Floor Statements

Madam Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Chair, as the mother of two teenage boys in public schools, I understand and can appreciate the need for age-appropriate content to ensure our schools remain nurturing environments for our kids, but the kinds of content that make it into these curricula and classrooms are decisions best left to professional educators working together with parents to determine what is best for our students.

As a mom, it is important that our children see themselves and the situations they face in the books they read and the curriculum they are taught. This amendment is yet another attempt to broadly ban entire categories of books, forcing educators to second-guess and censor themselves.

Engaging with novel and challenging topics is essential to how kids grow as students and individuals. They need to be able to confront ideas and topics that may not always be comfortable to them.

This amendment is simply terrible policy in terms of providing our kids with the education they need to succeed in a complex and rapidly evolving world.

Ultimately, at its core, this is a discriminatory and offensive amendment in its targeting of our LGBTQ+ people. It separates the military children attending DODEA schools, some of which identify as LGBTQ+ themselves, from their peers in other school systems in the United States, isolating them and depriving their education of perspectives critical to their own self-identification, growth, and development.

This amendment makes it harder for DODEA teachers and counselors to support students with the materials they need if they question their gender identities or sexual orientation. This is an unwelcome intrusion on the trust between students and their teachers and counselors, who can play important roles for military children often moving from place to place at formative times in their lives, eliminating the ability for educators to provide resources and guides to help our military youth with complicated decisions and feelings that they have. This is absolutely unacceptable.

I have had conversations with young people back home who shared serious concerns about the impact of censorship of LGBTQ+ content in their schools and the mental health of themselves and their peers. This amendment would further that sense of isolation and lead to increased rates of depression and, tragically, as we have seen, suicidal ideation.

This amendment also sends a deeply hurtful and wrong message to LGBTQ+ servicemembers, some of whom may have children attending DODEA schools, about what this Congress and our government think about them and their loved ones. This amendment dishonors their service and commitment to our country.

We know that the people most hurt by book bans are ultimately students and kids, and this amendment undermines the quality of education and experience that military children receive at our DODEA schools.

It is reckless, discriminatory, and an attack on our LGBTQ+ students and servicemembers. As a mom, I think that all of our children deserve to feel supported, included, and seen in our educational system.

Madam Chair, for these reasons, I strongly urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Jacobs).

Madam Chair, may I inquire how much time I have remaining.

Mr. Chair, I yield to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Smith).

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

Mr. Chair, once again, it appears my colleagues fail to understand what critical race theory is.

Critical race theory helps us understand the past, while DEI, as they have often been against, helps us chart the path forward to acknowledge and rectify the systemic racism that still shapes the present. Let's not conflate or confuse the two.

Let me reiterate: Critical race theory is simply an academic and legal framework to recognize that systemic racism is part of our Nation's history. Yes, that is hard to hear, but sadly that is absolutely the fact and the case.

Systemic racism continues, quite frankly, to affect our society and individuals in it to this very day. These are hard truths for my colleagues that cannot bear to hear it.

However, there is no other way to explain the compromise enshrined for almost 80 years in our Constitution that count slaves as three- fifths of a person to determine matters like the number of seats allotted to States for this very body, the House of Representatives.

There is no other way to explain the Chinese Exclusion Act or the Asian Exclusion Act, which banned immigration of Asian people to this country for decades. Nor is there any other way to justify the grave historical injustices of Executive Order 9066 that interned over 100,000 Japanese Americans during the Second World War, including my great-grandfather, who was locked up against his will in Santa Fe, New Mexico, while my grandfather, his son, served in the military intelligence service for a country who saw and treated him and his loved ones as the enemy.

Systemic racism is a part of the history of our military, the Department of Defense, and this country. There is no other way to explain the fact that, even though they served bravely in the Revolutionary War, Black men were formally excluded from military service after the war until the Civil War.

Meanwhile, Filipino veterans of World War II waited for over four decades for the citizenship and benefits promised to them for their service under our flag and are still waiting to this day.

If my Republican colleagues believe we can compete with our adversaries across the globe by avoiding these truths, they are sadly mistaken.

While our adversaries will seek to whitewash and erase histories like that of the Ukrainians, the Tibetans, and the Uyghurs, we must do better. We should be better because this speaks to who we are as a Nation.

Mr. Chair, having our servicemembers learn about systemic racism and think critically about the role it continues to play in our society may make some of them uncomfortable, but it is not going to make them

hate America. It will, however, help them understand why inequities persist in our country, including in the ranks of our military.

I hope it will remind them how far we have come and how much further we must go toward a more equitable future, one in which they, regardless of their background, can achieve their fullest potential.

We need to understand critical race theory for what it is, an opportunity for us to confront our past and work toward a better future.

Mr. Chair, for that reason, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment.

Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to this amendment.

Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. To be clear, January 6 was an attack on America, our democracy, and this institution, which we have all taken an oath to serve. This shouldn't be controversial. Servicemembers who swear an oath to the Constitution should not try to overthrow the United States Government.

Yet, the latest report from the Department of Defense inspector general found that 78 servicemembers were alleged to have advocated for the overthrow of the government in the past year alone. That is likely an undercount given reported challenges in gathering and compiling data across the military departments.

Clearly, extremism in the military remains a persistent and serious issue, one that we should not take lightly, again, given the January 6 insurrection in which we know some servicemembers and veterans participated. This fact alone should be deeply concerning to every single one of us in this Chamber.

Instead of taking this problem seriously, this amendment prohibits the Department of Defense from implementing recommendations designed to counter extremist activity in our military. This undermines unit cohesion, the readiness of our forces, and ultimately public trust in our military.

My colleagues allege that the Department's efforts to counter extremist activities unfairly targets conservatives. There is nothing in the Countering Extremist Activity Working Group's final report to substantiate that allegation because violent extremism, regardless of its political or partisan leaning, is a danger to all of us and to this democracy.

There can be no denial that far-right extremism is surging across the country at a much higher level than that of leftwing extremism. A recent study showed that violent extremist acts in the United States were far more likely to be associated with far-right ideologies like white supremacy than with any far-left alternative. In fact, the level of violence perpetrated by

rightwing extremists in this country is on par with, if not higher than, that of Islamist extremists.

In our country, where servicemembers have access to critical national security information and assets, individuals motivated by extremist ideologies can pose an outsize threat to our national security when they move beyond fair and legal expression of contentious issues and into subversive or even violent actions.

Tackling extremism in our military is not about promoting wokeness, which my colleagues continue to be obsessed about. It is about protecting our people and our country. That, sadly, also means preventing domestic terrorism and addressing the serious and persistent threat to our homeland. It is also about restoring public confidence and trust in one of the most important institutions in our history and society.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to reject this dangerous amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

First of all, let's be clear here. As we previously heard, we are not talking about DEI, which, once again, this is an obsession of the far right in this particular body. I will agree with you, though, in the same context of that conversation, I think we are in agreement. This is about how we should serve as one united Nation. How do we serve as a United States of America as a whole?

The bottom line is, when we take a look at the kind of extremist activity that is happening within our military that was found by the Countering Extremist Activity Working Group, this is not bringing our country together. This is not allowing us to stand under one common flag.

A 2020 Military Times poll found that more than half of minority servicemembers, servicemembers of color, say they have personally witnessed examples of white nationalism or ideologically driven racism within the ranks.

As we can recall, in June 2020, a servicemember of the 173rd Airborne Brigade with white supremacist leanings led classified troop movements to facilitate an attack on his own unit while deployed to Turkiye.

Let's be clear here. The recommendations of the Countering Extremist Activity Working Group are not controversial, and they include: Enhancing insider threat analysis and response, developing comprehensive training and education for departmental leadership, providing notice to personnel on prohibited activities, and improving internal information sharing and coordination.

I think we can all agree in this body, no matter what side of the aisle you sit on, this is good for us if we are truly trying to stand up to China, to Russia, and to North Korea. How do we make ourselves truly a United States Department of Defense, not one that is currently divided by internal risks, internal extremism that, sadly, we are seeing too often in the field and in our ranks.

Mr. Chair, I strongly encourage all of my colleagues to vote against this amendment and to make sure that we can, in fact, be a strong united presence standing against our adversaries across the globe. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, 2 weeks ago, I joined the graduation ceremony for the proud class of 2024 at Lahainaluna High School.

For the 225 seniors and hundreds of family members, students, faculty, and alumni, this evening honored the resiliency of this community. From the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic in freshman year to the tragic fires that struck the day before the start of senior year, this graduating class has been tested in so many ways, but they persisted. They made it. Now, these students will go off into the world to make their mark.

The valedictory speaker, M. Jee Abara, started his speech by ripping it up. Life is uncertain, he said. These words hit close to home for a community all too familiar with uncertainty.

Abara will now study disaster preparedness and emergency management at the University of Hawaii at West Oahu. What was a passion before the fires has only become a calling to give back to his hometown. It is a common theme for his entire class of brave, young students.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Lahainaluna's class of 2024. Their perseverance, courage, and strength give us all so much hope for Lahaina's recovery in the years to come.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Our AANHPI community is a diverse diaspora, but too often we are lumped together as one monolithic, model minority group, often forced to choose identity between Asian, Pacific Islander, or for me at the very worst, other.

We are so much more than ``other.''

We are the fastest growing population in the country. We are made up of 70 ethnic groups. We speak over 100 different languages and dialects. We are the descendants of people, cultures, and traditions that are centuries older than this country we now call home, and we deserve to be seen, to be heard, to be recognized for who we are, where we come from, and what we stand for.

We are so much more than ``other.''

During this month and every month, I challenge my colleagues to join us in uplifting the achievements, the voices, and the struggles facing our AANHPI community and commit to working toward a future where we are all truly seen, engaged, and represented.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5863, the Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2023.

It will keep survivors' hard-earned money in their pockets and help them get their lives back to normal as soon as possible, whatever that normal might look like.

Seeing the overwhelming challenges faced by the survivors of the Maui wildfires, our ``family,'' ``ohana,'' I introduced H.R. 5873, the Natural Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2023, last October to lessen the tax burden faced by disaster survivors and ensure they have the financial resources to support their ``family,'' ``ohana.''

Since then, far too many people continue to struggle with recovery costs that no one could ever budget for. Across our country, through all disasters current, those to come, and so far in the past, they have reached deep into their savings. They have gone into debt to feed their ``children,'' ``keiki,'' to cover their mortgages, to pay for education and healthcare costs, and to rebuild their homes, businesses, and livelihoods.

I thank my friends and colleagues, Congressmen Greg Steube and Doug LaMalfa, for incorporating elements of my legislation into this bill as we continue to fight for its critical passage.

Like me, they know all too well that there will never be enough to replace all that people lost. As the good Congressman from California mentioned, no one will be made whole, but that being said, anything we can do to lighten the tax burden and the financial struggles they face will go a long way to rebuilding lives and rebuilding communities.

I am proud to join Congressmen Steube, LaMalfa, and Thompson on the floor today to pass this bill out of the House. I implore the Senate to embrace their ``responsibility,'' ``kuleana,'' and pass this bill.

Disaster does not discriminate. It doesn't care if you are Democratic, Independent, or Republican. When it hits, people need help. We must pass this critical bipartisan piece of legislation now.

Madam Speaker, every May is Wildfire Awareness Month in Hawaii and across the United States, but this year in the wake of last August's wildfires, fire prevention and preparedness are very personal and urgent for my constituents.

The National Interagency Fire Center predicts above average, significant potential for wildfires across Hawaii, especially in leeward communities. We must prepare for a drier and hotter summer ahead, and in just a few weeks, the Pacific hurricane season will begin, increasing the potential for gusty winds and dangerous climate conditions.

While we cannot predict every situation, we know a vast majority of wildfires are human caused, which means we each play a critical role in preventing fires from starting in the first place.

Local, State, and Federal agencies must also work closely with our communities to implement prevention and mitigation measures, prepare and enhance emergency preparedness and evacuation plans, and establish better methods to monitor and respond to fires.

This is essential work and planning that must be done now. Sadly, as Representative LaMalfa and I know all too well, the Maui and Paradise fires have shown us just how deadly and destructive these fires can be. Now it is up to all of us to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Mr. Speaker, 9 months ago, the Lahaina fires took the lives of 101 people and destroyed hundreds of structures, including homes, classrooms, historic parks and features, and businesses. While we have come a long way to repair the physical damage inflicted upon our community, the trauma and emotional pain from the fires continue to take root in the lives of our Maui ``family'' ``ohana.''

First responders, disaster workers, and volunteers are on the front lines and have been there from day one, delivering physical and emotional support to our people and families during this time of crisis. While we know they often--and you heard this from the previous speaker--put the needs of others before themselves, the reality is they, too, need help dealing with the challenges and dangers that come with experiences and the things that they see every day on the job, the situations that they are faced with.

I will digress a bit and tell you some stories of things that I saw in the first days, weeks, and even months after the fires. It was not uncommon for me to come across even some of the top brass in leadership of our emergency management, fire department, or police department, and they would stop me. You could see by the look in their eyes that it was very hard for them to continue as they talked about the things they saw and the experiences that they went through as victims and survivors themselves, many of them asking me: How can I go on? What do I do now? I need help, too.

Statistically, sadly, we know that first responders, police officers, and firefighters find themselves in this very situation time and time again. We know that these first responders are more likely to die from suicide than in the line of duty, and that depression and PTSD are up to five times more common in first responders.

Unfortunately, there are only a limited number of services and resources available specifically to address the mental health needs of our first responders. Too often, first responders are directed to services that fail to meet them where they are at and are inadequate to support their mental health and well-being, to truly understand the situation that they are dealing with every single day, reliving the trauma, reliving the moment that they have experienced, yet on the surface having to put on that happy face and continue to serve the public.

This is unacceptable. That is why I introduced the CARE for First Responders Act, which would make sure our first responders, disaster workers, and volunteers have immediate access to on-site, specialized crisis counseling services and resources. Our bill would also establish a peer support program and a national hotline to provide 24/7 confidential, comprehensive crisis services to first responders and their loved ones.

Every day, these brave individuals risk their lives to keep our communities safe. They are our superheroes, but they are still human. All of us need to be there for them, and we must do everything we can to provide all of our survivors and disaster responders with the mental health and support they need now.

The reality is that we can clear away the debris, rebuild our schools, and reopen our roads. We can see houses coming up. Healing from the pain and trauma, though, is a lot more difficult, and that takes time.

As we recognize Mental Health Awareness Month, I thank my colleague from Vermont for giving us this opportunity to call attention to the mental health crisis that is ravaging our people right now.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues that while we have made incredible progress to expand access to mental health and substance use disorder services, there is still much more work to be done, and it must be done now. We must continue to fight to ensure everyone can get the care they need when they need it and where they are at.

We must pass critical lifesaving measures like H.R. 6415, our CARE for First Responders Act, a truly bipartisan measure with 44 cosponsors from both sides of the aisle to support those who support, care for, and protect us every single day.

We must prioritize and act with urgency to fund and pass progressive policy changes to support mental health

in our community. For the sake of all the people who we love, for every single person even in this building, we must do it now.

Mr. Speaker, due to a medical procedure and at the advice of my doctor, I was unable to cast my votes today in the House of Representatives. Had I been present, I would have voted: YEA on Roll Call No. 187, on suspending the Rules and passing H.R. 8289; YEA on Roll Call No. 188, on the motion to table H. Res. 1209; NAY on Roll Call No. 189, on passage of H.J. Res. 109; YEA on Roll Call No. 190, on the motion to recommit H.R. 2925; NAY on Roll Call No. 191, on passage of H.R. 2925; YEA on Roll Call No. 192, on the motion to recommit H.R. 7109; NAY on Roll Call No. 193, on passage of H.R. 7109; YEA on Roll Call No. 194, on suspending the Rules and passing the House Amendment to S. 870; and YEA on Roll Call No. 195, on suspending the Rules and passing H.R. 4143, as amended.

Madam Speaker, before there was a Front Street or a banyon tree, Lahaina was known as Lele. It was the home and final resting place of countless ``ali'i,'' ``chiefs,'' serving as the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii and including ``storied and sacred landscapes,'' ``wahi pana,'' like Loko Mokuhinia and Moku'ula.

Lele was often referred to as the ``Venice of the Pacific,'' with fishponds, productive wetlands, and freshwater canals. Over the decades, the diversion of water removed almost all traces of this once- fertile area.

As we set out to rebuild, we must do so grounded in Lahaina's history and culture. Last week, I introduced the Lahaina Heritage Area Act to assess the future designation of the historic Maui town as a national heritage area.

National heritage area designations support community-driven conservation and restoration efforts through recognition, Federal funding, and technical assistance.

Of the 62 heritage areas across the United States, none are in Hawaii. With support from colleagues on both sides of the aisle, I can think of no better way to lift up our community's desire to rebuild ``righteous,'' ``pono'' than by making Lahaina Hawaii's first national heritage area.

Mahalo.

Madam Speaker, the United States Public Health Service Commission Corps is one of the Nation's uniformed service branches on the front lines of public health access across our country and our world.

Since wildfires destroyed Lahaina last August, 86 officers have been deployed to Maui to support behavioral health, disaster recovery, and environmental health responses.

They provided clinical care, created safe spaces for people to face their trauma, and made sure that first responders got the mental health support they needed, too. They even help initiate a biosurveillance program to monitor toxic exposure on first responders and the Hawaii National Guard.

Understanding the importance of meeting people where they are at, they provided services at schools, at congregate and non-congregate shelters, and at community events. Working with trusted local entities, they developed a mandatory cultural briefing for all responders, greatly enhancing their ability to care for a community in crisis.

The next time you thank our uniformed service branches for their service to our country, remember the men and the women of the Public Health Corps. When the health and wellbeing of our communities are on the line, when you need them, they will be there.

Madam Speaker, on August 8, 2023, there were many heroes who exhibited courage and bravery as wildfires ravaged Maui and Hawaii Island.

Today, it is my honor to recognize one of those heroes, Captain Riley Coon, a third-generation mariner and co-owner of one of Maui's oldest family boating companies, Trilogy Excursions.

When the Coast Guard called for help, Riley and six other Trilogy captain and crewmembers answered the call, rescuing countless people who had jumped into the ocean to escape the flames, and transporting them to safety.

Battling 80-mile-per-hour winds, intense heat, and smoke, Riley saved lives as they conducted emergency rescues throughout the night and into the next morning.

For his courageous efforts, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society selected Riley from over 200 nominees nationwide as the 2024 Single Act of Heroism Honoree.

It is an award that is much deserved, and it serves as a reminder of the many everyday people who stepped forward and became heroes on those fateful days.

So, today, in addition to recognizing Riley, let us lift up and celebrate all of our heroes who risked life and limb and ran toward the flames to save the people and places they love.

Mr. Speaker, after the fires last August struck the island of Maui, one of the first people to approach me in this Chamber was my colleague and now friend, Congressman Doug LaMalfa.

Few districts have experienced the tragedy of wildfires like California's First, and prior to the Maui fires, the Camp fire held the record as the deadliest American wildfire of the last century.

This past recess, I participated in a bipartisan exchange with Congressman LaMalfa. I went to the town of Paradise. I learned of the challenges and opportunities in recovery. I saw the rebuilding of schools and homes that had burned, and I left feeling hopeful.

Congressman LaMalfa also joined me in Lahaina, attending the dedication of the new temporary school, even breaking in the new basketball court, playing ball with our Governor. I must add neither of them will be quitting their day jobs.

The gentleman walked with us through Lahaina, met with our community, and answered their many, many questions. There is a definite comfort knowing that, while the road ahead for our communities is long, we aren't on it alone.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to have a trusted partner and friend in Congressman LaMalfa, and I look forward to the work we will do together.

Mr. Speaker, fire and disaster does not discriminate based on legal status or citizenship. For far too long, the help and support following a disaster that is available to many has been withheld from a few.

I rise today to highlight the plight of our Compact of Free Association ``family,'' ``ohana.'' They come from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the

Republic of Palau. While they experienced the same fear and loss of last August's fires, they were unable to claim any Federal disaster relief.

On March 8, Congress passed the Compact Fairness Act to restore eligibility for Federal benefits to citizens from the Freely Associated States residing in our country. COFA residents had been unfairly stripped of those benefits in the 1996 welfare reform law.

In correcting this decades-old error, we can begin making good on our commitment to our COFA residents, and at the urging of our congressional delegation, FEMA will allow COFA residents on Maui to apply retroactively for disaster assistance.

COFA residents are a part of our Maui family, and I am grateful to FEMA for taking this important step for them and ensuring they will get the help that they need and deserve.

Mr. Speaker, the fires last August devastated our Maui ``family,'' ``ohana'' in many ways. Adding to the unbearable weight of losing loved ones and homes, the tremendous economic loss from businesses destroyed and the steep drop in tourism compounded the suffering for thousands of families.

In the months after the fires, there were over 10,000 new claims for unemployment. Not everyone impacted qualified for regular unemployment insurance. Thankfully, under President Biden's major disaster declaration, disaster unemployment assistance, or DUA, filled the gap, providing $7.8 million to thousands of Maui residents.

DUA benefits for Maui expired on February 10, but our people are still hurting. As of January, the unemployment rate for the island of Maui stood at 6.2 percent, an increase compared to 5.8 percent in December and well above our State average of 3.1 percent.

Last week, I led the Hawaii congressional delegation in introducing legislation to extend disaster unemployment benefits from 26 weeks to 39 weeks for Maui residents impacted by the fires. My bill applies those benefits retroactively to qualified individuals.

Our people are focused on recovery, but we need the House to pass this bill now, continue this critical relief, and help our people get back on their feet again.

Mr. Speaker, Hawaii's constitution recognizes two official languages: English and Hawaiian. Each February, we celebrate Mahina `Olelo Hawai`i, or Hawaiian Language Month. It's time for us to honor and promote the use of Hawaiian language, and to achieve this, we must create opportunities and environments where it can be celebrated and utilized. `Olelo Hawai`i is more than a language, it is a connection to a history and a culture that must never be forgotten. That is why it was so important to me to speak it today on the House floor. Long live the Hawaiian language.

Therefore Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the translation in the Hawaiian language:

Aloha e ka luna h`omalu,

Ke hoia`i`o nei ko Hawai`i kumukanawai i na `olelo kuhelu `elua: ka Olelo Pelekania me ka Olelo Hawai`i. I kela me keia Pepeluali, e ho`omaika`i makou i ka Mahina `Olelo Hawai`i. `Okeia ka manawa kupono a kakou e ho`ohanohano a e paipai aku i ka `Olelo Hawai`i. I mea e ho`oko ai i ia hana, he ko`iko`i no ho`i ka `olelo a ho`olaule`a mau `ia o ka `Olelo Hawai`i ma na wahi like `ole, ma na `ano po`aiapili like `ole, a ma na `ano hanana like `ole`O ka `olelo Hawai`i, `a`ole ia he `olelo wale no. `O ia no he pilina i na mo`olelo me ka mo`omeheu, 'o ia no ho`i kahi mea e poina `ole ai. `O ia ke kumu no ka`u `olelo `ana i keia la ma ka papahele o ka Hale o na Lunamaka`ainana ma ka `Olelo Hawai`i. E ola ka `Olelo Hawai'i.

Mr. Speaker, when things go wrong, when disaster strikes, the first call most of us will make is 911.

On August 8, 2023, dispatchers at Maui's 911 call center were the ones that answered over 4,500 callers as they called in about the wildfires that were tearing through the island.

Through it all, our Maui dispatchers were the first responders who answered the call. Many of them were desperately waiting to hear from their own loved ones, some of whom did not make it.

They operated under incredible stress, absorbing the panic and terror of the callers, providing comfort and direction. There is no doubt in my mind that on that fateful day they saved lives.

Last week, Maui's call center team received the 2023 Outstanding Call Center Award from the Next Gen 911 Institute. They are ``Maui Strong,'' and they represent the very best of us.

All those who answer the call when we need them most deserve to be recognized for what they truly are--first responders. That is why I am proud to cosponsor the bipartisan 911 SAVES Act led by Representatives Norma Torres and Brian Fitzpatrick.

In honor of all of our dispatchers, it is our turn to answer the call and pass the 911 SAVES Act.