Katie Hill

Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chair, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. I rise in support of an amendment to H.R. 3494.

I believe strongly in the principle of government transparency. It is something I ran on and talk about. I have spent my time in Congress working to deliver on accountability and transparency as the vice chair of the Oversight and Reform Committee and through other legislation.

Today, I am introducing this amendment to clarify what Congress already believes to be the law, that Federal whistleblowers have the ability to make protected disclosures to the appropriate congressional committee of jurisdiction, not just members of the Intelligence Committee.

At a time like this, we cannot afford ambiguity. This technical change will allow congressional committees to conduct their business in a more timely and effective manner.

This amendment is not my first effort to protect whistleblowers, nor will it be my last. Those with the courage to stand up and say something is not right should have every single protection that we, as Congress, can offer to them.

Madam Chair, I urge all of my colleagues to support this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Carl Boyer.

The lives of every single person in my hometown of Santa Clarita, California, are better thanks to the work and tireless efforts of one of our city's founding fathers, Mr. Carl Boyer.

After moving to what is now California's 25th District in the late 1960s, Carl worked to establish the city of Santa Clarita in an effort to help our community receive the resources it needed. His leadership continued from there as he served on the first-ever Santa Clarita City Council and, eventually, two terms as mayor.

Carl put his city--our city--at the center of every decision he made. From his first day on the council to his last day as mayor, he worked to protect our beautiful open space, and he left office having created one of the best park departments in the United States.

While serving Santa Clarita, he was also a public school teacher and a foster parent to young children who came to the United States for lifesaving medical treatment.

Carl Boyer had a heart of gold, and will be missed by all. On behalf of the vibrant and wonderful community that he helped create, I extend my deepest gratitude for the legacy of service, engagement, and kindness that he leaves behind.

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

Mr. Chair, it is hard to overstate the devastating effects of lengthening fire seasons across the United States, especially in my home State of California.

I represent three diverse valleys in California's 25th Congressional District, across northern Los Angeles and Ventura County, and all of them have had significant wildfires and forest fires in the last year.

In fact, 2018 was the deadliest fire season in California's history. According to CAL FIRE and the National Interagency Fire Center, 8,527 fires burned a total of 1,893,913 acres, the largest area on record.

Not only are these fires larger and more frequent, but they are also hotter and more intense. Soon, the term ``fire tornadoes'' will be a phrase that many people are familiar with.

My own house was evacuated last summer. We had to trailer my horse and relocate my goats and dogs to my sister's house. My sister's house was evacuated shortly thereafter. Sadly, this is not the first time I or my family has had to evacuate. It has practically become a common occurrence for people in areas like ours.

Two days after I found out that I would be coming to Washington to represent my community, three people died in the Woolsey fire, part of which burned through my district in Simi Valley.

We have to do more. I am thankful for the opportunity to put forth this amendment that provides additional funds for wildland fire management and hazardous fuels work. I am offering it to highlight the funding that is already in this bill to prepare for, combat, and reduce the risk of future catastrophic wildfires and to make sure we do more.

These funds are critical because when the Forest Service does not have enough fire suppression funds, they have to borrow from mitigation accounts to pay for fire suppression activities. This fire borrowing delays the very activities that improve forest health and reduce wildfire risk.

We cannot simply treat the effects. We have to treat the cause. But prevention takes funding, and that is why this bill and this amendment are so important.

For the first time, this bill includes $2.25 billion in fire cap adjusted funds. These additional funds ensure that our firefighters will have the resources they need to combat wildfires without fire borrowing, meaning that we will invest in the prevention solutions that we know work.

However, we will only have the cap adjusted funds for 2 years. We must all work together to ensure that any budget agreement includes fire cap adjusted funds for future budget years as well. That is how we can make lasting change on this front.

For my community, for California, and for States across the country experiencing the devastating effects of wildfires, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

Mr. Chair, I yield to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum).

Mr. Chair, I urge all of my colleagues to support this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.