Floor Statements

Madam Chairman, it is amazing as I sit on this floor after 40 years of listening to so much nonsense from the other side when it comes to energy. This increase of production in the United States came from private lands and State lands, not the Federal lands, and those are the facts. And we are still not independent from oil from the Middle East that caused us disruption in our economy. To hear the same litany of words over and over again, we have to save, we can't produce, but we have to have employment. We will have a stimulus package. And, in fact, we will have more government borrowing for the economy and forget real jobs.

But I am going to talk about title V in this legislation. The Federal Lands Jobs and Energy Security Act contains a number of measures to promote energy development by and for the benefit of Indians and Alaska Natives.

Specifically, title V contains a range of measures requested by a number of Indian tribes and Alaska Native corporations to streamline burdensome Federal regulations and legal procedures that hinder exploration, development, and production of energy on their lands.

There are 56 million acres of lands held in trust by the Federal Government for the benefit of Indians, 56 million. In Alaska, there are 44 million acres, a total land mass larger than the State of California.

Many of these areas are in untapped energy resources. It is estimated that up to 10 percent or more of our Nation's energy is contained in Native lands.

The problem is that outdated Federal policies thwart the ability of tribes to use their lands for their benefit. Leases of Indian trust lands require Federal review and approval, which arguably brings little or no value to the tribes involved. If Federal review and approval of energy leases created any economic value, then private landowners and State governments would be clamoring to have their projects reviewed and approved by the Federal Government, too.

There are few better measures of how ineffective Federal supervision of Indian affairs has been than the fact that since 2010 nearly $5 billion has been paid by the government to Indians to settle Federal mismanagement of their trust lands.

While many Indian tribes and Alaska Native corporations have made great strides in building businesses and strengthening their economies, tribal communities remain at the bottom of nearly every economic and social indicator. The sad fact is in 21st-century America, severe poverty wears a Native face.

Instead of helping tribes make positive strides in energy development, the Obama administration is erecting new hurdles. The EPA canceled a valid permit for the largest tribe to operate a large power plant on its land with its coal. The Department of the Interior has proposed a hydraulic fracturing rule which makes Indian lands less competitive and less attractive to industry, again, taking away from the American Indians.

Fortunately, several tribes are seeking to shed the current Federal system altogether and to take over management of their lands and energy resources. It is these tribes which asked for the provisions in title V of the bill today.

It is with great pleasure that the standalone bill on which title V is based, H.R. 1548, has been endorsed by the National Congress of American Indians and several individual tribes.

It is time to stop treating Indian trust lands as public lands--they are not public lands; they are private lands--and increase tribes' powers of self-governance over their energy resources for the good of their members and for the good of the United States' energy security.

Let's make the principle of tribal self- governance, which you talk about and never follow--you never give the Indians a break for anything. You pat them on the head, give them a blanket and half a beef, and expect them to be quiet. That is that side over there. You do not support the American Indians. You never have. You pat them on the head and give them a side of beef.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2640) to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to adjust the Crooked River boundary, to provide water certainty for the City of Prineville, Oregon, 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 bill under consideration.

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

H.R. 2640, sponsored by our colleague, Mr. Walden of Oregon, is an important step towards restoring water and power abundance and jobs to a rural area that has been devastated by Federal logging restrictions.

This bill is a reflection of years of negotiation, and it is identical to the bill this Chamber passed last year without opposition. Its supporters include those who would normally be water adversaries in most parts of the West. Municipalities, irrigators, the Warm Spring tribes, utilities, organized labor, and an environmental organization have all come together to support this legislation.

I want to commend my friend, the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Walden), for his good work to bring all these parties together and urge adoption of this legislation.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Walden).

I thank the gentleman for his presentation. He has done an excellent job.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I have no further speakers.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 623) to provide for the conveyance of certain property located in Anchorage, Alaska, from the United States to the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

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

H.R. 623 transfers by warranty deed a 2.79-acre parcel of federal land located in Anchorage, Alaska, from the Indian Health Service to the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. This consortium is a nonprofit authorized by Congress to render health services to Alaska Natives under a contract with the Indian Health Service.

The land has been used for parking to accommodate nearby facilities run by the consortium and the Indian Health Service. It will be used to construct a patient housing facility, thereby expanding its capacity to offer vital health services for Alaska Native patients, some of whom travel great distances from rural areas to receive care.

Following a subcommittee hearing on the bill in May, the Indian Health Service administratively conveyed the land to the consortium by quitclaim deed. H.R. 623 remains necessary because transferring the land by warranty deed provides cleaner title to the property than by quitclaim deed.

The bill was also referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. The chairman of that committee, Mr. Upton, has kindly foregone action on the bill in the interest of expediting it for consideration on the House floor. I thank him for his cooperation and have an exchange of letters memorializing our agreement. CBO estimates that H.R. 623 would have no significant impact on the Federal budget and would not affect direct spending on revenues.

H.R. 623 is non-controversial, and I hope the House will pass it.

I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Energy and Commerce,

Washington, DC, October 1, 2013.

Hon. Doc Hastings,

Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources, Longworth House

Office Building, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Hastings, I write concerning H.R. 623, Alaska

Native Tribal Health Consortium Land Transfer Act, which was

ordered to be reported out of your Committee on July 31,

2013. I wanted to notify you that the Committee on Energy and

Commerce will forgo action on H.R. 623 so that it may proceed

expeditiously to the House floor for consideration.

This is done with the understanding that the Committee on

Energy and Commerce is not waiving any of its jurisdiction,

and the Committee will not in any way be prejudiced with

respect to the appointment of conferees

or its jurisdictional prerogatives on this or similar

legislation.

I would appreciate your response to this letter, confirming

this understanding, and ask that a copy of our exchange of

letters on this matter be included in the Congressional

Record during consideration of H.R. 623 on the House floor.

Sincerely,

Fred Upton,

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for commenting on this bill and supporting it, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 330) to designate a Distinguished Flying Cross National Memorial at the March Field Air Museum in Riverside, California.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

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

H.R. 330 designates the memorial located at March Field Air Museum in Riverside, California, as the Distinguished Flying Cross National Memorial in honor of current and former members of the Armed Forces who have been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

This national memorial will not be a unit of the National Park System, and the designation does not require or permit any expenditures of Federal funds.

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 330, which has passed the House as part of the most recent Department of Defense authorization bill, as well as a stand-alone bill in the 112th Congress by a vote of 392-1.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert), the author of the bill, an outstanding Member from California.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2337) to provide for the conveyance of the Forest Service Lake Hill Administrative Site in Summit County, Colorado.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

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

H.R. 2337 authorizes the Forest Service to convey approximately 40 acres of the White River National Forest to Summit County, Colorado.

The parcel, sandwiched between Interstate 70 and a local highway and largely isolated from the rest of the White River National Forest, would be utilized by Summit County to construct affordable workforce housing. This conveyance would benefit both the county and the Forest Service by eliminating the agency's management over this isolated parcel.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I suggest respectfully this is a very simple amendment. It is about the intrusion by the Corps into the private sector of mapping. They have been very good in the past about contracting out.

I found out by reports that certain areas of the Corps have bought equipment, they have bought, frankly, a yacht, and they have gotten into the mapping business. In doing so, that is in direct competition to the private sector.

Today, with the scarce amount of money we have for infrastructure, we ought to keep that infrastructure available for, in fact, all the moneys for building and not for getting into the private sector business of mapping. They can still do it. If there isn't a contractor close by or it is not practical, they can still do their own work, but I see the expansion occurring as an invasion into an area that already has plenty of qualified people to do it.

I think this amendment is a very simple amendment. We ought to adopt this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

I reluctantly respect the gentleman's opinion, but at this time I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan).

Mr. Chairman, the Corps has been good, but they are expanding. They just spent money, instead of on solving a problem, on a UAV, and they spent $2.3 million on a yacht. There is no reason for that, Mr. Chairman; there is no reason.

This doesn't keep them from surveying, it doesn't keep them from contracting, but I don't want them to expand this program. We have another government agency, and we are trying to save money and we are going to allow them to expand it. I know how these agencies go. They will start buying more and more and they will expand and say, We don't have to contract anymore. Mr. Chairman, with all due respect, you know that is true. I have watched these agencies. As chairman of this committee, I watched them and tried to stop them. This is not the time to spend money foolishly. We have the contractors out there. Let's use them where they are available. Let's not let them build a machine within the Corps of Engineers themselves. Keep that in mind. You ought to adopt this amendment.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, my fellow colleagues, this is an important piece of legislation. When you vote against this legislation, you are voting against the first Americans. Every one of you in this room is an immigrant. We made a trust relationship with American Indians to take care of them, provide for them, and a trust relationship we should fulfill.

You say this won't go anywhere. Very frankly, we should have done this a long time ago. We should set up a system because of the trust system that they are front-end loaded for their health care primarily. We have a system now that does not work. They have to hold their hand out and beg; and a lot of you on that side, all of you will say, Don't say too much. Take your blanket and your half a beef and go home and be quiet. No other minority would be treated that way. This health system has to be fixed. We have an opportunity to fix it now. We should fix it now.

When people stand up and say, I support the American Indian, the first Americans, you are not really supporting them. You are paying lip service. You are paying lip service. That is all you have been doing for all these years ever since Columbus landed on these shores. And you broke treaty after treaty after treaty, both sides of the aisle. I have been under eight Presidents, and they pay lip service. They pay lip service.

The President will have a big first American conference, the fifth one, and all they do is tell them again is, Be quiet. Take your blanket and half a beef and go home.

For those who talk about the minority, this is the first minority. Yes, I get a little emotional about this because I have 10 American Native grandchildren. I have two beautiful American Native children that have given me those 10 grandchildren, and I had a wife that was, in fact, one of the first Americans, and I am proud to be associated with that. We should vote ``yes'' on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I submit the following exchange of correspondence between myself and Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas.

House of Representatives,

Washington, DC, August 1, 2013.

Hon. Frank Lucas,

Chairman, House Committee on Agriculture, Longworth House

Office Building, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Lucas, I write today to highlight a program

of significance to rural Alaska and many of our Alaska Native

villages. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA),

through the Rural Utilities Service, helps provide financing

for the construction of water and waste water systems in

remote Alaska villages that face unique, significant

obstacles to providing residents with potable water and safe

sanitation systems. These obstacles include Alaska's extreme

climate and geography as well as the fact that most villages

are not connected to the road system and are only accessible

by air. The water systems assisted by the program are not a

matter of convenience for these communities, but meet a

critical public health need.

Currently, more than 30 villages in Alaska still use

``honeybuckets'' as their method of waste collection. A

honeybucket is a five gallon bucket used as a toilet by

everyone in a household and emptied by the family on a daily

basis. Honeybuckets are a reality for many communities in my

state and pose serious health risks for residents,

particularly children. Thankfully USDA, the State of Alaska,

and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium are working

together through the program to create better sanitation

facilities in rural Alaska and help make honeybuckets a relic

of the past.

I would like to bring this issue to your attention and

would greatly appreciate your assistance in Farm Bill

conference negotiations with the Senate to help reauthorize

this important program.

Thank You,

Don Young,

Congressman for all Alaska.

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

I want to thank Chairman Latham for his leadership on this bill. It's difficult times.

This is a very simple amendment. In 1978, when Congress deregulated the airline industry, it also provided a means to protect rural communities. The Essential Air Service program ensures the continuation of service to communities that would have lost all air service through deregulation. While this is a vital program, I respect the efforts of the chairman to find cost savings.

The bill excludes communities from participating in the program if they receive a per-passenger subsidy of greater than $500. Current law excludes communities if they receive over $1,000 per passenger, with the exception of communities in Alaska and Hawaii. This recognizes that communities in Alaska and Hawaii are completely dependent on air travel.

Alaska has limited road infrastructure. Eighty-two percent of Alaskan communities do not have a road system. In many of these communities, everything has to come in by air. My amendment clarifies that the proposed reforms will not alter the longstanding recognition of the realities in Alaska and Hawaii--no roads, no alternatives, complete dependence on aviation.

My amendment has no score per CBO and does not impact funding levels of the program. My amendment provides a no-cost solution to ensure the most remote areas of our Nation are not excluded from participating in this program. I'd just like to remind my colleagues if you take all the land east of the Mississippi River to the Atlantic Ocean, from Maine to Florida, that's Alaska. And you think about it, in that area, there's 253 Congressmen and 52 Senators. That's really different. Hawaii has the same problem--not quite as large, but we have only one way to communicate, and that's with air service.

I urge the passage of this amendment. It is a very simple amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 1 minute.

Mr. Chairman, this bill that has been proposed to us actually took one successful program out, the very successful Hawaiian Natives and Alaskan Natives program. It is destroying a program that works.

This is a different program than the other Indian areas have, but it should have been left in this bill. And as I talked with the chairman, why take out some successful program and try to take and change it when there's other problems with No Child Left Behind?

I'm asking my colleagues to vote for my amendment, which puts it back in. It restores title VI moneys, and it does retain a working program that we should leave. I say this because Alaska Natives and Hawaiian Natives are not under the BIE funding programs, and it would be impossible for them to receive the moneys under the grant program.

All I want to do is keep my Natives on a right plain, which they've been doing very well in actually improving their lives, being better educated, achieving their goals.

I reserve the balance of my time.

At this time, I yield 1 minute to Congresswoman Hanabusa.

At this time, Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to Congresswoman Gabbard.

Mr. Chairman, at this time, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Denham).

Mr. Chairman, how much time do I have remaining?

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

I urge the chairman to accept this amendment. This amendment takes no money away from anyone, other than the Natives themselves.

This program has worked. It has worked so well that I'm asking my colleagues to keep it in the existing bill that's coming before us. I'm not going to argue about Leave No Child Behind or the new bill, H.R. 5. But if a program is working and it's neutral, for God's sake let's leave it in there. Why take it out?

Everybody says, Well, they have a chance at it. Not when we don't have BIE funding in the State of Alaska. This is a neutral bill financially. It doesn't take away from any other programs.

I ask very respectfully for my colleagues to vote for this legislation to promote American Indian, Hawaiian Indian, and Alaska Native educational programs. It's the right thing to do, and let's do what's right today.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in memory of a devoted wife and mother, a respected spiritual and community leader, and most importantly, a great Alaskan. On June 2, 2013, the Alaskan community of St. Paul Island lost one of its most revered elders, Mary Nicolai Bourdukofsky.

``Aunty'' Mary, as she was affectionately known throughout her community, was a staunch supporter for the continuation and preservation of Aleut culture, language and tradition.

To paraphrase Mary's life in a few sentences would serve only to cheapen it, for her accomplishments were widespread and varied as they were valued. She was an advocate for her Aleut community during years of involuntary internment during World War II, served as a delegate to the Alaska Federation of Natives, and assisted with the development of cultural exhibits at the Alaska Native Heritage Center and for the Smithsonian's Alaska Native Collections. Mary also taught at three universities throughout the state and promoted the importance of cultural education.

Her memory will continue to live on in the hearts and minds of those who had the privilege of knowing her, and the great many that were touched by her tireless efforts and countless deeds. For those who did not, I pray that they too have the opportunity to know someone like Mary, a person whose unrelenting dedication and resolute sense of character cannot be easily duplicated.

Mr. Speaker, today I mourn with Mary's family and community and share my sadness at the loss of one of Alaska's most dedicated daughters. In the words of Thomas Campbell: ``To live in the hearts we leave behind is not to die.''

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, over a month ago, the House passed the Vietnam Veterans Donor Acknowledgment Act by a resounding vote of 398-2. Unfortunately, a couple of weeks ago, the Senate substantially changed this bipartisan and noncontroversial piece of legislation. Instead of only allowing donor recognition at a soon-to-be-built Vietnam Veterans Education Center, the Senate changed the bill to allow donor recognition, across the entire Mall, on all future commemorative works. While I am not fundamentally opposed to this idea, neither the House nor the Senate has done any hearings to consider the implications of this issue. In fact, neither the House nor the Senate has done a markup on this issue to allow Members to add their input.

Mr. Speaker, put simply, this is just a poor legislative process, and the American people deserve better.

Today, we are here to undo what the Senate has done and to, once again, send the Senate a bipartisan and noncontroversial bill. Today's resolution

merely strikes the Senate language that allows donor recognition across The Mall and reinserts my original language from H.R. 588. This language has been through the full committee process and is sound legislative text.

However, not all of the Senate additions are bad. In this bill, we will keep one portion of the Senate's language, which extends the legislative authority to construct the Vietnam Veterans Education Center from 2014 until 2018.

It is unfortunate that we must provide this extension, though. Our Nation's Vietnam veterans have waited too long for this education center. It is a shame that a long line of political gamesmanship has delayed its construction.

Mr. Speaker, after the Vietnam War, many of our Nation's bravest were welcomed home not with joyous cheers or words of thanks, but dirty looks and snide remarks.

Let us end these political games. I call upon my colleagues in the House, but especially on my colleagues in the Senate, to quickly pass this resolution so this education center can finally be built. I think we can all agree that this legislation and this center are a long time coming.

I thank the gentleman for yielding. I rise to thank my good friend and chairman of the House Armed Services Committee for including my amendment on section 811 of the fiscal year 2010 National Defense Authorization Act in one of today's en bloc packages and to ask if he is concerned, as I am, that implementation by Federal agencies of section 811 of the FY10 National Defense Authorization Act has been inconsistent and contrary to the congressional intent.

I yield to the gentleman from California.

I thank the gentleman and ask the distinguished chairman of the Armed Services Committee if he agrees with me that section 811 was not intended to be a cap or bar on sole-source awards above $20 million, and to also ask if he is concerned about the growing number of reports that agencies are treating the threshold requiring sole-source justification as a prohibition on such awards.

I yield to the gentleman.

Mr. Chairman, I ask you to join me and my colleague from Hawaii (Ms. Hanabusa) in continued oversight of Federal agency implementation of section 811 and in requesting the Comptroller General provide us a full report with respect to any inconsistencies in the ways agencies are implementing section 811, the negative impacts such section is having on Native American contractors, and provide recommendations on how the provision should be better implemented. Such a report will aid Congress in ensuring that section 811 is implemented so as to make clear that the provision does not impose a cap or limit on awards covered by the provision, so long as the justifications and approval are obtained pursuant to provision, and that the provision is intended to provide a level of oversight and approval, not act as a prohibition or limit on awards.

I thank the chairman for including my amendment in this package.

My amendment is very simple. It asks the Department of Defense to report on what actually makes an installation in the Pacific strategically important. In my many meetings with military leaders, I'm always told about the strategic importance of various installations in Alaska and all across this country; however, ``strategic'' is never fully defined. My amendment merely asks the Department of Defense to qualify and quantify exactly what makes an installation strategic.

As every Alaskan knows, Alaska has numerous strategic installations that proudly protect this country from harm. Among those bases is Eielson Air Force Base in Fairbanks, which is the home to the 18th Aggressor Squadron. This squadron provides our Nation's pilots with real-life training they need to be the best in the world. Throughout the year, but especially during Red Flag-Alaska, the F-16 Aggressors fight realistic mock battles in the largest training range in the United States, and it's one of the most terrain diverse training areas in the world.

Eielson Air Force Base is also home to the strategically important 168th Air Guard Refueling Wing. These KC-135s provide legs for our Nation's northern air bridge, which allows us to project power into the Arctic and the Northern Pacific. I have confidence that my amendment and the following DOD report will show what General Billy Mitchell recognized in 1935, namely, that Alaska is the most strategic place in the world.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 588) to provide for donor contribution acknowledgments to be displayed at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Visitor Center, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, last year, Jan Scruggs, president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, came to my office and told me about an absurd fund-raising problem he had. He told me that in order to build a much- needed education center at the Vietnam Wall, he had to raise nearly $100 million of private money. Normally, this would not be a big problem; however, in this case,

VVMF had to raise all of this $100 million without the ability to recognize their donors because current law did not allow donor recognition.

Mr. Speaker, I think we can agree that it is ridiculous to force any organization to fund-raise without the ability to recognize donors. How are we supposed to raise any money? Even the National Park Service understands the importance of donor recognition. I personally have seen hundreds of benches in national parks all across this country that have little metal plaques on them thanking people for their generous donations.

In spite of current law and this donor recognition handicap, VVMF has raised over 25 percent of the nearly $100 million needed to build this education center. My bill, H.R. 588, will give them the extra pulling power they need to quickly complete their fund-raising and finally cross the $100 million finish line.

Overall, my bill is very straightforward. It merely provides VVMF the ability to recognize their donors. This recognition will lead to larger donations, a faster fund-raising pace, and quick and timely construction of the education center. It will also make the act of giving more personal and more rewarding. Put simply, every donor deserves a ``thank you,'' and my bill will finally allow VVMF to give the ``thank you'' their donors so rightly deserve.

Also, in order to ensure that appropriate standards for donor recognition were met, I made sure that H.R. 588 dovetailed exactly with existing Parks Service guidelines. This regulatory overlap ensures that any donor recognition will be discreet, unobtrusive, and will not contain any advertising or company logos.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 588 is supported by numerous veterans' organizations, including the VFW, the American Gold Star Mothers, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and the Military Order of the Purple Heart, among many others. I urge my colleagues to support the quick passage this bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 291) to provide for the conveyance of certain cemeteries that are located on National Forest System land in Black Hills National Forest, South Dakota.

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 materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from South Dakota (Mrs. Noem), the author of the bill, to explain the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers.

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