Floor Statements

Madam Chair, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 377.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1237, the COAST Research Act of 2019. This bipartisan legislation would reauthorize and modernize ocean acidification research and monitoring programs.

Ocean acidification is the result of a gradual decrease in pH in ocean chemistry. A small shift in pH can have a serious effect on marine ecosystems, including shellfish habitat, coral reefs, and fisheries habitat.

Congress recognized the need for a better understanding of the cause and the effects of ocean acidification by passing the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act of 2009. This legislation created a framework for science organizations such as NOAA and the National Science Foundation to dedicate resources to studying the phenomenon. This program provided valuable information to the scientific community to better understand what caused ocean acidification and how to begin addressing this issue.

H.R. 1237 reauthorizes and modernizes those efforts by updating the strategic plan governing the Federal Government's research efforts, strengthening cooperation among scientific agencies. It designates NOAA as the lead agency for coordinating Federal efforts for addressing the Federal response to ocean acidification. Additionally, the bill clarifies that all federally funded research conducted in connection with the program is to be made publicly available.

This bill is the result of years of work in building a consensus among stakeholders, ranging from ocean conservation groups and sportsmen to coastal communities, about how best to address this problem moving forward.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Posey), my colleague not only on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, but on the Financial Services Committee, ever thoughtful and ever strong spirited.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote, and 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. 1716, the Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act of 2019.

This bill simply directs the Secretary of Commerce to conduct a vulnerability assessment of the impacts of ocean acidification on coastal communities. This assessment would identify those communities most likely to be affected by ocean acidification in the coming years.

Once these communities are identified, the assessment would examine the economic impacts of ocean acidification on these communities by directing Federal agencies to coordinate with local officials, community stakeholders, and local businesses. Once the assessment is complete, a corresponding report will be made publicly available and would be revised every 7 years.

Our Nation's coastal communities are dependent on the health of our oceans. A 2014 NOAA study found there were 149,000 ocean-dependent businesses in the United States that employ more than 3 million people in industries such as seafood and tourism.

Ocean acidification is a threat to the health and vitality of these communities, and this legislation is an important step to assist those communities most directly impacted by this phenomenon.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I, too, advocate support of the bill, and 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. 1921, the Ocean Acidification Innovation Act of 2019.

This bipartisan legislation is sponsored by Representative Derek Kilmer and Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler, who can speak firsthand to how ocean acidification is harming the shellfish population off Washington State.

H.R. 1921 would allow Federal science agencies to use existing funds to conduct prize competitions to increase our ability to research, monitor, and manage the impacts of ocean acidification.

By creating incentives, the legislation recognizes the need to engage nonprofit groups, private citizens, and the academic community in the development of solutions to address this problem. Establishment of this competition will enable us to leverage the ingenuity and resourcefulness of these communities.

Mr. Speaker, this bill represents an innovative approach to tackling this problem, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I note to my colleague that I have no additional speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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. 988, the National Estuaries and Acidification Research Act of 2019, a bipartisan bill sponsored by Congressman Bill Posey.

This legislation directs the Secretary of Commerce to coordinate a study with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to examine the effects of ocean acidification on estuary environments, and to submit the report to Congress within 2 years. Specifically, this study would provide Congress a greater understanding of the biological and economic impacts of ocean acidification on inland marine environments beyond what is called for under current law.

Estuaries are ecologically unique and economically important brackish water ecosystems that occur when inland rivers meet oceans. These areas possess unique biological characteristics and have not been the subject of studying the effects of ocean acidification to date.

Mr. Speaker, we have heard about the need for additional study for ocean acidification during the debate on the previous bills. However, this legislation would further improve our knowledge of this topic by utilizing the expertise and resources of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Ocean Studies Board to gain a better understanding of the importance of this issue.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Posey), the author of this outstanding piece of legislation and someone who has a tremendous working knowledge of all of these issues.

Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am here today to tell my colleagues about H.R. 974 and urge they pass it.

This is a bill about congressional oversight, pure and simple. As this body knows, Dodd-Frank gave the Federal Reserve greater regulatory authority and established the Vice Chairman for Supervision position to oversee those efforts; but the first confirmed appointee to that position took office in 2017, a full 7 years after Dodd-Frank.

During that time, Congress received minimal testimony on regulatory issues from the Fed. Typically, other officials who didn't oversee the regulatory efforts gave testimony in this regard. But the key point is, Dodd-Frank requires only the Vice Chairman for Supervision to give that testimony.

While we are grateful that other Federal officials decided to speak to Congress on regulatory issues, they didn't have to, under the law.

I introduced this bill last Congress as a way to prevent that situation from arising ever again. Under the bill, if there is no Vice Chairman for Supervision, either the Fed Chair or their designee will be required to give annual testimony on regulatory matters. It is that simple. As a result, this bill passed unanimously out of the Financial Services Committee last Congress.

As I said, this bill is about the oversight authority of Congress and the other constituents we represent.

It remains vitally important that we and our Senate friends hear from knowledgeable regulatory officials at these agencies, particularly when these regulations have a large effect on the capital money markets; otherwise, our constituents will become even more distrustful of government.

Transparency is key. In fact, it is one of the largest responsibilities of the Members of Congress. This promotes that responsibility and, thus, deserves to be passed.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate Mr. Gottheimer's willingness to bring this bill to the floor. I thank the chairwoman and the ranking member for supporting this bill. I hope my colleagues will follow this example and vote in favor.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the resolution for consideration of H.R. 1.

H.R. 1 includes provisions that fall under the jurisdiction of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, of which I am ranking member.

Buried in the 600-page bill are requirements that would greatly expand

the role of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST, in election security. NIST is an important agency under our committee's jurisdiction. NIST also plays an important nonregulatory role, providing guidance to State and local governments to help ensure that election results are secure and accurate.

Keeping our elections safe from cyberattacks and fraud is not a partisan priority. It is a priority for all of us.

Unlike the more partisan parts of H.R. 1, I believe that if we had been given a chance on the committee, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson and I would have been able to come to an agreement on bipartisan legislation to update NIST election security activities.

However, the Democratic leadership has rushed this legislation to the floor without giving our committee an opportunity to even hold a single hearing on the bill.

Mr. Speaker, quite simply, all of the issues raised from NIST were ignored. The opportunity to have a hearing on this subject matter in the committee was ignored.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote against the rule and the underlying bill. We can do better.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 539, the Innovators to Entrepreneurs Act of 2019.

H.R. 539 extends the outreach of the National Science Foundation's Innovation Corps program, also known as I-Corps.

I-Corps trains and prepares scientists and engineers to take their research from the lab and turn it into commercial products and services.

Research labs are making breakthroughs in new fields like quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and bioengineering. These breakthroughs will continue to transform our lives and the world we live in.

But many scientists and engineers are not trained for commercializing these discoveries and did not go to business school or take any business development classes. I-Corps gives researchers the tools to maximize the taxpayer investment in basic research and spur innovation.

H.R. 539 expands the eligible pool for I-Corps courses and allows a portion of Federal small business grants be used to cover I-Corps training expenses.

The bill also allows any private citizen to apply to participate and pay out-of-pocket.

Finally, H.R. 539 authorizes a new I-Corps boot-camp course that teaches valuable skills, like structuring a company, attracting investors, and hiring staff.

In my district, Oklahoma State University has a successful support system for business startups, both on and off campus. I-Corps is a key part of that system, helping students and faculty learn how to commercialize their ideas and build a business.

H.R. 539 will help programs like the one at OSU grow and become self- sustaining.

I want to thank Representative Dan Lipinski and Representative Dan Webster for their work on this legislation. I also want to thank my friend and our new chairwoman of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, Eddie Bernice Johnson, for her work in advancing this bipartisan bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Webster).

Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Gonzalez).

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois for his dedicated and diligent work over this decade on this subject matter. I think we will all be better off for it. I know those folks who utilize the program and will have greater opportunities to utilize the program will benefit all of us as a society.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Dr. Neal Dunn and Congressman Conor Lamb for their work to support our Nation's veterans.

H.R. 425 will help veterans put their training and experience in military service to new and important uses and help America stay competitive in research and innovation on a global scale.

In the last decade alone, jobs requiring some level of STEM expertise have grown by more than 30 percent, including jobs that do not require a bachelor's degree.

Nearly 7 million jobs are unfulfilled in the United States due to a shortage of skilled workers, many in STEM and related fields.

In my State of Oklahoma, our universities estimate we have 2,000 open engineering jobs. At the same time, veterans and transitioning servicemembers represent a valuable, skilled talent pool from which to meet this critical need.

H.R. 425 will improve outreach to veterans through the National Science Foundation's programs to support and train STEM workers. We can serve our veterans and help them translate their experience into meaningful STEM work.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Dunn), one of the great proponents of veterans and a great proponent of moving us forward in the scientific perspective in this Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers. I note that I think the gentleman from Florida, Dr. Dunn, very eloquently summed it up just moments ago. Veterans deserve every opportunity to transition back and to utilize those skills.

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

Madam Speaker, on Friday, February 8th, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 072; YEA on Roll Call No. 073; YEA on Roll Call No. 074; and YEA on Roll Call No. 075.

Mr. Speaker, I thank our ranking member and our chairman. When you consider what it takes to pass a farm bill, when you consider how difficult the challenges are, think of the last three in total, Chairman Peterson had to overcome two Presidential vetoes to get the bill on the books, and I supported him.

In the 2014 farm bill, it took my friends here and me 2\1/2\ years to get a farm bill on the books. And now, Chairman Conaway, he shouldn't have had to go through some of the challenges that Collin and I went through, but he did it, and he did it for the best interests of America.

But what is a farm bill all about? Set the nuances of various policies aside, it is to make sure that we have the safety net to enable us, in this country, to raise the food and fiber we need at an affordable, safe, and cost-effective rate to meet our needs and the world's needs.

And what is the other part of the farm bill? It is making sure our fellow citizens who have difficulty in overcoming their challenges have access to enough of those calories.

Plain and simple, that is what farm bills have been about since 1933, making sure we all eat cheap, well, and safe.

But they have gotten harder and harder because the tendency of this body is for some folks on one side of the room to press for a particular perspective, and other folks on the other side of the room to press for the diametrically opposite perspective.

But ultimately, on the Agriculture Committee, under the leadership of these fine gentlemen and their wonderful staffs and all of our colleagues on the committee, we still do the right thing. We do policy every 5 years that works. We do policy that meets the needs of our fellow citizens and, for that matter, helps make sure the world has enough to eat.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Ranking Member. Let's pass this bill with the overwhelming intensity it deserves, because that is what our neighbors back home deserve.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the gentleman from Oklahoma, the Honorable Kevin Hern, be permitted to take the oath of office today.

His certificate of election has not arrived, but there is no contest and no question has been raised with regard to his election.

Mr. Speaker, my colleagues, it is a tremendous pleasure today to introduce our newest colleague from Tulsa, Oklahoma, the great First District of Oklahoma.

Having been a special election baby myself a long time ago, the pressure, the significance of our colleagues when they stand before you in the unique way that they are sworn in is tremendous. So the advice that I have given Congressman Hern I will try and practice myself: brevity.

Born on an Air Force base, worked all of his life, earned a degree in engineering and an MBA degree. The thing I love the most, perhaps, is a hog farmer at one point in his career and a very successful restaurateur.

Kevin is an individual who is a reflection of the great First District of Tulsa. He is a reflection, I think, of what we need and want in a Member of this United States House of Representatives.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield to our newest colleague from Oklahoma (Mr. Hern).

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to tell my colleagues about H.R. 4753 and urge they pass it.

As this body knows, Congress gave the Federal Reserve much greater regulatory authority under Dodd-Frank. The bill established the Vice Chair for Supervision position to oversee those efforts. But the first confirmed appointee to that position took office only last year, a full 7 years since Dodd-Frank.

During that time, Congress received minimal testimony on regulatory issues from the Fed. Typically, other officials who didn't oversee regulatory efforts gave testimony in this regard. But the key point is, Dodd-Frank requires only the Vice Chair for Supervision to give that testimony. While we are grateful that other Fed officials decided to speak to Congress on regulatory issues, they didn't have to under the law.

My bill would prevent that situation from arising ever again. Under my bill, if there is no Vice Chair for Supervision, either the Fed Chair or their designee will be required to give annual testimony on regulatory matters.

It is that simple, and as a result, this bill passed unanimously out of the Financial Services Committee.

Despite the simplicity, this bill is about the oversight authority of Congress and the constituents we represent. It remains vitally important that we and our Senate friends hear from these agencies.

Not only that, we should hear from the officials who are very knowledgeable on the issues in their areas, particularly when these regulations have a large effect on capital and money markets. Otherwise, our constituents will become even more distrustful of government.

Transparency is key. In fact, it is one of our greatest responsibilities as Members of Congress.

My bill promotes that responsibility, and, thus, deserves to be passed. I thank the chairman, the ranking member, and a unanimous Financial Services Committee for supporting this bill. I hope my colleagues will follow their example and vote for the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5906) to amend the America COMPETES Act to establish Department of Energy policy for Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 5906, the bill now under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5906, the ARPA-E Act of 2018. This legislation requires the Department to refocus ARPA-E towards developing transformative science and technology solutions to address energy, environment, economic, and national security issues.

ARPA-E was created to ensure that the U.S. energy sector maintained a competitiveness in developing emerging energy technologies. The program was established to help develop high-potential, high-impact energy technologies that were too early stage to attract private sector investment.

ARPA-E was designed to bring this finite R&D funding for a limited time, with the intention to make quick, notable impact on the development of new energy technologies.

In order to accomplish this goal, ARPA-E was given a unique management structure, with flexibility to start and stop research projects that are no longer achieving individual goals, expedited hiring and firing authority to make sure that ARPA-E staff could adequately select and support projects, and the tools to identify market challenges that could affect the advancement in project technologies.

However, we have all heard of the concerns with ARPA-E. The first is the worry that this is just one more of the same from DOE. With the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy program office funded at over $2.3 billion, it is easy to see why some would ask if we need another clean energy program.

Second, we have all heard of concerns over the years that ARPA-E wasn't meeting its intended goal--to fund the kind of technologies that are so innovative they would never attract private sector investment-- but was instead provided funding to big companies with

access to market capital, or funding research that was already under way in other Federal agencies or in the private sector.

The Science, Space and Technology Committee on which I serve as vice chairman particularly explored these concerns under the Obama administration. I believe there were valid concerns that must be addressed for the program to continue.

ARPA-E is a program that can have tremendous impact on the development of new energy technologies, but we can't have another agency playing favorites or handing out grants that distort our energy markets.

The bill we will consider today will address these concerns and enable ARPA-E to apply its innovative approach to a more appropriate set of technology challenges within the DOE mission, as the Trump administration sees it.

It does not--I repeat, this bill does not--authorize new spending or expand the size of the program. H.R. 5906 will refocus the mission of ARPA-E to mirror the full DOE mission and empower the Agency to promote science and technology-driven solutions.

My bill will allow the Agency to solve big challenges, like nuclear waste management and cleanup and improving the reliability, resiliency, and security of the electric grid.

The ARPA-E Act also provides important steps to prevent the duplication of research across DEO and to require applicants to indicate they have attempted to find private sector financing for a particular technology.

This is a good-government reform that is vital to ensuring that ARPA- E can't be abused for crony capitalism purposes in the future. We can't afford to spend limited taxpayer dollars competing with the private sector.

H.R. 5906 will align ARPA-E's innovative approach with the right mission goals and management. It will build on the basic science and early-stage research of the Department and help fast-track new technologies that will grow our economy.

I want to thank Chairman Lamar Smith and Ranking Member Johnson for cosponsoring this important legislation and for their leadership in advocating the reformed Agency functions within the Department of Energy's missions and goals. I am grateful for the opportunity to work alongside the other members of the committee to craft a bipartisan bill that will improve--yes, improve--a DOE research program but that still allows Congress the opportunity to reduce funding for the program as appropriate.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith), the chairman of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

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

Mr. Speaker, reforming the mission and the goals of ARPA-E will transform the Agency to do what the DOE does best: develop innovative technology solutions to complex science, energy, and national security challenges.

I again want to thank my nine colleagues on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee who cosponsored H.R. 5906, including Chairman Smith and Ranking Member Johnson. I want to thank the new leadership staff at ARPA-E and the Department of Energy, who provided technical comments and policy recommendations as we developed this legislation.

I urge the adoption of this bipartisan, good-government legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.