Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman and the subcommittee chairman, Mr. Duffy, for his efforts, too, in trying to provide significant reforms. I support their efforts in opposing this additional reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program.

We have done this eight times in just over the year, and what have we gotten in return? Some would say nothing. I would say, no, it has been worse than nothing. You see, we forgave $16 billion in debt and got no reforms in response to that.

Now the NFIP is $20 billion in debt again, yet we look at: Oh, but it is just $20 billion.

In over 13 years, the interest on that is $5 billion. When are we going to stop this insanity?

More disturbing, however, Mr. Speaker, is this House's failure to stand up to even the most modest technical reforms that would benefit the program.

During my time in this body, I have been proud to champion one such bill, the Private Flood Insurance Market Development Act.

To me, it defies logic that this coequal Chamber would pass a bill unanimously through the authorizing committee this Congress and then unanimously through the whole House in the last Congress and, yet, abandon its opportunities every time thereafter.

My legislation is simple. It is a technical correction that will facilitate the growth of a private market alternative to the drowning national program that we have today. It is bipartisan. It is desperately needed.

Yet, here we are again with a clean reauthorization that makes no progress and no promises that tomorrow will be any different. That, Mr. Speaker, is a shame. It is a shame that we have once again folded in the face of unjustified inaction.

When does it end? When do we say enough is enough?

Mr. Speaker, I do not want to shut down the NFIP. We don't need to. All we need to do is for the Senate to accept just one of the many eminently reasonable pieces of legislation that the House has passed, to be included alongside the short-term extension. Even the simplest reform would indicate that the Senate is serious about coming to the table to negotiate a long-term reauthorization.

Anything would be better than the hollow promises this clean extension puts before us today.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, both the people of Taiwan and people in communities here in the United States will soon celebrate Double Ten Day, Taiwan's national day. This year's Double Ten Day is yet another cause for celebration. Once again, we can celebrate the remarkable transformation Taiwan has undergone in the years since the enactment of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) in 1979, and acknowledge that the TRA and the Six Assurances of 1982, which have served as the framework of US relations with Taiwan, have stood the test of time.

While every national day is a celebrated occasion, we must never forget that Taiwan is situated in some of the world's most contested waters and is facing a People's Republic of China that has met President Tsai and her government with hostility from the moment she assumed her office. Mindful of those concerns, I'd like to take a moment to highlight critical Taiwan related provisions, enacted into law in August of this year, in conjunction with the National Defense Authorization Act for the fiscal year 2019. This newly enacted law reiterates that the TRA and the Six Assurances are the cornerstones of our relations with Taiwan. In addition, it calls for the strengthening of defense cooperation with Taiwan to ensure they can maintain sufficient self-defense capability; for supporting Taiwan's acquisition of defensive weapons; and for more predictability with respect to US arms sales to Taiwan. This in my view was a critical and timely reaffirmation of our support for Taiwan's security.

The 23 million people of Taiwan have created a vibrant democracy and society. The United States has and will stand by our friend for many years to come, as we work together for the peace, prosperity, and security of freedom-loving people in Asia and across the globe. I am proud to call myself a friend of Taiwan, and again wish the people of Taiwan a Happy Double Ten Day.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 2229) to amend title 5, United States Code, to provide permanent authority for judicial review of certain Merit Systems Protection Board decisions relating to whistleblowers, and for other purposes, with the Senate amendment thereto, and concur in the Senate amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this rule and the underlying legislation, H.R. 5735, the THRIVE Act, which would implement an innovative new approach to millions of men and women recovering from substance abuse by creating a demonstration program that provides transitional housing assistance using Section 8 housing choice vouchers.

Mr. Speaker, substance abuse is one of the most ubiquitous illnesses that faces our society today. Each and every one of us, in one way or another, has been affected by the destructive force of addiction. We have heard stories and witnessed firsthand the pain and anguish substance abuse causes our loved ones and our communities.

I am proud of the work the people's House is doing to address the nationwide epidemic of opioid abuse, and I am grateful to Congressman Barr for his contribution to this important mission.

While many of the bills we are considering this week are geared toward the specific issue of opioid abuse, it is important to note that H.R. 5735 would establish a demonstration program to serve individuals afflicted by all types and forms of drug and alcohol abuse.

The demonstration program will provide participants with a drug- and alcohol-free supportive and structured living environment. This allows recipients to address their addiction, mental health, homelessness, or other issues in a compassionate living space that includes vital services like recovery classes, life skills education classes, mandatory savings plans, and full-time or part-time employment programs.

This legislation recognizes that safe, clean, and stable housing is a necessary asset for those seeking a future free of substance abuse. At the same time, this bill reserves vouchers for low and extremely low- income individuals who have demonstrated a willingness to make this difficult choice to get better.

With these safeguards, we ensure that taxpayer dollars are only going to individuals who are willing to seek help and who have taken the first steps down the path to recovery.

Substance abuse is a deeply personal struggle. There is no government program and no amount of money that can rescue someone who doesn't want to be saved. While we cannot force people to turn away from the harmful and destruction siren song of opioids and other substances, we can help the people who are endeavoring to do so.

By aiding these courageous men, women, and families, I also believe we can send a message to those still shackled in the dark by their addiction. There is a pathway back, and if you are willing to commit to it, our communities and this entire Nation will support you. That is the message we are sending with this legislation and many of the other important bills being considered this week.

I hope that my colleagues from both sides of the aisle will vote in favor of the rule and the underlying legislation to provide our citizens struggling with substance abuse a new tool for breaking free.

Mr. Speaker, Southeastern University is a Christian liberal arts college located in my hometown of Lakeland, Florida. The university is known for its commitment to providing students with a Spirit-empowered, Christ-centered education through integration of faith, learning, and service.

Today, I rise to recognize a recent proud accomplishment for Southeastern University. Last Thursday, May 31, 2018, the Southeastern University Fire men's baseball team defeated Freed-Hardeman University to win the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics World Series.

On their road to victory, the team also defeated four former national champions and had three of their players selected to join the 2018 All- American team: Johnathan Bermudez, Dan Valerio, and Jordan Scott.

The national championship is the first NAIA title by a Fire team since joining the association in the fall of 2009. I am both proud and inspired by this young team and their head coach, Adrian Dinkel, for the determination, commitment, and teamwork they have demonstrated on their road to victory.

Southeastern University is a tremendous educational institution, led by Dr. Kent Ingle, and this win is a terrific achievement not only for the school, but also for our local community.

Go Fire.

Mr. Chair, I include in the Record the following editorial from my local paper, The Ledger, in reference to my amendment to H.R. 5515, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019, to provide taxpayers with greater transparency into ``official time.''

Editorial: Per Ross, let's make officials report all `official' time

(The Editorial Board)

Think unions and the stereotype that comes to mind is one

of burly, thick-necked guys clad in hard hats, scuffed work

boots and plenty of denim. Perhaps that image was fit in

1955, when the American Federation of Labor and Congress of

Industrial Organizations merged to form the AFL-CIO,

America's largest organized labor group. At the time an

estimated 35 percent of U.S. workers belonged to a union, and

most often such workers drove trucks, assembled cars, built

and wired buildings, or engaged in similar hands-dirtying

work.

Today, only 11 percent of workers are unionized, and

frequently they wear a uniform (such as police or

firefighter), or work in an office or public school

classroom. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 34

percent of union workers toil for local, state, or federal

government agencies--or roughly five times the number of

those who drive trucks, assemble cars, build and wire

buildings, or engage in similar hands-dirtying work.

Inevitably, these workers must tend to union business at

the expense of their official duties in service to the

public.

U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross is particularly concerned about how

such juggling among federal civil servants taxpayers, and

seeks to enlighten the public, and perhaps the rest of the

U.S. government, about how taxpayers' dimes are consumed by

union time.

Ross is eyeing a federal law that says managers must allot

staffers time--known in government jargon as ``official

time''--to perform union activities, insofar as it remains

``consistent with the requirements of an effective and

efficient government.''

The federal Office of Personnel Management reported last

month that most union workers who tap official time spend it

lobbying Congress about legislation that affects federal

union employees (for instance, bills relate to federal pay

and benefits); representing union employees who face

discipline or who filed grievances; and participating in

labor-management ``workgroups.''

Certain federal employees, under law, are paid to spend 100

percent of their time on union functions. Or some union reps

establish ``banks'' of paid time that they draw down in

working just for the union. The OPM report found that between

2010 and 2016, the most recent year available, the hours

spent on official time jumped nearly 17 percent, from 3.1

million hours to 3.61 million.

In some cases, official time was negligible. The Federal

Election Commission, for example, reported just six hours of

official time in 2016. In other cases, it was considerable.

The Defense Department recorded almost 387,000 hours of

official time that year.

The size, scope and mission of a particular agency will

drive much of that. Still, in the aggregate, this is no small

expense. The OPM notes that in 2016 official time cost

taxpayers almost $175 million, up roughly 8 percent from

2014, the last time the survey was done. And the report

doesn't catch everything. The OPM said its report was limited

to payroll costs because it lacks ``comprehensive data

source'' that would allow for ``a complete accounting of the

costs of union activities.'' Thus, its analysis does not

include taxpayers' costs for facilities, equipment and travel

related to collective bargaining.

The OPM knew, for example, that the Social Security

Administration in 2016 spent $2.1 million on union reps'

travel, office space, telephones and supplies only because

the agency was required to report that to its congressional

oversight committee.

Congressman Ross seeks to fix that.

In May 2017, the Lakeland Republican, noting

inconsistencies and lags in data-gathering on these costs,

filed a bill that would require all federal agencies to

provide Congress detailed annual reports of official time

expenses.

``With greater transparency, employees will be less likely

to abuse the system, which will result in less waste of

taxpayer dollars,'' Ross said at the time ``It is far past

time we require agencies to provide this information to

Congress and the public. Taxpayers deserve clear, reliable

data on how many employees are performing union work on

official time in lieu of their regularly assigned government

duties.'' He's right. His bill passed the House, but

unfortunately stalled in the Senate. Ross' office told us

Monday he will seek to have the measure added to the National

Defense Authorization Act, the must-pass defense spending

bill that the House will take up later this week.

Ross will soon retire, but we encourage him to pursue this

bill until he leaves. Moreover, we urge the rest of Congress

to heed his point.

Congress owes taxpayers a full accounting of time spent by

staffers promoting the personal career interests of the

nearly 1 million unionized federal workers, and how that

squares with the commitment, under law, of providing

``effective and efficient'' government.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 207, No. 208, and No. 209, on H.R. 3832, H.R. 4830, and H.R. 4451 respectively, I am not recorded. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' for all three recorded votes.

personal explanation

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding, for his kind words, for his leadership, and more importantly, for his friendship.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to also thank the staff of the Financial Services Committee in the work they have taken on behalf of the people of this country.

Mr. Speaker, as some of you may know, the Financial Services Committee has been operating at a breakneck speed in the 115th Congress. In fact, we have had Financial Services bills on the floor 17 of the last 18 weeks that the House has been in session.

I am proud to highlight that the majority of these bills have been passed out of this Chamber by strong bipartisan majorities.

Throughout this process, we have demonstrated that the House can find bipartisan agreement on commonsense measures that will benefit our constituents.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of a bill that continues this streak of bipartisanship in the service of Americans back home, H.R. 4061, the Financial Stability Oversight Council Improvement Act.

My good friend from Maryland, Congressman John Delaney, and I have been working this bill for nearly 5 years, with the shared goal of improving resiliency of our financial system, while protecting Americans from costly and unnecessary regulations that create barriers to achieving their financial goals.

By codifying procedures to increase the transparency of the nonbank systemically important financial institutions, or SIFIs, designation process, and providing a chance for nonbank firms to work with their primary regulators to reduce risks prior to designation, our legislation achieves this goal.

Mr. Speaker, we must be clear that simply designating more companies as systemically important financial institutions does not make our system safer. That is especially true for nonbank firms, like asset managers and insurers, that don't fit well into the bank-centered regulatory regime for SIFIs.

Handing down a SIFI designation to a nonbank financial firm is like using a sledgehammer to catch a butterfly. Not only are you unlikely to succeed, but you are also likely to destroy the very thing you set out to protect.

After all, it is the family saving for the downpayment on a home or retirement or the children's education that suffer when FSOC uses a heavy-handed regulation of last resort as the primary line of defense against threats to our economy.

The American Action Forum has found that additional capital requirements resulting from a SIFI designation of asset management firms could cost American retirees at least $100,000 in potential savings over the lifetime of their investment. That is significant.

That is why these reforms included in H.R. 4061 are critical to the more than 90 million investors who rely on the services of asset managers to achieve their most important financial goals.

To be sure, FSOC has begun to recognize the benefits of providing increased transparency and, in 2015, FSOC made welcome reforms to improve the nonbank SIFI designation process. Many of these are codified in this bill.

Importantly, our legislation will also give FSOC the authority it needs to work with primary regulators who have institutional knowledge, skill, and experience overseeing nonbank firms to address threats to our economy without jeopardizing our constituents' financial opportunities.

After 8 years, if we don't take steps to address the obvious shortcomings of FSOC, like the nonbank designation process, the regulator intended to protect the financial stability could very well become the liability.

Again, I am proud to have worked with my colleague and friend, John Delaney, on this great bill, and I appreciate the support of Chairman Hensarling in moving it through committee and now onto the House floor.

This bill does have 58 original cosponsors--29 Democrats, 29 Republicans. It passed out of the Financial Services Committee 45-10. Our legislation demonstrates that there can be broad bipartisan support for increased transparency of the FSOC SIFI designation.

I believe we can do even more, and I welcome the opportunity to work with my colleagues on additional bipartisan reforms beyond those we are considering today to better address systemic risk by firming up the cooperative relationship between FSOC and the primary regulator to ensure substantive engagement that can result in swift resolution of FSOC's concerns prior to all SIFI designations.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the vital impact of outdoor recreation on our economy and livelihood. Outdoor recreation and camping in the United States contribute significantly to our gross domestic product and Americans' physical and mental health. The great outdoors connect Americans to their natural heritage and bring families closer together. Significantly, outdoor recreation is the number one driver of economic activity on federal lands and contributes $673,000,000,000 to the U.S. economy, and supports 4,300,000 American jobs. Every dollar Congress invests in the National Park Service effectively returns $10 to the United States economy.

Our national parks, national forests, and public lands and waters conserve natural resources, inspire young people, offer unique moments for all to enjoy, and encourage conservation of our shared environment. Unfortunately, many public campgrounds on our public lands and waters today face backlogged maintenance, deteriorating infrastructure, and struggle to meet the needs of modern day visitors. The American-made recreation vehicle (RV) industry is a domestic job-creating and thriving industry that contributes over $50,000,000,000 to the United States economy and supports over 300,000 American jobs. We must improve and modernize our national parks, national forests, and public lands and waters to adequately facilitate outdoor enthusiast and RV visitors.

As a Co-Chair of the RV Caucus and an outdoor enthusiast, today I proudly introduced a House Resolution expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the national parks, national forests, and public lands and waters of the United States contribute greatly to the economic and physical well-being of Americans and can be further improved by public-private partnerships. I am committed to working on innovative solutions and partnerships to modernize and expand campgrounds, address infrastructure needs, eliminate backlogged maintenance, and provide safe camping opportunities and enjoyable recreational experiences for all visitors on federal lands for generations to come.

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Madam Speaker, I thank my friend from Colorado for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the rule and my underlying legislation, H.R. 4061, the Financial Stability Oversight Council Improvement Act of 2017.

Madam Speaker, when folks back home save for retirement, college, or a down payment on a house, they expect that the system is both safe and geared towards maximizing their benefit.

A beautiful thing about America's free enterprise system is how anyone can participate in the marketplace, strengthen the economy, and earn a dividend of the American Dream. That opportunity, however, is not guaranteed, and, as lawmakers, we have a duty to protect it.

My bill will help us do just that by improving the Financial Stability Oversight Council's process for reviewing nonbank financial institutions for potential systemic threats. We must be clear that simply designating more companies as systemically important financial institutions doesn't make our system safer.

The FSOC can better serve the American people by working with prudential regulators and the private sector to address threats to our economy before they transform into calamities.

Would you say it is sufficient for firefighters just to identify a house that is on fire?

Of course not. The key is preventing the fire in the first place.

This is the problem that we face with the FSOC's oversight of nonbank financial institutions. The FSOC may be able to identify tinderboxes, but fails to explain how they might be made less flammable, and, instead, the Council defaults to what should be the heavyhanded regulations of last resort.

To be sure, the FSOC has begun to recognize the benefits of leveraging the expertise of prudential regulators, as well as providing increased transparency. In recent years, they have taken steps to improve the designation process, including the February 2015 guidance providing increased transparency in the nonbank SIFI designation process.

These 2015 reforms were welcome, and this legislation will codify many of

them into law, as well as provide a path for a nonbank financial company to eliminate risk rather than be designated.

Importantly, our legislation will ensure a company's primary regulator has a meaningful role in the SIFI designation process. After 8 years, if we don't take steps to address the obvious shortcomings of the FSOC, like the nonbank designation process, the regulator intended to protect financial stability could very well become a liability.

The American Action Forum has found that additional capital requirements resulting from a SIFI designation of asset management firms could affect American retirees in the amount of at least $100,000 in potential savings over the lifetime of their investments.

That is why these reforms included in H.R. 4061 are critical to the more than 90 million investors who rely on the services of asset management firms to achieve their most important financial goals.

Companies must have a chance to de-risk before the FSOC can saddle their customers with such extraordinary losses. This bill will give them that opportunity. I am proud to have worked with my colleague and friend across the aisle, Representative John Delaney, on this strongly bipartisan piece of legislation. I want to thank Chairman Hensarling for his support and leadership in moving this bill through our committee and onto the House floor.

This bill has 58 original cosponsors: 29 Democrats, 29 Republicans. Our bill demonstrates that there can be broad bipartisan support for increased transparency of the FSOC designation process.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this rule and the underlying bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the 83rd Annual Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City, Florida, an important celebration in my district.

Plant City, Florida, is recognized as the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World, and the state of Florida is the second largest strawberry producing state in the United States, with more than 10,000 acres of strawberries planted annually.

The Florida Strawberry Festival serves to bring the community together to celebrate the agricultural and historical legacy of the Florida strawberry. The festival is scheduled to take place over eleven days this year, and has provided family-friendly fun since 1930 and welcomes over 500,000 visitors from across the country to enjoy musical concerts, agricultural exhibits, parades, youth developmental programs, other forms of entertainment, and delicious strawberry treats.

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to recognize this treasured community tradition that has brought together countless participants, volunteers, and sponsors. I thank all of those who have given their time and resources to make the Florida Strawberry Festival such a cherished tradition in our community.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in recognition of a man whose service to his community has resulted in greater safety, security, and justice in Polk County, Florida.

Sheriff Grady Judd, a stalwart of law enforcement in the 15th District and a dear friend, has been sworn into the role of president of the Major County Sheriffs of America, a position to which he will bring his knowledge, his skill, and his integrity to advocate for safer communities across our great Nation.

For centuries, the Anglo-American sheriff system has produced officers who secure the peace and prosperity of the land, and even two American Presidents, Grover Cleveland and Teddy Roosevelt, served in such a capacity.

Sheriff Judd has long been an advocate for the rule of law, and we will all benefit as he rises to this position to fight to uphold the noble tradition of keeping the peace.

My deepest congratulations to Sheriff Judd and his family, and to the Major County Sheriffs of America, who do such important work to keep us all safe.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, Mrs. Love, from Utah for presenting this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I stand here in support of H.R. 4771.

It is said that all politics are local, but might I also suggest that all economic growth is local as well. Local in the sense of small businesses. Small businesses, the moms and pops who put their ideas at risk in order to create their American Dream of growing a business and creating jobs.

Yet, what does it take?

It takes access to capital. Yet, since Dodd-Frank, we have not seen that access to capital available to our small businesses, who so desperately need it, in order to grow our economies, especially at the community level.

In fact, might I even suggest that Dodd-Frank has only one attribute in terms of job growth, and that is the creation of the one fastest growing job out there: compliance officer--compliance officers that banks and financial institutions now have to hire in order to meet regulatory burdens that take away from the bottom line of consumers who want to achieve the American Dream.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4771, the Small Bank Holding Company Relief Act, will allow that access to capital that is so desperately needed at the local level, and I encourage my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, some people want to be something. Some people want to do something. Lakeland Mayor Howard Wiggs has been a doer for our community, a leader, and perhaps most important, a friendly neighbor. For 25 years, Mayor Wiggs has reformed local government, inspired residents to get more involved, and cut more ribbons than anyone can count. And while that last part may sound ceremonial, it's not: He got to cut those ribbons because during his tenure, and with his leadership, Lakeland has flourished with tremendous growth, economic development and revitalization, and the expansion and improvement of critical public infrastructure. Now, as we bid him a happy retirement, he should know: We all love Lakeland, and Mayor Wiggs, through his wisdom and discernment, has made it even more lovable.

Our nation's prosperity relies on the strength of strong local governance, and for 25 years, Mayor Wiggs has made his corner of America that much stronger. It has been my privilege to work with Mayor Wiggs, both as a Member of the Florida House of Representatives and now in the United States House of Representatives. He has been a stalwart advocate for common sense, for decency, and for hard work. I know that my wife Cindy and I will always have him and his wife Linda in our hearts and prayers for continued blessing, good health, and God's favor for the future. We thank him for his service, and wish him all the best.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise in support of the rule and the underlying bill, H.R. 2874.

Homeowners deserve choice; they deserve competition; and, above all, they need to know the true risk their homes face from floods, the most costly of all natural disasters.

I believe the underlying bill allows the freedom to insure against obvious danger that imperils people's homes and their wallets. I am particularly enthusiastic about the inclusion of my bipartisan legislation to facilitate the development of a robust private flood insurance marketplace.

After months and even years of negotiations, we have produced legislation that appropriately balances the need for affordable flood insurance with our responsibility to act as faithful stewards of taxpayer dollars.

Everyone knows that the National Flood Insurance Program is broken. We should act accordingly. We need to fix it. But before we do that, we must agree to proceed.

Less than a month ago, many of us voted to bail out this floundering program, forgiving $16 billion of its debt. But we knew that it would be irresponsible to merely kick the can down the road. This is the opportunity to make things right.

I believe we need to proceed with the debate because we need to have a reasonable and responsible conversation about fixing this problem before it gets worse. Americans deserve better than a Big Government insurance monopoly that is unable to pay for the risk it insures.

The 21st Century Flood Reform Act will usher in a new era of consumer choice, competition, and affordability by empowering policyholders to purchase the insurance products that best meet their needs.

We are getting rid of the top-down, single-payer approach to insurance where we pretend there is no danger until there is a tragedy.

Giving consumers choice in a competitive marketplace will not only drive down costs, but will also help reduce the unacceptable number of homes that are not protected by flood insurance.

The NFIP can be an important tool for mitigating flood risks and helping families recover from disasters after they strike, but it cannot be the only tool. A Federal program that conceals actual risk through artificially low rates is neither compassionate nor responsible.

People deserve to know when they are in danger. When the Federal Government provides them with information that suggests otherwise, we do more harm than good.

We cannot expect to have educated, thoughtful consumers if we deprive them of the market information that is needed to make the smart decisions. By putting policyholders on a slow path to sound premium rates, we are stepping towards a future where the threats of major floods are confronted before they are realized.

I think we all agree that more needs to be done to mitigate flood risks and incentivize investments in resiliency. We can take the first steps by eliminating the false security that inoculates our society to the dangers of flooding.

Let's remove the blindfold we have placed over the public's eyes. Let's gradually walk back the subsidies that conceal a homeowners risk. It is time for this Nation to confront this threat with clear eyes and a vision for the future. This bill is the first step in the right direction.

In closing, I want to thank Chairman Hensarling and Housing and Insurance Subcommittee Chairman Duffy for their tenacity and commitment to paving the way for a safer and more affordable system for managing flood risks in this country. Flood insurance is one of those rare issues that transcends political boundaries.

I once again urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the rule and also on the underlying bill.