Floor Statements

I rise to recognize Ms. Magazine for its work to provide comprehensive coverage of women's issues and to celebrate the magazine's fiftieth anniversary.

When feminist activists Gloria Steinem and Dorothy Pittman Hughes started Ms. Magazine in December 1971 with a 40-page insert inside New York magazine, few could have predicted its longevity and its far- reaching impact. But the magazine immediately struck a chord with women, selling 300,000 copies in eight days and generating 26,000 subscription orders and more than 20,000 reader letters within weeks.

While most magazines marketed to women at the time emphasized domestic topics such as the importance of finding a husband, Ms. Magazine featured stories on prominent women's issues including abortion, the Equal Rights Amendment, domestic violence, and sexual harassment.

In July 1972, the first issue of Ms. Magazine was published with an image of Wonder Woman on the cover. In the same issue, 53 women, including Billie Jean King, Nora Ephron, and Gloria Steinem, signed a ``we have had abortions petition,'' one year before the Supreme Court's landmark decision in Roe v. Wade.

In the years following, Ms. Magazine has covered and influenced the feminist movement. On a personal note, the magazine also profoundly impacted my career aspirations and legislative agenda in both the New York City Council and in Congress.

Over the course of my career, I didn't have to call Ms. Magazine five times to convince them to cover issues and legislation like the Debbie Smith Act, the horrific crime of sex trafficking, and the Equal Rights Amendment.

Ms. Magazine also faithfully chronicled my 20-year fight to create the National Women's History Museum on the Mall. Without Ms. Magazines' coverage and advocacy, we might still be fighting.

Women comprise half the population. But we get nowhere near half the attention on critical issues. Most other magazines and new outlets swoop in to cover monumental women's issues like the rollback of Roe. v. Wade. But Ms. Magazine is there every day to cover issues of importance to women and to shine the light on women's often-hidden contributions to all fields.

I join millions of women worldwide in recognizing the extraordinary accomplishments and contributions of Ms. Magazine over the past 50 years, and in wishing them every success in the next 50. Because Ms. Magazine isn't just a magazine. It's a movement.

Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Urban

Upbound for eighteen years of dedicated service to the Queens community. Urban Upbound is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing Queens public housing residents with economic mobility and increased self-sufficiency.

Urban Upbound was founded in 2004 by Bishop Mitchell G. Taylor and Debra-Ellen Glickstein to serve the residents of public housing across many areas of Queens, including Astoria, Woodside, and Far Rockaway. Urban Upbound serves the community through a variety of programs designed to provide low-income residents the tools they need to succeed. Its financial counseling program helps people tackle debt, budget incomes, and save money.

The organization founded the Urban Upbound Federal Credit Union, the first credit union founded in Queens in the last 30 years. By offering low fees, rates, and flexible loan policies, Urban Upbound Federal Credit Union has saved its members hundreds of thousands of dollars. Most of all, the credit union encourages NYCHA residents to open bank accounts in a community where many do not have access to mainstream banks and face additional hurdles to securing a bank account. Urban Upbound has also helped over 25,000 residents prepare their taxes and file returns, helping them secure more than $25 million in tax refunds. Through this work, Urban Upbound promotes long-term asset building and provides economic mobility to the community.

Urban Upbound's efforts extend beyond financial aid. The organization provides college counseling through SAT prep courses and advising, which has led to a 95 percent college placement rate for residents enrolled in the pre-college program. The heavy emphasis Urban Upbound places on the importance of education signals its commitment to the generational growth and success of its neighborhoods.

Urban Upbound also provides employment services, helps create and polish resumes, conducts mock interviews, and provides career counseling, which has helped approximately 1,800 clients secure employment. When it comes to helping residents achieve their goals of a better life, Urban Upbound truly is a champion for the residents of public housing.

Urban Upbound is hosting a gala to honor its eighteen years of service with the appropriate theme ``Celebrating Success.'' This year's festivities mark a return to in-person celebrations following the COVID-19 Pandemic, during which Urban Upbound provided the community with resource assistance. As a partner in New York City's COVID-19 Take Care Initiative, Urban Upbound helped individuals throughout the Queens NYCHA community find recovery care, practice quarantine protocols, and secure basic needs such as food, medicine, and laundry. This year's gala celebrates in the triumphant resilience of Urban Upbound and the community it proudly serves.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the outstanding work of Urban Upbound. For eighteen years, Urban Upbound has worked to help break the cycle of poverty and create a positive impact on low-income communities.

Madam Speaker, I rise to congratulate the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA) on over 100 years of exceptional service to the communities of the United States, and appreciation for their fierce advocacy for the ideals of Hellenism.

The Association was nobly founded in 1922 by eight forward-thinking Greek American immigrants to fight bigotry and discrimination. 100 years later, AHEPA continues to promote: education, philanthropy, civic responsibility, love of family and the pursuit of individual excellence--all to the great benefit of the United States.

AHEPA continues to make great efforts to improve the quality of life for Americans in need, including through housing programs, scholarships, supporting medical research and caring for our nation's veterans. The charitable, service-oriented work of their many chapters throughout the globe are shining examples of what the Greek American community has brought to our nation--with all levels donating nearly $2,000,000 annually to countless charitable causes.

In particular, AHEPA's National Housing Program has been a stable, proven sponsor of dignified housing for American's senior citizens. Through working with the Department of Housing and Urban Development their sponsorship has reached a sizeable portfolio of 4,467 units in 87 communities across 19 states.

Throughout its history, AHEPA made significant and historic contributions to American society, and counts among their storied members: presidents and vice presidents of the United States, members of Congress, and ambassadors, among countless other public servants. AHEPA can be proud that it was one the leading contributors to raise funds for World War II Bonds, raised more than $253,000,000 for our nation during World War II, and because of the effort, AHEPA was named an official issuing agent for United States war bonds by the Department of the Treasury; no other civic organization had yet achieved that honor.

Their historical contributions continued at pace and in 1990, AHEPA members donated $612,000 toward the restoration of Ellis Island, New York, receiving special recognition by the Department of the Interior. Particular attention has been paid by these devoted students of Hellenism to honoring the strong ties between Greece and the United States. They raised $110,000 for the creation of the George C. Marshall Statue on the grounds of the United States Embassy in Athens to celebrate the historic relationship between our two nations. In the wake of the horrors of 9/11, AHEPA raised over $1,000,000 to rebuild Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church at the World Trade Center site, the only house of worship whose structure was destroyed on that terrible day. Out of love for Hellenism and their nation, they have accomplished these great acts of charity and brotherhood.

These are just a few of AHEPA's good works that have benefited our Nation and our people for over a century. I know they will be continuing their good works, and I am certain they will continue to enjoy success for the next 100 years.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my dear friend, Patricia Falkenberg who has dedicated her life to advancing Jewish causes and supporting the arts.

Patricia Falkenberg is a native New Yorker who grew up in Woodmere and graduated from Woodmere Academy. After graduating from high school Mrs. Falkenberg attended Mount Holyoke College and graduated with distinction in 1964. Since then, Mrs. Falkenberg has taken an extremely active leadership role in the Mount Holyoke community and received an Alumnae Medal of Honor from the Alumnae Association of Mount Holyoke College in 2019.

Mrs. Falkenberg is dedicated to supporting the arts and has served as an advisory board member of the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum for 15 years. To expand the Art Museum's reach Mrs. Falkenberg and her husband established the Patricia and Edward Falkenberg Lecture Series which arranges talks and exhibitions on campus from notable figures in the art world like Ai Weiwei.

Mrs. Falkenberg is also deeply involved in supporting Jewish causes. She has been a member of the American Jewish Committee's Board of Governors for over 30 years and recently served as President of AJC's Women's Leadership Board.

Madam Speaker, Mrs. Falkenberg is a dear friend of mine who continues to inspire me with her tireless advocacy and charitable work. I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the many contributions that Patricia Falkenberg has made to New York City and wishing her every future success.

Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize Mayor

Kostas Bakoyannis for his long career of public service to the citizens of the Hellenic Republic, notably, as the current Mayor of Athens. He previously served as the Governor of Central Greece, worked at the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and held positions in the European Parliament in Brussels and the World Bank in Kosovo. He has served as the vice president of the Hellenic Agency for Local Development and Local Government. In his 2019 mayoral campaign, he visited 129 neighborhoods across Athens to become the capital's youngest mayor with the widest margin of victory ever. His commitment to his constituents is inspiring.

Born in Athens on 16 March 1978 to New Democracy politicians Dora, who was the first woman to serve as Mayor of Athens, and Pavlas Bakoyanniss. He studied history and international relations at Brown University, graduated from Harvard University with a Master of Public Administration, and received his Ph.D. from St Antony's College, Oxford focusing on disruptions, identity politics, and foreign policy in post- Cold War Greece.

His love for his hometown of Karpenis inspired him to run for local office. His deep empathy aided him in the first mayoral election, winning overwhelmingly. He served as the mayor of his hometown for three years. His positive impact on Karpenis were critical to his subsequent elections as regional governor and Mayor of Athens. His dedication to his citizens continues to this day in solving the pressing issues facing Athenians.

As Mayor of Athens, the first thing he did early in the morning was go where the sanitation workers gathered and started their rounds to show the importance and the value they have on the community. As he described it, ``Being in local government means having to work from the bottom up. At the end of the day, it's about solving the problem, not talking about or to the problem.''

Mayor Bakoyannis is striving to make Athens greener and more sustainable by closing parts of city centers for cars to reclaim public spaces, creating more parks for the residents. In doing this, he is also protecting the archaeological sites of Athens, which makes up some of the richest cultural heritage of the Greek people and indeed humanity. To reduce emissions in the city, he initiated a project to narrow the car lanes in one of the largest avenues. He is dedicated to protecting Athenians from extreme heat and addressing the causes of climate change.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis for his dedication and service to the great people and especially the residents of Athens.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 8956) to amend chapter 36 of title 44, United States Code, to improve the cybersecurity of the Federal Government, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure before us.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Connolly, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Operations, and Ranking Member Comer for working on this important bipartisan measure.

A version of this bill passed this House earlier in this Congress. It has been improved after receiving technical assistance from the General Services Administration and through discussions with the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program Authorization Act would codify and improve the existing FedRAMP program in the General Services Administration.

First established in 2011, FedRAMP is an important program that certifies cloud service providers that wish to offer services and products to the Federal Government.

The FedRAMP certification process outlined in this bill is comprehensive, facilitates easier agency adoption, promotes agency reuse, and encourages savings.

The FedRAMP process uses a risk-based approach to ensure the reliability of any cloud platform that hosts unclassified government data.

One significant provision of this bill is the Federal Secure Cloud Advisory Committee. This committee would be tasked with key responsibilities, including providing technical expertise on cloud products and services and identifying ways to reduce costs associated with FedRAMP certification.

The Director of the Office of Management and Budget would be required to issue regulations on FedRAMP and would ensure that agencies are not using cloud service providers without authorization.

This bill supports a critical effort to keep our Nation's information secure in cloud environments. I urge all Members to support this bill and reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly), the distinguished chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Operations and sponsor of this important bill, H.R. 8956.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 8956 and yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 8466), to require the head of each agency to establish a plan relating to the safety of Federal employees and contractors physically present at certain worksites during a nationwide public health emergency declared for an infectious disease, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on H.R. 8466.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 8466, the Chai Suthammanont Healthy Federal Workplaces Act of 2022, introduced by Government Operations Subcommittee Chair Connolly.

The bill would require that all Federal agencies create detailed plans in preparation for a nationwide public health emergency declaration in response to an infectious disease to protect the health and safety of employees, contractors, and subcontractors.

The plan must include protocols to ensure workers have access to protective equipment, clean facilities, limited workspace occupancy, and on-site testing; that they are notified about exposures; and that accommodations are available to high-risk individuals.

Federal workers showed great resilience as the Federal Government adapted to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Living through the pandemic for more than 2 years should make it clear that we need to take precautions to prepare for the future, as COVID-19 is not the last public health emergency we are likely to face as a country, and government agencies need to be ready for that.

The plans required under this legislation would protect workers and prevent the spread of disease. The agency must also prioritize in its plan the continuity of operations and government services through a public health emergency. The bill requires that safety protocols are clearly communicated to all employees and publicly posted.

Holding agencies accountable for making these plans transparent to Federal employees and the public will help make everyone feel safer and better informed.

The bill also includes strong oversight measures. Inspectors general at Federal agencies would assess implementation of these plans and report to Congress.

The Government Accountability Office would conduct a study of the lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic that can be applied to improve agency plans and improve communication with employees throughout an emergency.

I commend Chairman Connolly for his forward-looking bill that would better prepare government agencies for future public health crises. I urge my colleagues to join me in support of H.R. 8466.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly), the distinguished chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Operations and sponsor of

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 8466, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 3470) to provide for the implementation of certain trafficking in contracting provisions, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on S. 3470.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 3470, the End Human Trafficking in Government Contracts Act.

S. 3470 was introduced by Senator Lankford from Oklahoma and has passed the Senate by unanimous consent. The bill would require the head of an agency to make a referral for debarment of a Federal contractor in response to Inspector General verification that the company has engaged in any form of human trafficking, including labor and sex trafficking.

Under current law, the referral is merely an action that the agency head may consider. Putting stronger penalties on contractors creates stronger incentives for them to be vigilant about eliminating human trafficking from their business. This bill helps to ensure that we use the U.S. Government's enormous purchasing power to combat human trafficking.

Under this bill, the Office of Management and Budget would also submit a report to Congress on Federal Government actions to end trafficking in Federal contracts. Human trafficking is nothing short of modern-day slavery. It is estimated that human trafficking is a $150 billion global industry. It must be a priority to ensure that the U.S. is not contributing one dollar to perpetuate human trafficking through Federal contracts.

Mr. Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this straightforward legislation to further enforce zero tolerance for human trafficking in Federal contracts.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers on this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, combating sex trafficking by any means, in this case with using the power of our contracting system, is truly a bipartisan effort in this committee.

Mr. Speaker, I support and urge passage of this bill, S. 3470.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 2551), to require the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to establish or otherwise provide an artificial intelligence training program for the acquisition workforce, and for other purposes.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2551, the Artificial Intelligence Training for the Acquisition Workforce Act, sponsored by Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Peters and Ranking Member Portman. I am proud to have introduced the House companion to this bill with Ranking Member Comer.

The AI Training Act would require the Office of Management and Budget, in coordination with the General Services Administration, to develop and implement an AI training program for Federal workers whose jobs involve this technology, including acquisition and program management employees.

The program would educate employees on the science underlying AI, introductory concepts, potential benefits of the technology, and future trends. Importantly, the program would also cover the risks posed by AI, including discrimination and risks to privacy, and would teach Federal workers how to mitigate these risks.

To ensure that the AI technology procured and employed by the U.S. Government is reliable, safe, and trustworthy, it is critical that Federal workers involved in procurement and management of this technology are well-trained.

AI tools have become essential in the global race to solve societal challenges, protect national security, and remain economically competitive. At the same time, the algorithms that drive AI systems present new challenges to oversight and accountability efforts. So we need proactive approaches to ensure transparency and governance that preserves privacy and civil liberties and protects the public interest.

The training program would be updated at least every 2 years, ensuring it keeps up with the rapid evolution of this field.

I thank Ranking Member Comer for joining me in advancing this legislation to require specialized Federal workforce training in AI that will help ensure the responsible acquisition and use of this technology that will have long-term benefits to the Government.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support S. 2551, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers on this side, and if the gentleman is prepared to close, then I am also prepared to close.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague, Mr. Comer, for his help and assistance on this bill. We worked on it together.

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of S. 2551, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6967) to implement merit-based reforms to the civil service hiring system that replace degree-based hiring with skills- and competency-based hiring, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on H.R. 6967.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6967, the Chance to Compete Act.

The bipartisan Chance to Compete Act was introduced by Representative Hice along with Representatives Khanna, Foxx, and Mfume. Representatives Mace and Subcommittee Chairman Connolly later joined the bill, as well.

This bill aims to make evaluations more useful in assessing the skills of candidates for Federal positions and alleviate inefficiencies that have long hindered the hiring process.

The bill turns away from the current reliance on self-assessment and attainment of an educational degree to determine candidate qualifications in the Federal hiring process. Instead, subject matter experts in agencies would design assessments that test knowledge specific to a position for which the agency is hiring.

This overhaul to the assessment method would better match qualified applicants with positions and expand employment opportunities to candidates with more diverse professional and educational backgrounds.

The Chance to Compete Act aligns with the Office of Personnel Management's guidance released in May to facilitate an executive order to modernize the process of assessing and hiring Federal job candidates. Establishing hiring methods that are more skills-based will improve agency managers' ability to hire people who possess the knowledge and experience to do the job and to hire from a wider array of qualified applicants.

The bill also directs the Office of Personnel Management to create an online platform for sharing candidate assessments between agencies and maintain a portal for hiring managers to find candidates who have already demonstrated their qualifications for certain positions but were not hired.

Under this legislation, agencies may assemble talent teams to support this assessment of job candidates and the hiring process.

The OPM director would be required to submit annual progress reports to Congress on the use of the skills-based assessments. After 5 years, the Government Accountability Office would conduct a study of the implementation of the Federal job assessment reforms and their impact on the Federal hiring process.

This bill streamlines the hiring process for Federal agencies and shortens the time it takes to bring new, well-qualified employees on board.

The Senate companion to this bill, introduced by Senator Sinema, also enjoys bipartisan support.

I thank Representative Hice for his leadership in introducing this bill that is the result of constructive collaboration by several members of our committee from both sides of the aisle.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting it, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 6967, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6967, the Chance to Compete Act.

This bill is a good first step in reforming how we find and hire talent to the federal civil service and removes barriers that prevent agencies from recruiting the best talent.

The bill specifically eliminates antiquated hiring assessment tools, improves federal agencies' hiring process, and allows qualified applicants to compete for open positions across government. This bill will move government away from a focus on academic parchment to a prioritization on skills and expertise.

I'm proud to be a cosponsor of this bill, introduced by my Ranking Member Jody Hice and my Oversight colleague Ro Khanna.

The bill came to us from the Senate, less than perfect and opposed by the Administration.

But parties across both chambers worked together to draft an updated version of the bill that incorporates important feedback from the Office of Personnel Management and the Office of Management and Budget.

As currently drafted, the bill would:

Redefine competitive-service hiring applicant assessments to help agencies focus on candidates who can perform on the job.

Put subject-matter experts at the helm of hiring, empowering those who can best distinguish practical performers from the field of candidates.

Require OPM to begin a review of all federal ``duties'' that require an educational achievement level for hiring purposes, and then instructs OPM to make available online the data.

Clarify to agencies, Congress, and the public why some positions, like a doctor at the Department of Veterans Affairs, must have an advanced degree, while a cybersecurity expert at the Department of Homeland Security would benefit from a seasoned specialist, trained from the field.

Authorize ``talent teams'' in agency human resources offices-- ensuring each agency has a key group of staff focused on improving federal hiring.

I thank Ranking Member Hice for working with me to improve this bill and ensure it is policy that all stakeholders, including the Administration and our union partners, believe will improve how we find and recruit talent to the federal government.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6267) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 15 Chestnut Street in Suffern, New York, as the ``Sergeant Gerald T. `Jerry' Donnellan Post Office''.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support today of H.R. 6267, authored by my good friend and colleague from the great State of New York.

This bill will designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 15 Chestnut Street in Suffern, New York, as the Sergeant Gerald T. ``Jerry'' Donnellan Post Office.

Sergeant Donnellan was born on December 18, 1946, in Nyack, New York, as the youngest of five children. He graduated from Albertus Magnus High School and went on to major in English at Rockland Community College and Texas A&M University.

During the height of the Vietnam war, Sergeant Donnellan was drafted into the Army and began his basic training at Fort Gordon in Georgia. After several months, he was deployed to Vietnam.

On the front lines, Sergeant Donnellan sustained life-threatening injuries after an enemy grenade exploded in front of him. While in recovery at Valley Forge, he received the Purple Heart.

After recovery, Sergeant Donnellan worked in the Veterans Service Agency office of Rockland County as commissioner of veterans affairs until his retirement in January 2018.

During his tenure, he created the local Chapter 333 of the Vietnam Veterans of America, started a veterans' health clinic, helped create Camp Shanks Museum in Orangetown, established the Rockland County Buffalo Soldiers Award to recognize the contributions of African- American veterans, and established the Rockland County Public Service Medal to honor those who served in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the global war on terror.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring Sergeant Donnellan, a Purple Heart recipient, by naming the post office after him.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Jones), the distinguished vice chair of the Committee on the Judiciary's Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet.

Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague and friend, Mondaire Jones, for his leadership on this bill and so many other areas here in Congress. He certainly deserves this name-changing for the post office there.

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 6267, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6080) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 5420 Kavanaugh Boulevard in Little Rock, Arkansas, as the ``Ronald A. Robinson Post Office''.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6080 to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 5420 Kavanaugh Boulevard in Little Rock, Arkansas, as the Ronald A. Robinson Post Office.

Mr. Robinson was a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, where he earned a bachelor's degree in journalism. He went on to study public relations at Boston University's Graduate School of Public Communications.

He served in the U.S. Air Force as a captain and was awarded a Bronze Star in Vietnam. He also received the Air Force Commendation Medal in 1969 for his support of the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon.

Mr. Robinson, in 1970, joined the marketing and communications firm Cranford Johnson Robinson Woods. After 26 years, he retired from the firm as its chief executive officer. During his tenure, the firm became the largest advertising agency in Arkansas, with notable business and political clients.

In 1993, he was appointed to the U.S. Postal Service's Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee by the U.S. Postmaster General. In 2005, Mr. Robinson was named chairman of that committee. During his 15 years serving on the committee, Mr. Robinson was involved in the creation and production of more than 1,750 postage stamp issues.

He used his influence to highlight Arkansas in several of the newly issued postage stamps.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join in honoring Mr. Robinson by naming a post office in Little Rock, Arkansas, after him.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 6080, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the birthday of my dear friend Patti Askwith Kenner, who has dedicated her life to supporting women's civic participation, supporting the arts, and advancing Jewish causes.

Patti Kenner is a native New Yorker who was born in New York City and raised in Harrison, New York. She is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University with a degree in French. She subsequently earned a master's degree in Early Childhood Education from the Columbia University Teachers College.

After 10 years as an educator, Ms. Kenner left teaching to join Campus Coach Lines, a charter bus company founded by her father in 1928. She continues to work at Campus Coach Lines to this day and currently serves as its President.

In a city full of larger-than-life personalities, Ms. Kenner is one New York's most iconic civic leaders. She has been a consummate advocate for women's participation in politics and civic engagement.

Ms. Kenner is also a devoted alumna of Carnegie Mellon and has given generously back to the school. She has served on the university's board of trustees for over 25 years and recently dedicated its Askwith Kenner Global Languages and Cultures Room. This amazing experiential space allows students to virtually travel the world and interact with people from different nations.

Ms. Kenner is also a major supporter of education in New York. In 2019 she created the Patti Kenner Fellowship in Arts Education at Guild Hall, where she is also a longtime trustee. This fellowship has substantially enhanced youth educational programming at Guild Hall.

Ms. Kenner has been dedicated to increasing awareness about the Holocaust and preserving its history. In 2011, Ms. Kenner produced a documentary about the renowned Jewish-American journalist Ruth Gruber, who documented life in Nazi Germany and was tasked by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to escort close to 1,000 refugees from Nazi- occupied Europe to the United States in 1944. She is currently working on another documentary focused on Swedish architect and humanitarian, Raoul Wallenberg, who saved tens of thousands of Jews in occupied Hungary at the end of World War II.

In addition to these many accomplishments, Ms. Kenner serves on the boards of Defiant Requiem Foundation, the Museum of Jewish Heritage, the University Musical Society at the University of Michigan, the Educational Alliance, along with numerous other organizations and institutions.

Madam Speaker, Ms. Kenner is a dear friend of mine who continues to inspire me with her tireless advocacy and activism. I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the many contributions that Patti Kenner has made to New York City and wishing her every future success.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1339, I call up the bill (H.R. 302) to impose limits on excepting competitive service positions from the competitive service, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 302, the Preventing a Patronage System Act, introduced by Government Operations Subcommittee Chair Gerry Connolly along with Representative Brian Fitzpatrick.

This straightforward bill affirms Congress' role in making major changes to the civil service system and ensures that no President can do so unilaterally.

Now, that may sound simple, but this is critical to upholding the merit system principles that have been in place for almost 140 years and fortify the civil service of America.

Career Federal workers serve both Democratic and Republican administrations. They do their jobs guided by their expertise and best judgment, not by allegiance to any political agenda.

In 2020, former President Trump issued an executive order creating a new Federal employee classification in the excepted service called schedule F. Employees transferred to schedule F would have been stripped of workplace protections and converted to at-will employees. If the order had been fully implemented, it could have harmed tens of thousands of Federal employees.

Agencies were directed to identify civil service positions with a policymaking function to convert to schedule F who would be more easily removed from their jobs for not rubberstamping the President's political agenda. Presumably, those positions could then be filled with people who would be more loyal to the President.

Fortunately, one of the first things that President Biden did upon taking office was to revoke the schedule F executive order. But the order still shocked the Federal workforce.

Such an attack against the integrity of the civil service should shock us all, particularly as Members of Congress. We depend on the Federal workforce to serve impartially and in accordance with the law. Schedule F would have instead put immense pressure on Federal workers to bend to the political whims of the President, even if it meant violating the law or Federal regulations.

But this bill is not just about the past. It applies the lessons we learned from schedule F to prevent similar efforts to undermine the Federal workforce in the future, whether from a Republican or Democratic President.

There are some who are ready and waiting to reinstitute a system like schedule F if given the opportunity. We must prevent that, and we can take a big step toward that today by passing the Preventing a Patronage System Act.

Mr. Speaker, I commend Chairman Connolly for his leadership on this bill and for making it a bipartisan bill.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support it, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to respond to my colleagues who mentioned a problem with poor performers in the Federal workforce. Federal managers have tools now to remove poor performers when appropriate. In fact, over 10,000 Federal employees were removed last year from their jobs for poor performance.

This bill does not change the removal process for employees who are not performing their jobs well, and schedule F was never about removing employees who are performing poorly. That policy was designed to intimidate and remove career employees who dared to provide impartial advice that may be perceived as contrary to an administration's political agenda. Civil servants are supposed to help administrations follow the law.

So let's set the record straight about schedule F. It was intended to punish Federal employees doing their jobs ethically and legally.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly), the chairman of the Government Operations Subcommittee, and the author and sponsor of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from Virginia.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the distinguished majority leader of the House of Representatives.

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

I would like to respond to the gentlewoman who may not have been here when I made my previous remarks, because I point out that this is not about making it hard to remove poor performers. The Federal Government can and does remove poor performers where appropriate. And there is a process for that.

According to data from the Office of Personnel Management, the Federal Government removed 10,687 employees in Fiscal Year 2021.

It is in the public's best interest to ensure that the President cannot take action that would politicize the civil service and threaten the integrity of the work that we depend on civil servants to perform every day.

One expert on Federal human resources, Jeff Neal, has explained that the tension that can exist between career employees and political appointees

usually reflects the ``need to ensure that proposals are legal'' and that ``statutory and regulatory requirements, such as the Administrative Procedure Act, are met.''

In other words, this tension is actually a sign that the system is working, and procedures are being properly followed. That is certainly not poor performance or cause for removal.

Schedule F would have improperly targeted those who ensure legality, equity, and appropriate stewardship of taxpayer dollars.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton), a distinguished member of the Committee on Oversight and Reform and a champion for workers.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to respond to the gentleman's statement.

Schedule F was never about removing employees who were performing poorly. That was not the purpose. There is already a procedure in place for that.

It aimed to strip workplace protections away from Federal employees so that anyone who didn't adhere to an ideology aligned with the President, the former President, could be easily replaced with someone who did.

That is a violation of the impartiality with which the civil service is meant to operate. It is supposed to be an independent, merit-based system not tied to ideology.

If changes that consequential are to be made to the civil service, they shouldn't happen without the approval of Congress. That is what this bill does. This bill preserves Congress' authority in civil service policy. People can't come in willy-nilly and change the system and make it a partisan system overnight.

If implemented, schedule F would have placed Federal employees' careers in the hands of political appointees who could fire them for presenting data, evidence, or views that contradict the political whims of an administration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from the great State of Virginia (Mr. Beyer), the distinguished chairman of the Joint Economic Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I refer to my prior statements and reiterate that schedule F was never about removing employees who are performing poorly. There is a whole process to do that.

This is about protecting the integrity of a merit-based system, so people are not retaliated against and fired because they are not doing what somebody is dictating them to do.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green), the distinguished Representative and chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the Financial Services Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time, and I will respond to my very good friend, who I have tremendous respect for.

I do not represent the Washington workforce. I represent New York City. I represent the private sector, the private-sector capital of the world, New York City, Manhattan. That is who I represent.

I also represent taxpayers, a lot of them, and they want their money to be spent for good government. They want the people working in the government to be impartial and dedicated to doing the best job possible without political influence. That is exactly what this bill we are talking about today is about.

Schedule F, as I repeat, was never about removing employees who were performing poorly. We have a whole system to do that. We removed over 10,000 last year. This is about protecting employees who are doing a good job from political influence.

I reiterate the crucial role of the people who make up the professional and nonpolitical civil service in delivering government services to our constituents, protecting our democracy, and carrying out agency missions across the Federal Government.

Injecting undue political influence into that system, as schedule F would have done, would be disastrous for the merit system we have in place.

When we pass this bill today, we are making sure that no President of either party, Democrat or Republican, can ever unilaterally take such destructive action in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support a merit system, to support the civil service system that has served us so well, to vote to keep politics out of the civil service system, and to support the important underlying bill.

I congratulate my colleague and very good friend, Mr. Connolly, on his excellent work on this bill. It is bipartisan. We have three Republicans. But I hope that we will pick up more, because this is about voting for freedom, democracy, independence, good government, you name it.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this important bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the amendment offered by my good friend, Representative Hice.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 302 preserves congressional authority to make sure that no President can establish a destructive policy like schedule F in the future without the approval of Congress.

The amendment would do the exact opposite. It opens the door for an administration to implement the revoked schedule F executive order and dangerously politicize the Federal workforce.

For all the reasons this was bad policy in 2020, it remains bad policy today.

Schedule F evaded congressional oversight in an attempt to make the civil service an instrument of partisan politics rather than the nonpartisan professional, independent workforce that Congress intended it to be.

Schedule F would replace a professional system with a patronage system, discouraging civil service employees from providing impartial advice based on the facts or reporting waste, fraud, and abuse.

Reviving this attack on Federal employees also makes it harder to retain and hire qualified employees, which further erodes the ability of the agencies to carry out their mission.

I strongly oppose this amendment, and I urge Members on both sides of the aisle to vote ``no.''

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Operations, and the sponsor and author of this bill, H.R. 302.

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

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

I rise in strong support of H.R. 2988, the Whistleblower Protection Improvement Act of 2021. In May 2021, I introduced the Whistleblower Protection Improvement Act, along with Representative Nancy Mace, ranking member of the Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Subcommittee.

Federal whistleblowers serve a critical role by shedding a light on government corruption, waste, fraud, and abuse and wrongdoing, often through reporting such actions to Congress. Their disclosures protect taxpayers' dollars, improve Federal programs, and even save lives. Unfortunately, the Oversight Committee has seen too many examples of employers retaliating against whistleblowers. In one instance, the TSA, the Transportation Security Administration, that provides security at airports, moved an airport employee hundreds of miles away to a new duty station when they revealed security flaws at the TSA at the airports.

In another troubling example, a White House supervisor moved files beyond the reach of a disabled employee after the employee disclosed violations of security clearance procedures.

A GAO report earlier this year also revealed that employees at four scientific research agencies did not report instances of political interference in scientific decisionmaking out of fear of retaliation and uncertainty of how to best voice their concerns.

As these examples make clear, whistleblowers often make disclosures at great personal risk. That is why protections for whistleblowers have long received bipartisan support in this Congress. I thank my colleagues, including Representative Mace, for continuing that tradition today.

The Whistleblower Protection Improvement Act would enact long-overdue reforms to protect whistleblowers from retaliation to the greatest extent possible, and to provide meaningful remedies if whistleblowers still encounter retaliation.

The bill would prohibit agencies from launching retaliatory investigations against employees who blow the whistle and would limit the public disclosure of a whistleblower's identity.

The bill would also provide Federal whistleblowers with faster legal recourse for retaliation claims and would allow them to have their claims tried before a jury in a Federal District Court. Access to jury trials has long been a priority of whistleblower advocates.

The last major reform to whistleblower protection was in 2012. I am proud to continue this important bipartisan effort to protect whistleblowers today.

The bill we are considering also clarifies that whistleblowers who prevail are entitled to recover attorney's fees and to receive the necessary relief to make them whole.

Finally, the bill would make clear that no Federal employee, including the President or the Vice President of the U.S., may interfere or retaliate against a whistleblower for disclosing information to Congress.

The Whistleblower Protection Improvement Act has received public support from more than 100 stakeholder organizations, including the Government Accountability Project, the National Taxpayers Union, the Project on Government Oversight, the Taxpayer Protection Alliance, and Whistleblowers of America.

Mr. Chair, I include in the Record a letter of support from 100 different organizations.

July 14. 2022.

Hon. Nancy Pelosi,

Speaker, House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Dear Speaker Pelosi: During the last month, our nation has

been fixated on evidence about threats to our democracy

exposed in the January 6 Select Committee hearings. The

undersigned organizations commend your leadership creating

the January 6 Committee for exposing the truth. The

undersigned organizations now seek your leadership protecting

those who provide the evidence.

The Committee on Oversight and Reform has marked up HR

6762. the Whistleblower Protection Improvement Act (WPIA).

The legislation deserves floor time for a House vote so that

we can highlight its passage on July 30. 2022, National

Whistleblower Appreciation Day. The House has voted for this

reform in the Protect Our Democracy Act. but Senate action

requires standalone legislation.

The WPIA would be the fifth generation of pioneering

whistleblower rights first passed in 1978. These rights have

been excellent global pacesetters that Congress unanimously

has reaffirmed three time since 1978, the last in the

Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012. The two

Achilles heels, however, have been loopholes and lack of

credible due process enforcement.

Those problems only have become worse since 2012. For

example, the administrative Merit Systems Protection Board

has a monopoly on enforcement. but its vulnerability to

political pressure blocked confirmations and led to an empty

Board with a 3,500 case back log. Lacking judicial

independence, its Administrative Judges who conduct hearings

rule against whistleblowers in over 95% of initial merits

decisions.

The WPIA addresses both the loopholes and due process gaps

by providing parity for federal civil service employee

whistleblower rights with those enacted by Congress 16 times

in each or 17 private sector whistleblower law enacted since

2002. To illustrate it would--

Permit jury trials if there is no timely administrative

decision. This would take the politics out of

whistleblowerjustice for federal employees the nation's only

major labor group denied a day in court to challenge

violation of their free speech rights despite making the

disclosures most significant for voters.

Permit lawsuits when retaliatory investigations are opened.

Investigations are a kneejerk first reaction to find any dirt

on whistleblowers that will distract from government fraud,

waste and abuse. As long as a probe is open, it has a broad

chilling effect even if later dropped. This key provision

would establish parity with all other whistleblower laws,

even the Military Whistleblower Protection Act.

Establish realistic legal burdens to obtain temporary

relief. Temporary relief is almost never available under

current law and is essential when cases commonly drag out

over five years. By that time, even winning may be too late

for those who have lost their homes, gone bankrupt frequently

lost their families and had their professional deputations

irrevocably ruined.

Close loopholes that erase the law's benefits. Currently,

Public Health Service (PHS) whistleblowers are excluded from

the Whistleblower Protection Act and limited to military

remedies, as are employees of the National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Agency (NOAA). However, these are the

professionals from whom we need the truth about public health

threats like the pandemic and environmental threats like

climate change. Loopholes in remedies mean that

whistleblowers still can ``lose by winning.'' The WPIA fills

these and similar gaps.

This legislation is a political opportunity supported by

86% of likely voters in a Marist Poll survey just before the

last election, and more than 265 organizations across the

issue and political spectrum have already expressed support

for its passage. It extends the same rights to federal

employees defending the public that Congress repeatedly has

provided to corporate employees defending the shareholders.

We need your leadership, so that those who defend the public

can defend themselves.

Sincerely,

20/20 Vision DC, Academics Stang Against Poverty,

Accountability Lab, Affiliation of Christian Engineers,

African Centre for Media & Information Literacy, Alliance to

Counter Crime Online, American Association for Justice,

American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), Animals

Are Sentient Beings Inc, Arab American Institute, Bekker

Compliance Consulting Partners, LLC, Blueprint for Free

Speech, Broward for Progress, Center for Auto Safety, Center

for Progressive Reform, Center for Science in the Public

Interest (CSPI), Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in

Washington (CREW) Citizens' Environmental Coalition, Clean

Elections Texas, Climate Science Legal Defense Fund.

Columbia Legal Services, Community Science Institute, Inc.,

Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety, Consumer Action, Cook

Inletkeeper, Corruption kills, Council for a Livable

World, Demand Progress, DemCast USA, Dr. Yolanda Whyte

Pediatrics, Equal Justice Society, Federally Employed

Women, Fight for the Future, Food & Water Watch, Forest

Service Employees for Environmental Ethics, Government

Accountability Project, Government Information Watch,

Harrington Investments, Inc., Human Environmental and

Leadership Prevalent Center (HELP Center), Indivisible

Santa Fe.

Information Trust, International Association of

Whistleblowers (IAW), International Fund for Animal Welfare,

Iowa Institute for Public Accountability, Jacobs Institute of

Women's Health, Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP),

League of Conservation Voters, Liberty Shared, Mainers for

Accountable Leadership, Mehri & Skalet PLLC, Michiganders for

Fair & Transparent Elections, Muslim American Law Enforcement

Association, National Air Disaster Foundation, National

Coalition Against Censorship, National Employment Law

Project, National Organization for Women, National

Whistleblower Center, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social

Justice, No Violence.org, Open

MIC (Open Media and Information Companies Initiative).

Open The Government, Oregonizers, Pax Christi USA, People's

Parity Project, Project Censored and Media Freedom

Foundation, Project On Government Oversight (POGO), Protect

All Children's Environment, Protect Democracy, Public

Citizen, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility

(PEER), Public Justice Center, Restore The Fourth, Robert F.

Kennedy Human Rights, Rock the Vote, RootsAction.org, Rural

Coalition, Secure Elections Network, Shriver Center on

Poverty Law, Society of Professional Journalists, Strategies

For Justice, BWMP LLC.

Taxpayers Protection Alliance, The Center for International

Policy, The Coalition For Change Inc. (C4C), The Digital

Democracy Project, The Ecotopian Society, The Freedom BLOC,

The James Madison Project, The Revolving Door Project, The

Rutherford Institute, The Signals Network, The Vindman Group,

The Workers Circle, Transparency International--U.S. Office,

Truckers Justice Center, Tully Center for Free Speech,

Syracuse University.

Union of Concerned Scientists, Washington Coalition for

Open Government, Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil

Rights and Urban Affairs, Washington Office on Latin America

(WOLA), WESPAC Foundation, Inc., Whistleblower Network News,

Whistleblowers of America, WhistleblowersUK, Wind of the

Spirit Immigrant Resource Center, Women's International

League for Peace and Freedom US, Women's Action for New

Directions (WAND), Workplace Fairness, X-Lab.

Mr. Chair, I strongly urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bill and to support the heroes and heroines who disclose wrongdoing and corruption in our government, leading to reforms to make our government stronger and better able to serve the American people.

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

Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly), the distinguished chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Operations.

Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton), the distinguished chairwoman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure's Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.

Mr. Chair, there are no more speakers, and I am prepared to close if my colleagues on the Republican side are ready to close, as well.

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

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

Mr. Chair, this bill does not prohibit agencies from investigating actual misconduct. It merely prohibits launching an investigation as retaliation for blowing the whistle.

When an agency becomes aware of a disclosure of waste, fraud, and abuse, the concern of the agency should be addressing those issues rather than retaliating against the employee who discloses the problems.

This change fills a critical role created by the 2020 appeals court decision that held that current whistleblower laws only prohibit a retaliatory investigation if the investigation ultimately resulted in a significant change in the employee's working conditions. This decision ignored the effect that a retaliatory investigation has on a whistleblower when an investigation is going on. So, I disagree with the gentleman's statement, and I am now prepared to close.

Mr. Chair, I want to stress the urgency and importance of this legislation and talk about how important it is to protect our whistleblowers.

They play a critical role in exposing wrongdoing within the government, sometimes at great personal risk. They need to be able to alert agency leaders and Congress without fear of retaliation.

Passing H.R. 2988 would help give whistleblowers the protection they deserve. The key reforms in the bill would prohibit agencies from launching retaliatory investigations and extend whistleblowers the right to a jury trial, which they have long sought, and permit whistleblowers to receive attorney fees if they win their lawsuits.

This bill establishes new protections for whistleblowers who have a crucial role in shedding light on government corruption and wrongdoing.

This bill is also strongly supported by well over 100 stakeholder organizations. Just today, the National Taxpayers Union announced its inclusion of this bill as one of its ``No Brainers'' list for bills that Congress should pass. Only a few bills receive this kind of recognition. This is landmark legislation, both for freedom of speech and for government accountability.

I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who have cosponsored this important legislation and spoken in support of it. Mr. Chair, I strongly urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this bill.

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

Mr. Chair, pursuant to House Resolution 1339, I offer amendments en bloc.

Mr. Chair, I rise to offer amendments en bloc.

The amendment offered by Congresswoman Katie Porter would require inspectors general to report in their semiannual reports the number of times their office was not able to resolve a whistleblower retaliation complaint within 8 months of receiving that complaint. This requirement ensures that inspectors general are promptly investigating whistleblower retaliation complaints.

The next amendment, offered by Congressman Jake Auchincloss, would require the Government Accountability Office to examine and report on whistleblower protection actions, including the timeliness with which the Merit Systems Protection Board issues rulings on whistleblower complaints, how often individuals choose a jury trial, and recommendations to improve the claim review process.

This requirement evaluates whether the whistleblower review process is effective and identifies areas for improvement.

The amendment offered by Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee would require inspectors general to maintain a mechanism to receive anonymous whistleblower reports. In certain instances, this offers the protection and comfort a whistleblower needs to report government abuses and corruption.

The next amendment, offered by Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger, would enable whistleblowers, outside the intelligence community, to appeal adverse security clearance actions to the Merit Systems Protection Board.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to adopt this commonsense package of amendments, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee), the distinguished chairwoman of the Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security.

Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Auchincloss), the vice chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.

Mr. Chair, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

The underlying bill is both landmark legislation for freedom of speech and for government accountability. I strongly urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this landmark legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I move that the committee now rise.

I withdraw my motion.

Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

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