Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Oreland Boy Scout Troop 1 of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania as it celebrates its 100th Anniversary. The Boy Scouts of America chartered the troop in 1917, and its members have been active and dedicated contributors to their communities in the century since. Today, Troop 1 hosts scouts from Oreland, Flourtown, Erdenheim, Fort Washington, Maple Glen and other neighboring communities.

The Boy Scouts are one of the largest youth development organizations in the country, and I am pleased to have so many active troops in Pennsylvania's 7th District. Oreland Boy Scout Troop 1 is one such troop, among the oldest in Pennsylvania, and it has trained so many of our area's youth to be young men of character, service, and commitment to community and country.

Mr. Speaker, Oreland Boy Scout Troop 1 performs an invaluable service to the scouts involved and the communities it serves. I thank the Troop's scouts and leaders over the last century for their service and leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Robert and Megan Trinkley and the many supporters and volunteers of the Mission First Housing Group, which places homeless veterans in need in safe, affordable, and sustainable housing.

Last Friday evening, I had the great pleasure to be present at the third annual Homes for Heroes fundraising event in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. I joined the Trinkleys and iconic radio personality and Vietnam veteran John DeBella and hundreds of community supporters who were all committed to quality housing for our vets.

The Homes for Heroes event was founded in 2015 as a way for the Trinkleys to honor the memory of Megan's late father, a United States Air Force veteran. Homes for Heroes raised more than $40,000 last year and surpassed that number this year.

Mr. Speaker, on any given night, some 40,000 of our veterans are homeless, and that is too many. But thanks to the work of Robert and Megan Trinkley and all of those who have supported Homes for Heroes, some three dozen veterans right now in our region sleep in safe, affordable housing.

I am grateful for their efforts, and I applaud them for their service to the homeless veterans to assure that no hero he is left behind.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 512, the WINGMAN Act. The WINGMAN Act will help Members of Congress and our staff members better assist the constituents that we serve. It cuts bureaucracy out of the casework process, and it makes it easier to connect Pennsylvania families with the services and benefits that they need.

Our staff members in our district do tremendous work every day. They help constituents and their families navigate the Federal bureaucracy, whether it is helping veterans obtain care through the VA, seniors access their Medicare or Social Security benefits, or even helping a traveler obtain a passport for an emergency trip overseas. Too often that work goes unsung and the hard work they do goes unrecognized.

I am blessed to have a terrific staff in my district office, led by my district chief of staff, Caitlin Ganley. Our team, Bill Dondero, Maureen Quinn, Alaina Sforza, and Brian Gallie have helped literally thousands of individuals as we have worked to cut through the red tape and get the answers they need from the agencies across the Federal Government. The WINGMAN Act will make this difficult job just a little bit easier, and I am proud to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 74.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the memory of Officer Dennis McNamara of the Upper Darby Police Department in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

Fifteen years ago yesterday, Officer McNamara was brutally gunned down and murdered in the line of duty while he served his community. He was survived by his wife, Diane, and his wonderful children, Spike and Melissa. I was with Diane, Spike, Melissa, and others yesterday as we dedicated a road in Dennis' hometown of Upper Darby as the ``Dennis McNamara Memorial Highway.'' It was a fitting memorial to Dennis' wonderful life and the legacy he has left behind, and it is one of the many ways Dennis' own community will never be forgotten.

Madam Speaker, I will soon be presenting Dennis' family with two flags. The first flag flew over the United States Capitol yesterday, which marked the 15th anniversary of his death. The second is a flag of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Foundation, which flew over the law enforcement memorial--just blocks from here in Judiciary Square--during National Police Week.

No gesture will bring Dennis back to his family, but it is my hope that these flags will continue to help his community honor his family and the ultimate sacrifice he made.

Mr. Chair, on rollcall No. 65 I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Amendment No. 6 Offered by Ms. Jackson Lee

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 4007) to recodify and reauthorize the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards Program.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4007, which is the Protecting and Securing Chemical Facilities From Terrorist Attacks Act of 2014. This bipartisan legislation went through regular order, and it passed the House in July by voice vote.

It now returns to us from the Senate where, yesterday, it passed by unanimous consent. H.R. 4007 is enthusiastically supported by the industry stakeholders it most directly impacts, as well as the Department of Homeland Security which is responsible for its implementation.

While it was in the Senate, the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee of the Senate made improvements to the House-passed version of the bill that take into account the interests of the labor unions who staff many facilities while, at the same time, strengthening the program overall and making it more workable and more effective for all parties involved. These changes were thoroughly vetted with industry, labor, and the Department itself, and they are widely endorsed.

As a result, Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4007 represents the culmination of a productive collaboration between my colleagues on the other side of the aisle and those in my conference, the House and the Senate, industry, labor, and the Federal Government.

Over the course of the past year, through multiple hearings and countless meetings, all of us have worked in partnership to take an honest look at the CFATS program to look at its strengths and shortcomings and to develop a straightforward, practically-minded piece of legislation to improve the program overall.

Mr. Speaker, prior to the attacks of September 11, Congress had established an array of laws aimed at preventing environmental disasters at facilities that produce or store potentially dangerous chemicals.

While those laws remain, Congress and the Department of Homeland Security developed CFATS specifically to prevent an intentional attack on chemical facilities. The CFATS program requires DHS to develop a set of vulnerability assessment standards for chemical plants and to implement a corresponding set of regulations to protect the highest- risk facilities from a physical attack.

Despite what we would all agree are the best intentions, it is no secret that CFATS struggled in its earlier years from implementation problems to management flaws to insufficient feedback from the facilities. These were highlighted in the aftermath of the devastating explosion at a chemical facility in West, Texas. CFATS had a rocky start.

To make matters worse, for the past 4 years, CFATS has relied on appropriations for its existence with no authorization from Congress and no official guidance. This bill is a major breakthrough; CFATS will be reauthorized for the very first time.

With that authorization, both Chambers of Congress are finally able to provide smart, binding guidelines to improve the operation of the program, measure progress, and enhance security.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud of this legislation. I am particularly grateful for the bipartisan support. I know that there have been moments of disagreement, and there may continue to be points in which there are some modicum of issues of disagreement, but the overall collective bipartisan work on this issue, taking into account the efforts of management, labor, government, and industry, has resulted in what I believe to be a very substantial and important piece of legislation.

I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to send H.R. 4007 to the President's desk so we can ensure that proper measures are in place to secure the Nation's vast network of chemical facilities and to keep our facilities safe from harm.

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

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

I want to express my deep appreciation to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson) and the gentlewoman from New York, whom I had the good privilege to serve with on the subcommittee which originally authored this important legislation.

I appreciate the leadership that the ranking member had initiated in this area prior to my tenure on the committee. It was during the bipartisan effort to look at this when both sides of our committee realized that we would not write the perfect bill, but it was critically important that collectively we could get to a very good bill which would do the most important thing, which is to authorize the capacity for DHS to have this meaningful role in this very, very important area.

I do appreciate the issue with respect to self-certification. We recognized as we were dealing with this issue, as well, that one of the real problems in the beginning was the heightened expectations that were created, particularly with those smaller facilities, about responsiveness from DHS. And so responsible entities would go through the work and the steps of creating site security plans, awaiting and awaiting and awaiting DHS to get there to help approve the work that they were doing. By creating that unrealistic expectation, we also created not just the appearance but the reality of looking like an underperforming Department of Homeland Security in this critical area.

I think that the work that has been done has been focused on trying to get this right. This will require that any self-certification be done with templates that are being put together by Homeland Security, and there will be strict deadlines for conformance, and the failure to conform will put them right back into oversight. But I respect and genuinely appreciate the points made by the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson).

This is significant because passage of this bill will allow us to know where these chemicals are, and that, in and of itself, is significant. To be a firefighter and to not know what might be in the building that you are responding to is inexcusable. That was the circumstance in which those brave firefighters found themselves in West, Texas. This begins to create the kinds of protections to avoid that kind of uncertainty. We owe it to our brave firefighters and others on the front lines.

Most significantly, this has been a program in which there have been a number of responsible companies that have taken it upon themselves to ensure that they are doing the right thing in terms of identifying the chemicals they have and securing them appropriately to protect against any kind of misapplication.

Without this kind of legislation, what it does is rewards the outliers who are not taking those responsible steps. This will give DHS the authority to ensure that there is oversight over the entirety of the chemical stock. It is important, it is timely, and it will allow us to have appropriate oversight over DHS as well, who I have confidence can step up to the job.

So in light of all of those points, I urge all Members to join me in supporting this bipartisan bill, H.R. 4007.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendments to the bill (H.R. 2952) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to make certain improvements in the laws relating to the advancement of security technologies for critical infrastructure protection, and for other purposes.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2952, the Cybersecurity Workforce Assessment Act. H.R. 2952 was originally passed by the House as the Critical Infrastructure Research and Development Act of 2014. The updated legislation passed this week by our Senate colleagues adds important cybersecurity workforce provisions to the bill from what is known as McCaul-Meehan, H.R. 3696.

As cyber attacks by hackers from around the world grow increasingly sophisticated, it is more urgent than ever to improve our ability to stop them. Currently, the Department of Homeland Security's National Cybersecurity Communications and Integration Center, NCCIC, must compete with big technology companies and cybersecurity firms for cybersecurity workforce, while DHS is limited in its ability to attract talented and well-trained cyber warriors.

H.R. 2952 will require the Secretary to assess the cybersecurity workforce currently in DHS and develop a strategy to enhance it. The assessment would look at cyber positions, readiness, training, types of positions, and its ability to carry out its cyber mission, with the ultimate goal of enhancing these capabilities and produce a recruitment and implementation plan. Finally, the bill also requires the Secretary to submit a report on the feasibility of establishing a cybersecurity fellowship program.

This legislation along with the others we have brought up today are important pieces in improving the overall capabilities of the Department of Homeland Security and its ability to carry out its cybersecurity mission. This is a critically important piece of legislation which enables the Department of Homeland Security to compete for what are very, very in-demand individuals with talent in the area of cybersecurity and protections.

Most significantly, it allows us to have the kinds of quality of individuals who can work in an equal capacity

with the best of those who are in our other governmental institutions, and particularly those who are now working in the private sector. I believe that the capacity for DHS to attract these workers is critical to its mission. I continue to encourage the growth and development of that expertise.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no more speakers, and I am prepared to close once the gentleman does.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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

I want to thank the gentleman for his kind words and for his cooperation. The ranking member helped to set a tone for the collaboration on the committee, along with the leadership of our chairman of the committee, the gentleman from Texas. From the beginning, our focus was on working together to find solutions to the important issues which don't have a Democrat or a Republican unique perspective. It is an American perspective for us to put the priority on protecting our homeland.

I want to particularly express my appreciation to the ranking member of our subcommittee, the gentlewoman from New York, for all of her collaboration and the delightful manner in which we had to work through difficult issues together but, ultimately, got to compromise into important resolutions on these issues and matters of importance.

I appreciate her foresight on this particular provision, which I am pleased to strongly endorse. The reason for that is we are facing a very challenging time globally with the issue of cybersecurity. We not only have to worry about the impacts that can happen with cyber issues for the kinds of materials that we have got in the private sector, that they can be impacted, but we are also dealing in a very unsafe world in which threats are not only the theft of information or interference with systems, but the ability now for those who want to do us harm to use the cyber network to carry out that harm. Therefore, it is more critical than ever that we are able to attract to the Department of Homeland Security, in fact into government, the kinds of people who are prepared to be on the front lines of this battle.

This is exactly what this provision will enable us to do--first, to attract people, and I am always inspired by them, because they have the same sense and focus of dedication to their country that so many brave men and women who sign up and serve us in uniform. While they are serving in a different capacity, their service to our Nation is every bit as real in the sense of the personal sacrifice that they make to help us attract the best and the brightest to protect our assets. You have to appreciate that many of them, once they get that expertise, are very, very desirable to corporations and others in the business world who will pay them significantly more to come to work for them.

So this idea of beginning to create the bullpen, so to speak, of the next

generation of cyber-prepared warriors for our country is at the heart of what the gentlewoman is trying to do, to enable universities and others to develop these kinds of programs that support students who, in return for some support for their education, will come to work for us. That will get us the next level of individuals, and it will begin the process of training those individuals, which we will need.

So this is, again, another important piece of our overall successful approach to trying to create cybersecurity.

I urge all of the Members to join me in supporting this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, let me thank the gentleman again for his leadership not just on this particular issue, but his leadership of the committee and, as I had said before, working with my colleagues on the other

side in a bipartisan fashion for these important issues.

I will be brief on this, but I can tell you that it is not the brevity of my words that will instill the seriousness of this issue. When the chairman mentioned that this is some of the most important legislation we have ever done on cybersecurity, I echo that sentiment because the nature of the threat is real, growing, and constantly changing.

The ability for us to be able to be adaptive in real time to communicate with the private sector and the government facilities to protect our homeland is critical.

A second point--and that is significant as well--is very real attention was paid to the issue of privacy, recognizing the individual desire to be assured that private information is not inappropriately utilized or misapplied by anybody, let alone the government.

This bill was the product of work that was done in detail with over 300 different meetings working through the complexities of this particular issue. As has already been articulated, it is one of the few bills that I would imagine in this Congress--or any Congress--that has strong endorsement from the Chamber of Commerce and the ACLU simultaneously.

Lastly, by organizing by sector, this creates the framework. This is the important foundation. There is still so much more to be done, but this is the foundation of the house, of the structure that will allow us to create and continue to create the kind of edifice that will enable our private sector, our government sector, and indeed all of those who are engaged in this issue in the country to be better positioned to protect Americans, their information, and their safety.

I strongly endorse this, and I thank the gentleman for his leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I also thank my colleague from Philadelphia, the distinguished gentleman, who has been a strong supporter of this important bill. I rise in strong support of S. 229, which is the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Act of 2013.

As has been identified, the legislation would rename the Woodland Avenue Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Philadelphia after Corporal Crescenz. As has been identified, he is Philadelphia's only Medal of Honor recipient from the Vietnam era from Cardinal Dougherty High School, which had contributed more young men who gave their lives in the service of their country during the Vietnam war than any high school in the Nation, so this is quite a distinction.

I visited, as have my colleagues, numerous times the veterans medical center, making sure that it ensures the veterans receive the care they deserve.

But I think one of the things that is important about this kind of a recognition is not only that it has been earned with valor, but the veterans who walk in and out of there each day, many of them Vietnam veterans themselves, want to hear the story about Corporal Crescenz. His name will be enshrined, people will know about it, and his heroism will live and continue to live.

I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania.

Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I also want to express my appreciation. I think it is one of the endearing factors. While we from time to time may have strong disagreements about issues, we actually have had many more that we have been able to work together on. This is one that I am proud to support.

I will conclude by saying that this was undoubtedly an act in which he not only acted selflessly for himself, but he saved his fellow warfighters from harm.

I would like to commend those who have worked tirelessly on renaming this facility, and I hope that my colleagues will support this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the lifetime of public service of State Representative Nicholas Micozzie.

For thirty-six years, Nick Micozzie has made the trip up the Pennsylvania Turnpike to Harrisburg to represent his community in the state House of Representatives. The residents of Nick's district have long benefited from his loyal service, legislative skill and dedication to hardworking families in Delaware County.

Nick began his public service forty-four years ago like many do, stepping up to serve in his own neighborhood as an Upper Darby Township councilman. Nick's compassion and his commitment to Upper Darby's families were obvious and before long, Nick's constituents sent him to Harrisburg to serve. During his thirty-six year tenure, he left an indelible mark on state government, chairing numerous committees and passing important legislation that helps Pennsylvania.

Throughout his service, Nick never forgot where he came from. He was always willing to talk to his constituents, explain a vote, or discuss the issues of the day. If there was any way he could help them, he did. It never mattered which side of the aisle you were on--Nick has always been a gentleman.

Mr. Speaker, last month Nick Micozzie made the drive to Harrisburg one final time. Surrounded by his friends, family and colleagues, Nick reflected on his career of service to his community. Nick Micozzie has been a tremendous public servant and a tireless advocate. Delaware County has been blessed to have him as a voice in Harrisburg.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5629) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to strengthen the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, 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 to include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

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

I rise today in support of H.R. 5629, the Strengthening Domestic Nuclear Security Act of 2014.

We know extremist groups such as al Qaeda and ISIS have shown interest in acquiring nuclear and radiological materials, and in July of this year, Islamist insurgents seized nuclear materials which were used for scientific research at Mosul University in Iraq. Fortunately, the material that was seized was not enriched to the point it could be used in weapons form, but it proves that our enemies are actively seeking materials that could be turned into a dirty bomb.

The Domestic Nuclear Detection Office is the lead agency within the United States Government for coordinating efforts to detect and intercept radiological and nuclear devices that threaten to come into the United States. DNDO coordinates these efforts through an interagency system and a collaborative framework known as the global nuclear detection architecture, which DNDO is responsible for implementing domestically.

DNDO works with other Department of Homeland Security components, including Customs and Border Protection, as well as State and local law enforcement to provide these entities with the equipment and training which is needed to interdict radiological or nuclear material before it can enter into the United States.

DNDO has had its share of struggles in the past, but over the past several years it has made significant improvements from top to bottom and today is one of the best functioning components in the Department of Homeland Security. We have done the oversight. According to an internal review that was done by the Department, this actual division has the highest morale of any department in Homeland Security. They are to be commended for their good work.

This legislation looks to build on the momentum that has been created by making modest improvements to better help DNDO carry out its mission. Specifically, H.R. 5629 strengthens DNDO's engagement with other DHS components and stakeholders and codifies acquisition procedures and guidelines to prevent the breakdowns that have occurred in the past.

Through my subcommittee's oversight, the gentlewoman from New York and I have had the ability to determine that performing the joint interagency review of the global nuclear detection architecture annually was not necessary, so H.R. 5629 also changes the review to require it every 2 years instead. DNDO has advised us that by making that small change, DHS could save up to $800,000. I think it is important to be fiscal stewards of the dollars that are under our oversight. This accomplishes that.

This legislation also codifies and strengthens the Securing the Cities

program, a program to enhance the ability to detect and prevent radiological or nuclear attacks in high-risk U.S. cities. This program has been very successful in building up the resources of New York City and is being expanded to the national capital region and Los Angeles and Long Beach.

I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation to build on the capacity of the Department of Homeland Security to protect the homeland against such an attack.

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

Mr. Speaker, after my remarks, I will insert into the Record an exchange of letters between the Committee on Homeland Security and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

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

I want to also take a moment to thank the ranking member for her engagement and collaboration on the many issues that we had the opportunity to work on together, to share this collaboration and engagement of important matters before our Committee on Homeland Security, particularly work that we were able to do, as you have identified, on cybersecurity and, I think, also on chemical facilities and the protection which is so important to our homeland in that area as well. I have genuinely enjoyed the collaboration and look forward to hoping that we not only pass the bills that we have before this Congress, but that we can continue to work together into the future.

I urge all Members to join me in supporting this bipartisan bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

House of Representatives, Committee on Science, Space,

and Technology,

Washington, DC, December 1, 2014.

Hon. Michael McCaul,

Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman McCaul: I am writing to you concerning the

jurisdictional interest of the Committee on Science, Space,

and Technology in H.R. 5629, the ``Strengthening Domestic

Nuclear Security Act.'' The bill contains provisions that

fall within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Science,

Space, and Technology.

I recognize and appreciate the desire to bring this

legislation before the House of Representatives in an

expeditious manner, and accordingly, I will waive further

consideration of this bill in Committee, notwithstanding any

provisions that fall within the jurisdiction of the Committee

on Science, Space, and Technology. This waiver, of course, is

conditional on our mutual understanding that agreeing to

waive consideration of this bill should not be construed as

waiving, reducing, or affecting the jurisdiction of the

Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

This waiver is also given with the understanding that the

Committee on Science, Space, and Technology expressly

reserves its authority to seek conferees on any provision

within its jurisdiction during any House-Senate conference

that may be convened on this, or any similar legislation. I

ask for your commitment to support any request by the

Committee for conferees on H.R. 5629 as well as any similar

or related legislation.

I ask that a copy of this letter and your response be

placed in the Congressional Record during consideration of

this bill on the House floor.

Sincerely,

Lamar Smith,

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3410) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to secure critical infrastructure against electromagnetic pulses, 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 to include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3410, the Critical Infrastructure Protection Act, or CIPA.

In 1962, the United States conducted a test named Starfish Prime, where the military detonated a 1.4-megaton thermonuclear bomb about 25 miles above Johnston Atoll in the Pacific. In space, six American, British, and Soviet satellites suffered damage, and 800 miles away in Hawaii, burglar alarms sounded, streetlights blinked out, and phones, radios, and televisions went dead. While only 1 percent of the existing streetlights were affected, it became clear that electromagnetic pulse, or EMP, could cause significant damage.

EMP is simply a burst of electromagnetic radiation that results from certain types of high-energy explosions or from a suddenly fluctuating magnetic field. An EMP can be generated by nuclear weapons from naturally occurring sources such as solar storms or specialized nonnuclear EMP weapons. An EMP event could range from a small-scale incident, with little or no permanent damage, to a large-scale event, with dire consequences. In fact, a successful large-scale EMP event could damage electrical power systems, electronics, and information systems, and these effects could cascade into other interdependent infrastructures, such as telecommunications, gas, and water.

Repeated studies, including by the Congressional EMP Commission and Lloyd's of London, have warned that the U.S. electric grid is vulnerable to damage from EMP events, that there is a significant risk, and that we need to be better prepared. H.R. 3410 takes commonsense steps to address the EMP threat. Specifically, this legislation compels the Department of Homeland Security to include EMP events in their national planning scenarios, conduct research to mitigate the consequences of an EMP event, develop a recommended strategy to protect critical infrastructure, and perform outreach to raise awareness of the threat.

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3410, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Franks), the sponsor of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I will include in the Record a letter exchange between the Committee on Homeland Security and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

Mr. Speaker, I want to conclude my remarks by once again thanking the gentlewoman from New York for all of her bipartisan work on the important matters before this committee, and I urge all Members to join me in supporting this bipartisan bill.

I yield back the balance of my time.

House of Representatives, Committee on Science, Space,

and Technology,

Washington, DC, December 1, 2014.

Hon. Michael McCaul,

Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman McCaul: I am writing to you concerning the

jurisdictional interest of the Committee on Science, Space,

and Technology in H.R. 3410, the ``Critical Infrastructure

Protection Act''. The bill contains provisions that fall

within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Science, Space,

and Technology.

I recognize and appreciate the desire to bring this

legislation before the House of Representatives in an

expeditious manner, and accordingly, I will waive further

consideration of this bill in Committee, notwithstanding any

provisions that fall within the jurisdiction of the Committee

on Science, Space, and Technology. This waiver, of course, is

conditional on our mutual understanding that agreeing to

waive consideration of this bill should not be construed as

waiving, reducing, or affecting the jurisdiction of the

Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

This waiver is also given with the understanding that the

Committee on Science, Space, and Technology expressly

reserves its authority to seek conferees on any provision

within its jurisdiction during any House-Senate conference

that may be convened on this, or any similar legislation. I

ask for your commitment to support any request by the

Committee for conferees on H.R. 3410 as well as any similar

or related legislation.

I ask that a copy of this letter and your response be

placed in the Congressional Record during consideration of

this bill on the House floor.

Sincerely,

Lamar Smith,

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my strong support for the National Institutes of Health and the vital importance of continued investment in medical research. The National Institutes of Health is one of the world's leading medical research centers and represents our best hope for improving treatments and finding cures for diseases that affect millions of Americans.

Today, more than 30 million Americans suffer from rare or incurable diseases. The research conducted by the National Institutes of Health is critical for success in the fight against these diseases. Particularly troubling among these is Alzheimer's disease, for which there are no preventative measures, palliative treatments, or cure. While we have seen reduced incidence of some common diseases--like heart disease and some cancers--deaths from Alzheimer's disease have increased over the last 30 years.

Currently, Alzheimer's disease affects more than five million Americans. Families suffer both financially and emotionally as they care for loved ones with the disease, and it places a staggering burden on our health care system at a cost of over $200 billion per year. In Pennsylvania alone, more than 270,000 seniors suffer from Alzheimer's-- 13 percent of all senior citizens in the state of Pennsylvania. These numbers only underscore the importance of investing in public health research, which might yield valuable treatments and cures.

Mr. Speaker, continued support for the National Institutes of Health is a critical step in meeting the health care challenges currently facing our nation. I urge my colleagues to consider the far-reaching and long-term benefits of investment in medical research through the National Institutes of Health and the positive effect it will have on our nation's health and economy.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Wallingford, Pennsylvania.

Since its founding in 1889, Holy Trinity has been at the center of the religious life in Delaware County, and the congregation lives its faith of love and charity every day. Members of the Holy Trinity family are well known for their commitment to their community through charitable fundraising and volunteer projects to provide meals to the homeless and clothing to the disadvantaged. Under the leadership of Pastor Gordon Simmons, Holy Trinity's membership has grown and the church community has been strengthened.

Mr. Speaker, I honor Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, its leadership and its congregants for 125 years of faithful service to our community, and wish them good health and happiness in the years to come.