Floor Statements

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support the Think Differently Transportation Act. It is a bipartisan bill that will advance accessibility on Amtrak services. I am sure my words will not be as eloquent as those of Mr. Payne had he been here to speak on this bill himself.

Amtrak received $22 billion in the bipartisan infrastructure law to buy new equipment, invest in station accessibility, and make improvements in the backlog of capital projects and operating needs.

Congress set specific directions for how Amtrak can use its BIL funds.

With regard to station accessibility, the BIL states that Amtrak funds are to be used to make all the stations Amtrak serves accessible.

The bill we are considering today would require Amtrak to report annually to Congress on accessibility status, improvements, and plans at the more than 500 stations Amtrak serves, not just the ones where it has the responsibility to make accessibility a priority under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Thanks to the BIL, Amtrak is investing in new equipment and new stations. We need assurances that these investments will take into account people with disabilities, as required by the ADA. This bill helps to do just that.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support the Think Differently Transportation Act and to think differently about transportation so it is more accessible.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would like to say, again, that I support this bill, and I thank the sponsors of it. I wish Mr. Payne were here to see it pass, and I encourage my colleagues to vote in favor.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5799, a bill to designate the checkpoint of the U.S. Border Patrol located on United States Highway 90 West in Uvalde County, Texas, naming it the James R. Dominguez Border Patrol Checkpoint, and I thank Mr. Gonzales for bringing the bill.

In 2012, 41-year-old United States Border Patrol Agent James R. Dominguez was struck and killed by a vehicle while assisting a disabled motorist on U.S. 90 near Cline, Texas.

Agent Dominguez had served with the U.S. Border Patrol for 12 years. He is survived by his wife and four children. Agent Dominguez' brother and father were also members of the Border Patrol.

I support this legislation to rename the Border Patrol checkpoint located on U.S. Highway 90 West in Uvalde County, Texas, as the James R. Dominguez Border Patrol Checkpoint.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to do the same, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support this legislation, as I said, and I encourage my colleagues to do the same.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this FAA reauthorization bill, which will have far-reaching impact on the airspace in Nevada's First District by including provisions that I led requiring the maximum hiring of air traffic controllers and protecting large outdoor events from unauthorized drone incursions.

Furthermore, I am proud to say the bill includes provisions from my Air Carrier Access Amendments Act, previously led by my good friend, former Representative Jim Langevin. It will protect the rights of disabled passengers by establishing aircraft accessibility standards and setting a timeline for DOT to investigate and respond to disability-related complaints.

I thank Chairman Sam Graves, Ranking Member Larsen, Aviation Subcommittee Chair Garret Graves and Ranking Member Cohen for their hard work on this bill and helping me to get these provisions included.

Mr. Speaker, I was absent from the floor and the roll call votes today. Had I been present, I would have voted: YEA on Roll Call No. 177 on the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 7219, and YEA on Roll Call No. 178 on the Motion to suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 7525.

personal explanation

Mr. Speaker, I was absent from the floor and the rollcall votes for the Motions to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 6655 and S. 2051. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall 105, H.R. 6655; and ``yea'' on rollcall 106, S. 2051.

Mr. Speaker, I was absent from the floor and a rollcall vote. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 89 on the Motion on Ordering the Previous Question to H. Res. 1085.

Mr. Speaker, I was absent from the floor today and missed the roll call votes. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 87, H.R. 4723 and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 88, H. Res. 149.

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

The Federal Assets Sale and Transfer Act, as you heard, FASTA, was a bipartisan and bicameral effort led by the T & I Committee in the 114th Congress, with the goal of improving the disposal process for unneeded Federal real property.

FASTA established the Public Buildings Reform Board, PBRB, an independent Federal agency, to review and recommend unused properties for the government to sell. Once the properties were identified, the PBRB was to work with the Office of Management and Budget and the General Services Administration to dispose of these properties via a new, temporary three-round process.

Since its establishment, however, the PBRB has faced significant challenges. Although the legislation was passed in 2016, members were not appointed until May of 2019. Furthermore, the board was unable to conduct business for most of 2022 after two board members resigned, leaving the agency without a quorum until November 2022.

As a result, they were unable to complete and submit to OMB their first round of recommendations.

Overall, difficulties in doing research during the pandemic, lack of access to funding to help the agencies prepare for dispositions, delays in selling two particularly valuable properties in the high-value round, and disagreements with GSA and OMB on disposition strategies have all made the board's work challenging.

Due to these challenges and delays, I join Chairman Perry in sponsoring the FASTA Reform Act, and I thank him for his leadership.

It requires Federal agencies to share their real property data and consolidation plans with the board. It also enables the board to submit recommendations to OMB on a rolling basis. It

gives the board control over the sales proceeds in the Asset Proceeds and Space Management Fund. It reduces the quorum requirement for meetings and activities from five board members to four. It permits agencies to prepare properties for disposition, and it extends the operation of the PBRB to December 2026.

As agencies' post-pandemic space needs evolve, efficient and effective disposal of unneeded properties will become even more important.

Allowing this demonstration program to complete its work will yield important information that can mitigate several longstanding disposal challenges and improve the size and efficiency of the Federal real property portfolio.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I think this is a good example of government efficiency, saving taxpayer dollars, and working across the aisle.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry) for his support.

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

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

Madam Speaker, H. Con. Res. 83 authorizes the use of the Capitol Grounds for the 43rd annual National Peace Officers Memorial Service and the National Honor Guard and Pipe Band Exhibition.

As the ranking member, as you heard, of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management, it is an honor to carry this resolution alongside subcommittee chair, Mr. Perry.

The memorial service will be held on May 15. It will be coordinated with the Architect of the Capitol and the Capitol Police, and it will honor law enforcement officers who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty during 2023; that includes five from Nevada.

First, Correctional Officer Victor Hunter served with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police for 4 years.

During an altercation between two inmates, Officer Hunter rushed to the scene to calm the situation. In the aftermath, he began to feel ill and was sent home.

On his way home, he was involved in a car accident directly resulting from complications of his illness, and he passed away on September 16, 2011.

Trooper Clifford Fontaine served in the Nevada Highway Patrol for 15 years after previously working as an airline mechanic and as an advanced emergency medical technician. He is remembered for his kindness, his compassion, and for being a peacemaker in all facets of his life.

Trooper Fontaine passed away on November 27, 2021, from complications as a result of contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty.

Officer Anthony Francone retired from law enforcement, but he still answered the call to serve with multiple agencies in Nevada, including the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Police Department.

Nothing was more important to him and his family, including his two sons, and his daughter, who he dedicated every waking moment to as she battled a rare form of muscular dystrophy.

During an attempt to stop a fleeing subject, Officer Francone put himself in harm's way to deploy spike strips and was tragically struck by the vehicle. He passed away on August 25, 2023.

Sergeant Michael Abbate served in the Nevada Highway Patrol for nearly 11 years. A former race car driver himself, he utilized his passion for fast cars by teaching cadets about road safety and by running the emergency vehicle operations course for southern Nevada.

Trooper Alberto Felix served in the Nevada Highway Patrol for 4 years. A United States Air Force veteran, his friends and family remember him for his selfless leadership, his sense of humor, and his love of helping people. He especially took pride in removing impaired drivers, which undoubtedly saved countless lives in Nevada throughout his career.

Both Sergeant Abbate and Trooper Felix passed away on November 30, 2023, after they were struck by a suspected drunk driver while they were going out of their way to check on the welfare of a driver asleep in his car. In recognition of their service and heroism, Sergeant Abbate and Trooper Felix were posthumously awarded the Nevada State Police Medal of Valor.

We cannot bring back those we have lost, but the least we can do is honor the sacrifices they made to keep ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities safe.

I join my colleagues in expressing my condolences to the families, friends, and other colleagues of these public servants, and all of those who mourn the loss of the brave men and women whose duty and sacrifice will be commemorated at this year's memorial.

Let me reiterate that we can't bring these heroes back, but we can acknowledge the work they did, the sacrifice they made, and the life they gave to help all of us live in safer communities and with safer families.

Madam Speaker, I urge support of this resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

As you heard, H.R. 6316 sets a 5-year expiration on resolutions approving GSA construction, alteration, repair, design, or acquisition projects. This means that if within 5 years of the passage of the resolution GSA has not executed the project, then the authorization is deemed expired.

This has been a concern to Members on both sides of the aisle for years. Similar provisions were included in former T&I Chairman Shuster's Public Buildings Reform and Savings Act of 2016 and former Chairman Barletta's

REAL Reform Act of 2018. Unfortunately, neither of these bills was signed into law.

I hear from the many Federal agencies that I work with that it can be difficult to obtain information from GSA on the status of projects authorized by Congress, especially the construction of new courthouses. Once we authorize an activity, whether it is a leasing activity or construction of a new building, we currently have little access to how, when, and if the project has been executed.

This lack of information became apparent after GSA submitted a prospectus to build a new courthouse in Los Angeles, California, in 2000 as part of its FY 2001 capital investment program. Even though there were already two courthouses in Los Angeles, the Judicial Conference insisted that the L.A. courthouse complex was so short of space for judges that it was the number one space emergency in the country.

GSA submitted a prospectus to build a new courthouse totaling 712,102 gross square feet at a cost of $266 million, and the committee approved it. The design of the building, however, exceeded the congressionally authorized size by 13 courtrooms, 260,000 square feet, and $100 million, and the scope of the project changed so often that GSA eventually just canceled the project in 2006, despite saying it had been an emergency.

Then, in 2011, the courts and GSA announced that they would move forward with a downsized project that would not exceed the size and cost originally authorized by Congress more than 10 years earlier, without providing any notification to Congress.

Some members of the T&I Committee were so concerned about GSA's actions and lack of transparency on the Los Angeles courthouse project that they requested a GAO study of the courthouse construction program and held a series of hearings about GSA's construction of Federal courthouses.

Although Chairmen Shuster and Barletta are no longer with us here in Congress, their concerns, as well as the longtime concerns of my colleague, Congresswoman Norton, are still relevant, and this legislation is more necessary than ever.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this legislation so we can ensure GSA is being a good steward of taxpayer dollars. I thank Chairman Perry for his help in getting this to the floor, and I urge Members to vote in favor of it.

Madam Speaker, I think this is a bill that is worth bragging about. It is not very sexy and probably won't get a lot of press, but it is one of those things that can really make a difference. It will encourage GSA to move forward with needed projects. It will shorten the amount of time it takes to get these projects on the ground. No doubt, it will also save taxpayer dollars.

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

Mr. Speaker, today's disasters are more frequent, cause more damage, and have longer recovery times. Through my role as Ranking Member of the T&I Subcommittee that oversees FEMA and as a co-founder of the Disaster Equity and Building Resilience Caucus, we know that, unfortunately, in the aftermath of these events, individuals with disabilities find themselves at an increased risk of institutionalization, injury, and death.

I am proud to have joined Rep. Molinaro in introducing the Think Differently About Emergencies Act which will help identify needed improvements to the emergency management landscape so we can ensure that no one gets left behind in the wake of a major disaster.

I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge and congratulate R&R Partners for 50 years of promoting Las Vegas around the world.

On January 18, 1974, Sig Rogich founded R&R Advertising. The firm quickly made a name for itself by landing casino accounts and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. A short nine years later, Sig Rogich hired Billy Vassiliadis, then a 26-year-old Chicagoan and fellow Greek American. I had the pleasure of teaching Billy at UNLV where he was a political science major and already engaged in local politics.

Just as Southern Nevada grew from a population of 350,000 in 1974 to 2,300,000 in 2024, R&R Partners has grown from a small firm to an advertising and public affairs institution with hundreds of employees in offices around the country and in Mexico. Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 1999, R&R Advertising changed its name to R&R Partners, emphasizing the full service that R&R provides to clients. In addition to advertising, the agency offers legislative advice and often works pro bono for good causes.

In a 2004 profile, the New York Times declared Billy, ``The Pied Piper of Las Vegas'', saying that, ``Every dream needs a merchant, every myth a mythmaker. In Las Vegas, the job falls to Billy.'' I've always said that while other congressional districts make cigarettes or cars, in Las Vegas we make dreams come true. And Billy and R&R Partners have played a key role in spreading that message around the world.

In 2003, R&R developed their most famous advertising campaign, one that has made Las Vegas the international tourism destination that it is today. ``What happens here, stays here'' is heard in movies, music, and even commercials for nonrelated products.

This simple and suggestive slogan ushered in a new era of tourism for Las Vegas. The iconic tagline was honored on Madison Avenue's Advertising Walk of Fame and won R&R Partners and LVCVA Brandweek magazine's Grand Marketer of the Year Award.

Billy and R&R have not only created winning campaigns for Las Vegas's casino and tourism industry, but also for causes like the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education, Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Brain Institute, and ``Flip the Script'', a state-wide anti-bullying campaign. R&R has also assisted various public entities like the Southern Nevada Water District in its compliance campaign, ``It's a desert out there. Be water small.''

Today, R&R remains at the forefront of advertising and public affairs in Las Vegas and around the world. Whether it is the 2020 remix of their famous slogan for LVCVA, ``What happens here only happens here''; campaigns for the Las Vegas Raiders, Las Vegas Grand Prix, and Super Bowl LVIII; or innovative work for Fortune 500 companies, and non- profits and government entities, R&R continues to deliver for its clients and for Southern Nevada.

I am honored and pleased to call Billy Vassiliadis a longtime friend and am proud of the work R&R Partners has done for our community over the past 50 years. I cannot wait to see what the future holds. What happens at R&R, does not stay at R&R.

Madam Speaker, considering this impeachment resolution is the fastest I have seen the House GOP move all session. That is because there has been no collection of evidence, only the manipulation of it. There has been no meaningful bipartisan engagement, only partisan political stunts. There has been no due process. Instead, it is a deliberate disregard for the basis of our legal system.

It has no constitutional precedent or basis, no real backing by Senate GOP counterparts who are going to hold the trial, no meaningful engagement with policy, and no support from respected legal scholars, political pundits, nor former DHS directors.

History will remember this for what it is, an appeasement of the most extreme members of the MAGA base, and put very simply, the brownnosing of a man with 91 indictments, several convictions, and two impeachments.

Mr. Speaker, I was absent from the floor and the roll call votes. Had I been present, I would have voted: ``yea'' on rollcall No. 32, H.R. 2882--Udall Foundation Reauthorization Act of 2023, as amended and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 33, H.R. 443--Enahncing Detection of Human Trafficking Act, as amended.

personal explanation

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, Mr. Larson, the ranking member of the Social Security Subcommittee for his leadership on this issue and for organizing this important Special Order to talk about the work that Democrats are doing to protect and expand Social Security and thank him for doing a telephone town hall with me for the people in District One so that they could ask questions about what is happening and how this measure would help.

In my district there are 113,000 Nevadans--that is District One in Las Vegas in Henderson--who rely on Social Security just to make ends meet. It represents the U.S. Government at its very best. In fact, it is one of the most successful programs in our history, and it is vital that we protect it for future generations.

Now, while we are here talking about what the Democrats want to do to protect and expand it, the Republicans, even as we speak, are continuing to threaten Social Security.

Now, Mr. Johnson is new at his job of Speaker, but he is not new to this issue. As the former chair of the Republican Study Committee, he repeatedly called for Social Security benefits to be reduced.

In fact, this year's Republican Study Committee budget would cut benefits by 13 percent and at the same time raise the retirement age to 69, providing seniors with fewer benefits for more work. Raising the retirement age would disproportionately harm low- and middle-income seniors who rely most heavily on Social Security, forcing them to delay their well-earned retirement often from backbreaking jobs.

Furthermore, the Republicans' terrible Labor-HHS appropriations bill would cut Social Security funding by 30 percent, closing 240 offices around the country and extending wait times for service.

We cannot let Republicans do this and play games with Social Security. That is why I am very proud to be an original cosponsor of Mr. Larson's bill. You have heard the ways that it protects and expands Social Security. We need to bring it up, we need to pass it, and I stand strongly in support of that.