to that from moderate democrats, republicans. democrats do not need the republicans to get it through congress, but it does not look like the tax cut as proposed will bear itself out. i think we will see more from the white house in terms of where are they comfortable negotiating on a corporate tax rate, what they may propose in the fuller budget proposal. it will probably be interesting because it sort of illustrates their desire to pay for the infrastructure investments, but also there will probably be proposals there, within the 10 year budget window, how they want to find the government -- fund the >> we are leaving this here to continue our full time commitment to live gavel-to-gavel congressional coverage. the house is meeting to debate

17 bills, scams against senior citizens and other issues. live now to the u.s. house here on c-span. the speaker: the house will be in order. the prayer will be offered by the chaplain, chaplain kibben. chaplain kibben: would you pray

with me. gracious god, we earnestly pray today to walk in your presence. with you beside us, may your nearness, both inspire and -- nearness both inspire and compel us to take steps in response to your divine mercy. and obedience to your divine guidance. and in gratitude for your divine compassion for us. may each thought that comes to our minds be of your will. may each aspiration our souls conjure be worthy of your blessing. may every action we take reveal your love to those who need it so desperately. may every word we speak give honor to you. it is our humble prayer that in everything we do today, we would be instruments of your transcendent love in this place,

of your sacrificial love for all of creation, and of your redeeming love for this world and for each of your children. we offer ourselves to you in the hope of your mercy and in the strength of your name. amen. last day's proceedings is approved. the pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentleman from ohio, mr. feenstra. will representative-elect letlow and members of the louisiana delegation present themselves in the well.

will representative-elect letlow and members of the louisiana delegation present themselves in the well. all members will rise and the representative-elect will please raise her right hand. do you solemnly swear that you will support and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies foreign and domestic, that you will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, that you take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that you will well and faithfully discharge the duty eats of your -- duties of your office that you are about to enter, so help you god. congratulations, you are now a member of the 117th congress.

for what purpose does the gentleman from louisiana seek recognition? mr. scalise: to speak out of order for one minute, madam speaker. the speaker: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. scalise: it's with great honor on behalf of the entire louisiana delegation we welcome julia letlow to congress. it's been quite a journey. and it's not a journey that she walks alone. this has been julia and luke letlow's journey for over a year, and we all still grieve for the loss of luke, tragically died just days before he would have been sworn into congress. but julia never backed down, never looked back. she moved forward and she said,

we're going to continue this journey on. and with her beautiful family and i know up in the balcony we have her 3-year-old son jeremiah and her 1-year-old daughter jacqueline. we welcome them. as well as both julia and luke's families who are in the balcony. there are so many great tributes and attributes that julia is going to bring to this congress. she graduated from the university of louisiana-monroe. she has been in higher education her entire life. truly dedicated her life to serving others. and she will be serving on the education and workforce committee as well as on the agriculture committee, two things that will be very important to enrich this country as well as her district. but she's got a great record of service. we are so excited to have her in our delegation. we're especially proud that julia becomes today the first republican woman ever elected to

congress from louisiana. and with that, let me welcome our newest member of congress, julia letlow. ms. letlow: thank you, madam speaker. it's an honor and a privilege to stand here today as the first republican woman elected to congress from louisiana. representing the people of the fifth congressional district is a great responsibility, and i pledge to work hard for you in congress. my district is blessed with some of the best resources in the nation and no one knew that better than my husband, luke, who was elected to this very seat but who we lost to covid just days before he was set to takeoffs. -- take office. luke and i were a team with a goal to better our state and our country. i want to thank him for paving the way for me.

i am here today to carry that torch forward, to be a voice for our farmers, to champion education, to help bring broadband to our rural communities, and to ensure our economy is thriving again. the last year has not been easy for our country. too many families like mine have experienced tragedy because of this pandemic. to those families, i see you. i hear you. and most importantly, i pray with you. i want to thank my family, both the letlows and the barnhills, for being the rock-solid godly people you are in my life. i also cannot thank my staff, the louisiana delegation, and my congressional colleagues enough for guiding me and welcoming me so fully. and i thank everyone who has reached out and prayed for my family these past few months.

today, as i start my journey in congress, i choose hope. i want to be part of a revival of honesty, integrity and hard work within these hallowed halls. i will stand up for what is right and true, bringing hope of a better tomorrow for my children and for yours. thank you, madam speaker. i yield my remaining time. the speaker: congratulations, congresswoman letlow. much success to you. under clause 5-d with your swearing in, 5-d of rule 20, the house announces that light of the swearing in of the gentlewoman from louisiana, the whole number of the house is 430.

let us again salute your family. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, by direction of the democratic caucus, i offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 310, resolved, that the following named member be and is hereby -- >> i ask unanimous consent that the resolution be considered as read and printed in the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the resolution is agreed to and the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, by direction of the house republican conference

i send to the desk a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 311, resolved, that the following name member be and is hereby elected to the following standing committees of the house of representatives, committee on education and labor, ms. letlow, committee on agriculture, ms. letlow. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the resolution is agreed to and the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the chair will entertain up to 15 requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from ohio seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute.

ms. kaptur: yes, mr. speaker, today i rise to congratulate the winner of the ohio ninth congressional district's second annual congressional app challenge, james, of bay high school in bay village high school. anonymous f.r.q. grading is an impressive tool for students and teachers to submit essays free of bias. james' application, to the skills shown to produce it, the judges for this year's including computer science professionals such as mack from the cleveland water alliance and kelly from lorraine county community college. i'm amazed by the submissions and participation from across the district we received this year. developing stem education must be a priority, not only within our community but across our nation as well. and the congressional app challenge is an opportunity to foster such critical skills. i offer my sincerest

congratulations to james on his win and thank him for the impressive work that went in for creating this app. i thank james' teacher at bay high, rob, who provided guidance and mentorship to james during this challenge. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from missouri seek recognition? mrs. wagner: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. mrs. wagner: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, today i rise to implore my colleagues to join me in the fight to protect the most vulnerable in our society, infants that survive abortions. again, again, more than 75 times democrats have refused to even allow a vote on my legislation, the born alive abortion survivors protection act. this, mr. speaker, is shameful. every child should be welcomed with joy and wonder no matter the circumstances of their birth. i will not stop until the work

that had this -- that this legislation is passed and signed into law. so all newborns have a chance at life. just two hours ago, representative cammack, she filed a discharge petition so that democrats can't continue to block the born alive act. it is my sincerest hope that every member of congress, democrat or republican, finds the courage to add their name to this petition. it's the simplest decision that any of us can make. do you support babies receiving lifesaving care after they're born or would you deny these children the care and murder them or leave them to die in front of you? i'm challenging congress to stand up and do the right thing and urge my colleagues to sign the discharge petition to ensure no american child is denied medical care. i thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina seek recognition?

>> i rise to ask unanimous consent to address the house for up to one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. last week some of my doctor caucus colleagues and i took a trip to the southern border to observe the ongoing humanitarian crisis. what we saw was nothing short of tragic. the bottom line is that the situation stems from several key biden policies that have created an incentive for migrants to cross the border illegally. president biden abolished the successful remain in mexico policy, despite the fact that it helped migrants avoid numerous dangers. mr. murphy: it was accompanied by his administration's moratorium on deportations and not abiding by title 42's expressed purpose. let there be no mistake -- no one gets into this country without the expressed permission of our drug cartels at our

southern border. not only are illegal immigrants coming in but drugs, weapons, and the amount of human trafficking are coming now in record numbers. even worse, this crisis falls on terrified unaccompanied children. i will never forget seeing a 4-year-old with nothing on her back except her clothes and a telephone number written in sharpie across her chest. i ask the biden administration to return to the previous administration's border policies. thank you and i yield back. . the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. last year i was proud to serve on the house china task force with a number of my republican colleagues. over six months, through engagement and consultation with national security and trade officials, foreign policy experts, the business community

and government officials, we compiled and unveiled a comprehensive report with more than 400 policy recommendations for how to address the existential challenges posed by china. addressing the challenges posed by china will be one of the greatest issues congress and our country faces in the decades to come. as we confront these issues, bipartisan work is needed. the china task force report provides a road map with specific policy ideas and goals regarding how the u.s. can better combat the threat of the chinese communist party. 2/3 of the legislative recommendations are bipartisan. and overall more than 1/4 of the recommendations have already become law or been implemented by the prior trump administration. as a member of the ways and means committee, we authored important provisions of the report that will help return american intellectual property and critical supply chains to the united states. we also included legislation to reform and strengthen the world trade organization to level the playing field for american

trade. to preserve and grow the national -- to preserve and grow the national economic security we need to act. l.a. l.a. i ask everyone --hoodhood i ask everyone to read the -- mr. lahood: i ask everyone to read the report, work with us to get this done in a bipartisan way. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from iowa seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. feenstra: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to celebrate the birthday of ralph johnson from cherokee, iowa. who turned 100 years on monday. ralph is a member of the greatest generation, serving in the navy during world war ii. he truly embodies bravery, courage and selfless sacrifice as an american patriot. working as the head mechanic in the pacific theater.

if you talk to ralph, he'll tell you his harrowing stories of his service, like the time a japanese flew so close to his ship that he could see the pilot's faces. on behalf of a grateful nation, thank you, ralph, for your service and sacrifice. i'd also like to take a moment to recognize linda summerfield and david scott who made ralph's special day great. happy birthday, ralph. we wish you many blessings and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from iowa seek recognition? >> thank you, mr. chair. i request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to thank a young girl in my district for her charitable actions this year. for her birthday or for most 6-year-olds at their birthday,

they ask their parents for gifts. a doll house, a puppy, or a trip to disney world. but dempsey wagner has s using her special day to raise funds to keep iowans safe. dempsey, who lost two relatives to drowning in 2017, is using her birthday to help raise money for a rescue boat, the rescue boat and a trained dive team have the capability to save many lives on the mississippi and des moines river and surrounding lee county lakes. last year dempsey used his 5th birthday to raise $3,000 for the crime stoppers police puppies. but this year dempsey has used her 6th birthday and more than doubled her record, raising over $13,610 for the lee county rescue boat. mrs. miller-meeks: my husband and i were proud to contribute to this worthy cause. it's iowa nice stories like this that make me more proud to represent iowa and the second district. keep up the good work, dempsey.

and thank you for making both lee county and iowa safer. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> i seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. lamalfa: thank you. weeks ago the biden administration made vice president kamala harris the border czar. the question i have is, which border? we learned today that czar kamala is traveling to guatemala. while we do need cooperation with guatemala in halting the flow of illegal entrance from south america, it defies lodge take weeks after her appointment, she has not visited the very border, our border, with mexico, that she has been tasked with protecting.

it seems that the biden-harris administration has gone out of the way to ignore the seriousness of the border crisis it has created. even as a number of illegal border crossers and uncompanied aminors shatter records, democrats have declared everything under the is up is infrastructure except a border wall. -- the sun is infrastructure except for a border wall. to the biden administration and czar kamala, border security is national security. and the american people are pleading with you to take steps to end this crisis you've created. it's time to answer their call. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> over the last few months, the

situation at our border has evolved into a serious crisis, caused by policy changes from the biden administration that have incentivized the legal immigration -- the illegal immigration. this is not my opinion, this is information received firsthand on my recent trip to the border. these policys -- policies include implementing catch and release and suspension of the portion of title 42 which allowed for expelling unaccompanied minors. i witnessed massively overcrowded rooms or pods where many children were held for weeks. the enormous influx of illegals has given the drug cartels the insidious opportunity to ship drugs into our country, leading to an increase of fentanyl smuggling by more man -- by more than 2,000% and illegal weapons by more than 100%. and a great concern is the rumor that title 42 will be fully resinleded by the white house, which would lead -- resinleded by the white house, which would lead, mr. speaker -- rescinded by the white house, which would lead, mr. speaker, more problems at the border.

alexis mathews we ask the president and vice president -- mr. meuser: we ask the president and vice president to visit the border. this is not a republican or democrat issue, this is a humanitarian and national security crisis. that can be solved. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina seek recognition? >> to seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. today i rise to honor dorothy williams moore on the occasion of her 100th birthday. dorothy was born in hamptonville, north carolina. she graduated from kataba college, class of 1942, majoring in home economics. on march 20, 1946, she married thomas moore and moved to charlotte. dorothy and thomas had four children. luther, luana, neil and cynthia. dorothy has proudly served as a mother, homemaker and substitute

teacher. mr. bishop: she also taught sunday school. thomas passed away in 1986 after nearly 40 years of marriage. dorothy still lives in charlotte. she has five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. a double cancer survivor, she loves music and sang in her church's choir until the onset of covid-19. she also enjoys sweets. especially chocolate ice cream. dorothy, it is an honor to pay tribute to you on your 100th birthday. you've led an amazing life and your family is overjoyed to celebrate it with you. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from iowa seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognize for one minute -- recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to honor of life of sergeant jim smith. sergeant smith died tragically

in the line of duty this past friday night in iowa. sergeant smith honorably served as an iowa state trooper for 27 years. he was an incredible man who loved his family and his state, god, his fellow troopers, and his community in independence, iowa. mrs. hinson: my heart goes out to his wife, kathy, and their two children. i hope that the family can find some comfort in knowing that he did die a hero, protecting his community as he did every day for well over two decades. sergeant smith and his service and sacrifice for iowans will never be forgotten. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition? >> i seek one minute to address

the house. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, many families, including my own, have been impacted by cancer. for more than 178,000 americans diagnosed with a blood cancer like leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma, the be the match program represents hope. founded in minnesota, be the match runs the world's largest registry designed to connect patients in need of life-saving blood or marrow transplants with a donor. in 2019 be the match facilitated over 6,500 transplants, giving hope to countless families around the world. emily kaplan minnesota has long been a hub -- mr. emmer: minnesota has long been a hub for this. i urge all of my colleagues today to support the transplant act and re-authorize federal partnerships like be the match which have impacted the lives of millions. connecting patients with donors and developing the next generation of genretive medicine

truly represents the best of who we are as society. i thank representative matsui and the other sponsors of this legislation for their hard work and encourage everyone to help keep hope alive by supporting this bill. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous -- consent to remove representatives bill huizenga, jay abernathy and gonzalez as co-sponsor of h.r. 157. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the chair lays before the house a communication. the clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives. madam, pursuant to the permission granted in clause 2-h of rule 2 of the rules of the u.s. house of representatives, the clerk received the following message from the secretary of the senate on april 14, 2021, at 11:24 a.m. that the senate agreed to, relative to the death of the

united states capitol police officer, william francis "billy" evans -- evans, senate resolution 152. appointment, board of trustees of the john f. kennedy center for the performing arts. signed, sincerely, cheryl l. johnson. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 4 of rule 1, the following enrolled bill was signed by the speaker on tuesday, april 13, 2021. the clerk: h.r. 1868. a bill to prevent across-the-board spending cuts and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20rks the chair will postpone -- 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings today on the motions to suspend the rules on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the house will resume proceedings on the postponed questions at a later time. 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. 172, the united states anti-doping agency re-authorization act of 2021. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 172. a bill to re-authorize the united states anti-doping agency and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone, and the gentlewoman from washington, mrs. mcmorris rogers, each will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone. mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have fine legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include ex -- extraneous material on h.r. 172. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: thank you. i rise today in support of h.r. 172, the united states anti-doping agency re-authorization act of 2021. for two decades, mr. speaker, the united states anti-doping

agency or usada has worked to ensure integrity in our american olympic and paraolympic sporting activities through the promotion and support of drug-free competition. recommended by an olympic committee task force, this independent organization was established to manage a comprehensive anti-doping program in the united states. since its authorization in 2000, usada has helped to advance clean sports through scientific research, anti-doping education, and outreach programs. . h.r. 172 would extend and increase the authorization level to 2030 and empower usada encourage a positive sporting environment to provide educational materials on sportsmanship, character building, and healthy performance. the bill also improves anti-doping efforts in the u.s.

by encouraging federal agencies to coordinate and share information with usada to prevent the use of performance-enhancing drugs and other methods. this will make positive efforts there usada is already doing as we gear up to the summer olympics in los angeles. i want to thank mr. thompson and ms. degette and thank ranking member rogers and -- ranking member rodgers for moving this in a bipartisan matter. i urge my colleagues to support this legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from washington is recognized. mrs. rodgers: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from washington is recognized. mrs. rodgers: thank you, mr. speaker. today i rise to speak in support of h.r. 172, the united states anti-doping agency

re-authorization act, sponsored by representatives mike thompson, bill johnson, and diana degette. this bill will re-authorize the u.s. anti-doping agency, usada, charged with administering anti-doping agencies for the olympics, paraolympics. they handle in competition and out of competition testing, results management processes, drug reference resources and the athlete education for all u.s. olympic and paraolympic committee recognized sport national governing bodies for athletes and events. usada is the administrator for the ultimate fighting championship anti-doping program. re-authorizing this important agency will further the advancement of clean sports, fair game and positive

sportsmanship. i ask my colleagues to support the bill. we'll be hearing from one of my colleagues in a moment, colleague on the committee, bill johnson, and also want to thank the chairman for working together to get this done today. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from washington reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield three minutes now to the gentleman from california, mr. thompson, who's the lead sponsor of the legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california, mr. johnson, is recognized. mr. johnson: i thank the chairman. mr. speaker -- mr. thompson: mr. speaker, i rise in strong support of h.r. 172, bipartisan legislation re-authorizing the united states anti-doping agency, usada. since 2001, usada has been recognized by congress as the official anti-doping agency for olympic, paraolympic, and other sporting competitions in the united states. the organization conducts drug testing for athletes, manages test results, and per sues

bad -- pursues bad actors who seek to undermine the principles of clean and fair sport through the use of illicit or banned substances. this important legislation re-authorizes usada through fiscal year 2030 and provides a slight funding boost to allow usada to prepare for the 2028 olympics in los angeles, california. in abigs, this legislation -- in addition, this legislation requires usada to devote a portion of its funding to clean sports initiatives for young athletes and authorizes the department of justice and other federal agencies to cooperate with usada in the course of its investigations. i'm grateful to my colleagues on the energy and commerce committee for advancing this legislation to the floor, and i urge my colleagues to vote yes. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california yields. the gentleman from new jersey

reserves. the gentlewoman from washington, mrs. mcmorris rodgers, is recognized. mrs. rodgers: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm pleased to yield to a colleague and leader on the energy and commerce committee, the gentleman from ohio, bill johnson. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio is recognized. mr. johnson: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in support of the u.s. anti-doping agency re-authorization act. thank you to my colleague, representative thompson, for your hard work to get this important legislation across the finish line and thank you to ranking member mcmorris rodgers for recognizing me. the united states anti-doping agency, or usada, has worked hard to ensure that our athletic programs are the best in the world and also the cleanest. critical to maintaining that success is ensuring our athletes are competing fairly, without the use of performance-enhancing drugs, which is why i introduced the u.s. anti-doping agency re-authorization act.

usada must have the resources it needs to ensure the integrity of its programs and advance the american values of sportsmanship and playing by the rules on the global stage. in addition to funding the agency, this legislation adds a special focus on clean sport training for young athletes and their coaches and enables usada to better coordinate with federal law enforcement. with the olympics and other international sporting events just around the corner, i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill. and i yield back, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from washington reserves. the gentleman from new jersey-- the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone, is recognized. mr. pallone: thank you. i don't have any other speakers. i don't know if my colleague does. i have no additional comment. i just urge support of this legislation and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time.

the gentlewoman from washington is recognized. mrs. rodgers: thank you, mr. speaker. we have no additional speakers. we urge support. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the question, members, is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 172. 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 -- >> i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to section 3-s of house resolution 8, the yeas and nays are postponed.

for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition? mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass s. 578, the faster act. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: senate 578, to improve the health and safety of americans living with food allergies and related disorders, including potentially life-threatening anaphylaxis, food protein-induced entercolitis syndrome and eosinofi -- eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone, and the gentlewoman

from washington, mrs. rodgers, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new jersey. mr. pallone: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. pallone: i rise in support of the faster act. an estimated 32 million americans, including approximately one in every 13 children are affected by food allergies. these allergies can pose significant risk, particularly when inaccurate food labels fail to warn consumers about the presence of some of these allergens. eight allergens are major. they include milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts and soybeans. manufacturers must clearly state the presence of any of these ingredients on labels. notably missing from this list is sesame. sesame is considered an allergen of growing concern. while its prevalence has more

than doubled over the last decade, it is not required to be listed as an allergen on food packaging. in fact in some cases, the food may contain sesame but the ingredient won't be listed at all on the label, instead of being referred through nonspecific terms such as spices or words that may not be easily recognized to consumers containing sesame. while many may not recognize the simple ingredient label, for many families, a lack of clarity on ingredients could mean life or death for those who are allergic to sesame. clearly, this information should be prominently featured on all food labels. this is an issue we have been working on for quite some time. i previously introduced a bill several years ago that would list sesame as a major food allergen and although the food and drug administration opened the docket to solicit feedback about ses may labeling -- sesame labeling, the agency was not required to do this due to

overly long regulatory processes. so mr. speaker, we're bypassing these regulatory delays and the faster act would quickly move this process along by recognizing sesame as a major food allergen and requiring the listing on new food label after a process. it would require the f.d.a. to report recommendations on how we can make additional improvements to protect individuals with food allergies, including ways to add additional major food allergens. so i want to thank representative matsui for her tireless work on this bill. she's the prime sponsor, and we came so close to getting this over the finish line in the last congress. i'm glad that today we're spending this -- we're sending this bill to president biden for his signature. i'm proud to support the legislation, encourage all members to vote for it. i reserve the balance of my time, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentlewoman from washington is recognized. mrs. rodgers: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentlewoman from washington, mrs. mcmorris rodgers, is recognized. mrs. rodgers: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in support of s. 578, the food allergy safety, treatment, and education act. this is a bipartisan companion of a bill that was led by representative mchenry, gonzalez, and matsui. s. 578 will designate sesame as a major food allergen. this means that with the enactment of this legislation, manufacturers would have to list this ingredient on the food packaging label of products containing sesame. recent studies indicate that sesame allergies are of growing concern in the united states. with a prevalence rate on par with allergies to soy and fish, which are both listed as major allergens under the federal food, drug, and cosmetic act. this information will protect families from serious dangerous

and life-threatening allergic reactions. i ask my colleagues to support this legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from washington reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield as such time as she may consume to ms. matsui, who is the lead sponsor of this legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california is recognized. ms. matsui: thank you, mr. chairman. mr. speaker, i rise today in support of two of my bills being considered under suspension today, the faster act, and the transplant act. the food allergy safety, treatment, education, and research act, faster, which was not as fast as i wanted it to be, but this act will help to improve the safety of more than 32 million americans, including 5.6 million children living with potentially life-threatening food allergies. under current law, mandatory labeling is required for major

food allergens recognized by the f.d.a., like milk, eggs, and peanuts. my grandson, robby, has a peanut allergy, and for families like mine, accurate food ingredient labels are vital to making safe and healthy choices. the time we spent reading the labels and having discussions about whether he can go to a birthday party or not or go to camp or not and having friends over, it was just heartbreaking. we need to have those labels to be clear. critically, the faster act extends these labeling protections to nearly 1.6 million americans allergic to sesame by requiring sesame to be included as an ingredient on a package food label. the bill also expands the research necessary to find new treatments as an important step in the right direction to finding an eventual cure for food allergies.

today is a testament to the hard work of thousands of grass root advocates who sent emails, made calls, and visited members of congress and staff to build support and make sesame the ninth allergen to be labeled under law. the outpouring of support was incredible. the faster act will truly make a difference for those living with potentially life-threatening food allergies, and we're proud it can now be sent to president biden's desk. i also rise today in support of h.r. 941, the transplant act. my legislation to re-authorize the c.w. bill young cell transplantation program and the national chord blood inventory for another five years. . every three minutes someone is diagnosed with blood cancer. for patients and families facing these fatal diseases, a bone marrow or cord blood transplant may be the best treatment or the only potential for a cure. congress has long recognized the

need to coordinate life-saving transplants between patients and unrelated donors at the national level. and has shown strong bipartisan over the years for the program. we must continue to encourage donors and give these patients with otherwise fatal blood cancers a second chance at life. that is why i join with representative bill rothfus to introduce the transplant act. this past year there's been a new sense of urgency for this timely re-authorization. we've seen how the be the match's status as a designated operator of the national program has helped bone marrow cower yers continue to -- couriers to continue transplants during the pandemic. we must ensure patients with otherwise fatal blood cancers continue to have access to transplants. both during and after the current public health crisis. i urge my colleagues to support this legislation today so it may

further prevent any lapse in funding. thank you very much and i support both bills and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california yields back. the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentlewoman from washington is recognized. mrs. rodgers: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm pleased to yield three minutes to the gentleman from north carolina, the leader of -- one of the leaders of this legislation, and the leader of the financial services committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from north carolina is recognized for three minutes. mr. hern: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to -- mr. hensarling: -- mr. mchenry: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to thank leader rogers. it's an amaze thing to be here with you today. it's an amazing thing to be here today to talk about this important bill. as the lead republican co-sponsor of the house companion to s. 578, i rise in support of the faster act. millions of americans suffer

from life-threatening food allergies. more than 1.5 million americans are allergic to sesame in particular. yet there's no current requirement to include the ingredient on product labels. this legislation would declare it the ninth major allergen to be recognized by the u.s. food and drug administration and update laws to require the labeling of sesame. this bill would also require the secretary of health and human services to regularly review promising food allergy treatments and research. this is a major priority, a bipartisan priority. these efforts will help slow this rapidly growing disease and ultimately find -- search and find and fund a cure. finally, the faster act establishes a scientific process and framework for establishing additional allergens covered by the federal food, drug and cosmetic act. i'm proud to serve as co-founder

and co-chair of the newly formed congressional food allergy research caucus, along with congresswoman matsui. we recognize there is more we can do to help those 32 million americans, including many that are children, who suffer from food allergies. we can and we should do more to increase funding into research, therapies and treatments for food allergies. sending this legislation to the president's desk would be a major first step to achieving our goal of improving treatment opportunities. i urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote yes on this bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from washington reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: thank you, mr. speaker. i have no additional speakers. mrs. rodgers: we don't either. mr. pallone: then i would urge my colleagues to support this bill, s. 578, the faster act. and yield back the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from washington is recognized. mrs. rodgers: i thank the chairman, thank the speaker. we have no additional speakers 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 senate 578. 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 rules are suspended -- the gentleman from north carolina. >> mr. speaker, i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to section 3-s of house resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question are 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. 189, the john lewis national institute of minority health and health disparities reserve endowment revitalization

active 2021. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 189. a bill to amend the public health service act to provide that the authority of the director of the national institute and minority health and health disparities to make certain research endowments, applies with respect to both current and former senators of excellence and -- centers for excellence and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from new jersey and the gentlewoman from washington each will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone. mr. pallone: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks, include extraneous material on h.r. 189. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, it is to so ordered -- it is so ordered. mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pallone: i rise today in support of h.r. 189, the john lewis national institute of minority health and health

disparities research endowment revitalization act of 2021. this legislation would resume grants to minority academic institutions who fell out of eligibility for funding through the nimhd research endowment program. by allowing those schools to resume eligibility, we will once again help these institutions conduct critical research into minority health disparities. covid-19, mr. speaker, has further exacerbated many of the inequities that minority communities experience when interacting with the health care system. inequities that we know existed long before the pandemic. in order to address the inequities in our health care system and in our society, we must confront them head-on and work together to eliminate them. by supporting nimhd and the academic institutions funded through it, we're helping to advance minority health disparity research and strengthening the diversity of the scientific work force by recruiting and retaining

individuals under-represented in these fields. and this bill is a step towards progress in an equitable public health system. this bill is named after our former colleague, the late and great congressman john lewis of georgia. who introduced this legislation last congress. he was a dear friend and a long-time champion of eliminating disparities across the board and he is certainly missed. but i want to thank my colleagues, the two sponsors, representative barragan and carter, for leading the effort on this legislation this year. this is truly bipartisan. i urge my colleagues to support this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentlewoman from washington, mrs. mcmorris rogers, is recognized. mrs. rodgers: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. rodgers: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in support of h.r. 189. the john lewis nimhd research

endowment revitalization act which was introduced by my colleagues, representative barragan, carter and taylor. this bill will authorize the national institute on minority health and health disparities to award research grants to current and former centers of excellence that conduct research on minority health disparities. health inequities are disproportionately experienced by minority populations. and these disparities can have adverse impacts on health outcomes, economic opportunities and overall quality of life. the current covid-19 pandemic has only underscored these disparities which is why this bill is so important. continued support of these centers of excellence is critical in advancing minority health, addressing health inequities, and expanding educational and training opportunities for those interested further in advancing research in this space. i'd like to thank my colleagues and especially my colleague on the energy and commerce committee for the republicans, on the republican side, representative buddy carter, for leading this initiative.

and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: thank you. i'd like to yield now such time as she may consume to a member of our committee, congresswoman from california, ms. barragan, and she is the lead sponsor of the bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california is recognized. ms. barragan: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in support of h.r. 189. the john lewis national institutes of minority health and health disparities research endowment revitalization afpblet this is a bipartisan -- act. this is a bipartisan bill that i introduced with my colleague from georgia, congressman carter. it's fitting that this bill comes before us during national minority health month. because this legislation moves us closer to ending the public health disparities facing communities of color. we need to understand why people of color are more likely to get certain illnesses. it's a tragic reality, but solutions are out there. h.r. 189 will fund the research

that will help us find solutions and save lives. this bill would once again allow for current and former nimhd or health resources and service administration centers of excellence to receive research endowment funding. money that is critical in the fight to reduce minority health disparities. the research endowment program at the national institute of minority health and health disparities provides funding to the endowments of academic institutions across the country. such as a university in my district, moorehouse school of college, the university of puerto rico school of dentistry, university of new mexico school of medicine, howard university college of pharmacy, and so many others. the goal of the program includes promoting minority health and health disparities research capacity and infrastructure. increasing the diversity and strength of the scientific work

force, and enhancing the recruitment and retention of individuals from health disparity populations that are under-represented in the scientific work force. this is critical legislation that was going play a huge role in addressing and researching disparities. during the covid-19 health emergency, communities of color were once again disproportionately affected. research into health disparities is more crucial than ever. i want to thank my co-sponsors and want to thank chairman pallone for working to help me get this important bill to the floor. i urge my colleagues to support this bill and let's get this done and across the finish line. with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california yields back. the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentlewoman from washington is recognized. mrs. rodgers: thank you, mr. speaker. pleased to yield such time as he may consume to an important leader on this legislation, as well as on the committee, the

gentleman from georgia, mr. buddy carter. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. mccarthy: -- mr. carter: i thank the gentlelady for yielding. mr. speaker, thank you for the time today to let me speak on this important legislation. and thank you to congresswoman barragan for being a champion of this issue. and she truly is a champion of this issue. the coronavirus has wreaked havoc on our communities, especially minority communities. now more than ever we must support minority academic institutions and the crill critical research they conduct -- and the critical research they cubt. minority academic institutions can play a big role in addressing the systemic health disparities minority communities are feeling. we must ensure schools, including the moorehouse college in my home state of georgia, are able to conduct their research without disruption. without a re-authorization of this program, health research will have to be paused or abandoned altogether. we must not let that happen. the efforts of these researchers

will help all of us better prepare to the coronavirus and other health inequities more effectively. i urge pass ac of this very important ledge -- passage of this very important legislation and yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from washington, ms. rodges -- the gentlewoman from washington refreshes. -- reserves. mrs. rodgers: i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i would urge support for this legislation and i also yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. members, the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 19. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. -- 189. 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 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 new jersey seek recognition? mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 941, the transplant act of 2021. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 941, a bill to re-authorize the stem cell therapeutic and loich act of 2005, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone, and the gentleman from florida, mr. bilirakis, 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. 941. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: mr. speaker, the c.w. "bill" young transplant program and the national cord blood inventory facilitate lifesaving bone marrow and umbilical cord blood donations to help patients suffering from blood cancers, disorders, and diseases. these programs assist transplant patients by providing additional information about bone marrow and cord blood transplants, maintaining an efficient process for identifying donor matches, and increasing the number of unrelated donors available for transplant. the programs also collect data and expand research to improve patient outcomes. i want to thank my colleagues, representative matsui, bilirakis, and pingree, for their bipartisan leadership on this bill. and i would urge my colleagues to support h.r. 941. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. bilirakis: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. the gentleman from florida. mr. bilirakis: i rise in support of the transplant act. as co-chair of the blood cancers caucus, i urge my colleagues to support the transplant act. this bill is about providing hope to those who are struggling with life threatening illnesses. the transplant act re-authorizes the c.w. "bill" young transplantation program in addition to the national cord blood inventory program. i remember bill young, who represented bill young, chairman young, great friend of ours, and he said that this was one of his greatest accomplishments. and i also know that chris smith will be speaking later was also involved in this. he's been a champion on this issue, mr. speaker. i appreciate both of them. this federal program provides critical support in the

advancement of research for better treatments and the infrastructure necessary to organize registries which will help ensure transplant patients have access to lifesaving procedures. simply put, its continued re-authorization is vital for patients with diseases like blood cancer, sickle cell ameme -- anemia. i sincerely appreciate the work of my friend and colleague and fellow blood cancers co-caucus chair, congressman -- congresswoman matsui. in addition to the legacy of bipartisan leadership in support of these programs by members like, as i said, chris smith. i want to thank the chairman as well and the ranking member for agendaing this particular bill. i know it will get through the senate this time. additionally i appreciate the critical daily work of the national marrow donor program operating the be the match

national registry connecting patients in search of a cure with life threatening bone marrow donors even in the midst of this historic pandemic. i would like to take a moment to recognize the great work of the president of the core blood association. she also serves in multiple roles at duke university, including the director of carolina's cord blood bank. she has dedicated her professional career to cord blood research, banking and transplantation, and is internationally recognized umbilical cord blood transplnter. she advised congress on the creation of the public cord blood banking program, which was part of the stem cell therapeutic and research act of 2005, mr. speaker. she continues to be a trusted advisor to congress on this important program. i urge all my colleagues, mr. speaker, to join us in expediting passage of this

lifesaving bipartisan bill. i will reserve, thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i have no additional speakers. i think my colleague does. i'll reserve at this time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. bilirakis: mr. speaker, i'd like to recognize representative smith for four minutes, please. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. smith: i thank my good friend for yielding. good to see my good friend and colleague, frank pallone. mr. speaker, today the house of representatives will vote to re-authorize the stem cell therapeutic research act, a law that i authored in 2005. this was an original idea of

mine 20 years ago, and my good friend from florida just mentioned. the doctor was in the meetings we held in drafting this legislation and provided incredible insights what we should do, what path we should follow. i appreciate him recognizing her. and i also want to thank mr. davis, my democratic colleague, who is the principal democratic co-sponsor of the bill during those several years. it took five long years of hard work and numerous setbacks. the bill is finally signed into law on december 20, 2005. the new law created a nationwide umbilical cord blood stem cell program designed to collect, type, and freeze cord blood units for transplantation into patients to mitigate and even cure serious disease. pursuant to the law it also provided stem cells for research. the new cord blood program was combined with an expanded bone marrow initiative which was crafted over several years by

our distinguished colleague, congressman bill young. umbilical cord blood stem cells obtained after the birth of a child have proved to be high bye efficacious to treat some 70 diseases, including sickle cell, lymphoma, leukemia, and metabolic and immune deficiencies. scientists are continuing to study and better understand the regenerative effects of cord blood self-therapist for other diseases and disabilities, including autism. i would say in like manner, bone marrow donations are also providing lifesaving transplants for some of those very same diseases. so we have a great regun aive initiative that has -- will be continued. the national cord blood inventory, ncbi, provides funding to public core blood banks participating in the program to allow them to expand the national inventory of cord blood units available for

transplant. these units are then listed on the registry by the be the match program. the funds appropriated thus far have led to an important increase in the overall number of high quality cord blood units available through the national registry. now totaling 111,000 units. within the be the match registry, there are more than 80,000 worldwide. the program registry, mr. speaker, allows patients and physicians to locate matching cord blood units, as well as adult donors for marrow and peripheral blood stem cells. the program is the world's largest most diverse donor registry with more than 23 million volunteers. to date the national marrow program, donor program, be the match, through its operations program has facilitated more than 105,000 transplants and according to the be the match, more than 40,000 patients have

received cord blood transplants. the authorization before us provides $23 million per year over each year for five years for the cord blood side. and again some $30 million each year for the bone marrow program. madam speaker -- mr. speaker, i should say, each year nearly four million babies are born in america. in the past virtually every placenta and umbilical cord was tossed as medical waste. today doctors have turned this medical waste into medical miracles. not only has god in his wisdom and goodness created a placenta an umbilical cord to protect the precious life of an unborn child, we know another gift awaits immediately after birth. something very special is left behind. cord blood, that is teeming with lifesaving stem cells. i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey yields back. the gentleman from florida reserves. mr. bilirakis: i'm prepared to close. i'll just tell you that this is a very important bill, mr. speaker. needs to pass as soon as possible. and i really appreciate the chairman agendaing the bill. i urge the senate to pass as soon as possible. and my colleagues today if we can pass this bill immediately so we can get it to the senate. thank you very much. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida yields back. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i also urge support for the bill and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. members, the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 941. 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, -- gentleman from virginia. >> i ask for a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to section 3-s of house resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20,

further proceedings on this question are postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition? mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass s. 164, the advancing education on biosimilars act of 2021. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: senate 164, an act to educate health care providers and the public on biosimilar, biological products, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone, and the gentleman from florida, mr. bilirakis, each will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone. 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 s. 164. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may

consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pane -- mr. pallone, is recognized. mr. pallone: the rising cost of prescription drugs continues to be a major issue for families across the country. these costs are particularly daunting at a time when we are facing a severe economic down turn and the ongoing pandemic. we are committed to continuing to find collusions to make prescription drugs more affordable for the american people. one important way to help families out is to ensure they are aware of more affordable options, like biosimilars and generics. these are both cheaper options. but unfortunately utilization of these products continues to be too low here in the united states. so the advancing education on biosimilars act of 2021 is commonsense legislation that will help provide patients and health care providers with greater information about biolodgics and biosimilars. to do this the bill requires the f.d.a. to establish a public website with educational

materials. including what products are interchangeable and report any adverse events. in addition the bill would support the development of continuing education programs for health care providers about biolodgics. it's critical that health care providers and patients are aware of all of their options and this legislation will certainly help do that. i'm pleased to work with my colleagues in the senate on this legislation. i urge my colleagues to support the bill. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. bilirakis: thank you, mr. speaker. i appreciate it very much. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. bilirakis: i rise today in support of senate bill 164, advancing education on biosimilars act this. bill is a bipartisan companion to h.r. 1873, championed in the house by dr. bucshon and congressman peters. good friends. this bill would require the f.d.a. to maintain and operate

an internet website to provide educational materials for health care providers, patients, and caregivers on biological products. including biosimilar products and interchangeable biosimilar products. it is also -- it would also require the department of health and human services, h.h.s., to develop continuing education programs or to improve existing programs for health providers, such as doctors and nurses, to promote a better understanding of biosimilar interchangeable products. by increasing awareness about available biosimilar products and providing educational resources for physicians and patients about their benefits, we can increase adoption of these lower cost alternative therapies when appropriate and drive down drug costs for americans across the country. i support this bipartisan effort to lower drug costs through the uptake of biosimilar products,

and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: i also reserve at this time, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. bilirakis: mr. speaker, i yield two minutes or as much time as he may consume to dr. bucshon, a great member of the energy and commerce committee. and a great resource for us nonphysicians. thank you. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from indiana is recognized. mr. bucshon: thank you, mr. speaker. i would like to speak in support of s. 164, the advancing education on biosimilars act of 2021. which is the senate companion of h.r. 1873, a bill i introduced with my friend and colleague, congressman scott peters, from california. this bipartisan, bicameral bill will require f.d.a. to create a public website to create patients and providers about biological and biosimilar products. as these products become

available, it is important that physicians have current information on these therapies in order to choose the best treatment for their patients. availability of information and education on these new and complex treatments for providers and patients will lead to healthy competition in the biological and biosimilar product space and ultimately help lower the cost of these important drugs for patients. i urge my colleagues to support this bill and i look forward to the president signing it into law. thank you, 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 florida reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: i have no additional speakers. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. bilirakis: mr. speaker, i just urge rge -- urge everyone to pass this bill. and let's do it quickly and get it to the senate. actually, this is the senate bill. so we can make this law and get it to the president. thank you very much and i yield

back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida yields back. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i also urge support for the bill 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 rules and pass senate 164. 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 is recognized. >> mr. speaker, i ask for a vorded vote. for a recorded vote -- for a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question are postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition? mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass s. 415, the ensuring enovation act. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: senate 415. an act to amend the federal

food, drug and cosmetic act with respect to the scope of new chemical exclusivity. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from new jersey and the gentleman from florida each will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone. mr. pallone: mr. 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 s. 415. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. pallone: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: mr. speaker, rising prescription drugs -- i'm sorry. rising prescription drug costs are a concern for so many americans. skyrocketing costs can result in some people postponing or altering treatment because the necessary drugs are simply priced out of reach. one way to help reduce drug costs is to provide early access to generic drugs.

this legislation we're considering today will help to do that by ensuring that exclusivity, which can delay generics from entering the market, is only made available to truly innovative products. and this will ensure that drug manufacturers cannot game the system by simply making small tweaks to old drugs as a way to block or delay competition. the legislation will also codify the food and drug administration's current approach to awarding exclusivity. so i want to thank representative schrader and guthrie for their bipartisan work on this legislation, with senators cassidy, smith and marshall. i urge my colleagues to support the bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. bilirakis: i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. bilirakis: mr. speaker, i rise in support of senate bill 415, the ensuring innovation act. this legislation is a bipartisan companion to h.r. 1857, let led

by representatives guthrie and representative schrader. this legislation would ensure that only the most innovative products are eligible for certain market exclusivities and would increase the availability of lower-cost generic drugs. great work by these representatives. currently the f.d.a. grants five years of marketing exclusivity to drug products determined to be a new chemical entity. clarifying what qualifies as a new chemical entity will prevent drug manufacturers from receiving exclusivity by making minor changes to existing drugs which would block generic competition from the market. this important bipartisan legislation will help lower prescription drug prices while preserving incentives to innovate. i'll 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: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield now such time as he may consume to mr. schrader, the gentleman from washington, and a member of the -- i mean from oregon, i'm sorry. and a member of the energy and commerce committee. i have to make sure i say oregon . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oregon, mr. schrader, is recognized. mr. schrader: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to speak in support of senate bill number 415. the bill has the same policy as my own and mr. guthrie's here in the house, h.r. 1857. the protecting access to safe and effective medicines act. the bill is a simple fix providing clarity around the drug approval process, by increasing the specificity, the language companies may use when submit thetion complex and often lengthy applications. simply put, utilizing the term active ingredient opens for the unintended opportunity for pharmaceutical companies to make minor, relatively nonfarm kling

changes. by changing this language as this bill does to -- will be able to close another loophole that would be exposed by companies to obtain exclusivity and hold back competition in the marketplace, the key mechanism for lowering drug prices. this is good policy and it's a piece of the larger drug pricing conversation that we need to have. it demonstrates yet again the policies to lower drug prices are bipartisan and bicameral. in fact, there are many such policies that did not get done in the last congress that offer a starting point for a comprehensive approach addressing drug pricing and now is the time to continue this important work. i'd like to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for help in supporting this bill before us today. i urge its passage and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. bilirakis: yes, mr. speaker.

i'm prepared to close. i just want to urge my colleagues to pass this great bill. i want to commend the representatives, my colleagues, for focusing on this particular issue, which is so important to our constituents. again, let's pass this bill as soon as possible. and i yield back the balance of my time. this gets us -- let's get this to the president. thank you. 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: thank you, mr. speaker. i also urge support for this bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass senate bill 415. 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 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 new jersey seek recognition?

mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1215, the fraud and scam reduction act, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 1215. a bill to establish an office within the federal trade commission and an outside advisory group to prevent fraud targeting seniors and to direct the commission to include additional information and annual report to congress on fraud targeting seniors and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone, and the gentleman from florida, mr. bilirakis, 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 in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.r. 1215. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i rise to speak in support of h.r. 1215 , the fraud and scam reduction

ac. this bipartisan bill was introduced by representatives blunt rochester and walberg, with strong bipartisan support of 16 other members. it also incorporates a bill originally introduced by representatives deutch, buchanan and welch. reducing scams and fraud is an issue of utmost importance in every community. and especially so during these uncertain and unprecedented times. right now we're seeing the best of humanity, but unscrupulous scammers and fraudsters still abound, seeking to capitalize on the confusion and fear that's out there. and seniors are especially vulnerable. according to the most recent report from the f.t.c., older adults reported nearly $400 million in losses from fraud in 2018. it's rare to recover these losses. we all need to work together to protect senior citizens from scams before they fall victim and suffer monetary losses. mr. speaker, this bill establishes a new senior scams

prevention advisory group composed of relevant government agencies and industry representatives to collect and implement best practices that stop scammers before they can cause harm. it will also establish new programs to prevent fraud that targets seniors, the legislation will also improve educational materials on senior scams and make sure they are plibblingly available. this -- publicly available. this also establishes an office at the f.t.c. dedicated to preventing fraud targeting seniors and monitoring the market for such fraud. this office will also assist the f.t.c. in monitoring the market for mail, television, internet and telemarketing fraud targeting seniors. and the office will also help with consumer education on fraud targeting seniors. the bill will help reinforce the efforts of the f.t.c. to prevent fraud and mitigate the massive losses from fraud targeting seniors. so i urge my colleagues to support this important measure and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. bilirakis: mr. speaker, i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. bilirakis: thank you, mr. speaker. i appreciate it. i rise today in strong support of h.r. 1215, the fraud and scam reduction act. i want to thank representative blunt rochester and my good friend, mr. walberg, and the other members of the e.n.c. committee for their tireless work on this important bill. h.r. 1215 would establish a senior scams prevention advisory council which will create a model and educational materials to inform employers of retail companies and financial institutions on how to identify and prevent scams. this bill would work in concert with other recently enacted legislation to provide americans with the tools they need to educate and protect themselves against these bad actors. a very good bill, mr. speaker. i urge my colleagues to support

this bill and i'll 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: thank you, mr. speaker. i now yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from delaware, my neighboring state, and she's also a member of our energy and commerce committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. blunt rochester: thank you, mr. speaker. and thank you, chairman pallone, for your tireless work to advance this important legislation. mr. speaker, today i rise in support of my bill, h.r. 1215, the fraud and scam reduction ac. bad actors -- act. bad actors preying on older americans is unfortunately nothing new. but in the midst of a global pandemic, cracking down on those scams must be a priority of the federal government. that's why i proudly introduced the bipartisan fraud and scam reduction act with my colleagues, mr. walberg, deutch, buchanan and welch.

the bill as its name suggests was aimed at cracking down on these scams by doing two main things. one, by creating the advisory group under the federal trade commission, made up of government agencies, consumer advocates and industry representatives such as financial services and retail, to help identify potential sources of fraud and create educational materials for our nation's seniors to protect them from these dangerous schemes. it would also establish the senior fraud advisory office, which would give seniors hope in recovering their assets stolen by fraudsters and improve our understanding of senior fraud by encouraging seniors to report this activity. we are proud to say that the bill has broad support, including aarp, the retail industry leaders association, target, best buy, wal-mart, and western union, as well as many

more. mr. speaker, one of the most fundamental obligations of government is to protect our citizens. the least we can do is protect already vulnerable seniors from being taken advantage of by bad actors. i want to thank my colleagues, democrats and republicans, for their work in strengthening the bill, and urge all of my colleagues to vote in favor of the measure. thank you, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. bilirakis: mr. speaker, i yield as much time as he may consume to my good friend from the state of michigan, mr. tim walberg, please. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan is recognize. . -- recognized. . mr. walberg: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of h.r. 1215, fraud and scam reduction act. and thank my colleague and friend, representative blunt rochester, as well as the energy and commerce committee staff for their hard work in bringing the bill to the floor today.

sadly in today's digital age, scams targeting seniors and their hard-earned money are growing in number and sophistication. every year scammers steal billions of dollars from unsuspecting consumers. the effect on victims can be financially and emotionally devastating. and the covid-19 pandemic has only made things worse safeguarding seniors in michigan and across the country needs to be a top priority. retailers have diligently worked to combat these crimes. their ability to educate their employees with best practices and training to recognize the signs of scam can make a huge difference in stopping criminals. our bipartisan bill builds upon the work retailers are doing by creating a federal advisory council at the f.t.c. to create a unified front against criminals who target our most vulnerable citizens and stop

this fraud before it's too late. i urge the house to pass h.r. 1215 so we can help stop scammers from perpetrating a fraud and taking advantage of our loved ones and our neighbors. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from florida reserves. mr. bilirakis: i yield back the balance of my time. i urge the congress to pass this bill and get it to the president before we got to get it to the senate and pass it immediately to protect our seniors, particularly during this very difficult time. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i also urge support for the bill and 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. 1215, as amended. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended -- the gentleman

from maryland. mr. harris: on this i ask for a record vote. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to section 3-s of house resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question are 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. 1460. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 1460, a bill to encourage states to require the installation of residential carbon monoxide detectors in homes, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone, and the gentleman from florida, mr. bilirakis, each will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone. mr. pallone: thank you, 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.

1460. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. pallone: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pallone: i rise in strong support of h.r. 1460, the nicholas and zachary burt carbon monoxide poisoning prevention act of 2021. this important bipartisan bill was introduced again this congress by representatives ann kuster and buddy carter. carbon monoxide, colorless, odorless, tasteless, mr. speaker, is a silent killer. more than 400 people die and approximately 50,000 people visit emergency rooms each year in the u.s. from carbon monoxide poisoning. the tragedy is these deaths and injuries are preventable with the installation of carbon monoxide detectors. however many people are unaware of the importance of carbon monoxide detectors or don't know how to install or maintain them properly. this bill will change that. it will assist states in educating the public on the

dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning and the proper use of the detectors. it will also provide states with grants so they can purchase and install carbon monoxide detectors in the homes of the elderly and low-income citizens as well as in educational facilities. i call on my colleagues to support this measure. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. bilirakis: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. bilirakis: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in support of h.r. 1460, the nicholas and zachary burt memorial carbon monoxide poisoning prevention act of 2021. i thank representatives carter and kuster, two great members of the energy and commerce committee. i thank them for their work on this important piece of legislation and for their many years, many years they have served and worked to protect consumers.

carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas produced by burning fuel. most people know that. exposure to unhealthy levels of carbon monoxide can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning. a serious health condition that could result in death, unfortunately. unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning from vehicles and apply ans -- appliances such as furnaces and stoves kills more than 400 people each year and sends more than 15,000 to the hospital emergency rooms for treatment, mr. speaker. this legislation would protect americans from an otherwise undetectable harm. this bipartisan bill represents a long-standing commitment of the energy and commerce committee to protect america's consumers, families, and children. i urge my colleagues to pass

this particular bill. i'll reserve, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from new hampshire ms. kuster, who is the lead sponsor of the bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. kuster: thank you, mr. chairman. as a mother, aunt, and great aunt to a dozen little ones i know there is nothing more important than keeping our children and loved ones safe. from a young age we tell our children to wear their seat belts in the car, a helmet while riding a bike or skiing, and to handle sharp objects with care. we go to great lengths to protect our children from the dangers we can see, but there are threats to our children and loved ones well-being oftentimes that go undetected. among the most dangerous of these is carbon monoxide. carbon monoxide is a stealthy

killer. you cannot see it. hear it. taste it. or smell it. this deadly gas claims the lives of over 400 americans every year, and results in over 20,000 emergency room visits. two of my constituents, john and april courtney, in liemon, new hampshire, tragically lost their lives to carbon monoxide poisoning just this past year. if people know about the dangers of carbon monoxide and have alarms properly installed in their homes, tragedies like the one in my district can be prevented. that is why i am so proud to join my good friend, representative carter, in introducing in the house the h.r. 1460, the zachary and nicholas burt carbon monoxide poisoning prevention act that we will be voting on this evening. this legislation provides funding for states to prevent future carbon monoxide related deaths by educating the public

about the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning and installing detectors in housing for the elderly and low-income individuals and high traffic public buildings like schools. this bipartisan legislation will save lives. at a time when congress so often seems divided, this legislation is proof that we can work together to find common ground and get things done to help our constituents. i thank mr. carter and i thank our chairman. i encourage all of my colleagues to vote in favor of this legislation. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. bilirakis: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield as much time as he may consume to my good friend, mr. carter from georgia. i really appreciate your perspective on this energy and commerce committee. as the only pharmacist on the committee. thanks for sponsoring this legislation. i yield you as much time as you

may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia, mr. carter, is recognized. mr. carter: i thank the gentleman for yielding. mr. speaker, i rise today in support of h.r. 1460. this bill, the nicholas and zachary burt memorial carbon monoxide poisoning spreengs act is a piece of legislation that can save lives. it would direct the consumer product safety commission to award grants and sell carbon monoxide alarms in buildings and facilities that houses vulnerable members of the population. according to the c.d.c., at least 430 people die in the united states from accidental c.o. poisoning every year. on top of that, nearly 50,000 people visit the e.r. every year because of accidental c.o. poisoning. on a higher note, we can curb this statistic. better monitoring systems will ensure that people can prepare and protect themselves. this bipartisan legislation, which i was proud to co-or with

my good friend, representative kuster from new hampshire, helps us move the needle on this important subject. many of us have heard stories of families being impacted by this tragic and preventable outcome. whether it's seniors or children, this bill can help save lives. i thank my colleague for her work, her hard work on this bill and i urge my colleagues to support this legislation. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from florida reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: i have no additional speakers. mr. bilirakis: i have no -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. bilirakis: i urge my colleagues to pass this bill. it's a great bill. good consumer protection bill. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida yields back. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: i also urge support for the bill and 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. 1460. 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 maryland seek recognition? mr. harris: mr. speaker, on this i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to section 3-s of house resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question are 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. 446, the protecting seniors from emergency scams act. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 446, a bill to require the federal trade commission to submit a report to congress on scams targeting seniors, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone, and the gentleman from

florida, mr. bilirakis, each will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone. 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. 446. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i rise to speak in support of h.r. 446, the protecting seniors from emergency scams act. representatives kelly and balderson introduced this bipartisan legislation to further efforts by the f.t.c. to stop fraud targeting seniors. this bill streamlines efforts to protect seniors from falling prey to scams during national emergencies such as the covid-19 pandemic by establishing a searchable database of scams targeting seniors. in the energy and commerce committee, we have held multiple hearings exploring the rise of fraud and scams that have come

with the covid-19 pandemic. unfortunately, scammers often take advantage of the fear and uncertainty that results from emergency situations. since the beginning of the covid pandemic, consumers have reported losing more than $300 million in just pandemic related fraud. after hurricane sandy ravaged the east coast, including my own district in new jersey, scammers preyed on people who lost their homes and livelihoods. we saw contracting scammers promising to rebuild people's homes but who took the money and ran. one man was in prison for using fake titles to sell sandy damaged cars. unfortunately, older americans are targeted disproportionately and are affected by this fraud. although americans report significantly bigger monetary losses from fraud than younger adults, according to a recent f.t.c. report, phone scams result in the highest reported losses by older adults, particularly adults over 80. phone-based scams can be

especially problematic in emergency situations like the pandemic when people are spending more time at home and seniors may be more isolated. so representatives kelly and balderson's bill will help address these scams. it directs the f.t.c. to issue a report on fraud targeting seniors during the pandemic and how to improve efforts against senior scams during future emergencies. i encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. bilirakis: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in support of h.r. 446, the protecting seniors from emergency scams act. i'd like to thank representative robert -- robin kelly of the energy and commerce committee for her bipartisan work with representative troy balderson to protect our constituents. the covid-19 pandemic has turned the lives of millions of americans upside-down, unfortunately. we were all forced to isolate, sometimes even away from our

families and friends to stay safe. unfortunately, it is during these times when bad actors aim to exploit the most vulnerable. promising fake lifesaving medication and stimulus checks, scammers will stop at nothing to take advantage of others. h.r. 446 would protect americans, especially seniors, from malicious and deceptive scams by augmenting the tools he included in other recently enacted legislation. as we worked on legislation to fight scammers, i have supported my colleagues' efforts to incorporate provisions that encourage cooperation with law enforcement. i'm pleased to see such efforts continue in this legislation. and of course i urge my colleagues to pass this legislation. and i will reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. pallone: thank you, mr.

speaker. i yield now such time as she may consume to the lead sponsor of the bill, the gentlewoman from illinois, ms. kelly, who has worked so hard, particularly during the pandemic, to address disparities in health care. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from illinois is recognized. ms. kelly: thank you, mr. chair. the past year has been tough for many of us, but especially difficult for seniors. many have lost friends and loved ones from the covid-19 pandemic. increased isolation and dependence on digital resources have put extra burdens on millions of americans, from frantic calls of grandma, i'm in the hospital, sick with covid, please wire money right away, to calls from supposed good samaritans offering to run err ands and then pocketing the money. scammers are using the pandemic to take advantage of vulnerable populations. they are preying on fear and uncertainty to steal money and personal information or sell fraudulent services or products. one of the best ways to prevent seniors from falling victim to

scams is to supply them with the information they need. that's why h.r. 446 requires the f.t.c. to report on the number and type of scams that target older adults. it also has the commission's web portal to be updated with current information about such scams and coordinate with media outlets and law enforcement to disseminate scam prevention information. seniors need to know what scams are happening in their areas so they can protect themselves. i want to thank representative balderson for joining me on leading this legislation, and chairman pallone for his support in advancing legislation to protect our seniors. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. bilirakis: i appreciate it. i yield as much time as he may consume to the co-sponsor of the legislation, mr. bolderson. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. boledebolede thank you, mr. speaker. i -- bold bold thank you, mr. speaker -- mr. balderson: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to support this

bill. throughout the pandemic uncertainty has led to many americans falling victim to scam callers. especially vulnerable populations like seniors. we have a responsibility to stop bad actors like these scam artists in their tracks. that starts with empowering the american people with information to better protect themselves and their loved ones from falling victim. h.r. 446 would direct the federal trade commission to identify scammers and make such information publicly available. this legislation also equips the f.t.c. to more proactively alert the public about known scams, specifically their region. mr. speaker, our seniors have suffered enough. the time to better supply them and their loved ones with the information needed to protect themselves against scammers who shamelessly prey on the most vulnerable. that is why i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting h.r. 446, the protecting seniors from emergency scams act. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time.

the gentleman from florida reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: i have no additional speakers. i'll reserve. mr. bilirakis: no other speakers. i yield back the balance of my time. i support this legislation. i urge my colleagues to vote for it. thank you. 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: thank you, mr. speaker. i also urge support for 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. 446. 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 maryland is recognized again. >> on this issue i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to section 3-s of house resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question are 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. 1762, the protecting indian tribes from scams act. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 1762. a bill to direct the federal trade commission to submit to congress a report on unfair or deceptive practices targeted at indian tribes or members of indian tribes and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone, and the gentleman from florida, mr. bilirakis, each will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone. mr. pallone: mr. 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. 1762. mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise to speak in support of

h.r. 1762, the protecting indian tribes from scams act. the often-overlooked area there federal fraud prevention earth -- area in federal fraud prevention efforts are those affecting tribes and tribal members. it hasn't been well documented, hindering efforts to prevent them. this bipartisan bill reintroduced this congress by representatives mullin and o'halleran will help get the needed information about fraud and scams targeting tribes and members of tribes and this bill directs the f.t.c. to consult with indian tribes about these scams and then issue a report to congress that will be made public. it also requires the f.t.c. to update its website to include information on these scams. mr. speaker, as this pandemic continues, scammers are taking advantage of people's fear and uncertainty to steal people's money and commit fraud. american indians are not exempt from these unfair and deceptive practices and may even be

specifically targeted with certain kinds of scams. but there's not much information about it. so i commend representatives mullin and o'halleran for introducing this bill, an important step in helping prevent fraud and scams targeting tribes and members of tribes and i urge my colleagues to support the bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. bilirakis: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. bilirakis: thank you. i rise today in support of h.r. 1762, the protecting indian tribes from scams act. i want to thank representative mullin and representative o'halleran for their work on this particular issue. the bipartisan piece of legislation will help our native -- nation -- native nations. one area that can be overlooked in the federal fraud prevention efforts is scams targeting indian tribal members. the scope and scale of scams that target indian tribes has

not been well documented, hindering efforts to prevent them. this legislation would direct the f.t.c., the federal trade commission, to submit to congress a report on unfair or deceptive acts or practices targeting indian tribes. simply put, these scammers ruin lives, unfortunately. to address these scams properly, we must educate all americans on how to avoid malicious scammers. this legislation passed the house last congress and i'm hopeful we can do, again, pass it today and get it -- get this legislation -- have it become law as soon as possible. i can't think of a better person to sponsor this than my good friend, mr. mullin. so, i'll continue -- i'll reserve. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: i reserve as well, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. bilirakis: i yield as much

time as he may consume to my good friend from oklahoma, mr. mullin. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oklahoma is recognized. mr. mullin: thank you. and thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in full support of my bill, h.r. 1762, the protecting indian tribes from scams act. the bill will help protect our tribes and tribal members from predatorial scams. tribal communications have -- or communities have long been targets of fraud. scammers often target vulnerable communities who receive trust or settlement payments like many tribes do. f.t.c. data says that tribal members are more likely to be the victims of scams and are less likely to report scams than any other group. h.r. 1762 will direct the f.t.c. to study the types of scams that target tribes and find best ways to combat them. i want to thank my colleague from arizona for working with me on these issues, as well as many other important issues,

important to indian country. 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 florida reserves. the gentleman from -- the gentleman from new jersey reserves. mr. pallone: i reserve. i have no additional speakers. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. bilirakis: mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to pass this bill. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from florida is recognized. from new jersey, sorry. mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i also urge support for 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. 1762. 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 gentlewoman seek recognition? >> on this i request the yeas and nays.

the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to section 3-s of house resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question are post pobed. -- 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. 1766, the f.t.c. collaboration act of 2021. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 1776, a bill to enhance cooperation between the federal trade commission and states attorney general to combat unfair and deceptive practices and for other purposes. -- for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from new jersey and the gentleman from florida will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new jersey. mr. pallone: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in

which to iranian their remarks and include extraneous material on h.r. 1766. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pallone: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise to speak in support of h.r. 1766, the f.t.c. collaboration act of 2021. this bipartisan bill was introduced again this year by representatives o'halleran and hudson. the bill will help reinforce the important relationship between the f.t.c. and state attorney general. our state attorneys general play a critical, enforcing and economy -- they play a critical role in enforcing and complementing federal consumer protection laws. the f.t.c. is a relatively small law enforcement agency charged with protecting consumers across the country. by partnering with state attorneys general, the reach of federal consumer protection efforts is expanded. stronger enforcement actions can

be taken against unscrupulous companies, and those engaging in unfair and deceptive practices, hurting consumers. when americans are harmed by fraud and scams, they often turn to their state attorney generals for help but these scammers may be targeting people across the country. by working together, state a.g.'s and the f.t.c. it pool their resources and protect consumers across the country. this bill will help the f.t.c. optimize its collaboration with state attorneys general by setting the matter and issues a report on how to further promote collaboration. so i urge my colleagues to support this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. bilirakis: thank you. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman may proceed. mr. bilirakis: i rise today in support of h.r. 1766, the f.t.c. collaboration act. as bad actors and scammers continue their efforts to take advantage of american consumers, we must not back down when it

comes to ensuring the safety of our constituents. and authenticity of consumer products. the f.t.c. collaboration act to exam how it can work together with state attorneys generals to prevent, publicize, and penalize scams in the united states. this legislation would require the f.t.c. to submit a report to congress on how to enhance collaboration with the state -- with state law enforcement. i remain confident this can help other agenda items we can work together on this -- in this particular session. it's so important that we work together with our colleagues on the state level. i'm proud of the important steps this bill takes to keep consumers safe and importantly prioritize our most vulnerable during covid-19. thank you, mr. speaker. i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is

recognized. mr. pallone: i have no additional speakers. mr. bilirakis: i have none as well. i'll go ahead and close. i urge my colleagues to support this very important bill. thank you. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. bilirakis: madam speaker, i have no additional speakers. i also urge support for the bill and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 1776. so many as are in favor say aye. -- the bill 1766. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table.

for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition? mr. pallone: madam speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1002, the debar act of 2021, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 1002. a bill to amend the control substances act to authorize the debarment of certain registrants, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone, and the gentleman from florida, mr. bilirakis, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new jersey. mr. pallone: 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. 1002. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. pallone: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman may proceed. mr. pallone: madam speaker, i rise today in support of h.r. 1002, the debarment enforcement of bad actor registrants act of

2020, or the debar act of 2020. one of the critical missions of the drug enforcement administration is enforcing and implementing the controlled substances act in order to prevent drug diversion and limit access to substances that may pose a risk if used incorrectly. one important lever d.e.a. has at its disposal to manage diversion or noncompliance with the law is the ability to revoke or surrender an individual's controlled substances registration which is needed to handle controlled substances. the recent report by the department of justice office of the inspector general found weaknesses in d.e.a.'s current registration processes and instances where the agency did not fully utilize its regulatory authorities to address noncompliance. specifically the inspector general found cases where entities whose registration was revoked were later able to obtain a new license. for example, the report included one case where a doctor who had

-- whose registration was revoked for serious misconduct, and then moved to another state under the authority of a different d.e.a. field division and was want add controlled substances registration after reapplying. there are other examples in the report included a denist who voluntarily surrendered his medical license and d.e.a. registration on two separate occasions the dentist had also been convicted of a felony which is grounds for suspension or revocation of an individual's registration under the controlled substances act. however, this dentist was still able to obtain another d.e.a. registration. amidrising substance abuse and tragic drug overdoses, errors like these can be tragic and simply should not be happening. h.r. 1002 would address these efforts -- errors by authorizing the debarment of any registrant that either meets the criteria for temporary or permanent suspension or revocation, or has a history of prior suspensions

or revocations. i want to thank my committee colleagues, representatives latta for -- particularly for leading this legislation, and also ranking member rogers for her work on this legislation. and i urge my colleagues to support the bill. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. bilirakis: thank you very much, madam chair. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman may proceed. mr. bilirakis: i rise today in support of h.r. 1002, the debarment enforcement of bad actor registrants or the debar act, which was introduced by my very good friend, mr. latta. this provision would give the drug enforcement administration, d.e.a., debarment authority to prohibit a person who has repeatedly violated the controlled substance act from receiving a registration to manufacture, distribute, or dispense a controlled substance. makes a lot of sense. a recent department of justice

office of the inspector general report found that when certain bad actors reg trants have their registration re-- registrants have their registration revoked, they can reapply for registration the next day. registrants who pose a signature risk of diverting drugs could be given the opportunity to do so once again. we have to stop this. that's why this legislation is so vital. repeat offenders should not be allowed to get a new registration from d.e.a. just days after their previous registration was revoked because they broke the law. limited debarment authority is a common sense and effective administrative tool to address diverse, fraud, and misconduct. and i strongly support this legislation. i want to yield as much time as he may consume to my good friend, mr. latta, from the great state of ohio.

>> excuse me, madam speaker, i was waiting here to be recognized on 1766. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady has not been recognized. the gentleman from ohio is recognized. mr. latta: thank you very much. i appreciate my good friend from florida for yielding. i also thank the chairman of the committee for bringing this bill before us today on to the floor. madam speaker, i rise today in support of h.r. 1002, the debarment enforcement of bad actor registrants act of 2021, the debar act. in the 116th congress we worked vigorously to tackle coronavirus and address the needs of those who are suffering. one of the harshest issues facing americans during this time was substance abuse which on average takes nearly 130 lives each day in our nation. the centers for disease control and prevention reported that more than 88,000 drug overdoses

occurred can in a one-year period ending in august of 2020. making it the deadliest year for u.s. overdoses. in ohio alone, opioid overdoses reached record levels rising 16% in the second quarter of 2020. prior to the pandemic, these rates were thankfully declining over a 24-month period. we need to act immediately to put an end to this crisis. the debar act provides the drug enforcement agency, d.e.a., debarment authority to permanently prohibit a person or entity that has violated controlled substance act from being able to receive a registration to manufacture, distribute, or dispense a controlled stub stands. -- substance. this legislation would also close loopholes and reduce the circumstances illegal substances across our nation and keep bad actors for reapplying for new licenses once revoke.

there is no silver bullet when it comes to fighting the opioid epidemic, however the debar act will help address what is needed to combat this crisis, save lives, and top bad actors from contributing to addiction. again, i thank the chairman, my friend from new jersey, for bringing the bill to the floor. i also thank our ranking member from washington for her help on this legislation. and i encourage my colleagues to support this bill and i yield back the balance of my time. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from florida reserves. mr. bilirakis: madam speaker, i urge passage of this good bill. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida yields back the balance of his time of the the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: madam speaker, i also urge support for the legislation. 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. 1002. 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, the -- 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative -- >> excuse me. madam speaker -- the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from illinois seek recognition? >> i would request the yeas and nays be recorded. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to section 3 of house resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question are postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition? mr. pallone: madam speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1899, the ensuring compliance against drug diversion act. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 1899, a bill to amend the controlled substances act to provide for the modification, transferks and termination of registration to manufacture, distribute, or

dispense controlled substances on list 1 chemicals and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone, and the gentleman from florida, mr. bilirakis: each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new jersey. mr. pallone: 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. 1899. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman may proceed. mr. pallone: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman may proceed. mr. pallone: i rise today in support of h.r. 1899, the ensuring compliance against drug diversion act. the drug enforcement administration is charged with regulating controlled substances and manages access to these substances through a registration system. this system is meant to identify entities that manufacture, distribute, and dispense controlled substances such as opioids. as well as to prevent diversion of these substances.

we rely on the d.e.a. to maintain the integrity of this system as one way to stop the diversion before it starts. however, a 2018 government accountability office report found over 700 registrants in d.e.a. systems may have been ineligible for registration under the controlled substances act. in fact, g.a.o. found that some of these registrants were reportedly deceased, did not possess state level authority, or were incarcerated for offenses related to controlled substances. so to curb rising substance abuse in the u.s., we must ensure, madam speaker, that bad actors are prehaven'ted from having access to these substances. the legislation we are considering today would terminate the controlled substance registration of any registrant if the registrant died, ceases legal existence, discontinues business or professional practice, or surrenders their registration. this bill also codifies d.e.a. authority to ensure accuracy of registration and limit the

transfer of such registrations. i thank the lead sponsor of this bill, representative griffith, for his leadership on this issue. and i urge my colleagues to support the bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. bilirakis: thank you, madam speaker. i urge -- i reserve -- i'd like to go ahead and speak on this particular bill. i give myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman may proceed. mr. bilirakis: i rise today in support of this legislation which was introduced by representative griffith. in order to prevent people who have not been vetted by authorities from dispensing controlled substances, this bill will clarify that the transfer of any controlled substance registration without written consent from the drug enforcement administration, the d.e.a., is prohibited. a 2018 energy and commerce committee report which

summarized the committee's bipartisan investigation into the distribution of prescription opioids by wholesale drug distributors and the d.e.a.'s subsequent enforcement practices found that an opioid distributor and its pharmacy customer did not go through the appropriate process, transferring a registration to a new pharmacy owner. failing to contact the d.e.a. appropriately and to verify whether the agency approved the transfer of a registration to dispense controlled substances creates a serious risk that could lead to drug diversion. of course i urge a yes vote on this. i'm going to yield as much time as he may consume to my good friend, colleague, morgan griffith, from the great state of west virginia. excuse me, virginia. mr. griffith: thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. griffith: thank you. i thank my colleague, mr. bilirakis, and the chairman of

the full committee, mr. pallone. madam speaker, i rise today in support of h.r. 1899, the ensuring compliance against drug diversion act. this is a small but very important step that could play a key role in helping contain the opioid epidemic. licensing to distribute opioids is not a commodity to be freely bought and sold. we must ensure that those who wish to engage in opioid distribution earn the ability to do so. . 7. an investigation in 2018 found that the current procedures for transferring licenses to distribute controlled substances lacked sufficient accountability. in one instant, a distributor and its pharmacy customer did not go through the appropriate process of transferring registration to a new pharmacy owner but the mistake wasn't caught until long, long afterward. as a result, there was a period

of time during which the d.e.a. was unaware that a particular pharmacy was distributing controlled substances. failing to properly verify whether a transfer has been approved creates a serious risk of drug diversion. this bill amends the controlled substances act to prohibit the transfer of any d.e.a. registration without consent from the agency. by requiring written approval from the d.e.a. before the transfer of registration, we decrease the risk of controlled substances falling into the hands of those who have not been vetted by appropriate regulatory authority. madam speaker, i thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia yields back. the gentleman from florida reserves. mr. bilirakis: i'll yield back but prior to yielding back i urge passage of this very good bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: madam speaker, i also urge support of the bill and yield back the balance of my

time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 1899. 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 -- for what purpose does the gentleman rise? >> madam speaker, i would request the yeas and nays, please. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays have been requested. pursuant to section 3-s of house resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question are postponed.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from minnesota seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1502. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 1502, a bill to amend the small business act to optimize the operations of the microloan program, lower costs for small business concerns and intermediary participants in the program, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from minnesota, ms. craig, and the gentleman from missouri, mr. luetkemeyer, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the

gentlewoman from minnesota. ms. craig: thank you, 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 the measure under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so moved. ms. craig: i yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise in support of the bill before us today, h.r. 1502, the microloan improvement act of 2021. today, we're considering four bipartisan bills that were approved by the small business committee and the full house of representatives last year. i'm proud of the committee's work on behalf of small businesses and pleased that we worked together to get things done. our small businesses deserve nothing less. i'd like to thank the chairwoman, ms. velazquez, for giving me the opportunity to manage time today on these four important small business bills. i'd also like to thank the

ranking member, mr. luetkemeyer, who will be handling the floor proceedings with me today. prior to the covid-19 pandemic the subcommittee on economic growth, tax, and capital access, under the leadership of mr. kim, held a hearing on the microloan program where we heard from a panel of intermediaries who reported that many of the programs' rules largely changed since 1991 were outdated and restrict them from meeting today's demand for startup financing and providing more technical assistance. in response, mr. kim crafted the microloan improvement act of 2020, a series of proposals designed to update the program's rules and ultimately help microloan intermediaries extend more affordable capital to first-time entrepreneurs. i was proud to support the microloan improvement act last congress and was pleased to see some of its provisions become law as part of the economic aid

act last december. today's bill, the microloan improvement act of 2021, is virtually the same as last congress' version without the policies we already enacted into law. madam speaker, we've heard time and again many entrepreneurs lack the experience needed to demonstrate their credit worthiness to conventional lenders. the covid-19 pandemic has highlighted these gaps in financing, showing the smallest of small businesses, especially those owned by women and minorities, struggle the most to afford access to capital. the microloan program is uniquely suited to help this problem and today's bill strengthens the program and is long overdue. i encourage my colleagues to support the bill. thank you and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from minnesota reserves. the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: thank you, madam speaker. i i yield myself such time as i

may consume and rise in support of h.r. 1502. before i begin, i'd like to thank the chairwoman for working in a bipartisan manner. today's bills were developed in the 116th congress and updated and reintroduced to this congress. these programs are important resources and tools for the nation's smallest businesses as they seek out financing. now more than ever, these programs need to be ready for small businesses as they begin to recover from the covid-19 pandemic. as the ranking member of the committee on small business, i want to make sure we continue to focus on these programs that assist small businesses, entrepreneurs, and startups. the first bill is the microloan improvement act. it enhances and expand s.b.a.'s microloan program which provides loans of $50,000 or less. this program, which is delivered to small businesses through a partnership with microloan intermediaries, concentrates on

low-dollar loans and technical assistance. counseling and capital assistance are true drivers of continued and prolonged success. h.r. 1502 further enhances the program for microborrowers like expanding the repayment terms of the program and providing additional tools in their toolbox. it removes the 15th rule that -- 155th rule. it replaces it with an allocation mechanism that provides access to all states across the nation. i'd like to thank mr. kim from new york, mr. garbarino from new york, and ms. newman for concentrating their efforts on this legislation. i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 1502 and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from missouri reserves. the gentlewoman from minnesota is recognized. ms. craig: thank you, madam speaker. i yield as much time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from illinois, ms. newman.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from illinois is recognized, she may proceed. ms. newman: thank you, madam speaker and good afternoon. i rise excitedly on behalf of the small businesses across our nation that are truly suffering from the pandemic and struggling to keep their doors open because support is simply not reaching them. as a former small business owner i know firsthand how loans can make an absolutely life-changing difference for an entrepreneur. however, the reality is that too many small businesses, especially those led by women or minorities or those in rural communities, don't have access to the primary lending programs offered by the small business administration or private sector. microloans are designed to help startups and new small businesses that don't have banking relationships with access to larger capital. for too many businesses, these microloans have been unreachable. that's why i'm proud to co-lead the microloan improvement act to

ensure that regardless of background or location, every business has equitable access to capital. with this legislation, we are expanding the number of community-based lenders eligible for the lowest interest rates on loans. that means these lenders can offer lines of credit to more small businesses. now more than ever, we have an obligation to remove barriers that prevent small businesses from receiving microloans. with this legislation, we are cutting bureaucratic red tape that has restricted growth and job creation. from mom and pop shops to family-owned stores to every small business, they will all benefit. that's why this legislation is supported by democrats and republicans. and i'm so glad to partner today with my republican colleagues. i am happy to work in a bipartisan fashion to help our intermediaries provide assistance to our local entrepreneurs. let's pass this legislation so we can support the smallest of the small businesses in all of

our communities. thank you, madam speaker, and i yield back the remainder of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentlewoman from minnesota reserves. the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: thank you, mr. speaker. -- thank you, madam speaker. i'd like to yield to mr. burchett from tennessee. he's been a leader in small business issues. mr. burchett. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. burchett: thank you, madam speaker. i'd like to thank the ranking member for yielding. i rise in support of representative kim's microloan improvement act. i'm proud to be a co-sponsor of this legislation. access to capital is essential to america's small businesses and their entrepreneurs. this bipartisan bill is straightforward and effective. it creates -- increases the number of nonprofit community-based lenders that can offer loans through the s.b.a.'s microloan program. representative kim's bill works for the accountability act, my small business legislation that we'll debate shortly, to ex --

excuse me -- to expand access to financial resources that will help our inspiring small business owners and entrepreneurs. i encourage my colleagues to support this important bipartisan legislation, and i yield back the remainder of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from missouri reserves. the gentlewoman from minnesota is recognized. ms. craig: madam speaker, i have no further speakers and i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from minnesota reserves. the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: madam speaker, i have no further speakers and i am prepared to close if the gentlelady is aminable -- amenable to it. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: 2020 was hard for small businesses. this is especially true for small businesses that were just starting out much as our -- starting out. as our country continues to recover, the s.b.a. needs to help assist job creators along the way. reforms in h.r. 1502 are

commonsense improvements that will continue to provide assistance and resources to america's main street businesses. with that i urge and recommend my colleagues to support h.r. 1502 and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from missouri yields back. the gentleman from minnesota -- the gentlewoman from minnesota is recognized. ms. craig: thank you, madam speaker. as the small business economy starts to recover from the covid-19 pandemic, entrepreneurs will need as many as affordable capital options as possible. that's why the economic aid act, included p.p.p. updates, grants for hard-hit venues and other enhancements to s.b.a.'s business loan programs, including the microloan program. today's bill takes the next step after that relief effort towards fully modernizing and optimizing s.b.a.'s microloan program. for nearly 30 years, this program has had a strong track record of success and has helped launch many successful small businesses, especially those owned by women and minority

entrepreneurs. the record is full of success stories as the program has grown, from a simple pilot program to a vital lending tool with strong stakeholder and congressional support. the legislation before us today renews our commitment to startups by easing access to the program for even more aspiring entrepreneurs and making the program nimbler for intermediaries and borrowers alike. passing this bill will be another step to help lead our nation out of this pandemic and build back the economy by embracing america's entrepreneurial spirit. i want to applaud the work by mr. kim, mr. garbarino for their bipartisan work on the microloan program. i encourage all of my colleagues to vote yes, 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. 1502. 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 rise? >> madam speaker, i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays have been requested. pursuant to section 3-s of house resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question are postponed. for what purpose does the the gentlewoman from minnesota seek recognition? mrs. craig: madam speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1487. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 1487, a bill to amend the small business act to increase transparency and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from minnesota, mrs. craig, and the gentleman from missouri, mr. luetkemeyer, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from minnesota. mrs. craig: thank you, 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 the

measure under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mrs. craig: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman may proceed. mrs. craig: madam speaker, i rise in support of the bill before us today, h.r. 1487. the microloan transparency and accountability act which will impreff s.b.a.'s data reporting with respect to the microloan program. specifically the bill would have s.b.a. and microlenders report on the number, amount, and percentage of microloans that went into default in the previous year, the extent to which microloans are provided to small businesses in rural areas, and the average size, interest rate, and amount of fees charged for each microloan. these metrics will help congress and the public better evaluate the program and its impact on underserved communities and make improvements as needed. this program is vital in helping women and minorities obtain much

needed capital. in fiscal year 2020, 47% of microloans were made to women-owned small businesses, and more than 51% of microloans were made to minority-owned small businesses. this language is approved unanimously last congress by both the small business committee and the full house, and i look forward to a similar vote here today. the version of the bill from last congress also included a provision that would increase the amount of technical assistance, grant funding, a rural serving microlender would receive. i'm pleased language was included as part of the economic aid act and is now law. however, our work on the microloan program is not done. h.r. 1487 continues the work to keep strengthening the program, and i would encourage all of my colleagues to support it. i applaud the bipartisanship shown by the sponsors of these bills, especially the leads, mr.

burchett and mr. kim. i urge all of my colleagues to vote yes. thank you. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from minnesota reserves. the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman may proceed. mr. luetkemeyer: i rise in support of h.r. 1487, the microloan transparency and accountability act of 2021. i thank the chair for moving these bills quickly to the house floor. i also want to commend the gentleman from tennessee, mr. burchett, and the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. fitzgerald, the gentleman from new jersey, mr. kim, and the gentlelady from illinois, ms. newman, for working diligently and in bipartisan fashion on behalf of america's small businesses. it is important to note that once congress creates a federal government program, the work is not done. members of congress must exam and determine -- examine and determine the effectiveness of the programs to ensure they are meeting congressional intent. h.r. 1487 does just this with the microloan program which delivers capital assistance and

counseling to our nation's smallest businesses. oftentimes businesses are just starting out and taking their first steps as a company or participants in the microloan program. on an annual business the small business administration will be required to report to congress on the microloan's default rates and credit requirements, extent and reach of the program in rural areas, and so on. h.r. 1487 will also increase transparency and provide congress with a tool to ensure us working on behalf of small business ass cross the nation. i urge my colleagues to support this commonsense and straightforward legislation. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from missouri reserves. the gentlewoman from minnesota is recognized. mrs. craig: i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from minnesota reserves. the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: at this time, i yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from tennessee, distinguished gentleman who has worked hard on a lot of small business issues, mr. burchett. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from tennessee may

proceed. mr. burchett: thank you, ma'am. i'd like to thank our ranking member luetkemeyer for yielding. madam speaker, the microloan transparency and accountability act is important bipartisan legislation that gives all entrepreneurs fair access to the small business administration's microloan program. as a former small business owner, i know accessible financial resources are important for growth, innovation, and success. working folks have to jump on the first horse that comes down the pike, as my dad used to say, or need to dip into personal savings like i did. wealthy folks may have family assets and inner cities and rural appalachia don't have those same opportunities, madam speaker. these are hardworking americans just looking to get their foot in the door and have a fair shot. this legislation names to boost rural small business participation in the s.b.a. microloan program by requiring the small business administration to submit to congress a financial analysis of the microloan program. this ensures federal microloans are targeted toward rural areas

not just large urban centers and creates important oversight that reduces fraud and government waste. these fixes will allow america's entrepreneurs, regardless of background or location, to have easier access to capital and helps them reach their goals. i'm proud to partner with representatives andy kim, scott fitzgerald, and marie newman on this legislation that will make a difference for east tennessee's mom and pop shops and small businesses across our great country. thank you, madam speaker. i yield the remainder of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the gentlewoman from -- the gentleman from missouri reserves. the gentlewoman from minnesota is recognized. mrs. craig: madam speaker, i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from minnesota continues to reserve. the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. luke mitre: -- mr. luetkemeyer: i yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. fitzgerald, again a huge supporter of small businesses. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. mr. fitzgerald: thank you, madam speaker. i rise today in support of h.r.

1487. unlike large businesses with access to debt and equity markets, small businesses rely on commercial banking to fund their operations. should a creditworthy small business be unable to obtain a small business loan, the small businesses administration can help small business by offering access to capital through the microloan program. the microloan program allows nonprofit intermediaries to make loans of 50,000 to small business was technical assistance. the program has grown from approving 52 million in loans in 2015 to over 80 million in 2019. despite this growth, the s.b.a. proves minimal statistics that are needed to evaluate a government guaranteed loan program. this commonsense legislation would require the s.b.a. to produce an annual report detailing additional information about microloans that have defaulted and the number of loans provided to rural areas.

we owe it to americans to conduct basic oversight to protect their taxpayer dollars while expanding opportunities for rural small businesses to grow and innovate. i urge a yes vote on this bill to ensure small businesses hit hard by the pandemic have robust access to capital regardless of their size and location. thank you, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from missouri reserves. the gentlewoman from minnesota is recognized. mrs. craig: i have no further speakers, madam speaker. i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: madam speaker, we have no further speakers. i would close at this time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: the microloan program which delivers capital assistance to the nation's small businesses is an important lending tool at the s.b.a. h.r. 1487 the microloan transparency and accountability act of 2021 would deliver comprehensive data and information on the effectiveness of the program. i applaud all the members for

working on this important legislation in an effort to shine more light on how well the program is working. for my state of missouri to boat the nation's coasts accessing capital remains a top challenge facing all small businesses. tools and resources like the microloan program can make a huge difference to small business owners in the early stages of their businesses. we must ensure these programs and tools are operating at a high in delivering on the gollings congress set for thefment that's why this bill is so important. i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 1487. with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from missouri yields back his time. the gentlewoman from minnesota is recognized. mrs. craig: madam speaker, it's often said that information is power. h.r. 1487 will greatly increase the information publicly available about the microloan program's performance and impact. if we intend to continue to support the smallest of small businesses, we need to make sure the programs targeting them are operating at their best.

that starts with improving the data and information available about where the loans are going, how affordable they are, and where the gaps in coverage are. with more data, the public can assess the impact these loans have in our communities and congress will be able to monitor the program and identify areas for improvement. i want to thank the gentleman from tennessee and new jersey for their hard work and collaboration bringing this bill to the floor today. i urge my colleagues to vote yes and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from minnesota yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 1487. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative -- >> madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays have been requested. pursuant to section 3-s. of

house resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question are postponed. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from kansas seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1490. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 1490, a bill to amend the small business investment act of 1958 to improve the loan guarantee program, enhance the ability of small manufacturers to access affordable capital, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from kansas, ms. davids, and the gentleman from missouri, mr. luetkemeyer, will

each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from kansas. ms. davids: thank you, madam speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the measure under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. ms. davids: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman may proceed. ms. davids: madam speaker, i rise in support of the bill before us today, h.r. 1490, the 504 modernization and small manufacturer enhancement act of 2021. 504 loans are an important s.b.a. cabal access product. allowing small businesses to affordably purchase machinery and equipment, acquire real estate, or take on other fixed asset class. the loan has a three-party structure where an s.b.a. packed 504 lender provides 40% of the financing. a third party provides 50% a. small business brotherer provides 10%. this has helped thousands of entrepreneurs expand their businesses and hire more employees, especially businesses

with significant fixed costs. last congress the small business subcommittee on investigations oversight and regulations held a hearing to review the current status of the 504 loan program. we heard from a panel of 504 lenders who reported concerns with the loan closing process. specifically that closing delays have caused loans to fall through and businesses to lose out on affordable financing. to that end mrs. craig put forth a strong proposal to make compliance easier for borrowers and third party lenders essential to the 504 loan structure. two of the provisions of that bill which passed unanimously through our committee and the house were also included in the economic aid act that was enacted in december. the version of the bill before us today is identical to the version we passed last congress. but for those provisions included -- but for those provisions included in the economic aid act. the changes under consideration today continue to address the issues we have heard in our engagement with 504 lenders and

their borrowers in our districts. i'm pleased we are taking a vote on them today. these include increasing maximum loan size for small manufacturers from 5.5 million to 6.5 million. and easing job retention or creation requirement for them. which helps make 504 loans easier to access. . we should do everything we can to make this program as simple as possible. as a member of the small business committee, i'm committed helping our small businesses and manufacturers weather this current crisis and have main street come back as stronger as possible. that's why i supported the american rescue plan to ramp up production of p.p.e. and other critical surprise and why i introduced the supplies act, which would promote p.p.e. manufacturing here in the u.s. and proud to be co-sponsor of the bill to help small businesses and manufacturers so they can help us. i want to thank the gentlewoman

from minnesota and the gentlewoman from california for their hard work and applaud their efforts to make bipartisan improvements to this valuable program. i recommend a yes vote to all my colleagues in the house. thank you and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from kansas reserves. the gentlewoman from kansas reserves. the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise in support of h.r. 1490. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman may proceed. mr. luetkemeyer: the 504 modernization and small manufacture enhancement act of 2021. the s.b.a. offers numerous lending programs, including the 504 certified development company loan program. also known as 504 c.d.c. loan program. it provides long term and rate financing to help purchase real estate and machinery. due to the program's unique cost structure that includes a small business, a lender, and a certified development company, the process is often lengthy and

cumbersome. h.r. 1490 helps streamline the closing process, ensures the nation's job creators moves through the program in a smooth and efficient manner. additionally, h.r. 1490 enhances the loan program for america's small manufacturers by increasing the maximum loan amount for small manufacturers, h.r. 1490 ep shurs these -- ensures these small businesses have the capital to expand in missouri and beyond. enhancing tools such as those outlined in h.r. 1490 is exactly what our small businesses, entrepreneurs, and startups need. i want to highlight those who helped this bill. the changes in h.r. 1490 will improve the c.d.c. loan program for all of america's small businesses. i urge all of my colleagues to support h.r. 1490. with that, madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from missouri reserves. the gentlewoman from kansas is recognized. ms. davids: madam speaker, i yield as much time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from minnesota, ms. craig. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from minnesota is recognized. ms. craig: thank you, madam speaker. for over a year now, small businesses in my district and across the country have struggled to make it through this public health and economic crisis. as a result of this pandemic, perspective small business owners face a steeper climb than ever before. we must do more to make it easy to start, operate, and expand a small business in our communities. one of the most important ways that we can do this is by ensuring that the small business administration's loan programs are operating as effectively and efficiently as possible. and today, we have two bills that would do exactly that. including my bipartisan bill, the 504 modernization and small manufacturer enhancement act. these crucial bipartisan pieces

of legislation will not only increase the amount of capital available to manufacturers but will actually ease the process of getting a loan, because in the midst of a severe economic crisis, our business owners simply cannot be bogged down in red tape and legalese. taken together, these bills will help promote the economic development of small manufacturers, creating good-paying jobs and growing industries all across this country. to demonstrate just how impactful these loans can be, i want to tell you about nate, a life-long resident of rosemount, minnesota. he built a company. after years of hard work, nate thought it was time to reach a turning point but he didn't have the resources needed to take his business to the next level. when nate received a 504 loan,

he was immediately able to invest in his company, building a facility to manufacture his products, right in his home town, create good-paying jobs in the same community where he grew up. nate's story, like so many others, is proof that 504 loan program can change the lives of small business owners in this country. this program ensures that small businesses like nate's are able to succeed, bringing home the job growth and economic stability that our communities are striving for, especially as we emerge from this devastating economic crisis. because these are not simply businesses, these are livelihoods, family traditions and priceless contributions to our communities. and we have an opportunity to support them on a bipartisan basis by taking action today. i urge all of my colleagues to come together and join me in supporting these bills and

businesses across our nation. thank you, madam speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from minnesota yields back. the gentlewoman from kansas reserves. the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: thank you, madam speaker. at this time i'd like to yield as much time as she may consume to the gentlelady from california, mrs. kim, someone who believes in cutting red tape to help ease the regulatory burdens of small businesses. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california is recognized. mrs. kim: thank you, madam speaker, and for mr. luetkemeyer for your hard work on the small business committee. i want to extend my special thanks to chairwoman velazquez for putting forward these bills. i rise in strong support of h.r. 1490, the 504 modernization and small manufacturer enhancement act of 2021. ives proud to -- i was proud to join my colleagues, representatives angie craig,

davids and chavez to modernize the 504 loan program. it was a mission to provide small businesses with affordable long-term financing. our bill will provide the s.b.a. with the tools to assist small businesses as they recover during covid-19. h.r. 1490 will expand eligibility of 504 loans for small businesses that have focused on workforce development, revitalize areas that have been hit hard and implement energy-efficient products or have 10 or fewer employees. these additions will strengthen the 504 loan program for the long run and help small businesses in my community access much-needed capital. the bill will also streamline the closing process of 504 loans. specifically, h.r. 1490 allows certified development companies

to rectify documentation without the implicit approval of the s.b.a. these corrections will allow small businesses to make investments in their community or hire more workers without delay. lastly, the bill would support our small manufacturers to ensure that our communities' manufacturing base remains strong and competitive during these difficult times. so i urge my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to support h.r. 1490. with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from missouri reserves. the gentlewoman from kansas is recognized. ms. davids: madam speaker, i'll reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from kansas reserves. the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: thank you, madam speaker. at this time i'd like to yield as much time as she may consume to the gentlelady from new york, ms. tenney, a small business owner herself.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. ms. tenney: thank you, madam speaker. and thank you, chairwoman velazquez and ranking member luetkemeyer for bringing forward this great bipartisan bill. i rise in support of h.r. 1490, the 504 modernization and small manufacturer enhancement act. i'm proud to co-sponsor this bill with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. this bipartisan legislation improves the loan guarantee program and helps small manufacturers access capital by streamlining the loan process and providing support to manufacturers who apply for the loan from local small business administration district offices. as small businesses across the country and throughout new york's 22nd district continue to struggle with the devastating impacts of covid-19, we must provide targeted support to our small businesses and manufacturers, and h.r. 1490 does just that. this legislation increases the maximum loan amount to $6.5

million and requires s.b.a. district offices to partner with s.b.a. resource partners to provide entrepreneurial development assistance to small manufacturers which are abundant in central new york. this bill will also work to lower costs and streamline numerous administrative processes for small manufacturers, giving these businesses the tools and support they need to keep their doors open, something that's been said to me repeatedly through numerous town halls with small business communities around the region. as a member of the house small business committee and as the ranking member indicated, a -- the owner of a small manufacturing facility that's in its 75th year in central new york, i'm pleased to co-sponsor h.r. 1490 and the other three small business bills on the floor today. these four bills will provide targeted relief to small businesses across new york's 22nd district and throughout the nation. at a time when americans seek true bipartisanship from its

elected officials, i'm honored to be part of that effort, and i want to thank representative craig from minnesota and representative kim from california for your leadership on this issue. i look forward to continuing to work with all of you on this matter. thank you so much, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from missouri reserves. the gentlewoman from kansas is recognized. ms. davids: thank you. i'll continue to reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from kansas continues to reserve. the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: thank you, madam speaker. we have one more gentleman coming, but there's a long path between his office and here and so apparently we're not here on time so i am prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: thank you. madam speaker, as our economy continues to recover and as our small businesses rebuild, existing federal government programs, tools, and resources need to be ready to provide assistance. processes that are low and unwielding must be examined and retold to ensure they are

working on behalf of small businesses and the american public. h.r. 1490, the 504 modernization and small manufacturer enhancement act of 2021, takes these steps to streamline the program while ensuring it is a viable option for small businesses as they recover and grow. h.r. 1490 places a direct focus on our nation's small manufacturers. we must continue to work in a bipartisan manner to ensure these programs are ready for recovery. with that, i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 1490 and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from kansas is recognized. ms. davids: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, the s.b.a.'s 504 loan program has made a significant impact on our main streets in its 62-year history. in addition to partnering with banks to extend affordable fixed asset capital, most c.d.c.'s in the program are also actively involved in promoting local development, especially for underserved business communities. i'm proud of the opportunity we have today to continue supporting the work of c.d.c.'s.

i want to applaud the work by the gentlewoman from minnesota, the gentlewoman from california, and their bipartisan effort on the 504 program. i encourage all of my colleagues to vote yes, and 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. 1490. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmativ -- for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> madam speaker, i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays have been requested. pursuant to section 3-s of house resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question are postponed. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from kansas seek recognition? ms. davids: madam speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1482. the speaker pro tempore: the

clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 1482, a bill to amend the small business act to enhance the office of credit risk management, to require the administrator of the small business administration to issue rules relating to environmental obligations of certified development companies, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from kansas, ms. davids, and the gentleman from missouri, mr. luetkemeyer, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from kansas. ms. davids: thank you, 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 the measure under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so moved. ms. davids: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman may proceed. ms. davids: madam speaker, i rise in support of the bill before us today, h.r. 1482, the 504 credit risk management improvement act, which clarifies the oversight role of the s.b.a.'s office of credit risk management with respect to c.d.c.'s. to improve oversight of the

s.b.a. loan programs, the agency established the office of credit risk management within ocrm, pronounced o-crum, for everybody. ocrm ensures companies are complying with program requirements. in 2018, congress passed bipartisan legislation to codify the office and gave it the tools it needs to conduct proper oversight and hold noncompliant lenders accountable. . it was our intent to minimize the likelihood businesses would face losses and reduce the need for congress to appropriate funds. these are designed to operate at zero subsidy, meaning they come in at no cost to the taxpayer and we intent to -- intend to keep it that way. i'm pleased the gentleman from

minnesota -- i'm glad they worked together for this bill. i applaud your bipartisanship and more importantly your commitment to america's small businesses. i urge all of my colleagues to volt yes. thank you and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from kansas reserves. the gentleman from missouri is recognize. mr. luetkemeyer: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: i rise in support of h.r. 504 -- h.r. 14 , the 504 credit risk management act. i want to thank the gentleman, mr. bishop, ms. david, ms. craig, as well as the gentleman from ohio, mr. chabot, for working in a bipartisan manner to strengthen the 504 c.d.c. loan program. government programs, especially

government guaranteed loan programs, are only as strong as the oversight required. executive branch agencies must have a watchful eye focused on these programs. the office of credit risk management is charged with overseeing many of the government guaranteed lending programs that the s.b.r. offers to small businesses. h.r. 1482 ensures the office of credit risk management has a trained eye focused on the 504 loan program, specifically it outline house to conduct reviews under the lending process. these enhancements will ensure the program operates effectively and efficiently into the future. lastly, the bill requires the s.b.a. to clearly and concisely define how the 504 c.d.c. loan program operates in conjunction with environmental laws and rules. unfortunately this process surntly -- currently lacks certainty by the s.b.a.

federal government programs require robust oversight and must have clear rules for small businesses. h.r. 1482 addresses both of these issues head on. i urge i -- i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 1482 and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from kansas is recognized. ms. davids: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: at this time i would like to yield as much time as he may consume to mr. chabot, former chairman of the small business committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman may proceed. mr. chabot: i rise in support of h.r. 1490. i want to thank my cheeg from minnesota, representative angie craig, for working with me on this bipartisan bill. i also want to thank the other co-sponsors, representative sharice davids and young kim for their work, as well as the full chair of the committee, ms. velazquez, who i worked with for

many year, either with myself as chair and she as ranking or myself as chair an her as ranking. i want to thank mr. luetkemeyer for the great job he's doing at this point as ranking member of the committee, hopefully be chair next time depending on what the american people think a year and a half down the road. so what does this legislation do? a number of things. it streamlines the 504 loan closing process, clarifies the loan closing and oversight process and enhances the program for small manufacturers and small manufacturers are absolutely critical in the economy nowadays. we are actually making great strides in bringing back more and more jobs there until covid hit so that's why programs like this are so important to give them the assistance they need to get those jobs growing once again in that sector of the economy. the 504 program has been one of the more successful of the s.b.a., the small business administration, loan programs

over the queers. and it's really crucial as we recover from covid-caused hardships of the past year. the s.b.a./c.d.c. 504 loan programs provides the nation's smallest businesses with long-term and fixed rate financing. it requires that certain economic development criteria are in place to qualify for the program and job creation and job retention are critical goals of the program. this bill passed the house last december in the previous congress and i'm happy to see it on the foor again this congress. hopefully we'll get this bill signed into law this time and help provide small businesses with the support they need to recover from the pandemic and hopefully we'll be looking at the pandemic in the rearview mirror sooner rather than later. so i want to thank this committee for its small business committee for the great work they're doing on behalf of america's small intizzes. -- small businesses.

it is one of those committees that does work in a boish manner, republicans an democrats working together, and that's critical for getting anything done. i urge my colleagues to support the bill and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from missouri is recognized. the gentleman from missouri reserves. the gentlewoman from kansas is recognized. ms. davids: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: at this time i would like to yield as much time as she may consume to the gentlelady from california, ms. kim. again, a hard worker, big supporter of small businesses around this country. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california is recognized. mrs. kim: thank you, madam speaker. and thank mr. luetkemeyer for yielding. i rise in strong support of h.r. 14 2, the 504 credit risk management improvement act of 2021. i'm proud to have joined my colleagues, representative angie

craig, dan bishop and sharice davids, to introduce this important bipartisan bill. the small business administration's 504 loan program provides small businesses with affordable long-term financing to purchase major fixed assets such as real estate. this will ensure hard-earned dollars are spent effectively by enhancing oversight responsibilities of the office of credit risk management. our bill will provide s.b.a. with the tools to enforce penalties for any violation of rules and regulations. by providing s.b.a. with these tool, we look to strength then 504 loan program for many years to come. additionally this bill provides consistent and clear guidance when requiring certain environmental certifications. this change will provide small businesses with certainty about requirements and uniform regulations across the country.

for any federal program to be successful, congress and the executive branch must work together to ensure that we have a regulatory framework that is efficient and be able to prevent fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars. i commend hi colleagues from both sides of the aisle for their leadership on this important issue. i urge my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to support h.r. 1482. with that, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california yields back. the gentleman from missouri reserves. the gentlewoman from kansas is recognized. ms. davids: thank you, madam speaker. i continue to reserve the plns of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman continues to reserve. the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: at this time i would like to yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from north carolina, mr. bishop. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. bishop: thank you, madam speaker. and i thank the gentleman from missouri. i rise in support of my

legislation the 504 credit risk management act of 202 . as you may remember this exact bill passed unanimously last december. i hope the common sense measure can pass overwhelmingly again for those that do not know about the 504 program, this was one of the first programs established at the small business administration and has been a key tool for economic development. to receive financing, 504 loan recipients must create job or meet public policy goals like aiding rural development or revitalizing a business district. in its economic development role, the 504 program has provided access to capital and helped build communities across the country for over six decades. to ensure the program's continued success an viability for years to come, i partnered with representative angie craig to craft a bill that provides s.b.a. with the tools necessary

to maintain the long-term health of the 504 program. this bill codifies the s.b.a.'s oversight responsibilities for the 504 program and provides the office of credit risk management with full control of the review process for certified development companies known as c.d.c.'s that deliver this program. the legislation also establishes a formal process of communication between the office of credit risk management and c.d.c.'s to facilitate reviews to make sure s.b.a. is providing timely feedback to c.d.c.'s. additionally, this legislation requires the s.b.a. to provide clear direction to certified development companies as they navigate environmental rules and regulations. finally, this bill will help ensure that the program continues to operate on the fees built into the program. s.b.a. programs including the 504 program, have been at the

forefront of economic aid to businesses struggling as a result of the covid-19 pandemic. the s.b.a. core lending programs will continue to play a key role in business recovery. i'm proud to do my part to ensure the 504 program continues to be a lifeline to businesses and communities today and into the future. i want to thank chairwoman velazquez and ranking member luetkemeyer for their leadership and thank my colleague, ms. craig, for her partnership on this important bill. i also would like to thank ms. young kim, ms. dadse, ms. tenney and mr. coen hen for their support of the bill. i urge my colleagues to support the legislation and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from missouri reserves. the gentlewoman from kansas is recognized. ms. davids: thank you, madam speaker. i have no further speakers at this time and am prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman is recognized.

mr. luetkemeyer: i have no further speakers and i will close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman may proceed. mr. luetkemeyer: oversight of program is paramount to ensure taxpayer dollars are used wisely. h.r. 1482 not only increases the oversight of s.b.a. loan program but provides clear and concise guidance for small business owners moving forward. it will improve for future borrowers. all small business bills -- we must continue to put our nation's job creator at the economic forefront of the country. with that, i would like to take a few moments as well to make a couple of comment here's with regard to all the bills we have offered here today. all these bills dealt with things that deal with oversight. we as legislators in this body have two jobs. one is to provide legislation to improve the lives of our businesses and people in this country prork tect our country, as well as provide oversight

along with activities in the executive branch as well as the judicial branch to whatever we can. our committee we oversee the legislation with regards to small business administration as well as oversight of their activities. we've come to find over the last several weeks here that inch g. inspector genre ports that the s.b.a. is not being run as well as it should. there is fraud rampant in some programs which is verified by the a.g. reports. we have a new administrator who has her hands full buzz of the lack of knowledge of what goes on. we've got a real problem and we as legislators have got to step up and these bills today are one step in the process of providing the kind of oversight it takes. we will continue to provide oversight, i can assure you. those listening and watching today need to take heart to the fact that we're going to continue to have federal oversight over the small business administration and all the programs we have been tasked

with and are responsible for. with that, madam speaker, i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 1482 and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from missouri yields back. the gentlewoman from kansas is recognized. ms. davids: thank you, madam speaker. in its 62-year history, s.b.a.'s 504 loan program has helped thousands of small business owners acquire heavy equipment, expand to new locations and hire more workers. it's long been a strong-performing s.b.a. program and continues to draw bipartisan spart. we must take all steps needed to ensure the integrity of the program and ensure it will be an option for the next generation of entrepreneurs. i want to thank mr. bishop and ms. craig for their hard work and collaboration in bringing this bill to the floor today. i want to thank mr. luetkemeyer for his leadership today and his unwavering commitment to our nation's 30 million small businesses.

i urge my colleagues to vote yes and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from kansas yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the thill -- pass the bill h.r. 14 2. 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 rise? >> i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: yeas and nays are requested. pursuant to section 3-s of house resolution 8, the yeas an nays are ordered. pursuant to clause of rule 20, further proceedings on this question are postponed.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> madam speaker, by the direction of the committee on rules, i call up house resolution 303 and ask for its

immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house calendar number 12, house resolution 303, resolved, that upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to consider in the house the bill, h.r. 7, to amend the fair labor standards act of 1938 to provide more effective remedies to victims of discrimination in the payment of wages on the basis of sex, and for other purposes. all points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the committee on education and labor now printed in the bill, modified by the amendment printed in part a of the report of the committee on rules accompanying this resolution, shall be considered as adopted. the bill, as amended, shall be considered as read. all points of order against provisions in the bill, as amended, are waived. the previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill, as amended, and on any further amendment thereto, to final passage without intervening motion except, one, one hour of debate equally

divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on education and labor or their respective designees, two, the further amendments described in section 2 of this resolution, three, the amendments en bloc described in section 3 of this resolution, and, four, one motion to recommit. section 2. after debate pursuant to the first section of this resolution, each further amendment printed in part b of the report of the committee on rules not earlier considered as part of amendments en bloc pursuant to section 3 of this resolution shall be considered only in the order printed in the report, may be offered only by a member designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for the time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, may be withdrawn by the proponent at any time before the question is put thereon, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question. section 3. it shall be in order at any time after debate pursuant to the

first section of this resolution for the chair of the committee on education and labor or his designee to offer amendments en bloc consisting of further amendments printed in part b of the report of the committee on rules accompanying this resolution not earlier disposed of. amendments en bloc offered pursuant to this section shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for 20 minutes equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on education and labor or their respective designees, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question. section 4. upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to consider in the house the bill, h.r. 1195, to direct the secretary of labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan, and for other purposes. all points of order against consideration of the bill are

waived. the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the committee on education and labor now printed in the bill shall be considered as adopted. the bill, as amended, shall be considered as read. all points of order against provisions in the bill, as amended, are waived. the previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill, as amended, and on any further amendment thereto, to final passage without intervening motion except, one, one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on education and labor or their respective designees, two, the further amendments described in section 5 of this resolution, three, the amendments en bloc described in section 6 of this resolution, and, four, one motion to recommit. section 5. after debate pursuant to section 4 of this resolution, each further amendment printed in part c of the report of the committee on rules not earlier considered as part of amendments en bloc pursuant to section 6 of this resolution shall be

considered only in the order printed in the report, may be offered only by a member designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for the time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, may be withdrawn by the proponent at any time before the question is put thereon, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question. section 6. it shall be in order at any time after debate pursuant to section 4 of this resolution for the chair of the committee on education and labor or his designee to offer amendments en bloc consisting of further amendments printed in part c of the report of the committee on rules accompanying this resolution not earlier disposed of. amendments en bloc offered pursuant to this section shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for 20 minutes equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on education and labor or their respective designees, shall not

be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question. section 7. all points of order against the further amendments printed in parts b and c of the report of the committee on rules accompanying this resolution or amendments en bloc described in sections 3 and 6 of this resolution are waived. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for one hour. >> thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, for purposes of debate only, i yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from texas, pending which i yield myself such time as i may consume. during the consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for purposes of debate only. i ask unanimous consent that all members be given five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so moved.

>> thank you, madam speaker. yesterday, the rules committee met and reported a rule, house resolution 303, providing consideration for the paycheck protection fairness act under a structured rule. it provides one hour of debate equally controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on education. it self-executes a manager's amendment from chairman scott and makes in order six amendments to h.r. 7. it also provides for one motion to recommit. the rule also provides for consideration of h.r. 1105, the workplace violence prevention for health care and social service workers act, under a structured rule. it provides one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on education and labor and makes in order six amendments to h.r. 1195. mr. desaulnier: it also provides one motion to recommit.

finally, the rule provides for an en bloc authority to chairman scott or his designee for both bills. madam speaker, before i begin, i just want to take a moment for the first time on the floor since we lost congressman hastings, to say for myself personally how much gratitude i have for having known him and able to serve with him and regret that i won't see his smiling face, at least in this body, again. madam speaker, the two bills we are talking about today have the potential to drastically improve the working lives of millions of americans. in 2019, nearly one in nine women in the united states lived in poverty. with even higher rates for women of color. more than one in three families headed by unmarried mothers lived in poverty.

and 60% of all poor children lived in families headed by unmarried mothers. the coronavirus pandemic has only deepened the divide that already existed in this country. women are especially likely to be on the front lines of the pandemic. at the same time they are also being paid less than their male counterparts. 93% of childcare workers, 66% of grocery store cashiers, 70% of food servers, and 77% of clothing, shoe stores, retail sales people are women. women disproportionately, black women and latinas, make up more than eight in 10 of these working as home health aides. personal care aides and nursing assistants. they are also at great risk for

contracting covid-19. six months ago, deep into the pandemic, one in six latinas and one in five black women reported not having enough food in the previous week. and many reported being behind on rent or mortgage payments. even before the pandemic, women typically lost more than $10,000 every year to the gender wage gap. with even higher losses for women of color. more than five decades after the passage of the equal pay act of 1963, a woman in america still makes only 82 cents on average for every dollar earned by her male counterpart. compared to white men, black women are paid 63 cents. native hawaiian and pacific islander women are paid 63

cents. american indian or alaskan native women are paid 60 cents. and hispanic women are paid 55 cents. based on today's wage gap, a woman who works full time year-round stands to lose over $400,000 over a 40-year career because of this disparity. this is not the united states that francis perkins, the first woman secretary, envisioned that we would have an opportunity today to make a real change. i am proud to have joined with my very dear friend, chairwoman delauro, to introduce the paycheck fairness act, which is an important step toward ending gender-based wage discrimination and ensuring that all women reserve -- deserve equal pay for equal work. it's time to make equal pay for equal work more than just a slogan and turn it into a

reality. madam speaker, we're also here to talk about the epidemic of violence against health care and social service workers. last year, the department of labor statistics showed there were nearly five times as likely to suffer a serious workplace violence injury than workers in other industries. the general accounting office found that rates of violence against health care workers in hospitals, nursing homes, and residential care facilities is five to 12 times higher than estimated rates for workers overall. between 2011 and 2016, 58 hospital workers died as a result of workplace violence. for me, this matter strikes close to home. in 2010, napa state technician donna kay gross was killed outside of napa state hospital by a patient under psychiatric

care. donna was a constituent. she entered the profession to honor her mother who battled mental illness and was a patient at this very same hospital. this was the -- she was the mother of three grown children and was raising her granddaughter. her colleagues described her by saying, quote, first and foremost, donna was a human services type person. and loved being with people and working with people. donna's life was cut short when a patient brutally murdered her to steal jewelry and cash. this story is just one of thousands and incidents are on the rise. sadly, violence has become so commonplace for health care workers that they think it's part of their job, resulting in only 30% of violent incidents actually being reported. some states have stepped up to enact laws to require employers

to establish a plan to protect against workplace violence. donna's story, for example, inspired action in california thatives proud to be part of -- that i was proud to be part of. that action in california served as the basis of the bill before us tomorrow. these workers deserve national action, and they deserve it now. as the occupational safety and health administration, these workers are not receiving the urgent attention they need. osha takes at least seven years to put out a standard, but in some instances, can take more than 20 years. . people like donna k. gross cannot wait longer. to protect the people who give their lives to care for us, we need to move now. in truth, we needed to move years ago. the longer we wait, the more people are suffering. the longer we wait, the more

people like donna will die. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i want to thank mr. desaulnier for yielding me the cust mir 30 minutes and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman may proceed. mr. burgess: i want to acknowledge, along with mr. desaulnier, the loss we feel here in the house of mr. alcee hastings. we acknowledge we feel his absence, we also feel his presence. he was truly larger than life on the committee. so today's rule provides for consideration of two bills that are meant to improve working conditions and compensation. the house actually considered these same bills last congress.

did not receive consideration in the senate and i do not believe any substance has changed in the underlying bills. the first bill, h.r. 7, the paycheck fairness act, seeks to prevent wage discrimination on the basis of sex, a fact that is already prohibited under current law. this legislation will help trial lawyers, but offers no new protections against pay discrimination. the equal pay act of 1963 prohibits all discrimination in pay based upon sex or any other nonjob performance related issue. title vii of the civil rights act protection against discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion and sex. sex-based wage disparity is in direct violation of not one, but two federal laws. it is important to acknowledge that bad actors engage in gender

pay discrimination. their actions are illegal. they leave employers vulnerable to burdensome lawsuits and heavy fines. i could not agree more that such discrimination has no place in any business or society in general. however, those who perpetrate these illegal acts are the exception and not the rule. congress must not forget the positive economic trends that this nation enjoyed before the arrival of the novel coronavirus in the united states. the trump administration made great strides reining in federal overreach which quickly improved opportunities for all americans. unemployment was at the lowest level in nearly half a century and median wages across all demographic groups rose faster than at any other time in american history. unfortunately, the majority has crafted legislation that would place greater burdens on

employers, reduce the privacy of employees, and increase federal spending. h.r. 7 does little to protect the wages of american workers who are experiencing gender pay discrimination. in fact, it makes it harder for employers to defend legitimate differentials in pay based on factors other than sex. currently, employers may pay differential wages for factors other than sex like education, training of experience. this means all other things being equal, a woman cannot be paid differently than a man. when an employee brings different qualifications to the job, such as if she has an advanced degree or more experience, the factors used to evaluate employee pay are no longer equal. this preserves flexibility for employers to make the best decision for their businesses, including hiring the most qualified individuals regardless of sex.

h.r. 7 would now require that nonsex reasons for any wage disparity have a business necessity, a term which is not defined in the bill. providing a jenner-based business necessity that counts for the entire differential in pay is nearly an impossible standard against -- to defend against. this change to a bona fide factor defense does not consider the reality of the labor market. employees are often willing to accept lower pay for greater control over their work location, their schedule and vacation time. studies have shown that this is particularly true for women. with the threat of lawsuits hanging over the heads of employers, they are less likely to allow for flexibility in the workplacele instead of allowing employees to negotiate their own pay and work arrangements,

employers will be incentivized to transform jobs that were once negotiable and flexible into jobs that are much more rigid. h.r. 7 also limits an employer's ability to pay its employees based on performance. if a woman were to earn a performance-based bonus or salary increase that her male co-worker did not receive, then that man could file suit against the employer on the basis that the bonus is not a business necessity due to the vagueness in terms in h.r. 7. with this threat in mind, employers are much less likely to use performance pay based bonuses despite studying showing that such pay models actually do increase employee productivity. while legitimate claims do exist and i hope that all employees who have experienced discrimination do seek legal remedy, the changes in h.r. 7 would significantly increase the

size and profitability of lawsuits, making nonmerit oirs claims even more likely for trial lawyers looking for new cash flows. that is the inherent danger. h.r. 7 also requires employers to provide dising a regated employee information to the department of labor without delineating mechanisms to keep that information safe. have we ever heard that the federal government has lost employee data or that the federal government may not be the best steward of a citizen's private information? and maybe we should limit the data received until those capabilities are, in fact, improved and verified. so the second bill included in this rule, h.r. 1195, requires that the secretary of labor issue a rule on workplace violence prevention in the

health care and social service secondors. so some may be surprised to hear that acts of violence are the third leading cause of fatal occupational injuries. of those incidences, approximately 8% were intentionally caused by another person. when american goes to work each day they do not expect to face violence or other harm. this risk is especially high for health care providers and social workers. these caregivers can be subject to patients that may not be in control when they are under the influence of medication or perhaps have some other mental stress, they're upset at a family member or some ongoing domestic dispute and unfortunately even gang violence. the rate of workplace violence resulting in days away from work for health care providers is on average four times higher than for other professions. in addition, health care providers and social workers are less likely to report incidents.

this may be partly due to the pledge to do no harm and the inclination to forgive patient-caused injuries as accidental. regardless of the situation, all workers deserve a safe workplace. currently there is no mandatory standard on workplace violence prevention. however, in 2015, the occupational safety and health administration published guidelines for preventing workplace violence for health care and social service workers and is currently working on workplace violence -- a rule for workplace violence prevention. h.r. 1195 would require the secretary of labor to issue a rule on workplace violence prevention based upon osha's 2015 guidelines. an interim standard is required within one year, a final rule must be issued within two years. while the goal of the

legislation is important, the time frame imposed on the department of labor and osha does exceed the norm. while no one believes that we should continue to delay worker protections, osha has already begun the rule making process and is gathering stake holder input. perhaps rather than pass a bill to require the issuance of a rule, we should be considering reforms to the entire osha rule making process. in other words, let's improve the bureaucracy rather than simply flogging it. while osha rule making would ensure workplace policies, according to a 2018 american hospital association survey, 97% of respondents reported they already have a workplace violence prevention policy in place. in 2019, the centers for disease control and prevention stated that additional research was required to identify effective

strategies to prevent violence, particularly in health care settings. we can all agree there's a need for osha to do its work, to issue a workplace violence legislation to protect workplace -- health care providers and social service workers. i hope we're able to accomplish this goal but i do worry we are placing another costly burden on the entities through what is supposed to be an expedited process that may require modification in the future to ensure an effective and safe workplace for all americans. so with with that, i will urge opposition to the rule and i will reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from california is recognize. mr. desaulnier: i would like to yield to the gentleman from worcester, massachusetts, mr. mcgovern. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman is recognized for four minutes. mr. mcgon: i thank the gentleman from california, a distinguished member of the rules committee an also graduate from the college of holy cross in worcester for yielding me the time. i support this rule and underlying legislation an urge my colleagues on both sides to do the same. i hope they all will certainly vote for the rule. the two bills we are bringing to the floor are the product of regular order. they went through the committee process. hearings and markups. we in the rules committee made the republican substitutes in order. so they can try to defend, you know, their ideas, which i don't agee with, but nonetheless. and other republican amendments are made in order as well. but then again, i guess there's not much we can do to make some of my friends happy. but in any event, with i rise now far more somber purpose and that is to honor my friend and colleague, congressman alcee hastings, who we lost last week after a courageous battle with

cancer. i am proud to have sat side-by-side with him in the rule demess for maniees. i often say that the rules committee is like a family. to those outsiders observing the rule committees, we can look sometimes like a little bit of a dysfunctional family but nonetheless we are a family. and today our family is in mourning. this house is already a little less joyful and a little less purpose driven without him here. because that was the thick about alcee hastings. whether he was in the majority or the minority, whether he liked what we were considering on this floor or not, he relished his service in this institution. and he used every day here to wage worthy fights on behalf of justice. his election marked the first time an african-american was elected from florida since the civil war era. and he went on to become the first black chairman of the

helsinki commission, a respected voice on the world stage. there was not a barrier he was afraid to break. and he was steadfast in providing a voice to all of those who needed an ally, including minorities and children and immigrants. and people struggling in poverty. madam speaker, i would ill be remiss if i didn't acknowledge that he could do more with a simple turn of a phrase than many of us could do with 100 words or more. as he was yielding back his time in the committee or here on the floor, especially if he felt we were considering a bill that somehow was disadvantaging vulnerable people in this country, he would get up and he would give a stern and passionate and succinct lecture to this body and then he would conclude by say, that's my story and i'm sticking to it and if i offended any of you by what was

said, that was intentional. it was pure alcee hastings. he chose his words carefully and he meant every one of them. i've lost a dear friend. this congress has lost a giant. and those who all too often go unseen in america have lost a champion. we send our prayers and our condolences to his family, to his dedicated and wonderful staff, and to his constituents. knowing that these halls will never see someone quite like him again. may he rest in peace. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. burgess: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman may proceed. mr. burgess: if we defeat the previous question, republicans will amend the rule immediately

to consider h.r. 2430, the temporary re-authorization and study of the emergency scheduling of fentanyl analogues act. this critical bill would extend the drug enforcement agency's authority to schedule fentanyl analogues another year. unfortunately, president biden's open borders supports trafficking of fentanyl, so it's important that the defrment a.e. -- d.e.a. keeps these dangerous drugs out of our communities. i ask that the amendment be submitted in the record immediately prior to the vote on the previous question. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. burgess: this is critical re-authorization and it's important to address the opioid epidemic. february, 2018, drug enforcement administration used its authority to place nonscheduled

fentanyl-like substances temporarily into schedule 1 for a period of two years. it is important that we do not let this authorization lapse as illicit fentanyl is still an imminent threat to americans. the drug enforcement administration testified that positive impacts since implementing this temporary schedule are significant, stating that prior to this action, d.e.a. observed a rapid and continuous emergence of a new fentanyl-like substance each time it's scheduled to remove a fentanyl-like substance. in other words, you take one out and one would pop up. we simply cannot return to that reality because of the deadly nature of this substance. just last month, two teenagers died. last year the dallas d.e.a.

found 16 kilograms of fentanyl targeting the region. it contained over eight million lethal doses. one for every north texas resident. unfortunately, throughout this pandemic, the opioid crisis has continued and has gotten worse. exacerbating this problem is the ease with which fentanyl is being smuggled across our southern border. the changes in border security enforcement that have occurred have sent a message to the cartels and the drug smugglers that securing our sovereignty is no longer an administration priority. what's worse is that some adults and children are forced to carry these drugs into the united states by smugglers. sometimes innocent individuals traffic drugs into the united states in their vehicles without even knowing that the cartels have placed it there without their knowledge. the only way to limit the exploitation of innocent

individuals and to protect our american communities is to limit the market for these vial products. during the past year, this country has suffered over half a million deaths to an unforeseen disease. we should do everything we can to trample the market of a known killer -- fentanyl. we must equip our communities to address this issue at its very source. the temporary emergency rescheduling of fentanyl analogues to schedule 1 is a necessary tool for the drug enforcement administration to work with other agencies and law enforcement officials to address the threat of illicit fentanyl. i strongly support this bill and strongly urge fellow members to defeat the previous question and support h.r. 2430. i'll reserve -- let me recognize the gentleman from georgia for three minutes to speak on the amendment.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia is recognized for three minutes. mr. carter: i thank the gentleman for yielding. madam speaker, i'm here today to ask my colleagues across the aisle to support the efforts outlined in h.r. 2430 to extend the emergency scheduling of fentanyl analogues. this is an opportunity for us to work together, to help stem the flow of deadly fentanyl and its analogues into our country. this is also an issue that impacts every one of us and the communities we call home. we all know someone who's been the victim of an addictive or illegal opioid. just last week in my home state of georgia, the georgia attorney general announced that he's investigating fatal drug overdoses blamed on counterfeit medications, medications laced with fentanyl. those individuals brought illegal products they believed to be xanax, and others.

this product spread across our state and i know we are not alone. it continues to take the lives of fellow americans and more must be done to fight this. fentanyl is an extremely dangerous substance. three milligrams is enough to be fatal. it's 50 times more potent than heroin. first responders just touching or accidentally inhaling the substance can experience severe complications and possible death. so where is this coming from? across the border with mexico. the g.a.o. even reports fentanyl from mexico increased 200% from 2015 to 2020. every year u.s. border patrol agents get fentanyl that will kill enough americans several times over. c.b.p. announced they had enough

seized fentanyl to kill 800 million people. 800 million people. i visited the border last week to see this crisis firsthand. i was surprised it wasn't a crisis. it's a disaster. it's a disaster on the border. border patrol agents are so overwhelmed with a 20-year record high of illegal immigrants that smugglers and cartels are using this as an opportunity to traffic more fentanyl. if the president and vice president would visit the border, like i did, they would be able to talk to the agents firsthand and see for themselves how serious this issue is. instead, they have elected to leave our border wide open. we are inviting drug traffickers to bring fentanyl into the country and distribute it into our streets. my streets. your streets. your streets, madam speaker. and if we don't look at

long-term scheduling options for all fentanyl products, we remove the last line of defense to provide a deterrent to illegal distribution. our communities are at risk. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. burgess: i yield the gentleman another minute, please. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. carter: our communities are at risk, madam speaker. your community, my community, all of our communities. they don't care if it's a democratic community or republican community. they are at risk. it's time for us to work together as a congress to pass good legislation. we started to address the opioid epidemic in a bipartisan fashion when republicans were in the majority with the passage of the support act, a bipartisan product, and the comprehensive addiction recovery act. we should get back to working together, and this is a great opportunity to do so. madam speaker, as you know, professionally i'm a pharmacist. i witnessed this.

it does not discriminate. opioid addiction doesn't care if you're a republican, a democrat, a male, a female, african-american, caucasian, hispanic. it does not care. it is an addiction that is -- that is paralyzing our country. i urge defeat of the previous question so that we can immediately consider h.r. 2430, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. desaulnier: madam speaker, i'd like to yield three minutes to the gentlewoman from florida. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from florida is recognized. ms. frankel: thank you, madam speaker. just to follow chairman mcgovern and thank him for his very kind words on my friend and neighbor, alcee hastings, who was a brilliant advocate for justice and senior leader of the florida delegation and we miss him dearly.

madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to enter into the record a letter from the national urban league on support of the payment -- paycheck fairness act. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. ms. frankel: madam speaker, i rise to support the passage of the paycheck fairness act. i have some important questions and simple answers. first, do rent and food cost less for women than men? the answer is no. do women work less hard than men? absolutely not. do children depend on the financial support of their mothers? the answer is yes. so should women make less money than men for doing equal work? obviously not. yet, for many reasons women are paid to 82 cents to every dollar paid to men and it's even lower for women of color, causing

struggling families and eventually a lower social security benefits and retirement savings for grandmothers. no wonder it's women and their children who are the majority of poor -- of the poor in this country. as we emerge from a pandemic that's hit women workers the hardest, isn't it time for an economy that compensates women fairly for their work? of course it is. and this requires numerous actions, including making sure that women and girls have full access to health care, education, and financial resources, family friendly workplaces, combating job -- sexual harassment and violence, making childcare affordable and raise the minimum wage. today, today we can take a giant step forward toward closing the

gender wage gap by passing the paycheck fairness act and giving the workers the tools to enforce the equal pay act of 1963 that requires pay equity. isn't it time, madam speaker, that our mothers, our daughters, and sisters get paid peril for their hard day -- paid fairly for their hard day's work? of course. that's my final question and final answer for today, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. burgess: thank you, madam speaker. i'd now like to recognize the gentleman from michigan for three minutes to speak on the amendment. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan is recognized for three minutes. mr. meijer: i rise in support of h.r. 2430, to extend the d.e.a.'s temporary authority to schedule fentanyl for one year. when the chemical formula of fentanyl is slightly modified,

creating a fentanyl analogue, these substances can be exponentially more lethal. these analogues have been a driving force behind the opioid epidemic that continues to plague our local communities. the authority for the d.e.a. to classify these analogues as schedule 1 substances is critical to law enforcement's ability to keep these drugs off our streets. as a member of the homeland security committee, i recently joined my colleagues on a trip to assess the ongoing crisis on our southern border. fentanyl has continued to move into our country through our ports of entry, mainly through our border with mexico. on the trip we spoke with law enforcement officials who detailed the challenges posed by transnational criminal organizations, including drug traffickers, who were attempting to take advantage of the current crisis. with already limited border security resources being diverted to deal with the humanitarian crisis, drug smugglers are continuing their attempt to push dangerous substances, including fentanyl, into the united states. in the first quarter of 2021,

the seizure of fentanyl at our southwestern border by c.b.p. has increased by a staggering 230% from the first quarter of 2020. at a time when our country's experiencing a border crisis and an opioid crisis, we need to be enacting policies that strengthen law enforcement and enhance public safety. instead of empowering bad actors who continue to put our communities at risk. if we fail to act on this commonsense extension before the upcoming may 6 deadline, we will be taking away a major tool that law enforcement needs to keep our communities safe. with fentanyl analogues no longer properly scheduled, drug smugglers will continue and remain embolden to expand their attempts to move fentanyl into the united states. this would exacerbate two already unsustainable crises, the ongoing surge at our southern border, and the opioid epidemic that's devastated lives of amens