toys that are used by children.

and it is estimated that once every -- one every three minute a child is treated in an emergency room having swallowed one of these small batteries. these deaths and injuries that are -- that continue are absolutely not necessary because voluntary standards for their -- for their packaging and to protect children are just not present. and so reese's law would require that the consumer product safety commission draft mandatory standards that would -- for these button cell or coin batteries. and the standards will ensure

that the batteries are -- the packaging would have the information about what is dangerous and that they would be child-resistant and would have warning labels on the packages for -- and instructions for parents to protect their children. the -- and more times than not, i want to just say, in our subcommittee we learn from parents about the hazards that their children face. and i am just so proud that with the help of gus bilirakis, the ranking member of the subcommittee, the help of both the chairman and the ranking member of the full committee,

and our full committee, we are able to address these hazards. and the fact that trista was able to bring reese's story to us and tell it. you know, sometimes i think our subcommittee is -- we have to pass out tissues because the stories that we hear from these parents, but they turn their tragedy into power and are able to make the difference. and so i just want to thank my friends and colleagues and look forward to passing this legislation and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from illinois yields back. the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from ohio is recognized. mr. latta: well, thank you very much. at this time i recognize the gentleman from texas, who's worked on this piece of legislation, mr. arrington for three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. arrington: i thank the gentleman from ohio, mr. speaker. trista and chris hamsmith lived every parent's worst night mayor when their -- nightmare when their 18 m-month-old daughter, reese, swallowed a battery. it burned a hole in her esophagus. by the time the doctor dislodged the battery, it had gone so long and the unique nature of these batteries, it had done irreparable harm and eventually led to her death. but like a strong west texas woman and a mom on a mission, trista prayerfully set out to make sure other families would not have to experience this horrible tragedy. she started reese's purpose, a nonprofit aimed at raising awareness of the dangers of button batteries and advocating for stronger safety measures. while i'm an ardent limited

government and less regulation guy, it was evident to me that -- and thanks to trista's diligence, quite frankly, that these button batteries were uniquely dangerous. they would burn holes in kids' stomachs or their esophagus and cause major medical complications and even death. and the cases where children were ingesting these batteries were growing exponentially. in 2020, during covid, we sought 93% up tick in kids going to the emergency room having ingested these batteries. i was convinced it needed appropriate and immediate action. and spoke to the commissioner of the consumer product safety commission. they agreed it was a serious safety risk. but they said would take three to five years for the rulemaking process. that's when i connected with my colleague, robin kelly. we introduced this bipartisan legislation that we affectionately refer to as reese's law, which would require the c.p.s. -- cpsc to put

enhanced safety packaging, warning labels and the like. i'm glad we're voting on this. i'm proud of trista and her family. i encourage my colleagues to vote yes, send it to the senate where they can act swiftly to do the same. mr. speaker, i'm so proud to represent west texas, the most kind-hearted and compassionate people and especially honored to be a small part of reese's purpose and partner with a strong, persistent, and lofving mom in trista hamsmith who i now call trista "the hammer" hamsmith. god bless america. god bless these children. i hope we can save some lives, and go, west texas. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas yields back. the gentleman from ohio reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: i have no additional speakers. i'm prepared to close. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from ohio is recognized. mr. latta: well, thank you very much, mr. chairman.

and i want to thank all the members who have worked on this very important piece of legislation because it will save countless children's lives. i also want to thank trista for her unending work in making sure this legislation gets across the finish line. so mr. speaker, i ask that passage of this legislation and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio yields back. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: thank you, mr. speaker. as i said, this bill is a testament to the bravery and tireless advocacy of trista hamsmith and parents everywhere who have lost children to accidental injecinjection -- ins of these pro -- ingestion of these products. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 5313, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3

having responded in the affirmative, the rules -- for what purpose does the honorable gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition? mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4551, the ransomware act. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 343. h.r. 4551, a bill to amend the u.s. safe web act of 2006 to provide for reporting with respect to cross-border complaints involving ransomware or other cyber-related attacks, and for other purposes.

the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone, and the gentleman from georgia, mr. carter, each will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone. 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 h.r. 4551. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. pallone: and mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone, is recognized. mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i rise in strong support of h.r. 4551, the ransomware act. rance am owear and -- ransomware and cyberattacks, the united states must be prepared as possible to address them. in 2006, congress passed the safe web act to bolster the federal trade commission's authority to receive information from their foreign counterparts and take investigative action in

response. f.t.c. action is critical since the number of consumer complaints against foreign businesses is staggering with over 255,000 complaints submitted to the f.t.c.'s database between 2015 and 2019. the estimated dollar value lost from these submitted complaints is in the hundreds of millions of dollars. h.r. 4551 amends the safe web act by adding more important f.t.c. requirements. it requires the f.t.c. to provide regular reports to congress that involve ransomware and other cyberattacks by individuals, companies, and governments with ties to specific countries. this bill also boosts the f.t.c.'s role in protecting consumers from ransomware and cyberattacks by helping the f.t.c. and congress better understand these attacks and how to combat them. it also requires the f.t.c. to submit any legislative recommendations to advance our

nation's security against these types of attacks. and this information is crucial in our continued efforts to address this serious issue. mr. speaker, protecting americans and our businesses against cyberattacks from ma lashs foreign act -- malicious foreign actors is not an issue. that's why we supported this bill and why i strongly support it today. i want to thank consumer protection subcommittee ranking member bilirakis for his support on this important legislation and urge everyone to support it and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from georgia, mr. carter, is recognized. mr. carter: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. carter: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today in support of this legislation by representative bilirakis, the ransomware act. h.r. 4551 amends the u.s. safe web act, a tool the federal trade commission uses to protect consumers with an international

dimension which includes increasing cooperation with foreign law enforcement. this bill, quite simply, requires the f.t.c. to report on cross-border complaints they receive on ransomware or other cyberattacks from our adversaries, china, russia, north korea, iran. i'm sure we have stories from our districts. for example, a researcher recently located a host in georgia that could possibly be connection to a russian host that has ransomware. i'm glad to see this legislation under consideration today, which will help congress, the federal trade commission, and other law enforcement entities better understand these attacks and learn how to better combat them. i urge all my colleagues to vote in favor, 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, mr. pallone, is recognized. mr. pallone: i have no

additional speakers. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from georgia is recognized. mr. carter: mr. speaker, at this time i'd like to recognize the ranking member of the energy and commerce committee, the gentlelady from washington, representative mcmorris rodgers. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from washington is mrs. rodgers: i rise in support of h.r. 4551 the ransomware act. every sector of our economy can be targeted by bad actors seeking to exploit vulnerabilities and we saw attacks from groups operating out of countries like china and russia. this legislation builds on my safe web extension act which was enacted last congress and amended to include ransomware. this will help protect americans from ransomware and other

cyberattacks from other foreign actors. the u.s. learned that hackers from the chinese communist party breached network service providers to steal credentials and harvest data and what they will do with this foyer, no one knows. if their intent is ran some or extort americans this bill will better understand and combat these attacks. we will requiring the f.t.c. to report on cross-border complaints committed by foreign adversaries and will help countries from countries and those who may wish to harm us. i thank the consumer protection, representative bilirakis for his work. and i urge my colleagues to vote

in favor of this legislation. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey continues to reserve. the gentleman from georgia is recognized. mr. carter: mr. speaker, at this time, i would like to yield as much time as she shall consume to the gentlelady from iowa. mrs. miller-meeks: i rise in support of the ransomware act. this will help protect consumers and businesses from ransomware and cyberattacks. almost every day, there are reports of foreign bad actors act -- attacking schools and municipalities. last year j.b.s., who has a meat processing plant in my district

was hacked by a criminal organization. they threatened to delete the internal files. they halted operations cause meat prices to rise. we have seen this in our municipalities and schools in iowa prompting us and the state legislature to enact legislature addressing ransomware attacks. this legislation will help avoid attacks by focusing resources to understand the threat from our foreign adversaries, china, russia, north korea and iran. i support this bill and i urge my colleagues to do the same. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia is recognized. mr. carter: i have no other speakers and at this time, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time the gentleman from new jersey is

recognized. mr. pallone: i just want to stress how important this bill is. we have heard from the speakers on the republican side, which i agree with everything they have said about the increased ransomware and foreign attacks by bad actors like beijing and russia. it is important tay we pass this bill to protect the united states. and with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey yields back. the question is will the house success pentd of rules and pass the bill. those in favor, say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative -- for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. roy: request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those in favor of the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, yeas and nays are ordered pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on

this question will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition? mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3962, securing and enabling commerce using renot and electronic motor risessation act as amended. the clerk: union calendar number 347, h.r. 3962, a bill to authorize notaries public to perform and establish minimum standards for notarization to require any federal court to notarization performed by officers of any state to require any state performed by an officer of any other state when the notarization was performed under public act, record or judicial proceeding of the notarizations occur or affect

interstate commerce or for other purposes. pursuant to the rule, mr. pal own and the gentleman from georgia, mr. carter, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizees the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone. mr. pallone: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to resize and extend their remarks and include extraneous material. the speaker pro tempore: without objection mr. pallone: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized mr. pallone: i rise to speak in support of h.r. 3962, the securing and enabling commerce using remote and electronic notarization act of 2021. you can cash a check, book a flight and lock and unlock your doors from your smartphone. but to get something notarized required for wills, marriage

certificates and mortgages, many states require a person to physically appear before a notary public. during the height of the covid-19 pandemic, this was not only inconvenient but posed a health risk and they chose people exposing themselves to getting covid-19 or purchasing a house. dozens of states permitted online notarizations and it is allowed to have this secure. as our lives are returning to a new normal. electronic and online notarizations are great for facilitating services and such tools are important for the

elderly and those lacking access to reliable transportation. this cannot ensure remote and online notarizations. this nation lacks the universal standard for electronic and online notarization. there is no standard that permits this and creates security requirements and ensures notarizations are valid nationwide. that's why, i want to thank congresswoman dean for the secure notarization act. this legislation will transition us to the 21st century without sacrificing security. i just want to commend representative dean for her leadership on this bipartisan legislation. she has been pressing for this to get out of committee and on the floor and we are finally

here today. i strongly urge my colleagues to support this. and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from georgia is recognized. mr. carter: mr. speaker, i rise today in favor of h.r. 3962, the securing and enabling commerce using remote and electronic notarization act of 2021. notarization requires a person to appear before a notary public. during the height of the covid-19 pandemic, such appointments were paused causing states to promote online notarization to ensure that commerce doesn't come to a halt. the passage of h.r. 3962, which establishes nationwide standards and technical requirements for online notarization showcases the benefits that technology can reduce the barriers and provide

an easier way of life for our constituents. i thank the representative dean and armstrong for their work on this legislation and i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 3962. and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: i would yield such time as she may consume to the sponsor of this bill, congresswoman dean. ms. dean: and i thank you chairman pallone for the work of you and your committee and thank representative carter and representative armstrong for working along side me on the secure notarization act h.r. 3962. this will authorize nationwide use of remote online notarization and would include key consumer protections including multi factor authentication of the signer and use of tamper evidence

technology and the bill would ensure the certainty of state recognition. this bill sets a floor for the use of online notarization and states will be able to regulate further protections as they decide. the covid-19 pandemic has taught us so much about the necessity and benefits of new technologies used to streamline services for consumers across industries. remote online notarization has been and should continue to be a time-saving convenient and safe way for consumers to execute important documents. notarizations are used in real estate transactions including affidavits, powers of attorney, living wills, advanced directives and more. remote online notarizations allow parties to a transaction to be in different locations using two-way visual-audio

communication to securely notarize documents. this process provides consumers to notarization and affords options and flexible scheduling. this is key. remote online notarization allows for flexibility for parents who can't get away from work or taking care of children, to servicemembers abroad, seeking to buy a home or correct wills. i know well the impact this bill could have for notary publics. when i served as a state representative in pennsylvania, most peoples of our team were notaries and our office served as a hub for the local community. i know many people struggled making appointments because of lack of transportation or unable to move. online notarization would have been able to better serve our

community. this will streamline notary processes into the digital ecosystem ensuring as people become more reliant that they have the services and access to these services as important as our notary system. this bill is supported by more than 120 of our colleagues. it passed out of e.n.c. by 56-0. and supported by a coalition of 20 industry partners. simply stated, it is common sense and convenient legislation that is completely secure. mr. speaker, i thank chairman pallone and ranking member as well as representative carter for their support of this bill, moving it swiftly through energy and commerce committee to the house floor and i thank congressmen pearl mutt tear and reschenthaler as we work to forge a path. i thank the co-lead of this

legislation, congressman armstrong and delighted to have worked with you for all your work and the work of your staff in helping to make this strong bipartisan piece of legislation. we took this bill on the road and gathered tremendous support and had fun along the way. i reserve -- i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from pennsylvania yields back. the gentleman from georgia. mr. carter: at this time, i would like to recognize the republican sponsor of this bill, the gentleman from north dakota, representative armstrong. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from north dakota is recognized. mr. armstrong: h.r. 3962, secure notarization would authorize online use of notarizations where the party and notary are in different locations. society has adopted meetings and

events and social activities. requirements for a signer to be present before a notary are impossible with military deployments. this increases the use of notarization and allows individuals to conduct business where they can't be physically present. this bill would provide businesses and individuals with the ability to execute documents using two-way audio-visual communications and the use of tamper evidence technology. . it would simply provide for the recognition of remote notarization performed in interstate commerce, federal courts and would recognize nice

notarization under another state's law. this is similar to the full faith and credit clause and implementation statutes that ensures that judicial proceedings are in another state. this bill has 123 co-sponsors. it proceeded through regular order. it passed the energy and commerce committee with a 56-0 vote. it also has the support of 20 organizations like the american land title association, which utilizes notary public on a daily basis. i, too, would like to thank my friend, rep dean, for working closely with our office and having a lot of fun as we moved the notary bill forward. if you think having fun on a notary bill is fun, mr. speaker, you have to work at it. but we had a lot of fun and i appreciate it. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from north dakota yields back. the gentleman from georgia reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: i have no additional speakers and i am prepared to close.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from georgia is recognized. mr. carter: mr. speaker, i have no more speakers and at this time i yield and encourage my colleagues to support this bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: thank you, mr. speaker. again, i'd urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. this is bipartisan. it's actually an important piece of legislation in the aftermath of covid. we realize more and more of this type of notarization is the way to go. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3962 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 the gentleman from texas rise? >> i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yaeps ayeas and nays are requested -- the yeas and nays are requested.

those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition? mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 8454, the medical marijuana and cannabidiol research expansion act, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 8454, a bill to expand research on cannabidiol and marijuana, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone, and the gentleman from georgia, mr. carter, each will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from new jersey. mr. pallone: 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 h.r. 8454. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. pallone: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pallone: i rise in support of h.r. 8454, the medical marijuana and cannabidiol research expansion act. in march, the senate passed s. 253, the cannabidiol and marijuana research expansion act. in april, the house considered and passed h.r. 5657, the medical marijuana research act which also passed with strong bipartisan support last congress. the bill before us today, h.r. 8454, represents a bipartisan, bicameral agreement that resolves the differences between both bills and brings us to an historic overdue moment for congress. the consumption of marijuana and c.b.d. regulated in 37 states, the district of columbia, guam, puerto rico, and the u.s. virgin

islands. this translates to tens of millions of americans consuming marijuana every year. yet, we still do not have a comprehensive body of research on the safety or therapeutic effects or benefits of marijuana products. because of its status as a schedule 1 substance, research on marijuana has been regulated in a restrictive, time-consuming way, and the existing research is not representative of the products that are currently available to many americans. h.r. 8454 streamlines the registration process for conducting research on marijuana and manufacturing marijuana products for research purposes and drug development. the big maintains the appropriate oversight and control by the department of health and human services and the drug enforcement administration and requires both applicants and regulators to adhere to clear protocols and timelines. the bill requires h.h.s. and d.e.a. to respond to registration applicants in a timely manner and requires a regular assessment to confirm

and adequate -- an adequate supply of marijuana, including specific strains for medical research. and this ensures the marijuana being provided for medical research appropriately reflects the strains and t.h.c. content in millions of products across the country. mr. speaker, this bill also clarifies that doctors can discuss with patients the potential harms and been fits of marijuana as -- benefits of marijuana as a medical treatment. and they should send a report to congress, the effects on the human brain and body, and existing barriers to research. i want to thank representatives blumenauer, harris, holmes norton, dingell, griffith, case, for their leadership on this issue. and i urge my colleagues to support the bill and look forward to the senate working expeditiously on our agreement to expand cannabis research while protecting public health

and safety. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from georgia, mr. carter, is recognized. mr. carter: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia is recognized. mr. carter: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today to speak in favor of h.r. 8454, the medical marijuana and cannabidiol research expansion act. this bill is a revised version of h.r. 5657, medical marijuana research act, which was led by representatives harris and blumenauer and overwhelmingly passed the house in april. the text of h.r. 8454 that we are considering today is largely similar to h.r. 5657, but it is consensus language that was agreed to through bipartisan negotiations with the senate. i'm pleased we were able to get the language to a good place. marijuana is a schedule 1 controlled substance under the controlled substance act. research on these substances must be conducted in accordance

with the controlled substances act and requires the drug enforcement administration approve research protocol. if a researcher desires to make changes to an approved project, the researcher must submit a request to do so which this then reviewed and approved by both the d.e.a. and f.d.a. the actual supply of research grade marijuana is relatively limited. the supply is subject to the single conviction on narcotic drugs which is related to governmental oversight of the cultivation. while the d.e.a. and national institute on drug abuse have taken some steps to increase domestic manufacturers of research grade marijuana, more can be done in this space. the medical marijuana research expansion act improves the federal research landscape by streamlining both the research and manufacturing registration processes. this is critical to better

understand the potential benefits and possible risks associated with marijuana use as researchers must be able to study actual products that are currently used by consumers for both medical and recreational use. these data -- this data is long overdue. as policy decisions have far outpaced the science. states that have fully legalized marijuana have done so in a relative information vacuum with less understanding of what it is and what it does than virtually any nutritional supplement currently on the market. and with far less information than they have on legal substances that are easily abused such as alcohol or tobacco. until we make it easier to conduct the research, making fully informed policy decisions will remain challenging. even rescheduling the substance administratively will necessitate robust data on potential medical use. recent evaluations conducted separately by the f.d.a. and the national academies of science,

engineering, and medicine have both illustrated the challenges of meeting the required standard of evidence for demonstrating the effective medical use. both studies concluded that lack of research was a significant factor in denying rescheduling petitions in the past. if congress does not act, we will continue to have limited ability to study these products in clinical trial settings. this is a commonsense solution. it will better our understanding of marijuana through legal federally sanctioned and scientifically valid research on this substance. i'd like to thank representatives blumenauer, harris, and chairman pallone for working together on this legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia reserves. the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone, is recognized. mr. pallone: i have no additional speakers so i'll reserve. the speaker pro tempore: so the gentleman reserves.

the gentleman from georgia is recognized. mr. carter: mr. speaker, at this time i'd like to yield such time as he may consume to one of the leaders on this important subject, the doctor from maryland, representative andy harris. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland, dr. harris, is recognized. for how much time was that, sir? mr. carter: for as much time as he shall consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. harris: i thank the gentleman for yielding the time. the chairman of the committee got it right. this is historic. it's overdue. it's bipartisan. and it's bicameral, as it should be. so today i rise in support of h.r. 8454, the medical marijuana and cannabidiol research expansion act. you know, representative blumenauer and i have jointly co-sponsored this bill for four congresses. talk about overdue. although we disagree about recreational marijuana, he supports it, i oppose it, we both concur that in regards to medical marijuana, we need to do

the rigorous research to answer the questions. as a physician, i realize if we're going to have marijuana legal in over three dozen states for medical uses, we really ought to be able to do the research on it to see what it can and can't be used for. because many claims that are made about it, some are legitimate, some will be found to be ill legitimate, but the american public deserves to know whether medical marijuana and cannabidiol work for those claims that are being made. this bill makes it easier to do the necessary rigorous medical research, just like is done for any other drug that has a claim of efficacy in this country. the american public deserves to know what medical marijuana is useful for because for anyone with those conditions where it is found to be useful, it could be a god send. but for other conditions where the claims won't be found to be valid with rigorous research, it would be found to be ineffective and that would help protect american patients as well.

this would mod rnize our -- modernize our research methods, bringing medical marijuana to be like those that are sold in this country. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland yields back. the gentleman from georgia is recognized. mr. carter: mr. chairman, i'll reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from georgia is recognized. mr. carter: mr. chairman, at this time -- mr. speaker, at this time, i yield such time as he shall consume to the gentleman from virginia, representative griffith. mr. griffith: i thank my friend and majority leader -- excuse me -- and leader of the committee, frank pallone. h.r. 54 -- h.r. 8454 is an important bill. and it's interesting to hear the conversation here on the floor. i heard mr. carter say -- talking about the history that you couldn't get marijuana

rescheduled because they didn't have enough research and you can't get the research because it's scheduled as a schedule 1 drug so we're trapped in this vortex where we can't get the information. i, too, am against recreational marijuana but for medical marijuana. it has a great benefit. but for years we've been in this trap where you couldn't do sufficient research. therefore, you couldn't reschedule. it's crazy. we're going to fix it here today. my belief is medical marijuana can be beneficial when used in a proper setting. there have been very few legitimate peer reviewed studies to determine the effect of cannabis on the body. we know it does some good. antidotally for patients with juvenile seizures. what we don't know is how much t.h.c. has to be in the cannabidiol to make it effective. this is what we need research for. this bill allows us to obtain approval to conduct cannabis research and obtain quality

product, not just one strain out of mississippi, but multiple products, quality products, monitored by the government to make sure it's not being misused to be used in this research. it encourages research by improving and streamlining the registration process for marijuana. it also ensures the availability of verified cannabis products necessary for legitimate research by allowing approved institutions of higher education, practitioners and manufacturers to manufacture and distribute marijuana for the purpose of conducting reference. as -- research. as someone that's advocated for this research for years, i appreciate those who got it here today. whatever position you may have on marijuana use, you need to know that this bill will allow us to come together, support more scientific research so we can make informed decisions as we move forward as legislators. . being here live is important. the genesis of this bill and several conversations that took

place on the floor of this house and when people would argue, what does the research show and it became clear to blumenauer, harris and myself, we had to have more research in order to get the right answers for the american people. and i urge you to support h.r. 8454. and i yield back. mr. carter: i have no other speakers. at this time, i would encourage my colleagues to support this legislation. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia yields back. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: i think this is a great way of dealing with this issue overall and i urge my colleagues to support this legislation and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time the question is will the house suspend the bill and pass the bill h.r. 8454 as amended. those in favor, say aye. those

opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair -- for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. yeas and nays are ordered pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition? mr. pallone: i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 623 gabriella miller kids first research act 2.0 as amended. the clerk: h.r. 623 a bill to require certain penalties to be transferred to a fund to which amounts are made available to the pediatric research program at the national institutes of health and for other purposes.

the speaker pro tempore: pursuan t to the rule, the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone and the gentleman from virginia, mrl 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new jersey. mr. pallone: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to include their remarks and include remarks on h.r. 623 and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: i rise in h.r. 623. when considering this bill in the memory of gabriella miller who was diagnosed with an

inoperable brain tumor and passed at the age of 10 in 2013. cancer is one of the leading causes of death in american children, but only 4% of national cancer institute's budget is to ed at trick research. this program was first established at the national institutes of health in 2014 after congress passed the first research bill. the goal of this program is to enhance collaborative research on childhood cancer, including the development of a large-scale data base of genetic data to discover pathways between disorders. the kids first program has recruited over 40 pediatric cancer and structural birth defects for whole jean ohm sequencing representing patients. the data base developed and

maintained by the kids first program has become a critical tool for pediatric research and practitioners across the country. the bill before us re-authorizes and transfers the kids first program first or from the n.i.h. common fund to the division of program coordination planning and strategic initiatives that will give the program more stability. the legislation increases the funding authorization to $25 million a.m.ly for five years. i thank representative wexton for her leadership and ranking member rodgers and guthrie for working with us and i thank ellen and mark miller for their advocacy. the kids first program may lead to the next big medical break-through for the rarest cancers and those break throughs would not be possible without

their long time commitment. i urge my colleagues to support this bill. and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. grijalva: i yield to the gentleman from georgia as much time as he may consume. mr. carter: mr. speaker, i rise to express my support for h.r. 623 the gabriella miller kids research act 2.0. this bill is supported by a large group of co-sponsors and representatives bilirakis and would re-authorize this at the national institutes of health. cancer remains the leading cause of death among children. according to the national cancer institute, 10,000 500 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed from birth to 14 years and children

are expected to die from the disease. children are not just little adults and childhood cancers are not treated like adult cancers. it is important to support an oncology portfolio at the national institutes of health. this legislation furthers priorities pediatric and existing research activities at the national institutes of health. this honors the courage and life of gabriella miller. i urge a yes vote. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia yields back. the gentleman from georgia yields back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey. mr. pallone: i yield to the the gentlewoman from virginia, ms. wexton. ms. wexton: i rise in support in

the this legislation that would vastly increase funding for treatment and cures for childhood cancer and rare diseases. this legislation would re-authorize the research program which is set to expire next year for additional five years and increase to $25 million annually. i am proud this bill has broad bipartisan support with 110 co-sponsors and passed through the committee. gabriella is from virginia's 10th congressional district. she passed away at age 10 and fierce fighter not in her own battle but advocate of millions of other children who suffer from this terrible disease. gabriella was a national force for change urging congress to stop talking, start doing and

her efforts delivered a push to pass the gabriella miller legislation named in her honor. her family join representative cantor and barack obama. the kids first program has done remarkable work. sequencing 20,000 samples from childhood cancer and starting the kids first data resource and data resource for research and communities meant to advance discoveries. it has been nine years since we lost gabriella. and tragically cancer is the number one cause of children 14 or younger. 10,000 children in the u.s. will be diagnosed with cancer.

despite these statistics, the tools we have to treat these diseases are inadequate. many of the tools haven't seen advances in decades. she died from the same disease that astronaut armstrong's daughter died from. my bipartisan nearly doubles funding for the kids first program. it will unlock the full potential and enable researchers to step up their work to help find ways to help these children. mr. speaker, this is a life saving bill. for the millers who are here in the capitol and millions of american families who have gone through a torm meanting

diagnosis, heed her call, stop talking and pass this bipartisan bill. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. grijalva: i rise in support of h.r. 6233 gabriella miller kids first research act 2.0. i try to be conservative when it comes to authorizing federal dollars to be spent. mr. speaker, if we are going to spend money at the federal level on all kinds of things, near the top of that list ought to be research for cures, for cancer. and even higher on that list should be research for children who have cancer and for diseases that affect specifically the young people of this nation.

so i don't think that anyone is going to oppose this. i am sure that i will be proven wrong on a floor vote later, but for me, this one reaches the bar that we ought to have unanimous or near unanimous support on the floor as we did in the energy and commerce committee. and with that, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia yields back. the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone is recognized. mr. pallone: gentleman has yielded? the speaker pro tempore: that's correct. mr. pallone: it is very important bill and i thank representative wexton for her leadership and i ask members on both sides of the aisle support the bill. and with that, i yield back. 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 hill h.r. 623 as amended. those in favor, say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of

the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended -- for what purpose does gentleman seek recognition? >> i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question are postponed.

ms. waters: h.r. 7734, the timely delivery of bank see creasy act reports act as amended. the clerk: union calendar number 331, h.r. 7734, a bill to amend title 31, united statescode to require the timely production of reports to congress under the bank see creasy act and for other purposes pursuant to the rule, ms. waters

and the gentlewoman from missouri, mrs. wagner, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california, ms. ms. waters: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on this legislation and insert extraneous material thereon. the speaker pro tempore: without objection ms. waters: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california, ms. waters, is recognized. ms. waters: mr. speaker, suspicious activity reports and other materials collectively known as b.s.a. reports are held by treasury's financial crimes enforcement network, or fincen, and can be critical to congressional investigations. for example, this committee has requested documents related to our ongoing investigation into the flow of illicit funds from

the former soviet states into the united states. there's a long history of cooperation under proper exchange of these records, but in response to a recent treasury initiated reversal of decades-long practice, i have found it necessary to introduce this bill, h.r. 7734. unfortunately, treasury has severely restricted congressional access to suspicious activity reports or sars, by requiring congressional staff to review all material in a reading room prohibiting the copying of materials and restricting information, collection to note taking alone. these limitations are not placed upon the federal, state, and local agencies that have been granted access to review sars.

treasury has no statuary basis for imposing restrictions on congressional authority to obtain sars. neither legislative language, statutory provision, nor case law prohibits government personnel or the financial institutions from providing these materials to congress. so i'm very concerned that these restrictions and similar alternatives offered by treasury will severely impede effective congressional oversight and investigations. in response to my committee's recent request to review sars related to the flow of illicit funds from former soviet states into the united states, fincen has informed the committee it is withholding thousands of pages of responsive documents containing technical, detailed information about multiple

transactions involving numerous parties. given the restrictions imposed by treasury, it's not possible for my staff to effectively capture and analyze needed information in such complex documents. it will be even more difficult for members to review such materials. treasury's -- treasury has severely obstructed the committee's investigation of this important matter. to ensure that congress can conduct effective oversight moving forward, i have introduced this bill and i'm pleased to say it passed our committee on a bipartisan basis. h.r. 7734 requires the secretary of the treasury to deliver b.s.a. reports to a congressional committee or subcommittee of appropriate jurisdiction within 30 days of its request for such documents. the bill further requires a

financial institution to deliver b.s.a. reports by the return date specified in a subpoena issued by committee or subcommittee of appropriate jurisdiction. so i urge my colleagues to support this bill, to ensure that congress can obtain access to b.s.a. reports without cumbersome restrictions and can do so in a timely manner to support its investigatory work. with that, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california reserves. the gentlewoman from missouri is recognized. mrs. wagner: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. mrs. wagner: i rise in support of h.r. 7734 which increases transparency and restores a strong record of cooperation with the treasury department. h.r. 7734 would require prompt delivery of certain bank secrecy act reports to the committees of congress that rely on those

records for oversight and legislative work. under secretary yellen, the secretary department has taken an unprecedented position that congress cannot have access to bank secrecy act reports. this should concern all of us on both sides of the aisle . for the last 20 years, fincen has provided b.s.a. reports to the appropriate committees of congress without delay. fincen must understand it is not a partisan matter. i look forward to continuing to work with my democrat colleagues to promote accountability at treasury and to restore article 1 oversight authority. i support this bill and i urge my colleagues to support it as well. i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentlewoman from california is recognized. ms. waters: mr. speaker, i have no further speakers and i'm prepared to close. i reserve the balance of my time. until my colleague yields back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california reserves. the gentlewoman from missouri is recognized. mrs. wagner: i am proud to yield to the gentleman from tennessee, mr. rose, for a minute and a half. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mr. rose: i thank the gentlelady for yielding time this evening. mr. speaker, i rise in opposition to h.r. 7734, which would require the treasury secretary upon the request of congress to deliver bank secrecy act or b.s.a. reports within 30 days to congressional staff. additionally, it would create a similar requirement for financial institutions to share b.s.a. filings with congress. currently, s.a.r.'s, or suspicious activity reports, may be in a reading room for congressional staff, right now they're prohibited from copying materials and taking them away from treasury or fincen. there have been several high-profile leaks of s.a.r.'s over the years.

one employee who was later sentenced to six months in prison leaked thousands of s.a.r.'s to buzzfeed news. this legislation would increase the number of individuals who have access to hard copies of these reports and will lead to more leaks, i fear, of sensitive information. having served on a community bank board, i know how subjective s.a.r.'s can be, and i fear that this information will put our entire system in jeopardy. i urge my colleagues to oppose this legislation and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from missouri is recognized. mrs. wagner: i am ready to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. wagner: i ask my colleagues to support h.r. 7734 and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from missouri, mrs. wagner, yields back. the gentlewoman from california, ms. waters, is recognized. ms. waters: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i yield myself the balance of the time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. waters: treasury's refusal to give congress reasonable

access to s.a.r.'s is severely impeding our ability to effectively make use of the materials to conduct investigations. treasury has no statutory basis for imposing such restrictions and has offered no rationale for changing the current practice. which has been in place for over 20 years. h.r. 7734 clarifies the existing statutory authority of congress and ensures that congress continues to obtain timely access to b.s.a. reports without restrictions. so i urge my colleagues to support this bill, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 7734, as amended. those in favor say aye.

those opposed, no. 2/3 having responded in the affirmative -- for what purpose does the gentleman seek recognition? >> i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the jeans are -- the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? ms. waters: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 7733, the cdfi bond guarantee program improvement act, as amended, sponsored by congressman cleaver. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 266. h.r. 7733, a bill to amend the community development banking

and financial institutions act of 1994 to re-authorize and improve the community development financial institutions bond guarantee program, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from california, ms. waters, and the gentlewoman from missouri, mrs. wagner, each will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentlewoman from california, ms. waters. ms. waters: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material thereon. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. waters: i yield myself such time as i may consume. mr. speaker and members, i support h.r. 7733, the cdfi bond guarantee program improvement act, led by representative cleaver who also is the chair of the subcommittee on housing,

community development, and insurance. the cdfi funds board bond guarantee program provides cdfi's with federally guaranteed, long term, low-cost capital to support new and existing development projects in their community. unfortunately, small-sized cdfi's currently have difficulty applying for this financing directly because the current $100 million minimum financing amount is much higher than the amount many small cdfi's are seeking. as a result, some cdfi's can only access the program by applying with larger cdfi's. this bill would lower the minimum threshold for a bond issuance from $100 million to $25 million giving smaller cdfi's a fair shot of being able to access this am practice.

this -- this program. this will help expand financing and investments to support small businesses, health care facilities, and affordable housing. this bill builds upon the work i led last congress to provide cdfi's with $12 billion in equity and grant funding. in particular, that legislation, which has already distributed $1.25 billion to cdfi's, representing the largest public investment in cdfi's ever. mr. cleaver's bill complements those efforts by helping smaller cdfi's better access private dollars to further their efforts to serve low-income and underserved communities. while the bond guarantee program 's funding has had funding in annual appropriation bills.

this bill would extend the program for four years, creating longer term certainties. it includes studies to examine areas where the program can be strengthened. furthermore, this bill is a house companion to a bipartisan bill in the senate, s. 3441, introduced by senators tina smith and mike rounds. i urge my colleagues to support this bill, to ensure that more cdfi's have access to long-term financing through the bond guarantee program so they continue to spur economic development in communities across the nation. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. wagner: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. i want to thank my colleague from missouri, mr. cleaver, for offering this bill and for working with republicans on the financial services committee to make it a better bill.

h.r. 7733, as amended through bipartisan negotiations, would lower the cdfi funds bond guarantee program minimum issuance threshold from $100 million to $25 million. it would require the secretary of the treasury to review the effectiveness of the cdfi bond guarantee program and report its findings to congress and the program would sunset after four years. allowing congress adequate time to make adjustments and ensure proper stewardship of taxpayer dollars. this increased accountability will allow congress to make certain that the programs that we authorize match the needs of the communities to be served. i urge my colleagues to support this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentlewoman from california is recognized. ms. waters: mr. speaker, i now yield three minutes to the gentleman from missouri, mr. cleaver. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. mr. cleaver: thank you, mr.

speaker. i'd like to first of all thank chairwoman waters for her long standing support of cdfi's, and i speak today in support of my bill, the cdfi bond guarantee program improvement act of 2022, which would open up a significant source of long-term, low-cost capital to support cdfi projects in low-income, urban, rural, and indigenous areas of the country. community development financial institutions, cdfi's, deliver critical lending opportunities cdfi are bank credit unions and other financial institutions that provide products and services specifically aimed at the needs of low-income and are certified by the fund which is operated by the united states department of the treasury. cd fmp inch support people, businesses and ownerships by providing affordable capital to

communities typically excluded. according to treasury, 33% of cdfi lending was in high poverty lending areas. and 75 in distressed areas and 17% was to rural. that ought to make all of the people committed to this concept of everybody participating quite happy. cdfi's in my district, central bank of kansas city, are instrumental to narrow the racial wealth gap and increase financing. the high demand for services far exceed available funding. one tool of the federal government has to support cd fmp i is by making significant capital available to cdf inch's through the bond

guarantee program enacted through the small business administration. the program is ad ministered by treasury and injects new and substantial capital into our nation's most distressed communities. the bond guarantee program does not offer grants or direct loans but is a federal credit subsidy that is designed to be repaid and function at no cost to the taxpayers. the bond guaranteed program has guaranteed $1.7 billion to finance schools, small businesses and health care facilities and commercial and residential real estate. my bill and others would re-authorize this bill. the bill was a bipartisan effort and

was voted on out of our committee. i thank chairwoman waters and ranking member mchenry for this partnership and i urge swift passage today. the speaker pro tempore: t he gentlewoman from missouri is recognized. mrs. wagner: i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 7733 and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: t he gentlewoman yields back and the gentlewoman from california is recognized. ms. waters: i have no further speakers and i reserve until my colleague yields back. the speaker pro tempore: t he gentlelady has the only time that is left. you have the only time remaining. ms. waters: i yield myself the balance of the time. h.r. 7733 is supported by a number of groups

including the cd fmp i coalition, credit union national association, independent community bankers of america, national association of federally-insured credit unions, national community re-investment coalition and opportunity finance network. i urge my colleagues to support this bill and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: t he question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 7733, as amended. those in favor, say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative -- for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia arise? >> i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: t he yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing

until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? ms. waters: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 4586, the risk-based credit examination act as amended. the sponsored by congresswoman wagner. the speaker pro tempore: t he clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 4586, a bill to amend the securities exchange with respect to risk-based examinations of national rated organizations. pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from california, msn

from missouri, mrs. wagner each will control 20 minutes. ms. waters: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days within which to extend and revise and insert extraneous material thereon. the speaker pro tempore: without objection ms. waters: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. waters: i support h.r. 4586 sponsored by mrs. wagner to help the securities and exchange commission to oversee the credit rating agencies through more prudent annual examinations. her proposal ensures that the s.e.c. continues its annual examinations of all credit-rating agencies and can

now focus their examinations on the aspects of the rating agencies that pose the greatest risk to investors in our capital markets. i urge my colleagues to support in bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from missouri is recognized. mrs. wagner: i yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise in support of my legislation, h.r. 4586, the risk-based credit examination act and i thank the chairman and ranking member for their support. under dodd-frank, the ratings is required tore conduct annual examinations of credit rating agencies on eight review areas. evaluating these areas is resource intensive for the o.c.r. and the rating agency and oftentimes redundant when there have been no identifiable

issues. h.r. 4586 is a straightforward bill to provide the o.c.r. with discretion concerning these eight reviewable areas during their examination. dodd-frank's increased compliance or nrso place them at a disadvantage and further consolidates powers. additionally, small credit rating agencies were not the cause of the financial crisis. the marketplace needs commonsense reforms and by providing discretion to the o.c.r. for these eight reviewed areas, this is right-sizing the oversight. and alleviating costly burdens

that impact the smaller ones. this allows for continued oversight but in a more fort worth and targeted manner and removes burdensome and unnecessary compliance costs to provide much needed competition. i support, mr. speaker, h.r. 4586 and i encourage my colleagues to support it. i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentlewoman from california is recognized. ms. waters: i have no further speakers and am prepared to close and i reserve until my colleague yields back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentlewoman from missouri is recognized. mrs. wagner: i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 4586 and i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentlewoman from california is recognized. ms. waters: mr. speaker, i am pleased to support h.r. 4589 sponsored by ms. wagner to help the securities and exchange commission to oversee the credit rating agencies through more prudent examinations. i urge my members to vote yes. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 4586 as amended. those in favor, say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair the ayes have it. 2/3 being in the affirmative the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? ms. waters: mr. speaker, i move the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 310, to possess humanously award the congressional gold medal to again doherty, tyrone woods and j. christopher stevens and sean smith in recognition of the chiropractics to the nation. the speaker pro tempore: is the gentlelady calling up the bill as amended?

is the gentlelady calling the bill up? ms. waters: yes. the gentlelady does. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. >> h.r. 310 a bill to posthumously to glen doherty and sean smith in recognition of their contributions to the nation pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from california, msn from missouri, mrs. wagner each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california. ms. waters: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on this legislation and insert extraneous material thereon. the speaker pro tempore: without

objection ms. waters: i yield myself such time as i may consume. mr. speaker, i rise in strong support of h.r. 310, posthumously award the congressional gold medal collectively to glean doherty, tyrone woods, j. christopher stevens and sean smith to their contributions to the nation. i thank the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. lynch, for his dedication to ensuring congress honors the memories of the four brave individuals who served our country bravely for 59 collective years in public service. the congressional gold medal is an award bestowed by the united states congress and it is the highest representation of national gratitude for exemplary

achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions. before -- the four individuals honored today, glen doherty, tyrone woods, j. christopher stevens and sean smith. mr. doherty, mr. woods and mr. smith were decorated servicemembers known for their bravery and dedication to protecting the american diplomats, ambassador stevens. deeply invested in promoting peace and security throughout the world. as we come upon the 10-year anniversary of their tragic deaths we mourn the loss of their shining examples of our shared americans values and to their loved ones, we offer our

condolences and profound gratitude for their efforts to preserve their legacy. this bill would present the congressional gold medal who protected and served their country admirably. i can't think any one who is more deserving of this great honor. i urge my colleagues to support this bill and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from missouri is recognized. mrs. wagner: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. walg wag i -- mrs. wagner: i rise in support of h.r. 310, a bill that would posthumously award the congressional gold medal to four american heroes who died in benghazi on september 11, 2012. this bill would recognize the

sacrifice that glen doherty, tyrone woods, christopher stevens and sean smith did for our country. they should be recognized and honored today. ambassador stevens, born in grass valley, california, joined the foreign service in 1991. over his 21-year career he held a number of important posts, including section chief in injury use aluminum -- jerusalem, political officer in de damascus and counselor in cairo before he returned to d.c. to serve as director of the multilateral security fierce and pierson fellow with senate foreign relations committee under then senator lugar. he traversed the globe to carry out the mission, statement of the foreign service, and i quote, to promote peace, support prosperity, and protect american citizens while advancing the interests of the u.s. abroad.

petty first class glen doherty, born in winchester, massachusetts, was a decorated navy seal sniper and corpsman. doherty served in both iraq and afghanistan and responded to the infamous u.s.s. cole bombing in yemen. doherty left the navy after 12 years of service. he went on to continue to protect u.s. interests by working as a contractor for the state department. senior chief petty officer tyrone woods, known by his friends and family as rone, was born in portland, oregon. tyrone woods, like doherty, was a retired navy seal who continued to serve after an illustrious military career by protecting american diplomats. during his time as a seal, woods was awarded the bronze star medal with combat v for valor in iraq and served multiple tours in iraq, afghanistan, the middle east, and central america. staff sergeant sean smith was

born in san diego, california, and served in the u.s. air force for six years. during his time, he was awarded the air force commendation medal. smith retired from the air force and continued to serve as a u.s. foreign service officer. smith was posthumously awarded the u.s. department of state's thomas jefferson star for foreign service on may 3, 2013. mr. speaker, these four men served honorably and died in service to our country. h.r. 310 will hos these men -- honor these men with the recognition they deserve. i'd like to thank my colleagues, especially representative lynch of massachusetts and representative mast of florida for their bipartisan work on this very important piece of legislation. mr. speaker, i wholeheartedly support this bill, and i urge my colleagues to support it as well. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves.

the gentlewoman from california is recognized. ms. waters: thank you, mr. speaker. i now yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. lynch. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. lynch: good afternoon, mr. speaker. thank you. i want to thank chairwoman waters for her leadership on this and for helping us to get this bill on the floor. as the proud sponsor of h.r. 310, i rise in strong support of this legislation to posthumously award the congressional gold medal to four heroic americans killed in the september 11, 2012 terrorist attacks against the u.s. diplomatic mission in benghazi, libya. u.s. ambassador j. christopher stevens, u.s. navy seal and c.i.a. security contractor glen doherty, u.s. navy seal and c.i.a. security contractor tyrone woods, and u.s. air force staff sergeant and state department officer sean smith.

at the outset, i'd like to thank chairwoman waters and ranking member mchenry and mrs. wagner of the financial services committee for their bipartisan work in support of h.r. 310. i'd also like to recognize the invaluable contributions that were made by our late chairman of the oversight committee, elijah cummings, the contributions he made to this legislation and to our additional effort to secure full death benefits for the doherty benefits of massachusetts. importantly, the advancement of this bill would not be possible without the support of all the family members as well as pro bono counsel from knl gates and other stakeholders whose advocacy on behalf of the four fallen heroes is sacrificed on behalf of our nation. in my home state of massachusetts, i'd like to particularly recognize ms. barbara doherty and ms. katie quigley, the devoted mother and

sister respectively of u.s. navy seal glen doherty of winchester, massachusetts. i'd also like to thank amy and dennis, two attorneys for their steadfast legal support and counsel to guide this legislation, as well as my dear friend, dan ray of wbz news radio, who amplified the story of these four heroes and our efforts over the past nine years and notably during a time of deep division in this country. i'd like to recognize and thank the nearly 300 bipartisan members, democrat, republican, and independents who have joined me to co-sponsor this legislation and enable its consideration on the house floor. including my lead republican co-sponsor of h.r. 310, representative brian mast of florida. mr. speaker, since the american

revolution, congress has commissioned an bestowed the highest civilian honor, the congressional gold medal, in recognition of distinguished acts of bravery, leadership, and achievement that leave an enduring impact on our american history. as chairman of the subcommittee on national security, i firmly believe that there is no legacy more lasting and profound than the bravery and sacrifice of those who have stood in defense of our nation. in view of the approaching 10th anniversary of those terrorist attacks against the u.s. consulate, the nearby classified annex, and personnel in benghazi, libya, it's more than fitting we bestow the gold medal on these foush fallen -- four fallen american heroes who bravely served the compound. for over 20 years, ambassador j. christopher stevens served our nation in the foreign service. from his first assignment as consular and economic officer in

saudi arabia to his last diplomatic mission in libya, ambassador stevens reflected a genuine commitment to building bridges with our middle eastern and north african partners and advancing our most cherished democratic ideals. during their decades of service, as elite u.s. navy seals, with tours of duty in iraq, afghanistan, and other conflict zones, glen doherty and tyrone woods perptually exemplified the navy seal motto, the only easy day was yesterday. their continued service as overseas security personnel responsible for the safety of american diplomatic officials maintained the highest standards of military excellence. as a former ground radio maintenance specialist in the u.s. air force and state department officer, sean smith served our nation with honor and distinction throughout multiple deployments that included iraq, south africa, oman and libya.

mr. speaker, the commissioning of the congressional gold medal in honor of these four exceptional americans will appropriately recognize their heroism, bravery, and sacrifice on behalf of a grateful nation. i urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support h.r. 310. again, i want to thank chairwoman waters for her valiant support, and i yield back the balance of my time. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from missouri is recognized. mrs. wagner: mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 310 and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentlewoman from california is recognized. ms. waters: i have no further speakers and i'm prepared to

close. i reserve the balance of my time until my colleague yields back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman has the only time left. ms. waters: mr. speaker, i yield myself the balance of the time. i want to thank, again, mr. lynch, as well as the gentleman from florida, mr. mast, for their tireless efforts to ensure that these four individuals receive the recognition that they clearly deserve. we must strive to recognize the brave and honorable members of our country who have committed their lives to protecting it. so i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important piece of legislation 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. 31 0, as amend --

310, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? ms. waters: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 5128, the expanding access to capital for rural job creators, sponsored by congresswoman axne. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 5128, a bill to amend the securities exchange act of 1934 to expand access to capital for rural-area small businesses, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from california, ms. waters, and the gentlewoman from missouri, mrs. wagner, each will

control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california. ms. waters: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on this legislation. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. waters: i now yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise in support of h.r. 5128, the expanding access to capital for rural job creators act, introduced by representative axne. while small businesses in the big cities may enjoy easier access to capital to grow their businesses, hire and support their employees and serve their communities, the businesses in rural america often struggle. rural america's job growth is -- poverty rate is higher than that

of the big cities. even though it has dropped under president biden's leadership and as a result of this congress' work, congresswoman axne's bill would require s.e.c.'s small business advocate to report to congress particular challenges that rural businesses face in accessing our capital markets. so i urge my colleagues to support this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from missouri is recognized. mrs. wagner: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. wagner: i rise in support of h.r. 5128, the expanding access to capital for rural job creators act. i'd like to thank representatives axne and mooney for their work on h.r. 5128. in the financial services committee, we continually highlight the importance of

capital formation for those in the underbanked rural communities. we all know constituents who have struggled to gain capital to begin their own small businesses. small and rural counties and the small businesses in those areas are even more vulnerable during recessions and during economic recovery. h.r. 5128 is an example of legislation that can help solve one of the biggest issues for a number of rural small businesses -- access to capital. i urge all my colleagues to support this legislation, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentlewoman from california is recognized. ms. waters: i now yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from iowa, mrs. axne.