Kari's Law Act of 2017

Mr. Speaker, I rise to explain the importance of the pending legislation, which extends the Continuing Resolution passed by Congress on January 26, 2018 but expired at midnight, February 8, 2018, by an additional six weeks, or until March 23, 2018.

This crucial legislation rests upon three pillars.

First, the legislation before us provides $89.3 billion in aid to respond to the damage caused by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, and the wildfires in California.

Second, the Continuing Resolution pending before us is necessary to finalize and implement a bipartisan and bicameral budget agreement gives parity to defense and non-defense discretionary funding and provides $117 billion more funding for needed non-defense investments in the areas of education, public health, infrastructure, community development, and disaster relief than proposed under the Trump FY 2018 budget.

Third, I will be advocating for a nay vote on the Previous Question in order to bring to the floor a crucial legislative fix for debate and vote that will provide permanent legal residence and a path to citizenship to the more than 800,000 Dreamers, including the 124,000 who live in Texas, whose lives have been turned upside down because of this Administration's cruel, unwise, and reckless termination of DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

And in connection with legislation to protect Dreamers, I will insist that the Administration rescind the revocation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti, El Salvador, and Honduras, or failing that, TPS for those countries be extended by congressional legislation.

Mr. Speaker, 44,800 residents of Texas are TPS holders from El Salvador (36,300), Honduras (8,400), and Haiti, who combined are parents of 53,800 U.S.-born children in Texas and 14,000 of whom have home mortgages.

These TPS holders are integral members of the Texas's social fabric, having lived in Texas an average of 20 years, and contribute an aggregate $2.2 billion to the Texas economy.

This legislation provides $89.3 billion in emergency supplemental appropriations to help states, communities, businesses, and individuals respond and recover from Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, and the California wildfires.

This amount represents a doubling of the woefully inadequate $44 billion disaster relief package proposed by the Administration and a substantial increase over the $81.1 billion disaster relief funding approved by the House.

Ever since the widespread and catastrophic destruction of Hurricane Harvey occurred, I have been working closely with Senator Cornyn and other federal, state, and local officials, along with my colleagues in the Texas congressional delegation to secure the help necessary for the areas affected by Hurricane Harvey recover and rebuild.

The $8 billion increase in disaster relief funding reflected in this legislation is due in strong part to the efforts of Senator Cornyn, with whom I worked very closely to ensure that the interests of Houston and Harris County were promoted and protected.

I have witnessed firsthand the pain of storm-weary Houstonians who lost their homes, their belongings, and in many cases their jobs.

Right now, at this very moment, hundreds of thousands of Texans--in Port Arthur, in Port Aransas, in Rockport, in Houston and Harris County--remain homeless or are living in substandard homes with blue tarp roofs and infected with mold.

They are struggling and hurting.

So this is personal to me.

That is why right now my highest priority is to ensure that funding that has been made available expeditiously gets in the hands of local governments so that relief can deliver the resources and services so desperately needed.

That is why I am working with the Texas General Land Office Commissioner and have advocated for the immediate release of the $5 billion that was approved in September 2017 and wrote the HUD Secretary to expedite promulgation of the proposed regulations necessary to release the funds, which finally were published this week in the Federal Register for notice and comment.

And that is why on September 6, 2017, ten days after Hurricane Harvey struck, I introduced the first Hurricane Harvey disaster recovery legislation.

I was joined by 44 colleagues in introducing H.R. 3686, the ``Hurricane Harvey Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2017,'' which provides $174 billion in disaster relief for the areas affected by Hurricane Harvey, the worst superstorm ever to strike the mainland United States.

The $174 billion in funding provided by H.R. 3686 represents a comprehensive response commensurate to the challenge; specifically that legislation would provide relief in the following amounts:

1. Housing and Community Development Fund: $50 billion

2. FEMA Disaster Relief Fund: $35 billion

3. Army Corps of Engineers--Construction: $15 billion

4. Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies: $13 billion

5. Public Transportation Emergency Relief Program: $33 billion

6. Small Business Disaster Loans Program: $2 billion

7. Emergency Conservation Activities: $650 million

8. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: $321 million

9. National Aeronautics and Space Administration: $50 million

10. Legal Services Corporation: $10 million

11. Army National Guard: $10 million

12. Army Corps of Engineers--Civil Investigations: $150 million

13. Coast Guard: $450 million

14. National Park Service Historic Preservation Fund: $800 million

15. EPA Environmental Programs and Management: $2.5 billion

16. EPA Hazardous Substance Superfund: $7 million

17. Leaking Underground Storage Tank Fund: $15 million

18. State and Tribal Assistance Grants: $600 million

19. Employment and Training Services: $100 million

20. Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund: $2.5 billion

21. Airport and Airway Trust Fund: $90 million

22. Federal-Aid Highways Emergency Relief Program: $6.5 billion

Although, the disaster relief funding provided in the legislation before us is not as robust as the package I have proposed, it is a significant improvement over what was initially offered by the Administration and will provide much needed assistance to disaster victims in desperate need of help.

I wish to thank the leadership of the Appropriations Committee, in particular T-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Diaz-Balart, and Energy and Water Appropriations Ranking Member Kaptur for including in the legislation before us the following beneficial measures that I requested, including:

1. Authority to establish and implement a $1 billion pilot program to provide small business disaster recovery grants, modeled on H.R. 3930, the ``Hurricane Harvey Small Business Recovery Grants Act,'' legislation I introduced on October 3, 2017 and is co-sponsored by 16 of our colleagues.

2. $75 million for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Investigations account, which is to be used in areas affected by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, and can be used to finance the $3 million Houston-Area Watershed Assessment Study.

3. This is a highly successful conclusion to the multi-year struggle I waged to secure House approval of this project and funding with the Jackson Lee Amendments to the Energy and Water Appropriations Act for Fiscal Years 2016, 2017, and 2018.

4. The bill also includes helpful legislative language to ensure that in awarding CDBG-Disaster Relief funds to states, the Secretary of HUD should to the maximum extent practicable award grants to units of local government and public housing authorities that have the financial and administrative capacity to manage a grant awarded under the program.

5. The bill also includes a provision for which I advocated expressly providing that religious nonprofit organizations and houses of worship have the same opportunity to qualify for disaster assistance as their secular counterparts.

Let me describe briefly some of the major provisions contained in this disaster relief funding package before us:

FEMA Disaster Relief Fund: $28 billion to provide critical funding to assist the ongoing federal disaster response to allow up to $4 billion to be provided for Community Disaster Loans (CDLs).

Emergency Food Assistance Program: $24 million to provide an additional 35 million pounds of food for food banks in states affected by natural disasters.

Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC): $14 million.

$7.6 million to repair 12 Food and Drug Administration sites damaged by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, including repair of scientific equipment such as those used to test foods for chemical contamination.

Economic Development Assistance Programs: $600 million in additional funding to provide grants to communities directly impacted by Hurricane Harvey, Irma, and Maria, as well as others disasters declared in 2017.

This funding will support immediate relief efforts and longterm recovery projects, including repairing and replacing basic infrastructure needs that are vital for local economic recovery.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: $400 million, with $100 million allocated for improving weather forecasting capabilities and data collection efforts to better protect lives and property in the wake of future hurricanes, and with $200 million for fishery disasters causing severe economic harm in coastal communities following Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration: $81 million to repair facilities damaged at the Kennedy and Johnson Space Centers.

Legal Services Corporation: $15 million for mobile resources, technology, and disaster coordinators necessary to provide storm- related services to the population in affected areas.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: $17.39 billion, including $15 billion for flood control and storm damage reduction construction projects and $135 million for high priority Investigation studies for risk reduction from future floods and hurricanes.

Of this $135 million, $75 million is to be allocated for the Army Corps of Engineers' Investigations account, which is to be used in areas affected by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, and can be used to finance the $3 million Houston-Area Watershed Assessment Study I have worked to secure and which has been previously approved by the House.

The bill also included $608 million to finance needed federal dredging projects, such as Houston Shipping Channel and $810 million to prepare for and mitigate future flood, hurricane, and other natural disasters.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), will receive $28 billion allocated to the Community Development Fund to repair homes, support local business, and rebuild infrastructure while mitigating future risk.

Also included in the legislation is authority for HUD to adjust Section 8 voucher funding for public housing agencies adversely affected by disasters in 2017.

Mr. Speaker, George Bush Intercontinental Airport, located in my congressional district, will benefit from the $10.3 million to repair Transportation and Security Administration facilities, security equipment, and access control equipment at airports damaged by the hurricanes.

The Texas Gulf Coast will benefit from the $835 million allocated to the U.S. Coast Guard; $4 million of which for site assessments to determine environmental compliance and restoration needs.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will receive $23.5 billion for the Disaster Relief Fund to support response and recovery efforts.

Other important provisions in the FEMA appropriations:

1. Ensure that religious nonprofit organizations are given the same opportunity to qualify for certain disaster assistance as their secular counterparts.

2. Extend the period of time that local government revenue loss as a result of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria can be considered for the purpose of Community Disaster Loans.

3. Authorize the President to increase the federal cost share for certain disaster assistance from 75 to 85 percent if recipients have taken steps to make themselves more resilient against disasters.

The Environmental Protection Agency will receive $6.2 million for the Superfund program to help repair damage sustained to remedies at Superfund sites; $7 million for the Leaking Underground Storage Tank program to repair damage to storage tanks to prevent spills and contaminants from leaking into the environment; and $50 million for debris removal and technical assistance to inspect and clean up hazardous waste facilities.

Department of Labor: $100 million for disaster response economic recovery through the Dislocated Worker National Reserve.

Department of Health and Human Services:

1. $200 million for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;

2. $50 million for National Institutes of Health;

3. $650 million for Head Start; and

4. $162 million for the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund, including $60 million for Community Health Centers and $20 million for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration.

Department of Education will receive $2.7 billion for Hurricane Education Recovery, including:

1. $2.46 billion to restart operations at elementary and secondary schools;

2. $100 million for institutions of higher education, and students at those institutions;

3. $25 million for education services for homeless children; and

4. $35 million for Project SERV for education-related services to help students recover from traumatic events, including natural disasters.

Notably, this legislation forgives loans made to four Historically Black Colleges and Universities in response to Hurricane Katrina.

Also notably, the CR allocates $14 million for the Government Accountability Office to conduct oversight and evaluate distribution and use of disaster funding across agencies to ensure responsible use of taxpayer funds.

Department of Veterans Affairs: $4.1 million to repair damages to the Veterans Benefit Administration Office in Houston, Texas and the Puerto Rico National Cemetery.

Department of Transportation: $30 billion to repair damaged infrastructure and help communities recover from natural disasters.

Federal Highway Administration will receive $1.3 billion and the Federal Transit Administration will receive $330 million, both for their Emergency Relief Programs.

Mr. Speaker, there is much more work to be done in my city of Houston, and across the areas affected by the terrible, awesome storm that will be forever known simply as Hurricane Harvey, and by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

But the disaster relief funding package before us today represents a solid start toward completing the necessary work that must be undertaken to restore the affected communities to their previous greatness.

As I conclude, I am remembering a heroic DREAMER, Alonso Guillen, who came to the U.S. from Mexico as a child, and died in my congressional district when his boat capsized while he was rescuing survivors of the flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey in the Houston area.

There is no heart in ending DACA and leaving the fate of 800,000 young persons in limbo and constant fear of deportation from the only country they have ever known, and the only nation to which they have ever pledged allegiance.

The way to end this crisis is to bring H.R. 3440, the Dream Act of 2017, to the floor right now and vote for it so it can pass both houses of Congress with a veto-proof majority.

A Dreamer seeking to earn her college degree and aspiring to attend medical school to better herself and her new community is not a threat to the nation's security.

Law abiding but unauthorized immigrants doing honest work to support their families pose far less danger to society than human traffickers, drug smugglers, or those who have committed a serious crime.

President Obama was correct in concluding that exercising his discretion regarding the implementation of DACA enhances the safety of all members of the public, serves national security interests, and furthers the public interest in keeping families together.

According to numerous studies conducted by the Congressional Budget Office, Social Security Administration, and Council of Economic Advisors, DACA generates substantial economic benefits to our nation.

For example, expanding DACA is estimated to increase GDP by $230 billion and create an average of 28,814 jobs per year over the next 10 years.

That is a lot of jobs.

In exercising his broad discretion in the area of removal proceedings, President Obama acted responsibly and reasonably in determining the circumstances in which it makes sense to pursue removal and when it does not.

Because of President Obama's leadership and visionary executive action, 124,000 undocumented immigrants in my home state of Texas have received deferred action.

91 percent of these immigrants are employed or in school and contribute $6.3 billion annually to the Texas economy and $460.3 billion to the national economy.

Instead of wasting time scapegoating DREAMERS, we should instead seize the opportunity to pass legislation that secures our borders, preserves America's character as the most open and welcoming country in the history of the world, and will yield hundreds of billions of dollars in economic growth.

THE SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Collins of Georgia). All time for debate has expired.

Pursuant to House Resolution 734, the previous question is ordered.

The question is on the motion by the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Frelinghuysen).

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. I also thank her for her outstanding statement of values and what our country is about. I thank her for her extraordinary leadership.

I thank all of our colleagues for the unity that we have had over the months when we were having this debate about what this bill would look like.

I want to, again, read a letter that Mr. Hoyer, Mr. Clyburn, and I sent to the Speaker last night--I guess this night, because I think it is very important for people to understand the simplicity of our request, the fairness of our request to the Speaker.

It says: ``In the spirit of bipartisanship, we write to again reiterate our sincere desire to ensure that the government remains open and that the priorities of the American people are properly addressed. As you know, Democrats have been clear that we support a budget agreement that ensures that our men and women in uniform have the resources they need to protect our country and that America's middle class and working families have the tools they need to succeed. As part of this agreement, we have always expected that the House and the Senate would address the issue of DACA and our DREAMers.

``Most of our Members believe that the budget agreement is a reasonable compromise to address America's military strength and critical domestic priorities, like fighting the opioid crisis, boosting NIH, moving forward to resolve the pension crisis, caring for our veterans, making college more affordable, and investing in childcare for working families.''

Indeed, that is what the fight has been about all along. We have had to fight the resistance on the Republican side to invest in the domestic agenda. So I was pleased to hear some of our Republican colleagues talk about some of the things in this bill that we, on the Democratic side, insisted upon being there.

So, Mr. Speaker, we are writing again to request that you make a public statement regarding the scheduling of a vote on the DACA bill. That is our request. That is the request of the House Democrats that Mr. Hoyer and Mr. Clyburn sent this letter last night: ``Our request is that you publicly state that you will schedule a vote to consider the bipartisan Hurd-Aguilar bill and any other DACA bills that you wish to consider under a Queen of the Hill rule.

``We strongly believe that Members of the House and their constituents deserve the same dignity that Leader McConnell has extended to Members of the Senate'' by stating that he will allow a vote on this issue.

We asked him for his immediate attention to this issue, but we did not receive that back.

I said earlier that America is the greatest country that ever existed in the history of the world.

Aren't we proud to be Americans?

And what is America?

America is a country of great people of beautiful diversity that have changed over time from the days of our Founders. ``E pluribus unum,'' they said. They could never imagine how pluribus it could be, how many, how

many different people. Yet they established a Constitution that enabled everyone the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is a beautiful thing. Our country has become a more diverse country over time, but still, e pluribus unum.

In this vote today, we are just saying to pay respect to the fact that we are a nation of immigrants, constantly reinvigorated by newcomers coming with their hopes, dreams, aspirations, courage to make the future better for their families.

That is what America is about. That is what the optimism of our Founders was based on, that every generation would take responsibility. So these newcomers have made America more American.

Then who is America?

America is our great Constitution of the United States, a great Constitution, which we take an oath to support.

And what else is America?

America is a great patrimony, this beautiful land that God has given us to be stewards of. It is important to know that our country is our 50 States, the District of Columbia, and our territories.

In respect for that, I am very pleased that, in this bill, we were successful in the negotiations to get more funding for the territories, especially Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, an increase over what was in the original disaster bill.

But there are other things that are important to note that are in this bill. Again, opioids, mental health, National Institutes of Health, these are Democratic priorities that we fought for. That is why this took so long to come to fruition, because there was a resistance on the Republican side to invest on the domestic side.

So they have been increasing the defense number, which we go along with, but wanted commensurate increase on the domestic side, recognizing the domestic side for us and our budget--appropriators know this better than anyone--includes security functions, Homeland Security, the State Department, Veterans Affairs, antiterrorism activities of the Justice Department.

So there is much security on the domestic side. That is why we insisted on increasing the number, and that did happen. That did happen. That is why I am able to say in this letter that there are many good things in this legislation.

But for some reason, sometimes I think the Speaker thinks he is Speaker of the White House, not the Speaker of the House of Representatives. We should have the opportunity--I touched a nerve there, I hear--to have this House, the people's House, work its will, not be the recipients of something that might--as he said: Well, if it passes with 60 votes in the Senate and the President approves, then maybe I will bring it to the floor.

That is not a commitment.

Just let me say again what an honor it is for any of us to associate ourselves with the aspirations of the DREAMers in our country. They are so magnificent. They are a model of patriotism to our country, and all they wanted was the recognition of the Speaker of the House that they are worthy of that.

In any event, I thank the various speakers who were presiding the other day. I thank the speakers for their courtesies extended. I thank the Chair, too, Mr. Speaker.

But here it is: Yes, I was one of the four principals with the White House negotiating on this legislation. A lot of it came our way.

Do you know why?

Because nobody wants a shutdown.

This is a good bill. It doesn't do everything, but it is a compromise. But the one thing and the one message to allay fear, to build confidence, to honor the vows of our Founders that we could have done is to say: We, the United States of America, in this people's House, want to assure you that we will allow the House of Representatives to work its will.

Let the chips fall where they may, but give us a chance to allay the fear that is in the hearts of these DREAMers and their families and to remove the tears from the eyes of the Statue of Liberty observing what is happening here.

Mr. Speaker, I am very grateful to Mr. Lance for his great leadership on this issue. And I appreciate the comments of my friend across the aisle, Mr. Doyle.

This did pass by voice vote.

One can't help but wonder: How many times has this played out that we don't know about? How many times has there been a child that tried to dial 911? How many times has a panicked adult dialed 911 not knowing?

And I was in a hotel the other day where you had to dial 7 to get out.

How many times has somebody been killed trying to dial 911?

We don't know. There is no way to know. But we do know that this is the right thing to do. And the only reason this came forward is after the tragic loss of Kari. Her death occurred over several minutes. Normally in a town like Marshall, especially in a town like that, the police are going to be there within a minute or two when something goes on this long. It was a beating; it was a stabbing; her daughter was trying to dial.

After Kari had left this world, her daughter was sitting in Hank Hunt's lap. She was crying saying: I did all I could. I kept dialing 911 and it wouldn't go through.

Hank was torn up about it and got to investigating. That is when this was brought to light. When Hank brought it to my attention, we got to investigating. And we do have limits here in Congress. We are not supposed to go meddling, according to the 10th Amendment, in State and local affairs; but this is a matter of interstate communications. This is a matter for the Congress. This goes across State lines constantly. It is in the public domain across the country. If we don't do it when it involves interstate commerce, then nobody else has the authority to go across State lines.

I also thank the FCC Commissioner Pai, who I understand will soon be the chairman, for all his efforts because he truly participated.

We found out that there is really no cost. If we pass this law such as it is, then the companies that produce these phones would just set the default position so that when someone dials 911, it goes straight to an emergency operator without having to dial a prefix, whether it is 7, 9, 3, whatever. So there is no cost in that. It is just telling them how to do the default.

What about existing lines?

And then we found from people that have installed these multiphone lines that, actually, if somebody calls and says, ``Hey, we need to get our phone system reset so you can dial 911 and it goes straight through,'' everyone that we have talked to that was in that business said, ``Oh, we will come make that switch for free.''

So we knew we had a bill here, we had a law--it goes across party lines, it goes across bicameral lines--we had an opportunity to pass a bill.

I am grateful to Senator Klobuchar in the Senate and all the bipartisan support there. As my friend, Mr. Doyle, pointed out, there is another push. Let's identify exactly where someone is within that multiline system. That will cost money.

There are some that have said: Look, if there is somebody that is making a secret call, they don't want the bad guys figuring out where the call is coming from.

So there are other issues involved here, but we have a bill that will save lives and it is agreeable across the aisle. It passed this manner in the past Congress. It will pass this way again today. So I urge not only our friends here in the House, but also my friends in the Senate, please pass this bill that we all agree on, save lives, and then let's have a full and thorough debate on the part that will cost money. We have some mom and pop hotels that say: If you make us buy a new phone system, the one we have won't be able to identify which room is making the call. You make us add to that, we are already in trouble. We are barely getting by. Please don't add more costs to what we are struggling to pay as it is.

Let's have that debate in a separate bill. Go in and pass this noncontroversial one for Kari's sake and for the sake of all of those that would come into the same situation. Let's just pass this bill. Kari, as her father and her daughters have said, will then not have died for nothing. Her loss of life will save lives in the future.

Again, I thank my friend, Mr. Lance. What a great American, the way he pursues matters of conscience. I appreciate again my friend across the aisle, Mr. Doyle.

I urge passage of this bill now, today.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the further discussion of H.R. 1892.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 734, I call up the bill (H.R. 1892) to amend title 4, United States Code, to provide for the flying of the flag at half-staff in the event of the death of a first responder in the line of duty, with the Senate amendment to the House amendment to the Senate amendment thereto, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I have a motion at the desk.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to present the Senate amendment to the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 1892, a bipartisan, bicameral bill outlining the funding for the next 2 fiscal years and funding for the government through March 23, providing much needed emergency supplemental funding for disaster recovery, and raising the Nation's debt ceiling.

This legislation will help our Nation move forward without the threat of a shutdown or default and with greater budget scrutiny. This bill will also allow us to move past the destructive cycle of continuing resolutions, which undermine the appropriations process and promotes only more uncertainty and doubt about our government's and this Congress' ability to function and to meet the needs of those we represent.

I am pleased that this legislation includes an agreement reached on a bipartisan basis by House and Senate leaders on spending caps for both fiscal year 2018 and fiscal year 2019.

Especially important is a substantial increase in funds for national defense. Our Nation faces multiple security challenges and increasingly aggressive, not to mention well equipped, adversaries. We must be prepared to meet these challenges, and we must take care of our men and women in uniform who truly do the work of freedom.

After years of reduction in military funding and months of uncertainty caused by continuing resolutions, it is time we provide our Armed Forces with what they need to rebuild and keep our Nation safe.

The agreement also outlines investments in important bipartisan domestic priorities such as fighting the opioid abuse epidemic, supporting veterans, and rebuilding and renewing our infrastructure around the Nation.

These top line spending levels will enable us to get to work immediately on our 12 appropriations bills to wrap up the fiscal year 2018 and quickly turn our attention to fiscal year 2019.

This legislation also includes a short term continuing resolution, our last for this year, which will fund the Federal Government through March 23. This will maintain programs and services that all Americans depend on until all of the annual appropriations bills can be enacted. I look forward to working with our Senate counterparts to negotiate and complete all of these bills ahead of that deadline.

In addition to these critical pieces of government funding, this legislation also provides $89.3 billion in emergency disaster funding, funding that has been urgently needed since this House passed its version in December. This funding will provide the residents of Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Western States with the resources to rebuild their lives after last year's historic and devastating natural disasters.

Lastly, this bill increases the debt limit through March 1, 2019, so we can pay our bills and avoid the economic damage of a default.

Mr. Speaker, the Senate has just passed this bill, and now it is up to this House to do the same and to send this legislation to the President for his signature.

I urge a ``yes'' vote on the bill and reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Jenkins), a member of our Appropriations Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have the right to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Ryan), the Speaker of the House.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 582) to amend the Communications Act of 1934 to require multi- line telephone systems to have a configuration that permits users to directly initiate a call to 9-1-1 without dialing any additional digit, code, prefix, or post-fix, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

At our subcommittee hearing last April, we heard the very moving testimony of Mr. Hank Hunt. Hank told us the story of how his daughter Kari was brutally murdered in a Texas motel bathroom in December 2013. As emotional as his story was, Hank continued with the gut wrenching details of how Kari's daughter frantically tried and failed to reach first responders.

The little girl had done as she was always taught, dial 911 for help. Tragically, as it turns out, that was her mistake. Due to the configuration of the phone installed in the motel room, she needed to dial 9 before dialing an outside number. Time after time she tried, but the call never went through. The first responders who could have attempted to save Kari's life were not reached in time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this commonsense bill that has the ability to save lives. Unfortunately, it

cost the life of Kari Hunt before the call for action was recognized.

Multiline telephone systems, like the one in that Texas motel room, are everywhere. Many businesses, including hotels, offices, and schools, use MLTS at their facilities across the country. They serve a very practical purpose and make connecting to other onsite users much easier. Unfortunately, many of these phones do not preset with the ability directly to dial 911.

It may be routine for someone who works in an office to know to dial 9 before dialing out, but would the instinct seem so natural during an emergency? Incidentally, I have telephones in offices here and in several district locations in New Jersey, and in some of those offices you dial 9 and in some you don't.

Moreover, our children should not have to be taught that sometimes they need to dial an extra number. 911 should mean 911. Those three numbers are one of the earliest things many parents teach their children. Kari's Law would require multiline telephone systems to be configured with the ability directly to dial 911 without any additional prefix.

The law would also require that multiline phone systems be configured to notify a central location within the system's facility when someone initiates a call to 911. This provision will help ensure first responders have the information needed to better locate and assist the caller.

There are some businesses, including a number of hotel chains, who have shown initiative and applied these changes in their facilities already. I commend them, but there is more work to be done. These simple fixes should be adopted and implemented nationwide. When dialing to reach emergency responders, it needs to go through, period.

I thank Hank Hunt, Kari's father, who has been a tireless advocate for this legislation. He has brought this important issue to our attention. Kari's Law passed without objection twice last Congress, and I urge all of my colleagues to support Representative Gohmert's bill once again. Representative Gohmert has certainly taken the lead on this across the United States. He is an angel of mercy in this regard. I hope this legislation becomes law this year and will be signed into law by our new President because I think it is critical for the safety of the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

H.R. 582 Kari's Law Act of 2017

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert), the sponsor of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, we have no further speakers.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.