Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to be responsible, to be accountable to the American public, and to deliver a comprehensive immigration solution. Beyond safeguarding our borders and addressing DACA, it is the responsibility of Congress to pass an immigration bill that provides a workable visa system for our farmers and all agriculture producers back home.

No one has worked harder or understands this more than my colleague and former chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, Mr. Goodlatte. His comprehensive immigration bill, Securing America's Future Act, addresses this by reforming the current H-2A visa program. The bill replaces the outdated H-2A program with a new H-2C visa placing jurisdiction within the United States Department of Agriculture and the Department of Homeland Security.

It also allows our farmers to access a stable supply of workers year- round, an important change for our farmers that work 365 days a year. I have worked hard on this provision with Chairman Goodlatte, and I am thankful for the time he took to listen to our farmers back home and incorporate many of their ideas and solutions into his bill.

In Kansas, immigrants make the dairy industry run, they strengthen the farms that provide food on kitchen tables across the country and across the world, and it helped the Kansas agriculture industry become the international powerhouse that it is today. Our farms, our local economy, and all the groceries you buy depend on immigrant labor. To address our current farm labor crisis, we need to create a process that is easier to navigate and allows our farmers to access the labor pool they need.

This Congress has focused on keeping our promises to be accountable, and now is as good a time as any, and is actually a great time, to bring immigration to the forefront and deliver for our constituents. Leaving this to the chance of a slipshod petition with zero chance of being signed by the President is simply not a solution.

I am all in on finding solutions, and while I certainly understand the complexity of this issue, this Congress has proved it can move mountains when, just a few months ago, we passed historic tax reform. And we can tackle our Nation's immigration policy by working together.

Honoring the Service of Major General Joseph Martin

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Major General Joseph Martin, who serves as the Commanding General of the 1st Infantry Division back at Fort Riley, Kansas. I have had the pleasure of working with General Martin and his wife, Leann, over the past year and have found them to be exceptional assets to Fort Riley, as well as the entire community. Although I am proud of their new journey, I was sad to hear they will soon be departing for a new post.

General Martin graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1986, alongside another fellow Kansan, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

General Martin was commissioned as an armor officer and, after graduation, served in a variety of troop assignments, including leadership within the Combined Joint Forces Land Component Command in Iraq, where he partnered with Iraqi and Allied Forces to liberate Mosul. Most recently, he served as the Commanding General for

the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California.

As Commanding General of the 1st Infantry Division, General Martin has worked to build readiness among his troops, and continues the partnerships with area communities and organizations to support his soldiers and their families during their time at Fort Riley.

General Martin has excelled at each post he has served in, and will continue to do so at his next assignment at the Pentagon this June. My wife, Laina, and I would like to be the first to welcome General Martin, his wife, Leann, and family to the East Coast. We commend them for their service to our Nation and wish them and their family the very best of luck at their next post.

Mr. Speaker, good afternoon and welcome back to Washington, D.C. I am sure, like me, you spent some time back in your district this weekend.

Every year, on Memorial Day, this country pauses to honor and remember those soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms and liberties.

If I could, I would like to share a story from my own district, from my own State of Kansas, which I got to participate in this past weekend.

For over 30 years now, Vietnam veterans have participated in the ``Run for the Wall.'' I am sure this is something that many of us are all familiar with. Starting in California, some 1,500 Vietnam veterans hop on their motorcycles and they take three different routes across the country, with the goal to end up in Washington, D.C. at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial over Memorial Day weekend.

Every year, one of their stops is in Goodland, Kansas, which is in the northwest corner of my State. I was allowed to participate in the hospitality extended by those folks in Goodland. If you could, imagine a small city of 4,000 to 5,000 people and having 600 motorcycles show up on a Saturday afternoon. They had been driving all the way from Albuquerque, New Mexico, through 30-mile-an-hour winds and rain, so they were starving by the time they got to Goodland, Kansas. And when they get there, we have a welcome reception for them with a complete dinner: a hot meal, fresh fruits, vegetables, the whole works.

With one simple Facebook message, over 600 homemade deserts were brought from across Goodland to feed and recognize those Vietnam veterans.

Then Sunday morning, the veterans wake up, after having been provided housing at Northwest Technical College for free, they wake up to a hot pancake and sausage breakfast, provided by the local Rotary Club.

Then those veterans hop on their motorcycles, and they drive on the interstate across Kansas. At every interstate where there is an overpass, there are Kansas citizens waving at them and giving them the heroes welcome that they never got some, I guess, 40 years ago.

They end up at Fort Riley, ``Home of the Big Red One,'' and there, Fort Riley makes a super welcome for those soldiers, and again, gives them a hero's welcome. These soldiers are going to show up here on Friday and they are going to get together at the Pentagon. At that point, over 500,000 motorcycles will be going across the mall of the United States Capital and on to Arlington Cemetery.

I hope and pray that our news media will share that story of all those soldiers who are now trying to close the chapter, trying to honor those who went before them, to honor their fellow soldiers who never made it back from that war.

I just ask that the House and this country pause to remember our Vietnam veterans, and all of our veterans going back to the Civil War, all those soldiers that have made the ultimate sacrifice.

Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this amendment.

Mr. Chairman, while many today will debate the role of the Federal Government in regulating product sales between two willing States, I simply want to make one point: The medical evidence against raw milk, against unpasteurized milk, is clear. There is no denying the link between raw milk consumption and life-threatening foodborne illnesses.

According to the CDC, unpasteurized dairy products, otherwise known as raw milk, while consumed by less than 4 percent of the population, account for 96 percent of illnesses from contaminated dairy products.

As a physician who has recently retired from obstetrics, what truly touches my heart is that two-thirds of these outbreaks are associated with raw milk consumption involving children.

How any school could allow raw milk inside their walls is nothing short of appalling, and that is why I stand today and ask you to oppose this amendment that would expand the interstate sale of raw milk and would fly in the face of both the FDA and CDC's best science.

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

Madam Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Yoho), a veterinarian who knows more about these foodborne illnesses than I do.

Madam Chair, how much time do I have remaining?

Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Schrader).

Madam Chair, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Peterson), the ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee, if he has any tolerance for the issue.

Madam Chair, according to a veterinarian well known to me, he has claimed that drinking raw milk is akin to drinking water out of a cow hoof print in the dirt.

Madam Chair, I want to encourage folks to vote against this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to salute all the men and women who make up the police forces across this great country. As well, the men and women in blue have served this country and protect us.

I especially want to salute the 135 officers who gave up their lives this past year. I also want to say thanks to my own father, who served as chief of police in El Dorado, Kansas, for 25 years.

My heart is especially warmed as I look out and see the tens of thousands of police officers in Washington, D.C., this week as they honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his leadership in continuing to fight for small business.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3170, the Small Business Development Center Cyber Training Act of 2017. Cybersecurity has become an increasing issue for small businesses, as many small firms have less time than larger firms to develop cybersecurity defense strategies, fewer staff to monitor systems, and less access to capital to purchase computer security hardware and software.

As more businesses embrace online tools, such as social media, mobile services, and cloud data storage, the need for stronger information security and cybersecurity systems has grown. Small business development centers provide important resources and business assistance programs for entrepreneurs and small-business owners.

In Kansas, small business development centers have aided hundreds of businesses across the State, many of which I visited across the district. H.R. 3170 acknowledges the importance of cybersecurity, as well as the broad reach of SBDCs, and instructs the small-business administrator to establish a cybersecurity program for SBDC employees.

Adding this training to the SBDC toolkit will allow SBDC employees to assist businessowners with cyber planning and strategy and is critical in ensuring that small businesses and entrepreneurs are able to securely compete in today's digital marketplace. I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, if I could today, I would like to share a story about one of my favorite communities in Kansas.

At 3,681 feet of elevation, Goodland, Kansas, sits on the border of the Kansas-Colorado line. You can look to the west and see the Rocky Mountains literally rising out of the Earth. Partially because of that elevation and the many hot, dry days there, the farmers have struggled for decades for a great crop.

But about 20 years ago, one of my good friends, Alan Townsend, and the farmers who make up 21st Century Bean, started growing pinto beans. They had some success, and then they started growing black-eyed peas and garbanzos as well.

Today, 21st Century Bean grows 40 million pounds of beans every day. They had success at that, and they said: You know what else we can do? We can process and package these here. So they formed a processing plant and hired more employees. That was a success. Eventually, they hired a trucking company. They now have their own trucking company to ship their products. Today, and every day, 21st Century Bean ships out enough beans to feed a million people across this country. The great thing is, their main customer is food banks across this great country as well.

I am so proud that we have made food banks such a priority in this year's nutrition bill, the farm bill. This year, we are going to increase spending from $15 million to $60 million for food banks. Some other significant products coming out of this nutrition bill is that we are going to make access to nutrition easier for the elderly, for those in the military, and, what I am especially proud of, we are rewarding children for making healthy choices like fresh vegetables and fresh fruit, as well as the greatest drink known to mankind, wholesome milk.

Mr. Speaker, as an OB/GYN for the past 30 years, I certainly know how important nutrition is, from preconception, during pregnancy, breastfeeding moms, and all the way to the last decades of life. I am so proud that this bill has made a priority helping protect

those on the edges of life: the newborn and the elderly.

I am proud that our country spends $115 billion every year to help those who need food assistance and spends another $3 billion of nutrition assistance across the world. But what I am really proud of, though, is this gives everybody on food stamps and nutrition assistance a chance, an opportunity for some type of work training.

I think there is no greater gift we can give to people than teaching them how to fish, as well as giving them fish when they are in need. I think that this is a great thing to do. I think it is a great opportunity for people. Over 80 percent of Americans believe in this policy. I believe that this is not a punishment, but rather an opportunity we give to people.

I stand so proudly behind the nutrition component of this farm bill, which we have strived so hard to improve.

Mr. Speaker, April 29 through May 5 is National Small Business Week.

Recent studies and surveys have shown that small business optimism is at an all-time high, and I have seen that firsthand with the businesses I have met throughout the big First District in Kansas.

Today, I rise to recognize the hard work and perseverance our small- business owners have and acknowledge their critical role in our local communities.

In the United States, small businesses create about two out of every three jobs per year, and more than half of Americans either own or work for a small business.

Over the past year and a half, I have had the opportunity to have meaningful conversations with many of the small businesses across my district. From Superior Boilerworks in Hutchinson to Midwest Energy in Hays, I have listened and learned about the issues they face and the ways that Congress can better support small businesses in Kansas.

Due to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, I am proud that small businesses will now work with lower tax rates and a fairer Tax Code. From big cities to small towns, entrepreneurs and small-business owners across the country are creating jobs and contributing to the growth of local economies.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join me in celebrating our small-business leaders.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for yielding to me today to speak on one of my favorite topics.

Perhaps I look at the importance of SNAP through a different set of lenses than some of my peers who sit among me. I spent nearly the last 30 years as a physician counseling and advising expecting moms.

Starting a family is a special and scary time for many of my patients. Almost all of them would come to me with a list of questions and problems. And despite the variety of their concerns, many could be solved with proper and improved nutrition.

SNAP assisted many of my patients in providing nutrient-dense foods for my mothers and children. The importance of nutrition in the weeks prior to conception, during pregnancy, while breastfeeding, and within the early years of infancy can never be overestimated.

In the United States, one in eight people identify as being food insecure. To put that into perspective, of the 5,000 babies I delivered, 625 of them are food insecure today. The thought of this, alone, weighs on our hearts and makes them heavy, and that is why I am so proud of this farm bill's nutrition component and why we worked so hard to get it right.

Our farm bill increases nutrition education, incentivizes our SNAP recipients to make healthier choices, and increases access to nutritious foods.

And for those people who live in our Nation's food deserts with limited access to grocery stores, we thought about you, too. We have to incentivize retailers to want to invest in these underserved communities. That is why we have extended and improved the Healthy Food Financing Initiative that gives grants to retailers to open businesses in areas that lack the access to healthy foods.

So I ask you today: How could anyone vote against a bill that looks at the food insecurity problem in this country from so many angles through the eyes of so many people?

We all know that food is health and that, truly, we are what we do eat. This bill will help all Americans become more healthy and to stay more healthy, and that is why I am so proud to support this bill and look forward to its passage, getting it on through the Senate and on to our President to sign.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to highlight my alma mater, Kansas State University, and the Kansas Wheat Innovation Center, which I had the honor and the pleasure of touring over this Easter work period. This

center works to strengthen the productivity of farmers both in Kansas and around the world.

The Wheat Innovation Center is the result of a public-private partnership. It was built in 2011 by the Kansas Wheat Commission, a grower-funded organization that promotes Kansas wheat through increased international trade and research.

The innovation center now encompasses 15,000 square feet of advanced plant breeding space and 20,000 square feet of greenhouse space dedicated to advancing wheat genetics.

In addition to the innovative center, Kansas State is also home to four Feed the Future labs, the most of any university in the country.

Feed the Future labs are funded by USAID and are focused on supporting research and land-grant universities to grow the agricultural production of target countries. Much of that research is tasked with improving the resilience and adaption of crops in arid climates, a climate not unlike that of Kansas.

As the global population rises to 8 billion people by 2030, the technology developed by partnerships like the one in the Kansas Wheat Innovation Center will only become more essential. We must continue to be proactive in the fight to end global hunger by pooling resources to strengthen agriculture for developing countries abroad and our own Kansas farmers at home.

The collaboration and leadership shown by Kansas Wheat, Kansas State University, and the Feed the Future innovation labs is a blueprint for finding solutions to feeding our growing world and improving the global food system.

Investing in Our Country and Our Infrastructure Initiatives

Madam Speaker, rural America is poised to reignite into an economic powerhouse, but its low population density and wide-open spaces have proven difficult for some businesses to operate, given its often outdated infrastructure.

Without Federal incentives to help bridge the financial gap, many rural American businesses struggle to access the same services as their urban counterparts at comparable prices.

This Congress recently made a more than $21 billion downpayment to improving our country's aging infrastructure.

While back in Kansas, I had the opportunity to sit down with a number of industry and community leaders from across the State to discuss how these investments will benefit our schools, businesses, and farmers.

From broadband deployment to highway and railway maintenance, community leaders could not stress enough the importance that this funding will have for economic development. Improving our infrastructure, highways, and railways will allow easier movement of Kansas agriculture and aeronautical products to ports for export.

With broadband expansion, our rural students will have the resources they need to compete with students across the country when they apply to the college of their choice. It will allow farmers and ranchers to better monitor equipment and utilize new technologies for precision agriculture and provide businesses access to new markets for their products.

All in all, I cannot stress enough how encouraged my constituents are because of our latest promise to invest in our country and our infrastructure initiatives. This funding will truly help rural America thrive, and I look forward to continued discussions on this here in D.C., as well as back home.

Mr. Speaker, March 25 through March 31 is National Physicians Week. As a practicing physician for nearly 30 years, I would like to use my time today to acknowledge the dedicated doctors nationwide who devote their lives to providing quality care for our patients.

I am so thankful for the doctors who have led the charge to observe a week dedicated to our Nation's physicians, and especially thanks to Dr. Kimberly Jackson. Dr. Jackson is a true pioneer for the medical profession. In June of 2015, she founded the Physicians Working Together organization. This group was created to bring physicians together from a broad spectrum of specialties. Dr. Jackson then, just 1 year later, established the last week in March as National Physicians Week.

This year's celebration will include a physician-led virtual conference hosted by the Physicians Working Together group. The conference is available for free and will provide physicians with valuable ways to improve their everyday practice. The virtual sessions will also highlight ways that physicians can take action in policy through advocacy groups and navigate the world of politics. I encourage my friends in the medical industry to tune in.

As an obstetrician/gynecologist, I have had the privilege of building relationships with patients that I will always hold dear to my heart. There is nothing quite like watching a family grow before your eyes and having a hand in their healthy growing.

Although government regulations piled on over the years have continued to make it difficult to build and nurture these relationships, my patients have become no less important nor less of a priority to me. I know this to be the case for many other doctors throughout the Nation.

During my time practicing medicine in Great Bend, Kansas, I had the opportunity to work alongside many fellow physicians who practice with a level of care that I want for my own family, physicians who are more than deserving of a week of appreciation. So please take a few moments to show your support for your local physicians.

For more information regarding the conference, I would ask you to check out the National Physicians Week Facebook page, or look at my own social media pages for more ways to spread the word.

Mr. Speaker, last night, 406 of my colleagues and I voted to pass the STOP School Violence Act and the Securing Our Schools Act.

As a father of four, when I dropped each of my kids off at Jefferson Elementary School in Great Bend, Kansas, I felt confident that they were going to have a safe place where they could learn and grow; but, today, we have seen time and time again that we need to revisit how we are protecting our children.

The STOP School Violence Act will train students, teachers, faculty, and local law enforcement on ways to identify threats and report them. It goes back to the message we have been relaying for ages: see something, say something.

This bill recognizes that sometimes our children and educators often do not have the training to spot some of the warning signs, and that is why it is critical that we provide training so students and personnel can recognize and report threats before they occur.

We also looked at ways to better our reporting process so that, when a threat is made, we have an effective way to log and intervene. To do so, this bill provides funding for States to upgrade their technology and develop an anonymous reporting system through a mobile app, hotline, and website. Not only does it allocate funds for violence, prevention training, and modernize our reporting protocols, it also allocates funds to improve school security equipment.

The STOP School Violence Act, coupled last night with the Securing Our Schools Act, grants funds for schools to install panic buttons and further hardening and protection of our schools. These are steps forward that approach the issue of school safety from several angles, and I am proud to have cosponsored both pieces of legislation.

I want to make sure that my message to everyone back home today is clear. The House of Representatives is listening, and our school grounds should no longer be soft targets. After last night's vote, the STOP School Violence Act and the Securing Our Schools Act joins the Fix NICS Act that has been waiting on a vote from the Senate since last December. Fix NICS would strengthen background checks and close critical loopholes.

Today I urge my friends in the Senate to pass these bills so that our Nation's schools and children can be safer.

Recognizing Resiliency of Kansans

Mr. Speaker, as droughts continue to worsen across Kansas, now impacting all 105 counties, we are again at the point of seeing wildfires whip across the State of Kansas. While so far none of them have come close to the size of last year's Starbuck fire, there is reason to be concerned.

Today I want to recognize the resiliency of Kansans who have been coming together to help neighbors and strangers alike, as well as soldiers from

the Kansas National Guard. These guardsmen work in cooperation with local firefighters and emergency personnel to combat fires and save people, property, and animals.

I stand today to commend their hard work and thank them for their service. These fires are a stark reminder of the devastation created by wildfires last year and provide a reminder of the importance in standing together in the face of difficulties.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to progress on a critical nationwide initiative: American energy independence. Energy is a bedrock industry of the American economic machine. Energy fosters innovation and has seen substantial leaps in efficiency, which have led to a dramatic expansion in scale.

To highlight the important progress our oil and gas producers have achieved, we need to look no further than my home State of Kansas, even just to think back to my childhood being raised up in Butler County, Kansas, which, during World War I, was the world's largest producer of oil.

Kansas has long been known for our production in agriculture and aviation. It is the spirit of innovation that has pushed Kansans to utilize their vast and diverse energy opportunities. The Wheat State is, in fact, a top-10 State for crude oil production and has the Hugoton gas area, one of the top-producing natural gas fields in the United States.

These factors give Kansas the opportunity to be a leader in the national effort to eliminate our dependence on foreign oil. In fact, American energy exports now compete with Middle East oil for buyers in Asia. Daily trading volumes of U.S. oil futures contracts have more than doubled in the past decade.

I was reminded of the size of the export opportunity this past week when I was in Mexico City in NAFTA discussions. With improved delivery systems and more efficient extraction methods, the United States is now exporting more than 1.7 million barrels of crude oil each day, with an increase of 11 percent expected by 2019. The economic impacts of increased United States output are encouraging to everyone in the industry who has fought through tough times with low crude oil prices.

This expansion has shaved our Nation's oil imports by 20 percent over the past decade and provided 21st century careers in rural communities. Since the 2008 peak, we have lowered consumer prices for domestic gasoline by 37 percent.

Just a few short years ago, no one would have imagined the United States could have increased production of oil and natural gas while still cutting greenhouse gas emissions, which are now near 25-year lows, yet we have. These advancements are evidence of the ingenuity of our producers. Further, they show that we have balanced energy production and environmental stewardship.

For the first time in generations, American energy policy is focusing on domestic production, global leadership, and economic opportunity. And that is something worth recognizing.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the issue of global hunger. Tonight, this very evening, 800 million people across the world will go to bed hungry. Throughout 2017, this very past year, this number has only grown, making this the first year in a decade that global hunger has increased.

This increase arises from violent conflicts and natural disasters that have worsened the situation for many living in extreme poverty. These crises demonstrate the need for lifesaving United States humanitarian relief around the world.

For 63 years, our Nation's signature food donation program, Food for Peace, has fed more than 3 billion hungry people. This program has benefitted people facing some of the worst humanitarian disasters of the century, averting famine, and providing medical care for those who need it most.

Today, USAID remains committed to providing for people in dire situations with emergency help. In countries like Yemen and Nigeria, where more than 70 percent of the population is facing severe starvation, USAID continues to step in to prevent famine and fight disease.

The USAID mission is to provide emergency food assistance, is vital to many countries around the world, and is a key pillar of President Trump's National Security Strategy. Its purpose is to end the need for its own existence by responding to the disasters and helping our partners achieve self-reliance.

A world without hunger is in America's very best interest. Hunger breeds instability and conflict. These programs represent a small investment to prevent future conflicts.

I am proud that wheat is the most used commodity in U.S. hunger programs. Kansas is known as the breadbasket of the world and is the Nation's leading wheat producer. But today, while our growers have full grain elevators in my State, we still have four ongoing declared famines around the world. There is no reason that we cannot connect the starving with our ample supplies of food.

I look forward to working with the House Agriculture Committee as we reauthorize the Food for Peace and other critical antihunger programs in the 2018 farm bill so that USAID and the United States Department of Agriculture can continue to help provide for the hungry and strengthen our national security across the world.

Need for Broadband Deployment in Rural Communities

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to emphasize the need for broadband development in rural communities. More and more, we see a transition from ``brick and mortar'' to ``click and mortar'' establishments, with the world quickly moving from paper to digital.

In rural America, the digital divide is becoming increasingly present. From limited connection speeds to locations entirely without service, these communities are lacking the same basic abilities as their urban counterparts. I am encouraged to see so many conversations happening in and around the Hill related to removing the barriers to connecting Americans, but there is still a lot of work to be done.

I applaud the efforts of President Trump, Chairman Pai, and Agriculture Secretary Perdue in making rural broadband deployment a national priority as we head into 2018. I hope that my colleagues here in Congress will remember that all Americans deserve reasonable and comparable service, no matter where in the country they live.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4675) to amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to provide for a low-dose radiation basic research program, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 4675, the bill now under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4675, the Low-Dose Radiation Research Act of 2018.

H.R. 4675 requires the Department of Energy to carry out a research program on low-dose radiation within the Office of Science. This program will increase our understanding of the health effects that low doses of ionizing radiation have on biological systems. Every day, humans are exposed to low doses of radiation. It is the product of industrial activities, commercial processes, medical procedures, and naturally occurring systems.

Research has consistently shown us the adverse health effects associated with high doses of radiation, but the health risks associated with exposure to low doses of radiation are much

more difficult to observe, and we are a long way away from understanding and accurately assessing this risk.

In the absence of conclusive evidence, agencies like the Department of Energy, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency are obligated to assume that any exposure to radiation increases the risk of harmful human effects. Without additional research, Federal agencies have no way to measure if there is a safe radiation exposure threshold.

Our restricted understanding of low-dose radiation health risks directly impairs our ability to address potential radiological events and medically-based radiation exposures. It may also result in overly stringent regulatory standards, inhibiting the development of nuclear energy opportunities and posing an undue economic burden on the American people.

As a physician in my home State of Kansas, I have a firsthand understanding of the crucial importance of verified research to ensure the best medical outcomes for my patients. For instance, an adult patient who receives a computed tomography, or a CT scan, of the abdomen and pelvis is exposed to approximately 3 years' worth of natural background radiation at once.

The CT scan is an invaluable diagnostic tool, replacing many invasive surgical procedures, and is a medical necessity for countless Americans. Today, we physicians are unable to inform our patients of the specific risks associated with these types of vital imaging processes.

There is a broad consensus among the radiobiology community that more research is necessary for Federal agencies, physicians, and related experts to make better informed decisions regarding these risks. It is no surprise that H.R. 4675 has received support from the Health Physics Society, the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, the Radiation Research Society, the American Society for Radiation Oncology, and leading researchers from Northwestern University and Columbia University.

I would especially like to thank Chairman Lamar Smith, Representative Dan Lipinski, and Energy Subcommittee Chairman Randy Weber for cosponsoring this important legislation.

I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith), my friend and mentor, the chairman of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Weber), the chairman of the Energy Subcommittee.

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

H.R. 4675 authorizes a critical research program in radiation biology and will help ensure that we are basing our industrial, commercial, and medical regulations on the best available science.

I want to once again thank my colleagues on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee who have cosponsored H.R. 4675, including Chairman Lamar Smith, Representative Dan Lipinski, and Energy Subcommittee Chairman Randy Weber. I also want to thank the numerous researchers and stakeholders who provided feedback as we developed this legislation.

I encourage my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Kansas Day, a recognition of my home State's 157 years of statehood.

Kansas was accepted into the Union as a free State in 1861. Kansans remain resilient, and we work hard to meet the challenges of today; after all, our State motto, ``Ad astra per aspera,'' means to the stars through difficulties.

The Sunflower State has long been known for its wheat product, but today our agriculture industry is more diverse than ever. Kansas is home to the fastest growing dairy herd and is second in the Nation in the number of cattle and calves.

From the farms to our universities, Kansas is leading the charge on research and innovation in agriculture, biosecurity, aviation, medicine, and basketball.

Mr. Speaker, the proof is in the pudding. Kansans are leaders, and we have a long history of producing innovators. Walter Chrysler, Amelia Earhart, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Bob Dole are just a few of the many Kansans who helped shape our Nation and advance our society.

As I travel through my district and the State, I see the economic hardships our farmers and producers face, but I also see optimism and hope. I am proud to celebrate my home State today and every day as I represent the people of the big First District of Kansas.