| Speaker | Time | Text |
|---|---|---|
|
Live House Coverage
00:03:34
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| And he's got three houses, also. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Why doesn't anybody say anything about that? | |
| He's been in politics for over 50 years. | ||
| All right, Mike. | ||
| And on the front page of the Washington Post, there's an article that says. | ||
|
unidentified
|
We'll leave this here and take you live now to Capitol Hill, where the House is about to gavel in for legislative business on the agenda this afternoon: a bipartisan bill combating deep fakes and revenge porn and a measure aiming to increase event ticket pricing transparency. | |
| Live coverage of the house is here on C-SPAN. | ||
| The House will be in order. | ||
| The prayer will be offered by Chaplain Kibben. | ||
| Would you pray with me? | ||
| Holy and eternal God, the world grieves the death of your own good and faithful servant, Pope Francis. | ||
| In his gentle and disarming manner, he showed the world the wide embrace of your mercy. | ||
| In his humble and unassuming way, he revealed the promise and strength of your love for all creation. | ||
| By his commitment to the poor, the downtrodden, the overlooked, and the underappreciated, Pope Francis showed us how to live your gospel of compassion, kindness, and faith. | ||
| Truly, Pope Francis lived his life in honor of you, O Lord, and now in his death, he honors you still. | ||
| Receive him into the eternal joy of your kingdom. | ||
| And may the testimony of his life and his death give evidence that whether we live or whether we die, we are yours, O Lord. | ||
| And may his witness be unto us an inspiration that we would choose in the time allotted to us in our lives to live as faithfully each day for you. | ||
| In your eternal name, we pray. | ||
| Amen. | ||
|
unidentified
|
The chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the House the approval thereof. | |
| Pursuant to clause one of Rule One, the journal stands approved. | ||
| The Pledge of Allegiance will be led by the gentleman from South Carolina, Mr. Wilson. | ||
| Everyone, including our guests in the gallery, please join in. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. | |
|
President Benson's Legacy
00:02:52
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|
unidentified
|
You may be seated. | |
| The chair will entertain requests for one-minute speeches. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from South Carolina seek recognition? | ||
| Madam Chairman, I ask for consent to the present house of one of the minutes to allow my remorse. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Without objection. | |
| Thank you, Madam Chairman. | ||
| Since President Donald Trump earned a mandate, he has been winning on behalf of American families. | ||
| Among his achievements, President Trump announced illegal alien crossings hit a new record, which is down 98% over last year. | ||
| Latest inflation report showed consumer prices declined for the first time in nearly three years, including the largest monthly decline of prescription drug prices on record and plummeting gas prices. | ||
| Inflation dropped for the first time in 17 months, and Trump deregulations are saving nearly $11,000 per family of four. | ||
| A national emergency to protect American workers to level the playing fields for American businesses. | ||
| In conclusion, God bless our troops as the global war on terrorism continues. | ||
| Open borders for dictators puts all Americans at risk of more 9-11 attacks imminent, as warned by the FBI. | ||
| Trump is reinstituting existing laws to protect American families with peace through strength, exposing Colonel Putin's lies. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
|
unidentified
|
For what purposes the gentlelady from Texas seek recognition? | |
| Thank you. | ||
| I ask unanimous consent to address the House for one minute to revise and extend my remarks. | ||
|
unidentified
|
The gentlelady is recognized for one minute. | |
| Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a remarkable leader, President Richard Benson, as he prepares to retire after eight years of service to the University of Texas at Dallas. | ||
| Under his leadership, the university has soared to new heights, expanding research, increasing enrollment, and strengthening UTD's reputation as one of the top public research institutions in the nation. | ||
| During his tenure, President Benson championed innovation, supported world-class faculty, and opened doors for thousands of students to achieve their dreams. | ||
| Over the past eight years, UTD has grown in size and stature, and its impact on the Dallas-Fort Worth region and the entire state of Texas has never been greater. | ||
| This includes opening the first phase of the Edith and Peter O'Donnell Jr. Athenaum, which features UT Dallas art museums. | ||
|
H.R. 452: The Miracle on Ice
00:03:32
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| The museum showcases an array of Asian art exhibits as well as pieces from the university's growing collection of Latin American art. | ||
| President Benson's legacy will live on in every lab, in every classroom, and in every life changed by this incredible university. | ||
| President Benson, thank you for your vision, your dedication, and your unwavering belief in the power of education. | ||
| On behalf of the entire House and the people of the Texas 32nd Congressional District, we wish you all the best in your next chapter. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Pursuant to clause 8 of Rule 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote or the yays and nays are ordered or votes objected to under clause 6 of rule 20. | |
| The House will resume proceedings on proposed questions at a later time. | ||
| What purpose does the gentleman from Ohio seek recognition? | ||
| Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 452, the Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act. | ||
|
unidentified
|
The clerk will report the title of the bill. | |
| H.R. 452, a bill to award three congressional gold medals to the members of the 1980 U.S. Olympic men's ice hockey team in recognition of their extraordinary achievement at the 1980 Winter Olympics, where, being comprised of amateur collegiate players, they defeated the dominant Soviet hockey team in the historic Miracle on Ice, revitalizing American morale at the height of the Cold War, inspiring generations, and transforming the sport of hockey in the United States. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Ohio, Mr. Davidson, and the gentleman from California, Mr. Sherman, will each control 20 minutes. | |
| The chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio. | ||
| Thank you, Madam Speaker. | ||
| I ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 452. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Without objection. | |
| Madam Speaker, no one's done more work on this than its originator, our esteemed colleague from the great state of Minnesota, Pete Stauber. | ||
| I would like to yield such time as he may consume to him. | ||
|
unidentified
|
The gentleman from Minnesota is recognized for as much time as he may consume. | |
| Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. | ||
| I rise today in support of my legislation, H.R. 452, the Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act. | ||
| Who can forget those words from legendary announcer Al Michaels? | ||
| 11 seconds, you got 10 seconds to go. | ||
| The countdown going on right now. | ||
| Mauro, up to silk, five seconds left in the game. | ||
| Do you believe in miracles? | ||
| Yes. | ||
| Who can forget those legendary words on that Friday, February 22nd, 1980? | ||
| What that hockey team did for our country during that time. | ||
|
Duluth's Olympic Victory
00:15:39
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| They beat the most powerful team in the world, these amateurs from our college ranks. | ||
| They beat the best team in the world. | ||
| They beat the best team in the world at the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid. | ||
| Nobody gave them a chance. | ||
| In fact, that game was tape-delayed because they didn't think it was going to be significant. | ||
| And that was the most powerful moment in the history of sports. | ||
| And, Madam Speaker, I want to talk to you about the state of Minnesota. | ||
| The state of Minnesota is the state of hockey. | ||
| It's our way of life. | ||
| I'm the first professional hockey player ever to be elected to the U.S. Congress. | ||
| I have two other brothers that played professional hockey. | ||
| My nephew plays with the Utah Hockey Club. | ||
| Hockey is our way of life. | ||
| And what this 1980 Olympic team did is unimaginable for the sport of hockey. | ||
| Those Minnesotans from my district, Buzz Schneider, Mark Pavlich, Bill Baker, Phil Vercoda, John Harrington from the district. | ||
| If you look at the small towns where they came from Grand Rapids, Eveleth, Babbitt, Virginia, Duluth. | ||
| These players grew up loving the game. | ||
| And when they put that USA jersey on, coached by Herb Brooks, we all remember white jersey, USA on the front, or a dark blue jersey, USA on the front. | ||
| Ten days before that game, Madam Speaker, they had an exhibition game and they were blown out at Madison Square Garden. | ||
| Yet, a few days later, Herb Brooks had them ready. | ||
| They were conditioned. | ||
| They were ready. | ||
| They played as a team. | ||
| Movies were made about it. | ||
| You know, growing up in Duluth, I had the privilege of watching many of these players play. | ||
| Mark Johnson, who scored two goals in that game, from the University of Wisconsin, I saw him play at the Duluth Arena against Minnesota Duluth. | ||
| He was magical. | ||
| Phil Vercoda comes from Duluth East, just a hard-working blue-collar family. | ||
| Goes to University of Minnesota as a standout. | ||
| Bill Baker from Grand Rapids. | ||
| Mike Aruzzioni from Boston University. | ||
| Jack O'Callaghan. | ||
| Mark Wells from Bowling Green. | ||
| These players meant something to their communities. | ||
| In fact, it's really weird because I represent Babbitt, Minnesota. | ||
| There's a realtor up there. | ||
| And it was just last year, Madam Speaker, that I asked the realtor, would you please bring me by Buzz Schneider's home, his small home in Babbitt? | ||
| I want to see where he grew up. | ||
| The love of hockey, the love of the game. | ||
| I know exactly where I was, Madam Speaker, when they won. | ||
| I was at the Pine Valley Ice Shelter in Cloquet, Minnesota. | ||
| I was my first-year bantam, and there was one of our parents that came running out of the Zamboni room. | ||
| He had just watched the little black and white TV and said, we beat the Russians, we beat the Russians. | ||
| I remember sitting on the bench. | ||
| Why is he yelling that? | ||
| Little did I know it would be a sports moment of the century. | ||
| Little did we know two days later, on that Sunday, when they played Finland. | ||
| And it wasn't going to be a gimme game. | ||
| They had to work hard. | ||
| And they beat Finland. | ||
| Remember Coach Herb Brooks when he said, if you lose this game, you're going to take it to your blankety blank grave. | ||
| Your blankety blank grave. | ||
| They were ready for that. | ||
| They were ready for it. | ||
| And then I just played Al Michael's last 11 seconds of the game. | ||
| To me, it gives me chills being from the state of hockey, knowing these players. | ||
| Madam Speaker, it was just a little over a month ago that we brought four of those players to Washington, D.C. on Hockey Day on the Hill to promote this Congressional Gold Medal Act. | ||
| You know, the night before those players spoke to our conference, I had the privilege of going out to dinner with them. | ||
| And I remember Captain Mike Aruzzioni, I was sitting right next to him. | ||
| And he says, you know something, Pete? | ||
| This game changed my life. | ||
| He was either going to be a member of the military, a police officer, or a firefighter. | ||
| And he said, this game changed my life. | ||
| That moment changed my life. | ||
| And he said, I did well in my life. | ||
| He said, Pete, for the United States of America to give our 1980 Olympic team the congressional gold medal, it's the cherry on top. | ||
| We will never be able to do anything bigger than that. | ||
| To have that captain say that to me. | ||
| That's why it was important that I worked on both sides of the aisle, that we got over 290 signatures to get it on the House floor. | ||
| The Congressional Gold Medal. | ||
| There's going to be three of them minted, Madam Speaker. | ||
| One is going to go to the Ice Rink in Lake Placid, where they won it. | ||
| One is going to go to the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in Eveleth, Minnesota, the home of Mark Pavlich. | ||
| And the third one is going to go to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. | ||
| We want to recognize that moment. | ||
| 45 years ago, I often wonder, why did we do this sooner? | ||
| Why didn't we do this sooner? | ||
| And we should have. | ||
| But that moment helped elevate the game of hockey across the United States. | ||
| It helped elevate girls' hockey across the United States. | ||
| And I want to share, my younger brother Rob was the coach of the women's gold medal team in Pyongchang, where they won an overtime. | ||
| Being an Olympic gold medalist, following these men in their careers, they were heroes to us. | ||
| Those of us that laced up the skates, we couldn't wait to get that USA jersey on. | ||
| Even playing ball hockey in the driveway or in the street. | ||
| This nation, it brought this nation together like no other sporting event. | ||
| We needed it at that time. | ||
| And these young amateurs provided it for us. | ||
| I want to finish with a list of thank yous, Madam Speaker. | ||
| First, I want to thank Congressman Mike Quigley, Republican Conference Chair Lisa McLean, Congressman Bill Keating for co-leading this legislation with me. | ||
| And I want to thank Senators Kramer and Schumer for spearheading the bill in the Senate. | ||
| I also want to thank the other 293 members of Congress who co-sponsored this bill to give these men the honor they deserve. | ||
| Second, I want to thank the National Hockey League and USA Hockey who have been championing this cause alongside me and have been instrumental in getting this bill on the floor today. | ||
| And finally, I want to thank the players of the Miracle on Ice team. | ||
| Bill Baker from Grand Rapids, Minnesota. | ||
| Neil Broughton from Roseau, Minnesota. | ||
| Dave Christian from Warroad, Minnesota. | ||
| Steve Christoph from Richfield, Minnesota. | ||
| Jim Craig from Northeast Easton, Massachusetts. | ||
| Micah Ruzzioni from Winthrop, Massachusetts. | ||
| John Ba Harrington from Virginia, Minnesota. | ||
| Steve Janasek from White Bear Lake, Minnesota. | ||
| Mark Johnson from Madison, Wisconsin. | ||
| Rob McClanahan from St. Paul, Minnesota. | ||
| Ken Morrow from Flint, Michigan. | ||
| Jack O'Callaghan from Charleston, Massachusetts. | ||
| The late Mark Pavlich from Eveleth, Minnesota. | ||
| Mike Ramsey from Minneapolis, Minnesota. | ||
| Buzz Schneider from Babbitt, Minnesota. | ||
| Dave Silk from Situate, Massachusetts. | ||
| Eric Strobel from Rochester, Minnesota. | ||
| The late Bob Souter from Madison, Wisconsin. | ||
| The late Mark Wells from St. Clair Shores, Michigan. | ||
| Phil Vercota from my hometown of Duluth, Minnesota. | ||
| And finally, the legendary and late Coach Herb Brooks from St. Paul, Minnesota, one of the best coaches forever in the game of hockey. | ||
| I'm excited to vote on this bill shortly, Madam Speaker. | ||
| I want to thank these young men for creating the most memorable moment in sports history. | ||
| and demonstrating to the world the unwavering strength of the American spirit. | ||
| Thank you and I yield back. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Gentleman from Ohio Reserves, the gentleman from California is recognized. | |
| I yield myself as much time as I may consume. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Without objection. | |
| Yes, I want to join in applauding the gentleman from Minnesota. | ||
|
unidentified
|
The gentleman is recognized. | |
| I thank the gentleman from Minnesota. | ||
| I rise in support of his bill. | ||
| I can't possibly do justice to the passion and the eloquence that he brought to this floor just a minute ago. | ||
| Today, we vote to honor the young men who reinspired a country at the height of the Cold War. | ||
| The legislation awards three gold medals, as the gentleman from Minnesota outlined. | ||
| They're going to three different locations. | ||
| This is the highest civilian award, and it makes that award to the members of the 1980 U.S. Olympic men's ice hockey team, whose victory marked a pivotal moment in American sports history. | ||
| On February 13th, 1980, the U.S. hockey team historically defeated the Soviet Union 4-3 at Lake Placid Winter Games. | ||
| Prior to their victory, the talented yet untested U.S. team was deemed an underdog. | ||
| Many of them were college players. | ||
| They were, on average, 22 years old. | ||
| They had played together only a few months. | ||
| Leading up to the game, the U.S. players took part in a seven-month training program designed to confront a Soviet team that many consider to be the best conditioned hockey team in the world. | ||
| However, through steadfast commitment, grit, hope, determination, the U.S. team emerged victorious and established a much-needed sense of national pride across this country. | ||
| Even decades later, I hope that these themes can continue to inspire us to confront the difficult challenges that we face as a nation today. | ||
| The events of the miracle on ice serve as a critical reminder of the importance of rising to meet the challenges of our time through steadfast commitment and grit. | ||
| I applaud Mr. Stabber, who spoke with such passion and such knowledge, and the other sponsors of this bill, and urge my colleagues to support this measure. | ||
| I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Gentleman in Reserves, the gentleman from Ohio is recognized. | |
| Thank you, Madam Speaker. | ||
| I yield myself such time as I may consume. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Without objection. | |
| I rise to support H.R. 452, the bill awards congressional gold medals honoring the 1980 U.S. Olympic men's hockey team. | ||
| You can't say it better than Mr. Stauber did. | ||
| It's such a beautiful, impassioned speech from someone who's lived so much of hockey. | ||
| But the quote from Coach Herb Brooks that sticks out to me is, great moments are born from great opportunity. | ||
| We all know the line. | ||
| It's an unforgettable one. | ||
| And they seized the moment at a time when I was too young to really comprehend what it meant. | ||
| And you watch it later in life as a guy who enlisted in the Army in the Cold War to see moments like that that move the nation and unite us. | ||
| You see what sports can do. | ||
| At the same time, the Soviet Union had a hockey team that was dominant on the ice. | ||
| They seemed insurmountable, but our American athletes showed they were not. | ||
| It showed the hope and optimism that was possible that within our country we could defeat unsurmountable odds. | ||
| And the coach and that team deserve the credit. | ||
| I'm glad that we're taking this opportunity to honor them with a congressional gold medal. | ||
| These 20 men played with everything they had. | ||
| They outskated, outplayed, and just fought harder, leaving everything on the ice to win that victory. | ||
| I urge all of our colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve. | ||
| I'm prepared to close. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Gentleman Reserves, the gentleman from California is recognized. | |
| Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I'm prepared to close if the gentleman from Ohio has no further speakers. | ||
| And he indicates that he has no further speakers. | ||
| Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. | ||
| This legislation awards three gold medals, congressional gold medals, to members of the 1980 U.S. Olympic men's hockey team, whose hard work and commitment inspired a country at the height of the Cold War. | ||
| I hope that in recognizing this victory, their legacy will continue to inspire us and to unify a country that faces significant divisions. | ||
| I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Gentleman Yields, the gentleman from Ohio is recognized. | |
| Thank you, Madam Speaker. | ||
| In closing, I want to reiterate the importance of the 1980 Olympic men's ice hockey team uniting during such a challenging and turbulent period in American history. | ||
| Their unforgettable victory solidified the nation's legacy of excellence both on the ice and on the global stage. | ||
| We owe these men a great debt of gratitude for transforming and shaping the landscape of American hockey over these past four decades, and I'd say broadly sport itself. | ||
|
American Music Tourism Act
00:15:19
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| Thank you again to Congressman Stauber for his leadership and to all my colleagues for helping advance this important measure. | ||
| Madam Speaker, I yield back. | ||
|
unidentified
|
The gentleman yields. | |
| The question is, will the House suspend the rules and pass the bill H.R. 452? | ||
| Those in favor say aye. | ||
| Those opposed, no. | ||
| In the opinion of the chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended. | ||
| bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Florida seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I move that the House suspend the rules and pass Bill H.R. 617. | ||
|
unidentified
|
The clerk will report the title of the bill. | |
| Union calendar number 46, H.R. 617. | ||
| A bill to amend the Visit America Act to promote music tourism and for other purposes. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida, Mr. Billarakis, and the gentleman from New York, Mr. Pallone, will each control 20 minutes. | |
| The chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida. | ||
| Thank you, Madam Speaker. | ||
| I ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the record on the bill. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Without objection. | |
| Thank you. | ||
| Madam Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Gentleman is recognized. | |
| Thank you, Madam Speaker. | ||
| Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 617, the American Music Tourism Act of 2025, led by my good friend, who is a great member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, my good friend Representative Hartsberger. | ||
| This bipartisan legislation directs the National Travel and Tourism Office to promote domestic and international tourism to U.S. music festivals, concert venues, and other music-related attractions. | ||
| Music tourism is a significant economic driver, estimated that by 2032, it will become a $13.8 billion industry. | ||
| By enhancing our promotion of music-related tourism, we can stimulate local economies, create jobs, and showcase America's rich cultural heritage. | ||
| I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of H.R. 617, and I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
|
unidentified
|
The gentleman in reserves, the gentleman from New Jersey, is recognized. | |
| Thank you, Madam Speaker. | ||
| I yield myself such time as I may consume. | ||
|
unidentified
|
The gentleman is recognized for as much time as he may consume. | |
| Thank you, Madam Speaker. | ||
| I rise to speak in support of H.R. 617, the American Music Tourism Act. | ||
| But I know Republicans want to pretend like it's business as usual around here, but the daily chaos and illegal activity that we're seeing from the Trump administration is not business as usual. | ||
| The reality is that 15 of the 16 bills we're considering today from the Energy and Commerce Committee, including this one, should already be law. | ||
| They were already agreed to last year as part of a bipartisan bicameral legislative package that was set to be passed and signed into law in December before Elon Musk intervened and killed the agreement. | ||
| That package included important provisions that would have lowered costs for hardworking Americans, but instead of passing it and sending it to the President's desk to be signed into law, my Republican colleagues allowed Elon Musk to decide what becomes law. | ||
| And what's especially upsetting about this is that my Republican colleagues know this was a good agreement that would have helped people. | ||
| It included provisions to lower prescription drug prices, crack down on junk fees, lower gas prices, ensure our water is safe to drink, and fund community health centers and teaching health centers. | ||
| But Speaker Johnson chose to cave to Elon Musk. | ||
| Though it may be delayed, I am pleased to be supporting the passage today of the American Music Tourism Act. | ||
| Americans are fortunate to have a rich musical heritage. | ||
| Throughout the United States, you can find countless venues where talented musicians perform, and these venues attract millions of people from around the country and the world who want to see their favorite artists or visit the place where famous musicians have launched their careers, all of which contribute significantly to our local communities. | ||
| Music and musical venues are very important to my district in New Jersey. | ||
| Asbury Park has been the home of the legendary Stone Pony for over 50 years, one of the places where New Jersey's famous son, Bruce Springsteen, got a start. | ||
| Red Bank, New Jersey is the site of the Count Basie Theater, named in honor of William Count Basie, who revolutionized jazz music and whose legacy continues through the theater, which continues to support and inspire new generations of local musicians. | ||
| This is why I am pleased to support the American Music Tourism Act. | ||
| This bill would direct the National Travel and Tourism Office to promote domestic and international travel and tourism in the United States. | ||
| Venues like the Stone Pony and the Count Basie Theater will help expand the already significant economic contributions that these venues bring to our local and national economies. | ||
| So I want to thank Representative Barragan for her leadership on this issue and encourage my colleagues to support this legislation. | ||
| These bills, for the most part, that we're going to be considering today were part of that original package that Elon Musk negated, but we are going to try to move those bills today despite what he did to try to scuttle everything. | ||
| And with that, Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentleman from New Jersey, Reserves, the gentleman from Florida, you're recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I yield as much time as she may consume. | ||
| My good friend from the great state of Tennessee, Ms. Diana Harshberger. | ||
| The gentlelady from Tennessee is recognized for as much time as she may consume. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to my colleague Chairman Gus Bill Rockas, as I affectionately call Gus. | |
| And I thank Ranking Member Pallone for supporting this act. | ||
| And we have the opportunity today to vote on legislation centered around something that brings us all together, and that's music. | ||
| And today we'll take up the American Music Tourism Act under consideration. | ||
| And it's a bipartisan piece of legislation that I'm proud to have led through the House alongside my co-lead, Representative Nanette Barragon. | ||
| It'll require the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Travel and Tourism to develop a plan to boost music tourism, welcoming both domestic and international visitors to experience the rich musical heritage we have across America. | ||
| It also ensures that Congress stays informed with regular reports on our progress, our success, and our challenges that we face. | ||
| And importantly, let me emphasize this bill will not require any additional taxpayer dollars. | ||
| It's a smart, efficient, and unique way to support our economy without increasing spending. | ||
| And, you know, whether it's New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz, or Seattle, where they rock out the grunge, or you look at the cradles of hip-hop, which is LA or New York, or it could be Austin, which proudly calls itself the music capital of the world. | ||
| Our nation's overflowing with a rich history of music. | ||
| But for those of us in Tennessee's first district, which I represent, this bill is especially personal. | ||
| We're home to treasures like Dollywood, which is in Pigeon Forum, which is the home of Dolly Parton, and the birthplace of country music, which is in Bristol, Tennessee. | ||
| And places that just don't celebrate our culture, they also drive tourism, create jobs, and strengthen our communities. | ||
| And I can't forget a little town in my district called Sneedville, Tennessee. | ||
| And that's the home of Morgan Wallen. | ||
| You know, my favorite song is The Way I Talk. | ||
| And I thought for a long time, Mr. Speaker, that he wrote that about me. | ||
| But I come to find out he didn't. | ||
| And as a tribute to Dolly Parton, all I got to say is we've been working longer than nine to five to get this bill across the finish line, and I'm so thankful for the strong bipartisan partnership that made it possible today. | ||
| So I urge all my colleagues to support this legislation. | ||
| And with that, sir, I yield back. | ||
| Thank you very much. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida Reserves. | ||
| Yeah, I reserve, and I'm prepared to close. | ||
| So, yes. | ||
| The gentleman reserves. | ||
| The gentleman from New Jersey, you are recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I would just say that this bill, as I said, was part of that bipartisan package that we had hoped would be passed last December, but for Elon Musk. | ||
| But this bill is important. | ||
| I know that back in Esbury Park in particular, they'll be very happy to know that our Congress is paying so much attention to American music tourism. | ||
| So with that, I would ask support on both sides of the aisle for the legislation. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
| The gentleman yields. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida. | ||
| Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I appreciate it very much. | ||
| And let me tell you, the Speaker on the floor of the House of Representatives in the great state of Florida used to begin his speeches by saying, I'm fired up, and I'm fired up, Mr. Speaker, because we're going to pass a great bill that promotes America and the previous bill as well, honoring the USA, | ||
| actually USA 1980 hockey gold medal team. | ||
| So this is a great day in this state, actually D.C., of course, but all over the United States for America. | ||
| So in closing, I urge a yes vote on this particular bill, and I yield back the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentleman has yielded. | ||
| The question is, will the House suspend the rules and pass the bill H.R. 617. | ||
| Those in favor, please signify by saying yay. | ||
| All those opposed say no. | ||
| In the opinion of the chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended. | ||
| The bill is passed, and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Florida seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 973. | ||
| The clerk will report the title of the bill. | ||
| Union calendar number 54, H.R. 973. | ||
| A bill to establish consumer standards for lithium-ion batteries. | ||
| Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida, Mr. Bill Rockis, and the gentleman from New Jersey, Mr. Pallone, will each control 20 minutes. | ||
| The chair now recognizes the gentleman from Florida. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the record on the bill. | ||
| Without objection. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I yield myself as much time as I may consume. | ||
| You are recognized for as much time as you may consume. | ||
| I appreciate that. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 973, the setting consumer standards of lithium-eon batteries act, led by Representative Torres. | ||
| H.R. 973 requires the Consumer Protection Safety Commission to issue consumer product safety standards for rechargeable lithium eon batteries used in micromobility devices, addressing the serious fire hazards they pose. | ||
| Tragically, defective batteries, particularly those imported from China, have already claimed too many lives. | ||
| I want to thank my colleagues, again, Representative Torres, Representative Langworthy, Representative Clark, and Representative Garberino, for their bipartisan leadership to protect consumers and first responders. | ||
| I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of H.R. 973, and I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida reserves the gentleman from New Jersey. | ||
| Mr. Pallone, you are recognized. | ||
|
Protecting From Lithium-ion Fires
00:04:00
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||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I yield myself such time as I may consume. | ||
| You are recognized for as much time as you may consume. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I rise to speak in support of H.R. 973, the Setting Consumer Standards for Lithium-ion Batteries Act. | ||
| This legislation will protect Americans from fires caused by lithium-ion batteries. | ||
| It directs the Consumer Product Safety Commission to require manufacturers to comply with safety standards for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries in micro-mobility devices like electric bicycles and scooters. | ||
| And fires caused by faulty or misused batteries are on the rise. | ||
| Between 2019 and 2023, there were more than 400 fires, 300 injuries, and 12 deaths from fires caused by lithium-ion batteries in New York City alone. | ||
| In February, a fire caused by lithium-ion batteries at a recycling facility in my home state of New Jersey required the evacuation of over 100 residents from their homes and caused a massive property damage. | ||
| Last month in California, a six-year-old girl, her grandmother, and great-grandmother were all tragically killed in a house fire caused by a lithium-ion battery. | ||
| Now, we're witnessing all of these tragic accidents in communities across the nation, and yet there is no mandatory federal standard to ensure lithium-ion batteries are safe. | ||
| And as electric bikes and scooters grow in popularity, we must ensure that the CPSC adopts a strong federal safety standard for lithium-ion batteries. | ||
| Consumers deserve to know that the products they buy are thoroughly tested and safe, and this legislation would do just that. | ||
| But I have to say that compliance with this bill depends on enforcement by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. | ||
| I like other legislation, I mean, I should say like other legislation we're considering this afternoon, it depends on the existence of a strong bipartisan and independent CPSC to protect Americans from unsafe products. | ||
| At the same time that our Republican colleagues vote for this bill, they will continue to remain silent as President Trump's callous willingness to risk the safety of all American continues by his planning to eliminate the CPSC and fund its mission into, or I should say, fold its mission into the Department of Health and Human Services, which itself will have a dramatically smaller workforce and narrower mission. | ||
| Eliminating the existing CPSC or stripping it of the independent and bipartisan structure that Congress has mandated puts children and all Americans' physical safety in grave danger. | ||
| The CPSC is a small agency tasked with a massive job to protect consumers from hazards associated with a vast array of consumer products, from infant car seats to window blinds to home repair equipment. | ||
| And American consumers deserve to have a peace of mind that the products we're bringing into our homes are safe. | ||
| I hope my Republican colleagues will finally begin to speak up against President Trump's dangerous plan to consolidate power in the White House and eliminate the critical agency that does a lot of this enforcement work at the expense of our children's safety. | ||
| So I commend Representative Torres for his leadership on this issue. | ||
| I also want to thank Representative Clark for championing this bill in our committee. | ||
| I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. | ||
| But again, I will stress that without the CPSC enforcement, this legislation is not going to mean much. | ||
| So with that, I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentleman from New Jersey reserves. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. | ||
| I reserve the balance. | ||
| I'm prepared to close, but I reserve. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida reserves, the gentleman from New Jersey. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Again, I don't want to take away from these bills. | ||
| Each of the bills that we have today is bipartisan, came out of our committee. | ||
|
Bipartisan Bill for Battery Safety
00:03:05
|
||
| But it is a shame that they weren't passed already in December but for Elon Musk, and it certainly would not be, it certainly would not be helpful. | ||
| Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Torres is here. | ||
| So we can't close yet. | ||
| Mr. Chairman. | ||
| Mr. Plone, would you like to yield to the Prime Minister? | ||
| Yes, I'd like to yield to him. | ||
| I'm going to yield to Mr. Torres, who's a Democratic sponsor of the bill. | ||
| Four minutes. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I rise in strong support of my bipartisan bill entitled the Setting Consumer Standards for Lithium-Iron Batteries Act. | ||
| I'm deeply grateful to Chair Guthrie, Ranking Member Pallone, Chair Belarakis, and all the members of the Energy and Commerce Committee for their support. | ||
| I'm equally grateful to my partners in this effort, Congressmembers Yvette Clark, Andrew Garberino, and Nick Langworthy. | ||
| At the heart of our legislative progress has been the tireless advocacy of the FDNY, the finest and bravest fire department in the nation. | ||
| The sheer speed and scale of destruction caused by a lithium-ion battery fire is nothing short of staggering. | ||
| In the Bronx, we witnessed one of our few neighborhood supermarkets, 2096 Grand Concourse, instantaneously reduced to rubble by a five-alarm fire caused by a malfunctioning lithium-ion battery. | ||
| These fires are happening with greater frequency and ferocity across America. | ||
| Nowhere has this crisis been more acute than in New York City, which has emerged as the epicenter of lithium-ion battery fires, with more than a thousand incidents since 2019. | ||
| The number of fires has been rising relentlessly from 30 in 2019 to 44 in 2020 to 104 in 2021 to 219 in 2022 to 268 in 2023 and to 279 in 2024. | ||
| In just four years, America's largest city has seen an over 800 percent surge in these fires, creating an unprecedented crisis in public safety. | ||
| Poorly manufactured lithium-ion batteries, often imported from China, are hidden-ticken time bombs waiting to detonate in American homes and neighborhoods. | ||
| The danger has become too great to ignore. | ||
| Today, the House is poised to pass bipartisan legislation that will finally empower the Consumer Product Safety Commission to establish mandatory safety standards for the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries and e-mobility devices. | ||
| In doing so, we are acting to prevent needless fires, save lives, and safeguard communities across our nation. | ||
| And we are honoring our most sacred duty to protect the American people. | ||
|
Supporting H.R. 1402
00:08:12
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| I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I would ask for unanimous consent to enter into the record letters of support from a coalition of stakeholders in favor of this bipartisan legislation. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Without objection, I yield back. | |
| Thank you. | ||
| The gentleman from New Jersey now reserves the gentleman from Florida. | ||
| You're recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I'm prepared to close. | ||
| I'm not sure whether the gentleman would like to close. | ||
| I have no additional speakers, so we can close at this time. | ||
| Very good. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| I encourage a yes vote, and I congratulate Representative Torres and others for this great bill. | ||
| And I obviously encourage a yes vote, and I yield back the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida yields. | ||
| The gentleman from New Jersey. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Again, as I hate to keep repeating, but these bills are all good that we're considering this afternoon, but they should have already become law but for Elon Musk. | ||
| And again, it's important that we reauthorize these programs or set or authorize programs for the first time. | ||
| But unless we have enforcement ability from the agencies like the Consumer Product Safety Commission, they're not going to mean much because they require enforcement and investigation. | ||
| And basically, the agencies are the ones that make sure that this type of legislation is effective. | ||
| So I hope that my Republican colleagues will see fit to speak out against the abolition of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. | ||
| And putting it in another department is not going to help because they'll have less workforce and less ability to function. | ||
| But with that, I yield back the balance of my time. | ||
| Gentleman from New Jersey has yielded remaining time. | ||
| The question now is: will the House suspend the rules and pass the Bill H.R. 973? | ||
| Those favor, please sign by saying aye. | ||
| All those opposed say no. | ||
| In the opinion of the chair, two-thirds being affirmative, Mr. Speaker, for what purpose is this? | ||
| I demand the yays and nays. | ||
| Very good. | ||
| The yays and nays are requested. | ||
| All those in favor are taking this vote by the yays and nays will remain, will stand and remain until counted. | ||
| A sufficient number having risen, the yays and nays are ordered pursuant to clause 8 of Rule 20. | ||
| Further proceedings of this question will be postponed. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Florida seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I move the House suspend the rules and pass my bill, H.R. 1402. | ||
| The clerk will report the title of the bill. | ||
| Union calendar number 43, H.R. 1402. | ||
| A bill to require sellers of events tickets to disclose comprehensive information to consumers about ticket prices and related fees and for other purposes. | ||
| Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida, Mr. Bill Rockis, and the gentleman from New York, Mr. Ballone, will each control 20 minutes. | ||
| The chair now recognizes the gentleman from Florida. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the record on the bill. | ||
| Without objection. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. | ||
| You are recognized for as much time as you may consume. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1402, the Transparency and Charges for Key Events Ticketing Act or the Ticket Act. | ||
| I'm proud to lead this bill alongside Ranking Member, my good friend Mr. Kowski. | ||
| This legislation is about empowering consumers and ensuring fans can enjoy live events by improving ticket price transparency. | ||
| H.R. 1402 requires all platforms selling event tickets to show the complete price with all required fees right from the start. | ||
| Because people budget for these, Mr. Speaker, these games, whatever, or concerts, what have you, they need to know upfront what the price is going to be. | ||
| It also guarantees customers can get their money back if an event is canceled or rescheduled and cracks down on misleading ticket sites. | ||
| It's a great bill. | ||
| This bill further prohibits the sale of tickets the seller doesn't yet have, a practice known as speculative selling. | ||
| Eliminating this tactic helps level the playing field so far so more fans have a fair shot at attending events, and they deserve that. | ||
| I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of this very good bill, H.R. 1402, and I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida reserves the gentleman from New Jersey. | ||
| You are recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I yield myself such time as I may consume. | ||
| You are recognized as much time as you may consume. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 1402, the Ticket Act. | ||
| This bipartisan legislation creates a fairer and more transparent event ticketing marketplace. | ||
| It ends the surprise fees on tickets for concerts and sporting events that understandably frustrate consumers. | ||
| With this legislation, the price you see when you're shopping for event tickets will be the price that you pay. | ||
| No hidden fees, raising the price at the checkout point. | ||
| And this bill also prohibits companies from selling tickets they don't have, requires refunds for events that are canceled or postponed more than six months into the future, and cracks down on fraudulent ticketing websites. | ||
| American consumers need and deserve these common sense protections, yet these protections are meaningless without strong and consistent enforcement. | ||
| House Republicans are standing by in silence as the Federal Trade Commission, the agency entrusted with enforcing this bill and several others under consideration this afternoon, is compromised by the Trump administration and the President's illegal political attempt to fire the two Democratic commissioners. | ||
| This unlawful decision undermines the legitimacy and transparency of the agency's decisions, sending a message that no commissioner, regardless of party, is safe and no business that harms consumers should fear accountability so long as it shows sufficient loyalty to the president. | ||
| Now, I urge my Republican colleagues to recognize that restoring the FTC as an independent agency, as this Congress intended, is essential to ensuring this bill and similar efforts to protect consumers are fully effective and enforced without fear or favor. | ||
| But I want to thank the wide range of stakeholders who worked on this bill, and particularly the consumer groups, for their unwavering support of this bill. | ||
| And of course, I particularly want to commend our subcommittee chair, Bill Arakas, and our ranking member Schaikowski for the years of hard work on this legislation. | ||
| And finally, I need to acknowledge, Mr. Speaker, the contribution of my late colleague and dear friend from New Jersey, Congressman Bill Pescrell. | ||
| He was a tireless advocate and leader on improving the ticketing experience for consumers. | ||
| And I'm proud to have partnered with him on this long-time efforts that are included in the bill we have before us today. | ||
| When the Ticket Act was on the floor last year, Bill gave an impassioned speech in support of all-in pricing and the other consumer protections in this bill. | ||
| And so I strongly urge my colleagues to support the legislation, the Ticket Act, and reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentleman from New Jersey reserves, and members are reminded to refrain from engaging in personalities towards the president. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I reserve. | ||
| Gentleman from Florida Reserves, the gentleman from New Jersey. | ||
|
Working for Two Years
00:04:07
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||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I have would yield at this point two minutes to the subcommittee chair and the Democratic sponsor of this bill, who's really worked on this for such a long time, Ms. Schukowski from Illinois. | ||
| The gentlelady is recognized. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you so much. | |
| I want to thank Frank Pallone for his support and leadership, but I really want to talk to Gus Bill Arakas and I have been working for over two years now on this piece of legislation that is going to bring such delight and security for consumers, | ||
| for artists who really want to benefit from being able to get the wonderful products that they can put their money into so that they can have their families enjoy so many things. | ||
| We know that there have been hidden fees. | ||
| These companies who say that this is how much it is going to cost you to be able to go to an event, to be able to go to a concert, and you think, and the people who are trying to buy these think that these are going to be the fees that they are going to have to pay. | ||
| But sure enough, by the time the product is ready to be paid for, often it can go as much as 40% higher. | ||
| That is really cheating on the people who are trying to spend their money, who are trying to spend the work that they do. | ||
| And so we know that when we have the Ticket Act, that it is going to be only the amount that you believe is at the first time that you're going to go for the money, that that is the money that you're going to pay, no more. | ||
| And so it is about time that these scammers who are going and raising the price of these events are now going to not be able to do that. | ||
| People are going to get exactly what they had asked to do, that they had put down. | ||
| So the Ticket Act is really a happy event. | ||
| And so we need to pass this legislation. | ||
| And I know that lots and lots of people and people who are artists are going to really do better. | ||
| And I look forward so much finally after a couple of years. | ||
| You know, and it passed the House of Representatives overwhelmingly in the past Congress. | ||
| So it is time for us to get it done. | ||
| So thank you, Gus. | ||
| It's been a pleasure to work with you. | ||
| Thank you, Frank. | ||
| And I yield back. | ||
| Gentleman from New Jersey Reserves, the gentleman from Florida. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I appreciate it very much. | ||
| I just want to say this. | ||
| It's been great working with Representative Schakowsky on a number of bills over the years. | ||
|
Sodium Nitrite Poisoning Protection
00:08:35
|
||
| She has really been very cooperative, and we're doing good things for the American consumer. | ||
| I also want to say that this is very, it's a very pro-family bill. | ||
| You know, we've got to get our kids out to some of these ball games, some of these concerts together as a family. | ||
| But it's very difficult to budget when you don't know exactly what the price is going to be ultimately. | ||
| And I want to commend some of the artists such as Kid Rock, who pays these, he'll buy the tickets and give them to people that deserve those tickets that otherwise would not be able to afford them. | ||
| And my good friend Tony Orlando as well. | ||
| Just wonderful, wonderful artists that do so much for our country, particularly our military and our veterans. | ||
| So with that, I will reserve. | ||
| Gentleman from Florida Reserves, the gentleman from New Jersey. | ||
| You are recognized. | ||
| Mr. Chairman, I have no additional speakers. | ||
| Speaker Sigh Reserve as well. | ||
| Very good. | ||
| The gentleman from New Jersey. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I agree with you. | ||
| This is a really important consumer protection, and I'm glad to see that our committee and the subcommittee, you chair Ms. Schikowski as a ranking member, is taking on so many of these consumer issues today and in the future. | ||
| So with that, I would ask support on both sides of the aisle and yield back. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Very good. | |
| The gentleman from New Jersey has yielded back. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida? | ||
| Yeah, I'm prepared to close, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| In closing, I encourage a yes vote in the memory of Bill Pascrell, who did such a wonderful job on this particular issue, and I'm glad we're getting it across the finish line. | ||
| So I encourage a yes vote on this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida has yielded back, and now the question is, will the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1402? | ||
| Those in favor, please say bye bye saying aye. | ||
| Opposed, say no. | ||
| In the opinion of the chair, yes, for what purpose? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, on that, I demand the yays and nays. | ||
| In the opinion of the chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended. | ||
| The bill is passed. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida requests the yays and nays. | ||
| The yeas and nays are requested. | ||
| All those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain until counted. | ||
| A sufficient number having risen, the yeas and nays are ordered pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20. | ||
| Further proceedings of this question will be postponed. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Florida seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I move that the House suspend the rules and pass H.R. 1442. | ||
| Does the gentleman wish to call the bill as amended? | ||
| Does the gentleman wish to call the bill as amended? | ||
| Yes. | ||
| Yes, I do. | ||
| The clerk will report the title of the bill. | ||
| H.R. 1442: A bill to ban the sale of products with a high concentration of sodium nitrate to individuals and for other purposes. | ||
| Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida, Mr. Billarakis, and the gentleman from New Jersey, Mr. Pallone, each will control 20 minutes. | ||
| The chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the record on this particular bill. | ||
| Without objection, the gentleman is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I yield myself as much time as I may consume. | ||
| Gentleman is recognized. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1442, the Youth Poisoning Protection Act, led by Representative Trahan. | ||
| Since 2017, the United States has experienced a troubling increase in self-poisoning cases involving sodium nitrate, many of which stem from easy online access to high-concentration products. | ||
| This bill aims to confront that threat by implementing a narrowly focused prohibition on the sale of consumer products containing sodium nitrate at concentrations above 10 percent. | ||
| I want to thank Representative Trahan for her strong bipartisan leadership on this piece of legislation. | ||
| I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of 1442, and I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| Gentleman in reserves, the gentleman from New Jersey is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I yield myself such time as I may consume. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I rise to speak in support of H.R. 1442, the Youth Poisoning Protection Act. | ||
| Sodium nitrite is a highly toxic substance. | ||
| Ingesting even a small amount is likely to be fatal. | ||
| Unfortunately, online forums are providing detailed instructions and real-time guidance on how to acquire and use this substance to take their own lives. | ||
| Sadly, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this has led to a sharp increase in self-poisoning using sodium nitrite. | ||
| By banning the sale of high-concentrate sodium nitrite to consumers, H.R. 1442 will make it less accessible to people contemplating suicide. | ||
| Experts have made it clear that there is no good reason for consumers to purchase sodium nitrite at such high concentrations. | ||
| So I want to commend Representative Trahan for her leadership on this issue, and I urge my colleagues to support the bill. | ||
| And I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentleman in reserves, the gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
| Gentlemen in reserves. | ||
| I'd like to yield now three minutes to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts who is the sponsor of the bill, Ms. Trahan. | ||
| The gentlewoman is recognized. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you. | |
| I thank the gentleman for yielding and as well as his leadership and Chair Bill Rockis on this important issue. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I introduced the Youth Poisoning Protection Act alongside Representative Mike Carey because we are facing an urgent and deeply troubling trend. | ||
| The promotion of sodium nitrite, a toxic chemical, as a method to die by suicide. | ||
| In 2022, the New York Times revealed the existence of online suicide forums that don't just discuss suicide, they promote it. | ||
| Anonymous users on these platforms encourage vulnerable children and young adults to end their lives, and they often suggest using this chemical to do it. | ||
| Now, most Americans have never heard of sodium nitrite, but for families who have lost loved ones, it's something that they'll never forget. | ||
| In lower concentrations, it's a chemical used safely to cure meats and fish, but in higher concentrations, it's deadly. | ||
| And for the few who have survived attempts to end their lives using sodium nitrite, they report agonizing pain as the chemical deprives their body of oxygen. | ||
| After learning how easy it is to purchase high-concentration sodium nitrite, my office worked with retailers to limit access to businesses with a proven use for the chemical. | ||
| But some sites still openly market it as part of a so-called suicide kit to people in crisis. | ||
| There is no federal law that allows us to stop this. | ||
| That's where this bipartisan legislation comes in. | ||
| The Youth Poisoning Protection Act would restrict sales of sodium nitrite above 10% concentration to businesses with verified industrial or commercial use. | ||
| That threshold is based on expert recommendations for safe handling and won't interfere with legitimate industries like food processing. | ||
| This bill is focused and reasonable. | ||
| It targets bad actors who are exploiting a loophole to profit off tragedy, and it does so without burdening responsible businesses. | ||
| That's why last Congress this bill passed the Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously before passing it here on the floor with overwhelming support. | ||
| Now we must finish the job. | ||
| I urge my colleagues to support the Youth Poisoning Protection Act, and I yield back the balance of my time. | ||
|
Why We Need Take It Down
00:15:41
|
||
| General Lady Reserves. | ||
| Yeah, Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, so I reserve. | ||
| I'm prepared to close after Mr. Gentleman Reserves. | ||
| Gentleman from New Jersey is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Visier. | ||
| I have no additional speakers, so I'll close. | ||
| I just want to say, Mr. Speaker, this bill, as you can see, a lot of these consumer protection bills that we're considering today are actually very important, as is this. | ||
| So I would urge bipartisan support and yield back the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentleman yields. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| In closing, I encourage a yes vote on this particular bill, and I yield back the balance of my time. | ||
| Again, I want to commend Representative Trahan and Kerry. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
| The gentleman yields. | ||
| The question is: will the House suspend the rules and pass the bill H.R. 1442 as amended? | ||
| Those in favor say aye. | ||
| Those opposed, no. | ||
| Any opinion of the chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I demand the yays and nays. | ||
| The yays and nays are requested. | ||
| All those in favor of taking this vote by the yays and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. | ||
| A sufficient number having risen, the yeas and nays are ordered. | ||
| Pursuant to clause 8 of Rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Florida seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I move that the House suspend the rules and pass Senate Bill 146. | ||
| The clerk will report the title of the bill. | ||
| Senate 146, an act to require covered platforms to remove non-consensual intimate visual depictions and for other purposes. | ||
| Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida, Mr. Billarakis, and the gentleman from New Jersey, Mr. Pallone, each will control 20 minutes. | ||
| The chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the record on the bill. | ||
| Without objection. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of Senate Bill 146, the Take It Down Act, by Senator Ted Cruz. | ||
| The bill addresses a serious gap in our current law, a loophole that came to light in my own district. | ||
| My sheriff in Pasco County, Florida, Representative, excuse me, Sheriff Narco, actually, we had a meeting on this particular issue. | ||
| And then I also talked to Senator Cruz about this. | ||
| Senator Cruz had a constituent even prior to me meeting with Sheriff Narco on this particular issue. | ||
| So this is how we get things done. | ||
| The best ideas come from the people, and this is very necessary. | ||
| So a teacher in my district used AI to create explicit content of his students, incorporating real images of his students taken from a yearbook. | ||
| Under current law, only the use of the actual photos is illegal. | ||
| The AI-generated, sexually explicit content is not. | ||
| Because of this gap, law enforcement was they were unable to fully charge this particular individual, this sick individual, in my opinion, for the scope of the images in his possession. | ||
| Had this bill been in effect, his actions would have been criminalized in full. | ||
| So as technology evolves, so much of our laws, we need to keep pace. | ||
| There's no question. | ||
| We must. | ||
| We must continue working hand in hand with our law enforcement partners to stay ahead of these emerging threats and safeguards we need to safeguard our most vulnerable. | ||
| I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of Senate Bill 146. | ||
| And I know that the House sponsor is Representative Salazar from Florida. | ||
| She's a great friend of mine. | ||
| Let's get this done. | ||
| We need to be protecting our children. | ||
| So I will reserve the balance of my time at this time. | ||
| Gentleman Reserves, the gentleman from New Jersey is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I yield myself such time as I may consume. | ||
| Gentleman is recognized. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| I rise to speak in support of S-146, the Take It Down Act. | ||
| The legislation addresses the non-consensual sharing of intimate images online, one of the most significant harms proliferating on the Internet in recent years. | ||
| Advances in generative artificial intelligence and other photo manipulation software have enabled the creation of digital forgeries that place victims in sexually explicit situations that never actually occurred but can still cause massive reputational and financial damage to those who are targeted. | ||
| Some of the platforms hosting actual and computer-generated non-consensual intimate images have promised to address such abuses online and protect their users. | ||
| But nevertheless, victims report great difficulty in getting such images removed from the Internet, and they tell us that they feel powerless as it spreads or even resurfaces years later. | ||
| The Take It Down Act will require social media and other online public platforms to provide a mechanism for people to notify the platform of non-consensual intimate images in which they are depicted. | ||
| It also requires the platforms to take reasonable steps to remove the images from their platforms within 48 hours. | ||
| I want to thank Representativ Dean and Dingell for their leadership on this issue, and I encourage my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation. | ||
| And with that, I reserve the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as she may consume the sponsor of the House sponsor of this particular bill, my good friend, a very effective member of Congress from South Florida, Ms. Salazar. | ||
| The gentlewoman is recognized. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you. | |
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| And every generation of Congress faces moments that test our commitment to justice. | ||
| And today is one of those moments. | ||
| I rise today to urge my colleagues to vote yes on S-146, the Take It Down Act. | ||
| The Senate has already done its job. | ||
| They passed this legislation unanimously. | ||
| Now it's our turn, the House of Representatives. | ||
| This is our moment to stand up to protect our children and make this the law of the land. | ||
| The name of the legislation is Take It Down. | ||
| The mission of this bill is simple, profound, and long-lasting. | ||
| It stops cyber abuse. | ||
| It prevents the bullying of one child against another, and even more importantly, it prevents suicide born out of shame. | ||
| It is outrageously sick to use images, the face, the voice, the likeness of a young, vulnerable female, to manipulate them, to extort them, and to humiliate them publicly just for fun, just for revenge. | ||
| And that is why we created this bill to stop the abuse spreading like wildfire right now on social media. | ||
| It is widely known that 99% of the time the victims, most of them girls, don't even know their faces, their bodies, their intimate parts, are being circulated around the internet in fake, around the internet, in fake, compromising, pornographic images. | ||
| Unfortunately, in life, perception is reality. | ||
| And even though the images are fake, the consequences are very, very real. | ||
| Even though, like as I said, the images do not belong to them, those girls are paying for them dearly with shame, with humiliation, the unbearable suffering when you are 14, 15 years old. | ||
| And up until now, there was no recourse. | ||
| Just imagine waking up one morning to find yourself trapped in a nightmare that you never created. | ||
| And this is exactly what's happening to our children, and this is why we must act. | ||
| The bill, called the Take It Down Act, finally sends a very loud and clear message to big tech. | ||
| If you, big tech, do not remove these fake images within 48 hours, you are as guilty and as responsible as the predator who created them. | ||
| I'm talking to Snapchat, to Instagram, to TikTok. | ||
| All of them will have to comply within 48 hours when a victim demands and calls you and tells you that you've got to remove those images. | ||
| No more excuses. | ||
| You simply, you, big tech, you have to take it down. | ||
| Now, let's talk to the bullies, to the predators, to the perverts, the ones who created this fake material, who are hiding behind a computer. | ||
| If you dare to do this again to another innocent child, most of them girls, you are going to prison. | ||
| You will be in jail for a long time, so don't do it and don't dare to do it anymore. | ||
| A great place where you can sit and ponder what you've done to another human being. | ||
| Today, we take away the power from the aggressors and the accomplices, and we give it back to the victims and their families. | ||
| Up until now, the parents, the victims, found that the school couldn't do anything, the police couldn't do anything, the big tech would not even pay attention to them. | ||
| But no more. | ||
| Now they can, because we are passing this law. | ||
| What a great honor it is for me to be part of this initiative. | ||
| One of the first ladies which has personally championed and that the President of the United States himself endorsed this legislation from here, from the recent State of the Union that he conducted in front of Congress. | ||
| And he explained the President as a vital step to defend our song, our sons, and daughters against online predators. | ||
| My fellow colleagues, this is not about politics. | ||
| This is about basic human dignity. | ||
| This is about protecting the most vulnerable among us, the children. | ||
| The Commander-in-Chief called on us to act on this law in this very chamber a few weeks ago, as I just mentioned. | ||
| So now I urge the House of Representatives to vote yes on the Take It Down Act. | ||
| Let's make history today. | ||
| Let's protect our children. | ||
| Let's just take it down. | ||
| Thank you, and I yield back. | ||
| And I reserve. | ||
| The gentleman reserves. | ||
| The gentleman from New Jersey is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I yield now three minutes to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts, Madeline Dean. | ||
| Pennsylvania. | ||
| Massachusetts. | ||
| Pennsylvania, man. | ||
| The gentlewoman is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank Chairman Bill Arakas and Ranking Member Pallone for bringing this bill forward. | ||
| I too rise in support of a bill that was my bill, and I still, it is my bill as well, Senate Bill 146, the Take It Down Act. | ||
| I thank you, Congresswoman Salazar, for your leadership on this. | ||
| Congresswoman Dingell, for your longtime leadership on this, for leading the efforts with me on the House side. | ||
| I thank Senators Cruz and Klobuchar for their strong leadership on this. | ||
| As we speak, the internet is awash in real and fake, non-consensual, intimate imagery. | ||
| And the consequences, as you just heard, are devastating for every victim, their family, for their community. | ||
| It happens to men and boys, to women and girls, and most often, it happens to women and girls. | ||
| As AI becomes more prevalent in our everyday lives, Congress must meet this moment. | ||
| We must empower and protect victims from bad actors who share their intimate images, real or fake, without consent and from the most harmful developments of AI. | ||
| During the 2023-2024 school year, 15% of high school students reported hearing about deep fakes of non-consensual intimate images, kids at their schools. | ||
| It happened to one of my hometown constituents. | ||
| A 20-year-old Bright College student named Jack Sullivan was sextorted by two men claiming to be a woman internationally on Instagram. | ||
| They threatened Jack, telling him they would post intimate images of him unless he paid huge sums of money. | ||
| And he paid. | ||
| And he paid. | ||
| And when he could no longer pay their demands, Jack took his own life. | ||
| We must do better for Jack and every other victim of these crimes. | ||
| As a former educator, as a mother, as a grandmother, this sickens me. | ||
| As an elected official, I am moved to act to protect our children. | ||
| Congress must create guardrails to protect Americans' privacy and dignity at a time when online exploitation is easier than ever. | ||
| That's what our bill does. | ||
| Take it down criminalizes the publication of real or fake AI-generated intimate images. | ||
| And it requires websites to react, to respond, and to remove these horrifying images and videos within 48 hours of a victim's report. | ||
| I would suggest they act even faster. | ||
| But finally, we will hold online platforms accountable and social media companies accountable. | ||
| This cannot wait, which is why I am pleased to have bipartisan support for this bill. | ||
| Thank you again, Representative Salazar, Senators Cruz and Klobuchar. | ||
| I thank the First Lady and the President for their leadership on this. | ||
| And I implore all of my colleagues to join us in supporting this important bill. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
| Gentleman Yields. | ||
| Gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume. | ||
| The great chairman, Energy and Commerce Chairman, a good friend of mine, who's doing an outstanding job, in my opinion, I yield him as much time as he may consume. | ||
| Representative Guthrie from the great state of Kentucky. | ||
| Gentleman is recognized. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you. | |
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| And I rise today in support of H.R. 633, the Take It Down Act, and echo the sentiments of my friend from Florida, Representative Salazar, Representative Dean. | ||
| I appreciate the comments that they just made, working with Representative Dingell, Congresswoman Dingell, with Senator Cruz, to get to where we need to be in order to combat this crisis for malicious default pornography. | ||
| Last month, I joined a bipartisan group convened by the First Lady, where we heard from young survivors and their parents who were targeted by those abhorrent practices. | ||
| I want to thank the First Lady for her leadership and for shining a light on this dark, destructive crisis. | ||
|
Heartwrenching Advocacy
00:04:12
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| I'm sad to say that this issue struck close to home with the heartbreaking death of my constituent, 16-year-old Eli Heacock. | ||
| He tragically fell victim to an online extortion scheme, showing my community the dangers of predators targeting our kids online. | ||
| I sat with his family just this last week, with his mom, his dad, and his brother, talked about the tragedy that happened in his life and their determination to see that we move forward in this Congress, not only on this bill but others, to make sure that it doesn't happen to other families like theirs. | ||
| And I am, and we're all praying for that dear family. | ||
| The heart-wrenching stories we've heard tells us all we need to know. | ||
| It is time to send the Take It Down Act to the President's desk so we can give survivors and law enforcement the tools they need to combat this crisis. | ||
| Urge my colleagues to vote in favor for this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time. | ||
| Gentleman yields. | ||
| I reserve. | ||
| Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Gentleman Reserves. | ||
| Gentleman from New Jersey is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I yield now three minutes to the gentlewoman from Michigan, Ms. Dingell, a member of our committee. | ||
| The gentlewoman is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| And thank you to Chair Guthrie, to my ranking member, Frank Pallone, who puts up with my intensity on this subject often to Chair Bill Arakas, and to my co-leads, Rep Salazar, Dean, and Fluger, as well as Senators Cruz and my compatriot many days working for Violence Against Women, Senator Klobuchar. | ||
| I rise today as a strong, unwavering advocate for women, children, and survivors of abuse. | ||
| And in support of this bill that I helped lead, S-146, the Take-It-Down Act. | ||
| The rise of deep fake pornography and non-consensual intimate imagery is a growing crisis that demands urgent action now. | ||
| We need to work together to protect women and children from these evolving threats. | ||
| New generative artificial intelligence tools are being weaponized to humiliate, silence, and terrorize women and children. | ||
| We've seen it used against children as young as middle school as a tool to create revenge porn and against women in public life, both sides of the aisle, including our own colleagues. | ||
| None of my colleagues think that this is acceptable, and it is a crisis that demands immediate action. | ||
| We have a responsibility to act, not tomorrow, not next year, not after more damage is done, but now. | ||
| The Take It Down Act gives victims a clear, fast pathway to have these images removed from online platforms, holds perpetrators accountable, and ensures that tech companies do their part. | ||
| They have responsibilities. | ||
| And this is just one piece of a broader fight, one I've been in for years and not going to stop fighting, to end violence against women, address coercive control, and stop the misuse of technology to harm survivors. | ||
| Let me be clear. | ||
| This bill should already be law. | ||
| It passed the Senate unanimously. | ||
| It was included in last year's Congress's end package until it was stripped out at the end. | ||
|
Hotel Fees Transparency Act
00:15:30
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| I won't get political on that because I want everybody to vote for it right now. | ||
| It should never have happened. | ||
| I urge my colleagues to support the Takedown Act. | ||
| Let's get this across the finish line and to deliver for the women and children who are counting on us. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I yield back. | ||
| Gentlewoman Yields. | ||
| Yes, I'm prepared to close, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| So I reserve. | ||
| The gentleman reserves. | ||
| The gentleman from New Jersey is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I would urge unanimous support for this legislation. | ||
| Once again, this is another very important bill as part of this consumer protection agenda today, and I yield back. | ||
| Gentleman Yields. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I want to thank the President of the United States for shedding light on this particular bill at the State of the Union. | ||
| I also want to thank the First Lady, our great First Lady as well, for her support on this particular bill. | ||
| I want to thank Representative Dean, Representative Dingo, and of course Representative Salawa, who was also actually the main sponsor of the bill in the House, and Senator Cruz, who worked so very hard to get this done. | ||
| This is a bipartisan accomplishment, and we're going to be protecting our kids if we pass this particular bill. | ||
| It will go to the President once we pass this particular bill. | ||
| So let's get it done. | ||
| Let's pass it unanimously. | ||
| Again, I encourage a yes vote on this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| Gentleman Yields. | ||
| The question is, will the House suspend the rules and pass Senate Bill 146? | ||
| Those in favor say aye. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Aye. | |
| Those opposed, no. | ||
| In the opinion of the chair, two-thirds being in the speaker. | ||
| Mr. Speaker. | ||
| On that, I demand the yays and nays. | ||
| The yays and nays are requested. | ||
| All those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. | ||
| A sufficient number having risen, the yeas and nays are ordered. | ||
| Pursuant to clause 8 of Rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Florida seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I move that the House suspend the rules and pass Bill H.R. 1479. | ||
| The clerk will report the title of the bill. | ||
| Union calendar number 48, H.R. 1479, a bill to prohibit unfair and deceptive advertising of prices for hotel rooms and other places of short-term lodging and for the purposes. | ||
| Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida, Mr. Bill Arakas, and the gentleman from New Jersey, Mr. Pallone, each will control 20 minutes. | ||
| The chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the record on this particular bill. | ||
| Without objection. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1479, the Hotels Fees Transparency Act of 2025, led by Representative Kim. | ||
| This bipartisan legislation aims to prohibit unfair and deceptive advertising of prices for hotel rooms and other short-term lodging by requiring that all mandatory fees, including resort fees, be included in the advertised price. | ||
| Hidden fees can significantly inflate the cost of accommodations, leading to consumer frustration and eroding trust in the hospitality industry. | ||
| By ensuring transparent pricing, we empower consumers to make informed decisions and promote fair competition among lodging providers. | ||
| So I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of this particular bill, and I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentleman reserves, the gentleman from New Jersey, is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I yield myself such time as I may consume. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 1479, the Hotel Fees Transparency Act. | ||
| Far too often, when consumers go to check out of their hotel rooms, they are hit with surprise fees. | ||
| Hotel and online travel agencies have many names for these types of fees, resort fees, amenities fees, facilities fees, to name just a few. | ||
| But regardless of what they're called, surprise fees that consumers do not expect make it impossible to comparison shop and impose undue burdens on household finances. | ||
| So H.R. 1479, the Hotel Fees Transparency Act, is a bipartisan bill that will ensure that companies disclose all mandatory fees when they advertise the price of a hotel room or other place of short-term lodging. | ||
| This bill will also require hotels and other providers of short-term lodging to provide the total cost of a room to any Internet website or other third party that the provider has allowed to advertise, market display, or otherwise offer the short-term lodging for sale. | ||
| By ensuring everyone in the short-term lodging ecosystem displays the full price of a stay, we'll protect consumers from being, quote, paying extra when they go to checkout. | ||
| I want to thank Representative Castor, Mullen, Kim, and Fry for their bipartisan leadership on this issue. | ||
| And with that, I reserve the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Gentleman Reserves, the gentleman from the Zoom. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as she may consume. | ||
| Representative Kim from the great state of California, a very effective lawmaker. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| I yield that time whatever time she chooses. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| Gentlewoman is recognized. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you. | |
| Thank you, Representative Billy Rockis, for yielding. | ||
| I rise in strong support of my bill, H.R. 1479, the Hotel Fees Transparency Act. | ||
| Hidden fees on short-term lodging, whether it's at hotels, motels, inns, resorts, or rentals, make it harder for families to plan for a trip. | ||
| Too often, what looks like an affordable overnight stay online turns out to be far more expensive once these deceptive charges are added. | ||
| Additionally, the way these prices are advertised are fragmented and are not uniform. | ||
| Americans deserve price transparency so that they can appropriately budget for their travels. | ||
| The Hotel Fees Transparency Act requires providers of short-term lodging to disclose upfront the full cost of a stay, including all mandatory and service fees. | ||
| It would also require the lodging and booking industries to clearly display the final price of a stay, providing transparency for consumers and improving American tourism and hospitality. | ||
| I want to thank Representatives Castor, Fry, Mullen for their collaboration on this bipartisan, common sense, pro-consumer legislation. | ||
| I urge my colleagues to support the Hotel Fees Transparency Act. | ||
| Thank you, and I yield back. | ||
| Gentleman yields. | ||
| I reserve, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Gentleman Reserves, the gentleman from New Jersey is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I yield four minutes now to the Democratic sponsor of the bill, gentlewoman from Florida, Ms. Castor, who's also the ranking member of our committee's energy subcommittee. | ||
| The gentlewoman is recognized. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Well, thank you. | |
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Thank you to Mr. Pallone for yielding the time, and thank you to Chairman Billarrackis for his partnership on this endeavor as well. | ||
| I rise in support of H.R. 1479, the Hotel Fees Transparency Act, to help families save money and to ensure that their hard-earned vacations go as planned. | ||
| I'd like to thank Representatives Kim, Mullen, and Fry for partnering with me on this bipartisan legislation that will increase cost transparency for hotels, motels, and short-term rentals. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, have you ever planned a vacation and you searched online and you thought you found a great deal at a hotel or a short-term rental, but then you were surprised at check-in or check-out? | ||
| There were a lot of surprise fees added on. | ||
| Well, this piece of legislation will prohibit that kind of unfair or misleading price advertising for hotels and rentals. | ||
| It will require accurate price listings. | ||
| That must include all mandatory and resort fees. | ||
| Now, I have to say, it is a privilege to represent the state of Florida in the Congress, and I know my friend Mr. Billarrackis will agree. | ||
| We enjoy welcoming visitors from all across the nation, all across the globe, to come to Florida for their vacations. | ||
| Unfortunately, sometimes visitors, and it's not just in Florida, but sometimes visitors arrive and they are surprised by a lot of these resort fees and add-ons that were not part of the bargain. | ||
| And that's not fair. | ||
| Consumers deserve to see upfront prices when they plan their budgets and their vacations. | ||
| They shouldn't have to play a guessing game when planning a trip about what the final cost of their vacation will be. | ||
| You know, the cost of living right now is very high, and it's just not fair to allow this kind of unfair behavior to continue. | ||
| So I'm going to urge all of our colleagues in the House to pass the Hotel Fees Transparency Act. | ||
| It will be a win for families and consumers. | ||
| It's about fairness, it's about transparency, and allowing hardworking families to just focus on making memories together and not worrying about surprise charges and costs. | ||
| So I'll urge a yes vote and yield back the balance of my time. | ||
| Gentlewoman yields. | ||
| Gentleman from New Jersey is recognized. | ||
| I have no additional speakers, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| The gentleman yields it. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, so I'll reserve and I'm prepared to close. | ||
| Reserves, gentlemen from New Jersey. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Again, I would urge bipartisan support for this legislation. | ||
| Another bill, like the Ticket Act, really, that provides transparency where it doesn't exist right now and as a consumer protection. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
| The gentleman yields. | ||
| Gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you. | |
| Thank you. | ||
| In closing, again, I encourage a yes vote. | ||
| I want to thank again Representatives Kim, my good friend Kathy Casser from Florida, Representative Marlin and Fry, and others who worked on this particular bill. | ||
| Good consumer bill. | ||
| And again, let's get this done as soon as possible. | ||
| I yield back the balance of my time. | ||
| Gentleman yields. | ||
| The question is, will the House suspend the rules and pass the bill H.R. 1479 as amended? | ||
| Those in favor say aye. | ||
| Not as amended, just H.R. 1479. | ||
| Correction. | ||
| In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended. | ||
| The bill is passed. | ||
| Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Florida seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I move that the House suspend the rules and pass H.R. 2480. | ||
| The clerk will report the title of the bill. | ||
| Union calendar number 41, H.R. 2480. | ||
| A bill to require Select USA to coordinate with state-level economic development organizations to increase foreign direct investment in semiconductor-related manufacturing and production. | ||
| Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida, Mr. Billarakis, and the gentleman from New Jersey, Mr. Palone, each will control 20 minutes. | ||
| The chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the record on this particular bill. | ||
| Without objection. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2480, the Securing Semiconductor Supply Chains Act of 2025, led by Representative Landsman. | ||
| This legislation directs the Department of Commerce's Select USA program to coordinate with state-level economic development organizations to increase foreign direct investment in semiconductor-related manufacturing and production. | ||
| Semiconductors are critical to our national security and economic prosperity, yet recent shortages have exposed vulnerabilities in our supply chains. | ||
| By fostering investment in domestic semiconductor production, this bill aims to enhance supply chain resilience and reduce dependence on foreign sources. | ||
| So I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of H.R. 2480, and I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentleman reserves. | ||
| The gentleman from New Jersey is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I yield myself such time as I may consume. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 2480, the Securing Semiconductor Supply Chains Act. | ||
| Semiconductors are a necessary component of everything from consumer electronics to automobiles to our national defense weapons system. | ||
| The United States, once a global powerhouse in semiconductor fabrication, has become dangerously reliant on other countries to manufacture these chips, which are vital to both our national economic and security interests. | ||
| And that's why I was proud to help lead the passage of the Chips and Science Act, a transformational law passed in 2022 that strengthens our manufacturing base and helps create good-paying jobs for American workers, unleashes more innovation, and lowers costs for consumers. | ||
| And that law is investing over $52 billion into domestic semiconductor production, research, and development. | ||
| But reassuring America's semiconductor supply chains requires carefully crafted policy, economic, and market stability, and state and federal government partners empowered to support the industry. | ||
| The Trump administration is offering our country none of these things and is instead pulling the rug out from under this critical sector by increasing their construction costs with tariffs on critical trading partners, creating unstable markets, conditions through tire through careless policy, in my opinion, and abruptly firing the government workers and domestic manufacturers that depend on it. | ||
|
Critical Infrastructure Manufacturing Feasibility
00:10:55
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| And this weakens our manufacturing sector and hinders our ability to bring good jobs back to the United States, and it will increase costs for American families who are already struggling to make ends meet. | ||
| So the legislation before us today will provide valuable information about how we can take well-informed steps to increase foreign direct investment to further advance our efforts to strengthen the semiconductor supply chains, create more jobs, and continue to revitalize American manufacturing. | ||
| I want to commend Representative Lansman for his leadership on this issue, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill. | ||
| And with that, I reserve the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Gentleman, Reserves. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I reserve. | ||
| Gentleman Reserves. | ||
| The gentleman from New Jersey is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I'd like to yield two minutes now to the sponsor of this legislation, Mr. Lansman of Ohio, member of the Energy and Congress Committee. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, Ranking Member. | |
| The Semiconductor Supply Chains Act, as it's been said, is a very straightforward, common sense bill. | ||
| It will help strengthen our domestic semiconductor industry and grow U.S. manufacturing. | ||
| Semiconductors are the foundation of modern technology and core to our national security. | ||
| They power everything from our cell phones to our laptops, cars, medical devices, critical infrastructure. | ||
| They are key to the way in which we live our lives. | ||
| And they are, in fact, very important in terms of national security. | ||
| The more we can build these semiconductors here, the better. | ||
| That means we don't rely on other countries. | ||
| And what this bill does is it directs the Department of Commerce to work with state economic development agencies to better understand how to attract not just American investment but foreign investment into America's semiconductor industry. | ||
| It will help identify the gaps and the barriers and the opportunities to bring these new investments and then inform Congress so that we can boost investments from our allies and our partners. | ||
| There is way too much uncertainty in our economy right now. | ||
| This bill is smart, bipartisan, and a good way to protect and grow our supply chains. | ||
| I urge my colleagues to support this bill. | ||
| Thank you, and I yield back. | ||
| Gentleman yields back. | ||
| Gentleman from New Jersey is recognized. | ||
| I have no additional speakers. | ||
| Yeah, and I have no additional speakers as well. | ||
| I'll reserve. | ||
| I would urge this. | ||
| I'm sorry, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I urge support for this legislation to yield back. | ||
| Gentleman yields. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
| Yes. | ||
| In closing, I encourage a yes vote on this particular bill. | ||
| And I'll yield back the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentleman yields. | ||
| The question is, will the House suspend the rules and pass the bill H.R. 2480? | ||
| Those in favor say aye. | ||
| Those opposed, no. | ||
| In the opinion of the chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended. | ||
| The bill is passed. | ||
| Excuse me. | ||
| And without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Florida seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I move that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill H.R. 1721. | ||
| The clerk will report the title of the bill. | ||
| Union calendar number 53, H.R. 1721. | ||
| A bill to direct the Secretary of Commerce to conduct a study on the feasibility of manufacturing in the United States products for critical infrastructure sectors and for the purposes. | ||
| Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida, Mr. Bill Arakis, and the gentleman from New Jersey, Mr. Pallone, each will control 20 minutes. | ||
| The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the record on this particular bill. | ||
| Without objection. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I yield myself as much time as I may consume. | ||
| Gentleman is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1721, the Critical Infrastructure Manufacturing Feasibility Act, led by Representative Miller-Meeks, my good friend, and she's an outstanding representative. | ||
| We're very fortunate to have her on the Energy and Commerce Committee. | ||
| Manufacturing, Mr. Speaker, is vital to the United States, not only for economic stability and job creation, but for maintaining our global leadership in emerging technologies. | ||
| To sustain this leadership, it is crucial that we identify and address barriers to making critical products here at home. | ||
| Otherwise, we risk becoming reliant on countries like China. | ||
| This legislation will advance domestic manufacturing while safeguarding our economic, our economy, and national security. | ||
| Again, I urge my colleagues to join me in voting for this particular bill, a very important bill, very critical, H.R. 1721, and I'll reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentleman reserves. | ||
| The gentleman from New Jersey is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I yield myself such time as I may consume. | ||
| Gentleman is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1721, Critical Infrastructure Manufacturing Feasibility Act. | ||
| Our nation's manufacturing base was once the envy of the world, but unfortunately, it faced steady headwinds for decades. | ||
| The United States' share of global manufacturing activity declined from 28 percent in 2002 to less than 16 percent in 2021. | ||
| Fortunately, the work we did under the Biden administration, passing the bipartisan infrastructure law, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the Chips and Science Act, started to turn the tide. | ||
| Our nation added over 700,000 manufacturing jobs during President Biden's time in office. | ||
| But we must not allow President Trump to put this great progress in jeopardy with its chaotic trade wars and uncertain tariff policies. | ||
| I urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to stand with the domestic manufacturers they claim to support by speaking out against the uncertain market environment that this administration has thrown manufacturing into. | ||
| We should be working together on common sense investments and legislation to strengthen domestic supply chains and manufacturing, as we have done before, instead of allowing President Trump and his friends to crash our economy, including the manufacturing sector, with careless policies. | ||
| So H.R. 1721 will commission the Department of Commerce to study the costs, benefits, and feasibility of manufacturing products within critical infrastructure sectors so we can take well-informed and strategic next steps to bolster our nation's supply chains. | ||
| I want to thank our Democratic sponsor, Representative Schreier, for her work and leadership on this bill. | ||
| I urge my colleagues to support the bill. | ||
| And with that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| Gentleman Reserves, a gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as she may consume to Dr. Miller Meeks from the great state of Iowa. | ||
| The gentlewoman is recognized. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, and thank you, Chair Billarakis, for yielding. | |
| I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1721, the Critical Infrastructure Manufacturing Feasibility Act. | ||
| This bipartisan legislation that I co-led with Representative Schreier directs the Secretary of Commerce to conduct a comprehensive study examining the feasibility of manufacturing critical infrastructure products here in the United States. | ||
| At a time when we have a president who is going to make good on the promise to onshore manufacturing and have a resurgence of manufacturing in the United States, there is nothing more important we can do than to reauthorize Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and pass H.R. 1721. | ||
| The challenges we face regarding our supply chains and manufacturing capabilities have been brought into sharp focus in recent years. | ||
| We cannot continue to allow foreign competitors, particularly China and the Chinese Communist Party, to control our supply chains and create economic vulnerabilities. | ||
| Consider our energy infrastructure and emerging technologies. | ||
| We've seen how foreign control in critical minerals needed for solar panels and battery production has created bottlenecks in our renewable energy transition, also in the manufacture of vehicles. | ||
| Similarly, the components required for data centers that power our artificial intelligence or augmented intelligence capabilities are largely manufactured overseas, creating significant vulnerabilities in these strategically important sectors. | ||
| These examples demonstrate with painful clarity that our nation's critical infrastructure, spanning 16 designated sectors, including energy, communications, transportation, health care, military, and more, cannot be dependent on foreign supply chains. | ||
| This bill takes a measured, data-driven approach to addressing these vulnerabilities. | ||
| Within one year of enactment, the Secretary of Commerce would be required to identify high-demand critical infrastructure with manufacturing constraints, do a cost-benefit analysis of domestic production, and determine the feasibility of such production. | ||
| By supporting this bill, we're taking an important step toward rebuilding American manufacturing capability in strategic sectors. | ||
| We're creating a roadmap for revitalizing rural communities that have been sidelined for far too long while critical infrastructure components are manufactured overseas. | ||
| This legislation not only shields America from global supply chain disruptions, but also identifies which rural areas are well positioned to become manufacturing hubs. | ||
| The strength of our nation is enhanced when the materials used in our critical infrastructure and the products Americans purchase are produced domestically and American-made. | ||
| When manufacturing happens on American soil, we retain the innovation, the intellectual property, the economic benefits, and the long-term prosperity that comes with it and rebuilding the middle class. | ||
| I urge my colleagues to support this common sense bipartisan measure to strengthen America's critical infrastructure, create opportunities for American workers, and enhance our economic security. | ||
|
Supply Chain Security Bill
00:15:47
|
||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you, and I yield back. | |
| Gentlewoman yields. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
| Yeah, I reserve. | ||
| Gentleman Reserves, the gentleman from New Jersey is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Chairman, I have no additional speakers. | ||
| Do you have no further speakers? | ||
| All right, I'll just, Mr. Speaker, I support the legislation and yield back the balance of my time. | ||
| Gentleman yields back. | ||
| Gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I just want to thank again Dr. Miller-Meeks and Representative Schreier for this great piece of legislation. | ||
| So again, I encourage a yes vote on this particular bill and yield back the balance of my time. | ||
| Gentleman yields. | ||
| The question is, will the House suspend the rules and pass Bill H.R. 1721? | ||
| Those in favor say aye. | ||
| Those opposed, no. | ||
| In the opinion of the chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended. | ||
| The bill is passed. | ||
| And without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Florida seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I move that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill H.R. 2482. | ||
| The clerk will report the title of the bill. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Mr. Speaker, | |
| I'm I move that the House suspend the rules and pass Bill H.R. 2458. | ||
| The clerk will report the title of the bill. | ||
| Union calendar number 42, H.R. 2458, a bill to amend the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019 to prohibit the Federal Communications Commission from granting a license or United States market access for a geostationary orbit satellite system or non-geostationary orbit satellite system or an authorization to use an individually licensed earth station or a blanket licensed earth station. | ||
| The license, grant, or market access or authorization will be held or controlled by an entity that produces or provides any covered communications equipment or service or an affiliate of such an entity and for other purposes. | ||
| Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida, Mr. Billarakis, and the gentleman from New Jersey, Mr. Pallone, each will control 20 minutes. | ||
| The chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials on the record in the record for this particular bill. | ||
| Without objection. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I rise in support of H.R. 2458, the Secure Space Act. | ||
| Advancements in satellite technology has enabled broadband Internet to be deployed at commercial scale. | ||
| We must protect these systems from foreign adversaries. | ||
| The Secure Space Act would prohibit the Federal Communications Commission from granting a license for geostationary orbit and non-geostationary orbit satellite systems if they are owned or controlled by an entity that provides communications equipment that pose an unacceptable risk to U.S. national security. | ||
| Common sense. | ||
| I would like to thank Chairman Guthrie and Ranking Member Pallone for their leadership on this particular bill, and I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentleman reserves, the gentleman from New Jersey is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I yield myself such time as I may consume. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2458, the Secure Space Act, bipartisan legislation that I introduced last month with Energy and Commerce Chair Guthrie. | ||
| There's no question that we're once again in the midst of a new space age. | ||
| It's opening a variety of new frontiers, curiosity and innovation, including the use of satellites in space to help provide broadband and other communications services. | ||
| But as the demand for satellite services increases, so does the need to protect these communication networks from untrusted actors and equipment. | ||
| We can't risk having our satellite networks face the same challenges we've seen in some of our other communications networks, which may be more challenging given the fact that satellites operate globally. | ||
| It's therefore imperative that we ensure the satellite marketplace and the relevant supply chains are protected from threats by non-trusted actors. | ||
| So H.R. 2458 helps meet these objectives. | ||
| This legislation will extend the Secure and Trusted Communications Network Act framework to the licensing of both geostationary and non-geostationary orbit satellites, as well as the authorization of U.S. Earth stations. | ||
| Effectively, this legislation will prevent entities identified as national security risks from gaining a license or authorization to access the U.S. satellite market. | ||
| And this is especially relevant given that the combined satellite fleets of China and Russia have grown by about 70 percent in the last two years. | ||
| By applying the secure and trusted framework to the satellite industry, we'll take another crucial step towards protecting the public from untrusted entities and our foreign adversaries. | ||
| The requirements in this legislation will not only benefit our nation, but will also help further the United States' ability to protect our allies as they too rely on these global satellite networks for broadband and emergency services. | ||
| So I want to thank Chair Guthrie for working with me on this bipartisan bill. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this timely legislation to protect Americans from untrusted actors seeking to use our communication networks against us. | ||
| And I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| Gentlemen Reserves, the gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, so I'll reserve and I'm prepared to close. | ||
| Gentleman Reserves, the gentleman from New Jersey is recognized. | ||
| I have no additional speakers, and I would urge support for the legislation yield back. | ||
| Gentleman yields back. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| In closing, I urge a yes vote on this particular bill, and I yield back the balance of my time. | ||
| Gentleman yields. | ||
| The question is, will the House suspend the rules and pass the bill H.R. 2458? | ||
| Those in favor say aye. | ||
| Those opposed, no. | ||
| In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended. | ||
| The bill is passed and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Florida seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I move that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill H.R. 2444. | ||
| The clerk will report the title of the bill. | ||
| Union calendar number 45, H.R. 2444, a bill to establish a critical supply chain resiliency and crisis response program in the Department of Commerce and to secure American leadership in deploying emerging technologies and for the purposes. | ||
| Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida, Mr. Billarakis, and the gentlewoman from Michigan, Ms. Dingell, will each control 20 minutes. | ||
| The chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the record on this particular bill. | ||
| Without objection. | ||
| I think they turned me off without objection. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2444, the Promoting Resilient Supply Chains Act of 2025, led by my good friend, a very effective member of Congress, Representative James from the great state of Michigan. | ||
| I want to thank my colleagues, Mr. James, as I said, Ms. Houchin, Ms. Dingell, who's now the ranking member at this particular time, and Ms. Kelly for their bipartisan legislation. | ||
| During the pandemic, our country saw all too well the effects weak supply chains can have on business and the American people. | ||
| It's important that we, as a country, better prevent and mitigate insecurities within our supply chains to better protect our economic and national security. | ||
| This legislation is paramount to protect such American security, but by mapping and monitoring our supply chains and mitigating future vulnerabilities, we will also secure our global leadership in the advancement and development of emerging technologies. | ||
| So I urge my colleagues to join me in voting for this particular bill, H.R. 2444, and I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| Gentleman Reserves, the gentlewoman from Michigan is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I request as much time as I shall require. | ||
| The gentlewoman is recognized. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2444, the Promoting Resilient Supply Chains Act. | ||
| I want to thank my co-leads of this bill, Representative John James, Robin Kelly, and Erin Houchin. | ||
| This bipartisan bill builds on the work we've done in recent years to strengthen American manufacturing, foster innovation, and protect both our economic and national security. | ||
| It gives the federal government the tools and the authorities needed to map, monitor, and respond to supply chain vulnerabilities before they escalate into full-blown crises. | ||
| This legislation includes critical provisions from last Congress Supply Chains Act, which I co-led, including a provision to designate the Assistant Secretary of Commerce to lead a government-wide supply chain resilience effort. | ||
| It also ensures input from labor and lays out a national strategy to coordinate action and prevent future disruptions. | ||
| Leaving our manufacturers and suppliers vulnerable creates fragile supply chains that threatens both our economic and national security. | ||
| This bill is a critical step towards preventing debilitating shortages. | ||
| We must invest, rebuild, and protect our industrial base from threats to innovation and competitiveness. | ||
| For too long, poorly negotiated trade deals, job outsourcing, and the decline of unionization have howled out our industrial base, leaving manufacturers and suppliers vulnerable. | ||
| We have a responsibility to rebuild American manufacturing and protect workers because doing so is essential to both our economic strength and our national security. | ||
| Supply chain legislation is vital to our long-term competitiveness as a country, and I'm glad to see the progress is being made on this bill. | ||
| I strongly urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support H.R. 2444, and I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| Gentlewoman reserves. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as you may consume to my good friend, a very effective member of Congress, Mr. James from the great state of Michigan. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Today I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 2444, the Promoting Resilient Supply Chains Act of 2025. | ||
| I especially want to thank my chairman and friend and mentor, Chairman Billarakis, for his leadership and support, and my good friend Debbie Dingell from Michigan, who has been a mentor to me on the ways of D.C. and bipartisanship, family friend for such a long time. | ||
| I also have the pleasure of sharing the opportunity on this bill with Aaron Houch and my classmate Robin Kelly and Pat Ryan, my West Point classmate. | ||
| This is an example of Congress coming together, reaching across the aisle, and working in the best interest of the American people. | ||
| There are so many more instances of this type of bipartisanship than what you may see on the news. | ||
| But, Mr. Speaker, this is exactly how Congress is supposed to work, and I'm very proud of my bill. | ||
| No matter how you slice it and no matter what industry, there's not a single American who isn't impacted by supply chains. | ||
| In Michigan's 10th congressional district, supply chains are the equivalent of rocket fuel, providing the firepower for the number one manufacturing district in the entire country to power Michigan's local and state economy. | ||
| Having strong and reliable supply chains is essential to ensuring that every American can get the food, fuel, medication, and every other consumer good they desire. | ||
| This bipartisan bill is about bringing jobs back home and lowering costs for hardworking families. | ||
| And in today's world, supply chains are no longer just about cheaper prices at Meyer or Walmart. | ||
| They are vital to America's national security interests as well. | ||
| We must do everything in our power, Mr. Speaker, to ensure that our nation's supply chain is resilient, shock-resistant, protected from nefarious foreign adversaries as well. | ||
| This includes the Chinese Communist Party. | ||
| The threat from China is real, and the time to act is now. | ||
| During COVID, we witness the risks of depending on a hostile supply chain with shortages in medicine, PPE, ventilators, and critical health care supplies when they force us to rely on our adversaries for these life-saving resources. | ||
| Let me say that again. | ||
| During a pandemic caused by a Chinese-made virus, the American people were forced to depend on the CCP for life saving supplies. | ||
| That will never happen again. | ||
| It is ludicrous and absurd, a clear wake-up call that we would be foolish not to heed. | ||
| To achieve a strong resilient supply chain, we must have a coordinated, whole-of-government approach that decreases our dependence on adversaries and leverages American ingenuity. | ||
| It is crucial for our economic and national security. | ||
| Promoting resilient supply chains is a step in the right direction. | ||
| This legislation specifically will create a supply chain resiliency program to identify and address gaps in critical industries and emerging technologies, establish an early warning system to predict and prevent supply chain disruption, and reduce dependence of adversarial nations by incentivizing domestic manufacturing. | ||
|
Clear and Decisive Action
00:00:59
|
||
| Resilient global supply chains are the cornerstone of American innovation and leadership, and we must take clear and decisive action in the global competition. | ||
| I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation, H.R. 2444, the Promoting Resilient Supply Chains Act of 2025. | ||
| And with that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back. | ||
| Gentleman yields back. | ||
| Gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
| I reserve. | ||
| Gentleman in reserves, gentlewoman from Michigan is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, we have no further speakers and are prepared to close. | ||
| Yes, sir. | ||
| I have no further speakers. | ||
| So, yeah, I welcome you. | ||
| I urge our colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support H.R. 2444 and yield back. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Very good. | |
| The gentleman yields back. | ||
| Gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
|
NTIA Reauthorization Act Support
00:14:24
|
||
| Yeah, in closing, again, I want to commend Representative James for his great work on this particular bill. | ||
| Very necessary. | ||
| I encourage a yes vote on the bill, obviously, and I yield back the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentleman yields. | ||
| The question is: will the House suspend the rules and pass the bill H.R. 2444? | ||
| Those in favor say aye. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Aye. | |
| Those opposed, no. | ||
| In the opinion of the chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended. | ||
| The bill is passed, and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Florida seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I moved that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill H.R. 2482 as amended. | ||
| The clerk will report the title of the bill. | ||
| H.R. 2482, a bill to reauthorize the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and for other purposes. | ||
| Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida, Mr. Billarakis, and the gentlewoman from Michigan, Ms. Dingle, each will control 20 minutes. | ||
| The chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislated days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the record on this particular bill. | ||
| Without objection. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I rise in support of H.R. 2482 as amended, the NTIA Reauthorization Act, led by my good friend, Chairman Ladda. | ||
| The National Telecommunications and Information Administration plays a critical role in today's communications ecosystem. | ||
| But Congress has not reauthorized NTIA since 1992. | ||
| The NTIA Reauthorization Act ensures that NTIA has the tools and needs for today's needs. | ||
| It elevates the head of the NTIA to an Under Secretary of Commerce to reflect the important role NTIA plays. | ||
| It eliminates unnecessary reports, codifies two critical offices, and authorizes NTIA for two years. | ||
| So I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2482, and I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentleman in reserves, the gentlewoman from Michigan is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. | ||
| The gentlewoman is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I rise in strong support of H.R. 2482, the National Telecommunications Information Administration Reauthorization Act. | ||
| Over the four years of the Biden administration, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, or NTIA, did tremendous work to help connect all Americans to high-speed, reliable, and affordable broadband. | ||
| And the historic $65 billion in broadband investments we included in the bipartisan infrastructure law are helping supercharge these efforts. | ||
| It is now time for the Trump administration's NTIA to unleash the rest of this funding so that states can connect as many Americans as possible to fast, reliable, and affordable internet. | ||
| Congress has also tasked NTIA with other meaningful responsibilities. | ||
| The agency manages federal spectrum and its users, as well as coordinates with the Federal Communications Commission to ensure that our airwaves are effectively managed and safe and secure manner. | ||
| It's also charged with advising the President on advanced technologies. | ||
| A lot has changed since the NTIA was last reauthorized in 1992. | ||
| We should ensure that it continues to have the authorities it needs to implement many of our nation's broadband efforts and technological advancements in such areas as spectrum management and artificial intelligence. | ||
| H.R. 2482 helps achieve this goal. | ||
| This bipartisan bill reauthorizes the NTIA and elevates its leadership by making its administrator an undersecretary within the Department of Commerce. | ||
| Taking these important steps will better reflect NTIA's importance as the President's primary advisor on telecommunications and technology policy. | ||
| This bill also includes important provisions to codify NTIA's current work and responsibilities. | ||
| I thank Communications and Technology Subcommittee Ranking Member Matt Sui and Representative Lada for their bipartisan work on this bill. | ||
| With this legislation, we ensure that NTIA has the authorities it needs to continue connecting all Americans to high-speed, reliable, and affordable broadband and overseeing innovative technology developments. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentlewoman reserves, the gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I yield as much time as you may consume to the chairman of the Energy Committee, my good friend from the great state of Ohio, a legislative machine, in my opinion, as much time as you may consume again. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank my good friend from Florida for yielding. | ||
| I greatly support, I thank his work that he's done on this legislation to get it to where we are today. | ||
| I rise in support of H.R. 2482, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Reauthorization Act of 2025, which I am pleased to lead with the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, my good friend the gentlelady from California's 7th District. | ||
| The NTIA is an agency within the Department of Congress tasked with advising the President on matters related to telecommunications policy. | ||
| It is responsible for a variety of activities, which include federal spectrum management, administration of broadband grants, internet governance, representing the United States in international telecommunication forums, and developing cybersecurity policy. | ||
| As the Chairman has mentioned, Congress has not reauthorized NTIA since 1992, before many of these responsibilities existed or were relevant. | ||
| This legislation ensures NTIA has the right structure and resources to fulfill its 21st century mission as it's directed by Congress. | ||
| TIA plays a key role in our effort to maintain global leadership and wireless communications. | ||
| NTIA has important statutory obligations to manage federal spectrum, which is especially important as federal and non-federal use of spectrum has intensified with the explosion of mobile phones and new connected technologies. | ||
| We must make sure NTIA's leadership reflects the important role it plays today, both domestically and internationally. | ||
| This legislation elevates the NTIA administrator from an assistant secretary of commerce to an Under Secretary of Commerce. | ||
| This elevation will help NTIA best represent the United States as it coordinates with other agencies and works with other countries. | ||
| Finally, this legislation will codify two key offices within the NTIA, the Office of Spectrum Management and the Office of International Affairs. | ||
| NTIA's role has drastically changed since it was last reauthorized, and I appreciate the work from the agency and my colleagues to update its authorizing statute. | ||
| I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2482, and I yield back the balance of my time. | ||
| I reserve the gentleman from Florida Reserves, the gentlewoman from Michigan, is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I yield three minutes to the gentlewoman from California and the chair of the Communications and Technology Subcommittee, or the ranking member, sorry, gave her a promotion, who's been a leader in this field. | ||
| The gentlewoman is recognized. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you, and I want to thank Representing Dingo for yielding me time. | |
| And I want to thank my friend, the gentleman from Ohio, Mr. Lana, for his bipartisan partnership on this important issue. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the NTIA Reauthorization Act. | ||
| We introduced this bill to ensure America continues to stand as a global leader in communications and technology. | ||
| The National Telecommunications Information Administration, or as we call it, NTIA, plays a vital role in ensuring the United States' strong technological leadership. | ||
| This federal agency is integral for getting people connected, ensuring we can communicate in emergencies, and bolstering our cybersecurity infrastructure. | ||
| Yet, Congress has not reauthorized NTIA in over 30 years, and the pace of innovation and demand for connectivity has increased dramatically over the last few years. | ||
| We need strong leadership and expertise to help us meet this demand. | ||
| NTIA advises on the rapid deployment of artificial intelligence and manages the efficient uses of our airwaves. | ||
| NTIA is also charged with carrying out the bipartisan infrastructures law, historic $65 billion investments to expand affordable and reliable high-speed internet access to communities across America. | ||
| Communities like the Sacramento region, where just 20 minutes outside the city, rural areas still suffer major gaps in broadband coverage. | ||
| Progress to close the digital divide, however, is currently at a standstill. | ||
| This critical broadband funding must not be delayed. | ||
| We cannot risk changes that waste taxpayer dollars and strand Americans with less affordable but more expensive internet. | ||
| We need NTIA to get back to helping our communities access federal funding. | ||
| This includes giving our states the flexibility to move ahead with their plans to expand affordable internet to the tens of millions of Americans who still lack access. | ||
| So while I'm glad to co-lead, I'm very happy to co-lead this bipartisan bill to modernize NTIA's mission to areas like federal spectrum management and international negotiations. | ||
| I know there's a lot of work ahead. | ||
| But today, we must pass this legislation to empower NTIA to keep the United States as the leader of global technological leadership. | ||
| So I do urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time. | ||
| Gentlewoman yields. | ||
| The gentlewoman from Michigan is recognized. | ||
| I have no further speaker. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I would yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from Maryland, Ms. Delaney. | ||
| The gentlewoman is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I too rise in strong support of H.R. 2482 to support this long-overdue reauthorization of NTIA, a small but mighty agency housed within the Department of Commerce. | ||
| This important agency is esteemed by both public and private stakeholders around the globe and is staffed by incredibly experienced engineers, technical experts, and tech policy professionals who understand the breadth and depth of telecom and AI impacting our country. | ||
| I say this because I had the privilege of recently serving as the Deputy Assistant Secretary and Deputy Administrator of NTIA. | ||
| And this amazing agency, I well understand how much the world and telecom policy has changed since it was reauthorized by Congress over three decades ago. | ||
| A lot has happened since then. | ||
| This legislation, as my colleagues says, does make it better fit for purpose by codifying the importance of the Office of Spectrum Management, the division which oversees the spectrum allocations for our country's agencies. | ||
| Doing it the past few years, I watched it work to finalize our national strategy on spectrum and represent our country at the ITU World Radio Conference and at other technical conferences. | ||
| This is important because this technical work is key and underpins our U.S. competitiveness and national security and paves the way for new technologies to thrive through the reallocation of spectrum, spectrum like 6G and its work on technical standards, vis-à-vis China and other international players. | ||
| Moreover, this legislation codifies its international office to work on tech issues raised in international venues at the EU and ITU, publicly wireless supply chains and national competitiveness issues. | ||
| As my colleague said, it is very important for the resources for the broadband division and its work on finally rolling out the rest of the broadband grants for universal high-speed access and to finally close the digital divide. | ||
| And last, I can't help but say the public safety division is essential for NG911 services and FirstNet. | ||
| I commend the committee for this much-needed network work and I ask my colleagues to join me in support. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
| The gentlewoman yields back. | ||
| The gentleman from Michigan is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, we're prepared to close. | ||
| Yes. | ||
| I have no further speakers, so I'll reserve. | ||
|
Routers Act: Securing Home Networks
00:07:13
|
||
| I strongly urge our colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support H.R. 2482 and yield back the balance of our time. | ||
| Gentlewoman yields. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| I want to thank again Chairman Latta and Ranking Member Matsui for this very important, vital bill. | ||
| Anyway, in closing, I encourage a yes vote on this particular bill and I yield back the balance of my time. | ||
| Gentleman yields. | ||
| The question is, will the House suspend the rules and pass the bill H.R. 2482 as amended? | ||
| Those in favor say aye. | ||
| Those opposed, no. | ||
| In the opinion of the chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended. | ||
| The bill is passed, and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Florida seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I move that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill H.R. 866. | ||
| Does the gentleman call for the bill as amended? | ||
| Yes, as amended, please. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| The clerk will report the title of the bill. | ||
| Union calendar number 52, H.R. 866, a bill to direct the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, to conduct a study of the national security risk posed by consumer routers, modems, and devices that combine a modem and a router and for other purposes. | ||
| Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida, Mr. Billarakis, and the gentlewoman from Michigan, Ms. Dingle, each will control 20 minutes. | ||
| The chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the record on this particular bill. | ||
| Without objection. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I rise in support of H.R. 866, the Routers Act, led by Representative Ladder, Chairman Latta, actually, my good friend. | ||
| Nearly everyone in America has a router or modem in their home. | ||
| But these devices can have security vulnerabilities that can be exploited by our adversaries, unfortunately. | ||
| The Routers Act would direct the Department of Commerce to study the national security risks and cybersecurity vulnerabilities posed by routers and modems produced by companies with ties to foreign adversaries. | ||
| This study will help Congress understand the security of these devices. | ||
| This legislation passed by voice vote last Congress, and I urge my colleagues to support it once again, and I'll reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| Gentleman Reserves, the gentlewoman from Michigan is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. | ||
| The gentlewoman is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I rise in support of H.R. 866, the removing our unsecure technologies to ensure reliability and security act, or the Reuters Act. | ||
| This legislation is an important step to provide Americans with the confidence to trust that the devices they use in their homes to connect to the Internet are free from the influence of our foreign adversaries. | ||
| H.R. 866 accomplishes this objective by requiring the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, | ||
| to study the national security risks and cybersecurity vulnerabilities posed by routers and modems found in American homes that are manufactured or sold by entities With ties to our foreign adversary countries. | ||
| The Secretary must also deliver a report to Congress of its study within one year. | ||
| It is crucial that we understand the cybersecurity and national security risks our networks face from equipment that originates from our foreign adversaries. | ||
| This is especially true given that our nation's communications networks are an integral component to nearly every facet of American life, which also makes them prime targets for attack. | ||
| This legislation will help us to better protect American families and our country from bad actors who want to carry out malicious attacks. | ||
| I thank Representatives Kelly and Lada for their bipartisan work on this legislation. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 866 and I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| Gentlewoman reserves. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as you may consume to Chairman Ladda from the great state of Ohio. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized. | ||
| Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman. | ||
| And once again, I thank my good friend, the chair of the subcommittee, for yielding. | ||
| I rise today in support of my legislation, H.R. 866, the Routers Act. | ||
| Routers and modems play a key role in communications networks. | ||
| They are the entry point through which the public accesses the Internet. | ||
| Thus, we make sure that they are secure. | ||
| Bad actors can exploit vulnerabilities and routers to infect users' computers, access their information, or disrupt their network. | ||
| National security agencies, including the Director of National Intelligence, Department of Justice, and the Department of Homeland Security, have reported on the threat posed by vulnerabilities and routers and how some Chinese Communist Party-sponsored hackers have used these vulnerabilities to launch attacks. | ||
| We should take these reports seriously. | ||
| Further, we know that companies with ties to the CCP could be forced to support Chinese intelligence activities. | ||
| We can imagine how they could use vulnerabilities in their equipment to aid these efforts. | ||
| That is why I'm pleased to sponsor the Routers Act, which would direct the Secretary of Commerce through the Assistant Secretary of Communications and Information to study the national security risk posed by routers and modems produced by companies with ties to foreign adversaries. | ||
| This study will help Congress understand the scope and risk of this threat and will inform whether we need to remove this equipment from our networks. | ||
| The legislation builds on our bipartisan efforts to remove untrusted equipment from our communication ecosystem. | ||
| In the past five years, we passed the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act to remove Huawei and ZTE equipment from our networks, and we passed the Secure Equipment Act, which prohibits the Federal Communications Commission from authorizing equipment from untrusted vendors. | ||
| It is imperative we move forward with these efforts to mitigate the widespread availability of this equipment. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 866, and I yield back the balance of my time. | ||
|
Futures Networks Act Support
00:15:53
|
||
| Gentleman yields, gentlemen from Florida is recognized. | ||
| I'll reserve. | ||
| Gentleman Reserves, gentlewoman from Michigan is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, we have no more speakers and are prepared to close. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I have no speakers, prepared speakers. | ||
| Gentlewoman from Michigan is recognized. | ||
| Please close. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to protect American citizens and support the Reuters Act and yield back the balance of my time. | ||
| Gentlewoman yields. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
| Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| In closing, I urge a yes vote on this particular bill, and I yield back the balance of my time as well. | ||
| Gentleman yields. | ||
| The question is, will the House suspend the rules and pass the bill H.R. 866 as amended? | ||
| Those in favor say aye. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Aye. | |
| Those opposed, no. | ||
| In the opinion of the chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended. | ||
| The bill is passed, and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Florida seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I move that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill H.R. 2399. | ||
| The clerk will report the title of the bill. | ||
| Union calendar number 55, H.R. 2399, a bill to require the Federal Communications Commission to establish a vetting process for prospective applicants for high-cost universal service program funding. | ||
| Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida, Mr. Billarakis, and the gentlewoman from Michigan, Ms. Dingell, each will control 20 minutes. | ||
| The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the record on this particular bill. | ||
| Without objection. | ||
| Thank you very much. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I rise in support of H.R. 2399, the Rural Broadband Protection Act, led by my good friend Representative Houchin. | ||
| The Federal Communications Commission's Universal Service Fund provides funding for broadband networks in our rural communities. | ||
| The Rural Broadband Protection Act requires the FCC to establish a process for upfront vetting of providing providers seeking USF funds. | ||
| It also directs the FCC to set penalties for providers that do not meet their commitments. | ||
| This will ensure that USF recipients deliver on their promise to serve our rural communities. | ||
| I thank Representative Houchin for leading this particular bill, and I urge my colleagues to support it. | ||
| I'll reserve the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Gentleman Reserves, the gentlewoman from Michigan is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. | ||
| The gentlewoman is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I rise in support of H.R. 1377, the Rural Broadband Protection Act. | ||
| This legislation would direct the Federal Communications Commission to establish a process to more thoroughly vet internet service providers participating in the Universal Funds high-cost program. | ||
| I have long advocated for reforms to combat waste, fraud, and abuse in the high-cost program. | ||
| Following an investigation by Energy and Commerce Committee Democrats in 2017, we requested that the Government Accountability Office open its own inquiry into reports of abuse of the high-cost support. | ||
| In a scathing report, GAO detailed a remarkable act of oversight by the FCC, as well as the need for greater accountability to ensure precious USF dollars are spent on the mission of deploying high-speed broadband to underserved and underserved communities. | ||
| Since then, we have seen modest progress to curb waste, fraud, and abuse in the high-cost program, but more accountability is needed. | ||
| I commend Representatives Kelly and Houchin for their work on this legislation and appreciate their commitment to protecting unserved and underserved communities in need of high-speed connectivity. | ||
| However, I must note that this legislation was not considered as part of the Energy and Commerce Committee's typical regular order process. | ||
| It was not considered during a subcommittee legislative hearing or taken up in a subcommittee markup prior to being voted on by full committee. | ||
| We are supporting the bill today, but are disappointed that the committee members were not afforded the opportunity to seek testimony of experts on the specific text of the legislation or inquire about the bill's impact on the program and consumers, as is our typical practice for legislative hearings. | ||
| Still, we believe this legislation will help address critical gaps in the vetting of high-cost recipients, will curb waste, fraud, and abuse in the program. | ||
| So, we urge our colleagues to support H.R. 2399 and reserve the balance of our time. | ||
| Florida is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as she may consume to Representative Houchin, a very effective, really outstanding member of the Energy and Commerce Committee. | ||
| The gentlewoman is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to Chair Billarakis for his leadership on this important issue. | ||
| I also thank my colleagues on the other side of the aisle for their support. | ||
| I rise today in proud support of H.R. 2399, the Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025, a bill that I am proud to sponsor. | ||
| Across Indiana and throughout rural America, families, farmers, students, and small business owners still struggle with slow or unreliable internet access. | ||
| It's not just inconvenient, it's a barrier to opportunity, to education, to health care, and to economic growth. | ||
| When Congress invests in rural broadband, we must ensure those dollars are getting where they are intended and that providers who are receiving those funds are capable of getting the job done. | ||
| That's exactly what the Rural Broadband Protection Act does. | ||
| It puts accountability and transparency in the grant review process by requiring the Federal Communications Commission to vet applicants for broadband funding based on experience, capability, and performance. | ||
| As a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, this is a smart, bipartisan, common sense piece of legislation, and I know my constituents back home agree. | ||
| That's why today I'll be voting yes on the Rural Broadband Protection Act, and I urge all of my colleagues to do the same. | ||
| Thank you, and I yield back the balance of my time. | ||
| Gentlewoman yields back. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Gentleman from Florida is recognized. | |
| I reserve. | ||
| Gentleman reserves, gentlewoman from Michigan is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, we have no more speakers, so we're prepared to close. | ||
| Gentlewoman from Michigan is recognized. | ||
| We urge our colleagues to support on both sides of the aisle H.R. 2399, and I yield back the balance of our time. | ||
| Gentlewoman yields back. | ||
| Gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I want to commend Representative Houchon and Representative Kelly on this bipartisan bill. | ||
| It's necessary that we pass this. | ||
| In closing, I encourage a yes vote, as I said, and I'll yield back the balance of my time. | ||
| Gentleman yields. | ||
| The question is: Will the House suspend the rules and pass the bill H.R. 2399? | ||
| Those in favor say aye. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Aye. | |
| Those opposed, no. | ||
| In the opinion of the chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative. | ||
| The rules are suspended. | ||
| The bill is passed, and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Florida seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I move that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill H.R. 2449. | ||
| The clerk will report the title of the bill. | ||
| Union calendar number 51, H.R. 2449. | ||
| A bill to direct the Federal Communications Commission to establish a task force to be known as the 6G Task Force, and for the purposes. | ||
| Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida, Mr. Billarakis, and the gentlewoman from Michigan, Ms. Dingell, each will control 20 minutes. | ||
| The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the record on this particular bill. | ||
| Without objection. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I rise in support of this bill H.R. 2449, the Futures Networks Act, led by Representative Matsui and Representative Allen, I believe. | ||
| Yeah, that's correct. | ||
| United States leadership in 6G technology is critical for both our economic and national security. | ||
| This bill would direct the FCC to establish a 6G task force made up of both public and private sector participants to develop a report on the standards development process and possible uses of sixth-generation technology. | ||
| This task force will ensure that the United States has a unified position to cement our leadership in 6G, so critical. | ||
| This legislation has strong bipartisan support, and I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentleman in reserves, the gentlewoman from Michigan is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. | ||
| The gentlewoman is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I rise in support of H.R. 2449, the Futures Networks Act. | ||
| This bipartisan legislation is an important step to protect Americans and our communication networks from threats posed by rapidly evolving next-generation technologies. | ||
| It also ensures that the standards used to build technological advancements are designed from the start to be safe and secure. | ||
| H.R. 2449 establishes a task force at the Federal Communications Commission to study the sixth-generation or 6G technologies to identify potential supply chain and cybersecurity vulnerabilities. | ||
| The task force will include government, public interest advocates, academics, and industry. | ||
| The United States leads the world in the innovation of secure and resilient next-generation technologies, a position congressional Democrats have fought hard to sustain. | ||
| Among other things, House Democrats have worked to increase the safety of our networks and supply chains by examining the security of mobile networks and educate consumers about cybersecurity vulnerabilities and risks. | ||
| And the Future Networks Act is yet another important step to support America's leadership in a secure and reliable future. | ||
| By directing the FCC to engage in the exploration of 6G technology in the early stages of development, the Future Networks Act will enable American values to be embedded within the global framework for this technology and to ensure it will be available to all Americans. | ||
| I thank Communications and Technologies Subcommittee Ranking Member Matsui and Representative Allen and Wahlberg for their bipartisan work on this legislation. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2449 and reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| Gentlewoman Reserves, the gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as you may consume to Representative Allen from the great state of Georgia. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized. | ||
|
unidentified
|
I thank my good friend from Florida and Mr. Billarakis. | |
| As Vice Chairman of the Communications and Technology Subcommittee, I rise today in support of the Bipartisan Future Networks Act, which I proudly introduced with my colleague Representative Matsui and Representative Wahlberg. | ||
| This common sense legislation would direct the FCC to bring together industry leaders, public interest groups, and government experts to establish a 6G task force. | ||
| As we all know, 6G is the future of telecommunications, and we must ensure that the United States is a global leader in this emerging technology. | ||
| Failure to do so would put our adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party in the driver's seat. | ||
| We cannot allow that to happen. | ||
| I come from the world of business, and just like in business, we want the best, most qualified individuals to have a seat at the table. | ||
| By establishing a 6G task force, we can bring together America's brightest industry leaders, stakeholders, and innovators to collaborate on the future deployment of 6G and strengthening our wireless networks. | ||
| This is a matter of economic and national security. | ||
| And I was proud to help lead the Future Networks Act this Congress. | ||
| I strongly encourage all of my colleagues to support H.R. 2449, and I yield back. | ||
| Gentleman Yields, the gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
| Reserve. | ||
| I reserve. | ||
| Gentleman Reserves, gentlemen from Michigan is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I yield three minutes to the gentlewoman from California and ranking member of the Communications and Technology Subcommittee. | ||
| The gentlewoman is recognized. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you, and I'd like to thank Representative Dingle for yielding to me. | |
| I rise today in support of the Future Networks Act, and I want to thank very much Representative Allen and Wahlberg for our joint effort in making this a very bipartisan bill. | ||
| We introduced this bill to ensure America continues our leadership and standard setting in the global technology race. | ||
| 6G is going to be a global evolution in the way we communicate. | ||
| If we lead the race for next generation wireless, then this global technology will be based on our values, democracy, open markets, and transparency. | ||
| But if we fall behind, our foreign adversaries will have a new way to expand their reach. | ||
| That means less openness, less security, and more top-down control. | ||
| And this risk is real. | ||
| Already, China is leading in the 6G patent race, filing about 35% of patents globally. | ||
| To stay the global leader, America must invest in innovation and convene our best and brightest to map the road ahead. | ||
| This is increasingly true as artificial intelligence redefines our society and drives rapid change, including in our communications infrastructure. | ||
| 5G networks will leverage AI to meet the connectivity demand of American consumers and businesses. | ||
| 6G also can support smart cities and supercharge augmented reality applications for education, health care, and manufacturing. | ||
|
Bipartisan Bill for 6G
00:00:59
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||
|
unidentified
|
Given such transformative potential, we must be proactive and make sure America sets the gold standard for this next generation technology. | |
| That's why I'm so glad to see this bipartisan bill moving forward today. | ||
| The Future Networks Act ensures our brightest minds in industry, government, and academia are collaborating on the strategically vital development of 6G. | ||
| The race to 6G is not just about faster phones. | ||
| It's about national security, the economy, and America's standing on the world stage. | ||
|
Support H.R. 906
00:16:07
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|
unidentified
|
So, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of suspending the rules and passing this important legislation. | |
| And with that, I yield back the balance of my time. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I have no more speakers. | ||
| I have no more speakers. | ||
| So I reserve. | ||
| The gentlewoman from Michigan is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support H.R. 2449 and yield back the balance of our time. | ||
| Gentlewoman yields. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I want to commend Representative Allen, the Vice Chair of the CNT Committee, and of course Representative Matsui, the ranking member, and my good friend Mr. Wahlberg for this particular bill. | ||
| Very important bill. | ||
| I encourage our members to vote yes on this bill and I yield back the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentleman yields. | ||
| The question is, will the House suspend the rules and pass the bill H.R. 2449? | ||
| Those in favor say aye. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Aye. | |
| Those opposed, no. | ||
| In the opinion of the chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended. | ||
| The bill is passed, and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Florida seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I move that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill H.R. 906. | ||
| The clerk will report the title of the bill. | ||
| Union calendar number 50, H.R. 906, a bill to direct the Federal Communications Commission to publish a list of entities that hold authorizations, licenses, or other grants of authority issued by the Commission and that have certain foreign ownership and for other purposes. | ||
| Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida, Mr. Billarakis, and the gentlewoman from Michigan, Ms. Dingell, each will control 20 minutes. | ||
| The chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida. | ||
| Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the record on this particular bill. | ||
| Without objection. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I rise in support of H.R. 906, the Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency Act, led by my good friend Representative Whitman from the great state of Virginia. | ||
| Entities with ties to our adversaries, China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, are threats to our communications networks, unfortunately, but it is reality. | ||
| This legislation requires the FCC to publish a list of those entities holding a license, authorization, or other authority granted by the FCC. | ||
| Understanding which adversaries are in our networks and the threats they pose is necessary to securing our networks. | ||
| I thank Representative Whitman, he's a great member, for our leadership, his leadership on this bill, which passed last Congress by voice vote. | ||
| I urge my colleagues to support this very important bill, necessary. | ||
| I reserve the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Gentleman Reserves, gentlelady from Michigan is recognized. | |
| Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Gentlelady is recognized. | |
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I rise in support of H.R. 906, the Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency Act. | ||
| At the end of last year, we learned that SALT Typhoon, a cyber espionage operation backed by the Chinese Communist Party, infiltrated several American telecommunications networks to gain access to detailed information on former Vice President Harris and other political figures, as well as access American surveillance information. | ||
| This is extremely disturbing and a stark reminder of the lengths foreign adversary countries will go to use our media and communications networks to disrupt and divide us, weakening our economy for their own benefit. | ||
| Whether it is through communications equipment, the network themselves, or social media, we have seen these operations time and time again, which is why we must stay vigilant to minimize these risks or avoid them altogether. | ||
| Fortunately, today we are taking additional action to address these and future threats. | ||
| H.R. 906 would require the Federal Communications Commission to publish a list within four months indicating any entities with ties to China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran that hold wireless and undersea cable licenses that power our country's mobile and fixed communication networks. | ||
| The bill would also require the FCC to issue rules in 18 months to help it attain foreign ownership information for the remaining authorizations, licenses, and grants that the agency issues. | ||
| The FCC would then publish on its list any additional entities with ties to China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran no later than one year after the new rules are adopted. | ||
| The FCC would also need to update this entity list annually. | ||
| This bill is particularly important since we know our communications networks carry Americans' most sensitive personal and government data on a daily basis. | ||
| So we must have a clear understanding if any foreign adversary countries or the countries operating within those countries are investors in our networks. | ||
| With this bill, we continue to secure our communication networks, protect Americans and their personal data, and help better protect our allies as they too rely on our global undersea cable network for broadband services. | ||
| I thank Representatives Castor, Khanna, Whitman, and Keene for their bipartisan work and leadership on this legislation. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I urge all of our colleagues to support H.R. 906, and I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
|
unidentified
|
General Lady Reserves, gentlemen from Florida is recognized. | |
| Yes, Mr. Speaker, I actually want to give the sponsor of the bill as much time as he may consume, Representative Whitman from the great state of Virginia. | ||
|
unidentified
|
The gentleman is recognized. | |
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I rise today in support of the Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency Act, known as the FACT Act. | ||
| I introduced this bill in January, and I've been pleased to see it advanced through committee and now onto the House floor. | ||
| First, I want to thank Chairman Guthrie, Chairman Hudson, and the entire Energy and Commerce Committee for advancing this bill, and Leader Scalese for bringing it to the floor today. | ||
| Additionally, Representatives Stefanik, Keene, Castor, and Khanna have been strong partners in garnering support for this legislation as co-sponsors. | ||
| I'd also like to thank my staff, as well as those fellow co-sponsors on the Energy and Commerce Committee and leadership for their diligent work on this important bill. | ||
| I also want to applaud the administration for taking the CCP's threat to our national security seriously. | ||
| Communist China is using every tool at its disposal to conduct a coordinated campaign to surveil and collect information on Americans. | ||
| We should all be deeply concerned about that. | ||
| China is not our friend. | ||
| China looks to defeat us both economically and strategically. | ||
| This is one of many means that they are using to accomplish that. | ||
| They are infiltrating our telecommunications networks, our technology sectors, for the sole purpose of doing harm to the United States and its friends. | ||
| Despite this clear threat, far too many companies with ties to the CCP and other foreign adversaries still hold authorities to operate in the United States, often without the public's knowledge. | ||
| That is absolutely unacceptable. | ||
| While companies like Huawei and ZTE are well known, others controlled by the CCP continue to fly under the radar. | ||
| They're doing this purposely. | ||
| They are creating entities that are third and fourth order separates from these main organizations to be able to obfuscate those connections back to the CCP. | ||
| That's where the bipartisan FACT Act comes in. | ||
| It would require the Federal Communications Commission to publish a list of these companies that hold FCC authorizations and have any ownership by foreign adversarial governments, including our adversaries like China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran. | ||
| This transparency is critical. | ||
| Americans deserve to know which companies inside our tech and telecommunications markets are linked to hostile regimes. | ||
| Shining a light on this malign influence is the first step towards a stronger action to defend our communications infrastructure in our national security. | ||
| We know what these threats are. | ||
| We've seen them develop. | ||
| We've seen them accelerate. | ||
| We've seen what China's intent is. | ||
| The FACT Act will mark real bipartisan progress in achieving these efforts. | ||
| It's a necessary step to protect Americans from surveillance and infiltration by foreign adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party. | ||
| I urge my colleagues to support this critical legislation, and I look forward to continuing to work together to defend American sovereignty and security. | ||
| With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield. | ||
| I'll reserve, Mr. Speaker. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Gentleman from Florida Reserves, gentlelady from Michigan is recognized. | |
| Mr. Speaker, I yield three minutes to the distinguished woman from Florida and a great leader on this issue. | ||
|
unidentified
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Gentlelady is recognized. | |
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank Ms. Dingell for yielding the time, and I thank Chairman Bill Arakis for moving the bill forward to the floor today. | ||
| I rise in strong support of H.R. 906, the Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency Act. | ||
| This bill would require the Federal Communications Commission, the FCC, to publish a public list of entities with ties to foreign adversarial governments such as China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran, especially if they have a license or authorization that's tied to our communications networks. | ||
| Along with Representative Whitman, I serve on the Bipartisan Select Committee on Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. | ||
| Last Congress, the committee released a bipartisan report on maintaining America's economic and national security interests. | ||
| The report found that the widespread adoption of certain People's Republic of China developed technologies in the United States poses a significant risk to national security and threatens long-term U.S. technological competitiveness. | ||
| Our committee report recommended that we enact the FACT Act to shine a light on companies connected to foreign adversarial governments like the CCP and to ensure greater accountability and transparency in our critical communications networks. | ||
| Our bill passed the House unanimously by voice vote in the last Congress, but it didn't quite get over the finish line. | ||
| But we really have no more time to wait, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Our adversaries continue to target our communication systems. | ||
| So Congress must take steps now to protect our communications, telecommunications infrastructure and strengthen our national security to keep Americans safe. | ||
| With that, I urge a yes vote on the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Gentlelady from Michigan Reserves. | |
| Mr. Speaker, we're prepared to close. | ||
| We have no more speakers. | ||
| And I'll reserve and I'll yield to the gentlelady. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Gentlelady from Michigan is recognized. | |
| Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge that our colleagues on both sides of the aisle support 906, the Foreign Adversary Communication Transparency Act for the security of our nation and yield back the balance of our time. | ||
|
unidentified
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Gentlelady yields. | |
| Gentleman from Florida. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I want to commend Representative Whitman and Representative Castor for their good work on this particular bill, and I urge passage. | ||
| So I'll yield back the balance of my time. | ||
|
unidentified
|
The question is, will the House suspend the rules and pass H.R. 906? | |
| Those in favor say aye. | ||
| Aye. | ||
| Those opposed, no. | ||
| In the opinion of the chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative. | ||
| The rules are suspended. | ||
| The bill is passed, and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. | ||
| What purpose does the gentleman from Florida seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I move that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill H.R. 859. | ||
|
unidentified
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Clerk will report the title of the bill. | |
| Union calendar number 49, H.R. 859. | ||
| A bill to require the disclosure of a camera or recording capability in certain internet-connected devices. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Sir, to the rule of the gentleman from Florida, Mr. Billarakis, and gentlemen from Michigan, Ms. Dingell, each will control 20 minutes. | |
| Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the record on this particular bill. | ||
|
unidentified
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Without objection. | |
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Gentlemen is recognized. | |
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 859, the Informing Consumers About Smart Devices Act, led by Representative Folter. | ||
| In recent years, we've witnessed remarkable advancements in consumer goods technologies. | ||
| While these innovations certainly make daily life more convenient, they also carry the risk of collecting data from users, often without their knowledge. | ||
| It's clear to most people that the devices like laptops have the capability to record sound and video, but it may not be so obvious that other household devices, such as televisions or refrigerators, can do the same thing. | ||
| This bipartisan legislation seeks to address this gap by requiring manufacturers of internet-connected devices that contain a microphone or camera but aren't marketed as consumer electronics to disclose the presence of these components to consumers. | ||
| I urge my colleagues, this is a very, very important bill, Mr. Speaker, and I commend the vice chairman of the CMT committee for sponsoring this particular bill. | ||
| And I urge support, unanimous support for H.R. 859, and I'll reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentlewoman from Michigan is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. | ||
| Ladies recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I rise to speak in support of H.R. 859, the Informing Consumers About Smart Devices Act. | ||
| The Internet of Things has ushered in a new age of convenience and efficiency for Americans. | ||
|
Smart Devices and Hidden Cameras
00:05:08
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| Smart thermostats save consumers money by tracking and reporting home energy use, making recommendations about adjusting temperatures to meet consumer needs. | ||
| Smart refrigerators provide recipe suggestions based on the contents of the refrigerator, and smart ovens scan food to automatically optimize the cooking process. | ||
| Every year, American consumers have more and more interconnected devices. | ||
| Unfortunately, the convenience sometimes comes at a cost. | ||
| Troubling reports have uncovered that some interconnected devices record images or audio without the user's awareness. | ||
| Quite frankly, more often than not. | ||
| Sharing of that information with the device manufacturer or third parties is a real and serious threat to people's privacy. | ||
| To combat those threats, the Informing Consumers About Smart Devices Act will require manufacturers of Internet-connected devices to alert consumers when a device includes a camera or microphone if a consumer would not reasonably expect it to do so, which I think most consumers don't recognize or understand. | ||
| While this bill addresses significant privacy concerns, it is also important that we recommit to adopting a bipartisan, comprehensive privacy framework that starts with data minimization and protects all Americans and provides heightened protection for our children nationwide. | ||
| I thank Representative Moulton for his leadership on this issue and encourage my colleagues to support this legislation. | ||
| And with that, I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentlelady reserves, the gentleman from Florida, is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I couldn't agree more. | ||
| There's no question that this is definitely needed. | ||
| I'll yield as much time as you may consume to Representative Folter, the Vice Chairman of the Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade Subcommittee under Energy and Commerce. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and to the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade. | |
| Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the bill Informing Consumers About Smart Devices Act. | ||
| H.R. 859 would require manufacturers of Internet-connected so-called smart appliances to disclose to consumers prior to purchase when their product is equipped with a camera or a microphone. | ||
| Manufacturers today produce appliances that connect to software applications that can be set, managed, and monitored through one's computing device. | ||
| They are designed to capture voice commands from around the vicinity, recording information to adapt to the way individuals give commands. | ||
| They're also often equipped with cameras to capture QR codes or other specific information particular to that appliance. | ||
| Now, while the intention may strictly be for convenience, consumers need to be aware that private information may be captured by smart appliances. | ||
| We need to ensure proper disclosure and consumer awareness of these features. | ||
| It's also important to note that the bill's disclosure requirement only applies to appliances we wouldn't otherwise expect to be equipped with a camera or a microphone. | ||
| For example, devices like mobile phones, laptops and tablets would not have this requirement. | ||
| Put bluntly, our stoves or refrigerators shouldn't be secretly recording conversations in our homes. | ||
| Such information could be accessed by a hacker or nefarious third party. | ||
| Audio or video data of personally identifiable or confidential information could be stolen and or used without the owner's knowledge. | ||
| And that could lead to scams or other kind of harms. | ||
| People need to know all the functionalities of their appliances before bringing them home. | ||
| And this bill makes that possible. | ||
| Thank you to my colleague, Representative Seth Moulton, for co-leading this bipartisan effort. | ||
| I urge support for this legislation, and I yield back. | ||
| Thank you, and I'll reserve, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida reserves. | ||
| The gentlelady from Michigan is recognized. | ||
| We have no other speakers and are prepared to close. | ||
| Aye, nor do I, so I'll yield to the gentlelady. | ||
| The gentleman yields. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I strongly recommend my colleagues on both sides of the aisle support H.R. 859, the Informing Consumers About Smart Devices Act, and protect Americans' privacy. | ||
| And with that, I yield back the balance of our time. | ||
| The gentlelady yields. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I want to commend Representative Folter again, the Vice Chairman of the Committee, the subcommittee, and then also Representative Moulton for this really, really good bill. | ||
|
Passing H.R. 859
00:02:12
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||
| So I encourage passage, final passage, unanimous passage. | ||
| And I'll yield back the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentleman yields back the balance of his time. | ||
| The question is, will the House suspend the rules and pass H.R. 859? | ||
| Those in favor say aye. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Aye. | |
| Those opposed, no. | ||
| In the opinion of the chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended. | ||
| Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Yes. | ||
| On that, I demand the yays and nays. | ||
| The yays and nays have been requested. | ||
| All those in favor taking this vote by yays and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. | ||
| A sufficient number having risen, the yays and nays are ordered. | ||
| Pursuant to Clause 8 of Rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. | ||
| Clause 12A of Rule 1, the Chair declares the House in recess until approximately 6.30 p.m. today. | ||
|
unidentified
|
As the House goes into recess, members will return today at 6:30 p.m. Eastern for votes on suspension bills. | |
| Lawmakers are considering bipartisan legislation to combat online deep fakes and revenge porn. | ||
| Also, a bill aiming to disclose all charges on event tickets to consumers. | ||
| Off the floor, House committees will begin budget markups to advance the President's legislative agenda on border security, energy production, and tax cuts. | ||
| Follow our live House coverage here on C-SPAN, also C-SPAN Now, our free mobile app, and our website, c-span.org. | ||
| Earlier today, Virginia Democratic Congressman Jerry Connolly announced plans to retire from Congress at the end of this term. | ||
| In a statement, Representative Connolly said that after going through cancer treatments and seeing his condition improving, he found out that his cancer had now returned. | ||
| He also stated that he would leave his post as the top Democrat of the House Oversight Committee. | ||
| He remarks, With no rancor and a full heart, I move into this final chapter full of pride in what we've accomplished together over 30 years. | ||
| Mr. Connolly has served in the House since 2009. | ||