Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize a distinguished citizen of my state of Oregon. Bruce Warner has spent his life in public service in a significant variety of roles.

Today, Bruce steps down after ten years as Board President of the TriMet Board of Directors, which is my region's major transit district. During that time, he oversaw successful labor negotiations, a commitment to transition to zero-emission buses, the construction of a new light rail line, and the hiring of executives, managers, and employees that reflect the greatest number of people of color in a public agency in Oregon.

His devotion to serving his community is truly exceptional.

He was born in Fork, Washington and raised in Port Angeles. He graduated from the University of Washington in civil engineering, and while he is a Husky fanatic, we have never held that against him. He is an Oregonian not by birth but by heart.

He began his career as a young civil engineer designing parks and culverts before

quickly moving to Portland where he worked for the Army Corp of Engineers. Living far from work in distant South East Portland, Bruce rode a bus to work. He says that experience began shaping his thinking on transportation, equity, land use, and social responsibility. How transportation is provided as a service became part of his life-long critical examination.

He started as a City Engineer for Hillsboro Oregon and then was elevated to the director of Washington County's Land Use and Transportation. Again, ideas of equity, fairness, land use, and transportation continued to churn in his mind.

It came as a shock to many when, as the new director of the Oregon Department of Transportation Region One, he moved headquarters from a suburb to a regional center in downtown Portland. And, he limited employee parking and encouraged the use of transit instead. Transit over traffic. Pretty revolutionary for a leader who oversees freeways and highways to make a land use decision based on transit opportunities and equity for employees and the public.

He took a brief sojourn from ODOT to lead the solid waste efforts at our regional government and because of his tremendous talents, quickly became Metro's Chief Operating Officer.

He was then tapped by the governor and state legislature to lead the Oregon Department of Transportation. His service was remembered as a healing time for the agency with the legislature and closing the urban/ rural divide.

He planned on retiring from ODOT, but was recruited to become the director of the Portland Development Commission where he supported small business development programs for communities of color; light rail construction in downtown; and one of his proudest achievements, the creation of affordable housing.

He tried to retire once again, but duty called. He was asked to be the temporary Hillsboro City Manager.

Oregon's governor most recently tapped Bruce to chair the TriMet Board of Directors. Under Bruce's leadership, TriMet built the Orange Line with the stunning Tilikum Crossing and using a historic number of minority certified contractors. Also, under construction currently is the Division Transit Project employing the largest minority contract award in Oregon's history.

During his free time, Bruce serves on boards of the Volunteers of America and Helping Hands, helping people in recovery.

A calming influence, famous for bringing people together, and settling problems, this leader is still trying to retire. It won't surprise me if he is tapped again. But until that time, I thank Bruce Warner.

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman's courtesy.

I came to Congress 25 years ago determined that the Federal Government should be a better partner, working with our communities, making our families safer, healthier, and more economically secure.

I have traveled to over 200 communities, working with architects, landscape, engineers, local government, State government, transit, listening to their concerns about how we make the transportation system work better.

I can say unequivocally that this legislation that we are considering today reflects what America wants. There is a broad consensus that we can't keep doing the same thing.

We need to make sure that we build a low-carbon future; that it is equitable; that deals with the challenges that indiscriminate infrastructure inflicted on communities. I have an example in my hometown, where a transportation project, a freeway, just ripped through an African-American community, without the sense of what it was doing to people who weren't involved.

Well, people don't want to do that anymore, and they want to have a multi-modal solution.

The nonsense that we hear from the other side, that somehow this will prohibit construction of new roads, is not true. But what it does is emphasize fixing it first and having plans that put the pieces together in a way that solves problems rather than creating new ones.

Yes, we ought to pursue the bipartisan agreement that the President has struck with our friends in the Senate. I think that is optimistic. But we need to reauthorize the Surface Transportation Act. And with the approach that has been offered by the administration and embodied in this legislation, we are cutting to the chase.

The details here matter. $45 billion would be authorized to deal with the lead pipes that are poisoning our children; streamlining drinking water standards. Yes, it deals with roads and bridges. It has transformational investments for transit, $109 billion, and attention to rural and urban areas. Passenger and freight rail, and triples funding for Amtrak.

It is beyond just the numbers. It is how we put these pieces together.

Madam Speaker, I cringe a little bit when I have my friends dismiss the notions of a low-carbon future. I bring you greetings from Portland, Oregon, where we had three record-breaking 116-degree temperatures in June. The Pacific Northwest is facing a climate catastrophe that, in no small measure, is due to the fact that we are not doing what we all could to have a low-carbon future.

This legislation captures the moment. It invests in the future, not in the past. It is how we will heal divisions, protect the planet, revitalize the economy, and pull America together.

I appreciate your forthright support for a legislation that deals with the future. The gentleman from Louisiana State is a textbook example of what happens when we are not dealing meaningfully, when, for example, allowing the petrol chemical industry free rein. That is why they are losing an acre an hour, putting them at risk. This legislation is visionary in terms of providing the tools that communities need.

I visited over 200 communities since I have been in Congress dealing with land use, transportation, cycling, how we deal with land use planning in terms of design. This legislation supercharges that, gives them the tools that communities want.

Madam Speaker, Republicans for 8 years refused to move forward in a meaningful way; paralyzed, not willing to make a tough decision. I salute the committee. I salute you and these package of amendments because this prepares us for the future.

I bring you greetings from a community that had 116-degree temperature in June. This is the future if we don't move forward.

Madam Speaker, that is the future you are all going to be experiencing. It is not just losing an acre an hour in Louisiana, it is baking in the Pacific Northwest, where people didn't even think they needed air-conditioning.

We have an opportunity to make those investments. I think the committee has done an outstanding job. And if you spend time on the ground with local government, with the private sector who want to solve these problems, we will find that this is very much in keeping with what America wants and America needs.

Madam Speaker, I appreciate their leadership and hard work.

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman's courtesy in permitting me to speak against the Republican approach with these amendments.

It is a different world that we are operating in, in terms of climate change, in terms of the facts. I bring you greetings from a community that suffered a 116-degree temperature in June.

But I guess we can understand their being confused. These are the same people who thought the rioters that attacked the Capitol were a group of peaceful tourists. They are in an alternative universe.

Who are the groups and organizations that support this approach? Not the engineers, not the truckers, not local government, not State government, not environmentalists, not the bicyclists.

There is a wide array of interest groups that understand that this is the future. This is an opportunity for us to actually compete with China.

I was there 12 years ago and watched them weaponize our research, leaping ahead in solar, wind, and electric vehicles. That is the future that China has unless we reclaim it.

This visionary legislation, offered by the gentleman from Oregon and his committee, helps us get back in the game. It is one that we can't afford to lose. This approach will do it, and I applaud him for his leadership in allowing us to move forward.

Mr. Speaker, in a moment, we are going to hear the rule coming forward to support the INVEST in America Act.

I applaud my friend and colleague, Peter DeFazio, for his tireless efforts to bring Federal transportation policy into the 21st century.

Unlike past reauthorization bills, this legislation is centered around climate and equity. It makes historic investments in public transit and returns parity to the Federal share for transit and highways, while integrating bike-share and share micro-mobility into transit projects. It invests in Amtrak and high-speed rail, as well as biking and walking.

Mr. Speaker, I am especially encouraged by the newly created Reconnecting Neighborhoods Program, which will provide Federal funding for projects like Albina Vision in my community to rebuild underserved communities that have been negatively impacted by past transportation decisions.

Mr. Speaker, by passing this legislation, my community and communities across the country will be made safer with the incorporation of my Vision Zero legislation.

This is an unprecedented opportunity to deliver for our country, and we are ready to get this job done.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to salute David Wallace Douglas, an author, environmental champion, social entrepreneur, and philanthropist.

He continues his family tradition of service. His grandfather was Vice President of the United States for Franklin Roosevelt. He was perhaps the most impactful Secretary of Agriculture in American history. He was an inventor and a businessperson, and the extended clan continues that tradition today.

I became acquainted with this extraordinary individual because we shared a passion for safe drinking water and sanitation. I worked with him on our Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act and the subsequent Paul Simon Water for the World Act. David was an invaluable ally and a mentor for me.

It should be noted that David is a Renaissance man. He is the author of three books and has written widely in publications featuring environmental, religious, and developmental issues. He is the conscience of the United States for preserving our natural heritage. He was a tireless champion of respect for science and public servants like in the EPA, the Park Service, and international development when they were

under assault in the last administration.

He has created nonprofit NGO advocacy infrastructure to support his various missions. From 1986 to 2020 he founded and led Waterlines, which provided technical help and funding for over 1,000 water projects in rural communities in 15 developing countries around the world.

In 2005 David founded the D.C.-based Water Advocates, the first advocacy organization devoted to increasing American support for affordable and sustainable drinking water and sanitation.

He has two other time-limited advocacy organizations to further elevate national and global attention to WASH.

Most recently, David is fighting to focus attention on safe water and sanitation for hospitals, which impacts some 2 billion of the planet's poorest citizens. Try to imagine treating patients in a clinic where there is no safe clean water to wash your hands. You can't.

David has a gift for creating organizations for a specific time, to concentrate efforts and get the job done and move on. Some become captive of organizations. Not David. He is currently wrapping up efforts with the promise of spending more time in the great outdoors and with his family.

However David spends his time, wherever he goes, whatever he does next, we are deeply indebted to him for his leadership and vision. The world is better for his service and for his example.

Madam Speaker, earlier this year, Congress sprung into action to deal with the part of the economy that was hit perhaps hardest than any: the hospitality industry.

Independent restaurants suffered massive job losses. Congress responded with the Restaurant Rescue Plan, $28.6 billion. Madam Speaker, the need was so overwhelming that the fund was totally subscribed in 3 days.

We are working now with H.R. 3807 to replenish that fund with a $60 billion allocation, with bipartisan support in the House and Senate.

Madam Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to support this important legislation to replenish the fund and rescue our restaurants, which are the cornerstone of a livable community.

Madam Speaker, today I introduced the Restaurant Revitalization Fund Replenishment Act. This bipartisan, bicameral legislation will replenish the Restaurant Revitalization Fund with $60 billion in additional funding.

The restaurant industry has been uniquely devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic, accounting or a quarter of all job losses. The pandemic has cost restaurants and bars more than $280 billion in sales and left devastating impacts on the entire food supply chain. Ninety-thousand restaurants have permanently closed and hundreds of thousands more have significantly scaled down their operations.

The Restaurant Revitalization Fund, created in Section 5003 of the American Rescue Plan Act (Pub. L. 117-2), provided $28.6 billion for restaurants, bars, food trucks, caterers, tasting rooms, and taprooms to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Within days of opening the Fund, the SBA received requests for more funding than was available. Just three weeks after opening, the SBA received more than 362,000 applications requesting more than $75 billion in funding--nearly triple available funding. Due to unprecedented need and a lack of funds, the SBA closed the application portal on May 24, 2021, meaning there is nearly $50 billion in outstanding need that will go unmet unless Congress acts.

Even with months of positive steady job growth, restaurant and bars are still nearly one million jobs below their pre-pandemic averages. Dining restrictions still exist in 27 states, and consumer hesitancy threatens to prolong the hardship with 36 percent of diners saying they won't resume their regular dining behavior until at least after September 2021. Without congressional action, tens of thousands of beloved restaurants and bars simply won't survive.

I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House and Senate to replenish the Restaurant Revitalization Fund and work to get this battered industry back on its feet.

Madam Speaker, today I introduced the Vision Zero Act of 2021. This legislation passed the House last session in Section 1601 of the Moving Forward Act (H.R. 2, 116th Cong.) and would make the development and implementation of Vision Zero plans eligible for federal funding through the Surface Transportation Block Grant program and the Highway Safety Improvement Program.

Traffic fatalities in the United States claimed more than 36,000 lives in 2019, equivalent to one death every 14 minutes. Traffic fatalities are especially common for the most vulnerable road users: pedestrians, cyclists, older Americans, and children. Pedestrian and cyclist deaths also make up a disproportionate and growing share of traffic fatalities. In the past decade, annual fatalities for motor vehicles have stayed largely stagnant while pedestrian and cyclist deaths have increased by 52 percent and 36 percent, respectively. We need a new approach. These are our friends, family, neighbors, and colleagues. The only acceptable number of traffic fatalities is zero.

The goal of Vision Zero is the elimination of all transportation- related fatalities and serious injuries. In more than 40 urban, rural, and suburban communities across the country, residents, activists, and elected officials have come together to adopt and implement Vision Zero plans. These plans improve safety for pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users, motorists, and vehicle passengers. Vision Zero is an innovative, multifaceted approach to improve transportation safety by using data, new partnerships, safe planning, and community-focused solutions to achieve zero traffic fatalities.

While communities are integrating their Vision Zero plans into transportation policy, the federal government has not supported the design or implementation of Vision Zero plans. The Vision Zero Act of 2021 integrates Vision Zero into federal transportation policy to prioritize safety, equity, and proper planning.

Enacting the Vision Zero Act of 2021 will help communities of all sizes develop and implement innovative, effective methods to make our streets safer for everyone. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House and Senate to enact this legislation into law as part of a surface transportation reauthorization bill.

Madam Speaker, today I introduced the Renewable Energy Investment Act. Last Congress' version of this legislation passed the House in Section 90404 of the Moving Forward Act (H.R. 2, 116th Cong.) and would allow taxpayers to elect to take clean energy credits as a direct payment, rather than a credit against tax.

For decades, the Production and Investment Tax Credits (PTCs and ITCs) have together supported substantial expansions in the development of clean energy across the United States. Despite years of temporary federal tax policy, the cost of wind and solar energy generation has come down significantly, leaving it competitive with, and in some cases cheaper than, fossil fuel-generated energy. However, the COVID-19 pandemic threatened the sector's long-term success and continues to have visible impacts today.

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly constricted tax equity markets that are used to finance renewable energy construction. This constriction makes financing the project more difficult since tax equity investors may not have the tax equity to utilize all the available credits, therefore making investment less attractive. With the potential for more available credits in the coming years, there may not be a robust enough investor base to take full advantage of available incentives without a direct payment option.

The Renewable Energy Investment Act allows taxpayers to receive a payment for renewable energy investments rather than a tax credit. Not only does this provide much-needed relief for tax equity markets, it also allows taxpayers with little or no tax liability to accelerate utilization of these credits and expand the pool of eligible investors to additional deployment of renewable energy across the country.

I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House and Senate to enact this legislation as part of a comprehensive infrastructure and clean energy package.

Madam Speaker, today I introduced the Rebuilding America's Airport Infrastructure Act of 2021. This legislation makes a long-overdue update to the Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) by increasing the maximum-allowable PFC by just $1.00/year, starting in 2023, for four years and then indexes the fee to inflation every year thereafter. This increase to $8.50 by 2026 would restore the value of the PFC to when it was last increased in 2000.

Airports are an essential part of American infrastructure and economic competitiveness, supporting $1.4 trillion in annual economic output and 11.5 million jobs. The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated airports' finances with a combination of lower passenger levels and a higher demand for health infrastructure improvements to keep the flying public safe. These challenges come on top of a 5-year $115 billion infrastructure backlog that is a result of the federal government's failure to modernize one of the main funding mechanisms for airports: the PFC.

The PFC a locally imposed, per-passenger user fee that improves capacity and allows for airport updates, reduces noise, or increases competition among airlines. PFC revenues complement grants from the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) for eligible capital projects. But under current law, the maximum PFC amount airports can collect is capped at $4.50 per passenger per flight segment. Congress last adjusted the PFC to $4.50 in 2000, but with inflation and the rising cost of construction the purchasing power of the PFC has declined 40 percent. As a result, many aging airports have reached their debt capacity and either cannot finance new projects or have had to stretch them over a longer timeframe, increasing the costs and delaying the benefits for passengers.

Modernizing the PFC would raise tens of billions of dollars for airport infrastructure improvements while requiring zero taxpayer dollars, not increasing the national debt, and adding billions of dollars to U.S. Gross Domestic Product. The Rebuilding America's Airport Infrastructure Act will ensure that airports are safe, economically competitive, and the envy of the world.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the tragic passing of Steve Fox, a pioneering advocate, strategist, a true leader in the cannabis legalization effort.

It is fitting today that we are passing the SAFE Banking Act. We wouldn't be where we are today without Steve and his amazing efforts. His life work, leadership, and strategic brilliance are unmatched.

Passing this critical legislation today would be a small part of a fitting memorial for a man whose efforts made it possible, indeed, imperative to solve this problem.

I first met Steve as we were strategizing on the Oregon legalization effort. Back in 2013, after the Colorado legalization campaign that he orchestrated had passed and before Oregon joined the ranks of legalization, he was already a legend. He pioneered so much of the groundwork for the legalization movement that exploded after the success of the Colorado campaign which owed so much to his strategic brilliance.

Steve was thoughtful, hardworking, and self-effacing. While this has become a national movement with many leaders now emerging, none compare with Steve. Few will fully understand his many contributions and importance. I for one will miss his genuine, quiet leadership.

As someone who's been working on this longer than anyone in American politics, I know we are all deeply, deeply indebted to Steve. We mourn his loss, extend our thoughts to his family and many friends.

This should be the year that we finish the pioneering work of his career. It would be a fitting capstone to a lifetime of cannabis leadership, activism, and progress.

Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to be here with my friend, Mr. Perlmutter, and the bipartisan support that we are receiving from Mr. Stivers. We are going to hear in a moment from the distinguished gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Joyce), who has been a champion.

Sadly, I feel my good friend from North Carolina could have given his speech 25 years ago. The legalization train has left the station. This is a business in the United States that is approaching $20 billion of revenue this year.

As has been pointed out, 97 percent of the American public has access to some form of legal cannabis. Medical cannabis, 4 million patients utilize it.

Mr. Speaker, this is an issue that has arrived, and it is being held captive of the past practice by pretending that the Federal Government can wish away the legalization of this subject. They can't. The flawed Federal policies create serious problems.

As Mr. Perlmutter pointed out, we have had over 100 robberies in my community, including a fatality. These cash-only enterprises are sitting ducks for people who have nefarious aims. It is an invitation for money laundering now because of the vast amount of cash that is circulated.

It impacts so many legitimate businesses, real estate, insurance, attorneys, accountants, who get caught up. We already heard reference to what happened to Mr. Stivers' constituent in Ohio, a business that provides gardening supplies, that risks losing their bank account.

It is time for us to address this inconsistency. It is time for us to pass, again, the SAFE Banking Act. And it is time for us to move forward with legalization on the Federal level with the MORE Act, which will resolve these inconsistencies.

Once and for all, give the American people what they want and what they repeatedly vote for across the country. Unleash this State legal business to realize its full potential for health, the economy, and a cry for racial justice.

I appreciate us being at this point for a critical first step along the torturous path to full legalization, which I am confident will happen this Congress and not a moment too soon.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the tragic passing of Steve Fox, a pioneering advocate, strategist, a true leader in the marijuana cannabis legalization effort.

It is fitting today that we are passing the SAFE Banking Act. We wouldn't be where we are today without Steve and his amazing efforts. His life work, leadership, and strategic brilliance are unmatched.

Passing this critical legislation today would be a small part of a fitting memorial for a man whose efforts made it possible, indeed, imperative to solve this problem.

I first met Steve as we were strategizing on the Oregon legalization effort. Back in 2013, after the Colorado legalization campaign that he orchestrated had passed and before Oregon joined the ranks of legalization, he was already a legend. He pioneered so much of the groundwork for the legalization movement that exploded after the success of the Colorado campaign which owed so much to his strategic brilliance.

Steve was thoughtful, hardworking, and self-effacing. While this has become a national movement with many leaders now emerging, none compare with Steve. Few will fully understand his many contributions and importance. I for one will miss his genuine, quiet leadership.

As someone who's been working on this longer than anyone in American politics, I know we are all deeply, deeply indebted to Steve. We mourn his loss, extend our thoughts to his family and many friends.

This should be the year that we finish the pioneering work of his career. It would be a fitting capstone to a lifetime of cannabis leadership, activism, and progress.

Madam Speaker, today I introduced the Historic Tax Credit Growth and Opportunity Act of 2021. This legislation passed the House last session in Title III of Division M of the Moving Forward Act (H.R. 2, 116th Cong.). It would bring relief to historic rehabilitation projects impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic while also improving the credit for smaller projects and expanding the number of projects eligible to receive the credit.

Since its inception in 1976, the Historic Tax Credit (HTC) has incentivized private sector investment in rehabilitating historic buildings. The HTC has attracted approximately $173 billion in private capital in the last 45 years, helping to rehabilitate and revitalize communities. More than 45,000 buildings have been rehabilitated using the credit, creating nearly 3 million jobs. Unlike many other tax incentives, HTC projects spur enough economic development to return money to the Treasury. In 2019 the National Park Service reported that the HTC has generated $38.1 billion in federal tax revenue from $32.9 billion in tax credits.

The Historic Tax Credit Growth and Opportunity Act of 2021 first recognizes the challenges that historic rehabilitation projects have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic and provides a temporary increase in the credit value to address market volatility and projects' difficulty in accessing capital. The legislation also increases the credit value for small projects, which are often more difficult to finance. Finally, HTC-GO makes several changes to the structure of the credit to make more buildings eligible for the credit and allow for the credit to be more easily paired with the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit.

I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House and Senate to enact this legislation in a comprehensive infrastructure package this year.

Madam Speaker, America faces a climate crisis. This fact is indisputable, as is the fact that humans are primary cause of the changing climate. But our tax code does not reflect this, instead it showers billions of dollars of benefits to profitable oil and gas companies. Today, I introduced the End Oil and Gas Tax Subsidies Act of 2021, legislation that would eliminate nearly a dozen of the most egregious tax breaks enjoyed by the oil and gas industry.

Despite consistent profitability, fossil fuel companies receive billions of dollars in federal tax breaks and subsidies, which underwrite the costs of oil and gas production. These forgone revenues undermine the United States' ability to combat the climate crisis and invest in critical initiatives like education, housing, infrastructure, and healthcare. The End Oil and Gas Tax Subsidies Act of 2021 would not only eliminate 11 of these provisions in the tax code, it would also ensure the United States is no longer providing tax subsidies to oil and gas at the expense of clean energy, increasing the competitiveness of the energy industry.

I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House and Senate to get this legislation enacted into law this year.

Madam Speaker, today I introduced the Keeping Our Manufacturers from being Unfairly taxed while Championing Health Act (KOMBUCHA). This legislation would amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to properly tax kombucha, a fermented tea, naturally rich in probiotics and healthy acids, that can contain trace amounts of alcohol.

Last month, on February 21, we commemorated World Kombucha Day and acknowledged the many contributions of kombucha brewers in my home State of Oregon, across the United States, and around the world. With the introduction of KOMBUCHA, the United States Congress now can extend that acknowledgement to legislative action by providing the industry with much-needed relief.

Under the Internal Revenue Code, kombucha beverages with more than 0.5 percent alcohol-by-volume are subject to excise taxes intended for beer. As a result of the fermentation process that is necessary to produce kombucha, some final products may contain more than 0.5 percent alcohol-by-volume, subjecting the industry to onerous excise taxes. But kombucha drinkers do not choose the product because of its alcohol content, they choose it as a healthy beverage option.

My legislation would increase the alcohol-by-volume limit for kombucha to 1.25 percent, properly categorizing the product and allowing the kombucha industry to continue its growth. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House and Senator Wyden in the Senate to provide this relief as soon as possible.