Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that I may insert in the Congressional Record not later than Thursday, September 13, such material as I may deem explanatory of S. 3021.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on S. 3021.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 3021) to designate the United States courthouse located at 300 South Fourth Street in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as the ``Diana E. Murphy United States Courthouse'', as amended.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of S. 3021, the America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2018.

This bill is good for our infrastructure, good for jobs, and good for America. It is a bipartisan, bicameral comprehensive bill that delivers on a promise to regularly address water resources and infrastructure issues across the Nation.

Title I of this act is the Water Resources Development Act of 2018, or WRDA. I want to remind my colleagues that we overwhelmingly passed WRDA in June by a vote of 408-2.

WRDA invests in the ports, locks, and dams, inland waterways, flood protection, and other infrastructure that makes America more competitive and protects our communities. It also builds upon reforms to the Army Corps of Engineers to help improve project delivery.

This bill is fiscally responsible and fully offset. It cuts red tape, and it maintains congressional authority and oversight of Federal investment.

I want to thank Ranking Member DeFazio for working together on the WRDA title. However, today's bill includes more than just WRDA, and I also want to thank the Energy and Commerce Committee, the Natural Resources Committee, and our Senate counterparts for helping put this package together.

I am proud to say today's legislation continues a 2-year cycle of regular order for Congress considering these essential WRDA bills. This has been one of my top priorities since I became chairman over 6 years ago.

We need to pass this bill, continue providing direction to the Corps, and ensure all of these infrastructure improvements move forward.

This is simply good public policy, and it is good for our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to support this jobs and infrastructure bill, and I reserve the balance of my time

Joint Explanatory Statement To Accompany S. 3021, America's Water

Infrastructure Act of 2018

The America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 will create

jobs, grow the economy, promote fiscal responsibility, and

protect lives, property, and the environment.

America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 supports our

nation's economic competitiveness by increasing water

storage, providing protection from dangerous floodwaters,

deepening nationally significant ports, and maintaining the

navigability of inland waterways across the country. The

legislation will also repair aging drinking water, wastewater

and irrigation systems. It also promotes hydropower

development and increases Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission (FERC) transparency.

Title I of this bill, the Water Resources Development Act

(WRDA) of 2018, promotes the Federal commitment to our

nation's competitiveness, prosperity, and economic growth by

maintaining a strong transportation infrastructure, ensuring

the efficient flow of domestic and international commerce,

and protecting the lives and livelihoods of the American

people in a sustainable and environmentally conscientious

manner. In WRDA, Congress authorizes projects encompassing

the key missions of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps),

including developing, maintaining, and supporting the

nation's economically vital waterway infrastructure,

supporting effective and targeted flood protection and

environmental restoration needs while strengthening national

security. Through WRDA, Congress exercises its oversight

authority to make policy reforms that promote efficient,

effective, and transparent project development and

implementation. This legislation promotes innovation and

stronger stakeholder partnerships that will improve water

infrastructure development.

Since 2014, Congress has resumed the regular consideration

of WRDAs, and WRDA 2018 continues the WRDA two-year cycle

that provides appropriate oversight of and policy direction

to the Administration and the Corps.

The transformative nature of the last two WRDA bills has

provided the Corps and the non-Federal sponsors with new

opportunities to advance projects more quickly. As these new

authorities and processes are implemented, the Managers

expect that project delivery will speed up. The Managers also

expect that the provisions put forward in this bill, as well

as the last two WRDA bills, will promote investment in

worthwhile and beneficial water resources development

projects, and enable these projects to move forward.

Water resources projects have historically been rejected

through the use of benefit-cost analyses (BCAs) in the

formulation, evaluation, and budgeting of water resources

development projects. The Managers have been approached by

members and non-Federal project sponsors who have projects

that are authorized, but because of past practices regarding

BCA calculations, non-Federal project sponsors are left

without a clear path forward. This legislation makes clear

the Managers' intent: authorized projects are worthy of

funding.

Specifically, this bill contains provisions that require

the careful study of and reporting on the use and application

of current BCAs. The Managers expect this study to result in

recommendations to improve project transparency and the

taxpayers' return on Federal investment. The bill also

provides additional transparency measures to help non-Federal

project sponsors better understand where their projects are

in the budgeting process, and the calculations used to

justify or reject federal investment in the project. Corps

water resources development projects are long-term

investments which are critically important to maintaining the

nation's economic prosperity, national security, and

environmental protection. The Managers expect the Corps to

proactively work with non-Federal interests to transparently

discuss the principles and analytical methodologies used in

developing BCAs on these projects.

Title II and IV of this legislation builds on the existing

Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act programs to

protect and restore water quality. This legislation provides

Federal financial assistance to local drinking and wastewater

systems to improve water quality and comply with both the

Clean Water and Safe Drinking Water Act's requirements.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

published its sixth national assessment, Drinking Water

Infrastructure Needs Survey, in March 2018. That assessment

estimated the nation's drinking water utilities require

$472.6 billion in infrastructure investments and $271 billion

in wastewater needs over the next 20 years to protect the

public health and ensure the security and economic well-being

of our cities, towns and communities. This bill reauthorizes

the Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Fund (SRF),

growing the program over the next three fiscal years to $1.95

billion annually in 2021, nearly doubling the amount

currently authorized. Along with the SRFs, this bill

reauthorizes the Water Infrastructure and Finance Innovation

Act (WIFIA) and a program within WIFIA the Securing Required

Funding for Water Infrastructure Now (SRF WIN). All of these

mechanisms will substantially increase investments toward

addressing this critical need.

Investments in water infrastructure are essential for

protecting public health and the environment, but they also

generate significant economic benefits. The Department of

Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that for

every dollar in revenue realized by the water and wastewater

industry, $2.62 in revenue are realized by all other

industries. Adding one job in the water and wastewater

industry creates an additional 3.68 jobs in the national

economy.

The Managers understand that our nation's ability to

provide clean water and safe drinking water is challenged by

deteriorating wastewater infrastructure that is in urgent

need of repair, replacement, or upgrade. This legislation

takes steps to address these needs through financial support

from grants, state revolving loan funds, innovative financing

mechanisms, the use of funds for compliance assistance, and

the use of technical assistance for disadvantaged

communities.

Title III of this legislation includes several provisions

that promote the development of hydropower through closed-

loop pump storage, in-conduit projects, and at existing non-

powered dams. This legislation also amends the Federal Power

Act to authorize the FERC to issue preliminary permits to a

hydropower construction license applicant for up to four

years, and promote the timely rehabilitation and replacement

of hydropower infrastructure.

Title IV of the bill also addresses the need in many

states, particularly throughout the West, to increase water

supplies necessary to sustain the livelihoods of farming,

ranching, and tribal communities. This legislation also

addresses flood protection concerns in rural and tribal

communities.

Section 1116 directs the Corps to expedite the dredge

material management plan process and make maximum use of

existing information, studies, and innovative dredge material

management practices. It is the Manager's intent that dredged

material management plans begun in 2018, but not completed

shall also be expedited under this provision.

Managers ask that, when a non-Federal entity develops a

reasonable alternative to the Federal standard for dredged

material disposal facilities that meets relevant Federal

environmental and dredged material placement and disposal

standards, it should receive preferred consideration by the

Secretary. Additionally, the Secretary is encouraged to

consider entering into agreements with non-Federal sponsors

for the acquisition, design, construction, management, or

operation and maintenance of dredged material disposal

facilities, including port facilities, through section 217 of

WRDA of 1996.

Section 1126 addresses the concerns that Managers heard

about the regulatory permitting process for water storage

projects is extremely lengthy, in part due to issues

associated with identifying and analyzing the purpose and

need of the project. This section is intended to increase

transparency earlier in the regulatory process by providing

the permittee an opportunity to obtain a project's purpose

and need statement.

For Section 1133, as much as is possible, if the

determination is made that additional housing is warranted,

the purchase of private land shall be avoided.

Section 1134 directs the Corps to implement these sediment

removal provisions in an expeditious manner in order to

restore these reservoirs to their intended storage capacity.

The Managers recognize the importance of water storage

capacity to rural and western communities. Federal reservoirs

have gradually seen a reduction in water storage capacity

associated with sediment buildup to the detriment of farmers,

ranchers, and rural communities.

Managers expect that the final feasibility study for the

project in section 1142 will be carried out expeditiously and

be completed by the anticipated completion date of February

2019.

The Managers intend that section 1143 apply to all projects

authorized by Title VII of WRDA 2007 so that the Secretary

can acknowledge credit for the cost of work carried out in

the coastal Louisiana ecosystem by the non-Federal interest

for elements integral to the project prior to the date of

enactment of WRDA 2018. For example, the ``Multipurpose

Operation of Houma Navigation Lock'' is dependent upon the

adjacent earthen levees (including Reach F and G of the

Morganza to the Gulf of Mexico project) and other structures

(including the Bubba Dove Floodgate and Bayou Grand Calliou

Floodgate). Operating a lock complex without adjacent levees

can significantly reduce the ability to reduce salinity and

to manage and control the fresh water available via the

Atchafalaya River, Gulf Intercoastal Waterway and the Houma

Navigation Canal. In addition, the Bubba Dove Floodgate has

reduced the original wetland impact of the Houma Navigation

Lock and is integral to the lock's design and function.

Section 1203 (f) expedites activities under section 4003(a)

of Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) 2014.

The Managers understand that these activities have not been

implemented due to a lack of appropriated funds, and

emphasize that the importance of such flood and drought

monitoring to communities in the Upper Missouri River Basin

necessitates that the Corps expedite activities for this

monitoring in order to protect lives and properties in the

region.

The Managers expect section 1229 to be carried out in an

expeditious manner and in accordance with all applicable

Federal and state water laws.

Section 1332 further amends the Annual Report process set

up by section 7001 of

WRRDA 2014. WRDA 2016 changed the process to ensure

individual existing environmental infrastructure projects may

be included in the Annual Report Main Table so that they can

be considered for inclusion in future WRDA bills, and the

amendments in this section clarify that proposed

modifications to existing regional environmental

infrastructure programs are also able to be considered. Such

projects that have previously ended up in the appendix of

these reports, such as Charlotte County, Florida, are

encouraged to reapply.

Similarly, this section amends the criteria by which the

Secretary may select to include a local request in the

appendix to the Annual Report, rather than the Report,

itself. The Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure

and Environment and Public Works have repeatedly criticized

the Secretary for failure to follow the specific criteria

outlined in section 7001(c)(1)(A), and including local

requests in the appendix despite those requests meeting the

statutory criteria. In response, this legislation clarifies

that the Secretary may not include a request that meets the

criteria in 7001(c)(1)(A) in the appendix solely on the basis

that the local request requires legislative changes to an

authorized project or study, or the request may be

inconsistent with Corps or Administration policy. The

Committee is aware of one particular request for a

modification of the Abiquiu Reservoir, New Mexico, that was

placed in the appendix to the 2017 Annual Report to Congress

because of Administration policy. Project sponsors for

similarly situated project or study requests are encouraged

to reapply.

The Managers encourage the Secretary to consider the

benefits of safety modifications for 2-way traffic and other

improvements to commercial navigation when evaluating

authorized navigation studies.

The Managers encourage the Secretary to provide technical

assistance and other support to state emergency management

agencies to assist in the development of handbooks for

floodplain managers. These handbooks should include policies

to help manage the risks of coastal and river flooding. In

addition, these handbooks should consider coastal protection

solutions that promote resilience, such as living shorelines,

as well as regional sediment management. Additionally, non-

Federal entities may provide resources for emergency repairs

under section 1024 of WRRDA 2014 (33 U.S.C. 2325a),

regardless of the cause of the emergency.

The Managers encourage the Corps to proceed with a sense of

urgency when evaluating and programming the actions to

proceed with the water resources projects necessary for flood

control, dam repair, beach erosion control, and harbor

navigation improvement in Puerto Rico, and the repair and

mitigation necessary as a result of the hurricane and severe

weather damages that occurred between September 2017 and

March 2018. Additionally, the Managers encourage the Corps to

advance the project for ecosystem restoration, Cano Martin

Pena, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The Managers believe the Secretary should simplify and

expedite the process for including in-kind work in project

partnership agreements, consistent with current law.

The Managers further encourage the Corps to improve

communication with stakeholders and the public regarding the

risk assessments conducted by the agency of the levees around

the country.

The managers believe that the financing of project

operations, maintenance, where the locals are not otherwise

responsible for the project, or capital improvements by local

non-Federal interests can results in savings to Federal

taxpayers.

As the Secretary carries out the operations and maintenance

of our nation's infrastructure, the Managers expect periodic

maintenance dredging of the Kennebec River Federal Navigation

Channel will be prioritized based on a joint plan that is

being developed by the Secretary and the Secretary of the

Navy. Additionally, the managers believe the Corps should

prioritize annual dredging for the harbor in Wilmington,

Delaware.

The Secretary may use his or her authority under section 9

of the Flood Control Act of 1946 (60 Stat. 643, chapter 596)

to remedy the erosion issues on the Ohio River near

Clarksville, Indiana.

Ongoing cooperation between the Louisiana Coastal

Protection and Restoration Authority and the Lafitte Area

Independent Levee District relating to flood protection

projects in Jean Lafitte, Louisiana, and the vicinity should

continue. To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary

should support that cooperation in a manner that is

consistent with Louisiana's Comprehensive Master Plan for a

Sustainable Coast.

The amendment to section 203 of WRDA 1986 (33 U.S.C. 2231)

made by section 1126 of WIIN 2016 (130 Stat. 1648), which

concerns study of water resources development projects by

non-Federal interests, was intended to supersede any

conflicting laws.

As water resources projects are vital to the nation's

competitiveness, the Managers encourage robust annual

funding. The Continuing Authorities Programs should receive

full appropriations each fiscal year. The authorization of

appropriations under section 595(i) of WRDA 1999, for water,

wastewater, environmental restoration and surface water

protection projects in certain rural states should be

robustly maintained.

Section 2005 includes new grant opportunities for states to

assist small and disadvantaged communities when contaminants

are present or are likely to be present in drinking water

provided by a public water system or underground source of

drinking water. The Managers intend this legislation to

assist states with small and disadvantaged communities to

promptly respond to problems that potentially present an

imminent and substantial endangerment.

Section 2010 establishes new authority for states and EPA

to address the challenges of water systems that have

repeatedly violated drinking water standards and pose a risk

to human health. The section includes limited liability

protection for outside entities that help the system come

back into compliance. The Managers do not intend this

legislation to limit enforcement of drinking water violations

not identified in the plan or to diminish the availability of

injunctive relief to address unresolved drinking water

violations.

Section 2021 authorizes EPA, subject to the availability of

appropriated funds carrying out the purposes of the section,

to require drinking water systems serving between 3,300 and

10,000 persons to comply with mandatory unregulated

contaminant testing for up to 30 unregulated contaminants.

The legislation also authorizes $15 million in the years the

monitoring is required to pay costs traditionally associated

with such testing. Systems serving fewer than 3,300 persons

will remain subject to random sampling and have their testing

and mailing costs covered by EPA. Such systems will not be

subject to a civil penalty for their inability to comply with

sampled monitoring.

Title II provides for Drinking Water Improvement. As

Congress reauthorizes the Drinking Water SRF, the managers

strongly support Congress providing robust funding of

capitalization grants to States to fund SDWA SRFs established

under section 1452 of the SDWA (42 U.S.C. 300j-12) and the

CWA SRFs established under title VI of the CWA (33 U.S.C.

1381 et seq.). The managers also encourage the Administrator

to work with the States to realize the full benefits of the

renewed DWSRF authorization amounts.

Section 3003 of this bill authorizes the Commissioner of

the FERC to establish an expedite process for issuing and

amending licenses under the Federal Power Act for qualifying

facilities under that section. The Committee on

Transportation is aware that certain projects owned or

operated by the Corps of Engineers may fall within the scope

of this section. However, nothing in section 3003 provides

new authority to add hydropower to existing non-powered

projects owned or operated by the Corps of Engineers where

hydropower is not specifically an authorized purpose,

established in law, for such projects. The decision and

conditions to add hydropower to an existing, non-powered

project of the Corps rests solely with the Secretary of the

Army, through its existing regulatory authorities, and with

the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in the

U.S. House of Representatives and the Committee on

Environment and Public Works in the U.S. Senate, through

enactment of future water resources development legislation.

Section 4102 establishes a Wastewater Technology

Clearinghouse at EPA. Providing communities with the

knowledge and resources necessary to fully use decentralized

wastewater systems can provide affordable wastewater

recycling and treatment to millions of people in the United

States.

Section 4103 provides Technical Assistance for Treatment

Works in the CWA. The Managers recognize the importance of

technical assistance for small, rural, and tribal water

systems. It is the Managers' view that onsite technical

assistance, provides the most effective means for communities

that are struggling to implement the CWA. The Managers also

acknowledge that the use of remote training does not always

provide communities with sufficient assistance to comply with

complicated and system-specific issues.

Section 4201 amends the Water Infrastructure Finance and

Innovation Act (WIFIA) by enhancing the process under WIFIA

for financial assistance to those applying for state loan

funds to carry out water and wastewater infrastructure

projects, the Securing Required Funding for Water

Infrastructure Now (SRF WIN). It allows states that combine

projects and submit one application to the WIFIA program to

receive additional considerations. This section provides

specific selection criteria and expedites the evaluation of

applications of these combined projects to 180 days, with

feedback from the EPA on how to improve their application, if

denied. This section also puts the application fee cost on

the state financing authority and removes the burden from the

bundled communities. It eliminates the need for these

combined projects from having to do any duplicative

environmental reviews and allows for the federal cost share

of the project to cover up to 100% of the total project cost.

These amendments utilize the leveraging power of WIFIA

financing to enhance the ability of the state financing

authorities to provide financial assistance to local

communities. This will allow states to finance thousands of

existing and vetted water and wastewater infrastructure

projects expeditiously.

Section 4301 establishes a mandatory requirement that not

later than one year after the date of enactment of the Act

that the EPA will enter into a memorandum of agreement with

the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) that will establish a

structure for how EPA can provide technical assistance for

any credit instrument that Reclamation may provide now or in

the future.

Section 4302 directs the BOR, working with the Corps to

create a flood action plan. The Managers recognize that 2017

was a record year for runoff in the Upper Snake River Basin,

causing communities in the region to experience significant

flooding. The Managers further recognize that landowners and

stakeholders have serious concerns for how the BOR and the

Corps have managed the spring runoff out of Jackson Lake and

down the Snake River. The Managers seek assurances that the

BOR will work with the Corps to protect communities to

minimize flooding in the region.

Section 4304 establishes a new workforce training program

for workforce development in the water utility sector. The

managers find that water and wastewater utilities provide a

unique opportunity for access to stable, high-quality

careers. This section also establishes a competitive grant

program to promote the development of innovative activities

relating to workforce development in the water utility

sector.

Section 4306 authorizes EPA's WaterSense program, a

voluntary program which identifies and promotes water

efficient products through voluntary labeling, is authorized

by this legislation. The bill requires EPA to review and

revise the program's performance criteria to achieve

additional water savings not more frequently than every 6

years. The Managers expect EPA to conduct these reviews as

required by the section and to review the requirements of the

program and update them as needed and appropriate.

Section 4312 recognizes the rehabilitation and restoration

of Indian irrigation systems owned and operated by the Bureau

of Indian Affairs (BIA) is essential to the success and

livelihood of individuals and businesses across 17

reservations. Congress outlined these objectives in Public

Law 114-322 and established the Indian Irrigation Fund for

the BIA to carry out its trust responsibility for certain

individual Indians and Tribes. This provision authorizes

seven years of additional funding to complete this necessary

rehabilitation, which will ensure the delivery of clean

water, reduce the loss of water through seepage, and improve

the safety of the systems. The Managers believe the

Administration should prioritize the Indian Irrigation Fund

in addressing restoration of these Indian irrigation systems.

The Managers strongly encourage the Administration to fulfill

the objectives outlined in Public Law 114-322.

Mr. Speaker, I just want to say the ranking member is 100 percent correct on his assessment of the harbor maintenance trust fund. I support it. He is absolutely right. I just want to make sure, when he is referring to BS, he is not referring to Bill Shuster.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Walden), the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves), chairman of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Graves).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Denham).

Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman from California an additional 15 seconds.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Woodall), a hardworking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and a member of the Rules Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Mitchell), my good friend and another hardworking member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I have three more speakers.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton).

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Washington (Mrs. McMorris Rodgers), our conference chair.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Bucshon).

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

Madam Speaker, I thank my partner in this, Ranking Member DeFazio, for his efforts on the bill, but also Ranking Member Napolitano and Subcommittee Chair Garret Graves for their great work on this bill.

I thank the entire Republican staff on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

The following staff spent hours working on behalf of the Members of Congress to produce this final product:

Ian Bennitt, Elizabeth Fox, John Pawlow, Victor Sarmiento, Peter Como, Geoff Gosselin, Fred Miller, Chris Vieson, Kathy Dedrick, Ryann Seiger, Joe Sheehy, Alex Burkett, Mike Brian, Richard Russell, Brian Clifford, Lizzy Oslen, Pauline Thorndick, Andy Hardy, Craig Thomas, Marry Francis Repko.

John Drake, Andrew Rogers, Chris Baysinger, Mary Martin, Jerry Couri, Mike Bloomquist, Ryan Long, Karen Christian, Brandon Mooney, Annelise Rickerts, Jackie Cohen, Rick Kessler, Jean Fruci, Kakuti Lin, Allison Hartwich, Geoff Antell, Kiel Weaver, Cindy Herrle.

Madam Speaker, I thank the Democratic staff for their partnership in crafting this legislation and now passing on the floor, and, hopefully, ultimately, we get it to the President's desk and signed into law. Thanks to all the folks on the other side of the aisle, the staff, for their willingness and hard work and the effort they put into it.

I want to point out, though, Chris Vieson and Geoff Gosselin, the staff director and deputy staff director, for their great work and leadership on the committee. But also the Water Resources staff, Ian Bennitt, Jon Pawlow, Elizabeth Fox, Victor Sarmiento, and Peter Como for their efforts and long hours that I know they took to put this all together.

And finally, I would just like to say, passing WRDA is personally very gratifying to me. When I became chairman, we had not passed a WRDA bill in 7 years. Prior to that, for over 20 years, WRDA bills were passed every Congress. It was regular order. Today, we will pass the third WRDA bill in three Congresses, and I want to thank the leadership on both sides of the aisle for working with us and helping us to get it to the floor.

I thank all of my colleagues in the House. As I think we maybe said earlier, when we passed it out of the House, it was 408-2, overwhelmingly. And again, I can't thank my colleagues enough for working with me and helping to bring back regular order to WRDA.

I ask all my colleagues to support this bill, and let's move on to the next bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on H.R. 8.

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

Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to bring to the floor today the Water Resources Development Act of 2018. This marks the third Congress in a row that the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee of the House will consider a water resources bill, so we are back to regular order when it comes to WRDA.

I hope we bring it to the floor today, and I hope we pass a WRDA bill. That is good news for the American people and the American economy, because WRDA works. WRDA works because it ensures that Congress carries out its clear Federal role in addressing infrastructure that is critical to our commerce and competitiveness, and to protecting communities throughout the country.

WRDA authorizes targeted investments in America's harbors, ports, locks, dams, inland waterways, flood protection, environmental restoration, and other water resources infrastructure.

This infrastructure, maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is vital to every part of the country and every American benefits from it. You don't have to live near a port or a major waterway to experience these benefits. The health of this infrastructure directly impacts how efficiently the things we buy get onto our store shelves, and how quickly the goods that we produce get to markets around the world.

WRDA improvements originate at the local level. They grow our local, regional, and national economies, and they create good-paying jobs. Restoring WRDA legislation to a 2-year congressional cycle was one of the first goals when I became chairman in 2013. By working together, we passed WRDA into law in 2014 and 2016.

Both of these measures attracted broad bipartisan support, and this bill is no different, passing out of our committee unanimously 2 weeks ago. I want to thank Ranking Member DeFazio, Water Resources Environment Subcommittee Chairman Garret Graves, and Subcommittee Ranking Member Grace Napolitano for working with me to introduce this bill.

Our bipartisan legislation follows the fiscally responsible, transparent process for considering Corps activities that Congress established in 2014. It maintains strong congressional oversight and the constitutional authority of the Legislative Branch. It deauthorizes old projects to fully offset new authorizations, and sunsets new authorizations to prevent future backlogs.

WRDA also builds on past reforms of the Corps and explores new ways to deliver projects more efficiently. In keeping with traditional WRDAs, my cosponsors and I agreed to narrowly focus our bill on the civil works program of the Corps. Preserving the civil works focus of this bill increases the likelihood of final passage.

If we don't enact a bill into law this year, we will delay necessary water infrastructure improvements and increase project costs. Let's approve this vital bill today. Let's build our water infrastructure. Let's grow our economy, and let's create jobs. Let's pass WRDA, because WRDA does work, and let's ensure that WRDA continues to work for the American people.

Mr. Chairman, I look forward to a good debate today and to moving this bill to the Senate, so I urge all of my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. Chair, I include in the Record a cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office for H.R. 8.

U.S. Congress,

Congressional Budget Office,

Washington, DC, June 4, 2018.

Hon. Bill Shuster,

Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has

prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 8, the Water

Resources Development Act of 2018.

If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be

pleased to provide them.

Sincerely,

Keith Hall,

Director.

Enclosure.

H.R. 8--Water Resources Development Act of 2018

As reported by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

on June 1, 2018

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves), who is the chairman of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Graves). The other Mr. Graves from the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is the chairman of the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rodney Davis), a member of the committee.

Mr. Chairman, I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Sanford).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Rouzer).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa).

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

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

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

The manager's amendment we are offering makes technical and conforming changes to the Rules Committee Print and adds important provisions that we worked out with the minority. This amendment includes a provision that establishes a regional long-term contract pilot program in order to drive efficiency and cost savings for our Nation's dredging responsibilities.

It also contains a provision that the Secretary deliver a report to Congress on the current status of the Old River control structure on the Mississippi River.

This amendment corrects a provision that would have created direct spending authority for certain Everglades projects. It expedites five project studies for critical water resource projects. Lastly, this amendment de-authorizes a project in Boston Harbor.

Mr. Chair, I urge all Members to support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I ask all Members to support the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, as the designee of the gentleman from Florida, I offer amendment No. 6.

Mr. Chair, this amendment should help projects be executed more quickly, and I appreciate my colleagues who worked on this: Mr. Posey, Mr. Mast, Mr. Hastings, and Ms. Wilson.

I ask all my colleagues to support this. I think it is a good amendment.

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

Mr. Chair, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that during further consideration of H.R. 8 in the Committee of the Whole pursuant to House Resolution 918, the following amendments printed in part A of House Report 115-711 may be considered out of sequence:

Amendments numbered 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 8.

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition, although I am not opposed to it.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for offering this amendment. This amendment clarifies the section on integrating the water resources planning to our bill and will help communities and the Corps work in partnership, and I am prepared to accept the amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, again, I am prepared to accept the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition, although I am not opposed to it.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment makes additional changes to the pilot program that we authorized in WRDA 2014 for non-Federal implementation of Corps projects. This amendment will allow future projects to be included in the program. I appreciate my colleague's work on this issue, and I am prepared to accept the amendment at this time.

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

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition to the amendment, although I am not opposed to it.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman for offering this amendment. This amendment clarifies the Army Corps' authority to provide assistance to regional coalitions under certain planning provisions. This is a good fix to the assistance program, and I am prepared to accept the amendment at this time.

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

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, although I am not opposed to it.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment adds universities to the list of organizations studying innovative materials that is already in our bill, but I am prepared to accept this amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, although I am not opposed to it.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for offering this amendment. This amendment adds additional recommendations to a GAO study on workforce capacity.

Mr. Chairman, I am prepared to accept the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to control the time in opposition to the amendment, although I do not oppose it.

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for offering this amendment.

This amendment adds additional considerations to a GAO study that we have included in our bill. I believe looking at navigation safety is an important addition.

Mr. Chair, I am prepared to accept the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I object to the modification.

Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, even though I am not opposed to it.

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for offering the amendment as he originally intended. I understand he has some conforming and technical corrections he would like to make. We want to work with the gentleman as we move forward. We are willing to accept what he has offered today. Again, as we move through the process, we will work with the gentleman.

Mr. Chair, I am prepared to accept his amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition, although I am not opposed to it.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for offering this amendment.

The amendment clarifies repayment requirements for funding advanced by a non-Federal sponsor. This is a good bipartisan amendment. I am prepared to accept the amendment.

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

Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, even though I am not opposed to it.

Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague for offering the amendment.

The amendment expresses a Sense of Congress that construction of a new lock at the Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, is vital to our national economy, national security, and national need for new critical infrastructure.

Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague for bringing this to our attention, and I am prepared to accept the amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, although I do not intend to oppose the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for offering this amendment. This amendment helps ensure that, as part of the Corps' activities and mission, they are actively engaged with communities of color, low-income communities, rural communities, and Tribes. This is important policy. I am prepared to accept the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, but I do not oppose the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, as the gentleman explained, this is an important amendment. Cyber-related threats are a major concern to the Nation's critical infrastructure, and I believe this will help ensure that it is protected. I am prepared to accept the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, although I do not oppose the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment does clarify there were crediting responsibilities between the Corps and non-Federal sponsors in the Everglades, so I thank the gentleman for bringing this to our attention. I am prepared to accept the amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, although I do not oppose the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment requires the Secretary to pay the Federal cost share for projects in Central New Mexico. I appreciate the gentleman bringing it to our attention, and I am prepared to accept the amendment.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, although I do not oppose the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, as the gentleman explained, the Allegheny River, the locks, and the dams are, again, used considerably for recreational boat traffic, and the Corps should take this into consideration. This is a good amendment. I am prepared to accept it.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, although I am not opposed to the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment is the result of a lot of work between a number of Great Lakes members. I appreciate everyone's work and consensus on this important issue. I am prepared to accept the amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition, although I do not oppose the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I appreciate my colleague's work on this important issue, and I believe all of us understand the importance of restoring Puerto Rico. So I am prepared to accept this amendment at this time.

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

Mr. Chair, I rise to claim time in opposition but do not oppose the amendment.

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for offering this amendment. This amendment directs the Secretary to expedite the completion of a feasibility study, which the gentleman has so eloquently explained to us. I am prepared to accept this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I rise to claim time in opposition, although I do not oppose the amendment.

Mr. Chair, this amendment directs the Secretary, as he explained, to expedite the reports to the project for the Abiquiu Reservoir.

I know this is an important project to New Mexico. I am prepared to accept the amendment at this time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I claim time in opposition, although I do not oppose the amendment.

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for offering this amendment.

I was unclear about what this amendment did. Back home, I have a constituent by the name of Carson Frank. I went back and I talked to Carson about this bill, and he explained to me that this is consistent with section 206 of the Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Project and raises all the authorization levels. So I thank Carson from my home State of Pennsylvania for explaining this to me.

I am happy to support the gentleman's amendment so that this project will be completed in a timely fashion.

Mr. Chair, I am prepared to accept the amendment at this time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I claim time in opposition, although I do not oppose the amendment.

Mr. Chair, I appreciate the gentleman offering this amendment that does direct the Army Corps to expedite the complete dredging in Plymouth Harbor, Massachusetts.

I know this project is important to the gentleman and to the State, so I am prepared to accept the amendment at this time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I claim time in opposition, although I do not oppose the amendment.

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for offering this amendment. The amendment, as he explained, directs the Secretary to complete the final feasibility report for the Great Lakes Mississippi River study on the Brandon Roads by next February.

Keeping this study on track is important. I understand my colleague's concern about not having it drag on without conclusion. I really appreciate the gentleman for offering this.

Mr. Chair, I am prepared to accept the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, even though I am not opposed to it.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for offering this amendment. I appreciate his work on the issue, and I urge all my colleagues to support this amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, even though I am not opposed to it.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for offering this amendment. This is an important project for Cedar Rapids, Iowa. We have had many discussions about it. I am prepared to accept the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I claim time in opposition to the amendment, even though I am not opposed to it.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for offering this amendment that clarifies the Army Corps' authority to repair the Sagamore and Bourne bridges. This will help ensure the people can safely evacuate during an emergency situation. It is important to Massachusetts.

I thank the gentleman for offering the amendment. I am prepared to accept the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, even though I am not opposed to it.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for offering this amendment. I know how important it is to the State of Washington and her district and her constituents. I am prepared to accept the amendment at this time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the

amendment, even though I am not opposed to it.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for offering this amendment. I know the importance of it to Hampton Harbor and New Hampshire. I am prepared to accept the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, although I do not oppose the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for offering this amendment. This amendment that she explained so well expedites the navigation project for Portsmouth Harbor and the Piscataqua River, which I know many families live along that--the Jones, the Smiths, the Gosselins--and they are all very concerned about this, so I appreciate the gentlewoman bringing this amendment to the floor.

Mr. Chairman, I am prepared to accept the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, although I do not oppose the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for offering a commonsense amendment that encourages the Corps to consider reasonable alternative agreements between State and local entities and private partners. This makes a lot of sense to me.

Mr. Chairman, I am prepared to accept the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, although I do not oppose the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the gentleman bringing this amendment to the floor and given that he said the historic hurricanes of 2017 this amendment is critical to that recovery, so I am prepared to accept the amendment.

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

Mr. Chair, I claim time in opposition to the amendment, even though I am not opposed to it.

Mr. Chairman, I thank my colleague for offering this amendment.

As he clearly pointed out, this is important due to the historic hurricane season from last year. So I want to thank my good friends, Chairman Culberson and Chairman McCaul, for offering this. I am prepared to accept the amendment.

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

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

Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, even though I am not opposed to it.

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for offering this amendment. Of course, with the devastating effects of Sandy on Queens, New York, I understand his concern.

Mr. Chair, given the impact of that storm and the importance of this amendment, I am prepared to accept the amendment.

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

Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, even though I am not opposed to it.

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for offering this amendment, which does require the Corps to include complete deposition studies in future Corps plans where practicable.

Mr. Chair, I am prepared to accept the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, although I do not oppose the amendment.

I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves).

Mr. Chairman, I am prepared to accept the gentleman's amendment.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, although I do not oppose the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Alaska for offering this amendment. As always, the gentleman is looking out for the State of Alaska and also small and rural towns across America. So this is an important issue, and I thank my colleague for working on this amendment. I am prepared to accept the amendment.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, but I do not oppose the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves).

Mr. Chair, I want to thank the chairman of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment for his hard work on this piece of legislation. I appreciate all of his efforts and his knowledge he put into making sure that bill is a good product.

Concerning Mr. Costa's amendment, again, I believe it is a good amendment. It builds on WRDA 2016 on Corps-owned-and-operated dams, so I urge all of my colleagues to support it. I accept the amendment at this time, and I yield back the balance of my time

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, although I do not oppose the amendment.

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for offering this amendment. This amendment does clarify the responsibilities of the Corps with respect to their rural neighbors, which for me, coming from rural Pennsylvania, it is extremely important, and I appreciate the gentleman offering this amendment. I am prepared to accept it at this time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I claim time in opposition to the amendment, although I do not oppose it.

Mr. Chairman, I want to thank my colleague from Minnesota for his hard work and good work on this solid amendment. These changes are bipartisan, and as I said, I really appreciate his efforts on this. I am prepared to accept the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, although I do not oppose the amendment.

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts for offering this amendment, the program that assists communities in their efforts to recover and adapt to severe weather and natural disasters. It is a solid amendment. I support the amendment and accept it at this time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the motion to recommit.

Mr. Speaker, I oppose the motion to recommit. This bill, H.R. 8, has many benefits to all 50 States and the territories, including Puerto Rico. It was put together in a bipartisan manner. We just here today adopted over 50 amendments in a bipartisan manner.

This bill asserts congressional authority and continues regular order of the Corps of Engineers in authorizing these programs. It is fiscally responsible. We fully offset new projects. Finally, it keeps American jobs by strengthening our competitiveness ensuring that our transportation system remains attractive to private-sector jobs, so I oppose the motion to recommit.

This being my last WRDA bill that I will ever be able to shepherd through the House, I am proud to be here. Hopefully we are going to have a conference report in the near future to be able to pass that on the House floor, but I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, I am very, very proud of my term as chairman. One of the accomplishments I am most proud of is getting WRDA back on regular order, every Congress authorizing these important programs so that the Corps can move forward and the American people can benefit by these programs.

Again, I want to, first off, thank my Democratic colleagues and the Democratic staff on the other side of the aisle for their work, working together closely on this bill. Of course, I couldn't get this done without my dedicated staff who have worked so tirelessly, not only on this bill but over the past 5 years, and I thank them from the bottom of my heart.

Mr. Speaker, a personal point of order that I would like to take is that in 2016 when we passed the WRDA bill, September 28, 2016, I woke up that morning and found out that my mother had passed away. But I could hear her voice in my head saying: Go to work. Do your job.

We came to work that day, and we were able to pass the WRDA bill in 2016. I was so proud that, as always, she was on my shoulder. This morning I woke up and didn't think about the date until I realized today, June 6, is my mother's birthday. It would have been her birthday. So, again, my mother who was always my greatest supporter and my greatest cheerleader was here again with me today. I can hear her voice telling me: Make sure you do your work.

Our family chain is broken, and nothing seems to be the same. But as God calls one by one, that chain will link again. And today, as strong as ever, that link with my mother is with me. I want to thank my mother. I know she is watching down. Patricia Shuster, as always, is sitting on my shoulder, rooting me on to victory. So, again, today I am very, very proud of the WRDA bill. I am proud we are doing it on June 6, my mother's birthday.

Again, I thank everybody on both sides of the aisle for their efforts. Again, I oppose the motion to recommit and urge all my colleagues to support H.R. 8, the Water Resources Development Act of 2018.

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

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that in the engrossment of H.R. 8, the Clerk be authorized to correct section numbers, punctuation, amendatory instructions, and cross-references, and to make such other technical and conforming changes as may be necessary to accurately reflect the actions of the House.

Mr. Speaker, as co-chair of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus, I rise today to congratulate the Republic of Azerbaijan on its 100th year of independence as

the country celebrated the centennial Republic Day on May 28 of this year.

Since first declaring independence from the Russian Empire in 1918, Azerbaijan sought to be an example for new nations by adopting a National Charter granting all citizens within its borders full civil and political rights, regardless of ethnic origin, religion, or gender. The United States was quick to recognize and support Azerbaijan in 1918 and again in 1991, as Soviet dominance over the country ended.

Since then, Azerbaijan has continued to be an ally and partner to the United States, notably being among the first to provide comprehensive and unconditional assistance following the September 11 terrorist attacks. Azerbaijan continued to support the Global War on Terror efforts in Afghanistan, providing airspace to NATO jets en route to Afghanistan, and ground transport for non-lethal supplies in the region. Notably, Azerbaijan is one of the few Muslim-majority countries that enjoys strong relations with Israel, and it is this commitment, not just to the United States, but also her allies, that shows Azerbaijan's continued dedication to remaining a trusted and close friend to democratic nations across the globe.

Azerbaijan continues to be a leader in promoting global energy security. Once completed, the Southern Gas Corridor project will provide European markets access to natural gas in the Caspian Sea, allowing our European allies to diversify their energy sources, while bypassing Iran. This access is crucial to maintaining energy security in the region and promoting global trade opportunities for the United States and its allies.

Mr. Speaker, I would again like to thank the people of Azerbaijan for their continued partnership and friendship, and ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Azerbaijan on this historic centennial Republic Day.

Mr. Speaker, today we say farewell to a colleague and good friend, Charlie Dent, a dedicated public servant who served in the Pennsylvania House for 8 years, the Pennsylvania Senate for 6, and 14 years in the United States Congress.

Again, a dedicated public servant. He is smart. He is tough. He is hardworking. He has a great sense of humor. But, most importantly, he has been a voice of reason here in the House of Representatives. He has worked extremely hard to represent the people of the 15th District over those past 14 years and done it with great honor and integrity.

As Charlie leaves the House today, I say to my good friend: Chuck, we are going to miss you. Godspeed.

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 H.R. 4.

Mr. Chairman, pursuant to House Resolution 839, I offer amendments en bloc.

Mr. Chairman, I support considering these amendments en bloc, all of which have been approved by both the majority and minority. These Members put forward thoughtful amendments, and I am pleased to be able to support moving them en bloc.

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

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

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the gentleman's attempts and work to try to decrease the deficits and the debt in this country, but Essential Air Service is just that. He named a few communities, and they are close to--I guess I can't make a great argument about those, but there are places like Alaska, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, or Iowa. These folks are living miles and miles, hours and hours away-- several hours, in many cases--from the nearest airport. As Mr. DeFazio pointed out, this connects those communities for economic development.

The other thing, he makes a point, as a conservative, when you pay user fees into a trust fund and it goes to that intended purpose--in this case, a small piece of that goes to Essential Air Service--that is what we should be doing in America: people that use something are contributing to that service or whatever that government agency is providing them.

Again, under the bill, in 2012, we put reforms in to reform Essential Air Service; and, this bill, the underlying bill, directs the GAO to study and find out the effects of those reforms.

So, again, while I support and applaud the gentleman's efforts to help get the debt under control, this is not the place to start.

Mr. Chairman, I urge rejection of this amendment.

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Chair, I appreciate the gentleman's amendment. It does remove the confusion with the industry stakeholders, but the hysteria that the other side is proclaiming, that roadways are going to become a slaughterhouse because if this goes away or it is clarified, truckers are just going to be out there running into people left or right, I mean, it is ridiculous.

It is not a good business model for any company to want to have an incentive, which the other side has, I think, said, to hire unsafe drivers. That is not a good business model. In fact, you will go out of business, most likely, if you go out there and hire drivers who are bad drivers, dangerous drivers. The facts don't bear that out.

Of the auto accidents that include trucks in it, over 75 percent of them are not the trucker's fault, it is the person in the car's fault.

Truckers are professionals, and to have impugned this whole class of people, this whole group of people that go out on these roadways and work hard every day and try to do it as safely as they can, is just plain wrong.

Again, as I said, truckers are professionals. Seventy-five percent of those accidents that truckers are involved in, it is not their fault.

We continue to hype up and to put these things out there for, again, another class of worker out there, and that is the trial lawyers. They make millions and millions of dollars going out there and suing these people that, again, do their best every day to try to be safe on the roadways.

So, again, this is a sensible amendment, this clarifies it, and it helps to make our roadways safer, not more dangerous.

Mr. Chair, I urge adoption, and I thank the gentleman again for yielding.

Mr. Chair, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Mr. Speaker, I claim the time in opposition.

Mr. Speaker, first, to the gentlewoman's motion: First of all, everybody should know that the President already has the authority to waive the cost-share, so this is unnecessary for us to pass it.

I want to thank all the committee staff, all the staff, for their hard work on this bipartisan bill: full committee staff, my personal staff, aviation staff, economic development staff, and, of course, the legislative counsels.

There is one particular former staffer I want to thank, Matt Sturges, who was with the committee for 5\1/2\ years, the staff director, just went down to be the Deputy Administrator at FRA. He worked tirelessly for the past couple of years on this FAA bill.

Again, I thank the following staff.

Our full committee staff, including Chris Vieson, Geoff Gosselin, Fred Miller, Clare Doherty, Kathy Loden, Collin McCune, Hannah Matesic, Brittany Smith, Tracy Mosebey, Justin Harclerode, Jeff Urbanchuk, Andrew Wargofchik, Eric Burgeson.

Our Aviation Subcommittee staff: Holly Woodruff Lyons, Naveen Rao, Hunter Presti, Max Rosen, Cameron Humphrey.

Our Economic Development Subcommittee staff: Johanna Hardy, Pam Williams, Hannah Noyes.

Our Legislative Counsels: Tom Dillon, Rosemary Gallagher, Karen Anderson, Stephen Hagenbuch.

Finally, I want to thank a few staff who have recently moved on, but were instrumental in this process: Matt Sturges, Simone Perez, Keith Hall, and Curt Haensel with Legislative Counsel.

Mr. Speaker, in addition, I would like to finish by thanking the minority staff and the minority leader on the other side, again, working very closely with the minority staff to produce this bill. And finishing up with thanking the minority staff, I just want to say this is a good bipartisan bill that was introduced with seven Democratic cosponsors, including the ranking member and subcommittee ranking members as well as our subcommittee chairmen.

Over the last 2 days, we worked in a very bipartisan manner. We had 116 amendments to this bill: 50 Democratic amendments and over 22 bipartisan amendments. The process has been nothing short of fair and equitable to both sides, I believe. This is a good bill that needs to get through the House so that we can achieve the first long-term reauthorization of FAA in years.

We have had five short-term extensions since the last long-term bill in 2012, creating uncertainty for the FAA, air traffic controllers, our airports, and, most importantly, the American people. It is time we move forward on this.

Mr. Speaker, I just want to also say that Frank LoBiondo has been a very, very able subcommittee chair on Aviation. I thank the gentleman for all his service to the Nation and to the committee, as well as this will be my last Aviation bill.

Just in case anybody wants to give Frank a great send-off, I would encourage having a big bipartisan vote on this bill, because, again, Mr. LoBiondo and I both worked very, very hard to make sure this bill was crafted in a bipartisan fashion. So, again, we need to get this bill to the Senate and get the bipartisan bill to the President's desk.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time

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

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 4.

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

Mr. Chairman, in calling up H.R. 4, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, this bipartisan legislation is cosponsored by every chair and ranking member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

This bill is critical to our economy, to millions of Americans who work in aviation, and to hundreds of millions of Americans who use the system every year. H.R. 4 authorizes FAA programs through FY 2023.

This is a long-term bill, something that is overdue. Too often, our aviation programs face short-term extensions, CRs, and threats of government shutdowns. We are now operating on the fifth extension from the last long-term FAA law, which was signed on February 14, 2012.

Before the bill was signed into law, Congress passed 23 short-term extensions. This is an incredible amount of uncertainty for programs that rely on long-term stability. That uncertainty was one of the reasons I initially pushed for air traffic control reform, to separate the modernization of our system from the unreliable Federal budget process.

In that regard, this bill only maintains the status quo. I still strongly believe Congress must soon pass real air traffic control reform for the U.S. to finally develop the most modern, advanced aviation system in the world, and right now, we cannot claim that. The more we delay, the more we risk losing our position in the world as a leader in aviation.

So, while H.R. 4 does not contain all the reforms our system needs, it does contain other important reforms that must be implemented. For example, this bill cuts red tape in the certification process so our manufacturers can get products to market on time, stay competitive, and continue providing millions of American jobs.

It streamlines the regulatory process to encourage innovation and new technologies, like unmanned aircraft systems.

It provides critical funding for the AIP program and airport infrastructure across America.

It strengthens protections for passengers, and it addresses safety issues that have arisen in recent years.

The bill contains many good provisions, and I plan to offer a manager's amendment that provides additional improvements. That includes an additional safety provision in light of the April 17 Southwest flight 1380 engine failure.

I want to commend pilot Tammie Jo Shults for her absolute heroic performance after a catastrophic engine failure at over 30,000 feet. This was a prolonged emergency--not over in just a minute or two. For the next 15 to 20 minutes, with a hole in the cabin and believing that a passenger may have been completely sucked out, she calmly and expertly guided the plane to an emergency landing.

Tragically, one person died in the incident, but 148 people are alive today because of Captain Shults and her crew. She prevented what could have been a large tragedy. In my opinion, this is one of the most heroic performances by a pilot and crew in recent memory.

Strengthening our aviation system is only one of the reasons we need to pass today's legislation. H.R. 4 also includes the Disaster Recovery Reform Act, a measure that passed the House in December with overwhelming support, but it was not taken up in the Senate.

These provisions strengthen FAA's focus on predisaster mitigation, preparing our communities to better withstand the next hurricane, wildfire, flood, or other disasters. Building better and building smarter will save lives and lower the growing cost of disaster recovery. Investing more in mitigating disasters before they strike makes common sense.

This bill is a result of the hard work of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the bill sponsors, and many others. I want to thank Ranking Member DeFazio, Chairman LoBiondo, Ranking Member Larsen, Chairman Barletta, Ranking Member Titus, and the many other Members who worked on this legislation. I look forward to a good debate today and to moving this bill to the Senate.

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

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,

House of Representatives,

Washington, DC, April 17, 2018.

Hon. Kevin Brady,

Chairman, Committee on Ways and Means,

Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: On April 13, 2018, the Committee on

Transportation and Infrastructure introduced H.R. 4, the FAA

Reauthorization Act of 2018. The bill was referred primarily

to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, with

an additional referral to the Committee on Ways and Means.

I ask that you allow the Committee on Ways and Means to be

discharged from further consideration of the bill so that it

may be scheduled by the Majority Leader. This discharge in no

way affects your jurisdiction over the subject matter of the

bill, and it will not serve as precedent for future

referrals. In addition, should a conference on the bill be

necessary, I would support your request to have the Committee

on Ways and Means represented on the conference committee.

Finally, I would be pleased to include this letter and any

response in the Congressional Record during floor

consideration, to memorialize our understanding.

Thank you for your consideration of my request.

Sincerely,

Bill Shuster,

Chairman.

Mr. Chairman, it is my great privilege to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young), the former chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

(Mr. YOUNG of Alaska asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Chairman, it is my great pleasure and honor to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo), my friend and the chairman of the Subcommittee on Aviation of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, who has been a tireless advocate for aviation safety efficiency, but who has also been a great partner on the committee to me and to the other members of the committee.

Also, I want to mention that--and I think this is accurate--he is the only Member of Congress who has a CDL, commercial driver's license, so he is in a very unique position to not only know and advocate for aviation, but also, on the ground, he knows how commerce moves.

Mr. Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Barletta), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management.

Mr. Chairman, may I inquire as to how much time each side has remaining?

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith), the chairman of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Graves), chairman of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee of the full Committee of Transportation and Infrastructure, and the bleating voice on general aviation in Congress.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Knight).

I yield the gentleman from California an additional 15 seconds.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Gibbs).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Denham), the chairman of the Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee.

Mr. Chairman, I just have one more speaker, and then I am ready to close.

I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Posey).

Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Chairman, this is an issue that I know the gentleman from Florida cares deeply about and has been a champion for his constituents in the commercial space industry. I do commit to the gentleman to work with him as we move to advance this bill forward.

Mr. Chairman, I am prepared to close if the gentleman from Oregon is. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I encourage all Members to support this positive reauthorization of the FAA. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the manager's amendment. A vote for this amendment is a vote for positive change. A vote against it would be a real missed opportunity to make the bill better.

This amendment enhances the training of flight attendants so they are better equipped to deal with sexual misconduct. It also establishes working groups to develop best practices on how to address sexual misconduct on flights and improve airline employee training.

The amendment addresses an issue which is important to the traveling public and our constituents, and to each of us, in a thoughtful and respectful way.

The amendment adds to the provisions included in H.R. 4 to improve the air travel experience of disabled Americans. It establishes an Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights to clarify the rights of passengers with disabilities and the responsibilities of airlines and airports.

The amendment also strengthens the civil penalties for violations that involve injury to a passenger with a disability or damage to a passenger's wheelchair or other mobility aid.

Finally, the amendment will make it better for both passengers and service animals by harmonizing standards. This will provide much-needed clarity in an area where there is real confusion.

We worked closely with organizations representing persons with disabilities, as well as with the airline industry, and I want to thank all those who were willing to come to the table to make those improvements.

Last week, we witnessed a tragedy when an engine exploded in midair, killing a passenger. A far bigger tragedy was averted thanks again to the professionalism of the flight crew and to the pilot, which I talked about earlier.

The same airline experienced a similar incident 2 years ago, and while the FAA and industry have begun inspections, we must ensure that the airline engine safety is thoroughly assessed, and this amendment mandates a call to action to bring relevant people together to examine and address any risk associated with airline engines.

The amendment also requires a deep-dive study of general aviation. This sector of aviation has the highest number of accidents, injuries, and fatalities.

While general aviation safety has improved in recent years, in fiscal year 2016, there were still 213 fatal accidents and 379 fatalities.

We must improve the safety of the general aviation community. They share the skies with other airspace users and operate above our neighborhoods. We can and must do better.

Again, the amendment also provides for the direction on how the FAA should spend the additional general fund, operations, airport infrastructure, and F&E money in 2019 and thereafter.

It also revises the FAA authorization levels to reflect the updated CBO baselines for fiscal year 2018.

In response to the drone sightings around airports, the amendment makes counter-drone systems AIP eligible.

It makes improvement to the Airport Investment Partnership Program so that we can leverage private sector money for our airport infrastructure needs.

There are some good government reforms in here. The amendment repeals a costly mandate for aircraft avionics that have not yet proven to be beneficial. This will relieve a future burden on aircraft operators.

The amendment would bring certain FAA processes into the digital age and review agency practices.

Some other important changes are:

The amendment authorizes expenditures for commercial space transportation activities of the FAA;

It also requires better intra-FAA coordination on commercial space transportation's use of the national airspace and addresses the industry's support aircraft;

Commercial space transportation operators, like other users of the airspace, must coordinate and follow instructions of air traffic controllers;

Air traffic controllers keep us moving safely across this country, but they

also work in far-off places, including Guam. This amendment requires the FAA workers to work with the Department of Defense so that these folks and their families can get good medical care on the island of Guam;

Finally, the amendment establishes the Youth in Aviation Task Force to attract young people to aviation jobs. This is critical to ensure that our aviation system prospers in the years ahead.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment is a good amendment, it has bipartisan support and will improve the underlying bill. I urge all Members to support the amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Graves), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, our general aviation pilot.

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

Mr. Chairman, pursuant to House Resolution 839, I offer amendments en bloc.

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that amendment No. 25 be modified by the form I have placed at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I support considering these amendments en bloc, all of which have been approved by both the majority and the minority.

These Members put forth thoughtful amendments, and I am pleased to be able to support moving them en bloc.

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rodney Davis), a valued member of the committee.

Mr. Chair, we will be committed to working with the gentleman as we move forward.

Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Lewis), a member of our committee.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Estes).

I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Kansas.

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

Mr. Chair, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I encourage all of my colleagues to support the en bloc package, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, pursuant to House Resolution 839, I offer amendments en bloc.

Mr. Chairman, I support considering these amendments en bloc, all of which have been approved by both the majority and the minority. These Members put forward thoughtful amendments, and I am pleased to be able to support moving them en bloc.

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from North Dakota (Mr. Cramer).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Sanford).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Banks).

Mr. Chairman, I am prepared to close, so I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Biggs).

Mr. Chairman, I encourage my colleagues to support the en bloc package, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I thank Mr. Higgins for yielding.

I believe this amendment that initiates a pilot program allows small numbers of these aircraft to land in the United States for maintenance services. I understand what the gentleman is trying to do, and I want to stress the next point, that no community would have these older aircraft land at their airports unless they certify annually that they are willing to accept them.

I think the gentleman is trying to create jobs in a district, in a rural area, that the noise will not affect and that will put hardworking Louisianans to work fixing these planes that still operate around the Caribbean.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I oppose this amendment. The amendment would repeal existing law that has been in place since 2012. The law generally prevents DOT from adopting lithium battery regulations that are not harmonized with international standards.

Existing law represents a balanced approach that allows DOT to issue regulations that exceed international requirements if the Secretary has credible evidence that lithium batteries would substantially contribute to onboard fires.

Billions of lithium batteries and lithium-battery containing products are shipped safely by air every year. Shipments by air into the U.S. in 2017 were valued at approximately $120 billion, which also means there are thousands of jobs attached to these.

Aviation is a global industry, and it is very important there not be a patchwork of regulations. The international body studying the global standards for lithium battery transport requirements has been very active on the issue, and the United States has been centrally involved. In reality, the international effort on lithium batteries has been ahead of the DOT in terms of implementing requirements.

Additionally, H.R. 4 continues to focus on safely transporting the products that almost all Americans rely on. It assures expert participation in all panels and working groups of international test or standard-setting organizations in which the United States participates. It avoids creating a burdensome patchwork of regulations, provides the Secretary of Transportation with the authority to deal with this, and creates a Lithium Battery Air Safety Advisory Committee to ensure that the best and safest policy positions are developed and synchronized in the U.S.

This amendment also would put exclusive powers to represent the United States internationally on transport issues in the hands of the FAA, despite hazardous materials transportation affecting all modes of transportation.

Currently, the Secretary of Transportation is statutorily directed to represent the United States in international forums for transporting hazardous materials in international commerce. It is the Secretary's discretion to delegate this authority to her or his choice of agencies. Discretion appropriately rests with the Secretary.

Experts agree that uniform international transportation regulation is a key to safety, so I would urge all Members to oppose this amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, I appreciate my colleague's passion on this issue.

I would, again, say, having a system that is harmonized throughout the world is critical. ICAO has already said in their standard that they recommend that we don't carry them on passenger aircraft, so our industry in America has done that.

Further, the companies that ship cargo--UPS, FedEx--are working, and I have seen what they have done to make sure that the crews of cargo planes are protected. Again, the private industry understands this, and they are moving forward to develop these systems that contain it or suppression systems.

So, again, I believe that the best way forward is to, again, harmonize with the rest of the world and continue to ship billions of dollars of these batteries safely every year. Again, I urge my colleagues to not support this amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, even though I am not opposed to it.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for offering this amendment.

This amendment would streamline the process for airlines to obtain information from the National Driver Registry for airline pilots seeking employment.

I thank the gentleman for offering this amendment, and I urge all of my colleagues to support this amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, even though I do not oppose the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for offering his amendment.

This amendment implements critical recommendations from the FAA's Rotorcraft Occupant Protection Working Group. Specifically the amendment will require newly manufactured helicopters meet specific safety standards to prevent post-crash fires from occurring.

In many cases, fatal helicopter accidents are due to post-crash fires rather than the impact itself. Equipping these new helicopters with crash resistant fuel systems is absolutely critical in preventing thermal injuries and fatalities.

I thank the gentleman for his continued leadership and persistence. When I say persistence, the gentleman has been working on this issue for a number of years, so, again, I congratulate him for that effort.

Mr. Chairman, I urge all of my colleagues to support this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, pursuant to House Resolution 839, I offer amendments en bloc.

Mr. Chairman, I support considering these amendments en bloc, all of which have been approved by both the majority and minority. These Members put forward thoughtful amendments, and I am pleased to be able to support moving them en bloc.

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Fleischmann).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Lance).

Mr. Chairman, I urge all my colleagues to support the amendments en bloc, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I claim time in opposition to this amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition.

This amendment would interfere with national security, homeland security, and law enforcement operations.

As home to the Nation's Capital, the area serves a critical role for the country as home to the Federal Government. Each day, military pilots and other agencies use helicopters to conduct vital missions as part of our national defense and the operations of government. These agencies include the DOD, the Coast Guard, Park Police, Capitol Police, and other agencies. The missions they fly cannot be accomplished by any other means and are essential to our Nation's protection.

This amendment would add complexity to the airspace and could affect the safety of our servicemembers and law enforcement and affect the efficiency of the airspace.

Mr. Chairman, I understand the gentleman's concerns, and I hope we can find some way to address them, but I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for offering this amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I agree with the ranking member, Mr. Larsen. This amendment requesting the GAO study makes a lot of sense to me. The outlook of the future supply of individuals in the workforce, we know there are some shortages out there. This report will inform us about the current aviation workforce and needed actions to ensure we do have an adequate supply of workers in the future.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for his leadership and thank him for offering this amendment, and I urge all Members to support it.

Mr. Chair, I thank Mr. Lewis and I thank the gentleman for offering this amendment. The Metropolitan Planning Organizations were created to ensure that local officials drive the decisions about how Federal and highway transit funds are spent. Unfortunately, for the gentleman's district, a loophole in the law undermines elected officials.

This amendment ensures the structure of MPOs can consist of locally elected officials. This is a fair and commonsense amendment, so I urge all Members to support this amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, the amendment is a re-regulation of the airlines that was soundly defeated in the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. It would force airlines to interline, which refers to agreements among airlines to carry each other's passengers. Most airlines already have interline agreements with other airlines, and the freedom to do so is important to preserve.

Forcing all airlines unwilling into such deals will have unintended consequences. Customers will be punished and forced to bear the burden of the service fares of other airlines. The problems caused by this amendment would be most acute in smaller communities that have few flights per day.

H.R. 4 includes provisions requiring air carriers to prominently disclose to passengers what services will be offered in the event of widespread disruption. The underlying bill contains a number of other consumer protections that are widely supported by stakeholders and Members alike.

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for his leadership on this issue, but I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Larsen).

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

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to withdraw my request for a recorded vote on amendment No. 67 to the end that the Chair put the question de novo.

Mr. Chairman, I reluctantly rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I thank my friend and, actually, my classmate, Mr. Lynch. You, myself, and Joe Wilson are the last of the special election eight that came in 2001, so with me leaving, it will just be up to you and Joe Wilson. But I appreciate working with you.

I appreciate the intent of your amendment. Again, I reluctantly oppose it because of my high regard for you and the work you have done here. I might add too that what you are talking about, the registration--your amendment, I am familiar with it; I think it might have had some unintended consequences. But I also believe that what they do in Oklahoma City at the registry would put some language in this bill to change that process out there. I intend to go out and see it firsthand, because there are problems out there with the way they operate out there in Oklahoma City. Again, I understand what you are talking about.

But I do rise, reluctantly, to oppose the amendment. The amendment would require the FAA to undertake a very unclear task, I believe, facilitating opportunities for air carriers to install noise reduction devices. If you come onto the House floor with an FAA bill, the number one amendment that we have--many, many amendments that we have deal with noise. So it is a problem out there. But the air carriers do have an incentive to, again, operate and reduce the noise of their aircraft, and each new generation of aircraft continues to reduce the noise.

I know that in Connecticut, I believe, Briggs & Stratton has a facility up there, United Technologies, and they were talking about a jet engine that will reduce noise by as much as 70 percent. Again, technology. A lot of smart people are out there trying to figure out innovative ways to reduce noise on these aircraft. Having the FAA involved in these air carrier business decisions, I believe, would stifle the innovation and would set back that development.

But again, I thank the gentleman for his leadership. I am well aware of the issue. I at this point would urge my colleagues to oppose the amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for offering this amendment, but I do oppose it.

This amendment would require the FAA to develop a global-scale guidance system related to convection activity. The FAA already has extensive resources for obtaining necessary weather information for safe flight operations, including thunderstorm information, lightning, and so on. Additionally, the FAA is currently engaged in such weather- modeling development and is actively working towards deploying such capability in the future.

However, this amendment will likely require significant budgetary resources

from both the FAA and NOAA, and, unfortunately, the brevity of this amendment and the lack of details results in a vague mandate that may distract the FAA and NOAA from their ongoing efforts. If the intent is to improve forecasting efforts, then let's not distract them from those efforts they are currently involved in.

For these reasons, I urge all my colleagues to oppose the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding and rise in support of his amendment.

Again, this amendment does address the concerns of the people on Long Island. As the gentleman pointed out, this was put in place without public comment, without talking to the folks that live and have to live under these

overflights, so I applaud him for his efforts and commitment to his constituents on this issue. Again, he has worked tirelessly for the last two Congresses on this issue and been a tremendously effective advocate.

I thank the gentleman for his continued leadership, and I thank him for his amendment and encourage Members to support Mr. Zeldin's amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, although I do not oppose the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for offering this amendment. It is a good amendment. The cybersecurity workforce will play a greater role in the aviation industry in the years ahead.

Mr. Chairman, I encourage all of my colleagues to support Mrs. Lawrence's amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

On behalf of the Pennsylvania Republican delegation, I rise today to welcome the newest member of the Pennsylvania delegation, representing the 18th District, Conor Lamb. As Mike mentioned, he continues the Lamb family tradition of public service and politics.

Again, as a prosecutor and as a marine, we thank him for his service to his nation.

I would also like to point out that Conor and I share a unique bond. Obviously, both of our families have been involved in public service and politics for a number of years. We both hail from western Pennsylvania, the Lambs from the South Hills, the Shusters from the Mon Valley; we share counties in our districts; we were both elected in a special election; but most importantly--most importantly--we come from the same side of the aisle: Steelers fans, not Eagles.

Western Pennsylvania is in our blood, and we like to think the importance of family, understanding the value of hard work, and, of course, rooting for the black and gold are what we share with our constituents back home.

Conor, I look forward to working with you, and on behalf of all the Republicans in the House of Representatives, I welcome you to the House of Representatives. Welcome, Congressman Lamb.

Mr. Speaker, as Co-Chairman of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus, I would like to take time to recognize the anniversaries of two tragedies in the history of this great American ally.

On January 20th 1990, heavily-armed Soviet troops stormed the capital city of Baku in a final attempt to quell anti-communist uprising. The day is most commonly known as ``Black January'' due to the terrible human losses and subsequent military rule. 26,000 soldiers fired into crowds of civilians targeting women, children, hospitals, and ambulances. Fighting lasted for three days and resulted in 131 fatalities, over 600 injuries, 841 arrests where detainees were subject to torture, and to this day an unknown number are still missing. These horrific acts did not have their desired effect in the slightest on Azerbaijan who won independence less than two years later.

The second occurred on this day, February 26, twenty-six years ago in the city of Khojaly where several thousand ethnic Azerbaijani people were trapped in a blockade by Armenian troops seeking to lay claim to the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Citizens of the city were told that they may escape if they left immediately but regardless, hundreds of innocent citizens, including women, children, and the elderly, were brutally murdered or taken prisoner on that day. This was the largest massacre as part of a conflict that is still ongoing.

As the first nation to lend its support to the United States following the attacks of September 11th, so too does Azerbaijan deserve our support and condolences for their losses. These were terrible crimes against humanity which we must never forget, and I urge my colleagues to commemorate them on this day.