Gene Green

Mr. Speaker, I would have voted against H. Res. 1180, the rule providing for consideration to Senate Amendment to H.R. 88, and H. Res. 1181 the Martial Law Authority Rule that occurred on the morning of December 20, 2018.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6140. This bill is an effort to accelerate the availability of high-assay low-enriched uranium, the fuel needed for most advanced nuclear designs.

There is no existing commercial market for this fuel, so in order to ensure that the fuel is available for advanced reactors once they are licensed and ready to begin producing electricity, the Federal Government will need to coordinate efforts among agencies, and with the commercial nuclear sector, to ensure that high-assay low-enriched uranium can be licensed and safely transported.

You wouldn't buy a lawnmower if you couldn't buy gas to run it. Similarly, we need to develop a domestic market for fuel needed to power these advanced nuclear reactor projects that are coming onto the market in the next decade.

I thank my colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee, both Representative Flores and Representative McNerney, for developing this thoughtful proposal.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. McNerney), one of the cosponsors of the bill.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 7217, the IMPROVE Act. This legislation contains several important policies related to Medicaid and Medicare.

First, I am a proud original cosponsor of the ACE Kids Act, and I am happy to see it included in H.R. 7217. The ACE Kids Act aims to improve care coordination for children with complex medical conditions served by Medicaid.

The legislation creates a Medicaid health home, State optional, specifically targeted for this population of children. It also requires the Secretary to issue best practices on coordinating out-of-State care for children with complex medical conditions.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the sponsors of the ACE Kids Act, Representative Castor and Congressman Barton, both members of the Energy and Commerce Committee, for championing this issue for so many years.

The IMPROVE Act also provides new funding for the Money Follows the Person, the MFP, program. The MFP program helps individuals transition from institutional care to care in their community, where they can live more independent lives.

MFP also helps support States' home and community-based services infrastructure. Without this extension funding, we would start to see many of these MFP programs end in short order.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support for the program, which provides thousands of Americans with the choice to receive services in their home or community rather than in an institution.

The committee will continue to work on providing long-term funding to the MFP program in the next Congress.

I also voice my support for the extension of spousal impoverishment protections until April 2019. These protections will help ensure that a person can maintain enough income and assets to meet their basic living expenses while still allowing for their spouse to receive long-term care in their home or community under Medicaid.

The expiration of this policy would lead to people losing their long- term care services and the unnecessary institutionalization of people currently

receiving services in their homes or communities. The committee will continue to work on a long-term solution in the next Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support passage of H.R. 7217, the IMPROVE Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Castor), a cosponsor of the ACE Kids Act and a great member of our Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Dingell), another member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Welch), another good member of our Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Schrader), a colleague from our committee.

Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have left?

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

Mr. Speaker, I think this is how we need to work together, and this is a good example of not only inter-State but also inter-party, to be able to solve these three problems that this bill corrects. I hope the next Congress will continue that effort of Republicans and Democrats talking to each other, Texans talking to Oklahomans, which is sometimes tough, to work together for the people we represent.

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