Floor Statements

Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of this bipartisan amendment, which would codify disclosure requirements for paid Congressional fellowships sponsored by nongovernment sources.

It has been a privilege to work with Congresswoman Foxx and her office on this amendment to enhance transparency in Congress, and I thank her for her attention to this matter.

I look forward to continuing to work with Congresswoman Foxx and my other colleagues across the aisle to advance bipartisan initiatives.

I am eager to work with Democrats and Republicans to find common ground and deliver practical, commonsense solutions for the American people.

By passing this bipartisan amendment, we can show our constituents that we are serious about improving transparency and accountability in the people's House.

I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this amendment.

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

Mr. Chair, the people of Orange County sent me to Congress because they were disillusioned with the nature of our politics, whether it is the toxic partnership or the vice grip of special interest money on our political system.

I offer these amendments today to improve this landmark bill by regulating political ads and restore voters' confidence in our elections.

Our government has, for too long, preferred to shield special interests instead of our constituents; and that ends by getting out of politics and passing the For the People Act.

In an age of advanced cybersecurity threats, more States are looking to one of the oldest technologies in existence, paper. Currently, the majority of States utilize some form of paper ballot for elections, with more taking steps to adopt paper-only systems.

My amendment would require the use of recycled paper for Federal elections, a critical step to increasing the sustainability of our elections. Recycled paper production emits 40 percent fewer greenhouse gases, uses 26 percent less energy, and creates 43 percent less water waste than non-recycled paper.

The impact of requiring the use of recycled paper for ballots is significant when you consider the amount of paper used in the United States. In fact, Americans use approximately 85 million tons of paper a year, about 680 pounds per person per year.

Recycling just 1 ton of paper can save 17 trees, 7,000 gallons of water, 380 gallons of oil, 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space, and 4,000 kilowatts of energy, reducing greenhouse gases by 1 metric ton of carbon.

As security concerns continue to inspire moves to replace electronic voting methods with paper ballots, we must be mindful of the environmental impact.

Using recycled paper for our ballots would improve not just our right to vote, but also save the environment.

Mr. Chair, I urge adoption of my amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for his comments, but with all due respect, I don't believe the facts support those statements.

It is quite clear that many States are already using recycled paper in their ballots, and recycled paper often can be cheaper than the paper chosen by certain States. This is a small request that goes a long way in supporting environmental health across our great country and continuing to fight climate change.

Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, while I appreciate the comments and concerns about the potential increase in cost to local and State institutions in administering the vote, I would point out that my Republican brethren were quick to pass a tax bill that added $2 trillion to our deficit, while simultaneously not addressing requests by local municipalities and States for additional funding to make sure that we had proper voting taking place for all voters across the U.S.

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

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

Mr. Chair, every election, hundreds of thousands of votes are not counted simply because of bad ballot design. These citizens fulfill their patriotic duty, but their voices are silenced by confusing voter instructions and poor ballot design. This cannot continue.

Although most Americans associate bad ballot design with the 2000 Presidential race and hanging chads, unnecessarily complex and misleading ballots still plague our elections today.

Confusing ballot design has a significant and well-documented effect on our elections, disproportionately affecting low-income and elderly voters.

You shouldn't need a magnifying glass to read a candidate's name and you shouldn't need a Ph.D. to understand voter instructions. My amendment simply directs the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to study the best ways to design both paper and digital ballots. By reviewing uncounted vote data and conducting usability tests, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission can provide States with better ballot design guidelines.

This study, which would be due in January 2020, is a commonsense way to ensure that more Americans' votes are counted next election and in every election to come.

Mr. Chair, I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for his comments.

It sounds like we are in agreement, because he supports studies that have made these ballots improved over time. As we just saw from the most recent election cycle, it is clear that we still have work to do. So we have agreement that we want better ballots at all locations, and I am glad Mr. Davis is joining me in support of that.

I also would recognize that this does not require States to follow the suggested potential improved ballot, but makes it clear that there are better ways to do it.

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

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

Mr. Chair, each year, too many Americans lose their voter registration status when they move without updating their voter registration address.

My amendment is a commonsense measure which directs the Postmaster General to include a notice on the Postal Service's hard copy change of address form simply reminding voters to update their voter registration following a change of address.

The online change of address form on the Postal Service's website already includes a reminder to reregister with your new address. This amendment would simply ensure that voters who use the hard copy change of address form also get a reminder to update their voter registration.

No one should be denied the right to vote simply because they forgot to update their voter registration address following a move.

Mr. Chair, I urge adoption of this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, if my colleague is ready to yield back and proceed to a vote, then I am certainly willing to do so as well.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in response to yesterday's address by the President to this body.

The guests the President invited represented America's finest hours and most compelling stories. They serve as a reminder of a history much larger than any individual among us and as an invitation to recommit to our values and promises to our people.

But last night, the President chose to invoke a national unity that he has made every effort to fray. It has been his cynical and sinister political strategy to divide our country and burn bridges among us.

The State of the Union is a platform for the President to inject urgency into the problems the country faces. As a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I am encouraged that he has indicated he will sign bipartisan infrastructure legislation, and I am prepared to work with all Members to do so serving our country and communities.

The President also raised the specter of declaring a national emergency to build a monument to his ego, but the real national emergency is the looming climate crisis. As seas rise, fires burn, and the weather becomes more extreme, the people of Orange County and across our country are already suffering its effects, and action from the executive branch can no longer wait--let alone denial of climate change altogether.

He warned us not to cross him, to abandon our constitutional duty to exercise oversight and shine a light on the practices of the executive branch. Congress will not be intimidated.

We should not wait for nor should we expect the President to lead an agenda for the people, but this Congress can move forward with a seriousness befitting the problems of our time and work with one another regardless of party to improve the lives of the people who trusted us to represent them.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life of Tom Schultz, Fire Chief of Garden Grove, CA. This past weekend, Mr. Schultz died of stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

Chief Schultz devoted his life to ensuring the safety and security of all Orange County residents, spending three decades in the fire departments of Garden Grove, Fullerton, and Brea, CA.

In addition to his day-to-day work at the fire station, Chief Schultz trained and mentored young firefighters through his work as an instructor in Santa Ana College's fire technology program, and he was deeply involved in the management and leadership of the Orange County Fire Chiefs' Association.

I commend Chief Schultz for his years of service and extend my heartfelt condolences to his family and friends in this difficult time.

I ask all members to join me in remembering Tom Schultz--a public servant, family man, and leader--for a lifetime of service to the people and communities of Orange County.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 206, the Encouraging Small Business Innovation Act.

The Small Business Innovation Research program, or SBIR, and the Small Business Technology Transfer program, or STTR, were established to spur innovation and job creation throughout the country. Since their inception, these programs have awarded over $40 billion to small innovative firms, including $34 million in California's 48th District. Together, these programs are some of the Federal Government's largest technology development programs.

For many research companies in my district and around the country, these two programs serve as a gateway to the Federal contracting field. The continued success of these programs depends on three primary factors:

First, the program must remain highly competitive;

Second, applicants and awardees must have access to financing of all types, including venture capital;

Third, we must ensure these products make it to the market.

But the lack of competitiveness and diversity continue to raise questions, with the participation of women-owned and minority-owned firms in these programs declining.

According to the Small Business Administration's annual report for fiscal year 2013, only 15 percent of total award dollars went to women- owned small businesses, and only 10 percent to socially or economically disadvantaged small and HUBZone-certified small businesses.

This bill addresses both issues by requiring participating agencies to use part of their SBIR allocation to conduct outreach to minorities and underrepresented States by removing the waiver of this requirement from statute.

To address the need for outside financing, this bill includes small business investment companies in the SBIR and STTR programs as possible investors and increases the capital levels that can be invested by private investors.

Finally, H.R. 206 also provides an avenue for more experienced SBIR and STTR companies to mentor newer companies. It is clear that the SBIR and STTR programs have promoted our shared goal of fostering innovation, but we must continue to provide vigilant oversight of these programs to ensure their maximum effectiveness.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter of support from the Small Business Investor Alliance.

Small Business Investor Alliance,

January 14, 2019.

Hon. Harley Rouda,

House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Dear Representative Rouda: Since 1958, the Small Business

Investor Alliance (SBIA) has been the voice of Small Business

Investment Companies (SBICs). We write in support of H.R.

206, the Encouraging Small Business Innovation Act, which is

being considered by the House of Representatives today. The

bill is a simple, modest improvement to the Small Business

Investment Act of 1958 that would encourage more investment

in job-creating American small businesses.

SBICs are highly-regulated private funds that invest

exclusively in domestic small businesses, with at least 25%

of their investments in even smaller enterprises. The nearly

$28 billion SBIC debenture program is a market-driven

platform that serves an important public purpose of

facilitating private investment in domestic small businesses.

After raising private capital and successfully navigating a

rigorous licensing process, a licensed SBIC is permitted to

access a line of credit (leverage) to increase the amount of

capital to be invested in domestic small businesses.

Generally, the ratio of leverage to private capital is a

little less than 2:1, with some strategies utilizing an even

lower leverage ratio. With the private capital in a first-

loss position, a modest leverage ratio, and the benefits of

the portfolio effect, the program operates by law at zero

subsidy, further exhibiting effective protection for the

American taxpayer. As a testament to the underlying structure

of the SBIC program, it is one of the few government programs

that was able to continue to operate at zero subsidy through

the Great Recession.

H.R. 206 seeks to encourage more investment in Small

Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business

Technology Transfer (STTR) companies. The stated mission of

the SBIR and STTR programs is to ``support scientific

excellence and technological innovation through the

investment of Federal research funds in critical American

priorities to build a strong national economy.'' Both

programs seek to increase private sector commercialization of

innovations arising out of federal research and development.

H.R. 206 would include SBICs in SBIR and STTR and would allow

SBICs to exclude a percentage of their SBIR and STTR

investments from their leverage calculation, with the goal of

spurring more investment in technology and innovation.

H.R 206 would make thoughtful improvements to the SBIC

program and thereby help domestic small businesses. SBIA

thanks you for your leadership on this legislation and for

your commitment to expanding economic opportunity in America.

We look forward to working with you during the 116th Congress

to continue strengthening the SBIC program.

Sincerely,

Brett Palmer,

President, Small Business Investor Alliance.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I want to thank Chairwoman Velazquez for her support and leadership of innovative small business. I also want to thank Representative Espaillat for his work on this issue in the last Congress, and I urge Members to support this legislation.