Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, for 124 years Puerto Rico, the nation where I was born and raised, has been a colony of the United States.

Invaded by the United States during the 1898 Spanish-American War, Puerto Rico has remained in a state of colonial limbo that flies in the face of the anticolonial values upon which the American Republic was founded.

Congress' unlimited plenary powers over Puerto Rico are reminiscent of the monarchical powers enjoyed by King George III against which the Founders of the American Republic so bravely fought.

If Hamilton and Madison were alive today, they would be shocked to see how the anticolonial Constitution they drafted in 1787 is currently used to legitimize colonialism in Puerto Rico over 300 years later. Advocating now for the continuation of the status quo on the island is the height of hypocrisy.

Colonialism has destroyed the Puerto Rican economy.

Colonialism has divided the Puerto Rican people.

Colonialism has eaten away our people's sense of dignity and self- worth.

Colonialism has made the people of Puerto Rico both psychologically and economically dependent on the United States.

Colonialism is not only humiliating for Puerto Rico, but it is an embarrassment to the United States--the United States that holds itself out as a leader of the free world and that stands up to imperialist tyrants abroad while keeping colonies in the Caribbean and the Pacific.

Puerto Rico's colonial crisis is not a simple domestic issue as some erroneously believe. Make no mistake, Madam Speaker, this is an international issue that directly affects America's standing and image around the world, which is why this double-talk must come to an end.

The time has come to fully decolonize Puerto Rico. It has been 100 years since the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Balzac--the last Insular Case--and 70 years after the ratification of the territorial constitution of 1952. History calls upon us to put politics aside and do right by the people of Puerto Rico.

For the last 2 years, I have been tirelessly fighting to craft a bill for Puerto Rico that is anticolonial, fair, and transparent. A bill that will, first and foremost, put the people of Puerto Rico who--since the days of the 1898 invasion--have remained on the sideline front and center.

From Puerto Rico to Florida, and, yes, to the barrios of New York-- the ones I am proud to represent--the voices of Boricuas are now finally being heard. Let us not forget that it is thanks to the vibrant Puerto Rican diaspora from Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx that my colleague, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and I are able to walk these Halls of Congress today.

Today, I stand on the shoulders of millions of Puerto Ricans who had to flee Puerto Rico because its colonial condition has not allowed them to live on the island where they were born.

But Puerto Ricans are strong. They have been kicked out of their home and yet have managed to succeed and flourish in cold and foreign places and have graced us with the likes of Lola Rodriguez de Tio, Maria Libertad Gomez, Nilita Vientos Gaston, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Rita Moreno, Julia de Burgos, and Mari Carmen Aponte, among many others. I feel so honored to be here standing today on the shoulders of all these women and many others who have paved the way.

More importantly, we are here today for the people on the island: those who suffer every day because the prices they pay for necessities like electricity and food are sky-high thanks to the Jones Act.

We are here for those who have lost all their appliances time and time again because we have failed in helping the island to keep the lights on.

Madam Speaker, we are here for those who have lost loved ones after Maria, the earthquakes, COVID-19, and, most recently, Fiona.

We are here today because we must move towards decolonization. The current status is unsustainable, fundamentally unfair, and un-American.

The process that has led us to this moment has been contentious, complex, and full of debate. It is no secret that Members advocating for this bill, including myself, hold differing opinions on which noncolonial option is the best for the people of Puerto Rico.

The consensus bill before us today clearly defines Puerto Rico's non- territorial status options; namely, free association, independence, and statehood. It is the first time Congress recognizes free association as a separate decolonizing formula.

More importantly, this bill includes dual citizenship rights under both the independence and free association options like we have in the Marshall Islands or Palau.

Madam Speaker, I fought hard for the incorporation of these provisions because Congress has the moral obligation to offer Puerto Rico the necessary tools to transition to a new postcolonial order. And, yes, that includes financial resources to make Puerto Rico whole after 124 years of exploitation of natural resources and environmental degradation.

Madam Speaker, I want to take this time to thank Chairman Grijalva; the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico (Miss Gonzalez-Colon); Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has made incredible contributions to make this bill better and transparent; Congressman Soto; and the staff who worked day in and day out.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 3462) to require an annual report on the cybersecurity of the Small Business Administration, and for other purposes.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank all the members of the Small Business Committee for their hard work this Congress on behalf of our Nation's 32 million small business owners.

These bills will help small firms in a number of areas: strengthen cybersecurity and broadband access, improve exporting, and enhance recovery assistance from natural disasters.

They are the product of the bipartisan and bicameral work of the House and Senate Small Business Committees. I hope that we can come together today and approve these bills.

First, we will consider H.R. 3462, the SBA Cyber Awareness Act, as amended and passed by the Senate. For more than 20 years, the SBA's IG has listed IT security as one of the most serious management and performance challenges for SBA. These vulnerabilities were exposed during the rollout of the SBA COVID-19 relief programs.

The unprecedented demand for programs like PPP and the COVID EIDL overwhelmed the SBA's legacy system, leading to back-end crashes, slow portal operations, and a breach that exposed applicants' personal information. SBA failed to make any public announcement about the data breach, and it took weeks for the agency to send paper notifications to affected individuals.

H.R. 3462 would require the SBA to assess its cybersecurity procedures and submit a cybersecurity report to Congress within 180 days of passage and annually thereafter.

SBA possesses sensitive information belonging to countless American small business owners. We must ensure this data is protected from bad actors in cyberspace.

The Senate-passed version we are voting on today reinforces reporting requirements established by the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002.

I support the changes and thank the Senate for improving this legislation. I thank Mr. Crow of Colorado and Mrs. Kim of California for introducing and championing this bill. Their relentless efforts on this issue is why we are here today.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3462, as amended by the Senate, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Crow).

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

Mr. Speaker, the average cost of a data breach in the United States is over $9 million. For small businesses operating on razor-thin margins, an event like this can be catastrophic.

Small businesses must be confident that SBA systems are fully operational and capable of protecting their sensitive data. H.R. 3462 will go a long way toward rebuilding trust in the agency's IT infrastructure.

I thank my colleagues, Mr. Crow of Colorado and Mrs. Kim of California, for their leadership on this issue.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to concur with the Senate amendment to the bill, H.R. 3462, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 8844) to reauthorize the State Trade Expansion Program of the Small Business Administration, and for other purposes.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 8844, the STEP Improvement Act of 2022.

This bill reauthorizes the SBA's State Trade Expansion Program, or STEP, as we call it. This program is a proven and effective program that gives small businesses the tools they need to enter and thrive in the global marketplace.

Since its inception in 2010, STEP has helped firms access new markets and support $832 million in export sales in fiscal year 2021 alone.

The program offers grants to all 50 States, U.S. territories, and D.C. This financial assistance aids export-related activities such as developing e-commerce capabilities, participating in export trade shows and foreign trade missions, creating international marketing materials and website globalization.

Our committee held two hearings on STEP this Congress where we heard that demand for the program continues to increase across the country, and improvements could be made to streamline the program.

To that end, the STEP Improvement Act of 2022 authorizes $30 million per year through fiscal year 2026, and mandates a standardized application process, increases grant spending flexibility, improves communication between the SBA and States, and enhances reporting requirements.

The legislation allows businesses less than 1 year old to participate in the program, which would allow STEP to provide services to the most innovative small businesses that are exporting faster than ever before.

The legislation has the strong support of the State International Development Organizations. I thank the bill's sponsors, Mr. Evans, Mrs. Kim of California, Ms. Newman, and Mr. Flood for their continued bipartisan work to improve STEP.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 8844, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Evans), the author of the bill.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, small businesses are truly the bedrock of the American economy, and exporting is one sure way for them to expand their profits at home and their presence overseas.

H.R. 8844 will go a long way in ensuring small employers and entrepreneurs

at any stage in their business journey can grow and open the doors to the global marketplace.

By reauthorizing STEP, this legislation ensures that States and their small businesses will face fewer hurdles to participation and greater opportunities.

Once again, I commend my colleagues, Representatives Evans, Kim, and Flood for their hard work on this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 1687) to amend section 21 of the Small Business Act to require cyber certification for small business development center counselors, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the bill before us today, S. 1687, the Small Business Cyber Training Act of 2022.

The House passed its companion bill, H.R. 4515, the Small Business Development Center Cyber Training Act on November 2, 2021.

S. 1687, would establish a cyber counseling certification program for lead SBDC staff to provide specific, free-of-charge cyber training for small businesses.

As more businesses utilize the internet for social media advertising, payment systems, and global markets, more of them become vulnerable to cyberattacks. The cyber disruptions can destroy IT systems and derail operations, sometimes forcing the business to shut down.

Cyberattack damage is not just limited to the IT systems; it can also erode customers' trust and tarnish a business' reputation.

With that said, a recent SBA survey found that 88 percent of small business owners felt their business was vulnerable to a cyberattack, but reported that they couldn't afford professional IT solutions, have limited time to devote to cybersecurity, or just do not know where to begin.

Given the greater risk cyberattacks pose to small businesses and their limited capacity to protect against them, we must find ways to help entrepreneurs strengthen their cybersecurity posture. The SBA and SBDCs are ready, willing, and able to fill these gaps.

Under this legislation, lead SBDCs would be required to provide cyber training and resources and facilitate cybersecurity investments that are typically too expensive for small businesses.

S. 1687 makes minor technical changes to the House passed bill and were agreed upon by all stakeholders. I thank our House leaders, Mr. Garbarino, Mr. Evans, Ms. Houlahan, and Mr. Chabot, who have been true advocates on this issue. I applaud their commitment to helping small business owners protect their livelihood from destructive cyberattacks.

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

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

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

The use of digital tools dramatically increased during the pandemic, even here in Congress; and the massive shift to remote work has resulted in a significant rise in cybersecurity threats and attacks.

Guarding against cyberattacks often comes with significant costs and a substantial investment of time and resources. Unfortunately, small businesses operating on thin margins have fewer resources to dedicate to cybersecurity.

S. 1687 ensures that the Nation's 62 lead SBDCs are fully equipped to assist small businesses with their cybersecurity needs at no cost. The bill would eliminate the primary obstacle of investment costs and make cybersecurity mitigation easier to adopt.

This bill is a commonsense solution to complex problems. I urge my colleagues to support S. 1687, the Small Business Cyber Training Act of 2022, as amended.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 1617) to modify the requirements for the Administrator of the Small Business Administration relating to declaring a disaster in a rural area, and for other purposes.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 1617, the Disaster Assistance for Rural Communities Act. This bill will close a loophole in the Small Business Administration's disaster lending program, which disproportionately impacts homeowners and businesses located in remote rural areas.

Although people assume SBA only provides assistance to small businesses after a declared disaster, the opposite is true. In fact, according to CRS, approximately 80 percent of SBA disaster loans were awarded to individuals and households rather than businesses.

SBA's disaster lending program has been an important tool that helps not only businessowners, but also homeowners and renters rebuild after disasters and emergencies.

Under the current law, when the President declares a disaster under the Stafford Act, but does not authorize individual assistance, the SBA must declare a disaster for an individual to apply for a loan.

Yet, for SBA to declare a disaster, a minimum amount of physical damage must be sustained by a certain number of homes and businesses in a county or smaller political subdivision. This policy hurts remote rural areas because SBA cannot declare a disaster if a minimum number of homes or businesses aren't damaged or destroyed.

This outdated policy is hurting some of our most vulnerable citizens. We must close this loophole, especially as major disasters become more prevalent and destructive due to climate change.

In 2021, the United States experienced 20 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters, which caused $145 billion in damage.

This bill addresses this issue by allowing SBA to declare a disaster in any rural area in which a major disaster has been declared by the President but individual assistance hasn't been authorized under the Stafford Act. It is critical that SBA disaster lending programs be available to all individuals, no matter where they reside or where they operate their business.

I thank Senators Risch, Shaheen, Hassan, Kennedy, and Braun for their leadership on this important measure. I also thank Mr. Golden, who introduced a companion bill on the House side.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to vote ``yes,'' and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

This legislation to update SBA's policy to provide assistance to homeowners and businesses in remote rural areas is long overdue. Individuals affected by natural disasters need SBA assistance now more than ever, particularly with the threat of major disasters due to climate change.

A business' location shouldn't determine their eligibility for aid in the wake of a natural disaster. Simply put, it is not fair for SBA loans to be available for individuals impacted by a tornado or flood in an urban area, but not a remote rural area just because the number of properties damaged by the disaster didn't meet an arbitrary threshold.

The SBA's disaster lending program has been an essential tool helping people get back on their feet after a disaster and the program should be available to help as many people as possible.

I thank Ranking Member Luetkemeyer for working with me to get this bill passed today.

In the 117th Congress, Representative Luetkemeyer joined the committee as the ranking member, and while we may not have always seen eye to eye, we were able to set aside our differences to bring more than 20 bipartisan bills to the floor, including legislation to extend the statute of limitations for fraud cases involving PPP and COVID

Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the achievements of Judge Alex Calabrese, the presiding judge of the Red Hook Community Justice Center in my district in Brooklyn, New York. Judge Calabrese began his legal career as a public defender in the Legal Aid Society's Criminal Defense Practice and went on to serve as the court attorney for the Honorable Leslie Crocker Snyder. He was later appointed to the bench in 1997, presiding in Kings County Criminal Court prior to his tenure in Red Hook. While sitting through Kings County arraignments of low-level cases, he recognized the return appearances of those who had previously came before him. He began incorporating supportive services as part of sentencing including a follow-up approach which had not been done before. This brought him to the attention of Center for Court Innovation which was opening the Red Hook Community Court. As the first and only presiding judge in the Red Hook Court, Judge Calabrese handled cases from three jurisdictions: criminal, family, and housing, the first in the country to do so.

Judge Calabrese kept to his belief in people, viewing each who came before him as unique and deserving of respect, and most of all, the opportunity to live up to their full potential. Under his leadership, he fostered the Peacemaking approach of the Navajo Nation where the community comes together as part of decision making. A key innovation is Red Hook Youth Court where young people are trained to serve as jurors, judges and advocates for their peers who have committed minor offenses. This approach helps restore the harm done in the community and ensure those involved receive the help they need to avoid getting caught up in the justice system, addressing early-on underlying issues that prompt criminal behavior in the first place.

Judge Calabrese has shared his unique approach from the bench by presenting and teaching extensively, both nationally and internationally. Lord Woolf, Chief Judge of England and Whales said: ``the Red Hook Courthouse is the finest example of restorative justice I have ever seen and should be emulated by courts throughout the world; then justice will truly have meaning.'' For his greater than two decades of service on the bench to reform justice in our communities, I recognize Judge Alex Calabrese for his invaluable service to us all.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the life achievements of my longtime constituent Christine Holowacz, a community activist and environmental champion in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York. Christine immigrated from Poland in 1972 and attended high school here where she quickly learned English. Having a voice here was something she did not take lightly. As an early homeowner in the neighborhood, she became engaged in community issues and rose to become the president of the Greenpoint Property Owners Association. This fits a pattern for Christine over the last 25 years: she becomes involved, leads the charge, and works to find solutions for what seem to be intractable problems.

Christine Holowacz is emblazoned in my mind being at the forefront of the fight to cleanup one of the most environmentally impacted neighborhoods in New York City. Greenpoint today hosts two Superfund cleanup sites and the largest oil spill in the country. Christine was there in our effort to get the sites on the National Priorities List and played a key role ensuring a measure of relief from the devastation of the Greenpoint oil spill through the Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund. Many, including her children growing up, recall her advocacy at countless meetings: ``No power plants! Less garbage, more cleanups!'' She stepped up to become a founding member of Newtown Creek Alliance and played a pivotal role in the reconstruction of the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant and its Newtown Creek Monitoring Committee (1999 to 2012), and the construction of the massive Kosciuszko Bridge Project (2013 to 2020) leveraging community amenities in open space. Christine has played a lead role in Greenpoint Waterfront Association for Parks and Planning, the North Brooklyn Community Boathouse, Neighbors Allied for Good Growth, the Newtown Creek Superfund Community Advisory Group, to name a few.

Christine is respected by generations of neighbors and leaders. Indeed, Christine Holowacz is honored today at the Newtown Creek Alliance 20th-anniversary ``Tidal Toast'' gala with the Revitalize Award for her life-long dedication. I too raise a toast to Christine Holowacz, who has made North Brooklyn a better place to live. May Christine continue this work for another 25 years.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 4900) to reauthorize the SBIR and STTR programs and pilot programs, and for other purposes.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 4900, the SBIR and STTR Extension Act of 2022.

Let me begin by thanking Ranking Member Luetkemeyer and my colleagues on the Senate Small Business Committee and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology for their work on this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I especially want to thank Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, who is retiring at the end of this Congress. Her knowledge and expertise of the programs were pivotal to these negotiations.

Today's bill extends the SBIR and STTR programs and six related pilot programs for 3 years. Reauthorizing them is vital to thousands of small businesses and research institutions that partner with 11 agencies to develop solutions to some of our country's most difficult challenges.

Since their founding 40 years ago, SBIR and STTR have launched some of our Nation's most innovative enterprises and products that have become household names. Companies like iRobot, Sonicare electric toothbrushes, 23andMe, LASIK eye surgery, and Qualcomm wireless communications all got their start through SBIR/STTR.

More innovative technology is on the way. In fiscal year 2021 alone, Federal agencies leveraged nearly $4 billion in awards to back 4,000 small businesses and nearly 7,000 projects. Awardees are leading the way in our efforts to fight climate change, modernize manufacturing, and create breakthroughs in lifesaving medical technologies.

S. 4900 gives them the ability to continue their work and lead America's innovation by providing stability to both the small businesses and agencies for the next 3 years.

It builds on efforts to strengthen Federal research security through due diligence reviews to prevent malign foreign countries from stealing technologies developed through SBIR and STTR.

It also establishes higher benchmarks for more experienced firms to commercialize their technologies and includes various studies and more detailed reporting to increase oversight and inform future program changes.

Unfortunately, S. 4900 does not include everything we wanted to accomplish during this reauthorization, but I remain committed to coming together again in the future to have those conversations.

Our monthslong bipartisan and bicameral negotiations will avoid a devastating lapse and protect thousands of jobs. Today, we are here considering a hard-fought compromise to reauthorize the SBIR and STTR programs.

Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to vote ``yes,'' and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Stevens), the chairwoman of the Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Research and Technology.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Houlahan).

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for closing.

The U.S. has the most dynamic small business ecosystem on the planet, and this 3-year extension ensures that our country remains one of the most innovative in the world.

The SBIR and STTR are essential components of that global competitiveness. They give small businesses a role in developing groundbreaking technologies that make our lives better in a variety of ways.

This program boosts American security, innovation, and entrepreneurship. That is why we must act today to extend them and ensure our country continues to reap these benefits into the future.

Stakeholders, from individual small business owners to research universities to the Department of Defense, have made it clear that even a temporary shutdown would be disastrous.

Throughout these negotiations, we have not always seen eye to eye, but I am thankful we all remain committed to keeping the programs open.

We have come up with a compromise that provides stability for small businesses and the agencies they partner with, reduces the risk that foreign adversaries can steal U.S. technologies developed through SBIR and STTR, and preserves the competitive and merit-based strength of these programs.

Mr. Speaker, this is not the end, and there will be more work to do in the coming years. I pledge to continue to work to improve the programs.

I, again, thank my colleagues involved with reauthorization for all of their work leading up to today, including the members of the Committee on Small Business who participated in many hearings and briefings over the course of the past 2 years.

I also thank the staff on the House Committees on Small Business and Science, Space, and Technology for their dedication and tireless work to get us to this point: Dahlia Sokolov, Rebecca Callahan, Sara Barber, Elizabeth Barczak, Catherine Johnson, Jenn Wickre, Giulia Leganski, Robert Yavor, Delia Barr, Ellen Harrington, and Kevin Wheeler, who have been living and breathing SBIR for most of their time on the Hill, including this year as they worked around the clock, days, nights, and weekends. I sincerely thank each of them.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the SBIR and STTR Extension Act of 2022 to provide stability and certainty to small firms and agencies alike, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this historic legislation.

The climate crisis is the single-most important issue facing our future, the future we will all share, Democrats and Republicans.

I understand this is a down payment on climate action and more needs to be done, but let's focus on what this bill does. It lowers the cost of healthcare and prescription drugs. It lowers energy costs and delivers the largest-ever climate action by investing in domestic energy production and manufacturing while reducing carbon emissions by roughly 40 percent by 2030. It lowers the deficit and helps fight inflation by making a historic payment on deficit reduction of $300 billion. We do this by making the biggest corporations and ultrawealthy pay their fair share in taxes.

Enough with the fear-mongering by the other side. Let's get this done on behalf of hardworking families across America.

Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

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

There are at least 40 States and two territories with ongoing disaster declarations for drought. The Small Business Administration is currently serving the millions of small businesses and residents in those States to provide relief against economic loss.

The SBA has also provided almost $1 billion in wildfire disaster relief since 2016.

The amendment I am offering, along with my colleague, Congressman Garret Graves of Louisiana, would permanently set the unsecured credit threshold for SBA's disaster loans at $25,000. Doing so gives the millions of borrowers affected by any natural disaster, including wildfires and droughts, the peace of mind during a stressful and traumatic time.

In 2015, Congress enacted the RISE Act, legislation I championed that temporarily raised the collateral threshold on SBA disaster loans to make it easier for victims to obtain capital to rebuild their homes and businesses. Unfortunately, that provision is scheduled to expire in November unless it is extended or made permanent.

My amendment will make the provision permanent, allowing disaster victims to continue to receive a $25,000 loan, rather than just $14,000, without requiring them to provide collateral within 5 days of closing.

A recent report issued by the Government Accountability Office found that disaster loans with collateral performed comparably to those without collateral. Given this finding, it makes sense to help victims of disaster to rebuild quickly, particularly when they have lost everything to hurricane, flood, or fire.

As we continue to experience stronger and more frequent disasters, it is imperative that Congress enact policies to help communities get back on their feet and maximize support when they need it most.

Finally, this amendment is supported by the Small Business Administration. I thank the gentleman from Louisiana, for his support of this effort and his overall support of SBA's disaster loan program.

I thank Chairmen Grijalva and McGovern for working with me on this amendment.

I am proud to leave the Small Businesses Committee's bipartisan work to make disaster loans more affordable and accessible for disaster victims, while also addressing fraud in the SBA's pandemic relief programs.

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

Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, as the designee of Chair Grijalva, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on H.R. 5118.

Madam Speaker, I rise to congratulate Congressional Research Service Senior Specialist, Dr. Robert Jay Dilger on his retirement, and to thank him for his years of outstanding and dedicated service to Congress. For more than a dozen years, Dr. Dilger has been CRS's expert on small business. During that time, he has provided the House Small Business Committee and its staff--and numerous other congressional offices--with an unparalleled level of information and independent research on federal policies that affect small businesses. His work at CRS is the gold standard for legislative support and policy analysis for Congress.

Prior to CRS, Dr. Dilger had a distinguished career in academia. He became a recognized national authority on federalism, authoring nine books and numerous articles. Bob graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a bachelor's degree in political science and holds a Ph.D. from the Department of Politics at Brandeis University. Early in his career, he held positions with the National League of Cities, the U.S. Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, and the Brookings Institution before joining the faculty at the University of Redlands in California. There he served as professor and chair of the Department of Political Science.

He then moved to West Virginia University where he was the founding Director of the Institute for Public Affairs. In addition, Bob taught undergraduate and graduate courses and chaired graduate student M.A. and Ph.D. committees.

Bob arrived at CRS in 2004 to manage the Government & Finance division. Since 2008, he has devoted himself to research and analysis, generating an impressive portfolio of carefully curated and maintained written products, and providing support to congressional offices on the Small Business Administration's programs and a broad range of issues and policies affecting small businesses.

Through the caliber of his research, and the sheer volume of his consultations with congressional staff, Bob set a high bar for his CRS colleagues. He should be proud of his assistance on major legislation such as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Small Business Jobs Act, and, more recently, the CARES Act and related COVID bills, but also the long-term professional and personal relationships he has built with staff on the Small Business Committees and in other congressional offices.

Madam Speaker, this body and the Nation are all the wiser and better informed because of Dr. Dilger's public service both as an academic and as a CRS analyst. I hope my colleagues will join me in wishing Bob a long, healthy, and happy retirement with his wife, Gloria, and his 2 children and 7 grandchildren, as he begins a new chapter of his life.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the life achievements of Mr. Pedro ``Pete'' Morales, in celebration of his 80th birthday. Born June 22, 1942, Mr. Morales has selflessly served his community in Red Hook, Brooklyn for over 73 years.

When he was a boy, Pete Morales' family was one of the first from Puerto Rico to move into Red Hook public housing. Being a minority among Irish and Italian immigrants made them a target. Pete's father had to send his son back to Puerto Rico for a period after Pete's younger brother Nelson was badly beaten. Nevertheless, Pete returned to Red Hook to box every one of his brother's attackers and grew to get along with everybody regardless of nationality or ethnicity. Everyone grew to love Pete.

As Commissioner of the Red Hook Youth baseball league, Pete Morales coached generations of kids growing up in his beloved community. Pete has also been a voice for tenant rights, affordable housing and served as an active member of Fifth Avenue Committee's advisory board for new affordable housing in the neighborhood. Pete has also been a tireless advocate for the environment and better neighborhood conditions through Red Hook Groups Against Garbage Sites (GAGS) which fought a massive trash incinerator and countless solid waste transfer stations seeking to cluster in the community which were successfully reversed. Mr. Morales has long served at Visitation Church as a Eucharistic Minister and continues to be a recognized elder.

Mr. Morales remains a solid pillar of the community, well respected by generations of neighbors, leaders, and the local clergy from his decades of community service. Through his life-long dedication to his community, Pete Morales has made Red Hook a better place to live. I thank Mr. Pedro Morales for his public service and offer him best wishes for a well-deserved and happy 80th birthday.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the en bloc amendment.

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the wealth and economic inequalities faced by many individuals, families, and small business owners in our Nation's LMI and communities of color.

As chair of the House Small Business Committee, I fought to ensure our Nation's women-, LGBTQ-, and minority-owned small businesses had access to Federal recovery programs and mainstream sources of credit to the same degree as White-owned firms or those with preestablished relationships with the big banks. Unfortunately, structural barriers and historical inequities in our society continue to cause women and small business owners of color to face ongoing challenges when applying for affordable and timely credit.

This bill will help break down these structural barriers, root out discrimination where it exists, and promote entrepreneurship and other wealth-building opportunities for women, LGBTQ individuals, and people of color. By addressing these disparities, we can create a more resilient economy and one that works for everyone.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on this bill.

Madam Speaker, we are here today because for the victims of Uvalde, it is too late; for the victims of Parkland, it is too late; for the victims of Sandy Hook, it is too late; and for the victims of Columbine, it is too late.

Constituents from my district are still reeling from recent gun violence incidents. We all saw the images of people running desperately away from the shooter at the subway station in Sunset Park. I am tired of watching again and again my constituents suffer from horrific acts of gun violence.

This legislation is a necessary step to prevent gun violence from happening in our schools, places of worship, grocery stores, malls, and public transportation. Moreover, it imposes stronger regulations on those who can buy these weapons of war.

Congress cannot be too late anymore. Enough is enough.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7352) to amend the Small Business Act to extend the statute of limitation for fraud by borrowers under the Paycheck Protection Program, and for other purposes.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.

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

Madam Speaker, I thank all the members on the Small Business Committee for their work and support of the bills before us.

The legislation we are considering is, once again, a product of our committee's bipartisanship and shows that we are committed to our Nation's entrepreneurs.

The seven bipartisan bills we are considering will promote economic growth on our Main Streets in numerous ways.

The first two reaffirm our commitment to being good stewards of taxpayer dollars, and the importance of holding pandemic fraudsters accountable for their crimes.

The second pair of bills under consideration will help small firms attract and retain qualified employees by boosting apprenticeships and career and technical education programs.

Finally, we will consider three bills to improve the Federal procurement process and promote opportunities for small businesses to secure contracts from the Federal Government.

The first bill under consideration today is H.R. 7352, the PPP and Bank Fraud Enforcement Harmonization Act of 2022, introduced by myself and our ranking member from Missouri (Mr. Luetkemeyer).

H.R. 7352 sets the statute of limitations for all cases of PPP fraud at 10 years, consistent with the statute of limitations for bank fraud.

Under current law, bank-originated PPP fraud is being prosecuted as bank fraud, which has a 10-year statute of limitations.

At the same time, PPP loans originated by nonbank lenders, including fintech companies, are often prosecuted as wire fraud, which carries a 5-year statute of limitations.

To address this difference, the bill extends the time for prosecutors to bring charges to 10 years for all cases of PPP fraud, regardless of whether the lender was a bank or fintech company.

SBA's Office of Inspector General identified over 70,000 PPP loans totaling over $4.6 billion in potentially fraudulent PPP loans, many of which originated with fintechs.

According to researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, fintech companies handled 75 percent of PPP loans connected to fraud by the DOJ, despite originating only 15 percent of the loans overall.

As of March 10, the DOJ's efforts have resulted in criminal charges against over a thousand defendants with alleged losses exceeding $1.1 billion and over 240 civil investigations into more than 1,800 individuals and entities for alleged misconduct in connection with pandemic relief loans totaling more than $6 billion.

Given the extent of potential fraud, especially among the subset of PPP loans originated by nonbank lenders, we must ensure prosecutors have enough time to fully investigate and bring fraud charges.

As of now, the statute of limitations for nonbank PPP loans secured in April 2020 will expire in 2025 in most cases, less than 3 years away. That is not enough time given the complexity of these fraud schemes.

As the chair of the Small Business Committee, I take my role over the SBA and its program very seriously. That is why I sponsored this bill to give the DOJ, FBI, and State and local law enforcement the resources and time they need to bring these bad actors to justice.

Madam Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Luetkemeyer for joining me in leading this effort, and to the members of the Small Business Committee for their support.

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

Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, we must continue supporting the work of our Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies as they investigate and prosecute pandemic loan fraud. It appears the bulk of PPP loan fraud was originated by nonbank lenders and fintech companies, which may not be prosecuted as bank fraud and is therefore subject to a much shorter statute of limitations.

This presents the possibility that pandemic loan fraudsters may get off the hook because the statute of limitations expired. We simply cannot let this happen. This bill would give law enforcement agencies the time needed to hold fraudsters accountable and bring them to justice.

Once again, I thank our ranking member, Mr. Luetkemeyer, for working with me to lead this important effort, and all the members of the Small Business Committee for their bipartisan work on this bill.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I yield back the balance of my time.