Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of Representative Neguse's H.R. 5770, the WATER Data Improvement Act.

The WATER Data Improvement Act represents a bipartisan approach to ensuring that water resource managers have the data they need to provide communities and the environment with access to safe, clean water.

The legislation will promote successful drought resiliency strategies, strengthen essential programs, and increase water quality by reauthorizing the U.S. Geological Survey's national groundwater resources monitoring network, its Federal priority streamgage network, and improved water estimation, measurement, and monitoring grant funding through 2028.

The impacts of these programs and grants have been transformative. The national groundwater resources monitoring network brings together Federal, State, local, and Tribal agencies' groundwater monitoring efforts while the Federal priority streamgage network measures streamflow information to promote access to crucial groundwater and streamflow data for water resource managers. The legislation would also provide grants to develop, improve, and implement new methodologies and technologies for collecting, analyzing, and delivering water resource data.

With 2024 on track to be the hottest year on record and many communities throughout the West facing a historic drought crisis, it is imperative that we provide water resource managers with the tools that they need to collect and provide accurate data to develop and implement innovative water management and conservation plans.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the WATER Data Improve Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Neguse), the sponsor of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6062, which is sponsored by our colleague from American Samoa (Mrs. Radewagen).

This bill would eliminate the requirement for Congress to approve changes to the American Samoan Constitution in addition to the Secretary of the Interior.

When American Samoa drafted and ratified its constitution in the 1960s, only the Secretary of the Interior was empowered to ratify amendments to it. However, in 1983, legislation was enacted to add Congress, in addition to the Secretary of the Interior, to the approval process for making changes to the American Samoan Constitution.

American Samoan leaders at the time objected to this additional step and urged returning to the prior process of needing only the Secretary to approve changes to their constitution.

In particular, American Samoan leaders feared that congressional involvement could threaten their current political status, which incorporates their traditional ``matai,'' ``chief'' and communal land ownership system.

This legislation removes the duplicative, unnecessary step of requiring congressional approval for American Samoa to amend its own constitution. It is a commonsense bill that promotes democracy and self-determination.

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

Mr. Speaker, I, too, have no further requests for time, and I am prepared to close.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chair of the committee for his leadership.

Today, I am pleased that the House is considering the Accelerating Appraisals and Conservation Efforts Act, known as the AACE Act, my bipartisan, bicameral bill to cut red tape for everyone who relies on the Federal Government to buy, sell, or transfer public land.

It will speed up appraisals and approvals for Nevada housing projects and cut governmental red tape that drives up housing costs. Outdoor enthusiasts will be able to enjoy the public lands they have fought to preserve, and it will allow for better and faster infrastructure to power our communities.

The U.S. Department of the Interior oversees hundreds of millions of acres of public lands nationwide. Its Bureau of Land Management alone stewards roughly 70 percent of the lands in my home State of Nevada.

Before the Department of the Interior is able to buy, sell, lease, trade, or conduct any type of land-related transaction, it must first make sure that these activities are done at fair market value to protect the public trust.

However, while full-time Federal appraisers are able to work quickly and easily across State lines, the private appraisers on whom the Department of the Interior must now rely to satisfy the growing demands on the agency can only work in specific States or territories in which they are individually credentialed.

This is slowing progress across the country on a range of conservation,

economic, housing, and infrastructure goals, all dependent on the Department of the Interior's ability to complete land transactions promptly.

My bipartisan AACE Act would help alleviate and prevent appraisal bottlenecks by building upon a decades-old precedent of limited license reciprocity for appraisers established under the Bush-Quayle administration.

It would enable the Department of the Interior to contract with private appraisers who are appropriately credentialed in one State to perform appraisal valuation services on the Department of the Interior's behalf in any State.

Importantly, it would also require the Department of the Interior to continue to prioritize working with local appraisers, unlocking the enhanced flexibility provided by the bill only when no assignment- qualified or cost-competitive local appraisers are available.

In short, this legislation would maximize DOI's efficiency without spending a single additional dollar of taxpayers' money. It better positions America's principal land management agency to complete land transactions of all kinds more effectively and efficiently, ensuring that the Federal Government can deliver on these critical projects without getting in its own way.

That is why the bill has the support of Republican and Democratic Members of Congress, Senators, and Governors. It is also supported by the DOI and organizations ranging from Conservation Lands Foundation to Trout Unlimited to the Nevada Housing Coalition and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. It benefits everyone, from conservationists to developers, who all find themselves waiting at the back of the same Federal appraisals line.

I thank my colleague and good friend, Representative Dave Joyce, for writing this much-needed legislation with me to provide a simple, bipartisan solution to a simple, bipartisan problem.

I thank Senator Catherine Cortez Masto for championing this commonsense legislation in the Senate. It is essential that we pass the bill in this Congress so we can get it to the President's desk without delay and deliver as soon as possible on the lands projects that Americans need.

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

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I urge my colleagues to support my legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, this week marked the 95th anniversary of President Hoover signing the law that created the historic Hoover Dam in southern Nevada, marking nearly a century of generating clean hydroelectric power for millions of Americans.

Sadly, not even a structural achievement as grand as the Hoover Dam is immune from aging, and its maintenance needs are mounting.

That is why I have introduced the bipartisan Help Hoover Dam Act, a simple solution that would unlock over $45 million in existing and much-needed resources for this American icon, all at no additional cost to taxpayers.

Much of the work that I do here in Congress focuses on cutting red tape to make government work better for Americans. This is a dictionary definition of that.

I look forward to advancing this bill so we can make sure that the Hoover Dam continues to stand as tall and proud in the 21st century as it did in the 20th.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor retiring Dr. Federico Zaragoza, who has proudly served as President of the College of Southern Nevada for half a decade.

Dr. Zaragoza has been an education leader for more than 20 years, playing a critical role in driving student success. Before relocating to southern Nevada, Dr. Zaragoza served as Vice Chancellor for Economic and Workforce Development at a network of community colleges in San Antonio, Texas. For the past six years, Dr. Zaragoza has led the College of Southern Nevada, including three main campuses, seven learning centers, and locations that span 8,000 miles. Under his administration, graduation rates at the College of Southern Nevada nearly doubled between 2018 and 2021, and the College was designated as a national Leader College of Distinction in 2019.

In addition to his role at the College of Southern Nevada, Dr. Zaragoza has held several leadership roles and memberships on state and national committees and commissions. As a Member of the Board of Directors for the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), he advocates for nearly 1,200 community colleges and more than 12 million students nationwide. He also serves as the U.S. representative on the Board of the Inter-American Organization for Higher Education (IOHE). He has previously served on the National Skills Coalition's Think Tank, and as State Director for the Wisconsin--Job Training Partnership Act Programs, Dean of Continuing Education for the Milwaukee Area Technical College, and Vice President for the St. Philip's College Southwest Campus.

Throughout his career in education, which included delivering lectures and keynote addresses in the U.S. and across South America, as well as co-authoring workforce education materials, Dr. Zaragoza has received several awards for his work. These include the Education Brillante Award from the National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA) and the Texas Association of Community Colleges Carl Nelson Leadership Award.

Dr. Zaragoza has had a significant impact on higher education institutions and students

in Nevada and across the country. Mr. Speaker, please join me today in honoring Dr. Federico Zaragoza on his career of service and student advocacy, and in congratulating him on his retirement.

Mr. Speaker, my vote was not recorded today. Had it been recorded, I would have voted NO on Roll Call No. 276, AYE on Roll Call No. 277, YEA on Roll Call No. 278, and NO on Roll Call No. 279.

Mr. Chair, my vote was not recorded today. Had it been recorded, I would have voted NO on Roll Call No. 261, NO on Roll Call No. 262, NO on Roll Call No. 263, NO on Roll Call No. 264, NO on Roll Call No. 265, NO on Roll Call No. 266, NO on Roll Call No. 267, NO on Roll Call No. 268, NO on Roll Call No. 269, NO on Roll Call No. 270, NO on Roll Call No. 271, NO on Roll Call No. 272, NO on Roll Call No. 273, NO on Roll Call No. 274, and NO on Roll Call No. 275.

Mr. Chair, my vote was not recorded today. Had it been recorded, I would have voted No on Roll Call No. 228.

Mr. Speaker, my votes were not recorded today. Had they been recorded, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 219 and YEA on Roll Call No. 220.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to extend my personal congratulations to all the local entrepreneurs, the communities they support, and the Nevada Small Business Administration at their annual awards luncheon celebrating National Small Business Week.

From restaurants to wrestling gyms, these small businesses are the life of our local economy. As our community grows beyond the reputation as the entertainment capital of the world, one

thing will always remain true: We are a people-driven economy.

Investing in our economy to make it more resilient and diverse requires investing in the people who keep it running. I thank all the small business owners, their employees, and hardworking families who make our community strong. Happy Small Business Week.

Mr. Speaker, my vote was not recorded today. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 142.

Mr. Speaker, my vote was not recorded today. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 141.

Mr. Speaker, my votes were not recorded today. Had I been present, I would have voted: YEA on Roll Call No. 135, NAY on Roll Call No. 136, YEA on Roll Call No. 137, YEA on Roll Call No. 138, YEA on Roll Call No. 139, and YEA on Roll Call No. 140.

Mr. Speaker, I was necessarily absent from one vote today. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 129.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate our team of very bright students from West Career and Technical Academy in southern Nevada who will be competing this weekend in the national finals of the ``We the People'' civics competition.

These students have been learning all they can about our Constitution in preparation to be tested by seasoned lawyers and politicians from all around the country, but these kids aren't all future lawyers themselves. Many of them aspire to have diverse careers across medicine, science, and the arts. What ties them together is a commitment to being educated citizens, dedicated to developing their own opinions and exemplifying the best of our democracy.

I think we can all learn a thing or two about their passion for respecting diverse perspectives and finding common ground.

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate them.