American Cybersecurity Literacy Act

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the dedicated men and women of the United States Coast Guard Sector Long Island located in NY-3 that stretches from Eatons Neck and just beyond Kings Point. It is one of the oldest Coast Guard stations in New York and the fourth oldest in the United States.

They carry out humanitarian services, such as search and rescue. They are maritime security, which is their top priority, along with port security. They are the law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces. The United States Coast Guard is the largest and most powerful coast guard in the world, and it rivals most navies.

During 9/11, these unsung heroes evacuated some 565,000 people from Manhattan who chose the water route to escape NYC. In addition, their search and rescue ops increased by 35 percent during the pandemic, with a 22 percent increase in fatalities.

While keeping vigilant of our coast, they also take the fight to gun, drug, and human smugglers out on the high seas.

Their mission-related activity is being carried out despite a $4 billion backlog in infrastructure, including the old station building at Eatons Neck, structural issues with the U.S. Coast Guard station in Saugerties, as well as flooding, mold, lead, and asbestos issues at each of the U.S. Coast Guard stations on the South Shore. Because of these conditions, the Coast Guard staff must clean up the basements late at night instead of getting proper sleep after handling search and rescue operations all day.

As you can see, these are the conditions behind me of what the men and women who serve our country honorably have to endure.

All of this is being carried out with about 100 reservists from New York and 40,000 members nationwide, some of whom have difficulty receiving mental health services. Being stationed at some of these facilities can become a long and lonely mission due to long winters and very little social life.

Sadly, there are also pay and housing issues, some U.S. Coast Guard staff are utilizing food pantries and have difficulties finding affordable housing within enough driving distance of their station. This results in morale and recruiting issues.

Lastly, there are some 3,000 offshore wind turbines that are coming and posing a major concern for the Coast Guard when it comes to performing search and rescue. Their helicopters would have to carefully navigate a waterway during a rescue operation without getting caught up in the wind turbines in addition to Coast Guard vessels having difficulties with their radar capabilities navigating in and around these windmills.

I would also add that the construction of these turbines can take up to 15 to 20 years to build, resulting in an expected 1,800 transits up the Hudson River from the Port of New York and out to sea. This places a huge responsibility on the shoulders of the Coast Guard to ensure the safety of all those types of boaters and vessels.

Madam Speaker, I highlight these concerns because they operate under a limited budget. They deserve proper pay, rest, housing, medical, as well as mental health, and above all, our sincere gratitude.

These dedicated men and women are truly the unsung heroes of our military force who protect our coasts, protect our economic and security interests abroad, saving thousands of lives a year at sea, and providing emergency response to both manmade and natural disasters.

The Coast Guard ethos are:

In Service to our Nation

With honor, respect, and devotion to duty

We protect,

We defend,

We save,

We are semper paratus.

We are the United States Coast Guard.

I thank the U.S. Coast Guard for their dedication to protecting other coastal borders and keeping those at sea safe from harm.

Safe Drinking Water

Madam Speaker, most of us would take this for granted and never think twice about the water we drink. We assume it is safe and that the contaminants have been filtered out. I am here to address the water contamination concern that is affecting communities within New York's Third Congressional District.

The Village of Farmingdale is an incorporated village on Long Island in Nassau County. The Village is serviced by two different water utilities: the Village of Farmingdale Water Department that serves approximately 9,500 residents, and the South Farmingdale Water District, which serves approximately 45,000 residents. One of the water plants is already impacted by contaminants and the second is in danger of approaching contamination within 11 months.

PFAS substances, which are commonly known as PFAS are chemicals used for their waterproofing and stain resistance. They typically can be found in a variety of products, such as fabric conditioners, firefighting foam, and older styles of Teflon. They are also known as ``forever chemicals'' that never break down in water and soil, and accumulate and persist in the human body. Health effects from PFAS can vary. According to the CDC, PFAS may lead to high cholesterol, increased risk of kidney cancer, liver problems, and decreases in birth weight.

Currently, the Village of Farmingdale is trying to address these emerging contaminants, including 1,4-dioxane and PFAS that are emanating from plumes in the aquifer from various hazardous waste sites outside of the boundaries of the Village. The Village is in the process of constructing an advanced oxidation plant, AOP, and granulated activated carbon filters to remove PFAS and 1,4-dioxane compounds at this location.

The reality is, in 11 months 9,500 people in the Village of Farmingdale are at risk of having no access to clean water if we do nothing about it.

Unfortunately, these contaminants have already impacted one of the water supply wells located at Eastern Parkway where the Village operates a 1.73-million-gallon per day well, also known as well 1-3. As a result, well 1-3 has been offline since July of 2021, and the Village of Farmingdale has declared an emergency.

In December of 2019, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation directed the installation of sentinel wells near the Village of Farmingdale's boundaries, which is a

short distance of approximately 1,500 feet of both water plants to monitor the toxic plume and the impact.

A sentinel well is a groundwater monitoring well located between a known area of groundwater contamination and a drinking water supply well. This pending contamination necessitates that the Village of Farmingdale implement costly filtration systems not just for well 1 but also for the two remaining operational wells, 2 and 3.

Farmingdale's most recent sample indicates a significant increase in contamination concentrations of the two remaining operational wells. Concentrations in these sentinel wells exceed the current standards. Concentrations of 1,4-dioxane have risen from 1.7 ppb, parts per billion, in June of 2021 to 3.4 parts per billion in March of 2022.

In 2017, a nonprofit known as the Environmental Working Group collaborated with scientists, aggregated, and analyzed data from 50,000 local water utilities in all 50 States. For the Village of Farmingdale, the group discovered six contaminants across the supply between 2012 and 2017. The following contaminants include chromium, nitrate, nitrate and nitrite, radium, arsenic, and radium.

For the Village residents and businesses to have a safe supply of potable water, the Village is preparing contingency plans which will also have a significant financial impact on the small Village. This is just one small community facing contaminated water and, unfortunately, they are not alone.

While I am pleased that New York became the first State in the Nation to adopt drinking water standards, at the Federal level we should be doing more to invest in our water infrastructure improvement projects.

Clean water should never be a luxury to any community. In fact, clean water should always be a right to every American citizen.

Defending the Taxpayers of Nassau County

Madam Speaker, today, I have to defend the taxpayers living in Nassau County. As Long Island becomes less affordable and inflation disrupts our everyday lives, Long Islanders are struggling to pay taxes.

Our homeowners in Nassau County are now being required to pay an additional 2.06 percent in school taxes for 2023 through 2024. Nassau County ranks among eight counties nationwide with the highest median property tax, which consists of 60 percent in school tax. One of the more affluent school districts in New York's Third District, Jericho, is proposing a 2.77 percent tax increase.

The district will pay an additional $2.6 million in health insurance, along with $700,000 more for public school bus transportation. This is why the taxpayers of Long Island would greatly benefit from my bill, H.R. 1360, the SALT Relief Act.

All taxpayers need a buffer, especially during times of economic hardship. My bill is designed to keep money in taxpayers' wallets while keeping residents on Long Island.

I am calling on my colleagues to cosponsor my bill and consider what is at stake for all American families.

Congratulating Students Emily Kim and Kevin Zhu

I would like to take the time to congratulate Emily Kim and Kevin Zhu of Jericho High School on becoming finalists in the 2023 Regeneron Science Talent Search.

Both Emily and Kevin had the experience of presenting their research for a week in the Nation's Capital and were awarded $25,000 based on their research skills and promise as scientists.

Emily and Kevin were chosen to compete out of 1,949 students from 628 high schools across 48 States, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and four other countries.

Emily's project studied activated carbon and its potential to treat the wastewater produced by the fast-fashion and textile industries.

Kevin Zhu's project studied change in DNA associated with neurological disease and how the changes can serve as a measurable indicator for future cancer blood tests.

These extraordinary students, although very young, have set the bar for the many likely to follow in their footsteps. Now, more than ever, scientific research and STEM skills are vital to solving some of the world's most complex problems.

Bright minds such as Kevin's and Emily's are on the cutting edge of breakthrough discoveries.

Congratulations to you both, and may you have great success in the future and in your career.

Congratulating the Manhasset Indians Girls' Basketball Team

Madam Speaker, I congratulate the Manhasset Indians girls' basketball team for their outstanding performance this month. On March 11th, they played an impressive game and, what many may argue, was their most competitive game all season.

With just 70 seconds left and what appeared to be their certain defeat, the girls gave it their all and scored six straight points, including an astonishing free throw from senior grad Caitlin Barrett.

Their junior forward Lauren Perfetto scored 12 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in what some have called the best game of her career. The girls tied the game at 45 and went into overtime, then wrapped the game with a three-point lead.

With demonstrated composure, resilience, and teamwork, the Manhasset Indians set the bar in athleticism. I know that you work so hard and thank you for making this historic mark in Manhasset's history. Keep your chin up, ladies.

Congratulations to the Manhasset Indians Girls' basketball team.

Honored to Serve

Madam Speaker, it is an honor to serve in the House of Representatives and it is an honor to represent the constituents of the Third Congressional District of New York and to come here every day and fight for the interests of our constituents.

I thank the Speaker and the staff for all your work and for all the dedication to the American people.

I yield back the balance of my time.